I don’t think I’ve ever set foot inside the Eastney Tavern even though I’ve lived in Portsmouth all my life. I’ve always known of its existence as my parents used to frequent the place many, many moons ago. It’s situated on a bend on Cromwell Road, Southsea close to the seafront and not far from the Tenth Hole and Southsea Beach Cafe.
We were a bit chilly when we first sat down as it’s quite a large area to warm, being open-planned. You have the bar area, the Shellhouse Restaurant, O’reillys Sports Bar and another raised area with dark oak booths with glass panels and bench seats.
There was a large real log fire in the lounge area but two old men were hogging the warmth from it. Once they’d gone we did the same 😉
The service was very polite and friendly. To drink, Geoff had a nice pint of Gales beer whereas I enjoyed a glass of red fruity, cabernet sauvignon.
Several things on the menu I would have happily have chosen, but I decided as I was near the sea I should have fish & chips, only a small portion mind, to leave room for a dessert, plus I still had a slice of frittata and tart from the previous night’s taster session/pre-opening at Jam & Bowler in Southsea. There was also a specials menu containing BBQ pulled pork served with a chorizo & pepper jambalaya; mac ‘n cheese; Cornish pasty etc., so something for everyone.
The fish was lovely, very fresh and tasty with a nice light crisp batter. The chips were amazing I must say! I’m not a great fan of chips, I hate fluffy ones especially but these were chunky and crisp and quite frankly to die for. I’m not kidding!
For dessert Geoff had the apple, pear & sultana crumble, which replaced the apple & blackberry shown on the menu. This had an oaty topping – which is how I make it at home – and he said it was very nice.
My sticky toffee pudding was delicious too. A generous portion, light and fluffy with small chunks of fudge and plenty of lovely toffee sauce.
There seemed to be quite a few regular customers there, which is always a good sign. Upon the walls are lots of old naval photographs of ships etc., and of around the Southsea area. Newspapers were available so we didn’t have to talk to each other 😉
Throughout the week they hold special evenings such as curry night and quiz night, see here for the list.
Ambience – lunch time so it was quiet, difficult to gauge, plus a little chilly so an average 7
Service – 8
Quality – 7
Value – 8
Return – yes
Free Wi-Fi.
Living life, loving cake
A X