The reason to make the trip out to The Riverside is the water. Its garden runs down to the Stour at Tuckton Bridge, and on a still evening — a drink on the grass, boats drifting past, the light softening over the river — there are few better places to sit outdoors on this side of the harbour. The food is honest pub cooking. The setting is what you come for.
The food
The menu covers a lot of ground: traditional British pub plates next to Mediterranean-leaning dishes, stone-baked pizzas, grills built around aged steak, and a run of chef’s daily specials. Sundays bring a proper roast, which is the busiest service of the week and worth booking for. Vegetarian and vegan options are on there too, and the specials board is where the kitchen tends to stretch beyond the standards. None of it is trying to reinvent the pub dinner — it does the familiar things, and does them generously, which is most of what you want by a river.
The garden and the room
This is a country pub that happens to sit on the edge of the suburbs, refurbished and comfortable, with a courtyard and a large beer garden that make the most of the riverbank. Dogs are welcome throughout, families included, and there is a separate space for private dining and events when the main room is full. The garden is the summer draw; the inside is the wet-weather fallback, and a decent one. On a warm weekend it fills with a mix of walkers, families and people arriving by boat, and the riverbank tables go first — the earlier you get there, the better your seat.
Where it is
The Riverside is at 220 Belle Vue Road, on the Bournemouth bank of the Stour where Tuckton Bridge crosses to Christchurch. There is parking on site, which counts for a lot out here. Hengistbury Head and the Southbourne clifftops are close, and the Tuckton Tap House is a short walk if you are making an evening of the area. It is a bus ride or a drive from central Bournemouth rather than a stroll.
Good to know
Check current times before you set out, particularly for Sunday lunch and for the kitchen, which closes earlier than the bar. Booking is sensible at weekends and for roasts, and the garden fills fast on the first warm days of the year. For more places to eat nearby, see the restaurants guide or find it on the map.