Ludo Lounge stands on Southbourne Grove, the strip of independent shops and cafés at the centre of this Bournemouth suburb. It belongs to the Lounges group, whose all-day café-bar format can be found in towns up and down the country, and it occupies a building that was once a Woolworths, a past the eclectic secondhand furnishings still quietly acknowledge.
Food and drink
Service runs from breakfast right through to late drinks, and brunch, burgers, mains, salads and tapas share one all-day menu. Among the dishes with a reputation are the Byron Bay Brunch (sweetcorn fritters, avocado and poached eggs) and the Hot Honey Fried Chicken Burger. Separate kids', gluten-free and vegan menus make mixed groups easy to feed, and the deals come round regularly: Cheeky Mondays, Tapas Tuesday, and a daily Cocktail Club with two cocktails for £13.25.
The space
The interior is a bright, double-height room furnished in the Lounges chain's usual style, plenty of plants and chairs that don't quite match, casual enough for a daytime coffee with a laptop and relaxed enough for evening cocktails. Out front, a terrace looks onto passing Southbourne life, and a bigger roof terrace catches the sun on warm days. Dogs are welcome throughout, and downstairs there is wheelchair-accessible seating along with accessible restrooms.
Practical points
Parties of six or fewer can walk straight in; larger groups should enquire in advance through the website. Opening hours are 9am to 11pm every day, so it works equally for breakfast before the beach and for a late cocktail once dinner is done.
There are plenty more cafés and independent shops along Southbourne Grove to browse; our wider food & drink guide lists other places nearby, and things to do covers the clifftop and beach a few minutes' walk from the door.