Food review - Clarence Pier Brewers Fayre: I went to the newly-reopened pub on Southsea seafront

We remembered the wonderful weather of 2020 that kicked in a week after the late-March lockdown and stayed with us, almost unbroken, until September. And we also harked back to the previous years where March definitely saw the first ‘T-shirt weather’ of the year.

This time, though, it blew a gale. We were on the seafront with a five-year-old – who was on an inset day – and on the walk from Gunwharf had to hold their hand tightly for fear they would be blown away across the new sea defences by Long Curtain Moat (incidentally this was the first time that the Dish Detective has seen these in the flesh, and we were quite impressed. They are certainly more stylish and unobtrusive than the early sketches of the plans suggested they would be).

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So… out went plans of ice cream and beaches, and in came an itinerary of a pub lunch and then some 2p-machine fun in the arcades – although this was a very adequate replacement plan, and possibly from the five-year-old’s point of view a win in any case.

And so we decided to make the newly-reopened Brewers Fayre at Clarence Pier our lunch spot. Being the week before the Easter holidays, Clarence Pier itself hasn’t yet woken from hibernation – the arcades, as they are all year round, are open, but the rides and crazy golf are still sleeping.

You can tell it’s been freshly refurbished – everything feels new and clean. The soft play has attracted a good number of mums and toddlers – they know they are on to a good thing as £3.19 will buy you a bottomless coffee so it’s a win-win for adults and children – but there are, when we arrive, several people like us waiting for the kitchen to open at midday.

The five-year-old likes school but likes inset days even more when he gets to do a bit of soft play and then have fish bites, chips and beans – the kids’ meals are £4.99 for three courses – and he promptly wolfs the lot down. Extra kudos for firstly, the easily accessible allergen menu (everywhere should have this but from experience not everywhere does) and also having a dairy-free ice-cream on hand in the kitchen.

I go for a Big Stack burger (£12.69) and a side of onion rings (£3.49), which do the job nicely. It’s a decent burger, not fatty and not dry, and the chips are well cooked. We’re not expecting Michelin-starred food, but we both finish our plates and feel sufficiently fuelled for the day ahead.

By the time we leave, the pub is getting very busy – not bad, given that it’s still technically the off-season on the seafront. After a long time closed after Storm Eunice damage last year, it’s a welcome return to action.

Clarence Pier Brewers Fayre

Food 3

Ambience 4

Value 4

Child friendly 5