The Black Bear in Purbeck

This seemed to be a pub favoured by locals which is always great to see, folks coming in being greeted by name. We didn't have any food, but the roast dinners being consumed looked really good. It had a really pleasant friendly atmosphere. All our village pubs need supporting, so if you live in Wool go and become a 'local'.

Op voorhand gereserveerd voor een grote groep, maar de zaak was niet klaar. Het was er niet erg netjes. Menukaart op website en fb komt niet overeen met de realiteit en dan zijn ook niet alle gerechten voorradig. Maaltijden waren niet vers en niet verzorgd. Bediening was niet erg behulpzaam. Zeker voor geen herhaling vatbaar.

Lang moeten wachten vooraleer we een tafel toegewezen kregen, hadden nochtans gereserveerd. Half bediening aan tafel, toch ook zelf veel moeten halen. Verwarrend. Na keuze menu te horen gekregen dat alles er niet meer was. Weer keuze moeten maken. Heel de schuif bestek viel op de grond. Zonder proper te maken gewoon weer in de schuif voor gebruik.

Slightly cliquey pub in nice location in village. Limited but.constantly changing menu which usually seems to include a vegetarian option. Various hotdogs are usually available.There are usually 2 ales and they have been in good condition except one time when it was changed without issue. Although perhaps a little expensive the pub seems to have a good local trade as well as visitors

Very friendly locals pub with a great selection of beers, enjoyed a couple of pints of Full Steam Ahead from the Isle of Purbeck Brewery

Terrible fish & chips, the cheapest frozen fish I’ve ever had. In fact it was hunt the fish as it was a watery frozen mess. For the price we were charged it was awful. The customers on the other tables were also unhappy with their food.

The Black Bear in Wool is a wonderful pub. The staff are brilliant and the service is fantastic. It has a lovely village beer garden.

Took wrong turning from monkey world and found this. What a result. Great food, lot's of beers at a good price and friendly staff. Highly recommend.

Nice food. Dog friendly. Limited menu. Staff were lovely too. Mainly visited by a younger set in the area so may be why I was less comfortable than I should have been. No issues, just didn't get the right vibe for me.

Service was good and fast and good size portions

Revisited The Black Bear after having a lovely meal here last year, the Beef Bourguignon from the specials board was exceptional then and we were looking forward to the same experience. How disappointing to see the menu this time with very basic fried food and lots of burgers and fast food, no specials board either. We chose two meals which we really didn't fancy but we were hungry! The food served to us was appalling; greasy, tasteless and very poor quality. The battered fish was the cheapest, frozen most flavourless anonymous white fish imaginable. The ham was not real ham but pre-formed pink meat resembling something between spam and dog food which I could not eat as it made me feel queasy. My advice is to avoid this pub and look for one of the other better pubs in Wool as we totally wasted our money at The Black Bear.

This place was great! Stumbled across the Black Bear after visiting the Tank Museum. We had one of the specials, pulled pork and fries which were really tasty and surprised me! And at a very decent price of £9.50! There are a few places to park and it was really nice to sit outside in the sun, friendly staff as well. I would definitely recommend to anybody in the area!

Locale caratteristico ed accogliente!

A lovely place to eat, staff very friendly and helpful. What is better than sitting outside on a hot summers day with a good point and tasty meal

Stopped in for a pint warm friendly welcome and good service. Nice pub serving good beer

Lovely village pub in the village of Wool. Near Bovington tank museum and Monkey World. Compared to the surrounding areas The Black Bear is very reasonable. Light lunches and some specials always available. Great selection of ales and wines. Big garden and seating inside also. Plenary of parking around the area.

Drinks are over priced. Paid £2.50 more than at the nearby Ship Inn for a pint and vodka and coke. By far the most expensive pint, vodka and coke we had to pay during our stay in Dorset The pub looks great from outside but a bit grubby inside. Won't return here, would go to The Ship Inn instead

RUDE STAFF The food was horrible tasted like it had been microwaved, burgers looked inedible and was over cooked. Certain staff was rude and unwelcoming. Felt like an outside would not recommend and will not be visiting again. Came from out of town traveled far and was very disappointed with there service. Ham was grey and also inedible

On arriving at the black bear we walked in and was greeted by a member of staff who told us we had to order food at the bar, which you couldn't get to with all the locals drinking at the bar. It made much more sense to order at the table with it clearly being busy. After I shouted my order over people enjoying a drink I was overcharged. I spoke to a member of staff to inform them, which she later came back and handed me some change that was still not the correct amount with no apology. The food arrived at the table,the children's food was fine however the two portions of fajitas where awful, one being vegetarian that was completely inedible! I approached another member of staff and asked for the "chicken" to be taken back as it couldn't be eaten. For her to take it from the table without saying a word and did not return. Not one member of staff was helpful or seem to care how awful the food was. I'm not one to leave a review especially a bad one however when on holiday I'm sure like many others you go by reviews and unfortunately I wouldn't waste anymore money here.

Friendly local pub with well priced food which was cooked beautifully. Staff were attentive and the food arrived promptly.

Cute local pub, good range of drinks Simple warm food for a brunch Clean and tidy toilets Lovely and friendly staff, always there to help you

Not a bad pub. Recently taken over and a big learning curve. We had a meal and couple of bottles of wine. I had fish and chips which was ok, my wife had the scampi. Both were of a good size. Dessert was a bit different as they didn't have fresh fruit for the Sundaes so I had the chocolate sundae which was ok. The decor is a bit dated but fingers crossed they bring it up to date in due course.

The ad on the facade says “serving morning coffee”. We were sitting in the yard and waiting for the pub to open when an owner came and told us in an extremely rude manner we are not supposed to be there. I think he needs to be reminded the pub is supposed to serve visitors with morning coffee instead of telling them what to do.

Saw “morning coffee” when passing by around 10 am. Tried to knock or enter, the doors were closed. Ok, we decided to wait for a pub to open at the yard. Nothing about opening time was found anywhere. Then a random guy came out the car and told us to leave as it is a PRIVATE PROPERTY. Wuuut. He even didn’t try to ask what we were waiting for there hah. Honestly, happy not to spend my money there. Wool’s hospitality at its best 😵‍💫

Great Service, Friendly Staff, and Convenient Amenities I recently visited this restaurant and wanted to share my thoughts on the experience. While the food was not exceptional, it wasn't bad either—it fell somewhere in the "so-so" category. The flavors were decent, but I felt it lacked that extra touch to make it truly memorable. However, the other aspects of the restaurant made up for it. The service was absolutely amazing. The staff members were friendly, attentive, and accommodating. They made me feel welcome from the moment I walked in, and their professionalism and helpfulness throughout my meal were commendable. Their warmth and attentiveness truly enhanced my dining experience. One highlight of this restaurant is the wonderful staff. They were knowledgeable about the menu, eager to assist with any requests, and genuinely cared about ensuring my satisfaction. Their exceptional service definitely left a positive impression on me. Additionally, it was a pleasant surprise to find free WiFi available. It's always convenient to have access to the internet while dining, whether for work, socializing, or simply staying connected. The provision of this amenity shows that the restaurant understands and values the needs of its customers. While the food may not have blown me away, the excellent service, friendly staff, and the convenience of free WiFi make this restaurant a decent choice. If you're looking for a place with a pleasant ambiancebiance, attentive staff, and the ability to stay connected online, this restaurant might just fit the bill.

lovely owner who gas not long taken over .it was very quiet so a bit hard to rate .it's a lovely old pub .Will definitely stop by in a few months to see the changes.

We booked a table for dinner at 6.30 pm by telephone on the day we wanted to eat here. However, when we arrived they were obviously not coping with only one waitress who was, to be fair, very friendly. However we waited quite a while to be served and then waited over an hour for our food to arrive which was ok but could have been nicer

We waren te vroeg in de avond, alleen wat lokale bevolking,maar het biertje was heerlijk.

We were told that there were no tables, they were all booked up. We were not even offered a time slot, but sign posted to another pub.

Old style pub, close to Wool station, first pit stop before you head to Durdle door. Ideal when waiting for the bus to Durdle door.

A Fantastic pub in a beautiful little village , it was a great place to enjoy a couple of pints after a hard day sightseeing. The atmosphere inside was really good . As we wasn’t locals we was treated as if we’d been in there a thousand times before . We didn’t get any food this time , but we did see the food other people were having and it looked really really nice also really generous portion sizes . So if you’re ever in the area it’s a must you visit The Black Bear . There’s a beautiful outside garden area you can use when the weather is on your side .

Visited for Sunday lunch whilst holidaying in the area, warm welcome and lovely little pub, lunch was nice but very small portions for the price, yes I am a big eater but the veg was about 5 carrots and a tea spoon of cabbage, oh I forgot about the cauliflower cheese which comes separately for 2 to share, the gravy was also a little bit watery for our taste, having said that perhaps we are just greedy and expected a loaded plate.

Popped in not knowing the area. They could accommodate us no notice. Food very average not overly enjoyable. Food quite expensive for what was offered. Roast Beef 14£ and one roast potato served on the plate with one yorkshire seasonal veg and the meat!! No atmosphere. We had to ask for menus. Service wasn't great. Wouldn't go back or recommend. I came away feeling I had wasted my money spending it there. You are likely to be disappointed.

Service was good however all the food we had for lunch came out of a Freezer. Salad out of a bag. Baguette was fresh. Expensive for what it was. Won’t be back.

We visited wanting a light sandwich for lunch. They only sell a sandwich with chips. How unhealthy is that! Not wanting unhealthy chips we ordered just a sandwich a piece. You would have thought they might knock something off the bill for no chips but no….. An unhealthy rip off

We visited here while on holiday in the area. The staff were friendly and helpful. We ordered food which came quickly. I had fish and chips my partner had a burger and the kids had fish fingers. It was all very bland and basic. The burger was plain, the roll was just a precut roll. The fish needed another 10 mins cooking time, very soggy. Kids meals were very basic and just what you would expect buying frozen food. The actual pub is clean and pleasant just need to give the food a bit of umph!!!

Came for lunch, we were handed the Sunday lunch menu's and advised everything was available on the menu, when we pointed out this was a weekday, they quickly swapped for a different menu that contained very few choices. The waiter was not familiar with the menu so ordering was difficult. We got there in the end and the food came quite quickly. My greek salad came minus tomatoes and cucumber but did have 2 small chunks of feta cheese. Not the best or worst pub grub I have experienced.

local pub good bar food and free house Beers

Great place with very friendly cook 😉

Food was nice, basic menu but good.

So disappointed . Burger was most likely frozen then directly microwaved rubbery and grisly. Out of the freezer chips. Not the place it was with fresh tasty healthy options.

Found The Black Bear at the end of a dog walk, warm welcome, and tasty food. Well worth .a return visit.

Lovely local pub with great grub - they have an outstanding Ale - Flack Double - not to be missed - call in and try it - you won't be disappointed

Would suggest you update your menus on line as outdated. Arrived tonight off the street to find it was a curry night. Again this would have helped if it was noted on line which nights were the fortnightly curry special. The currys we tried were the chicken which was fine. I found the mushroom curry was reasonable. The sambles were not explained we had to ask what the green paste was. May i suggest consider making a symbals of toms, cue and onions which are ok and what i had out in the middle east. The meal was ok

nice pub to have a drink and a bite to eat at , dog friendly to so if your out with your best friend call in .

Popped into The Black Bear during the afternoon whilst walking the dog. Landlord and landlady immediately made me welcome, biscuit and water for the dog. Had a pint of 1664 and Flack ale. Perfect quality and great price. Locals in bar friendly. Great, proper pub, no snobby people, will go again for food.

Dupa o zi la Tank Museum la recomandarea curatorului de la muzeu am mers la acest pub pt o bere si un five o'clock tea fierbinte. Ne-a placut mult locatia era cald si primitor intr-o zi ploioasa si cu vant.

I think this pub has changed hands recently as it has always offered excellent service in the past. Unfortunately their Sunday lunch yesterday was let down by the Nut roast which was very dry, hard and inedible in parts. I told the lady who served us and she said she would tell the chef. However I received no apology nor did they deduct anything from my bill to compensate. I was disappointed by this service. I hope things will improve for this popular village pub.

We had a roast lunch at the Black Bear today. Good service ordering our food and it was mostly well cooked. But sadly the Nut Roast option for vegetarians was very dry and hard and inedible in parts. Despite telling the serving lady, who said she would inform the chef, I received no apology and upon paying the bill no deduction for the fact I couldn’t eat most of the nut roast. I rarely complain, but hope that the owners treat their customers a little better.

Very welcoming pub with a nice atmosphere and good menu at good prices would recommend if looking for a nice country pub .

Lovely pub, good drinks, friendly people

Used to go for Sunday Roast years ago. Returned today for a Sunday Roast. A very good choice on menu for a Sunday. Had the usual Roast Beef. It was extremely lean which I like. I hate fat. When the plate came out at first I thought it was a little meagre! Then the Cauliflower Cheese and gravy came out. The Roast potatoes were covered in herbs. The gravy was very tasty, not brand. When it was all on our plates it was extremely delicious. Best we have had in along while. We will definitely be back. I would recommend this PH for Sunday lunch to anyone.

Brilliant staff really good food

Close to wool station. Food is amazing..

Very welcoming to us and the dog, who enjoyed her sausage from doggie menu. Good lunch and friendly service

Popped by a couple of times and both times some boisterous loud foul mouthed men dominate the pubs atmosphere. Not enjoyable .

very decent pub with nice service and very tasty, freshly prepared fries (according to our son at least 9 out of 10 stars!); we were (unfortunately) only here for a stopover, but the impression was very decent!

Very nice and friendly pub great grub

Visited Black Bear on Bank holiday Monday (29/08). Outside area busy due to bank holiday event, restaurant wasn’t busy. Arrived at 18:40 Ordered quickly on arrival. Waited an hour and half for the food to arrive. 3 burgers ordered, pasta, chicken and chicken korma, one of the burgers was the wrong order, all burgers were badly over cooked (burnt) . Discussed a refund on the wrong burger and due to the time taken for food to reach the table. We were informed we could not have a refund that we could have half a pint of Pepsi. Informed member of staff that I thought it was appalling customer service. The male server was courteous and apologetic but informed us that the owners were not available to make a decision on the poor quality of food and incorrect orders.

The restaurant is very near to wool station just 5 min walk. I really like the vegetable burger was so so awesome .They have a variety of alcohol, I didn’t like the cider a lot but beer was really good . Good place to chill with friends .I would really like to visit again

On walking in, we allowed the waitress to come out first with 2 plates of food… not a smile or a thank you. My wife ordered the korma with basmati rice and I ordered the gammon steak with one fried egg as an extra. I have to say, the gammon was quite decent but the chips tasted like the fat hadn’t been changed in a month! The korma was bland and tasteless and it wouldn’t have looked out of place in a hospital. It was clearly microwave rice and some watery resemblance of chicken with some kind of spice. The waitress spoke to the chef and he very kindly said we could choose another dish! There was a heated conversation going on behind the bar about us saying it was inedible, the atmosphere in the pub was almost as cold as the salad on my plate, not a nice welcome and then a sarcastic…. Enjoy your evening as we left.

Excellent location with beautiful surroundings. Staff were reasonably polite and the food was excellent. Only a quick stop this time but will certainly visit again for dinner at some point

Food menu and quality was exceptional for the cost. Vegetarian options a bit limited, but great value for money.

Leider von der Managerin sehr unfreundlich angegangen. Die Küche war geschlossen, weswegen wir neben den bestellten Getränken auch ein paar Nüsse und Früchte aus unserem eigenen Vorrat gegessen haben. Kundenorientierung und Freundlichkeit geht anders. Nie wieder.

Done a 9 mile walk and ended up in wool , to catch the train home , found the black bear for a well needed drink , lovely friendly lady behind the bar , sat out in the garden , looked at their menu and as it was lunch time had bacon, cranberry and Brie warm baguette ! Wow with chips and salad , so filling for a lunch time meal, good price and was delicious , we were staying in moreton , and next time while on holiday we will train it to there for drinks and meal great pub and thank you !

Staff are lovely but don’t order the gammon paper thin over cooked and not nice got nothing with it like egg or pineapple and expensive for what it is wouldn’t go again left the lot and came out hungry .. they did ask if I wanted some thing else but had already waited half an hour for that

Lovely little pub with delightful staff,definitely worth a visit

A great little pub. 5 minutes walk from the train station with great outdoor space to sit in the sun and enjoy a pint, a small but great lunch menu offering definitely worth a stop.

Real Ale try the third 😉 friendly efficient service. Reasonably priced food.

Food was fantastic cold beer.. Sun was out so it was excellent great service too. Would a recommend going there.

Good beer good food will definitely use again

Friendly local pub with a lovely beer garden and an excellent selection of ales, cider and lager's...

Great little country pub. We walked 40 minutes from longthorns campsite for food & drinks & they did not disappoint. Friendly staff , nice food at a reasonable price and beer too.

Stop off for dinner and didn't disappoint lovely traditional pub serving pub grub . Not gastro or overpriced food. Nice menu , very clean and friendly atmosphere.

Amazing pub. Friendliest staff, solid selection of beers, and great place to hang out. Their team also gave me milk for my kids breakfast after shops had shut. Proper legends!

Excellent service and excellent food!! Definitely a go to place for lunch in Dorset!!

Really nice little pub not far from the train station Very friendly staff was made very welcome and the locals made us very welcome average bar prices £8.40p for two pints And the looked very good we didn't eat but have in the past and it was lovely

Nice village pub, good beer and reasonably priced decent grub.

Food was lovely the little one made quite a bit of notice but they we fine definitely go back

Excellent food excellent service

Great food, clean, felt at home with a warm welcome, food arrived quickly would highly recommend

Friendly atmosphere, lovely staff. Tasty Sunday lunch, generous portions. Would definitely go back

Great food, great positive vibes for just a watering hole. The guys run a great pub enjoyed the ale selection. Love their pale ales highly recommend on the return or travel to Lulworth.

Not S it was don't buy the food 😒

Popped in for a quick snack, and found a friendly welcoming vibe and a nice menu! We had a vegetarian in our group and everyone found something delicious! All around great pub!

Excellent,very clean,and very friendly,staff very friendly

Average pub but very dated. Food was okay but nothing amazing

What a gem. Food was delicious and the staff happy and friendly. Highly recommended

Amazing food cooked to perfection

Great welcome and great food, beers pretty good too.

Fantastic. Lovely food. Often have a gig on. Good for all ages. Lovely bear garden

Lovely Sunday roast. Had to book

A lovely wedding anniversary meal at the Black Bear tonight, highly recommended! Lovely food with prompt, efficient and friendly service. We're sort of local (Poole) and we try to visit when we can due to work and family commitments. We had the sirloin steak which was cooked to perfection. I've always loved the little restaurant bit at the back, hasn't changed and don't want it to! See you next time :)

wow wow wow we have stayed in wool for many years and we eat at most of the local places cafes , pubs etc last week we booked a table for 4 people on the last night of our holiday and the food was just amazing i had a starter of prawns in tempura batter and when they came out they looked spot on the taste was amazing and i remarked to the family if the main is as good as this then we are in for a treat,so out came the steak (sirloin med rare) and chips and boy oh boy it was just amazing a sort of steak and chips holy grail it was that good my wife had the Thai green curry and said it was so so good also the service from the staff was excellent absolutely faultless and to give you an idea as to why as we left my wife left her phone behind the staff were kind enough to ring me and run up the road with the phone to hand it back, absolutely top marks for that , if you want amazing food in wool then look no further we will be back.

Visited this pub a few times now and not been disappointed. There are usually 3 well kept cask ales on tap. The food is good and home cooked. Service is excellent by friendly staff. Pub is clean and good Covid-19 protection measures have been in place. Near train station and bus routes.

AMAZING! VERY SPACIOUS, VERY CLEAN AND STAFF EXTREMELY FRIENDLY. THE FOOD WAS WONDERFUL, STARTERS AND MAINS AND ALL 5 OF US THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE SCRUMPTIOUS FOOD DELIVERED TO THE TABLE! DEFINITELY RECOMMEND 🥰

Lovely pub. Lovely staff and an amazing landlady Mel

Very nice beer and food. Lovely setting and friendly staff. Current owner are relocating.

Food was great. Very helpful staff.

Great food and service. So good we went back another night. First time we ate outside and 2nd inside. We were lucky as we had not booked but they were great and found us a table.