Cobbs Yacht Club, Poole

A former marina club house which has now opened its doors to the public. It looks and feels like what it is, except that the locals who now use it have destroyed any intimacy it may once have had while replacing it with very little in the way of charm, just loud music and pretentious twaddle passing for conversation. There is plenty of parking as the club house is inside the marina complex. There are a few benches and chairs outside. Inside the single story 1950s Scout-hut-like building there is a small bar one side and a large bar the other, mostly carpeted, with a laminated floor at one end. There are various faux-nautical pieces of junk around the walls and a mixture of seats and tables. The food looked good, but we didn't eat as we arrived after the kitchen had stopped preparing. The staff were not the most welcoming, especially the rather surly young man who had what looked like a mop bungeed to his head. Purbeck ice cream and Illy coffee are served from the bar alongside three ales, Sharps Atlantic, Doombar and Dawn Patrol. The beers were not well kept, inexpertly served and overpriced. I don't think I'll be coming back here again soon.

Official site of Cobbs Yacht Club - www.cobbsyachtclub.co.uk

Official site of Cobbs Yacht Club - www.cobbsyachtclub.co.uk

There are not many pubs in this area, and so the Yacht Club, which is open to all visitors, is a find. In a beautiful location on the waterfront, it had 2 Sharp's real ales and all the usual lagers when I visited. The Doom Bar was pretty poor, as usual, but the Atlantic was on top form. They also do very nice meals between 7 and 9pm, and I had the best crab ever here. They also have from time to time live bands usually on a Friday