Man O' War Bar & Restaurant in Purbeck

For a restaurant/bar that should be an absolute gold mine and must return venue because of its location... It was nothing more than a very expensive greasy spoon cafe! Because of its location, I'm sure it makes a bloody fortune whether people like it or not as unsuspecting walkers, campers and sight seeing folk which unwittingly find themselves hopful of something good. Sadly the food was overpriced foul fodder in a cateen style, greasy spoon cafe setting. The camp site and position are just stunning, which will bring us back...the Man of War restaurant will not! Awful !

Absolutely appalling. We booked 20 people for 7pm and pre ordered food a week in advance. All guests arrived between 6.30 and 6.45 and sitting at table after a days challenging walking and very hungry. We watched everyone else in the restaurant get served (not packed) and eventually after a few apologies we got starters at 8pm. We helped clear the table of dishes as it rapidly approached 9pm and chased the staff for our main meals(not all had starters so some of us had not had any food at all at this point) Still nothing. We chased the staff again and made it very clear we were actually getting angry and would expect a significant discount. Over the next half an hour our main meals gradually appeared and a complimentary bowl of chips. The serving staff were very apologetic and we were also offered a bottle of wine. The food was poor, some colleagues found theirs inedible(risotto, cremated burgers and very sad 'mixed grill') we did get a discount but the experience was enough to send some of our colleagues home a day early as they were going to eat there the next day but wouldnt entertain the thought.

Good food, quick service at lunch time. Had a hunters chicken flatbread which was lovely! They did takeaway options as well which was very helpful

Great food, fantastic staff, a really nice atmosphere. Can definitely recommend the flatbreads and pizzas. On top of that, dog friendly.

The food was very basic, but the service was horrid. We told the staff that there was an insect in the oil bottle which came on to our plate, and they said a mere “thank you” and took the bottle away. Nary an apology or replacement of the bottle - would not recommend this place. Better to carry your own food that is hygienic.

Very friendly staff, good atmosphere. Good drinks selection and music. Nice outdoor area. Overall great place to go 👍

We visited last year and found the pub bad, but as we were a captive audience we had no choice but to visit. (I reviewed this pub last year) So it’s only fitting that I write a review for our return visit which has seen the Man O War go from bad to worse. The food is still awful - it’s ding food quality sold at home cooked pub food prices. The beer is flat and the staff don’t know how to rectify it. It’s either poor management of the kegs or it’s old glasses being used where the nucleation has gone in the glasses, but either way when we took our pints back the staff didn’t know how to pour a lively pint with a good head on it. We watched them waste 2/3 pints of lager when trying to pour something that didn’t resemble urine. The worst aspect of this pub is the staff. They clearly don’t care, they’re sitting on an absolute goldmine and could make a fortune but they haven’t got the brains or the energy to make use of it. One evening we decided to go in for a drink, there were only a couple of other people in amongst us. At 21.30 the staff turned the music off in the pub - the traditional tactic used to get punters to leave. At 21.40 we went to the bar to get a drink and we were told this would be our last drink. When asked why they said they’re calling last orders. We queried this as this is earlier than usual standard licensing hours but also it contradicted their opening hours that are written outside. The response from the woman was that she’d been at work since 10am that day and she was tired. Very professional. The conclusion we’ve come to is that the staff at this pub know there is a steady turnaround of customers at this holiday park, so it doesn’t matter if they’re a good pub or not. Because next week a fresh influx of customers will come, visit one or two times and then go and then repeat. The holiday park claim that this pub is not managed by them, but it is confusing because the miserable woman (who’d worked since 10am, bless) wore the same Lulworth Estate polo shirt as the staff that were working on the holiday park mowing the lawns. So it seems like they are actually affiliated. It won’t stop us coming back because the location of this holiday park is perfect for the activities we enjoy. It’s just a shame that after a long day walking and swimming we don’t have anywhere near to go for a nice drink and bite to eat without having to drive there.