Elizabeths tea and coffee shop in Purbeck

This has to be the best restaurant in Swanage. There are no end of fish & chips and burger places in Swanage but if you want a high quality meal, home cooked with excellent ingredients and a feeling of ‘class’ then this is the place for you. The food is reasonably priced too and cook by the owner. Book a table to avoid disappointment and the house specialty is the local Purbeck pie. An absolute gem.

Called in whilst on holiday and greeted by a friendly waitress. Ordered tea and sandwiches (my husbands was a toastie). Both arrived with small side salad garnish. Plenty of filling though. Tea was hot. Variety of teas to choose from and 2 deserts - strawberry cheese cake and Banoffe pie. Specials board was oozing with interest but as we were limited on time hence the snack lunch but I know we will return as they looked amazing. Food cooked to order so have patience and enjoy. Now takes contactless card payments so no reason not to visit this clean appealing friendly cafe. Well done team

We stumbled across this restaurant on a Saturday evening and were pleasantly surprised. We had lamb tangine, spaghetti bolognese and rump steak. All of the meals were cooked very well by the owners and were very tasty. During our 7 night stay in Swanage, this was by far the best dining experience. Well worth visiting, but probably best to book in advance.

Delicious home-cooked food, very friendly welcoming staff made our evening really enjoyable..being coeliac it was lovely to have a good choice of starters, main course and desserts...the gluten free lemon meringue pie was amazing!!

We were looking for an evening meal in Swanage on a Saturday evening . The owner of our B&B was gloomy about our chances of finding anywhere good as we had not already booked. We wandered into town and stood outside of Elizabeth’s cafe reading the menu. We were hesitant as it is obviously a cafe venue however they do evening meals until 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays and are licensed for alcohol . Some locals passing by recommended the food to us so we entered. The food and service were excellent. The meals were a good restaurant standard and the menu was interesting. The food is obviously cooked to order and therefore the service was an little slow but was well worth waiting for. I would recommend this place. Everything was delicious.

Popped in on sat afternoon for lunch. Small cafe. Service good & food lovely & reasonably priced. No complaints

Friendly waitress, service bit slow (only 3 other tables occupied at time) Think chips which we ordered with our sandwiches were forgotten about as these came much later and were underdone!

Excellent food and customer service. Can recommend the venison pie as well as the fish dishes. Well worth a visit.

We ate here on Saturday evening. Both meals were really good quality with delicious vegetable portions, despite being cheaper than other restaurants nearby. The owner served us and was very welcoming and friendly. Hope to return again next time we're in Swanage.

Elizabeth's now does dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. We had a wonderful evening. The food was high quality and absolutely delicious - both the venison pie and boeuf bourguinon are highly recommended,not to mention the fantastic homemade desserts. But what really made it was the amazing friendly service - we were warmly welcomed and nothing was too much trouble, from accommodating a dairy free diet to looking for a green cup for my toddler!

Returning visit after lovely lunch whilst on holiday last year! We had lunch there today and we were welcomed on arrival by the owner. We ordered home made cottage pie and a mushroom omelette ( not on menu but kindly made for us) Both meals were plentiful and freshly home made we never mind a little wait for such lovely piping hot fresh meals, we relaxed with drinks listening to the soft background music. Lunch was filling however still couldn’t resist a Bakewell tart and custard to finish this was delicious! Our little Patterdale sat well behaved and the owners both complimented her and welcomed her. We will definitely return to this cafe whenever in Swanage And would recommend this as a great place to eat

Very pleasedto find this little restaurant in the centre of Swanage. When passing in the day we were so impressed by the menu and somewher a bit different from the usual big restaurants and pubs that we decided to go back in the evening. Glad we did - It felt very personal and the food was great.

I visited Elizabeth's on chance, as it is quite close to the railway station. I knew all was going to be well, since all four of the 'dish of the day' lunch menu items were inviting. The one I chose was delicious. The wait for the meal was quite reasonable considering that the food was being prepared on request. The prices were also appropriate and the service friendly and attentive. It seemed that a good number of the other diners were 'regulars' - which suggests that coming back again is a good idea.

After our visit today I'm certain I will never go back to this cafe. Our order was very simple; 1 tea, 1 coffee, some toast and a toasted teacake. Both my mum and me are unable to eat butter so requested to have an alternative if possible, this request seemed to flummox the waitress and unfortunately set the tone for our whole visit. Our drinks came out fairly quickly and then mum's toast. There was a sign on the wall said that the food was prepared freshly so to be patient, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt when 10 minutes passed and my toasted teacake was no where to be seen. When several of the tables around us seemed to be getting large lunch time meals ahead of my order I asked the same waitress if my teacake was on its way. She panicked and said she would go get it. I waited another 5 or so minutes and, finally, the teacake appeared. It was your bog standard pop in the toaster teacake, it was pleasant enough, but not worth a 20 minute wait. We then tried to get the bill, this again seemed to be a big task and we had another wait whilst the waitresses went in and out of the kitchen to get the bill. I completely understand that mistakes happen, orders get missed, but at no point during our visit did anyone apologise for this obvious mistake, neither of the waitresses apologised, nor did the chef, who I assume to be the owner when she brought the teacake out. All in all, both me and my mum felt like having to deal with customers at all seem to be a great inconvenience for everyone in this cafe. Swanage has much better, friendlier and better quality cafes, try the lovely Java Cafe down the road for starters!!

Popped in for afternoon tea but there was plenty of other food on offer including soup, sandwiches, jacket potatoes, omelettes and a range of specials. Service wasn't the greatest but it was ok.

The window display is full of promise which is replicated inside. There were not too many cakes on display but each one promised delights. It is very popular judging by the number of “reserved” notices on many tables. The service was quick and charming. This was a place for relaxation.

Just walked in on a Saturday night,liked the look of it so stayed for dinner.Glad we did,service with a smile,lovely food,well cooked and presented.

We had a very cold unwelcoming reception upon arrival. Not very dog friendly and not great food for the price. We felt that we shouldn’t be there because we had dogs. Wouldn’t bother returning - mostly due to the customer service.

They've recently added evening meals to their services and it is divine! Clean plates all round and the juiciest of steaks. The man who runs the steaks, Mark, deserves a medal

My friend who owns Elizabeths said reference excellent breakfast it was not at Elizabeths but next door at tea breaks owned by John

We'd just finished/given up on walking the Jurassic Coast and decided to end on a cooked breakfast. The full english here was possibly the best value breakfast I've ever had, and every ingredient (especially sausages) was excellent quality. Worth giving up the last few miles of the Jurrasic Coast for!

The sign outside the cafe promised more than we experienced. The cakes looked good but there wasn’t the choice we had expected, and a few of them were crumbling. So we opted for the cream tea.

This is a lovely traditional quality cafe. It doesn't have loud popular music drowning out conversation. It doesn't have crammed in tables. It doesn't have stressed staff working there. It doesn't even have catering food delivered and served up as home made.

On a wet autumn day it was a lovely find for a cup of tea, coffee and cake. Friendly staff and quick service. My daughter had a strawberry milkshake which was lovely.

We stopped in here for a coffee after trying to get on the steam railway which was not running. Really lovely coffee, quick service and not expensive

When we visited on the 23rd, the food and service was good, but as we went to the counter to pay we noticed that all the young staff were crowded by the counter, and looked nervous and were hesitant to go into the kitchen. Even to the extent that one member of staff said to another not to go into the kitchen. Even though, there was a queue of people waiting to pay. And then we heard muffled shouted and angry voices. Although, I enjoyed the food and service, and the young lady was very polities, I thought that what ever was going on was extremely unprofessional, and clearly made the young staff and over people very uncomfortable.

When we entered this tea and coffee shop, we were greeted by a member of staff. We were shown to a table and given two menus (one menu was gluten free). The food and the service was very good.

We arrived at this coffee shop at 2:15 hoping for a quick coffee before boarding our coach at 3pm. The only vacant table had pots on it so we started to gather them together, the lady serving was very snappy with us....so much so we nearly left......we waited to give give our order, waited to be served and the drinks arrived 10 minutes before we had to leave, I had to leave half my hot chocolate....and we had to wait again to pay.

Un salto aquí por casualidad. La comida es buena, a veces la recepción puede ser frío por personal, no me disuade a como todo el mundo tiene un mal día. gracias por una gloriosa almuerzo Yum Yum!

Tenía queso y cebollino, y marido tenía bollos bollos de fruta. Ambos muy fresco y sabroso, y una buena taza de té.

Tuvimos un almuerzo muy agradable en Elizabeth. La tarta de queso de cabra en la junta era demasiado pedir ofertas y, muy buena parte, la pastelería era creo que pre-cocinados, una lástima, pero es comprensible en un concurrido café. Muy buen servicio y pasteles deliciosos caseros.

A nice place for afternoon tea, very clean, welcoming, great service, very good food, well worth a visit.

Visited for lunch with family whilst spending the day in Swanage. Mum and I are both Coeliac so really appreciated some good gluten free options on the menu. Jacket Potatoes and GF sandwiches were available and the waitress mentioned that the Gluten Free food was prepared separately. Very clean premises, friendly staff and the food was lovely

We stopped off for coffee and cake, a brightly decorated place with staff that obviously take great care in the preparation and serving of food and drinks.It is rather more suited to the more mature customer rather then the young in my opinion, which makes for a quieter place to relax and rest those weary feet after strolling through the town and along the sea front.

Lunch options in the area seemed limited, we found Elizabeths by chance. it's a small tea room. All food is prepared to order and you are warned it may be a wait, but I think our order was only 15 mins.The food was OK but expensive for what you get. They only accept cash,which would have been helpful to know before we tried to pay the bill.

We had lunch and there were lots of gluten free options including g/f scones. They were vey accommodating.

Average tea, and nothing special about the cakes, though efficient service and clean premises. Only takes cash, so no plastic either which seems odd these days.

Visit to swanage from north Dorset area for the day and came across this tearoom with a large array of cakes,drinks and even daily specials board,Myself and my daughter sampled the homemade cream teas that were well worth the wait after our long coach journey,the place was also clean and staff attended to our requirements as my daughter requires gluten free foods.We will be back.

Call in often. Very friendly service. Spotlessly clean. Food cooked to order but well worth the (not too long) wait. Lovely prawn sandwiches and wonderful coffee cake to follow - a favourite! Macaroni cheese very tasty.

Went into Elizabeth's yesterday purely as my daughter slept through lunch and needed food quickly. We felt very welcome straight away.Everything was spotless, service was great and the food was quick, hot and looked lovely, just what my daughter needed, even if her dietary requirements meant an odd order (which they were more than happy to oblige)! As mentioned before, the scones were slightly crumbly, but delicious and certainly didn't completely fall apart, seems to me that some reviews have been a little picky or unlucky. We will be back, hopefully with the other two members of our family.

Waitress very helpful and friendly. Place spotlessly clean. Chef was miserable and stand offish. The Cream Tea was very poor. Insufficient Cream and the Scones were crumbly. Will definitely not ever revisit.

Very pleased we checked out the tea rooms in Swanage and came across Elizabeth 's . Tea served in fine bone china , which makes the drink . Elizabeth 's home made fruit cake perfect . When I complimented her on the cake she said that it was made with the left over from making her daughters wedding cake . Defiantly worth a visit .

Good extensive menu. well cooked Cheesy macaroni cheese. Lovely chips. Took longer than original estimated time given .Worth the wait.Provided tap water on request,. and complimentary bread & butter. Well served.Friendly staff. Clean and tidy.

What a delightful tearoom. Charming staff. They were prompt and attentive. The tea and coffee we ordered was swiftly delivered to us. The cakes all looked delicious and fresh. The lunches we saw being served looked really good. Looking forward to going again.

The gluten free menu had loads to offer from scones to omelettes to ham and cheese toasties. The list goes on!! They are very clued up on cross contamination which is amazing to find in swanage. Really excellent service and food. Worth the money!!

We have lunch here most weeks & it is consistently very good. Food is fresh, hot & nicely presented. The service is also pleasant & efficient. Would highly recommend for morning coffee or a light lunch. Today's fruit scones were particularly good.

Often visit Swanage and popped in here for a snack with the wife this week. Lovely setting and was promptly served by a charming lady. ( dont know if this lady was Elizabeth). We ordered our food , it arrived in no time and then the waitress brought over a small bowl containing sauce sachets. But also in the bowl was a small pair of scissors to use to open the sachets. What a first class idea as although these sachets have an 'easy opening ' area , have you ever opened one. One snip with the scissors and no hasstle or swearing. 10 out of 10 for such a simple matter. And wonderful food aswell. Fully recommend this establishment.

Decided to have a day out in Swange and wanted some lunch with my husband and 2 children. Decided on Elizabeth's Tea & Coffee Shop as had a 5 star hygiene rating and looked popular. Well we now understand why it is popular. Staff were very friendly and polite. We ordered 1 Lasagne, 1 Chilli, 1 childrens Ham, Egg & chips and 1 childrens omelette, salad and chips. I can honestly say it was the best home cooked food eaten in a restaurant / Cafe/ coffee shop at reasonable prices. It was hot, the Chilli was spicy but very flavoursome just how it should be and the real garlic bread slice that came with the Lasagne was delicious. They even gave us some complimentary French bread and butter while we waited which was a nice touch. "Complements to the chef", all plates cleared. We will definitely return

My wife is gluten free and really appreciates cafes like Elizabeth's that have separate and extensive gluten free menus. The food is excellent and the service friendly. Had to wait 20 minutes for our food but advised of that when we ordered. Make a good pot of tea and nice coffee.

We'd just been for a train ride, but couldn't get anything for lunch there. We fancied a sandwich and tea and it was a bit of a toss up between this cafe and next door. Rather than waffle on.....good service, very clean, everything freshly done - hence a small wait. We'll definitely go again. Only a slight gripe......not too much space when cafe is full. Toilet immaculate.

This coffee shop is not on the sea front but on one of the main shopping streets and opposite Budgeons. You may not pass it if out walking on the front but you'll miss a treat if you don't venture into the shopping street. Very clean, great service, good coffee and excellent snacks. What more could you want?

Amazing cakes that are delicious, cafe is clean and service was good. Well worth a visit we only had coffee and cake but light snacks were available will have to try them next time we visit.

Called in for a quick snack before heading back to our holiday park. Clean and tidy. Fresh looking near the bus station. We had cheese and tomato toastie. Tasty and filled with plenty of fillings. Seven tables to sit at and chat whilst waiting for the freshly cooked food. Have patience. Coffee shop brightly decorated in purple and yellow. Staff pleasant. Small variety of cakes available when we called in March. Lemon drizzle, lemon curd cake, coffee cake and scones. Remember it is cash only so forget you cards and bring plenty with you. Safe to eat here as it has a 5 star hygiene rating and it shows. Well done Elizabeth and team.

We had lunch here recently, just a jacket potato with side salad. We would have preferred to have a bit more in the way of salad as we are used to lots of veg, however what we had was very fresh. Nice clean place, seems to be very popular with lots of locals and returning visitors

Enjoyed a coffee and scone with loads of jam. Very helpful young woman. Family run establishment and recommended

Popped in for tea and cake ,which was lovely ,and I had ham ,egg and chips ,all well presented ,freshly cooked .Girls serving were very friendly .Will go again next time in Swanage .

A very warm welcome on a cold February afternoon, and a very good pot of tea for 2 with delicious home made scones - given the choice of what cream and jam we'd like, and waitress checked to see we had enough. The pot of tea was enough for 4 generous cups. Great to hear locals and visitors chatting in a relaxed atmosphere. We enjoyed afternoon tea, but the menu offered very much more for the hungrier appetite too. Very polite and attentive service - thank you!

Just arrived in Swange and it was raining pretty hard - we decided to grab a bit to eat and saw this tea house. Great choice - everything was homemade - soup was very good with a piece of homemade bread and a pot of tea...what else could you ask for on a cold rainy day. Lots to choose from and good desserts.

Just dropped in for two cups of tea. Very clean and staff are friendly. A little surprised to be charged £3.50 for one pot of tea for two.

Popped in for lunch on a very sunny Saturday lunchtime. The service was discreet and efficient (just the way I like it), the menu was varied and the surroundings very clean (but a bit bland maybe). Butternut squash and sweet potato soup was delicious, so were the steak and ale pie and the spaghetti Bolognese. All home made and very tasty. No shortcuts (even the garlic bread was made from scratch). Will definitely stop again.

5 of us popped into Elizabeths tea shop and had a cuppa and cake. There was very little choice as she had practically sold out but my coffee cake was delicious. The toasted tea cakes and the other cake that was left were all very nice. Elizabeth served us herself and was very friendly.I will go again and hopefully I will have a wider choice next time!

Once again I had a lovely afternoon tea with fantastic gluten free scones. Everyone else toasties and were very happy. A great little cafe I will go again.

Cakes in there today and had a cream tea. The scones were gorgeous.. very light and obviously homemade. With lashings of jam and clotted cream... lush! Not done my diet any good but how could I resist? The lady who served us was very friendly as well. Service with a smile, fantastic cakes and clean fresh bright interior, what more could you want?

We called in on a day trip to Swanage and although they were short staffed the service and welcome was very good... the gluten free menu is a lot better, and larger, than many other places and the staff were knowledgeable and helpful, we only had time for quick snack which was very good, just wish we had time to try the cakes or scones or.... I think we may be going back soon...

Lovely little café where we had 2 generous size plain or fruit scones with clotted cream, jam and tea. all reasonably priced.

On a trip to Swanage had lunch at Elizabeths. It would also be very convenient for the train from Corfe Castle..Large lunch selection available from a separate gluten free menu. There was a wide range of sandwiches on white or brown gf bread. Also the gf choices included jacket potatoes and omelettes.Afterwards we shared some gf scones which were excellent - they came with cream and a wide choice of jam.Overall the food was great but the prices a little on the high side.

Very friendly service, prompt and a good selection of delicious homemade cakes. Good size pot of tea too.

If you are looking for excellent 'home cooked' food in a spotless, friendly environment with smashing service - look no further Elizabeth's of Swanage is the place to head for, it is excellent!

Only had coffee here, but what a fresh, clean little gem this was. It looked newly decorated. The cakes were almost too good to refuse, certainly looked home made, and there was a tempting range of hot snacks and meals to choose from too. Close to the railway station, this is certainly one to try if you visit Swanage.

Today, we took a steam train trip from Norden to Swanage, Dorset. With over an hour to wait for the return trip we went to a very nice tea room in Swanage. It was perfect, the service was of a very high standard and greeting most cheerful. For a tea room lots of delicious food was on the menu and very well served. The thing I liked best of all and found very relaxing was the Classical music playing in the background, this was magic and a change from having rock and roll blasting your ears out.

Just called in for tea and cake yesterday morning upon our arrival in Swanage. The service was excellent, tea nice and hot and the premises are very clean and tables cleared away promptly. The menu is limited as this is more of a coffee sop but the lunch specials look tempting and next time in the area we shall give them a try.

We went on a day when they were understaffed, and so no specials were available, just the meals from the menu. Nevertheless, we received good - and more importantly friendly - service. The meals themselves were nothing earthshatteringly exciting - I had a simple cheese and tomato toasted sandwich - but it was well cooked and tasted lovely.

Noticed the poor reviews but we popped in, had an excellent cream tea for a very reasonable price, served promptly and pleasantly And it's really handy for the bus station

We were out shopping and decided to have a break and instead of going to our usual place we decided to try this one as we had not been here before.The young lady who served us was very pleasant and polite, the choice on the menu was very good for a tea and coffee shop and the prices very reasonable.There was a small problem with the electrics whilst we were there but the Owner/Manager handled it very well so as not to impact on the customers.

What a find, I stumbled upon this cafe hungry and could not believe the amount of choice I had. The staff were really friendly and helpful I had gluten free beans on toast followed by an amazing gluten free scones, 4 choices of jam and cream with a pot of tea. I have added photos for you to see. So what if you have to wait when they are busy they do have a sign that says during busy periods please be patient as they make all food to order. The cafe is lovely and clean and the food is fab I will keep going back.

We went to this as country foods now closed, the staff were friendly & served us straight away, then the wait came & came, we waited 40 minutes for a baked potato & chips & ham. We couldn't believe it, they just seemed unable to work a kitchen & were so slow. The baked potato with cheese & bacon with salad, was small & over priced along with my husbands. I would not go back & we had to eat fast as had parked in a meter for an hour! Sorry I wanted this to be good but you need to speed up & either make your food worth the cost or reduce it!!!

We visited here on the 9th of August whilst visiting family. On first impression we visited the tea shop as it looked nice and clean from the outside. The girl seemed friendly as we went in and we sat down and picked up the menu. Immediately we were asked if we knew what we wanted, well we had only just sat down and had hardly got chance to look at the menu. Then we had well do you want to order some drinks whilst you decide, so we did this, to then after ordering drinks asked if we knew what we wanted now when we made it clear we were not. Anyway after receiving drinks we were then ready to order, both the older people in our party ordered toasties, however when it arrived one was toasted and the other wasn't, we told the girl this when she brought the food, she then stomped off came back and said it wasn't on the order, well we know that because you clearly did not write it down, anyway she went away and came back again and said "we can toast that for you if you want" well by this time he had already started eating and said that's fine he will eat it as it was. My Husband ordered the Blue Vinny Special Ploughmans, well it was a joke, it came out with a small sliver of blue cheese, loads of salad a whole apple and some chutney, not worth the £7.25 they wanted for it. Overall I would say they need to train their front of house staff, miserable, rude with no customer service skills at all. Also they need to put a sign up which clearly tells you that they do not take debit cards as we found out when we went to pay. I wouldn't go back here and I wouldn't recommend anyone else does either.

After reading the previous reviews I believed this would be a perfect stop for a spot of lunch with my disabled dad and a friend unfortunately we where disappointed. Firstly we ordered gammon ham egg and chips and out came paper thin "wet ham" and an over cooked egg. We had a ploughman's that came with no chutney which we had to ask for and I ordered the homemade lasagne that came out the size of a postage stamo that consisted of 5 layers of pasta and hardly any meat/sauce between them and as far as I could tell no cheese on or in the topping. The only two postive things I can say is the garlic bread was made frome a bloomer loaf as wss fab and the two young waitresses though not a perfect with the service they did have a welcoming smile and friendly attitude. Unfortunately will probably avoid in the future

Fab little gem of a coffee shop, attentive staff, good snack menu and a wicked bacon & egg sandwich. A really clean and homely establishment and definitely didn't feel like we were in a machine.

This is my idea of a perfect town centre tea and coffee shop.When you go in it does not have a cramped feel. Everything looks so clean and welcoming.Simple counter with cakes well presented.Quiet music in the background adds to the relaxed atmosphere.We loved the sandwiches- they were simple, fresh and tasty- spot on. The Coffee cake I had was delicious.I wish all tea shops could be as good as this one.

Enjoyably simple pleasant English Style cafe on Swanage High Street - very friendly - but why does it have to be so slow??

Called in here for lunch after arriving on steam train. Pleasant service and good choice of food. Coffee and sandwiches were all good, nicely presented and reasonably priced. the children's sandwiches looked very attractive and obviously tasted fine as they were demolished! Would certainly visit again when in Swanage.

I was looking for more than just a snack, but less than a full blown restaurant meal.Elisabeth's provides just the answer, with a perfect array of straightforward meals cooked to perfection and in clean simple surroundings. Such delights as Chilli con Carne, Spaghetti Bolognaise, Venison stew, and she knows how to cook a great omelette. All provided as quickly as her small kitchen can achieve. Prices are very reasonable, and meals are well presented on the plate.

called in for a coffee after arriving on the steam train. Coffee, service and cost are excellent. Will visit again when in Swanage. Highly recommended.