If you are looking for a place in Southsea that does breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails all under one roof, Delaneys is worth knowing about. It is a family-run bistro and cocktail bar sitting at 77b Castle Road, and it has been in that same spot for fifteen years, which is no small feat for a place that has become a fixture for both locals and visitors. The interior is the first thing you notice: cottage-style with rustic pine tables, cushions, vintage lighting and greenery, and an intimate upper floor that was added as part of a transformation. It is the kind of room that feels lived-in rather than staged, which suits a place that bills itself as relaxed.
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The menu is built around the idea that you can come here at almost any hour. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner are all on the table, and there is a bottomless brunch for when you want to linger, alongside a dedicated evening menu and handcrafted cocktails. The opening hours are the one thing worth checking before you set off, because they shift across the week: breakfast and lunch on weekdays, with the evenings stretching out from Wednesday to Saturday. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so midweek planning is key. On a Thursday, it runs from 09:30 through to 21:00, and on Fridays and Saturdays it stays open until 22:30, with Sunday sitting somewhere in the middle at 09:30 to 16:00.
There are a few things that pull people back. Every Sunday there is a roast dinner, and throughout December a festive menu takes over. For the cocktail crowd, there is a Happy Hour from 17:30 to 20:00 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, which is when the cocktail bar side of the business really comes into its own. It is also dog-friendly and accessible, and the whole place can be hired privately for events if you need a venue that does not feel like a function room.
On price, the sources are a bit split, which is not uncommon for a place that does everything from a morning coffee to a full evening meal. Some list it at the higher end, while others put it more modestly, so it is the sort of place where your bill depends entirely on whether you are popping in for brunch or settling in for cocktails and dinner. Either way, the range is wide enough to cover both.
For a bit of local context, the place has not gone unnoticed. James Donougher, writing as The Pompey Foodie, has written about it in South Sea Lifestyle, the bi-monthly magazine edited by Zirrinia Austin, and his pieces tend to lean into the more atmospheric side of the place, like the outdoor tables. It is a good reminder that Delaneys is as much about the setting as it is about the food, which is what keeps people coming back year after year. Whether you are after a quiet breakfast, a long lunch or a cocktail with friends, it is a reliable Southsea option that has quietly made itself at home on Castle Road.
