Red Lion Hotel in Purbeck

What an absolutely delightful experience! The food is amazing (the pulled pork: Oh, My Word!) the location is beautiful and meeting the owner was an absolute pleasure; she went above and beyond to ensure we felt warmly welcomed and completely at ease. Her attention to detail and genuine care made the experience all the more memorable. We can’t wait to return and would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for great food, a beautiful setting, and top-notch hospitality!

Lovely Vegan Roast, great pub and the young staff were top draw. Would definitely recommend and will be going again 😁

Brilliant experience, camped one night and we were welcomed from the start! Ate in the pub and met the owners and staff that were very friendly and made us feel at home. Genuine effort was taken by all with everything from food service to the hospitality. Food was also spot on! Would highly recommend and will be returning.

I had a fantastic experience at The Red Lion. The food was absolutely delicious—every dish was packed with flavor and cooked to perfection. The service was also excellent; the staff were friendly, attentive, and made us feel right at home. It’s clear they go the extra mile to make sure guests have a great experience. I’ll definitely be coming back and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for great food and a welcoming atmosphere.

Easy to get to. Very friendly staff, nothing was too much trouble. Chatting with all customers. Popped in for a drink and check out the menu. Very impressed. Varied menu, reasonable prices. Looking forward to meeting friends for a meal at the end of November.

Nice pub with great food, Sunday roast was well priced and generously portioned. We enjoyed it so much we came back two days later to try the normal menu. I can recommend the smoked beef platter (but only if you are very hungry!)

Food here is excellent. It's a smokehouse so the meat platters and lamb pitters were fantastic!

Went into the pub for a drink, very nice friendly staff. Went there the next day for dinner, and was met with overcooked dry meats, cold chips and overall poor service. It was a real shame as the location and look of the pub is great.

Amazing service and great food. Thanks so much!

Absolutely lovely place with fantastic food and great customer servixw

What a shame! Excellent location that should have made the most of themselves however truly disappointing! For a restaurant specialising in “smoked” boards and barbecue meats I’ve never tasted steak so tough and dry in my life. Other customers also seemed to be struggling with their steaks and burgers so….. For a restaurant/bar with such a prime location it’s a shame they’re not making the most of it. The pub needs a new lease of life and with some care and attention and a chef who cares about his menu they should be sitting on a gold mine! Disappointing!

Lovely family owned pub and campsite, we will definitely be going back

Moody service bad food very poor meat quality high prices

The tavern is a lively place and the food is great. The rooms are upstairs and they are small. What makes this a gem is the wonderful staff. We thought we could get Uber or a taxi to our event, but there was none to be had. Lizzy (the owner) drove us to the event herself. Wow, what an angel!!! She also found us a taxi for the following day and Alex (A1 Taxi) really came through for us. Say hello to Lizzy (and Alex if you get to meet her).

Disgusting attitude and service. The food was alright, the only clean place was a toilet with a nice hand soap but no mirror at all. The staff are careless really, just after the money. Plenty of parking spaces.

We were passing by and stopped for lunch, Very good rump steaks. Beautiful presentation, amazing taste

Camped here, £20 for the night, big pitch. Staff were all super friendly. We paid £6 each for continental breakfast online when booking the pitch. Cereal, fruit salad, toast, jams, croissants, and tea/coffee. But orange juice was an additional charge, which seems like a rip off considering you've already paid for breakfast! 1 toilet and 1 shower on the campsite field, and then 2 showers and 1 toilet around the back of the pub building. Hiked to Lulworth Cove from the campsite, used routes that were off the main road, took around 1.5-2 hours to get there, but road is probably quicker. You can also take bus for £2 single. Only takes 8 mins from pub to Durdle Door for example. Overall would recommend staying here for camping/caravan-ing etc. You can also stay in their rooms above the pub

Fantastic B&B and country pub, thoroughly relaxing and welcoming atmosphere, and they couldn't have done more to make my stay enjoyable. Comfortable rooms, ensuite. Great food and wine.

Went here on the off chance and so glad we did the staff are friendly a fantastic atmosphere and the food superb. Had the beef brisket portion size and price well worth it.

Very friendly barmaid /waitress but pub changed from when I got engaged there 52 years ago

Excellent food, brilliant friendly staff a must to visit.TOP CLASS

Very warm and welcoming staff and the food is really delicious. I thoroughly recommend a visit here, you won't be disappointed

Nice pub good food , friendly atmosphere, biker friendly

Delightful landladies, great food, beautiful pub and my room was spotless. Very accommodating and convenient for any Magnox/NRS staff.

Worth a visit, great service and lovely food. Kids welcomed.

Lovely Sunday lunch at The Red Lion - dog friendly too - with a welcome card for us and our pet!❤️

we booked this hotel back in December and didn’t arrive until 3am, they happily got up to let us in, during this time they had flooded, however they still welcomed us with open arms and still done a continental breakfast for us! We loved staying here! They are very dog friendly, the dogs were even allowed to have their breakfast with us, we highly recommend to everyone, this has even become our local! The food and service is top notch!

The sweetest staff I’ve ever met!!! Beyond dog friendly 🐶 My partner and I stumbled across The Red Lion whilst staying in Winfrith. We have an elderly dog who often struggles with sloppy floors and laying on hard flooring. The staff were so accommodating to us! They led us round another way that was carpeted and provided him a bed to sleep on next to our table. The food was delicious, generously portioned and quick! The staff were so sweet and the atmosphere was so welcoming and relaxed. We’d love to come back when we visit again! Thank you!

The bar smelt of damp and toilet cleaner after a flood and the burgers we had we're awful all the food was flavoured with what I think was old fat had a awful taste in my mouth for hours won't be back

Pop in for drinks and nibbles. Manageress friendly welcoming. Dog friendly, big car park. Great experience. 👍

Away for the week and have visited the Red Lion Hotel for drinks and a meal. Very enjoyable and relaxing atmosphere in the bar area, dog friendly with treats and beds.

5 star ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ food and staff

Went for son's birthday compleat disappointment, pasta and brocoli undercooked. Steak pie a lot of nice meat but could have been cooked a bit longer as it has a soggy bottom. Camenbear, gammon steak and eggs were good.

Great Wednesday Burger night. We visited the Red lion on Wednesday night, and 3 of us had the Burger deal, which was great value & very tasty. The service was great, and very friendly and the log burner was roaring nicely! Definitely recommend a visit. Thank you. 👍

We had our classic car meet there

Had a great burger on their wednesday deal. Have been here a number of times now and always v friendly, great food and drinks, great service. Highly recommended

Nice quiet location. Room very small. Extremely cold. Telly tiny. Could see a line of dust and someone else's hair bobble just under the bed but in eye view. Dogs are allowed, which is great. However, not ideal when one barks constantly. Lady who showed us to the room didn't know what time breakfast was or when to check out...

Great pub, excellent service and ambience. On vacation and wanting some comfort food after busy day trip. Tasty food and an amazing local beer. Highly recommend/ great location too.

Stayed for one night but wish it was longer. Can't Big this pub/Hotel up enough. Its a gem in the Dorset Crown. Staff were fantastic. Had a meal on evening in restaurant. Food was amazing. And some great brews on tap. Was great that they are dog friendly. Staff made a fuss of are dog pebbles. Lady serving at Breakfast was fantastic .would definitely recommend to anybody taking there dog on holiday there. Thank you to all the staff for making are stay great. Will definitely be back. Thanks Wayne Lisa louisa and pebbles the dog 🐶 👍

Great little pub with great room for parking. Got there in the evening on a weekday where it was quieter, but had friendly and accommodating staff. Very patient and helpful. Above all the food was fantastic, and amazingly great value, as we had the app we saved £20! Got the hot dog with pulled pork, which was super fresh and tasty, with a pint on the side for just £10! Would definitely recommend on an offer day and would love to come back if we came through this way.

Our first time inside the pub, although we have attended the brilliant National Chopper Club show held onsite for the last two years. A lovely venue, perfect for our small family get-together; not too quiet, or too noisy! Our charming host, although new, was friendly and very efficient, as were the other staff we met. We took advantage of the amazing-value 'Burger Wednesday' offer, although we were lucky that our younger relatives had smartphones to download the vital 'app' required, otherwise we would have missed out - so beware! However, the food was fabulous, and we are already making plans to return asap. Overall, we were very impressed - thank you for a great night out, and see you again soon!

Parked for a bike ride here and had a pint and fish and chips. My son had a burger . Nice food , friendly staff . Would use again .

Staying nearby in Wool, this pub was recommended for food. Upon viewing the menu online I was thrilled to see it clearly marked for allergies - being coeliac it was reassuring that the staff were also carefuland aware of my allergy. I had the hunters chicken board with chips - bloody lovely!!!

Brilliant meal served beautifully very pleasant atmosphere with lovely people serving and very welcoming would definitely recommend. We shall be going again soon for sure Well done to everyone

Found by chance. Stopped off for drink and food. Friendly staff good service and fab burgers

Paid a couple of visits here for food as was staying in the area. The team were very welcoming and so friendly. The food was very reasonably priced and good sized portions (I couldn't manage the evening meal I had!). Good standard pub grub, would recommend if staying in the area.

Had lunch here. The lunchtime menu jacket potatoes are really good value and portion is huge. The jackets are also very tasty. The only thing was the pulled meats were a bit dry. But the other toppings (chilli con carne, tuna mayo) were all good. The portion is actually so big it’s difficult to finish. Kids menu portion was also really generous. Good pub, lots of seating and pretty cosy. Service was friendly.

Stopped off on the spur of the moment on a Sunday afternoon, still serving Sunday lunch,thought why not,!I had beef and my husband had lamb, absolutely delicious,would highly recommend,staff fantastic,food amazing.

One night is like one week, lovely staff and food was lovely. Affordable!

We visited on a Thursday, it was a burger, chips and a pint for £10. I upgraded to the mega burger for an extra £5. The food was really good and I would recommend the Thursday deal. This pub is just up the road from durdle door so a great stop off after a long walk.

Had lunch here, food was excellent, staff friendly and helpful

The Lamb-ba-ba was lovely but the Pulled-It board was an insane amount of meat which was a bit dry and served with dry brioche buns - I guessed it might need something saucy so I ordered the coleslaw as a side but bizarrely that tasted of washing-up liquid so that didn't help at all. In the end I left most of the meal, it should have been billed as a sharing board and served with some sort of sauce. Drinks were good. Roadside outside eating was ok but some customer thought it was ok to let his dog bark constantly, eventually sticking a muzzle on it which didn't help and then locked it in the car which finally shut it up.

Room was a little dated and small with no clothes hanging space but clean and a very comfortable bed.

Nice pub Great food Not badly priced Definitely go again Didn't rate rooms as didn't stay there

Great place to stay for visiting the local area Comfy bed and breakfast was lovely very friendly staff The only reason for room loosing a mark was the bathroom it was a bit tight and shower was not powerful

Wir waren für zwei Nächte Gäste auf der Zeltwiese. Das Check in war unkompliziert. Wir haben zweimal zu Abend gegessen und waren rundum zufrieden. Das Frühstück war exzellent und es gab noch eine köstliche Zugabe zum Mitnehmen. Die Duschen und deine Sanitäranlagen waren zweckmäßig und wurden täglich gereinigt. Das Personal war stets zuvorkommend und freundlich. Ein besonderer Dank an Lizzy mit ihrem freundlichen Wesen und ihrem bezaubernden Lächeln.

Great place to stop for drink or meal

Personnel très accueillant. Ils ont trouvé une solution pour stocker nos vélos pour la nuit. Le chambre était assez petite mais propre et agréable. Nous avons dîné au pub. C’était très bon et extrêmement copieux… Large sélection pour le petit déjeuner. Une station de bus est accessible en face de l’hôtel pour aller visiter Durdle door et Lulworth cove.

Had dinner here. Friendly staff and good atmosphere. Chips are tasty, beer is fresh and great for summer. An Convenient location to explore the nearby for visitors.

Not for me....again. All a bit primitive and unimaginative.

Super nice staff and great homey family environment. Great breakfast that was free with the room.

We visited Durdle Door and on the way back to the hotel we noticed this cute little pub. We were greeted with huge smiles, and amazing hospitality from all the ladies on shift. Nothing was too much for any of them, they were extremely polite and went above and beyond. We didn’t eat here as had a reservation at our hotel, but the food smelt delicious.

We didn't stay in the hotel but ate at the pub. The waitress was worth a million pounds alone. Exceptionally nice to us and our children. The food was delicious. The locals engaged with us and made us feel at home too.

Whilst on holiday in Dorset we stumbled across this lovely pub/hotel. We had 3 dogs with us, one being a newly rescued adolescent, our server Harriet could not have been more welcoming. She bought out beds, water biscuits for all the dogs. She was lovely, kind and cheerful. Very knowledgeable on the menu and helpful. It made the world of difference to our lunchtime stop. The food is excellent, served efficiently and the take out bags for what we couldn’t finish! Would highly recommend

Stopped off for a light lunch, staff attentive and friendly. Food quality 4/5, time to table 5/5. Great main road location in between Wareham/Weymouth/Durdle Door. 1750’s ex-thatched cottage coach house with original features (duck if tall). Loads of parking. Very reasonable menu prices.

This is an historic pub although unfortunately at some time in the past most of the ground floor has been knocked through into a rather bland space. This is divided into 3 areas, 2 for eating and a traditional pub area with the bar. It works quite well and it obviously functions as a traditional pub as well as a not very exciting eatery. I liked that it is still a pub and served a good pint of Badger Best for £4.00. The pub has a large free car park which given the parking difficulties in the area makes it very convenient

Amazing food at good prices. Best chips ever tasted!

Excellent service food great, dog friendly too, recommended

We didn't stay in the hotel just had dinner there. Very friendly place. Lovely food.

Unfortunately most of the foods we saw online which is why we chose this place for dinner, were not even available, infact apparently they had never served any of it. "Could've been old owners.. blah blah blah". And the foods they did have were bloody expensive, £15 for a hot dog 😱. All meals were extortionate. Honestly do not recommend. EDIT.. the excuse that the images of food items that your establishment apparently sold, but no longer sell or have never sold that are on google is terrible. You as the establishment owner/manager or whatever you are have the power to report and subsequently remove said pictures. But you've chosen not to, and thus are lying to potential customers, just to get them through the door. Once in, you let them down and expect them to purchase from the minimal menu you actually offer. This is poor practice. This is low and underhanded.

Fantastic food and service. Great value for money. Thoroughly recommend the Smoked Boards. Delicious, tender and plentiful.

What brought me here was the location and menu posted in Google. After talking to the owner I would rather support a chain company, which I never thought I'd say! All the best, and thankfully im sure they have busy days to make up for when people have to talk to the chap

We only popped up for breakfast and so cannot comment on the rooms. However, the food was really good. We were made to feel welcome very quickly and staff were so accommodating for our 2 children. We ordered 2 full English breakfasts and 1 kids equivalent. Great portions and delicious to boot. It is quite remote in its location but it was convenient for us as we were staying at a nearby camp-site.

Had Sunday roast meal fit for a Royal excellent staff were superb would go back every week but live 4 hours away?? We might book a room next time

Our family had a great meal and Jay and his team were excellent. We have visited twice now and we will be back as there is more of the menu we need to tick off especially the meat platter with the burnt ends. Thank you again.

My brother and I went to this Hotel for a weekend at Tankfest and we were very satisfied with our stay. The staff is incredibly friendly and make a personal connection with you, which makes the whole experience feel very cozy and 'at home'. We really admired the fact that the hosts serve you with a smile from your first meal of the day up untill the last beer of your evening. The breakfast was nice and the food on the dinner menu was also very good. The hotel itself is very cozy as well; our room was clean, the beds were comfortable and the bathroom was also nice. The location of the hotel makes it easy to see some absolute gorgeous nature at Lulworth Cove and the Durdle Door, and is also very close to the Tank Museum at Bovington. We very much recommend this place and it will be our first choice again if we visit Tankfest again in the future. Thank you to all the amazing staff for a wonderful stay.

Absolutely the best service. Friendly, welcoming and a very enjoyable stay. The food….ribs that was melting off the bone, delicious and tender. Large serve. Continental breakfast included.

Came here as was attending the tankfest at Bovington tank museum, only a short drive away. Owner and staff are awsome, chef is a great cook too and not forgetting the cleaning lady. If coming back this way would look to stay here again.

We had a table booked this week and had 2 chihuahuas with us, they are described as dog friendly, well I say they put them first , we arrived to a warm welcome and were shown to the table where there was a large dog bed ready for them to enjoy were offered water and treats too, as for the humans, the service from Harrogate was fab, food was delicious,fabulous puddings, only down side was the wait for the pudding, but they were worth it. Five stars all around from our table of 6 plus 2 big wavy tails too

Location is great but that's it as has been closed down for about 2 years now great building hope it gets new owners soon. Could be a goldmine.

Only rating the food, which was not very good hence why 3 stars only.

Lovely setting, great food and hospitality, hosted by lovely Lizzie.

Really great food and service. Nice and close to durdle door. Good weather meant really nice to eat outside and there were lots of interesting vintage cars to watch.

Above and beyond service today, a lovely waitress called Ange couldn’t have been better.

On holiday up this way and this was our local pub only being 100 meters down the road both occasions was an absolute pleasure lovely environment. and the last night we went which was today Thursday we come in at around 9 and the kitchen was closed when we wanted to order food but they went out there way to still do us grilled halloumi and cheesy chips this is genuine customer service and it’s a very pleasant atmosphere also a very dog friendly pub I wish this was my local! on top of this the cheesy chips and halloumi was also very good it’s a 5* star from me

What an amazing place to eat. Best burger ive had in a long time. Starters were really good aswell. Staff very very friendly, made us feel very welcome. Prices are a bit higher than normal pubs but u cant put a price on the quality of the food. So fresh and everything made to order. A must after durdle door.

Was on the road and stopped for late lunch, really nice food and great service.

Friendly staff, great food and ideal location to explore the coast and surrounding areas Will be back for sure

Amazing food and friendly service. One of the best pubs in the area.

Took the family in there brilliant food lovely people enjoyed it very much so

Such a beautiful pub and location. Staff were so friendly and accommodating.

It's hard to know where to start but the owners and staff are a good place to start. Extremely friendly and personable, attentive without being overbearing and they make you feel comfortable immediately. The room was small, clean and the bed very comfortable with a lovely view of the countryside. The pub was extremely comfortable and welcoming and within minutes it felt like a place I would be at a couple nights a week if I lived locally. What was really unexpected was that for a small pub with rooms above was that they were extremely knowledgable about food allergies. I'm celiac (very much so) and I was going to miss the beer and food. Except I didn't, they have very good gluten free beer and do an excellent gluten free beer battered fish and chips (with the best chips I've had in years, crisp and fluffy inside) and an English breakfast. They were so careful on what was safe to serve and what not and I had no contamination issues at all. This was easily the best hotel experience I've had in at least two decades and it's not even close. I would vacation here again with my wife just to stay here.

Only popped in for a quick pint but the staff were top notch so I will be going back to eat this coming weekend

Lovely friendly staff nice food

Another great visit here. This time for food. The burgers were amazing and the kids food was to a good standard. Plenty of variety. Staff are incredibly friendly

Beautiful historic pub. Gent I imagine to be the owner spontaneously gave us a little history and tour of the place when we were having lunch. Friendly staff. Usual pub offerings if you are looking for them, but some different items on the menu as well. Pulled meats plate was excellent with pork, lamb & venison… easily enough for two to share, made for a delicious and affordable pub meal. Will definitely stop again next time I’m passing through.

Great place to stay. Alan great right from checking in to when we left. Nice beers on tap. Dinner nice and must be popular with locals as well as the restaurant full on a week night. Traditional English breakfast cooked to order in the morning

Great location and a real pub with great food! Few challenges in room 1..a bit of a tight fit for the double bed and no curtains on the landing !

Great friendly customer service and amazing food

Ideal pub with rooms and a adjoining campsite perfect for exploring the Dorset cost