Southsea is a very vibrant, cultural place and since I moved here nearly 8 years ago, it has kept growing and offering even more cool things to do. I love living here and look forward to all the exciting things to do on my doorstep. For any visitors coming into the city, I wanted to share a few cool things to do you might not have thought of.
Gallery Art Trail Around the Island
We are very lucky to have quite a few galleries here in the city and the fact we have just seen another one open with Box Gallery recently on Castle Road, really draws in the art lovers. I love how we have lots of visitors come to see the exhibitions we have here but the fact we have so many galleries all within walking distance really does make this a chance to explore all of them in one day.
You could start at Aspex Gallery in Gunwharf Quays and then make your way around to Jack House Gallery in Old Portsmouth, stopping by Hotwall Studios on the way. Heading on from there you could wander to Arts Space if it has an open day, and then venture to the Box Gallery which is small but packs a punch when it comes to the cool art on display.
After lunch, you could make your way down to Albert Road and pop into The Corner Collective Gallery which has local resident’s work on display as well as exhibitions. Further along, you could end your visit at Joy Fantastic which resides on Highland Road and has a great selection of art to buy.
Follow the Street Art around the City
Last year, Portsmouth held its very own street art festival called Look Up Portsmouth. Even though this festival is now finished, you can still do a walking tour around to look at the incredible murals on display. Starting with My Dog Sighs in the heart of the city centre, you can work your way around to see some cool art. The Corner Collective still has street maps you can pick up for free from the gallery to help you.
To add to the street art, Lady Jam was a recent project held by Midge (a local street artist) who wanted to bring Southsea its first ever all-female street jam back in February and you can see all the artist’s work on Osbourne Road. All the work sits alongside the new Phlegm piece on the side of the old casino.
Favourite street art spots are Palmerston Road where buildings are being renovated. Albert Road is a good place going into Highland Road where new pieces have been added including Pogo Stencils ‘Marrianne’ as part of the billboard project. Midge has painted a new mural which is an incredible fox, just on the way up from The Corner Collective.
Brewery Trail
Beer lovers will love that Portsmouth ranks so high when it comes to award-winning beer. Starting at the cool indie that is The Brewers Tap which brews their beer in-house, you could start your trail here. Head on over to Make Make on the Eastern Road and then head back to Staggeringly Good Brewery to enjoy all the beer and food here. With resident food from Bear Bones, it makes it a real treat to finish off here with a decent pint. If travelling by car you could also head on up to Urban Island Brewery at Hilsea and experience their great beer.
Independent Shopping
Southsea has a huge amount of independent shops in a small area. You can spend an entire day shopping, browsing and eating here. There are zones you can follow. Albert Road is one stretch as is Castle Road wandering down to Marmion Road. There are fab cafes and eateries along the way. My favourites include pottering on Marmion Road with Coastal Remedy, Alice and Ivy, and Grounded In Southsea. Plus Southsea Local is a fab deli with a well-curated shop full of independent food from across the South Coast. There are two great wine shops where you can potter and be spoilt for choice from Wines By The Sea and Crushed and Cured.
Pottering down Albert Road, stopping off at Pigeon Books for that indie book vibe then crossing the road to The Interior Port where they curate wonderful gift ideas and all for under £30. These are just a few shops and my favourites are endless!
Independent Eating
There are fantastic places to eat in Southsea and Portsmouth. I love to venture out and eat independently. Elm Grove has a great selection of food places. The Southsea Deli is a daytime cafe that offers fab breakfast choices and then lunches with fresh salads and bakery delights. Their sausage rolls are legendary. Fuegos Street is the new addition to the road and really well thought out serving up burgers and Mexican-style food.
Steam Rume serves up amazing coffee and light-bite breakfast and lunch options. Huis is the Belgian bar that has some seriously cool food and of course, Belgian beer to tempt you. Desi Cafe is an old Indian-style eatery that serves up tasty Indian food that has been slow-cooked with all the best spices and love.
Albert Road has a wonderful array of different styles of food from so many countries, whether it be Turkish, South American or French. My favourites along this stretch are Casa de Castro for daytime lunches, a Parisian-style cafe serving the best quiches and pastries. Offbeet is a new vegan cafe that knows how to make vegan food taste amazing! Porters offer a good choice and is a nice setting for a beer. Hunter Gatherer is another vegan daytime cafe at the top of Albert Road and serves up really fresh food like their focaccia bread sandwiches and toasties. Bubble and Pho is a cool Vietnamese eatery that serves up huge dishes of pho and tastes so good. Plus they do the best spring rolls I have ever tasted! The Panormous Pizzeria is such a good spot in the evenings! Pizza made with all ingredients from Naples!
Palmerston Road has a great stretch for food and is also around the corner from Osbourne Road that has even more. You can get healthy salad bowls from Positive Eats. Mediterranean food from Farm Kitchen and Blue’s Eatery and I beg you to try the salt and chilli mushrooms from Croxton’s.
From the seafront to the cool stretches around Southsea, you will find a good quality cafe, sandwich shop or places to sit and eat the best food you can feast on.
Walk the Breadth of the Seafront Eating Along the Way
You could start by eating breakfast looking at the views across the Solent and eat at The Canteen or Baffled who do really nice breakfast bagels and coffee deals. Walk along the seafront and stop off at The Clubhouse which offers lovely lunches and food or The Beach Club which has a nice veranda to sit and boat watch. Head on up to the South Parade Pier and go for a walk around Canoe Lake. Visit the Rose Gardens which has a new addition, the Japanese Garden. Maybe have a venture to the Southsea Model Village and end with a delicious meal at The Briny or the Southsea Beach Cafe, both specialise in Fish of the Day!
Visit all the Museums in One Day
You could start your day by visiting the Portsmouth Museum, a proud building with lots to do. It has a great gift shop which I love and the world of Sherlock Holmes. You can see the history of Portsmouth FC with an art gallery and art exhibitions in between.
Wandering down to the D-Day Story Museum and exploring this building full of history could be your afternoon venture. Did you know that it will be an 80th anniversary this year for D-Day? which means there will be celebratory things to do while exploring here.
With Imagery and visual presentations, it is a great family day out and has an important story of ordinary people and how they worked together to achieve the D-Day Story. You can walk around the Landing Craft tank 7074 and be taken back to the focus of The D-Day Story that saw the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. It is told using the personal possessions and words of the people who took part.
Buy and Explore the local Independent Gin Made in Portsmouth
We are lucky to have 4 local gin makers in Southsea and Portsmouth.
First up is Southsea Spirit which is a tropical bath gin. The first batch sold out in 24 hrs and you can find this fine gin at the Southsea Spirit bar on Albert Road. Here you can taste the gin or mix it in one of their fine cocktails.
Portsmouth Distillery has been making its gin since 2018 and is based at the fabulous eighteenth-century Bastion of Fort Cumberland. Located on the southeastern tip of Portsea Island. You would need to travel here by taxi or car. You can have a tour around the distillery and learn how they make their spirits.
There is a shop at the distillery, stocking the full range of spirits including the gin and rum they make, gift packs and merchandise. Priced at £22 for the tour, it is a fun few hours to spend plus the site is an interesting one.
Vaudville Gin is a small-batch gin that is made here in Portsmouth and has had great reviews. Using London dry gin and fusing with fruit, the taste is impeccable. With Morello Cherry, Rasberry and the new Grapefruit to choose from, as a gin lover you won’t be disappointed. The new Grapefruit flavour uses more than eight fresh grapefruits per bottle and no flavourings or colourings! Visit Wines By The Sea to purchase this drink.
True Blue Gin is exclusive to the Sally Port Inn. It is a hand-crafted spirit that is sourced locally and produced in small batches. You can buy the spirit from there and sit inside and have a drink in the historical pub in Old Portsmouth. The Sally Port Inn has an extraordinary history from the legendary mystery of Buster Crabb, the birthplace of James Bond to having incredible naval artefacts inside. Well worth a visit.
Pubs and Grub
Portsmouth is famous for how many pubs it has but I love a good pub that thinks not only of the beer but the food, a proper pub as my son would say.
The Merchant House sits at the start of Highland Road and has been pouring pints for a good few years. It is an independent free house and has a huge range of craft beer to choose from. Need Street provides the food in-house here and has a great menu from their famous ‘Hanoi Hangover Fries’ to their Chicken Burgers and Brisket Burgers, they consistently serve good grub.
The King Street Tavern prides itself on being a traditional pub. The menu is stacked with BBQ meaty offerings. From ribs to smoked burnt ends and their smoker trays, this pub has been serving the best meats with its pints since 2015. I mean it has been around since the 1800’s but first serving as a smokehouse over the last few years!
The Lawrence Arms on Lawrence Road is a true old-fashioned pub and serves up the best toasties to go with your pint. They have a pool table and you just feel like you are back in a pub in the 80’s!
The Bridge Inn Tavern is a great waterside, traditional pub that sits down on the camber and opposite the fish market. The great thing about being close to the fresh fish coming in every day off the trawlers is that the pub offers some great fresh fish dishes like Mussels and their famous Homemade Seafood Chowder.
Visit Two Piers in One Day
Southsea boasts not one but two piers. Clarence Parade Pier has a range of activities going on. You can jump on the Hovercraft over to the Isle Of Wight which takes a matter of minutes. Even if you aren’t travelling on the Hovercraft, it is great to watch it take off! or have fun inside the Upside Down House. There is a fairground, a crazy golf and arcades there.
Walking up to the South Parade Pier, it hosts a dining in Fish and Chips restaurant and more arcades. There is plenty of food on site with Greek to a street food van. During the Summer months, there is a fairground at the end of the pier which is a nice touch.
These are just some of my favourite independent places that I love in Southsea, I hope you enjoy your time here as much as me!
Photo by – The Southsea Snapper
