Halfway Inn Wareham in Purbeck

I visited with my husband and 2 friends on a Saturday afternoon. It was not busy and had many empty tables. As we entered we were informed that the kitchen was shut and they were not serving food. We asked if they were serving drinks and told yes but we would need to either sit outside (it was raining) or on a single bench next to the female toilets. We were not made to feel welcome and promptly left.

The food was outstanding, perfectly cooked and full of flavour, all homemade. Staff very welcoming and could not do enough for you. Deserts we're fantastic especially the choclate mouse which was the best I had ever tasted. Would suggest everyone tries the food here.

Food really good, beer excellent.

Paul is a great landlord, friendly and knowledgeable. Menu is varied, and the meal was well cooked and presented. Will not hesitate to return when in the area again.

Stopped here for lunch driving back from swanage. Food and service was very good.

Great thatched roof pub . Sunday dinner looked great and lot's having it. Just popped in for a drink 🍻

The pint of beer had definitely gone of but landlady kindly changed it but unfortunately the second pint wasn't much better

I loved the service I received from the girl with the two piggy-tails, nothing was too much for her to hp promote, The Halfway Inn. I would definitely be going back 👍🏻

Really enjoyed the food 😋 and would eat there again

Went for dinner with my family . Food and drinks are a reasonable price and a decent quality. Outside seating with a park that our kids could play in whilst we enjoyed a drink . What more could you want.

Chose this place as it was the nearest to where we we staying that was dog friendly and just wanted a reasonable pub meal. My expectations were blown away, the service was great and the food was even better. My wife had the fish and chips which was an excellent sized portion with fresh mushy pees and tartare sauce. I had the burger which was absolutely perfect. Pub Burgers can quite often be disappointing but not here, it was cooked to perfection and full of flavour being char/flame grilled, possibly the best burger I have eaten. Sadly we were too full to sample the dessert menu but will hopefully be back again in the future. Our Labrador isn’t particularly used to dinning out so we were concerned how he’d behave, the owner welcomed us in and even provided a special treat for him. As a result we had a very pleasant relaxing meal. 10/10⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Thank you

Well if you like to eat cardboard you will love the Yorkshire pudding and don't expect to eat the beef with out chewing it a 100 times and be charged £1.25 for a small pot of extra gravy so you had a chance to eat the food then you would love this place its a place I have visited for many years not any more

Took my wife and adult daughter for lunch on the weekend. Have driven past the inn a number of times and have always been intrigued so thought we'd give it a go. We were shown to our table straight away, where drinks orders were taken and menus left. The menu isn't extensive but I feel this means they produce a better product. Despite a sign stating they are short staffed, drinks came back promptly, food order was taken and it too arrived in a timely manner despite being quite busy. I opted for the home made curry which came with rice naan and a poppadom, my wife had a gourmet burger and my daughter tlhad the seafood plate. The food tasted delicious. My curry had just enough kick to let you know it was a curry without being overpowering taking away from the beautiful flavour. The seafood dish was perfectly cooked as the calamari wasn't rubbery at all, and the burger was juicy and we'll seasoned. Only downside was, there could have been some background music just to take away the silence. Fair warning for anyone tall, I'm 6ft 5 and my head was on the ceiling, it's to be expected in a 16th century building but the duck or grouse sign did give me a chuckle.

Nice pub, only had a portion of chips but they were amazing, friendly bar staff and was nice to sit in the garden on a nice sunny day

Fantastic lunch before Corfe castle visit. Highly recommend. Menu was a bit limited but was still quite varied with something for everyone.

Great food and service, despite being short staffed, Order the burger at your peril as it is massive. Will definitely come back.

I've been twice to try and eat! The sane woman says the same thing no seating inside & and an hour wait for food outside??? Lots of free inside tables, one outside being used. I wouldn't recommend driving if you haven't got a table booked. To wait anywhere an hour to food says it a badly run kitchen,

First time here and oh my God. Couldn't have picked a better pub for food so friendly very welcoming and the food is out of this world. It's also dog friendly so our baby could be next to us as well. Also we ask if we could have a bit of chicken for our dog. And it came on a plate all cut up how amazing perfect place will definitely be coming again 🥰

Good service, though we were in the restaurant area eating, and unfortunatley every time a member of staff threw bottles into a place behind the wall near kitchen it was always loud "smashing noise" which happened regularly and was off putting.

Last minute visit with friends. Dogs allowed. A lot of fish dishes and certain things not on the menu however what we did order was lovely. Would visit again

Had dinner with friends. Excellent food with very friendly service. Received free desserts as it was a joint birthday and anniversary celebration. Would highly recommend and will definitely return. Many thanks again to the lovely staff👍

Can't comment on food as we didn't eat , what came out looked good. Only had a drink as we were passing

Came here with a reservation for 5 pm dinner. Without doubt the food was excellent. Try the chicken. The only problems were we were placed on a table away from any natural light and no unnatural light . Try eating half a chicken in semi darkness!! Also there were some large pre planned events in the local area and it seemed this was the nearest pub. A young lad was trying to keep control of the crowd that descended, but the rest of the staff made the best of an imitation of Faulty Towers. We were just left in the dark. Would have loved a beer at the end of the meal, but no chance 😭

Just stopped by chance at the Halfway Inn for a meal, they couldn't be more accommodating, food was divine, the service was excellent, highly recommend.

Very nice here and the food was GOOD.

We just stopped here for a drink late afternoon. Although they were understaffed, the lovely barmaid kindly opened two doors for me as I went out into the garden. Kiera as I remember?

I have been here a few times for a Sunday roast in the past few years and the meals are always beautiful.

Had dinner here last night. We went for the spicy curry and it was delicious. The service was great. Really friendly place. Would definitely return and recommend to friends and family.

Lovely food and surroundings. Ample parking. Excellent table service.

Genuinely one of the nicest plates of fish and chips I've ever had. Beautifully cooked fish wrapped in light, not greasy, batter. Nice chips too. Also discovered Badger Equinox, a very tasty pint

Called at the Halfway inn for a meal at around 1400 hrs today, to be told no food due to no staff. Pub had no atmosphere, others arrived after us looking for food to be told the same. Not a good advert for holiday makers. Informed by owner in reply to my post we couldn't have food as we didn't have a reservation, a family arriving after us were also told the same, no food due to no staff, they made do with crisps if I thought the service was bad it's worse now as I've been labelled a liar. Truly awful

Amazing food and brilliant service! Convenient location if visiting Corfe Castle. Highly reccomended.

Really nice pub with extremely friendly staff. They warned us that food could take s while as it was busy & they were short staffed, but it came in 20-25 minutes anyway. The trio of fish came with whitebait, which you rarely see in a pub and was delicious. The burger and chicken burger were very tasty, but the best was the homemade curry, which was quite spicy, but not too much. The staff were lovely, helpful and friendly.

This place is incredible, the best food we had in England! Couldn’t fault this place for anything.

Nice venue, great service even though they were short staffed and the food was brilliant. Well above our expectation for lunch. I had a gourmet burger (and agreed with the title) and all of our party expressed their satisfaction on all aspects of our visit.

Stopped off for a bite to eat in the garden. We had a selection of the starters and some chips. Food was nice and the staff were very welcoming.

Love this little gem , food is amazing . I had the sirloin steak which was cooked to perfection ! Service is great, very friendly .Been here a couple of times and it’s definitely worth going . Can’t wait to go back ! Desserts were lovely too !

We had a great meal at this wonderful place, highly recommended.

We have eaten here twice over the last few days. What a fantastic find. Sunday roast was delicious and our meals tonight were excellent. Portion sizes are large, good quality food and not overpriced. We will return. Thank you to all the staff.

Such a lovely pub, will definitely visit again

You need to take the time out to eat here. Their food is A M A Z I N G

Really good food and very good service

Food was amazing large portions we've visited twice, fantastic each time

Lovely old pub. Good was lovely and good prices.

We had a fantastic Sunday roast here today. The fresh veg was steamed to perfection, the roast potatoes had a subtle hint of herbs, a huge homemade yorkie pud, and the generous portion of tender sliced beef ticked all the boxes. A lovely atmosphere and attentive servers made the whole experience one we hope to repeat very soon!

Good food but unusual to have steak served with fried eggs and no mushrooms. Poor quality 1 ply serviettes. Toilets need upgrading such as new loo seats. Charging restaurant prices for pub food. Friendly staff. Just needs a bit of a shake up.

Wonderful venue and great food. The staff were very lovely too.

Excellent food, friendly and efficient service. Highly recommended

My family and I love this place , we always stop here on our way to Swanage , if its cooler we eat inside if the weathers good we sit outside. The food is very good and the staff have always been lovely everytime we visit. The pub is very old and quaint and if tall you do need to duck in a few places. It also gets very busy in school holidays .

Friendly staff nice place food ok

The service was absolutely wonderful, the building is beautiful and it's set up in such a warm vintage atmosphere with wooden beams and old photographs and the like. The food was gorgeously presented on the plate and was extremely delicious, with very good serving sizes! I loved it here and would absolutely recommend! Accessible to wheelchair users, too

Lovely place. Staff are very friendly and helpful. And food was excellent.

Stunning pub stunning food , staff fantastic I would say the best pub I have been in , would drive 2hours just to visit again

I liked the laid back decor and statues around the place. We were well beyond lunch hours. The staff were kind enough to let us in and serve us delicious and hot food.

Great little pub. Friendly owners. Really good food.

Wonderful roast in a lovely atmosphere with a log burner keeping us warm. Would definitely return.

Excellent service, welcoming atmosphere, friendly staff, great food.

Very good food and excellent service, friendly staff and owner went over and above to make sure we were happy

Surprisingly quiet christmas eve lunch time. But although the food is good it is more expensive than most.

Fantastic as always, great atmosphere and service

Excellent in all aspects ,don't know if it's changed hands but very poor on our last visit,

When to The Halfway Inn for date night. The atmosphere was excellent with the log fires burning merrily and friendly hosts. The food was delicious too. We'll be back.

Went for Sunday lamb roast. Service very good, and meal quite tasty. Prices reasonable.

Warm friendly welcome from our arrival, made a big fuss of our dog, served 2 fantastic curries with all the trimmings (one vege, one chicken). 10/10 for service and food.

We had fish and chips. The chips were overcooked and too thin. The WiFi costs extra here!

Super friendly pub with great service and food Thank you will visit again

This is the third time my friends and I have visited this pub while on weekend breaks. The staff are always so friendly and helpful and the food is absolutely wonderful generous portions beautifully cooked.

We stayed overnight in there Large carpark as we have a motorhome and members of Britstop, food good, staff friendly and helpful lots of seating inside and out, also dog friendly

Was OK...... the food was a little too greasy for our liking.... tables to be cleaned after each party would be a plus. Stagg were friendly enough.

Fantastic food ,awesome staff highly recommended

Food was very nice as was the service

Really good portion size for the amount you pay, quaint establishment

Wonderful place … vegan plates were delicious and the burger was great Really nice size and friendly service would go back We did a lib stop over and slept in our camper in the car park :)

Great pub for a quick something to eat while the kids play.

Absolutely great dinner here at The Halfway Inn nr Wareham, Dorset. Beautifully cooked and it was delicious. Staff were great to, really great to receive proper hospitality. Well done to all, the staff and the chef. 👍🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟We’ll definitely be back soon. The little playground kept the children happy too and they left empty plates after playing like they did. Definitely recommend this pub to anyone 👍🏻🌟

First time visit with my family of four. I was a little disappointed. No pies on the menu, chicken strips not on the childrens menu which is different to the website. Service was slow and they missed off the side of garlic bread. Didn't have time to ask staff to correct this given the slow service. Food was okay, not sure I would rush back.

The food was out of this world, the service and atmosphere was fantastic. We used carpark as a brit stop, excellent all round

Was lovely Sunday roast and my boy loves the play area in the garden,

Lamb was very tasty washed down with a good pint. Very reasonable prices considering excellent location. Keep doing what you're doing 🤟

I didn't go in . Sent hubby . Every where has got more expensive. Food was nice. Small play area for children. Quite a large outside seating area with plenty of shade. Shame the dog water dispensers where empty but I'm sure staff would of provided water if asked.

Totally off the cuff chance upon pub roast. Staff really kind, friendly & very welcoming. I was grateful as I had my mum in a wheelchair with a broken wrist & a crazy collie in tow. We made a booking elsewhere although they neglected to put it down as it happens this worked in our favour because we found this little gem. The vegetarian option was the best roast I have had in a long time, very impressive as I have become a custom to disappointment when it comes to the veggie option eating out. My mum really enjoyed the beef. Plus .... There was also a field to run my hyperactive pup. Ticked all the boxes, disabled access & parking worked well. I don't often write reviews although this experience earnt it. It was also her 72nd birthday so this did make our day. Thanks 👍

Good food served hot. Recommend the scampi. Pleasant evening with friends in a quaint pub, lovely outside area.

We had high expectations knowing it was under new management, but were disappointed with both the food and the service, hence only three stars.

Lovely pub , great beer garden . Pleasant atmosphere. Very family friendly and the staff incredibly welcoming.

Sehr schönes Lokal, super gemütlich, leckeres Essen für jeden Geschmack - auch für Veganer.

Saw lots of car while driving, so we went into and they‘re all delicious

Had lovely drink outside. Friendly landlord as usual. Finishing off trip on steam train

Very nice place,staff are so friendly and helpful food is excellent

Friendly staff, quick service and lovely setting.

This place is amazing I had chicken bacon Caesar salad it was so delicious and loads of chicken, lovely garden and friendly staff and my parents had deep fried tempura prawns with sweet chilli dressing they loved it cant wait to return when back in Dorset

Wow wow wow, this place used to be famous for the local tagglefoot steak and ale pie, sadly long gone, the online menu suggested at least some pies with meat in. Omg the menu inside was the most basic I’ve ever seen, pub “classics “ “ faggots”at £18, “hunters chicken “£19 smothered in barbecue sauce whether you like it or not, poor service, this pub is a joke, going for the cheapest food and charging the earth, shame on you

Beautiful old country pub. Friendly and helpful service. The food was wonderful! The small play park kept our son entertained too. Would highly recommend!

Excellent pub. Food was great and the service first class

Fantastic food and drink, with excellent service provided by Paul and his hardworking staff. Even received the same extra gravy & mint sauce as at the C&B!!

really quaint spot with some great lunch options, lots of personality in this little pub

Really nice pub with very helpful staff. The food was brought out pretty quickly. We had fish and chips, the fish was very oily but I guess that's the nature of the beast, everything was really tasty. Price was reasonable for the area and overall I would recommend.

Lovely pub ,wife had steak and kidney pudding and I had spicy chicken curry,both very good and generous portions. Would throughly recommend.

Arrived on a gorgeous sunny Sunday. Staff were very harassed and stressed. We ordered our food and drinks and whilst in the bar area witnessed several customers complaining to the staff. At least 5 other customers left without being served. We sat in the garden and our food was served without too long a wait. The food was delicious. Once all the rush had died down the staff returned to their usual friendly ways.

Booked a table on-line, but not really that busy. Beer very good (Badger ale), and food s bit more than 'pub grub', steak and kidney pudding, sea bream fillets. Portion sizes on the large side, and a pretty good selection. Service was cheerful, attentive and prompt.

Great location and nice beer....