Looking for somewhere special for Sunday lunch on the Dorset coast? From traditional roasts overlooking Bournemouth and Branksome beaches to seafood beside Poole Harbour and Christchurch Harbour, these six restaurants turn Sunday lunch into a proper coastal afternoon. Discover South Beach at THE NICI, Urban Reef, Rockwater Branksome, Rick Stein Sandbanks, Shell Bay and The Jetty.
29th September 2026
Autumn Sundays are made for taking the long way to lunch. From Bournemouth and Boscombe to Branksome, Sandbanks, Studland and Christchurch, Dorset’s coast is packed with restaurants where the setting is almost as important as the menu. Whether you fancy a proper Sunday roast, locally landed seafood or a long lunch overlooking the harbour, these six spots are worth building an afternoon around.
Autumn Sundays are made for taking the long way to lunch. A walk along the promenade sharpens the appetite, the beaches are quieter, and booking a table somewhere overlooking the water gives you a good excuse to stay out for the afternoon.
Along the Dorset coast, Sunday lunch can mean everything from roast beef and Yorkshire puddings to oysters, lobster and locally caught fish. Here are six places where lunch deserves to become the main event.
For something a little more polished, South Beach at THE NICI sits above Bournemouth seafront on West Hill Road.
Its Sunday offering includes the classics, with dishes such as overnight roasted beef with Yorkshire pudding and horseradish cream, half roast chicken with truffle bread sauce, and stuffed rolled pork belly with apple sauce. There is also a roast nut loaf, while anyone tempted away from the traditional Sunday roast can choose from seafood-led dishes elsewhere on the menu.
THE NICI currently advertises a two-course Sunday lunch for £30.
This is less about grabbing a quick bite after a walk and more about turning Sunday lunch into the afternoon itself. Arrive hungry, settle in and leave the rest of the day relatively unplanned.
If your ideal Sunday begins with fresh sea air, Urban Reef is difficult to beat.
The restaurant sits directly on Boscombe seafront, making a walk along the promenade or around the pier the obvious first course before heading inside.
Its Sunday menu features options including West Country sirloin of beef, rosemary and thyme half chicken with sage and orange stuffing, and a wild mushroom and sweet potato pithivier. Roasts are accompanied by garlic roasted potatoes, honey glazed carrots and parsnips, Savoy cabbage, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, with extras such as cauliflower cheese and pigs in blankets available too.
Urban Reef has long been known for its broader seaside menu, but on a cooler autumn Sunday, the roast is a particularly good reason to visit.
Continue west and you reach Rockwater Branksome, sitting beside Branksome Chine Beach.
Its location is a big part of the attraction. Sunday roast is served on the roof terrace, giving you the chance to make the most of the coastal outlook when the weather behaves.
Current roast choices include sirloin of beef, free-range half chicken, a changing roast selected by Head Chef Andrew Gault, and a butternut squash, lentil and walnut strudel. They come with rosemary and thyme potatoes, maple glazed roots, seasonal greens, Yorkshire pudding and Rockwater's signature stock pot gravy.
If Sunday lunch is not complete without pudding, the apple and blackberry crumble or sticky toffee parkin pudding feel especially suited to autumn.
Not every Sunday lunch needs to involve a Yorkshire pudding.
At Rick Stein Sandbanks, seafood and views across Poole Harbour take centre stage.
The glass-walled dining room looks towards the water, while the more relaxed Seafood Bar & Kitchen downstairs serves dishes including fish and chips, tacos and seafood small plates.
The restaurant is also currently highlighting lobster served in several ways, including grilled with garlic butter, as a classic thermidor and with Goan spices.
Combine lunch with a walk around Sandbanks and you have an easy way to stretch a meal into several hours. The restaurant's advertised set lunch is a weekday offer, so check the current Sunday menu before booking.
At Shell Bay Seafood Restaurant, even getting to lunch can feel like part of the day out.
The restaurant sits close to the Sandbanks chain ferry landing in Studland, with views towards Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour and Sandbanks.
Its seafood-focused à la carte menu changes according to availability. Sample dishes give a taste of what to expect, with Poole Bay oysters, scallops roasted in the shell, whole local fish cooked over the fire and skate wing with caper and lemon sauce among the sorts of dishes that may appear.
That changing menu is part of the point. Rather than arriving with one particular dish in mind, come for the setting, see what is available and give lunch plenty of time.
If travelling via Sandbanks, check the chain ferry before setting off, particularly later in the season.
Heading east to Christchurch, The Jetty brings Sunday lunch back to the water's edge.
Located within the grounds of Christchurch Harbour Hotel at Mudeford, the restaurant combines a Sunday lunch offering with its seafood-led Sunday Catch.
Chef Patron Alex Aitken's twice-baked cheese soufflé is one of the restaurant's best-known dishes, while oysters, lobster, prawns and grilled fish feature heavily across the wider menu.
The catch changes depending on what is available, which gives you a good excuse to ask what has come in that day, order a glass of wine and settle in for a leisurely afternoon overlooking the harbour.
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