Bird's Nest Buffet Swanage Railway in Purbeck

Dropped in after a trip to Norden and back. The old carriage is quite spacious, bright and attractive. Lots of outside seating on the platform and the grass bank. They also have a small book stall to raise funds for the railway. Prices are fine and the food and drinks are up to standard, but not as good as the Norden cafe.

Stopped for a cream tea - my partner had been raving on about the cream teas here and how delicious they were. We had peppermint tea which was lovely but the cream tea was very small & not as he remembered at all which was a shame. Lovely to sit in a railway carriage though & have something to eat.

I stop here several times a year for a bacon butty & a cuppa or an ice cream. It's a very pleasant spot to sit & watch the trains. There is a garden area with benches or seats & tables in the carriage. Dogs are allowed in outside area & it's central.

I went into the Bird's Nest Buffet on the Swanage railway. Just like stepping back in time. The staff were very helpful, the food was fresh and hot. The location can not be faulted, sat outside, on a railway station, just watching trains and people s they enjoy the location. Very accessible to wheelchair users.

Lovely little cafe based in an old carriage this place rocks. Good selection of sweet and savoury foods for you to buy and support this wondrous charity.

I'm here after a lovely walk for a cream tea and a ice cream very good service and the food was nice

It’s a o old train carriage to eat in and lots of seats out side when dry and warm ,you are at the end of the platform so you can see the steam trains while having a coffee

Visited for drinks as part of our visit to Swanage and the Santa Express train journey. Only had drinks but all the staff were friendly and helpful. Loved the ambience and will be back.

This charming little cafe is situated at Swanage Railway Station & is within a renovated railway carriage. We popped into there for an enjoyable quick cuppa before a trip on the Steam Train. Even if you are not going on one of the trains it is a perfect spot to hv a cuppa & snack whist watching the trains arrive & depart. Very friendly team working there.

Visited with family...very basic old fashioned, but pleasant friendly service. The coffee was instant sachets which was served very hot so we couldnt drink it straight away. Cakes were served wrapped in cling film but they were nice to eat. Basic cafe but a nice place to go if waiting for the train.

My partner and I have enjoyed tea and cake at the birds nest buffet more than once. A lovely quaint cafe which is situated at swanage railway. Lovely 😊

The cafe is inside an old railway carriage and was quirky and interesting. The coffee was good and although we didn't eat, the snacks looked appetising. We were hoping to go for a ride on the steam railway but unfortunately too early in the year but we had a walk round the station, looked at the old railway carriages and visited the shop. We plan to go back later in the year for a train ride!

Limited range of hot snacks, cakes etc.plenty of hot and cold drinks. Sit on the station side and get a real close view as the Loco's come alongside before running round the train to pull it back out of Swanage. Staff helpful.

Really super cakes and a good range of Purbeck ice creams and the staff are very friendly and helpful. It's a single carriage so there aren't too many tables but actually it probably seats more people inside than you'd expect and there's plenty of seating outside. Personally I wasn't too impressed by my hot chocolate but that won't stop me going back. It made an ideal break when there was a 45 minute wait changing buses.

Nice cuppa and cake lovely friendly service nice place to pop in after looking at station or while waiting to take trip,

You can have hot/cold snacks we had a cream tea you can sit in or out side the railway carriage and the helpful staff let us know when our bus arrived in the station

Very warm welcome and a good cup of coffee to boot. It is served in cardboard cups but hey it’s still unique, can highly recommend this cafe.

We wanted a drink before returning back to Norden Station and tried the cafe' at Swanage Station before we boarded the train. The service was almost non existent with little choice of food, so we just had tea served in a cardboard cup!!! Could be so much better.

We arrived a bit early so took the opportunity of having a cream tea inside the buffet car on the platform. Staff were very friendly and although they had worked there for a number of years they were full of enthusiasm. We had the cream tea which was yummy and reasonably priced. Cant wait to visit again

We decided to stop off for a refreshment as it was my husbands birthday treat.I asked for a pot of tea, they didn't do that any more, But had it on menu,,Drinks in cardboard cups and sausage rolls on paper plates, Manageres was sitting at back of train carriage There was no hello, goodbye, no politeness, Service was awfull, The idea is excellent and they could do so much better,I felt like I had took a step back in time,The station was so old fashioned, old cases and Victorian toilets, Don't know who owns this but with just a bit more thought could be so much better, Sorry but we didn't feel welcome, It just seemed like we were a nuisance, We were spending money , wont go in again,

I was expecting a nice reception at this place but nothing.. absolutely Zero. No Hello, how are you. No Smile. Asked for a Pot of Tea, that doesn't exist anymore was the reply. Asked for Coffee and promptly told it would be in a Cardboard Cup..Yuck. When we were leaving, No thank you, Good bye, Kiss my... Nothing. Definitely won't be going back.

Lovely tearoom with a nostalgic feel, i felt like one of the famous five having a break from our adventures.Great atmosphere. Decent coffee and tea with nice cakes.

Excellent cakes in the old buffet car are a must after watching the trains on the station. Seating also available outside if the buffet car is full

We popped in for a coffee, tea and gluten free cake after a train trip. Both the coffee and tea were good

Enjoying a day on The Swanage Railway, an excellent 1960s transport experience, I decided to extend my emersion in nostalgia with a visit to this buffet car for lunch. It is also straight out of the 1960s - limited food selection (I had a dried out pasty), amateur operation, unfriendly server, complete lack of customer service and the seating cramped. So British Railways!

Visited with friends the other week...we have all loved this place for meals, cakes and teas...(we are not holidaymakers but locals) ...what really irritated us all was the fact we asked for teas at the counter after saying 'hello' in our usual polite way...only to be treated with no respect by the miserable female (who we believe is a manager called Penny). ..she grunted at us and moaned about the plastic cups we had to have for tea; and that how expensive these plastic cups are, etc, etc!!..OMG she came across as a female Victor meldrew (clearly not happy in her work). ..then to top it all her mobile rang and she said 'I have to take this call' '- with no apology, she proceeded to walk to back of train and sit and talk on her mobile...we were all disgusted by her rudeness and attitude that we all left with the people in the queue behind us also doing the same. .PLEASE PLEASE bring back the nice staff who have left and get rid of this VILE WOMAN before she kills this business. ..

This was a great place to go for refreshments and hot food. But seems to have gone downhill. Paper cups and plates, no bacon butties, toasted tea cakes, chips, egg and chips. Such a shame as loved going there.

Perfect place to have a Coffee & Snack after a Ride on a Steam Train !! All part of the Swanage Experience

An excellent afternoon tea, with live music and sunshine. Conveniently situated at the end of the platform, the tea was very hot and the cake delicious, with good service to boot Thank you

Great spot, perfectly pleasant drinks - but a bit disappointed to be given disposable plastic cups rather than glasses. Seems a particularly pointless aspect of our "throwaway culture". If the plastic cups are washed and reused then please do correct me.

A nice place to stop and have a bite and a cupper, while your at the Swanage railway, highly recommended.

Quirky cafe in old carraige, good selection of home made cakes, nice simple meals. Very nice to sit and watch the Trains.

This is a lovely little café situated on the Swanage Railway station where you can get drinks, snacks and usually hot meals. It is very popular and it is a must to visit when you visit the Swanage Railway.

Lovely setting at the end of a steam train railway line. We had a cream tea that was nice and reasonably priced and all the staff are friendly and helpful. Don't go there expecting The Ritz; it's a cafe straight out of the 50's that is not trying to be modern and trendy. A welcome change in an expensive and faddy society.

Having read the many favourable reviews we thought this would be a good place for a snack on Sunday at lunchtime. The surroundings and the atmosphere were charming and the staff were friendly and helpful. There's outdoor seating if you want it, or you can sit inside the carriage for the full retro experience. So far so good, but we thought the choice of meals on offer was too limited, and the food when it came was disappointing. Judging by the other reviews here I think this place might be a better bet for breakfast.

Nice lunch in a Steam railway station.Dog friendly.Staff friendly and pleased to help.Basic menu but food was fine.

Here for lunch- a quick sandwich (me) and a bacon and egg bap for Mrs B. Great service and the staff there can't do enough for you. Service here is what the Bluebell railway's team should aspire to.!!

We had a Cream Tea, the Tea was very nice but the Scones lacked in taste.They where slightly warm and very Rubbery in Texture. I think they were warmed in a Microwave.

We stopped for lunch and were delighted with the quality of the food, value for money and friendliness of service. We had a huge and excellent cream tea, burger and chips and our daughter had a lovely lunchbox meal which was a bargain at £2.50. The atmosphere was very charming and the staff were very friendly. Well worth a visit.

Stopped here a coulle of times during our stay, lovely staff and fast service. Food chouces goid with drinks available for all. Sat out with dog and enjoyed the world passing by!

Came here and only had coffee but friendly staff and good reasonably priced menu choices. The outside seating area is lovely too set in grassed area with a view of rhew steam trains

stopped for a cuppa which wasn't a great experience. Gentleman was quite knowing about the train ride which was a little expensive.

If you want a delicious breakfast or just a bacon roll - this is the place. A delightful railway carriage converted into a cafe. Our simple lunch of a pasty and chips was spot on. Tasty pasty and crispy chips was spot on.

Fab cakes. yummy when waiting for connection in oldee world service. Fab old carriages at the end of the station. A must for the family and railway buff in old world.

We love stopping for coffee at the Birds Nest Buffet. It's great coffee and the cakes are delicious with a couple of dairy free choices available for our daughter who has a milk allergy (they also have gluten free options if you need them). The children love watching the trains going in and out of the station and its a lovely place to while away an hour or so.

Very friendly and informative lady served us.They have spent a lot of money refurbing the place.Our friend had a cream tea which was huge and she said delicious.Lots of interesting memorabillia on the walls to look at while you have a snack and theres a nice eating area outside if its a warm day.We had scrambled eggs on brown toast for my hubby and carrot and coriander soup and a cornish pasty for myself and the total was just over £6 ! A real bargain,and such a nice cosy littel place.They dont rush you either.If you need the loo at the railway station you have to get a code from the staff in the birds nest cafe as they maintain them,and they are not supposed to be used by the public,just their customers.A very pleasant hour spent here

Waiting for our train we went on-board for tea and a slice of cake. Both were very enjoyable as were the surroundings. The volunteers behaved as if they were serving friends -well done. Prices reasonable too.

Popped in out of the cold. Very quirky vintage buffet carriage, parked at the station. Sound of steam in the background. Huge slices of tasty cake. Hot sausage rolls and pastries. Latte cheap powdered type not nice, wish I had gone for the filter coffee. Lady serving quite abrupt.Warm and cosy inside. Two cakes and two powdered lattes seven pounds something.

Felt so welcome by the warm and friendly staff, I actually felt sorry for them being run ragged by the santa specials !! Nice hot chocolate and tasty sausage rolls. Keep up the good work! X

This is a must visit at Swanage Station. Very quaint buffet car parked in the siding. We had delicious sausage sandwiches and a decent cuppa!

This cafe is staffed by volunteers as a fundraiser for the railway, had it been a commercial enterprise I would have only given it three stars.We had a slice of cake each, and a hot drink. I had cappuccino, my wife had a tea. The size of the slice of cake was the saving grace for this establishment, other cafes serve up less than half what we had here. Also, because it was presumably home made it was much better than from a commercial bakery.The cappuccino was from a packet, the sort that you'd have at home or from a work's vending machine, so not the usual Costa/Starbucks standards. The tea was probably a supermarket tea bag, but drinkable.I appreciate that the staff probably don't get paid and do it for love, and that the lady behind the counter was probably having a bad day, but she was very abrupt. Not rude, but very close to it.We'll return when we visit Swanage again next year, hopefully she'll have been on a customer care course by then.

We visited during Half term. When we placed our order it was not very busy, half of the available tables were in use. The 2 kids boxes were delivered very quickly, however, both children had finished well before we got our food.. Only chips and soup..and were subsequently very restless. Another table were offered complimentary drinks as an apology for the long wait but we were offered no such gesture. Sandwiches from the supermarket next time.

We sometimes like to treat ourselves to a breakfast when we go out early so we have experienced quite a lot of places across the County of Dorset. However the Bird's Nest breakfast was the best and the tastiest we have enjoyed and experienced. There is plenty to eat and beverages are included in the price. Staff are also very helpful and efficient. The Swanage Railway train atmosphere completes the lovely experience.

Had spent weekend at the Steam Gala, so before going home on Monday went to have a drink and something to eat - Tea and Bacon Bap for my wife and Sausage Bap for me. Both were excellent.

Best home made cake you'll ever eat...yummyOld carriage turned into the cafe, great idea.Good place to warm up if the weathers bad.

had a nice pastie & coffee then sat outside listening to a cpoule of blues buskers very nice place to sit & chill on a sunny day

standard cup of tea but superb lemon victoria sponge & fantastic weather always make cake taste better

Found on the Swanage Railway Platform, Bird's Nest Buffet is a great place to get some light refreshment when you arrive at Swanage, which can be found in an old train carriage. Great for a pit stop before walking into town

Lovely coffee, great Dorset Apple Cake and all overlooking train operations on the railway. Seats are available in the buffet car in less good weather. Why sit in an ordinary cafe when you can watch steam engines up close?

This buffet car was at one time located in the bay platform at Swanage station, but is now situated semi-permanently on a headshunt which formerly was used for stabling locomotives. It is very convenient for visitors to the railway but is also close enough to the road to be used by non-railway patrons. We enjoyed some very nice drinks served cheerfully by the lady at the counter, and as it was a fine day we were able to take advantage of the outside seating whilst consuming them. Can recommend.

I am a Swanage residents and I often eat in the Birds Nest Buffet. It is a very interesting place to eat, inside of an old railway carriage at the end of the platform on Swanage Station. On fine days there are seats outside under a canopy and also for the enthusiasts a number of tables or bench seats in the garden where you can watch the comings and goings on the railway, in comfort.The food is always good, freshly cooked hot food, and my favourite is the bacon baps although the chips are lovely as well. For the lighter bite the home made cakes are a must and there are sandwiches and pasties as well.The prices are probably the best in Swanage so what more could you ask for, oh yes I forgot the friendly staff some of whom are volunteers and of course the profits go towards maintaining the railway.Very convieniently placed at the end of the High Street and almost at the coach drop off point, don't miss out.

We were taking the Swanage Railway steam train so popped in for a refreshing cuppa and biscuits beforehand. It is in an old railway carriage with seating inside, and outside 'on the platform'. We sat in the sunshine soaking up the nostalgic atmosphere. Great pitstop.

The good bits - - Loads of nostalgia, an old railway carriage converted to a diner, sat adjacent to the steam railway with quite a few picnic tables outside. - A pretty good selection of cakes ' light bites, etc. Hot food is served until 3 p.m. and the diner itself shut at 4:30 on the day we were there. Now the not so good bits - - Order taking and processing seemed a bit haphazard! We asked for a cream tea and 3 cups of tea, we were told that "tea is only available with cream teas" That's now what the menu states! Tea is listed on it's own. Anyway not wanting to cause a fuss we ordered 3 cream teas. Our order was shouted down the carriage to the Kitchen - and the kitchen assistant told the person who took the order "there's no need to shout"Within a few minutes a young lady came out of the kitchen with 3 cream teas and shouted a table number (we were table 9) she called table 19 - and no one claimed the teas, we asked if there was a mistake with the table number - she gave us a bewildered look and continued to shout "table 19" eventually someone owned up to being table 19, but they had only ordered one cream tea, not 3! Once again we said "we've ordered three cream teas, are they maybe are ours" this time we were ignored, the table 19 lady went off with her ONE cream tea. The other two were left languishing on the end of one of the picnic tables, in the full heat of the sun! Eventually the spare cream teas were rescued and made their way back to the kitchen, now I wonder did we inherit the two unwanted teas? The teas themselves were OK, plenty of jam and cream and butter. This little diner is very convenient when using the steam railway, we would eat there again and hopefully things will run more smoothly!

Great for home cooked breakfast, simple menu and great value. Son had the Victoria Sponge and loved it

can't beat tea for two on arrival at Swanage station. Sitting outside, cup in hand, with Steam in your Nostrils. Keep it up Ladies and Gents of the Buffet

Try the Birds Nest if you're going to the Railway. The have agood selection of hot and cold drinks. Also hot and cold food. Cream teas are available as are bacon and sausage baps[lovely]. Staffed by friendly polite people who know all about the local area

This old buffet carriage that is located in Swanage station is a great place for a light snack or afternoon tea near the heart of Swanage.There are some benches in the lovely gardens so you can enjoy the peace and sunshine whilst watching the steam trains.They also stock the wonderful Purbeck ice cream.

This is not a cheap excursion but a well run and atmospheric attraction. A great way to get between Corfe and Swanage without battling with traffic or car parks. Check out the park and ride at Norden Junction where there is a huge car park. Fun experience that takes you back in time. Magnificent views of Corfe Castle so be sure to have the camera ready.

We stopped just for a short time, had just chips and a,pot of tea.Staff seem to be locals and know the area well. They were a happy bunch .We didn't seem to wait very long, but the chips were freshly cooked.There isn't much room, but it's quite sweet sitting there and let's face it, cheap enough for something a bit unusual.The steam trains are a wonderful sight, the whole rIlway is well kept, clean, tasteful and in truth as so many people are volunteers , a rather marvellous thing.It costs,nothing to see a glimpse,of time gone by, if you are lucky, you might see one of,the trains puffing away when visiting Corfe castle and my, what a sight, it looks magical. It costs so little to pop in for a cup of tea, supports a nice friendly train station too.

Pop in here while waiting for your train to get some "first class" refreshments. the staff are really friendly and very happy to serve top notch nosh. I had a take-away coffee and cake to enjoy on the train. It's a "proper" buffet car, just a great place to sit and soak up the atmosphere while waiting for your train.

After enjoying our day at Swanage, we decided to visit the station and tried this simple cafe. Our mugs of tea, drunk at a romantic Derby & Joan table were hot and refreshing!

Just had to have a English Tea after travelling on the Train from Corfe Castle to Swanage, although it was busy found a table and sat back and drank in the nostalgia.

Just one part of the many Swanage Steam Railway offerings. A static buffet car, The Bird's nest is usually open during railway opening hours serving great bacon/sausage baps for breakfast and Dorset cream teas later in the day. In between there are a variety of sandwiches and cakes for sale - all produced from the kitchen part of this veteran buffet car.Really nice staff and it's slap bang in Swanage town centre. Don't miss it.

Great place for a coffee, tea and selection of homemade cakes, super location and surroundings. Loved it.

This café based within an old buffet car at Swanage station is really great. The food is tasty, good value, service prompt and the staff very friendly making their customers feel valued. We enjoyed it so much we came again for a lunch on another day.

Stop for a nice cup of tea while waiting for the train. Good friendly service. Covered outside seating as well as seating in the converted carriage

An original venue for a café, with the added attraction of it being in the station, so we were able to see the steam trains pulling in and out. The Dorset apple cake was good, but the coffee cake was rather dry.

Love the idea of a café in an old train carriage and this quirky place provided an excellent, much-needed cuppa and fresh bacon roll, whilst sheltering from a summer shower.

Generous bacon butties. Gluten free bread as well! Lovely coffee and all so reasonably priced, thank you.

Had fond memories and photos of me from ten years ago eating a big cooked breakfast with nice table clothes and comfy leather chairs. Now very basic wood tables and chairs and a bit transport cafe like in a carriage. Added a number of seats under cover on the platform. Coffee fine and good value bacon roll but I was disappointed

Well worth popping in for a snack in this old railway carriage (or sit outside on the platform or in the garden). Snacks and soup available so we had bacon and sausage rolls with chips (there is a veggie option) and some soup. It was very good but a bit slow in coming and that cost us time for sight-seeing. Reasonably priced and very good value with well-filled rolls. The town centre is just down the road and the main bus stops are right by the station so it all very convenient. They also do cream teas!

Buffet style carriage for tea and light snacks. Now with seating under cover for drizzly days.All run by volunteers like the rest of the station.

Always greeted with a friendly smile. Excellent service, in a limited space. Brilliant opportunity for children to stand on the station platform to watch the 'steam train' pulling in. The station master looks very dapper, too dressed in his smart uniform

Was pleasantly surprised at how cheap the prices were. The food took a while to arrive but it was hot and fresh cooked. People could even take their meals onto the trains if necessary. They can also provide gluten free snacks sometimes. Will definitely come back.

Disappointing,my husband treated us to a traditional cream tea,but it was uninspiring and not a treat.We had ordered plain scones for my husband and fruited for my self but both got plain ,the scones although quite large were bland and unmemorable.We felt the same dis -organisation as mentioned in another review,the teas were in mismatched mugs with a tea bag floating,perhaps we have been spoiled by the wonderful cream teas at Horner wood on Exmoor where we get matching china cups and saucers with tea in a pot and a spare jug of hot water and scones and jam home made and beautifully presented at a fraction of the cost as we paid £11.20 for our 'treat at the Bird's Nest Swanage'.On a brighter note the staff were polite,and the setting plaesant and clean.

Ideal for a snack or a tasty pasty and coffee.Very convenient for visiting the Swanage Railway and the town centre.

Had a good cup of coffee while waiting for the train. Passed the time pleasantly. Easy access, central position.

We called here and thought it was very quaint. The buffet carriage was clean and they serve a limited amount of food. We enjoyed toasted tea cakes with butter and jam and tea. Very nice too. You can also have hot savouries, pasties etc. The staff are very friendly nand this is a popular venue.

Basically a very nice place to have a cuppa or a sausage sandwich. made me think I was on the train going places in life but without the exorbitant price of the train ticket

Bought some friends along as last time we visited enjoyed the location. This time was disappointed disorganised and food was of poor quality.

This little Railway Buffet Carriage is well patronized by railway enthusiasts, locals and visitors.Ideally situated for those waiting for their return trip on the buses.The cafe is well run by efficient pleasant staff.They serve a darned good pot of tea and the cakes are not only delicious but also of generous proportion.There is indoor and outdoor seating. A take away service or good clean mugs are used.The interior of the carriage is most inviting with much memorabilia on display.

A great restaurant for the railway. Food was great and their drinks were grand and such good value. There is a terrace so you can watch the trains at Swanage station. Finally the people in this place were all lovely, friendly and make it what it is. Excellent.

Wonderful place for a cuppa and a slice of cake, reasonable prices, friendly staff, you are supporting the heritage railway at the same time. Highly recommended.

Stopped in for a cup of hot chocolate prior to boarding the railway. It's quite small inside, but plenty of picnic table seating on the platform, which affords a good view of the steam trains pulling in to the station. Hot chocolate was a little weak for my taste, but most usually is.

Just got off the bus in Swanage and this is the frist tea venue you will see. It looked unusual so we thought we would have just a cup of tea. Sat inside as it was a chilly day. Pleasant staff. Reasonable prices.

I never venture into a caff but this place is a great alternative. Bacon butties, mugs of coffee etc. You get a view of the trains on Swanage Railway & can sit outside if it is sunny. Supporting them supports the railway too.

A warm retreat to wait before boarding the Dorsetman luncheon train. Welcoming smile with the service of our hot drinks on a very cold day

Right in the heart of Swanage town, great for lunch or snacks, often pop in for coffee and a bite. Reasonable price.

nice little cafe at the end of the platform, limited space inside but plenty of outdoor seating, decent tea on a proper mug

A very quaint little cafe with nice cakes and snacks on offer, not badly priced either. I enjoy sitting in the garden area during the summer months for tea and a cake