The food and service was excellent! Very nice inside and a reasonable walk to and from our Cliffside hotel.

The Crab at Bournemouth was a delightful discovery offering quality food amongst the many mediocre establishments I've experienced in this area. The restaurant has a very nice menu, well presented and delicious dishes, a relaxing piano player and a good selection of liquors and wines. The only minus, which keeps this restaurant from attaining a solid 5 stars is that the staff is very attentive. What? Why lower the rating you ask? As another reviewer stated, the service at times feels a bit overbearing. I had at least 6-7 different people bringing and taking drinks, plates and food dishes to / from my table. It sometimes feels as if the wait staff is hovering to bring or take something which can get a bit annoying. Tempura shrimp and mussel appetizer was tasty & well presented. The sea bass main course was really good and looked impressive. Tasty bread and spread selections. For a quality meal and relaxing piano tunes, 'The Crab' is your go to venue. Beware of the hovering and at times, overly attentive wait staff. read more

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Excellent sea food, we had the soft shell crab, salmon and sea bass. Selection of Spanish, Australian and New Zealand wines. The dessert was not good. We had the lemon orange tart with mango sorbet and a another which I didn't care for at all. Both were rather dry and lacking texture. The creme brûlée top did little to help. At peak dinner time we had 5 people serving us, wine, appetiser, water, entree and dessert all brought out to us by different people. We would've liked to see the same person waiting on us throughout dinner. Parking is at the Bournemouth City Centre opposite the street. Bring coins, sometime the machines in this vintage parking garage doesn't accept a credit card. read more

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Knowing I love seafood, particularly oysters and crustaceans, my bf took me here for my birthday, and to my disappointment, the restaurant did not live up to its reputation for us. The oysters were alright, not as sweet as the ones I've had at Borough market. The crab felt quite stuffed with some carb filling that I cannot seem to put my finger down on. It was definitely very tasty, just not to my taste I guess. I would have much preferred the crab to be more gourmet or paired with a lighter tone of taste, so that I can actually taste the crab, especially given it being the speciality and also the setting of the restaurant. On the other hand, my bf fish trio was pretty delicious. The service was pretty good too. They offered me a wonderful birthday treat at the end which is always sweet. read more

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Enjoyed a good dinner here with a piano player adding atmosphere for part of the evening. As a treat I ordered half a lobster which came with a side salad and a bowl of delicious fries. My companion had posh fish and chips which came with a nice surprise of a scallop, big prawn and little fishcake. This made the dish for him as the fish itself was a bit dull. We ordered a very pleasant Chilean Sauvignon Blanc which was a not bad price at £21. We were brought an amuse bouche of roast potato soup which was a tasty start. Not tempted by the desserts we walked the few minutes to the beach and bought delicious ice creams to enjoy whilst we watched the Friday night fireworks. read more

My husband and I planned to wander the quaint downtown beach town of Bournemouth until we found a place for dinner that sounded good. Except that it was freezing and windy this January night, so when I spotted the Crab from across the street (less than a minute walk to the beach front and main pier) I ran to the window to view the menu on display. It was pricier than I wanted to spend for dinner, but we were too cold to argue. Plus we were early enough to get the set menu deal (2 courses for £16 or 3 courses for £20 before 7p). A quick breakdown: Staff/service: On top of their game and well-meaning. We were never without bread or poured water or full glasses of wine. They checked on us often and were polite. Except ... they hovered and practically stepped on each other in their earnestness. We had no less than 6 different people deliver and refill and take away, and it seemed hectic to the point of spoiling the candlelit, fine dining atmosphere. When they weren't waiting on tables, they paced, hands clasped, around the restaurant. Food: Pretty damn good. Bread sample was a fantastic and fresh mix of white, rosemary and whole grain. Husband's pork belly and crisp apple starter was a small portion (per usual with set menu entrees) but he loved it. My crab tortellini in cauliflower and thyme velouté was rich and tasty - the parmesan oil tipping it into the "too rich" area and keeping me from finishing it. Our entrees were the hake and herb crusted salmon, both good but not excellent. Atmosphere: Modern/classic menu; classic, borderline boring fine dining décor, i.e., linen napkins, wooden furniture, a piano. Big floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of a busy street (close to the sea but no view of it from the dining room). I prefer more contemporary stylings myself, but I'm sure this is right up the alley of the older visitors that frequent this area. The piano player was very good, playing everything from Radiohead to the Police to Adele (no singing, thankfully). Would I come back with my husband? I don't think so. It wasn't bad but I didn't love it ... Would I take my parents here? More likely. Like I said it's more of an older generation type of establishment, the kind that prefer their wait staff to wear ties and suits, and pace with clasped hands when not serving. Misc Notes: Walking distance to the Odeon if you fancy a film after dinner, and around the corner is the Sea Gardens for a nice stroll read more

Discovered this restaurant by accident staying at the Park Central Hotel. We'll worth the visit, service excellent, choice of dishes well though out. The cost of the set menu compatible with that of the a'la carte so not too difficult to decide to try something more adventurous. The dishes were all well presented with the chefs complimentary entree & selection of bread first class. The service was attentive but not over the top also very friendly. My only slight disappointment being the choice of wine, while there is a good selection to choose from prices are a little expensive & the Shiraz that I had was of a poor quality. Of course gone are the days of the corkscrew. I would recommend this restaurant very good read more

The atmosphere is very warm and cosy. Staff is also very nice. Bread and appetizer very special. Lobster is very tasty with crab meat/salmon embedded. Even half lobster is large enough for one. Really enjoyed it. read more

Crab at Bournemouth - Seafood Near Me - Bournemouth, BMH

visited the crab at bournemouth for my spouses birthday treat the place looks good but looks can be deceptive as we found out we ordered deep fried oysters together with a bottle of their white wine followed by the posh fish and chips all looked great ????but at 2am i was awoken by stomach cramps and had to make a hasty retreat to the loo with the runs two hours later still on loo my wife bangs on door because she has the same problem!!!!!!!! I sent an email to the crab and told them about the problem but as i guessed they said all their sea food is fresh and they had received a 5 star rating for hygene what a response to be expected i suppose the next day we had a horrible journey to Kent Never again customers beware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!better to go to local fish and chips and a lot cheaper We know the problem was their as it was the only place that we had food that day read more

This is the best dining experience I have had in the Bournemouth area. How nice it is to be surprised by a creative and well executed menu with interesting new twists on familiar dishes. All the seafood we had was outstanding and we will be back. The only thing that holds it back from 5 stars was the very casual cafe style decor and some slightly inconsistent service. Minor points really, in what was a very good night. read more

What a great little find. Here in the off season yet it's heaving. Amuse Bouche of vegetable veloute and the mackerel starter was sensational. Would suggest that the chef likes oriental flavours as they're everywhere - so that's a tip. Wine list is short, top price £45, but the food is quite expensive in relation to that but still good quality and therefore worth the effort. read more

Came in for a late lunch @ 2pm. Upon being seated, was informed kitchen was closing soon so order was needed asap. No prob. Made quick decision on scallops gruyere starter and fish pie for main. Food was good. Service was attentive...at first. Finished half my main and asked for to go container. They didn't have any. Said best they could do was tin foil. Ok..no prob. Walk it back to hotel in a bag, right? Nope. They don't have a single solitary plastic nor paper bag in the building apparently. Wtf? So I suppose I'll carry this awkward fish pie in tin foil and plastic wrap back to my hotel in my pocket? Very poor form. What kind of high end seafood by the sea joint doesn't have to go containers NOR plastic or paper bags?! On top of that..both servers who looked after me put on their coats and split before dropping the bill! I'm still sitting here, credit card on table, while two managers chat at the bar completely ignoring me and my awkward fish pie in tinfoil. Food...great. Service...piss poor. Get it together FFS. read more

Excellant food and good value for money. Service very good, piano player is a good touch as well. Worth a visit of you are seeing something at the BIC read more

Best dining experience I have had in years. Food is absolutely superb and the atmosphere is fabulous! highly recommend the seafood platter for one. read more

We've eaten at the crab many times over the years and have always had the most wonderful food and service the seafood and fish is cooked to perfection in imaginitve ways with home made bread and a fantastic range of wines on offer to compliment. Sadly my view of the crab has diminished somewhat after the last 2 visits. There seems to be new management, possibly new ownership but while the food is still the same high quality, the service has gone downhill somewhat. Management seems non existent and the staff aren't as knowledgeable or attentive as they once were. Forgotten cutlery, having to ask several times for our drinks order and no real commitment to customer service as once there was. We will go back again in the hope that will improve. Worth a visit for the food though. read more

Visited with my family while on vacation. The halibut and fish and chips were great. My wife had the crab. You would think a place with crab in the name would serve excellent crab. The shells were impossible to open even with the cracker. They did not provide a mallet to crack the shells. Either take 30 seconds in the kitchen to whack the shells or give me a mallet read more