4-6 Holdenhurst Road,
Bournemouth,
BH8 8AD
(01202) 315313
The ViewBournemouth Review
A greasy fast-food cafe that isn’t particularly pleasant to sit in. But when it's 2am and you have kebab cravings, who cares?
The Venue
Genie’s Food Emporium is a splendid title for what is basically a cafe that serves the kind of food you yearn for when you find yourself outside a club at 3am clutching a scrunched up fiver.
The decor is basic but practical, with wood from floor to ceiling and everything in between. The blackboard displays the many options available to the hordes of hungry customers who troop in after witching hour.
The fantastically fatty dishes can easily tempt most health freaks, but they have an unfortunate side effect, and no, it isn't health related.
All that bubbling grease creates a bit of a whiff, and sitting in the cafe is a difficult task as the smell is overpowering and may set off your gag reflex. Luckily there are some wooden tables outside offering a better place to sit.
The People
Depending on what time of day you come here you’ll see a different crowd. In the mornings, builders and hungover students demolish big breakfasts before tackling the day ahead.
The sound of frying food is ever-present, and the customers don’t always talk to each other - they're here to scoff not chat.
In the day Genie's is quite empty, with only a few people wandering in for a quick guilty lunch, and most of them take it away.
But as night descends Bournemouth's lads and ladettes come out to play, and before heading into town for a 'large one' they have to line their stomachs, and why not do with it with a cheeseburger?
And when the pubs close that same bunch of bright young things return, attempting to settle their stomachs and fend off their hangovers by ordering something with burger sauce.
The Food
Imagine something that's bad for you but tastes good. That about sums up Genie's menu. Pizzas with various toppings, burgers with all the trimmings, kebabs of every greasy variety and some wraps for those who are more health conscious.
Everything is £5 or under, so it's not exactly expensive, but the quality isn't great and everything is covered in grease, which either appeals or appals. But if you have a hunger that only a lamb shish can satisfy then Genie's food hits the spot.
The Drink
To wash down the salty snacks, cold cans of soft drinks are the most popular choice, with other non alcoholic drinks to rehydrate you for about £1.
The Last Word
Cheap as chips in all respects, but a necessary part of many drinking nights for Bournemouth's boozing boys and girls.
Genies Food Emporium has been reviewed by 1 users