The Anchor Inn in Purbeck

What a shambles customers complaining about glasses being cracked still being frozen. Women shouting obviously having had too much to drink. Tables not being cleaned as they should. A member of staff arguing with her daughter not good in a bar.

we all decided it was the best place we had eaten in all week , The food was great , The staff were very helpful and went out they way for us ,

Like most places in Swanage in season you need to book in advance, which we did for Saturday night. Arrived on time, and table had been reserved for us. So far so good. As it claims to be a gastro pub, I was expecting at least some kind of informal table service, but it was order at the bar only. The staff were a bit of a motley crew, one young girl looked totally miserable and absolutely exhausted. I had a pint of Landlord,( which was not the best- a bit too warm and flat) and ordered fish pie and a vegi burger. Half an hour later and no action, and we noticed other customers getting impatient as well. Anyway a table close to us got served and the lady also had ordered fish pie, but left 90% of it which was not very encouraging ! We chased up our order after a while longer, and was told it had been mislaid but was nearly ready. Ten minutes later it appeared ( total wait about one hour) The Fish pie was cold and had to be sent back, to come back only lukewarm. It tasted OK apart from that. The Vegi burger was very thin and on a cheap burger roll, with some salad and chips. We both left part of our meals which is highly unusual for us ! In the meantime I had gone to the bar for a glass of wine. The barmaid spilt some of it and did not bother wiping the glass so it dripped on the floor and the table. In the end they refunded the fish pie, which was a good gesture, but we would rather have just had two decent meals and paid for them. For sure this is no gastro pub !

Came here for food based on good reviews, on a very wet early September evening. I was a bit worried as although several tables were taken, it was quieter than some of the other pubs when I first arrived around 6pm (lots happening in and around Swanage that day so most other pubs were very busy). However, I think it might've been just that because the pub is off the main street, visitors would head to one of the more visible pubs first, so I'm glad I did a bit of research! It soon started to fill up though and I was lucky I had arrived when I did! I ordered the burger, which the lady behind the bar said was a good choice. She wasn't wrong, it was great! Everything appeared to be home made (except the bun and salad of course!) and was delicious. I had a couple of pints of Inches cider (one of my fav's) to wash it down too. It's likely not the cheapest place in town (the burger was £17.95 and the drinks were £5.40 each). I thought the price of the food was fine given the quality, but the drinks were a little expensive. The pub is dog friendly and while I love dogs, the only downside of the visit (not the pubs fault), on a wet day, meant several wet dogs kept brushing past me. Overall, I'd definitely recommend!

My husband and I had an enjoyable meal this evening. It was busy with many walk in as well as booked in customers. Food was attractive, flavorsome and cooked well. Chef Julian came out at the end of service and chatted to us. I wish him all the best with the growth of this gastro pub

Called in here for evening meal. Scampi x 2. Food came out very quick and was nicely presented. However despite being pretty much the first meals of the shift, they were lukewarm and not even hot. Our meal was spoiled by other customers talking loudly the whole time we were there and proceeded to have 4 tables between two families. Not the pubs fault I know.

Went twice this week, the first time, the food was okay, missing some items from the dish, with no explanation. Returned to give the place another chance on a quiet evening, we waited quite some time for our starter to arrive, then over an hour for our mains before we finally gave up! The chef was more preoccupied with making jokes with locals and friends rather than fulfilling orders! Sadly we are unlikely to go back!

Great family meal at this lovely venue. Food delicious and great value. Staff polite friendly and attentive. Definitely a place to eat whilst in Swanage you won’t be disappointed.

We have eaten in the Anchor before and really enjoyed it . Tonight it was pretty average. Really a bit like something just put in a deep fat fryer straight from the freezer . I appreciate scampi and chips isn’t exciting but I think it could be better than that for £15.95 The pate starter was ok but with one slice of small toast , no chutney it seemed pretty basic . A shared starter, basic meals and 2 soft drinks £49 . Disappointed.

Sehr gutes Essen und freundliche Bedienung. Wir wurden bekocht, obwohl gar keine Essenszeit war. Super Service! Ich würde jederzeit wieder dort essen. Man fühlt sich aufgrund des Ambientes einfach wohl.

This is a historic pub in the heart of Swanage and the vegetarian burgers we had were excellent (quality often varies) with homemade coleslaw. Staff were friendly and service was good.

We found this gem of a pub whilst staying in Swanage. We ate there for Sunday lunch. The service was a bit slow, but the food was excellent. The chef was very friendly and wanted to cater for our every need. We returned for an evening meal with our son and the chef had as promised, cooked ribs for us. They were yummy! There is a good atmosphere and I hope the new chef does really well there.

Just had a fantastic meal with friends at The anchor inn. The food was excellent and the staff friendly and welcoming. Highly recommend a visit if you coming to Swange

Booked in for sunday lunch. Arrived and shown to a small table for 4 adults. Was busy but not packed. Ordered food at bar and waited, and waited, and waited..... was informed food was imminent, and waited, and waited. After 1hr and 30 mins of imminent i went to the bar only to be told our ticket had not gone to kitchen. Left hungry and angry. Will not be back.

Drove to Swanage to meet our daughter and friends who were doing a 20 mile hike. We had booked a table but arrived early. Manager/Landlord was very friendly and served us drinks. The Sunday lunch was fabulous. Beef and Gammon and dishes of a variety of fresh vegetables. The leeks in sauce and red cabbage was especially good. We were brought extra roasties and gravy as the hikers were very hungry. We were then treated to a platter of desserts which were also lovely. Staff including the chef were all helpful and friendly. Can’t recommend highly enough and will definitely visit again.

We went in on a wet night in February and got a warm welcome from the barman. I think there are new proprietors as the food bared no resemblance to previous reviews. A small menu with a variety of burgers, fish and chips or scampi. I had the burger and hubby had the fish and our little girl had the sausage and chips kids meal. All were very nice. The only thing that slightly let it down/amused us was the blackboard which advertises “interesting wine” when in-fact there was really only the choice of white or red. Apparently they are waiting for a delivery but it was half term and would have liked a little more choice. All in all one of the best meals we had in Swanage during our stay.

The soup was billed as tomato, roast pepper and carrot . It was cold, unseasoned and the bowl was overfilled. It was in reality a tin of tomatoes half blended, bitter and uncooked. The bread didn’t smell or taste of anything. We asked for butter and got margarine. We ordered tea and instead of milk a little jug of foaming dishwasher water appeared. It was replaced with milk without problem. Then the roast pork Sunday main course. Gravy from a packet, Yorkshire from the freezer. Generous portion of overcooked and dry meat. Carrots, peas and green beans boiled until they surrendered all their nutritional value and taste. Roast potatoes tasting of stale cooking oil and lastly some parsnips a la mode de Joan of Arc. Service, friendly but clueless. Beer excellent.

We have had some lovely meals in Swanage while staying here so this was a bit of a let down. The main lady serving was lovely, apologetic and really friendly but no matter how nice you are you can't make up for overpriced food that is really not pleasant. We expected a long wait on new years day but the service was all over the place, the waitress was bringing food for other tables and then bringing food to us and saying she wasn't sure what it was...which takes some nerve to be fair, just ask the kitchen! I wouldn't say avoid as it's a decent pub and you want these places to do well but if you are going to serve food at premium price serve a premium meal.

The decor was lovely and good selection of beers. Sadly food poor prawn cocktail was shrimps, watery sauce and no bread - had to add mayonnaise to give it taste and substance. Soup delicious but waitress dipped her 3 inch nail into it as she placed it down and bread stale. Pate was tasteless although chutney nice. Such a shame as place looked inviting. Health and good safety as staff member brushing her hair at the bar 🙄

This was a second visit where we were offered a complementary meal each. My review is based on this meal which we both enjoyed. Food was hot and plentiful and tasty. The manager handled the situation well and couldn't have done any better to rectify the previous visit.

Bottomless Brunch was fantastic. Great choice of food and drink, the host was brilliant, our drinks never ran out. Very accommodating to the times we required. We will definitely be back 🥂

After walking around Swanage, we slowly realised that many places were fully booked. We walked past The Anchor and could see a few empty tables so decided to go in. This is a big difference to when we visited a year ago, this was one of the most popular restaurants, fully booked up. The drinks we thought were reasonably priced and the starters were good. We thought it was strange that garlic bread was served with the soup of the day, but we over looked that and in general, the starters were nice. Then came the mains. We both ordered the lasagna with fries. Firstly, when they came out, they definitely did not look like what we were expecting, considering we spent £17.50 each. They looked like they came from a bulk dish or the microwave. It didn’t even touch the sides of the dish that it came in, no sauce or juices around it and the top was not crispy, it was burnt. The “fries” then came out. These were not fries, these were very clearly chunky oven chips, that came in a very small dish and again did not represent the price we had paid for it originally. The staff were more worried about playing loud music and singing along than making sure they looked professional and presentable and not once were we asked how the food was. We very quickly finished our drinks and left. Very unfortunate experience and very overpriced food for the poor quality that we saw.

Lovely dog friendly pub we had a delicious Sunday roast - great service generous portions, tasty roast veg and yummy cauliflower cheese… everyone loved it!

Very bland Sunday roast! No greens with it and what seem to be shop bought Yorkshire puddings with tough meat with a lot of fat on :( The staff were kind and very accommodating though

We tried a few other places and all were fully booked. We can now see why there were tables available at The Anchor. We ordered a prawn linguine, a vegetable lasagna (with chips) and some onion rings. The linguine came covered with Parmesan which was not mentioned on the menu, and the dish itself was just pasta with a basic sauce. The lasagna looked like it had sat for days since being prepared. The cheese on top was congealed. The sauce almost looked curdled. There were very few identifiable vegetables in the dish, amongst the double layered lasagna sheets which were stuck together. The accompanying “fries” were chunky and uncooked. The onion rings, which were described as being served with sweet chilli sauce, were drowned in it. A shame as they were actually edible. The lighting is strangely bright for somewhere that serves such inedible looking food. We were expecting g to actually be able to eat the food given the prices. The drinks were OK though.

I'm afraid this cannot be a good review. My wife ordered the vegetarian option, a pie of spinach, sweet potatoe with goat cheese and I ordered a steak and ale pie. What turned up on small plates was a pile of chips with peas with the pies sat on top but both were steak and ale pies! Not a big mistake and rectified quickly by the pub manager with apologies but it was the first bad experience of the evening. We were offered complimentary drinks but refused them because one drink was enough for us, after all we are quite an elderly couple. When my wife started eating her pie she found the spinach to be almost inedible, its leaves were a course mesh of stringy fibres, the sweet potatoes hardly present and god knows where the goats cheese was. Then my wife started dragging out a long length of green stalk which must have been 30cm long and totally inedible. We told the manager about this who blamed it on the supplier, so not homemade after all. Then started the noise, it was a karaoke night and the DJ started playing loud music to encourage warblers to take to the stage. This really doesn't fit for an evening meal out and severely intruded into our already diminishing enjoyment. We left feeling we had received a very bad eating experience. This pub bills intelf as a gastro pub, the only thing gastro about it is probably the stove that heats up the food of this pre-prepared food. And it wasn't cheap either with prices higher than the competition in the area. This experience has put me off pub grub, that's what it was really, forever. I’ll only choose proper restaurants in the future where care is taken over the food and those who run it really care for their customers.

On arrival we ordered a Bacardi and coke, wrong glass half measure of coke ice disappeared within minutes drink was lukewarm We ordered one special of steak pie with creamy mash, pie really disappointing, no mash, soggy roast potatoes Also ordered was prawn linguini. It was simply awful, a few watery prawns and linguini covered in a thick gloop which had separated. Only a small amount eaten. Really bad and costing £18. When our food arrived we had to ask for cutlery. She bought the cutlery and on realising there was no pepper or salt on the table I asked for some. She replied “ do you want anything else before I go again!!! Her customer care was really missing. Overall we were very disappointed in the whole experience. Bad food, bad drink presentation, poor service from a poorly trained waitress. Prices do not reflect the dining experience. Tourists matter!

Found us a table at short notice but that was as good as it got. Food and drinks very overpriced. My mother had the fish pie for £19.50, it had little fish, was full of “left over” veg, peas, carrots etc and was poorly presented with just a few bits of insipid looking garlic bread on the side. My chicken burger was no better than that from a fast food outlet and was £16.95 I think. No table service.

Haven’t eaten here before despite being local. I shall certainly be returning. The food was exemplary. Well presented, absolutely delicious, reasonable prices and the best service ever from a waiter from Watford ! I could not fault anything about the evening! Highly recommended

Been to Swanage many times and never fancied going into this pub. However noticed it had changed hands last year. So.we decided to have dinner and a few drinks. What a cosy, chilled and pleasant atmosphere it now has. The food was absolutely delicious. The staff and service was excellent and prices were what you would expect. Would definitely recommend the Anchor and we will return.

Super “proper” pub with a wide choice of beers and ciders and an excellent menu. We came here after a blustery coastal walk for a warming pint and Sunday roast and were not disappointed. The welcome was as friendly as ever. The beers (Beavertown for me) hit the spot. And the Sunday roasts were superb (I had the vegan and it was truly excellent). Love this place. A lot.

After walking the length of Swanage (twice!) we read their menu - interesting and tantalising mix of ingredients, and vegan as well as vegetarian options. The food was outstanding, so delicious, and such a welcome surprise. Easy access across the whole pub, all on one level, attentive service, tables at a comfortable distance, my daughter and I loved it. So grateful they start their dinner service so early, as we had booked tickets for the Christmas light and steam train journey. Thank you, you are our lucky find, we will definitely be back.

A group of local mums who used to get together often and after the last year and more babies, it has been more difficult. The Anchor Inn has made our year, communication throughout the booking, even with a mix up (my fault) super helpful and no problems for us to move the date and we felt so special throughout the night. If you have your Christmas meal booked, move it to here, you will feel very special and taken care of. Food was beautiful and dessert fab too. Thank you so much and your team deserve a big pat on the back and Christmas party themselves!

Popped in for a drink and noticed the food looked good so I ordered the belly pork in a cider sauce with bubble and squeak and roasted vegetables and it was delicious far exceeded my expectations of pub food they have some excellent chefs would definitely recommend this pub for food.

My wife wife and popped in for a sunday lunch, staff were very attentive and service was prompt. We ordered two ginger beers and two we both had the roast pork from the Sunday Lunch menu. Drinks came quickly and so do the food. Food was excellent, everything perfectly cooked, good portion size and was very tasty. Pork came with crackling, yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, sweet potato mash, savoy cabbage with smoked bacon. All in all excellent quality and great value, would definitely recommend!

We were not expecting much from pub food but menu sounded a bit different and were we surprised,! The place looked contemporary and the food was really good. I had a home made chicken pie with excellent pastry and my husbands burger was good steak and great slaw. Sticky toffee pud also a bit different and very tasty. Hadn’t seen much written about this place but we were delighted

Visited The Anchor for Sunday lunch with family and friends. The roast dinners were amazing, lovely variety of vegetables not the usual meat and two veg. Pleasantly surprised at the availability of a gluten free pastry dessert in the form of a pumpkin pie. Amazing! A lovely choice of desserts if you've got space for one. Great atmosphere and staff very friendly. Thank you to all.We will return.

Another great meal in Swanage and yet again a friendly warm welcome- food was excellent , piping hot and good beer , couldn’t fault it and friendly service

This has been a bit of a cracker dodgy pub for so long, but the recent refurb has been amazing. Nice atmosphere and great food reasonably priced. The manager is a star .... she was everywhere making sure everything was good.

Went at 16.30 with our kids. Excellent service, kids food was excellent. Decent pub grub if that is what you are looking for. Definitely great for the kids

Managed to fit us In despite no booking. The service was quick and efficient and the pub was spotless. We all rated the food as very good and fairly priced. Would certainly call again

The best Sunday roast I’ve had anywhere outside of my home ,staff very friendly and obliging food well displayed and waiting time between courses was spot on,very reasonably priced and the sticky toffee exceptionally good !

Called in to this pub whilst on holiday in Swanage as the menu outside looked tempting. I had not booked but as it was early, about 5.30pm, a table was found as there was just the two of us. Had a couple of starters and a bowl of chunky chips, all of which were delicious and nicely presented. Although busy, the staff were really friendly, attentive and efficient. All in all a great experience and would highly recommend, although I would advise booking in advance.

We booked a table for our first evening in Swanage and were glad we did as food was only available with a reservation and every table was pre-booked. Staff were extremely welcoming and the service was excellent throughout the evening. The menu is fairly small but plenty of different choices. I had the bbq pork belly and my partner had sirloin steak. Both were cooked perfectly and were delicious. Desert of apple cake was also really tasty.I would definitely visit again. Another plus point is that the pub is dog friendly.

So hospitable and lovely environment… the food is Michelin star worthy.. definitely come here if you want a chilled, tasty and personal experiencE!!

Honestly I couldn’t recommend highly enough! One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time with really friendly staff. When returning to swanage I wouldn’t even second guess returning… if I could rate 10 stars I would! If you are thinking about going… 100% book! You won’t regret it!

This place is amazing. Great food, great drinks, the staff are brilliant and really attentive. Jodie and Dale the managers were especially great with the recommendations. 100% recommend.

We visited last week whilst on holiday having had it recommended to us all. We booked in advance, which given how busy it was in the resort was just as well.The premises is easy to find, local parking not too bad. The staff were friendly and helpful, the menu and drinks gave us good choices. The food quality was very good indeed. All in all, very happy there.

We were very lucky to get a booking for this beautiful little pub on a recent stay to Studland Bay. We decided that rather than eat in our hotel as we usually do we would pop to Swanage & therefore only booked the day before. We arrived earlier than our booking & were given a table straight away. Both staff on duty were excellent, one being the owner Jodie. We ordered the potted crab & prawns for starters & both were delightful & so fresh. We both had fish & chips for mains & again the cod was amazing & so fresh. We had a bottle of NZ Savignon Blanc which was very reasonably priced. Our meal was delicious, beautifully presented & nothing was too much trouble for the staff. Booking is essential here as the pub was busy with customers & we look forward to returning here next year on our next visit to the area.

We called in for an evening meal without booking. A table was found for us & we ordered the lamb steak & sea bass. The two staff in the pub are very busy & efficient. Our food was excellent & would recommend eating there.

Cheers for a great night, cucumber and FAB cocktails were lush, we’ll be back to the sticky Anchor. See you soon 😉

Praise where it’s truly due. Fantastic food and service. The two young members of staff were super efficient and attentive. The food for a pub was outstanding, the best meal we have had during our 5 day stay in Swanage. Should we return to Swanage, we will be eating here.

Went for lunch with the family on spec.We were glad we did - decor was excellent, they welcome dogs - and the loos are the best you'll find in many a pub.We had home-made chorizo scotch egg and prawns to share for starters, then excellent fish and chips, burger and sour dough sandwich.Highlye recommended

From the outside, The Anchor has always looked a little tired, so I’ve never ventured inside. But it has now really been tidied up and I’m delighted to say that that I decided to go in for dinner with my family.Inside, it is clean and bright. The staff were very pleasant and attentive and the food was excellent. There was a good choice of beer and ciders and a decently priced menu with a good selection of options.I’ve been coming to Swanage for over 40 years and this was my first visit to The Anchor. I’ll definitely be coming back again. This is a hidden gem.

Visited without a booking and they managed to find us a table however a reactive dog took a disliking to our dog so the staff were very good and found us another table. Drinks order was taken very swiftly, really nice raspberry gin. The Sunday roast was the right amount and really tasty, the best we’ve had before. It’s a shame we live four hours away. Service was outstanding by the two guys.

The anchor is a firm family favourite, we visit every time we come to Swanage. Food is always excellent, service exceptional and drinks selection good. We also celebrated my mum and dads anniversary here and they even decorated the room and made a special cake!

Pub is done out nicely obviously money was spent but the staff like to go at a steady pace. Myself wife and two children had a drink ( only people in pub) and enquired about booking a table 3 days later and was told that no tables available all weekend for dinner but when I walk in early sat evening 2 tables occupied.I then get the third degree whilst trying to order a pint about ensuring I'm off a table at whatever time the chalk board on the table says.I assume it's owned by millionaires who don't need the revenue. I assume the food is good but need to find a golden ticket in a Wonka bar to experience it.

Went with my wife. The menu had a BBQ section, and you pick 2 sides. I ordered supreme of chicken, with hispi cabbage side. It was really good; much more ‘fine dining’ than the “BBQ” I was expecting - very well cooked and very tasty with a delicious sauce. Also the waitresses were very friendly. Doom Bar and 2 IPAs on offer and whichever IPA the waitress picked went well with my dinner. Will make a point of going again next time we go to Swanage. :-)

Good food, well presented and with friendly service. Short menu but our four meals were very tasty and there is something for everyone. I recommend the Greek lamb. Left a message to book a table and they phoned back as soon as they opened.

We managed to get in for last orders as you need to book everywhere, which we didn’t have but The Anchor made room for us, so we jumped straight into mains, my partner had the steak and I had the chicken from the bbq section and both were absolutely 5 star.Freshly cooked meats, I had fries my partner had chunky chips which we both devoured we both had side salad and the sauces were amazing also great service and the pub itself so clean and up to date decor, definitely will go back. Many thanks

So great to come back to this pub we have been to over the years. Fantastic to see it done up again and serving outstanding meals to families in a clean interesting interior. Staff amazing too fitting in 8 of us at short notice between bookings. Highly recommended. Good range of ciders and beers too.

Great pub with a fab vibe, our waitress was really lovely, didn't catch her name, dark bobbed hair and glasses. Great varied menu, starters were amazing, I had chargrilled asparagus which was superb.3 of us had fish and chips and the portions were huge, the Batter was a bit darker than what I'd normally like but the fish inside was so scrummy.I've already recommended this Great little place to my sister who's visiting Swanage very soon. Thanks for a fab meal.

We booked for a meal one evening, and finding the service and food excellent we returned the following evening, without making a booking.The menu was varied, and the staff although busy, were polite , unpretentious and happy to take custom even if they hadn’t booked.This, compared to a chain of restaurants, which prides itself in sourcing local produce only, could offer us only bar stools around a pillar, or a picnic table looking onto the main road.I would recommend the Anchor Inn.

The restaurant is in the middle of town. It is dog friendly. I made a mistake by assuming that there is a car park. In the end I drove around a couple of times before giving up and followed the sign to the car park.Staff/Service was quick and efficient but let down by their attitude. It was like being served by a robot. I asked for input about the dishes and recommendation only to be told I don’t know. So you do not know what you are selling? Could you not ask another colleague?Fortunately we went there for food and everything that we ordered were nice both in presentation and taste. The fish and chips was really nice. The fish was really soft. Amazing. The price is average/reasonable.Overall we have a great meal, shame about the attitude. We would definitely visit again based on the price of the food.

2 of us ha sea bass, the other had a vegan risotto with a very interesting side of braised cabbage. We all enjoyed wheat we had, the sea bass especially good. We did have to wait a while for the food, but when it arrived we could see why - this is real food, meticulously prepared.All Covid regulations were adhered to, we all felt very safe and well looked after by the friendly staff

Excellent food and service at this smart pub in the heart of Swanage. We had burger and BBQ greek lamb, both of which were very tasty. Would definitely return

Had a lovely meal and evening in this pub. Staff were so friendly even tho there was only 2 of them they did really well to make sure everyone was ok and no long waits a for drinks or food.

Had a great evening meal here on a 5 night visit to Swanage. Restaurant was spacious and service excellent. Staff were really friendly and food choice and quality spot on. Would definitely make this one of the pubs to visit in Swanage.

Helpful, friendly staff and delicious food. We were accommodated at a spacious table and enjoyed excellent service. We will recommend to our friends and return ourselves when we are next visiting.

What a change since the refurb. The family and I had dinner tonight, simple amazing burger for me and an awesome sea bass with chorizo, Greek lamb and then a fresh fish for our son. Highly recommended, great service and food

Loved it here. Done up modern in greys and nice bright white. Loved bbq cabbage side. Great and high quality steaks and nice chunky chips. Too full for deserts but menu looked good

Had a lovely meal here on the evening of the 2nd June. Following all Covid regulations and felt safe eating here. Would recommend.

We went on Sunday, where they operate a Sunday roast menu. We both had roast beef and couldn't fault it! The beef was perfectly cooked and the range of veg was great. We'd definitely come again when back in Dorset.

Couldn’t fault this lovely pub. We were visiting Swanage for a couple of days and looking to have a nice lunch. We had walked into some other pubs in the town but walked out soon after as we didn’t feel the welcome or the atmosphere like we did at the Anchor Inn. The pub is beautiful inside, very clean and fabulous service. We had a warm welcome as soon as we entered and asked if there was a table available. Food was outstanding!! The fresh fish was delicious, great to see other options for vegans and veggies also. Big portion sizes especially for the lunch menu. We had a lovely time and would like to thank you for making our visit to the town more enjoyable.

My wife and I had a very good roast dinner at The Anchor. Great value, good size and loads of flavour. Plenty of room for COVID restrictions. Best to book, but we were lucky today.

My husband I came here for Sunday lunch.We were greeted by a friendly member of staff who showed us to our table and promptly served us drinks and took our food order. We both had the roast beef, it was delicious. Nicer than many we've had elsewhere.Unfortunately once we had received our food the good service then lacked in many ways. No check back, asked for dessert menu but waitress didn't return to take order so gave up after 20 mins of waiting and trying to get her attention ( the problem with being stuck in a corner out of sight I suppose). When payment was taken, no opportunity to give feedback as soon as card was accepted the lady walked off without so much of a good bye or thank you. Shame.

An absolute credit to Swanage, the food and service was excellent, my favourite place to eat in Swanage. Very covid secure

This pub recently refurbished has a cosy feel and wonderful food! Service great certainly not to be missed!

Our first visit to this newly refurbished pub in the centre of Swanage and we were not disappointed.Top class restaurant standard food and service with a great atmosphere.Lot's of lovely homemade dishes and apparently the best pie ever. Not to mention really good beer. Probably up there in the top 3 in Swanage but with better prices. Looking forward to returning after the pointless lockdown..

At times like these, treats are essential. And what a treat my lunch was today. 2 hours exercise, collecting my roast pork on the way home. Perfect. I thought it would be one takeaway box with everything in. But no. One with 3 compartments for vegetables, one for a scrumptious Yorkshire, one for pork and gravy, with extra gravy in another small one.Generous portions, veg cooked to perfection esp the crisp herby roast potatoes! Absolutely delicious. Collected at the door, 100% Covid safe, from a delightful young lady, polite and welcoming. Hard times for Hospitality,,I hope they do well.Highly recommended. Thank you.

Absolutely love the Anchor!! Definitely the best pub in town. Food is amazing and staff are super friendly and welcoming!! Can’t wait to go again!

We popped in on off chance and luckily got a table for 2. Delicious food, reasonably priced and very friendly staff. Oh and our dog was welcomed unlike another pub in the town who isn't allowing dogs because of covid???!!

My family and I turned up without a booking in hopes for a roast, and the extremely welcoming young lad with glasses shuffled other bookings around and got us a table. My wife and I had the roast lamb and it was stunning! My son had a kids chicken roast and is usually a dragging battle to find food he enjoys but he ate up every last bit! The atmosphere was warm and cozy after a long walk in the rain and the service, food and value for money was outstanding. Cannot thank you guys enough for making our wet Sunday into a great afternoon!!

I left a review of the anchor in the summer. I couldn’t speak highly enough, but in the last 2 months The Anchor has risen to another level. Our 1st port of call on arriving in Swanage was here for lunch, OMG its gorgeous. So much so we returned the next day for sunday lunch- the beef just melts in your mouth. I said in the summer we ate here 4 times in a fortnite, this October we plan to eat here 4 times in a week!! We like to try different places but when its this good, its hard to go anywhere else!!The bar staff were again amazing, and even remembered us from the summer, although the wifes multicoloured hair made us more recognisable than most!Were already planning to book for our xmas swanage visit.Please try it, but not to much as we want to be able to book when we visit!!

Popped in last minute. Luckily we got a table. The food was lovely, fresh and tasty. Even the kids chicken nuggets (proper not frozen) were very tasty. Our fussy toddler ate the lot. Note from myself to the chef, steak was awesome and cooked well. Thanks.

Had a really lovely Sunday veggie roast lunch. Having suffered a series of disappointing roasts recently, this was absolutely excellent. All the veg had been cooked in ways that really gave them flavour, the 'mushroom patty' was just a mushroom filled with cheese but I liked that as so often nut roasts, veggie roasts etc are just plain awful. My friend's chicken was lovely. The staff were really good, the Covid measures are well upheld. Testament to how great the food is that when I walked through the restaurant after our meal absolutely everyone's plate was scraped clean. Didn't have room for desert but am sure they would be great. We came from Bournemouth for a day out and are so impressed that in future we will be paying the £9.00 return ferry trip just so we can eat out here now and again.

Just had lunch at the Anchor Inn with family..Well what can I say?We have eaten here a number of times and we are never disappointed. With the current covid situation, they go over and above.One door in, one door out!! Asked to wear mask and sanitiser available at the door. Staff very welcoming, shown to table and table service throughout.Food absolutely scrumptious, 3 had the roast and I had the chateaubriand special. So so tasty, cooked to perfection and presented well.The pub is clean, tables well spaced and rule of 6 adhered too at all times. A venue with pride..

Very friendly reception. Helpful and polite staff. Food was well prepared and very tasty. We had a very enjoyable evening and would recommend it.

We ate dinner as a table of 3 and thoroughly enjoyed it. The food was delicious and the kitchen was very versatile (they adapted the vegan burger to make it vegetarian for me). The deserts were also excellent - great portion sizes and very tasty.The tables were well spaced out and felt safe in terms of social distancing as well as feeling very clean. Everyone was exceptionally friendly and it was a really lovely evening,

We had an absolutly delicious meal with good service. This was the beat vegan burger I've ever had. However the tables were so close together that when another groups were seated behind us we were less than half a metre appart! It made us so uncomfortable we didn't stay for desert which was a shame as they looked amazing. Please consider improving this as all your other precautions were great. The toilets were immaculate

The sanitiser dispensers at the entrance and exit were both out of order, there was no sanitiser available anywhere else in the pub. After ordering food we watched the waitress put our menus back on top of the pile of menus, these were then given to the next customers. They were not sanitised before being reused. The bar staff were handling cash and not once sanitised there hands.

Had a pleasant and tasty lunch. Place is clean and does everything to comply with COVID guidelines. The chicken and bacon salad was nice with different . Burger was goodvegtables

We have been coming to Swanage for years and have never ventured to The Anchor as always looked so dull and dreary........it must have recently had a make over as it looked so clean and fresh through the windows that we booked for a meal on our last night. We were totally blown away by the delicious food and attentive staff. So good to finally have an excellent restaurant in the heart of Swanage. Well done all involved with this amazing transformation. Clean, helpful nothing too much trouble staff and great menu and food.

We enjoyed 2 evening meals at The Anchor, nice modern decor, friendly staff, great food. I would recommend booking as we saw many people turned away who had no reservation.

We found this on our last night which was a shame. The whole ambience is spot on. Very clean, staff excellent, young lad and lady running a pretty full restaurant and nobody waiting. Top marks. Best food we've eaten in a very long time. Immaculately clean and definitely booking another visit to Swanage to try this place again. Advisable to book though.

The Anchor has been superbly refurbished and they are doing great food again. A massive improvement from what it was before the change of management and this is a huge credit to all involved. Very highly recommended!

The meal we had recently at The Anchor was a great improvement over the past few years. The main courses were excellent, the desserts were a little disappointing, but the most disconcerting aspect where the group of non social distancing young people drinking amongst the diners. When the current strangeness has ended the pub will become a useful addition to Swanage eateries, but until then all social distancing rules should be strictly applied.

We are very envious of swanage residents having this great place on their doorstep As regular holiday makers,we were so pleased to find the Anchor had undergone a refurbishment.A first class one!We were very warmly welcomed and enjoyed a first class Sunday roast with excellent wine,most important We will be back

If you want to eat in Swanage make the effort to walk just a 100m or so away from the sea front and visit the Anchor. We found the combination of light bites and mains really good with large portions across the board. The place has just been refurbished and looks great too. The service was excellent - friendly and attentive - and we will deffo head back here next time we are in Swanage.

Fantastic service and amazing food. We've visited the Anchor many times over the years. What an amazing pub this is now since the refit. The menu is really good and the kids menu offers a great choice too. Will definitely be returning. Only downside is no Wednesday night quiz anymore