Places to eat in Portsmouth

Portsmouth is a fantastic eating city.

All the big names and chains are here – you'll find most of them gathered in one place in Gunwharf Quays – but what sets the city apart are our great independent restaurants and cafes.

Places to eat

All the places to eat and drink below are independently-owned and run. They're all either a short walk from our main University buildings, or near a stop on the free University bus (U1) route.

And all these places to eat and drink are just for starters: there are even more amazing places to discover a little further from our buildings, and well worth exploring. Dig in.

(All images, copyright the individual businesses.)

Coffee | Cakes | Sandwiches

Bread Addiction

Unbelievably good breads, pastries, sandwiches and cakes, made fresh on site. It's tiny inside, so getting a table is tricky, but the sourdough sandwiches and cinnamon buns are worth it > breadaddiction.co.uk

Hideout Coffee and Donuts

Opposite St. Andrews Court in the University quarter is Hideout – an insanely instagrammable place whose coffee and eye-popping donuts are as tasty as the interiors > @hideoutcoffeecompany

Hunter Gatherer

Catch the U1 to Festing Road to find Hunter Gatherer, where specialty coffee and incredible brunches and lunches await – 100% of the menu is vegetarian and almost everything is vegan too > huntergatherer.coffee

Southsea Deli interior, copyright Southsea Deli

The Southsea Deli

An amazing deli in the heart of Southsea, where you can buy – and eat – fresh, healthy, seasonal food from small local and regional producers. Great for breakfast, lunch, and coffee > thesouthseadeli.com

Pizzas | Burgers | Street food

Need Street Food, image copyright Need Street Food

Need Street Food at The Merchant House

The award-winning Need Street Food serve insanely-good burgers, gyros, mac and cheese, and vegan grub at the Merchant House brewpub. Every order also funds the shipment of life-saving food to children overseas too > needstreetfood.co.uk

Outside-In Food Court

Based in a renovated warehouse near University House, you'll find great street food vendors – like Dumpling Dumpling and One Tonne Burger – at this plastic-free, cashless and popular spot > outside-in-food.com

Burgerz 'n' Brewz

Serving up stacked burgerz, loaded friez, sidez, craft brewz and winez, Burgerz 'n' Brewz celebrates street food and street art, with a full vegan menu and a sister hot dog restaurant, Bangerz 'n' Brewz if you prefer dogs to patties > burgerznbrewz.com

Seafood | Roasts | Comfort food

King's Street Tavern

Home to unbelievably good roasts on a Sunday – and home-smoked BBQ meats during the week – the King's Street Tavern is a cosy spot for a real feast. Good beers too > kingstreettavernsouthsea.co.uk

Southsea Beach Cafe

Right on the beach and serving great fresh seafood, the views from Southsea Beach Cafe across the Solent are amazing all year round, but especially in summer. Try the fish and chips > southseabeachcafe.co.uk

abarbistro

A cosy and always bustling pub-restaurant just a short walk from the Library, it's a good spot to take the parents when they're in town (especially if they're paying) > abarbistro.co.uk

Nicholsons Tapas

Next door to Hunter Gatherer is Nicholsons, an intimate and relaxed place where you'll find authentic Mediterranean tapas dishes. A good place to take a date > nicholsonsrestaurant.co.uk

Asian food

Viet Quan

Opposite Ravelin Park and the Library, Viet Quan makes delicious and authentic Vietnamese street food, including traditional Pho, bubble teas, flat rice noodles, summer rolls and much more > Call Viet Quan

Lin's Thai Cafe

Lin's has been serving up great-tasting authentic Thai street food for ten years and counting, and you can bring your own drinks – two reasons it's been a student favourite for the last decade > linsthaicafe.co.uk

Sakura

Portsmouth's first Japanese restaurant opened in 2009 and has been bringing fantastic sushi, sashimi, temaki, ramen and noodles to the city ever since > sakuraportsmouth.co.uk

Noble House Chinese

A great Chinese restaurant run by one of our Entrepreneurs in Residence, Albert Choi, the food and service at the Noble House are well worth seeking out > noblehousesouthsea.com

Something different

Pie and Vinyl

Southsea's very own record store and pie shop hybrid, Pie & Vinyl is a cosy spot where you can stock up on records in between eating some great pie and mash. There's often live music too > pieandvinyl.co.uk

HUIS Belgian bar and kitchen

You'll find amazing croque toasted sandwiches, sweet Belgian waffles, schnitzel, moules frites and craft beers at Huis – which means 'house' in Flemish. A cool, relaxed place for lunch or dinner > huissouthsea.co.uk

Dice

Dice is a board game cafe that stays open until 10.00pm. It serves a snack menu and has a library of over 500 board games > diceportsmouth.com

Agora

A family-run restaurant serving up original and traditional Turkish and Greek dishes – including delicious mezze and authentic kebabs cooked over a real charcoal fire > agorarestaurant.co.uk

Found a new favourite? Discovered a delicious student-friendly place in the city? Let us know on Twitter.

Late-night gelaterias

Portsmouth also has 4 late-night gelaterias where you can socialise with friends over ice cream. One is open until 11.00pm and the other three are open until midnight.

More places to eat

Discover more fantastic places to eat in the heart of Portsmouth, with these restaurants and cafes right on your doorstep.

Andre's Food bar

The oldest independent sandwich shop in Portsmouth and Southsea

Andre's offers healthy and fresh food with a 10 per cent student discount, including baguettes, salads, baked potatoes and paninis.

andresfoodbar.com

The Southsea Deli

An amazing deli in the heart of Southsea

Buy – and eat – fresh, healthy, seasonal food from small local and regional producers. Great for breakfast, lunch, and coffee.

thesouthseadeli.com

Meat and Barrel

A family run business near Southsea seafront

Meat and Barrel offers incredible burgers, wings, fries and craft beer from both local and international breweries.

Croxtons

A Kitchen and Tap House based on Palmerston Road

Serving unbelievably good beer, wine and spirits, along with delicious late-night food and cocktail deals.

Specialist supermarkets

Portsmouth is a multicultural city and we're lucky enough to have a number of specialist supermarkets nearby. The Okey Chinese Supermarket, Mediterranean Supermarket, and Polski Sklep Delicatessen Maya are all on the U1 University bus route, or just a short walk from it.

Food festivals

The city hosts food festivals throughout the year, including the Hampshire Street Food Awards, an annual Oktoberfest weekend, regular Vegan Festivals, and the yearly Southsea Food Festival in Palmerston Road.

Food delivery apps

Portsmouth has hundreds of restaurants – including many of those listed above – who deliver to your door through the Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat apps. They'll even deliver to the main entrance of our halls of residence (just don't keep them waiting too long...)