O'Neill's, Bournemouth

An L-shaped corner all-day bar in Bournemouth's lively nightlife area. The main bar has a boarded floor, iron columns showing where it has been extended, and there is a large screen on one wall for showing Sky Sports matches. The Spartan, cheap furniture makes it feel a bit like a 1950s kitchen. There is also a function room at one end and an enclosed yard at the back, mainly used by smokers. I had a cooked breakfast here, which was passable but not as good as the Wetherspoon's opposite. Staff were friendly, customers a mix of students and 'un-busy' locals. Two ales on, GK IPA and Pride. The latter was drinkable but not on top form. While there's no specific problem with this place, and it wouldn’t make one ill, there are better venues nearby.

Quickly realising that central Bournemouth had little to offer the discerning drinker, I quickly decided to downgrade and dredge the lower-order outlets, starting with O’Neills, a chain that to be fair has improved over the past couple of years. This one is housed in a smart building in an odd sort of dip and can be easily missed by the first-time visitor. Dog leg shaped interior over two levels, with the usual O’Neill’s décor. The main entrance comes into the higher (though smaller) part of the bar which housed three pumps - just Thwaites Wainwright and Deuchars IPA available, though the Wainwright was in decent nick. The lower bar is much larger with stage area and no pumps at the bar. TVs showing footy up top but none in the lower area. Also an unexplored beer garden. Not great service behind the bar, a usual O’Neill’s failing. For the size of the venue the gents were a ludicrously tight squeeze, you need to hope a fat bloke doesn’t pitch up at the first urinal else you ain’t getting past. Overall, pretty so-so.

This is a large O’Neill’s with an L shaped bar at the front and a larger bar area at the rear where there is a stage for entertainment during the week and at weekends. Being at the end of the party stretch of Bournemouth there is late opening until midnight every night except Fridays and Saturdays when the doors close at 1am. I visited with a hangover at midday on Sunday when the pub was very quiet with some low background music playing. The usual pub grub with a few Irish ingredients is available. I’m not a massive fan of the O’Neill’s brand, but I found the staff here to be friendly and I would have no problem returning, but like this whole area of town I would give it a miss at the weekend.