Castaways in Purbeck

They managed to fit us in without a booking and had a lovely meal, one fish and one steak. Delicious. We asked about booking for another evening but unfortunately they were closing that evening to retire!

Very nice. Shame we have only just discovered it. I had the Thai curry curry, and it was lovely. I wish you all the best in your retirement.

5 years of visiting wonderful castaways! How we will miss you! Always a warm welcome, wonderful food and a wonderful environment. We have loved every single meal here and after eating once on our very first holiday to swanage we soon pre booked every year after that! Always a wonderful favourite. Thank you for everything and we wish you both a wonderful and happy retirement xx

We booked a table for 4 for 8.00pm. My wife and I arrived punctually a few minutes before. Our two friends were running late looking for a parking space. While we waited for our friends we ordered a couple of drinks. One of the staff asked us when the other two were joining us. This was at about 2 or 3 minutes after 8.00pm. She told us that last orders for food was 8.00pm. We decided to order a starter while we waited and considered pre ordering for our friends as the vibe seemed to be that we were inconveniencing the member of staff.Ordering a starter didn't seem to go down well as it would mean that we would be there longer. I telephoned one of our companions and he answered his phone as he walked in to the restaurant with his wife. So, they were minutes past 8.00pm late. Soon after their arrival the same member of staff was quickly on to us to take our orders. We felt very rushed. Ok, to be balanced and fair, the first waitress who took our drinks order was polite and friendly. She also provided a carafe of water. However, the second waitress made us all feel that we were an inconvenience to her. The restaurant is advertised as open until 10.00pm. However, as the food was being served, it was clear that the staff were setting up for the next day as the place emptied and was effectively closed save our presence as the last remaining diners. When we had finished our main course and plates were being cleared, we were not offered a desert menu. We have eaten here before and it was usual for a desert board to be shown to patrons. Not this time. It was clear to us that they wanted to close and us to leave. Why take a booking for 8.00pm and then tell us on arrival that last orders are at 8.00. No time to sit down and relax. Having dined here before, I have always found the staff to be reasonably customer focused. However, it appears that customers now eat at the convenience of the restaurant. This restaurant needs to improve the customer experience. The owner/s should consider what type of service it wants to provide. Don't take bookings for 8.00pm if you don't want customers to arrive at 8.00pm and order shortly thereafter and don't start closing the restaurant around customers and a couple of hours before the advertised closing time. Turning to the food. I found my food pleasant enough although lacking in quality. My companions, two of whom ordered lasagne and one who ordered chicken, found the food to be volcanic hot. On the whole, the food was not of the standard we have previously experienced particularly when compared to when this establishment first opened. We actually left as quickly as we could so as not to upset the person serving us or unduly delay their closing the restaurant. I was planning on ordering a desert but thought better of it. We always leave a tip for staff as we appreciate that it is not easy work. However, why open until 10 when you clearly want customers out earlier. Perhaps it's time to call it a day when you want customers out. Customer service is fundamentally important. We will be giving Castaways a miss in future. What a shame.

Extremely friendly staff Very coealic friendly Clean and bright - think busy cafe style rather than cosy restaurant Children loved their meals and said the chicken nuggets were delicious! Great varied menu Puddings delicious Nice drink selection Really enjoyable evening - quite busy and a few times a teeny bit hectic feeling, think need to book but lovely staff and food So recommend

We ate here as a family during our recent holiday in Swanage, my parents love this restaurant so we went along with them, its really relaxed and friendly and dogs are allowed in. The menu is good with lots of tasty options, and they were very accommodating in allowing us to swap items, I had the stroganoff which was delicious and everyone else thoroughly enjoyed their meals, I would highly recommend a visit

We were delighted with this find initially. A cute cafe ambience and a very friendly welcome. Busy which also seemed promising. The starters were absolutely delicious.... homemade breaded brie, baked camembert and garlic Boursin mushrooms. Then we went for chateaubriand steak. That was a mistake... we asked for medium rare and got well done. Plus it looked like no chateaubriand I've ever ordered. They tasted nice but were really just like thin (and overcooked) pieces of steak. They came with a delicious bernaise sauce which was excellent and overcooked and unappetising cooked veg which was not! My son had rib eye which he seemed to enjoy. Dessert was an ice cream sundae absolutely smothered in aerosol whipped cream. Again, not great. Overall disappointing though the two waitresses were lively throughout. I didn't complain as my children were treating me and I didn't want to spoil our evening but under normal circumstances I would have.

Superb little restaurant - informal and unpretentious, but very good food, reasonably priced, great service. The owners are retiring at the end of the summer so I may not get another chance to visit, but I'll certainly try.

We love castaways and this was our second visit which was better than the first! We ordered chateaubriande and it was absolutely delicious. The steak is local beef from the town butchers. If you are looking for wholesome good food at a sensible price, then this needs to be at the top of your list. I will update recommend booking as it gets busy.

I really fancied the menu when I saw it but the food wasn’t amazing. It’s a bit cafe but with dinner prices. The prawn cocktail sauce was so acidic it was almost inedible. Service pleasant but slow. Have to say the steaks that were going out looked amazing.

Whilst on holiday for 6 days in Swanage we decided to book meals at several restaurants/pubs. Castaways was one of the establishments we choose due to its location and positive reviews on Tripadvisor. The menu appeared varied and reasonably priced. We arrived at the allocated time and noted that the restaurant was fairly full with diners but several tables were empty. The restaurant was bright and airy and not too hot bearing in mind the weather that day. The lady who greeted us offered us several table and we chose one near the counter which was actually a table for 4. All fine so far. On sitting down we noticed a jug of tap water was already on the table. The water was not particularly cold and lacked ice and lemon so we gave it a miss. A lady asked us if we were ready to order drinks and I chose a local real ale and my wife plumped for an organic cider. They arrived soon after and were good although I would have preferred my ale to have been a little colder. No real problem though. After perusing the menu I opted for the pate starter followed by aT bone steak from the specials board. My wife chose prawn cocktail for starter then sea bass as the main. The service was quick and efficient and the lady who greeted us appeared and asked us if we were ready to order and I said that we were. On asking for the pate starter she said that it was not available and that I would have to choose an alternative. Why wasn’t this mentioned when the menu was presented to us Anyway I decided to have the battered tempura prawns instead. After a few minutes the starters arrived and we began to eat. My tempura prawns were ok although the dipping sauce was distinctly average. My wife’s prawn cocktail was swimming in sauce and accompanied by revolting cheap and nasty thin white bread. We considered having a glass of wine each with the main course but I prefer Australian reds and none were on offer so we decided to swerve the wine. After the starters were eaten and a little wait the mains appeared. The sea bass that my wife requested was good and nicely cooked but the accompanying vegetables were meagre and nothing special. My T bone steak was satisfactory and cooked to my liking but the sliced mushrooms were pale and tasteless and must have been frozen. In addition the peppercorn sauce was bland and lacked flavour. Needless to say we did not bother with a dessert so we drank up, paid and left. In our opinion Castaways is past its sell by date and we really cannot understand why it seems to get so many excellent reviews. At best the food is mediocre and not of restaurant quality. Fortunately whilst on holiday we did have meals which were on a much higher level than Castaways.

The staff of Castaways was very kind, we felt very welcome. The food is pure, fresh and very tastefull. Nice place to have dinner!

Lovely family run restaurant, husbands steak was perfection but unfortunately they are retiring come September but I hope someone can buy it and continue their excellent service.

Excellent! Just been here for a meal! Absolutely brilliant ! Rib eye steak… beautifully cooked… new potatoes and peas Excellent ! Worth every penny ! Lovely service ! Deserves to be packed out every night !

What a fantastic find in swanage. We were hunting for Gluten Free Fish and Chips as none of the fish and chip shops do gluten free at all. The staff were super helpful and seated us at short notice and we were able to take...

The Castaway Restaurant in Swanage offers excellent food with a simple yet satisfying menu. The service is top-notch, and the ambiance is a welcome break from the bustling fish and chip shops on the seafront. A must-visit for anyone seeking a delightful dining experience in Swanage.

Food excellent, service brilliant, not too big and waitresses very friendly and helpful. And when we had finished was told there was no rush to leave.

We had a lovely meal here and took our two Basset Hounds for an early dinner. What a lovely little resturant! The staff are very friendly and nothing is too much. I had the prawn cocktail for starters which was lovely and my wife had...

In Swanage for weekend with friends. Chose Castaways for dinner based on TA reviews, and certainly not disappointed. Clearly a very popular local restaurant and glad we booked in advance for our Friday meal, as some people were being turned away. All 4 of us...

Lovely meal. It’s sort of like really decent home cooked food — unpretentious but delicious. The beef stroganoff was excellent and the sea bass was also really delicious. Amazing brownie for dessert! Lovely staff too.

Lovely little restaurant. We didn’t book but they accommodated us, very reasonable priced. Service was good and would highly recommend going.

Wonderful family dinner including superbly cooked sea bass and fresh vegetables. Excellent and attentive service. Would recommend

We were recommended this restaurant a few years back and it never fails to exceed, there are plenty of choices to be found on the menu, and the Owner is only too happy to swap items about, this time, my Husband thoroughly enjoyed his whitebait...

Having walked past here many times and not ventured in we decided to visit here having read the reviews. Booked a table in advance which turned out to be wise as other people turned up on the hope of there being a free table and...

We visited this evening (Saturday) during our weekend getaway. Firstly, the customer service was exceptional! We cannot fault the ladies who served us and they were extremely attentive and always helpful. We ordered the sweet potato curry and it was very lovely! We really enjoyed...

My girlfriend and I visited Castaways on a busy Saturday evening, we were greeted warmly by the staff. We never had to catch their eye for anything, they were very polite and helpful, even telling us that our food was coming out next. We both...

We booked here as it was dog friendly and we were staying in the area. There were 2 different menu's available, both offering good choices. We had the baked camembert and prawn cocktail to begin. Both were decent sized portions. For mains we had beef...

We came for an evening meal on a damp February evening. We were welcomed warmly and given the pick of the tables. Two different menus were on offer and we chose a three course winter menu. There were many delicious looking choices so most palates...

Having passed by a couple of times (after noisy meals in town pubs) we decided to try out Castaways tonight. Lovely calm atmosphere. Staff couldn’t be more helpful. Tasty home cooked food. Will definitely be back.

Great menus with lots of choice, sounds quite a posh meal but unfortunately it was very basic. I had salmon tasted very nice bu unfortunately veg were lukewarm.

We managed to book a table for a busy Saturday night in Swanage when there was very little availability elsewhere. Good service, they allowed my friends to have two starters as a main. I opted for the steak special which was very good quality and...

I hate leaving bad reviews but feel compelled to review Castaways as we went there on strong recommendations from TripAdvisor and I feel that, having had our meal, the reviews are totally biased and that's not fair to the owners nor the ultimately disappointed customers....

We visited this lovely little restaurant after it being recommended to us and we were not disappointed. The venue has a nice atmosphere with friendly, pleasantly attentive Staff as well as a good menu. Food was delicious and piping hot, as well as being presented...

We ate at Castaways last night for our last meal during our holiday to Swanage. The five of us were excited to try the restaurant due to all the excellent reviews and the owner was lovely whenever we communicated before our visit. However we were...

This restaurant was recommended by our hotel and it was fantastic. We had to book in advance our table was 6.15 so quiet as we went in. The food was served by a kind and informative waitress who was happy to help. We had cod...

I was in Castaways the same night as another person who has left a review here saying that the place was disappointing and not up to scratch. I know this because I heard her wingeing and it almost ruined my evening. Tutting, over dramatic complaints...

After reading all the recent reviews on trip advisor, we were excited to try out Castaway during our mini break to Swanage. We all left disappointed. My husband ordered the whitebait starter, they happily offered my 8 year old daughter a child’s portion of whitebait...

We’re in Swanage for the first time for a week’s holiday with our daughter and her family, and decided to sneak in a quiet dinner for just the two of us this evening. After scouring Tripadvisor we came across Castaways. We were fortunate to be...

This is a gem of a restaurant. We arrived earlier than our booked time but they fitted us in and thereafter there was no question of having to wait our turn. It is clearly owned by a couple, she’s front of house and he’s the...

We visited this lovely restaurant during our short stay in Swanage, the service and food was excellent. We went on a Thursday evening and the restaurant was full so booking is a must, we had the camambert to share followed by chateau briand both courses...

Lovely atmosphere with friendly and attentive staff. Homemade lasagne, beef bourgnion were Delicious!

Very impressed with this restaurant.food was of a high standard and obviously freshly made.service was very slick and could recommend to the most discerning of customers.should be very proud of your restaurant.

Nice meal with good sized portions and served by friendly staff. Good location and decent menu. Be sure to book!

I arrived just after opening time at 5pm but I got the impression this restaurant is very popular so it would be best to book in advance maybe. No one else had arrived at that point so I was able to get a table. The...

Two visits on consecutive evenings, on both evenings we had to book in advance. The food was well presented, the portions were generous and tasty. The service was friendly and efficient.

What a find! Amazing home style food at decent prices. Staff were amazing and very accommodating as we hadn't booked and offered us an early table as they were fully booked of which we are very glad we did as had 2 very tired and...

Recently visited castaways with my partner, we had booked in advance which is recommended for such a small restaurant. All staff were polite and pleasant and prompt when serving. Olives and bread with olive oil and balsamic to start which was very pleasant. We then...

We arrived without booking early in the evening,and the host was able to offer us the last table as we could see the rest were reserved.she was very polite as was the waitress that was working the food arrived promptly and was cooked very well...

I dined here with my wife last night and we were extremely delighted with the friendly service and great food. I had the scampi and my wife had the hunters chicken. Both dishes were perfect and very well presented. Also we shared the Nutella cheese...

Service was good and the food OK but the duck we had was very tough. Had we chosen a different main course our opinion might have been better.

We had a family meal on the 20th of April, five of us. We received a warm welcome. The menu was varied and catered for the one vegetarian in the group. We are quite fusy and have been disapointed with the standard of restaurants in...

Great food, helpful staff, lovely design = highly recommend. Went with our two kids (7 and 5) who had a great choice of food...the kids chicken nuggets are amazing!!! Plenty of choice on menu plus specials so something for everyone. Will def be back!

We had a table booked for 7:30, we arrive 2 minutes early and the place was packed, there was only one table left that wasn't occupied and it had a reserved sticker on it so we assumed, as you would naturally, that this was our...

Friendly staff , excellent home cooked food . We had the lasagne and it was delicious. It was also dog friendly. Highly recommend this restaurant

The staff were very kind and my burger was very nice! I loved the burger 🍔 and all of the chips 🍟!

Wet cold night, we hadn’t booked, but we were made very welcome. We had a table for two. The food was very good, the choice on the menu and specials board was excellent. The staff were very friendly and attentive. We will definitely return.

When we go out for dinner it's to enjoy good food and wine in a comfortable atmosphere. The menu had something for everybody and the welcome was warm and friendly. The general ambiance was a bit bright and the lack of soft furnishings meant the...

Lovely fresh cooked food as always. Portions are on the large size. The staff are lovely and extremely helpful. Our favourite place to eat in Swanage

We hadn’t booked but we’re made very welcome. The food was very good and the staff were friendly and professional. Would definitely go to Castaways again.

A Saturday night end of holiday meal at Castaways - and a pervect evening to round off our trip. Friendly, hard working staff, a comfortable and lively restaurant, topped with great tasting food served in good portions. From a varied menu our main ourses were...

Fabulous evening meal, well cooked food extremely tasty, staff lovely & fantastic service, throughly enjoyed our evening

Everything about this eatery is first class the booking the menu the food the service the first tlme today but definitely not the last

We stumbled across this excellent restaurant when looking for food on the day we arrived in Swanage for our short break. The staff were really friendly and able to fit us in around their existing bookings. The food was excellent, well cooked and tasty. They...

Good food sensibly priced. Clean and well furnished. The menu was very busy, even on a Tuesday evening, which was a good indication of its popularity locally. Menu varied reasonably wide range of options. The decor was bright and welcoming and staff polite and efficient....

Just had a wonderful meal here with family Venison and sea bass was delicious Staff ans service was excellent Highly recommended

Superb evening Meal here on our recent visit.... my husband's venison was melt in the mouth and my sea bass were cooked to perfection as was my daughter's moussaka.... only suggestion the starters, were rather large so next time would skip or share.... lovely waitresses...

The place is always busy and we popped in on the off chance and got the last table for the evening. I had the fillet steak off the specials board and I can't complain it was cooked exactly how I asked, a nice steak ad...

Just like to say we had a really decent meal tonight with good portion sizes and reasonable price The staff are friendly and welcoming - we were not treated like tourists unlike other hostelries nearby ! Top both place to eat out and highly recommended

Ate here with parents this evening and personally I was rather disappointed. Everything started well with drinks and ordered food, parents had pate and fish rillets for starters which they said were really good, sadly my fish cake tasted of just potato and little amount...

Had a really nice meal, staff are friendly and welcoming, we booked at short notice and the weather was awful but we’re so glad we made our booking because the food was delicious

Recommended by family who visited previously and so glad we came here. The menu is amazing and we were spoilt for choice. Our party size changed from 6 to 8 and the staff accommodated us on a busy Saturday night. 5 out of 5 gorgeous...

Managed to get a booking at short notice and so pleased we did. The ladies were lovely and very helpful. Food was excellent too with lots of choice.

Lovely place to visit arrived to warm friendly staff the tables were still spaced in line with covid and had plenty of space to move about. Lots of options to chose from on the menu and was great as most of the options on the...

Absolute delight of a meal and perfect in every way. Our experience was faultless service and superb food. The deep fried Brie is superb!!

Lovely food and friendly service we keep going back and never disappointed. Well worth booking a meal there

Booked in here in advance based on reviews for our recent break in Swanage - Very good is all I can say from the friendless of staff to quality of the food . very good and will certainly visit again. I was previously put off...

We ate her twice in ten days. The food and service on both occasions was lovely. Good choice on the special board with responsible prices steaks and lobster. Desserts a little steep as they were all one set price. Would visit here again.

We booked a last minute table for a family dinner and they were fully booked, but accommodated us outside which was great. Service was brilliant, and friendly. They had run out of the vegan option, but easily adapted another menu item for me without any...

Great staff, nicely laid out restaurant. One of the veggie mains was sold out and I didn’t like an ingredient in the other option, so they very kindly offered me an alternative which was delicious and different. All three courses were lovely. Will definitely visit...

Fillet Beef Stroganoff ..absolutely wonderful, my husband had the Eggs Florentine and Moussaka, wow..great food and staff so friendly, a perfect evening,

Another great meal here. Can recommend the lasagne, ribs, lamb shank, sea bass and salmon. Moussaka wasn’t traditional as it didn’t include sliced potatoes in the dish (but did come with chips). Amongst many great eateries in Swanage, this would be in my top two....

I don't know what it is but from the moment we walked in I knew it was going to be good. Welcoming staff, nice ambience, spotlessly clean, great menu. If I'd been in Swanage for longer I'd have gone back. In fact, the couple on...

Everything was perfect including service, food and drinks until people sat near us with dogs, we were just finished so wasn’t that bothered, just to let people know

Been here before and food remains very good. Environment nothing special, plastic tables and very echoey. Service quite slow and left with dirty main plates for some time….. I love dogs and have two but not sure how I feel about them in a restaurant……...

Excellent quality evening meals with generous portions and polite welcoming staff. The restaurant is clean and nicely furnished. We will be back!

Very popular small restaurant in the centre of Swanage which really has an eye for service and detail. Good choice of meals - well prepared and a definite “home cooked” style. Modest prices and would definitely book again.

Nice little restaurant with pleasant, helpful staff. Very generous portion size, especially the T Bone steak it was enormous. Good value for money and would recommend.

We had booked a table but due to a very senior moment could not remember the time! No problem as was able to be seated earlier when calling in to check our booking! Both very happy with our meals and the service from both the...

Good quality food at a good price with a nice bottle of wine, the service was good and felt COVID safe.

Our first meal at Castaways 100% Perfection, very happy warm welcome great staff!! The food is out of this world amazing flavours,presentation and great value for money,booked again before leaving, thankyou for a great evening 😀

Another restaurant we booked well in advance of a weeks visit to Swanage. Booked as soon as lockdown finished based on a random search using Trip-advisor. We were impressed with our first visit so re-booked for later the same week. Staff were brilliant. Service was...

Staff were attentive, but food was served so quickly it clearly came straight from the microwave. Chicken curry was bland and tasteless, starter was nice and really wish I’d left it at that,

Such a pleasant restaurant, and we have tried a few this week. Staff very engaging. The menu and specials were good, especially the starters, I could have gone through all of them. We all very much enjoyed experience. We will see you again soon. Chips.

it was pretty poggers so i need more words in this reviwe so how has your day been i would like to know -polish bloke

Been here a few times now and each time we’ve had lovely food! Staff very friendly! Excellent service and excellent value. Exceptionally clean and very COVID safe.. will definitely be returning!

Lovely place, staff and atmosphere is amazing, the food is great, we hadn’t booked in the first weekend after lockdown, but the managed to fit us in. Nice family run restaurant, highly recommended 👍🏻👍🏻

Mother and I ate a couple of times here in October. The food is ample and well-cooked and the staff are friendly. Parking is a nightmare, so I would respectfully suggest going by taxi or on foot.

We had a meal there and they were very accommodating and the food was lovely. They had spaced all tables out following COVID guidelines and ensured there was signs regarding wearing of face masks when walking through the restaurant. Cannot fault the food or staff...

We have just eaten at Castaways and we could not get out quick enough ( we had a starter and main and we were in and out in 50 mins.). The restaurant was full and included a party of 13 on three tables who we were told were from the same family.We are both in our 70’s and we were concerned by the lack of social distancing, sanitiser not available on entry or exit and worst of all several of the other customers were allowed to move around without wearing masks despite signs on each table asking people to do so. The ventilation was also very bad with windows steamed up and it was very warm with little or no circulation of fresh air. Incidentally, the food was very was nothing special. We addressed our complaints to the management before leaving

We went for meal yesterday evening in a small group and as we were in 2 bubbles managed to nicely distance with each other. Everything about this place was high standard and i've been in hospitality for 20 years and usually very critical. Service was...