Set inside a Grade II listed building dating to around 1905, Branksome Craft House occupies a corner of Commercial Road not far from Bournemouth’s main shopping streets and the West Cliff. The building still carries its original glazed green tiles and an Eldridge Pope brewery crest, a leftover from its long history as a working pub rather than a purpose-built modern bar. It traded as Brewhouse & Kitchen from 2017 before being rebranded in November 2024 under the Craft House Pubs name, and it’s this newer identity that now shapes the food and drink on offer.
The pub
Inside, the layout splits roughly into a ground-floor bar and pub area with a more relaxed, table-service restaurant space upstairs. It’s built to work as a daytime coffee-and-brunch stop, an evening pub, and a private event venue all in one, with bookings taken for groups from around eight people up to full private hire for larger parties. Screens carry Sky Sports and TNT Sports coverage, so it also functions as a match-day pub for anyone not fussed about a dedicated sports bar atmosphere.
Drinks and food
The drinks list runs to craft beers alongside curated cocktails and small-batch spirits, though cask ale is not part of the current offer. Food leans toward smash burgers, fried chicken and waffle fries, with breakfast and brunch served through the morning and into early afternoon, and a Sunday roast at the weekend. A kids menu is available, and vegan and vegetarian options are catered for on the main menu. Deals such as discounted burger-and-drink combinations and weekday happy-hour pricing on pints run at various points in the week, though exact promotions change, so it’s worth checking current pricing before visiting.
Where it is
The address is 152-154 Commercial Road, BH2 5LU, in the part of central Bournemouth sometimes known as the Triangle, a short walk from the town centre and within easy reach of the Bournemouth seafront and West Cliff. It sits among a small cluster of other pubs and bars along the same stretch, and is close enough to bus routes on Commercial Road to be a straightforward stop without a car; there’s no dedicated car park on site.
Good to know
The beer garden is one of the bigger ones in this part of town, laid out with beach-hut-style booth seating and a fire pit, and it’s dog-friendly, making it a reasonable outdoor option even outside peak summer months. Opening hours run later at weekends, with the bar staying open into the early hours on Friday and Saturday nights, while the kitchen keeps shorter hours than the bar overall. As with any city-centre pub, it gets busier and louder in the evenings, so anyone wanting a quieter visit is best going earlier in the day.
