McKenzie's Bistro in Purbeck

Very friendly staff who made you feel very welcome. Food piping hot - good portion sizes with delicious flavours. Will definitely visit again.👍

Stumbled upon this, quirky little find & since then, have been a few times with friends. Beautifully home cooked food, good service & atmosphere. The owners are knowledgeable about where their produce is sourced & are lovely to chat to. I highly recommend McKenzie’s

Lovely home cooked food with great service. Strongly recommend the signature dish of venison, beautifully cooked and pipping hot. Great little place.

A small but attractive bistro with excellent home prepared food. The jambalaya was very substantial and excellent. Be prepared to wait a while for your food but worth it! Essential to book as limited tables.Great value.

1) The fully booked signs are Fake, as in fraud. 2) The food is Delia Smith 1980 with the taste removed. 3) The 'signature' 'PIE' is not a pie! 4) The service is 'Acorn Antiques' as in Victoria Wood 5)The (v few) customers are people who will understand these references 6) I visit Swanage twice a year and this is the worst place I have eaten in despite it being far from cheap.

Such a great find , lovely food and presentation no fancy London prices or pretensions just great flavour filled food we will return !

Small but exceptional. Friendly, attentive service and highly professional cuisine in the centre of Swanage. Their signature dish, the homemade Purbeck Pie, is the highlight of an eclectic menu offering a choice of interesting options. Well worth booking because it's deservedly full most evenings.

An excellent menu, I opted for Venison pie, simply delicious. My wife and friends all thoroughly enjoyed their mains. For dessert we all had toffee and pecan roulade, could not fault it. An excellent meal fairly priced. Thank you. If we are in Swanage again we’ll be back.

Lovely meal. Varied menu, from which I had difficulty choosing as I wanted to try most of them. Food was freshly cooked and flavoursome with generous supply of veg. The tagine might have benefited from a side salad but that’s just our preference. Dessert was an amazing roulade. Don’t be put off by the “café” appearance, the food makes this venue worth booking (you’ll need to).

We were looking for a restaurant serving something different to the norm. We were not disappointed at McKenzies. It started with a very warm welcome followed by a lovely tasty home cooked meal at a very reasonable price. The beef bourguignon was delicious as was the Purbeck pie. The menu is varied and the deserts were heaven. If we were staying longer we would return for more. Don't forget to book. Thank you. Oh, and in answer to a review I read before going not a blue rinse in sight.

Wow ! Delicious food. Staff were welcoming. Amazing little bistro . Couldn't fault and would highly recommend. Booking essential

Not a lot of starter choice but excellent choice of mains. We had pate to start which was lovely and bourguignon and goulash for mains. These were excellent and served with a good choice of veg. A good selection of desserts although we chose the cheeseboard - again a lovely variety. Lighting could be more subdued. Thoroughly recommend- don’t forget to book!

Good choice of options, friendly staff nice home cooked food not exceptional but tasty remember to call and book. Lights in restaurant very bright would be nice dimmed .

I booked a table for six at McKenzies Bistro for Christmas Day Lunch 25th December 2023. All I can say is, everything was excellent. The food, the service, everything, etc., could not be faulted. All six of us at table agreed and were well satisfied with the experience. I highly recommend McKenzies and will certainly be going again.

So very impressed on our first visit! We received a really warm welcome and we’re made to feel special. A varied menu and each dish was delicious and well presented. Thank you for coping with varied food allergies!

4 of us went for a mid week dinner and we all agreed everything was perfect, the ambiance, service and above all the food. Great choices that are not the run of the mill, good size portions and a good selection of drinks. We will definitely be back. 👍🏻

A little gem of a restaurant, not many tables so you need to book for most evenings. Varied interesting menu, all freshly made, save room for dessert. Would definitely go again, next time we are in Swanage. Great staff and Julia kept coming out from the Kitchen to check we were enjoying ourselves…..We most certainly where.

It was OK. I cant believe the pate was not bought from across the road in Budgens or the slice of lemon tart. The main course beef bourgignon was lacking in beef. All tasted good enough though. Not good value at the price.

We contacted the owner the day before our visit as we wanted to know the vegan options. We were delighted to receive a call back to discuss what was available. Although listed as a main course, we shared the nut roast on its own as a starter; it was very enjoyable; light, soft and well-flavoured. The finest mustard sauce was the perfect dressing. We each had the vegan special of the evening which was mushroom bourguignon. Baby button and portobello mushrooms and shallots slow cooked in red wine and herbs. It was very special indeed; the flavours were beautifully balanced and the portions were generous. It was accompanied with baby new potatoes and a good portion of green vegetables, all perfectly cooked. A refill of the green vegetables was happily brought on request. The staff were attentive and responsive and we felt we had received a professional and personal service. The restaurant was full and the general atmosphere was quietly refined. When we are in the area again we will certainly return to try more of the McKenzie ambience and especially to enjoy some more home cooked vegan real food.

Came here after the recommendation of a family member who is local. The food is nothing short of excellent. Beautifully warm staff and a real sense of a family business. There is a quirky charm to this place and the meals appear unusual but are utterly tasty. You feel like you are being cooked for personally. Would so recommend!

My wife & I had the most fantastic meal here, the best in our week in Swanage without doubt! My wife had the chicken supreme, I had the house speciality, the venison pie- the flavours were just FANTASTIC! The service may not be super quick, this is not about 'quick dining', this is about slowing down, savouring & enjoying the meal & occasion. YOU MUST BOOK IN ADVANCE, I THINK NO WALKINS TAKEN.

We had a really good meal here. The husband and wife who run this restaurant keep the number of bookings to a comfortable level. The ambience is very pleasant and the food was excellent. Service may be a little slow for some people, but it is worth waiting for. There was such a great choice of dishes on the menu from local ingredients. My Stroganoff was wonderfully creamy and with very lean strips of beef in the excellent sauce. Just make sure you book early to secure a table.

The atmosphere was very strange too bright lighting and as it was fully booked expected all tables taken. A large table was already In the restaurant followed by us then another couple (walkers due to outfits). Ambience non existent, food ok but not presented as...

We noticed this delightful bistro whilst driving through the town centre on a mini break to Swanage this week and were lucky enough to be able to book a table. It is a small family run restaurant and offers an extremely interesting menu with something...

This is a little hidden gem. If you are in Swanage you need to go here for dinner. The food is amazing, freshly cooked and so tasty. Having worked as a chef for 20+ plus years I wish more little places served food like this....

Family dinner while on our holidays. Absolutely delicious home-cooked food, and the owner Julie was charming. The signature dish Purbeck Pie is to die for, and the lemon and ginger cheesecake was divine. Would definitely recommend.

I love this restaurant. I'm a local and often go. The restaurant is family run and they have superb food and very well priced wine. The rich Boeuf Bourgignon and buttery mashed potato I still dream about! This team really care about their food and...

Small, friendly restaurant with a good range of meals - including vegetarian options. Would be happy to go back.

The chef masters around the world traditional dishes such as boeuf bourgignon to a perfection, but also delicious vegan or vegetarian dishes. Parisian Bistro ambiance with a maritime twist, attentive service and chat with the chef. Excellent quality for quite reasonable price. We highly recommend.

Small personal bistro with excellent choice of home cooked prepared and cooked food - not your standard menu so look for something dufferent to try - very much the personal touch - Bistro only had ?10 tables so would suggest booking would certainly return

A second enjoyable visit to Mckenzie’s Bistro even better than the first.So pleased to be able to order extra vegetables with our main course with the inclusion of Dauphinoise potatoes.Soup my husbands favourite was on the menu but he dislikes parsnips so not an option...

What a wonderful restaurant. Top quality homemade food with reasoanable prices and choice of accompaniments..

I booked this little Bistro two weeks before we went to Swanage as a birthday treat for my partner as I guessed it would be busy on a Saturday evening. I was correct - as we approached McKenzies I noticed a sign on the door...

Dreadful, overpriced,for what looked like pre cooked Microwave food. No atmosphere what so ever, there are a lot nicer places to eat in Swanage.

The restaurant looks very smart,all the tables laid up nicely.Particularly liked the soft background music.For most of the meal it was just us which was fine,nice and peaceful but hope overall they receive enough diners to keep going. Greeted by a pleasant lady who saw...

Food was good but place was empty… I mean empty. We were the only table. They have 7 tables in all. There is one chef, the husband, and one server, the wife. We couldn’t eat in a relaxed atmosphere as wife stood near our table...

Very friendly personal service. Choice of meal quite varied - I'd like to have tried several of the dishes. In the end chose the day's special - Salmon which was delicious. Three dishes of seasonal vegetables to accompany and each hit the spot and complimented...