If you are anywhere near Boscombe and fancy a coffee with a view, Café Riva is hard to miss. It is a family-run, dog-friendly café perched on top of the Southbourne cliff on Overcliff Drive, looking straight down onto Fisherman's Walk. The real draw here is the panorama: on a clear day you can see all the way from The Needles on the Isle of Wight over to the Purbecks and Swanage, and there is plenty of seating both inside and out to take it in.
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Food runs from breakfast right through to dinner, and everything can be taken away if you would rather eat it on the beach. Breakfast is served from 9 am, with a pick-and-mix style menu, sandwiches, Eggs Benedict and Florentine, a full English and pastries baked in-house each morning. Lunch starts at noon, and that is where the more recognisable seaside fare comes in: fish and chips by the beach, the Riva Burger with cheese and bacon, a chilli jacket potato, panini and the chef's specials. The bar is well stocked too, from freshly squeezed orange juice and draught beer to Champagne, new and old world wines and 100% Arabica coffee.
It is not just a place to eat, which is what makes it easy to fill an afternoon. There is an 18-hole mini-golf course, at £3 for children and £3.50 for adults, with children's parties available, and in the summer an ice cream kiosk turns out Mr Whippy, New Forest lollies and Styles ice cream. The Shack, an outdoor bar, serves drinks both alcoholic and otherwise, and live music plays every weekend through the summer, weather permitting. If you are bringing a dog, they are genuinely looked after, with Puppachinos, dog ice cream and sausages cooked specifically for them.
For anyone planning a bit more than a casual visit, the café takes private hire with a licensed bar running until 1 am and room for up to 70 guests, so it works as a venue as well as a café. A deposit secures the booking, and the function menus cover everything from a hot buffet of homemade curries and chillies to a mixed variety spread or a barbecue with beef burgers on brioche, tiger prawn skewers and salads. Pizza from The Dough Box is also available Tuesday to Sunday.
Opening times are generous and run all year except Christmas Day, starting at 8:30 am on Sundays and Saturdays and closing at 6 pm, and 8:30 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday. A little tip for the midweek visitor: there has been a cake and drink deal for £5 after 10 am from Monday to Thursday, which is a cheap way to sit and watch the tide. The reviews back up the appeal, with a 4.6 rating on Google and praise for the views, the friendly staff and the coffee. It can get crowded and the tables are shared, so it is more of a relaxed, communal spot than a quiet hideaway, but that is part of the charm of a cliff-top café in the middle of summer.
