I love a good Friday night vibe and I had such a fun time catching up over burgers with a friend at Croxton’s Kitchen & Tap House in Southsea, Portsmouth.

It’s a great hang out, with a diverse menu and the bar is well stocked with an ever changing range of beers, ales and IPAs, not to mention a delicious range of cocktails!

Two burgers coming right up…

Croxton’s has been a firm favourite since it was introduced to me over a year ago by my friends in a previous job. I was re-introducing myself to the area and this was a top recommendation from everyone who lived in Southsea. We had drinks and tacos and then a lot more drinks – it was a hell of an evening. 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

I’m not sure what I expected it to look like when I first visited. The interior is a blend of black and white, old school tables and seats with brick style tiles behind the bar. It feels like a modern look in an old space, the low ceilings make it feel a bit more intimate and I don’t know what it is but it has that special something.

I really like the relaxed atmosphere and the space happily mixes the feel of a pub, bar, restaurant feel and the friendly staff but most of all the delicious food…

Dinner

My friend and I got settled in, catching up about our days while taking a look at the menu.

Oh sweet foodie heaven, I’m a big fan of Croxton’s menu. There’s a diverse range of tacos, burgers, sandwiches, small plates, bowls, salads all with a big flavour profile.

Asian, Mexican, American and Greek flavours are the biggest influence on the dishes. There’s also lots of vegetarian and vegan options – the cauliflower tacos are a personal recommendation. I can also vouch for the fish tacos, I’ve had them before and they’re incredible.

On this visit though I tried one of the burgers, the Southern Fried Chicken topped with American cheese, lettuce, jalapeño relish and chipotle mayonnaise in a sesame brioche bun.

I loved how the jalapeño relish and chipotle mayo added such a depth to a classic fried chicken burger. The burger was huge and as you can see I barely got my hand around the thing! I did resort to knife and and fork because it was so big.

It was so tasty and the fries were skinny, my favourite kind, and full of flavour too.

My friend had the Tap House, a classic double beef burger topped with double cheese, double streaky bacon, pickled red onion, smokey BBQ sauce, burger sauce and a brioche bun. My friend was very pleased with her food life choices and I can see why, look at this burger…insane!

It obviously went down well as we cleared our plates!

Location

Hampshire has such a great food scene and Portsmouth is a real hub for fantastic places to eat.

Croxton’s is a part of that mix and it’s on Palmerston Road in Southsea nestled in-between where the fun bars are and the high street.

Croxton’s

The look, the food, it’s all very in keeping with the Southsea scene with a lot of the local creative community hanging out there and it’s a brilliant place to hang out with friends.

It’s also a stones throw from the seafront and it’s great place to eat and then walk along the seafront in the summer.

I really want to go back and try some of the other dishes, and the new loaded fries sound like a must try. I’ve not tried the breakfast menu either and that looks equally as epic as dinner time!

Want to know more and check out the menu? Head to Croxton’s website and let me know if you give it a visit!