Why Your Smile Deserves a Day Out in Southampton
Nobody books a dental appointment and thinks: great, this could be the start of a brilliant afternoon. But it can be. Southampton has quietly assembled a set of genuinely good places to eat, drink and spend time — and if you're already making the trip, you'd be wasting it to head straight home.
Here's how to build a proper day around it.
Start With the Appointment
Bassett Dental Practice sits in Bassett, one of Southampton's more residential and unhurried neighbourhoods. It's the kind of practice that actually feels local — not a corporate chain, not a waiting room designed to make you anxious. If you've been putting off a check-up, this is the sort of place that makes the procrastination harder to justify. Friendly, competent, and far enough from the city centre noise that arriving ten minutes early isn't a stressful experience.
Book a morning slot if you can. It leaves the rest of the day entirely open.
Coffee Before (or After) — It Matters
If you need something to settle your nerves before you go in, or a reward once you're out, Mettricks is worth the short trip into the city. Their filter coffee rotates weekly and the staff actually know what they're serving — ask what's on and expect a real answer, not a shrug. It's a proper independent café that takes coffee seriously without making you feel like you've wandered into a lecture. Comfortable, unhurried, and consistently good.
If your appointment involved anything involving your gums, maybe hold off on the coffee and come back for it later. Worth the wait.
Lunch: Pick a Side
By midday you'll be ready to eat, and Southampton gives you a genuinely decent decision to make here.
Lakaz Maman is one of the city's most distinctive spots — Mauritian street food done with real conviction. The dholl puri with cari pwason is the order. Don't overthink it, and don't skip the chutneys that come alongside. Go hungry. This is not a light lunch situation, and that's entirely the point. The flavours are bold and specific in a way that most city-centre restaurants simply aren't.
If you'd rather go in a completely different direction, The Jetty is the seafood option and it's a strong one. The menu shifts depending on what came in that morning — ask, and order accordingly. The crab bisque, when it's on, is non-negotiable. It's a more considered dining experience than Lakaz Maman, better suited to a longer, slower lunch than a quick in-and-out.
Two restaurants, two very different moods. Both worth it.
The Evening, If You're Staying For It
Southampton's bar scene is better than its reputation suggests, and a Friday evening here has real energy if you know where to go.
Platform Tavern is a local institution — and that label means something here. On a Friday night there's live music, and the smart move is to arrive early enough to get a spot near the stage. It's the kind of pub that feels genuinely used by the people who live here, rather than dressed up for visitors. Proper atmosphere, not manufactured atmosphere.
If you want something a little different, Shenanigans is a well-regarded local venue with its own loyal crowd. It doesn't need much more explanation than that — some bars just work, and this is one of them. Good for a drink or two before you decide what the evening becomes.
The waterfront is worth a walk between the two. Mayflower Park runs along the water and on a clear evening it gives you the kind of view that reminds you why Southampton's position on the Solent is actually a significant thing. Level ground, open sky, container ships moving slowly in the distance. It costs nothing and it's a decent way to clear your head between lunch and wherever the evening takes you.
The Point of All This
A dental appointment is a fine excuse to spend a day in a city properly. Southampton rewards that approach. It has places worth going to — not because they've been written up everywhere, but because they're genuinely good at what they do. Bassett Dental handles the part of the day you'd rather get through. The rest of it is yours.
Find more of what Southampton has to offer — bars, restaurants, cafés and independents — in our full Southampton guide on OurLocals.co.uk.
