Bottomless brunch has quietly taken over the Portsmouth weekend. What began as a London import is now a Saturday ritual across Southsea and the waterfront, two hours or so of unlimited prosecco, mimosas and cocktails wrapped around a plate of food, usually booked for a birthday, a hen do or simply an excuse to start the weekend early.
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There are more of them than ever, which makes choosing tricky, so we set out to rank the ones worth your money. Our team weighed up the venues across the city on the same set of criteria, leaning hardest on what real guests say, pulling together aggregate scores and recurring comments from Google and Tripadvisor rather than one-off visits.
Reviews carry the most weight here, balanced against the drinks deal, the food, the setting and value for money. The result is a snapshot rather than gospel, and it is a living list we will revisit as menus and venues change.
Here is our pick of the best bottomless brunches in Portsmouth, starting with the best and working down.
1. Scarlet Tap
The highest-rated name on Palmerston Road takes the top spot, and it does so on sheer value and atmosphere. Scarlet Tap holds a remarkable 4.8 across more than 2,500 Google reviews, a figure almost unheard of for a busy Southsea bar, and its bottomless brunch is one of the main reasons people keep coming back.
The format is generous. You get a full two hours of unlimited drinks from a long menu that stretches well beyond the usual prosecco and mimosas, with craft beer and gin upgrades on offer, plus a brunch dish such as a burger or pizza. Prices start around £25, which undercuts most of the competition for the length of the session alone. It runs at weekends and the atmosphere is firmly on the lively end, big screens, a buzz of groups and a proper sense of occasion.
That energy is the draw and, on the busiest days, also the catch. This is a bar first and a kitchen second, so manage your expectations on quiet, refined dining and come for the party instead.
What wins you over
Reviewers consistently point to the same strengths:
- outstanding value, with a full two hours rather than the usual 90 minutes;
- one of the widest drinks lists in the city, beer and spirits included;
- a genuinely lively, celebratory atmosphere;
- attentive servers who keep the glasses topped up.
What to bear in mind
- it gets extremely busy, and service can slow at peak times;
- it is more bar than restaurant, so the food is solid rather than special.
If value and atmosphere are what you are after, nothing else in Portsmouth quite matches it, which is why it leads the list.
2. Las Iguanas, Gunwharf Quays
Down at Gunwharf Quays, Las Iguanas brings a Latin American spin to the format and backs it with the biggest review base in this list, more than 4,000 Google ratings averaging 4.6. That volume matters, because it means the 4.6 is hard-earned across a huge number of visits rather than a lucky streak.
The brunch pairs a starter and main from the Latin menu with 90 minutes of bottomless prosecco or draught beer, with cocktails such as a Rio mojito available as an upgrade, and a free upgrade earlier in the week. Prices sit around £30. The food is the strong suit here, genuinely interesting plates rather than a token brunch dish, and the waterfront setting makes it an easy pairing with a wander round the outlet shops afterwards.
Service draws warm praise in review after review, with regulars often naming their favourite server. The one recurring note is noise, the restaurant can get loud when it is full, which suits a celebration but less so a quiet catch-up.
What wins you over
- a vast, consistent 4.6 across thousands of reviews;
- proper Latin food rather than a throwaway brunch plate;
- a waterside Gunwharf setting with shopping on the doorstep;
- warm, frequently praised service.
What to bear in mind
- it can get noisy at peak times;
- cocktails cost extra on some days rather than being included.
For food quality and sheer reliability, Las Iguanas is the safest bet in the city, and only just misses the top spot on value.
3. Cosy Club, Gunwharf Quays
A short stroll from Las Iguanas, Cosy Club trades the party energy for grandeur. Set in the North building at Gunwharf, it is all high ceilings, mismatched vintage furniture and a theatrical bar, and it carries a strong 4.5 across almost 1,500 reviews. If you want your bottomless brunch to feel like an occasion in itself, this is the room for it.
The brunch runs daily in the morning, pairing a dish from the breakfast menu with 90 minutes of bottomless bubbles, Bloody Marys or mimosas. Reviewers single out the presentation and quality of the food, which rivals smarter restaurants, and the all-day kitchen means you can roll a brunch into lunch without rushing. It reads as a touch more grown-up than the Southsea bars, better suited to a family celebration or a relaxed catch-up than a raucous hen do.
The trade-off is the structure, the bottomless package sits on top of the price of your brunch dish, so the final bill climbs higher than the headline figure suggests, and weekends fill quickly.
What wins you over
- a genuinely grand, characterful setting;
- food praised for quality and presentation;
- an all-day kitchen, so no rush to finish;
- a calmer, more grown-up mood.
What to bear in mind
- drinks sit on top of the dish price, so the bill adds up;
- it books out fast at weekends.
For a brunch that feels like a proper event rather than a quick session, Cosy Club earns its place on the podium.
4. The Monarch, Southsea
Back on Palmerston Road, The Monarch is the cocktail specialist of the group, and its bottomless brunch plays to that strength. With a 4.4 across more than 350 reviews, it has built a loyal following for birthdays and group celebrations, and regulars often return asking for the same server by name.
The deal pairs a sharing tapas board with 90 minutes of bottomless cocktails, prosecco and beer, with a mocktail version for drivers and non-drinkers. The drinks are the main event, properly made rather than thrown together, and the attentive service when the room is on form is a genuine high point. It is an intimate space, which lends it a fun, close-knit buzz for a smaller group.
That intimacy cuts both ways. Several reviewers describe it as a shoebox, so it is less suited to a large party, and the odd report of inconsistent or rushed service keeps it off the podium despite the quality in the glass.
What wins you over
- properly made cocktails at the heart of the deal;
- attentive, regularly praised servers;
- a fun, intimate atmosphere for a smaller group;
- a sharing board rather than a single dish.
What to bear in mind
- the space is small, so it suits modest groups best;
- service can be inconsistent when it is busy.
If the cocktails matter more to you than the food, The Monarch is the pick, best booked for a smaller, close group.
5. Go Rogue, Southsea
At 78 Palmerston Road, the multi-level venue that many still know as Drift now trades as Go Rogue, and it brings something the others do not, an arcade, a small garden and a party atmosphere spread over different floors. It holds a 4.3 across more than 1,200 reviews, and its bottomless brunch is a firm favourite for hen dos and big birthday groups.
The sessions are generous on the drinks front, with reviewers repeatedly noting that the glasses never run dry and praising servers who keep the energy up. The venue itself is the selling point, you can roll from brunch into the arcade or the garden and make an afternoon of it, which is exactly what a celebrating group wants.
The weak link is the kitchen. More than one guest has flagged that the food options are limited and not the highlight, and the booking admin can be slow to respond, so confirm the details directly when you reserve.
What wins you over
- plentiful drinks, with glasses kept topped up;
- a fun multi-level venue with an arcade and a garden;
- ideal for larger celebrating groups;
- lively, well-reviewed service.
What to bear in mind
- the food options are limited and not the strong point;
- booking admin can be slow, so confirm directly.
For a group that wants the brunch to roll into a whole afternoon out, Go Rogue is hard to beat, as long as you are there for the drinks and the venue more than the plate.
6. The Botanical, Port Solent
Out at Port Solent, The Botanical offers the most scenic setting of the six, a marina-side spot on the boardwalk where you can watch the boats while you drink. It carries a 4.0 across nearly 400 reviews, the lowest average in this list, but the location and atmosphere keep it firmly in the running for a special occasion.
The brunch pairs a dish with 90 minutes of unlimited prosecco, mimosas and cocktails, and runs daily until early afternoon, with an earlier rate before 11am making it one of the better-value starts if you can get up for it. When it is on form the place buzzes, the young team is keen, and reviewers love it for weddings and big group nights as much as for brunch.
Consistency is the sticking point. Reviews swing between delighted and disappointed, with recurring notes about waits for food, items being unavailable and a menu that can feel thin. Book it for the setting and the atmosphere, go in with realistic expectations on the food, and it rewards you.
What wins you over
- a genuinely scenic marina-side location;
- a lively atmosphere, popular for celebrations;
- a daily brunch with a good-value early rate;
- a keen, friendly young team.
What to bear in mind
- food and service can be inconsistent;
- the menu is on the small side, with occasional gaps.
It rounds out the list on the strength of its setting, a lovely spot for a sunny-day brunch if you keep your expectations in check.
The scores side by side (out of 10)
The ranking in full
| Position | Venue | Area | Score (out of 10) | % (out of 100) |
| 1 | Scarlet Tap | Southsea | 9.3 | 93 |
| 2 | Las Iguanas | Gunwharf Quays | 9.0 | 90 |
| 3 | Cosy Club | Gunwharf Quays | 8.6 | 86 |
| 4 | The Monarch | Southsea | 8.1 | 81 |
| 5 | Go Rogue | Southsea | 7.7 | 77 |
| 6 | The Botanical | Port Solent | 7.1 | 71 |
What the ranking reveals
Look at the table and a clear split emerges along geographic lines. Southsea, and Palmerston Road in particular, is the heartland of the lively, value-led brunch, where Scarlet Tap, The Monarch and Go Rogue trade on long sessions, strong drinks and a party mood. Gunwharf Quays plays a different game, with Las Iguanas and Cosy Club leaning on better food and smarter rooms, while Port Solent offers the scenery and pays for it a little in consistency.
The scores also show that value and food rarely live in the same place. The venues that win on price and atmosphere are bars at heart, where the kitchen is a supporting act, whereas the ones praised for their plates ask you to pay more, often by charging for the brunch dish on top of the drinks. Where you land depends on whether you are there to eat well or to toast a birthday.
One number worth trusting is review volume. Las Iguanas earns its 4.6 across more than 4,000 visits, which is a far sterner test than a glowing 4.8 from a few dozen, and it is why the biggest names cluster near the top. If you want the daytime rather than the bottomless version, our guide to the best breakfast and brunch spots in Portsmouth covers the quieter end, and the best cocktail bars pick up where the drinks deals leave off.
How we put this together
This ranking is an editorial snapshot from October 2026, not an official list. To build it we compared the city’s bottomless brunch venues against one another on the same weighted criteria rather than visiting each one as a paid test. Guest reviews and reputation counted for the most, at around 35 per cent, weighing both the average score and how many reviews stand behind it. The drinks deal and value made up roughly a quarter, with the food worth about 20 per cent, the setting and atmosphere 10 per cent, and location and ease of reaching it the final 10 per cent.
The review figures and recurring comments were drawn mainly from Google and Tripadvisor at the time of writing. Bottomless brunch deals change often, prices and timings shift with the season, and venues rebrand, as Drift becoming Go Rogue shows, so treat the details here as a guide and confirm the current offer, price and hours with each venue before you book. The order is our considered view on the day and may change as menus and reviews move.
