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Submitted on Saturday, 15^th August 2026
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The Branksome, Bournemouth

152-154 Commercial Road
Bournemouth
BH2 5LU

Phone: 01202292254

Correct details

Served areas

Bournemouth Central

Reviews of The Branksome (Average Rating: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

David Walton left this review about The Branksome

Visited 12/08/26

No cask. Keg offering of Brixton Reliance Pale Ale, Hobgoblin Gold, John Smiths, Guinness, Fosters, Neck Oil, Murphy’s Irish Stout, Cruz, Inch’s, berries & cherries Old Mount cider and Moretti.

Sounds like from former name that this was a craft beer destination but now a very average mainstream keg beer offering. Bare boarded with the lower level just inside the entrance a series of regular tables along the glass frontage. Up a couple of steps to the bar area which is in the rear left-hand corner on a small ceramic tile skirt. There are a few tall stools at the bar counter. Some tall tables between a couple of glossy tiled pillars facing the bar counter and a couple of booth tables looking over the lower level. There is a narrow seating area along the right-hand wall with a leather banquette serving a few regular tables. A few screens were tuned into a footy talk show absent sound with that provided by a very poppy soundtrack. A garden out the rear wasn’t checked out on this visit as it was cool inside and ridiculously hot outside.

On 31^st August 2026 - rating: 4
[User has posted 1975 recommendations about 1937 pubs]

Blue Scrumpy left this review about Brewhouse & Kitchen

Split level pub which is/was part of the Brewhouse & Kitchen chain, which appears to be closing branches all over. Now it is called the Branksome Craft House and still stocks some Brewhouse & Kitchen (under the name Brewhouse) beers from their Poole branch.

Despite its noticeable external appearance, the pub is quite modern inside and is split level with seating overlooking Commercial Road at the front and a higher level to the rear, which contains the bar against the left-hand wall. I seem to recall TVs showing snooker.

Beers are all keg these days. With a few beers off, the selection was Brewhouse Nitro Stout, Double-Barrelled Kitchen Disco, Azvex Generic Hardcore Shirts & Lowrise Hazy Pale. With craft beers on taps at the front of the bar, lagers and ciders appeared to be mainly from some further taps on the rear wall. A board to the side of the bar appeared to list some but not all of the available beers.

There's a few other decent pubs to visit in this area but I wouldn't go out of my way for a re-visit to this one.

On 4^th December 2025 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3596 recommendations about 3594 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Pub SignMan left this review about Brewhouse & Kitchen

This part of town, previously a bit of an afterthought for anyone planning a night out in Bournemouth, has seen some significant improvements in recent years, as evidenced by the popular Brewhouse & Kitchen chain revamping this failed old pub. Formerly the Branksome Hotel, it’s great to see this place open again, as it has arguably the most impressive facade in the whole town, which is now gleaming and looking proud again. This includes a quite fantastic glazed tile Eldridge Pope sign near the entrance which doesn’t deserve to be next to boarded up windows. Inside, there is a real jumble of a room, set across a mix of different levels with lots of partitioning throughout, which creates a lot of cosy little nooks, breaks the sightlines effectively and requires a fair bit of exploring to take it all in. One downside is that seating through almost all of the room is in the form of high padded stools, so it’s not the comfiest place to settle down for a few pints. The servery is well hidden away in the rear left corner and has a modern counter and bar back, plus a big board listing all the beers available. Lots of displays relating to the brewing process can be found around the room, including various info boards and of course, the brew plant itself, which is over to the right of the room. Interestingly, the brewing schedule is displayed clearly on a board, so you can learn which beers are going to be made next and for £85 you can join the brewer for the day and make some yourself. Stairs lead up to a smartly appointed first floor dining room with some much comfier seating options, whilst a ramp to the rear right leads out to a sun trap beer garden.
There were four of the homebrew beers on when we visited – Churchill Square Fall, Supermac, Lightning Bolt and Saviour Ed – and I was pleased to see that two of these referenced the mighty AFC Bournemouth. I obviously opted for a pint of the Saviour Ed which was in good nick and served to us by a chatty barman.
I’m really pleased that a chain like Brewhouse & Kitchen have brought this place back to life and I think they’ve done something a bit different in creating a maze of an interior rather than the usual open-plan modern beer bar you might expect. With good beer and some other top pubs not too far away, it’s worth heading up to the Triangle to check this place out.

On 4^th December 2018 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]

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