Favourite Places to Eat in Southampton

Diego’s

Bedford Place

A family-run Portuguese restaurant in Bedford Place. It started as a small grill on Burgess Road in 2007 and has cooked over charcoal ever since.

Why we recommend it: Piri piri chicken marinated for a day and turned slowly over the coals, grilled seafood, and picanha sliced at the table. It’s relaxed, filling and a welcome change from pub food — the sort of place you’d happily take a group of friends on a Friday night.

Good for: Couples · No car needed · Longer stays

10 Bedford Place, SO15 2DB, a short walk north of the Civic Centre. There’s an upstairs room for larger groups.

Good Things

Canute Road, Ocean Village

You may know it from our coffee guide. Later in the week, the Canute Road coffee bar becomes a listening bar with a kitchen.

Why we recommend it: The evening food comes from Natty’s Jerk, so expect Caribbean flavours rather than a standard bar menu — and records played through a proper hi-fi while you eat. Unfussy, sociable and a little bit different, which is exactly why we like it.

Good for: Couples · Solo travellers · No car needed

5 Canute Road, SO14 3FH. Evening food runs on the later days of the week; check current kitchen times before you go.

Smoke & Pepper

Above Bar Street

A counter-service BBQ and burger spot on Above Bar Street, part of a small UK group that opened here in 2025.

Why we recommend it: Flame-grilled chicken, Aberdeen Angus burgers and a smoked lamb burger that’s the reason to come. You order at the counter and help yourself to the house sauces on the table. No frills, big portions — the answer when someone in the group just wants a burger.

Good for: Teenagers · No car needed

96 Above Bar Street, SO14 7DT. Walk-in. Vegetarian options include a halloumi burger.

Rosemary Cafe & Bistro

High Street

Already in our breakfast guide, but just as useful later in the day for a simple, filling lunch.

Why we recommend it: A traditional High Street café-bistro with a few Turkish dishes on the menu alongside the familiar ones. Nothing complicated, generously served, and handy when you’re between the Old Town and the shops.

Good for: Solo travellers · No car needed

169 High Street, SO14 2BY. Mainly a daytime café; ring or call in to check hours.

Some details for this listing are still being checked.

Max’s Brasserie

Commercial Road, opposite the Mayflower

A family-run Italian restaurant opposite the Mayflower Theatre, led by Neapolitan chef Gennaro Pascarella.

Why we recommend it: The menu is short, seasonal and written daily, with pasta made by hand each morning and dishes that lean towards Naples and Sicily. Italian wine is taken seriously, too. It’s the obvious choice before a show at the Mayflower, and a good one on any other night as well.

Good for: Couples · No car needed

9 Commercial Road, SO15 1GF (it used to be on Oxford Street). Pre-theatre menu available. Booking advised on show nights.

Cherrywood Kitchen

High Street, Old Town (and Netley)

The same Cherrywood as in our breakfast guide — a husband-and-wife café that started in Netley and opened on the Old Town High Street in 2026.

Why we recommend it: Breakfast gets the attention, but the brunch-and-lunch menu is where it shows its personality: a Japanese omelette, duck waffles and proper sandwiches, made with care by a team with a background in hotel kitchens. A daytime place, and a good reason to linger in the Old Town.

Good for: Couples · Young children

Unit 2, 117 High Street, SO14 2AA. Original café on Station Road, Netley — handy after Royal Victoria Country Park. Walk-in; daytime only.

Pierozek

Church Street, Shirley

A small, homely Polish restaurant on a side street in Shirley.

Why we recommend it: It feels like being fed by someone’s family. Pierogi in several versions, beetroot barszcz with little dumplings, hearty potato kartacze and home-baked cakes to finish. Unpretentious and good value, and a part of Southampton most visitors never get to.

Good for: Young children · Longer stays

21 Church Street, Shirley, SO15 5LG. Lunch and early evening only, and closed early in the week — check before you set off.

Anatolian Turkish Kitchen

High Street

A Turkish restaurant on the lower High Street, a few minutes from the Old Town.

Why we recommend it: Order a spread of meze to share, then something from the charcoal grill — the shish and Adana kebabs are the heart of the menu. There’s plenty for vegetarians, a children’s menu, and Turkish coffee and baklava to finish. Good for a group who can’t agree on what they fancy.

Good for: Young children · No car needed

24 High Street, SO14 2DF. Open daily.

Los Tacos

Millbank Street, Northam

A family-run Mexican kitchen on an industrial street in Northam — not where you’d expect to find good tacos.

Why we recommend it: Pork pibil and chicken tinga tacos, burritos, enchiladas and loaded nachos, with Frida Kahlo prints on the walls. It’s casual, friendly and worth the short trip out of the centre. Plenty of people order to take away, which suits an easy night in at the apartment.

Good for: Teenagers · Longer stays

72–94 Millbank Street, SO14 5QN, north-east of the city centre. Collection available online.

The Grand

South Western House, Canute Road

The old railway hotel by the docks, where some of Titanic’s first-class passengers stayed before sailing. Today its grand rooms open for afternoon tea and special events.

Why we recommend it: Fancy somewhere with a little more grandeur? The setting does most of the work here. It isn’t a walk-in restaurant: you book a sitting for afternoon tea, served properly, or one of the ticketed seasonal dinners. A lovely choice for a birthday or anniversary — and the sort of room that makes you glad you made an effort.

Booking:

Booking required — afternoon tea and ticketed events only.

Good for: Couples · History lovers

1 South Western House, Canute Road, SO14 3AS. Booking required, and dietary requirements need arranging in advance. See the website for current sittings and events.

Carnicero

Oxford Street

A Galician-style steakhouse on Oxford Street, cooking aged beef over open flame.

Why we recommend it: Low lighting, red panelling and a menu built for sharing: Galician cuts from the grill, seafood, and a wine list strong on Albariño and Rioja. It’s a treat rather than an everyday dinner, and it can get lively at busy times — part of the fun, if you go in expecting it.

Good for: Couples · No car needed

35–36 Oxford Street, SO14 3DS. Booking recommended; some bookings need a deposit. Set lunch on weekdays.

Bacaro

Ocean Village marina

A Venetian-style wine bar and restaurant at Ocean Village, named after the little bars of Venice.

Why we recommend it: Cicchetti — small Venetian plates — artisan pizzette and a good wine list, eaten slowly by the marina. It’s sociable rather than formal: order a few plates at a time and let the evening take its course. A lovely choice for a date night.

Good for: Couples

Ironside House, Ocean Village, SO14 3TN. Mostly evenings during the week, all day at weekends; closed some days, so check before booking.