You reach Key West on foot, by walking the full length of Bournemouth Pier until the deck runs out and there is nothing ahead but water. The restaurant sits right at the seaward end, with Poole Bay wrapping around three sides of it. That position is the whole point. Few places in the town put you this far out over the sea while you eat, and the venue is built to make the most of it.
The food and drink
The menu is straightforward seaside cooking rather than anything that sets out to surprise you. Fish and chips is the fixture people come back for, served alongside lighter plates and a proper cocktail list, with gluten-free options marked. It reads well at any hour — a mid-walk coffee, a long lunch in the sun, or drinks that carry on into the evening. Prices and portions are pitched for a casual meal by the sea, not a special occasion, and the kitchen keeps things moving through busy afternoons.
The setting
Glass frontage and an open terrace let the view do most of the work, out across the bay in both directions with the town rising behind you. The terrace fills fast on warm days, parasols up, and there is indoor seating for when the wind gets up — which, this far out, it does. Entertainment is a real part of what the place offers: free live music on summer Fridays, tribute acts through the year, fireworks nights across the season, and a Sunday DJ session that leans into sunset dance anthems.
Where it is
Key West is as central as Bournemouth gets. The pier meets the front at Pier Approach, between the Oceanarium and the long sweep of Bournemouth Beach. Walk out along Bournemouth Pier itself and you are there. If you are staying in the town centre or on either cliff, it is an easy stroll along the promenade, with the beaches running away in both directions from the pier gates.
Good to know
Tables can be booked online, or you can simply turn up and take your chances on a quieter day. Dogs are welcome, there is a children’s menu, and the pier deck is step-free from the seafront. Because it sits out on the water, it is busiest on sunny weekends and event nights — if you want the terrace at sunset, go early. It stands among Bournemouth’s restaurants as one of very few genuinely on the sea. Check current opening times and the events calendar before you head out, as both change with the season.