The Cabin in Purbeck

We never got to experience this cafe. We got there on 27/9/2024 having travelled specifically to eat there based on the positive reviews, I also checked their website/facebook page and there was no announcements about closing. Their page says opened till the end of September and as this was the 27th and a glorious, warm and sunny day we assumed it’d be open. I also did ring the mobile number during the morning (we were getting there for lunch) but no one picked up, I assumed they were busy. Unfortunately one of our family members suffered an injury going down to the cafe so the whole experience was tainted and hugely disappointing.

A fabulous spot, virtually on the beach at Swanage, with some shelter from the sea breeze and a beautiful view of the bay on 2 levels. The warm cheese scone came with butter and marmite and was a treat. The warm Dorset apple cake was fresh and tasty. The cappuccinos tasted like the packet version, so this is not the place for coffee aficionados, in my view. Loved the venue and the food!

We came across the cabin in August and rented sun loungers and parasol which they put up for us no trouble ideal spot on the beach and reasonably priced lunch and drinks so decided to come back again in sept unfortunately they were closing but after hearing we had driven down from Bournemouth they made us coffee and let us use the table with sea view and no charge We were well pleased we would recommend the cabin first class service and staff

Visited The Cabin in September,24. Was greeted by the convivial hosts Ant & Dec (Sorry Mike) We enjoyed a delightful breakfast in the friendly atmosphere and outstanding setting with views over the delightful Swanage Bay. A very pleasant place to visit. Thank you Colin & Hazel

This is 3rd year we have been coming here . We go for an early walk with our boys before breakfast and have lovely coffee . The staff always remember us and what we have to drink . See you all next August .

Found this little gem after strolling along the beach at Swanage. Had a great breakfast, lovely cup of coffee in a proper mug!. Lovely friendly staff nothing was too much trouble. Great views, the perfect way to start your day. 100% will go back again. Thank you.

Our visits to Swanage on an annual basis are linked to this little gem of a cafe. We love the fact that there is no road and a fab view of coast. If you are in an Airbnb or have the option of eating breakfast other than in your accommodation, the breakfasts are first class. Highly recommended!

My wife and I had never been to this end of Swanage before and we were delighted to find somewhere for a snack and a drink. Well, the snack turned out to be something extra special. My wife wasn’t hungry so it was only myself eating. I ordered a crab salad which was absolutely delicious. The crab came served with amazing salad, which included apple and orange on the side, absolutely delicious accompanied by a glass of cider. The gentleman that served me was extremely friendly and we’ll definitely go back. I only wish I’d taken a picture to post on here.

Gorgeous breakfast! Location is great, right on the beach. Full English and hot chocolate were lovely. Staff super friendly and welcoming. We will be back 🥰

The most amazing spot in Swanage. Had a wonderful long, late lunch in a fabulous spot practically on the beach. Great food and very good, friendly service. Can't recommend enough

Lovely food, lovely staff, lovely location. Would recommend the BLT with Brie and the Chicken Burger. Lovely View!!!!

Wonderful lunch in a fantastic setting overlooking the sea. Very friendly staff. Dog friendly. Great place to grab a coffee or bite to eat.

Dropped in on day trip to Swanage to restore the caffeine levels and succumbed to the ice cream ... sometimes you just have to. Incredibly generous single scop that certainly overhung the cone .. a challenge to get under control before melting . Ended up wearing a lot of course. Coffee in large mugs ... Great.

What a lovely spot for breakfast, sitting virtually on the beach. Service was good and the staff very welcoming. Not the biggest menu for breakfast but the food was very good. Love that they let you know when they are open by flying the Union Jacks.

Top-notch breakfast yet again! My favourite place to come and look at the waves and enjoy amazing food, locally sourced freshly cooked – without fail the team always deliver a perfect meal. We enjoyed vegetarian breakfasts served by friendly staff and cooked to perfection – I cannot recommend The Cabin highly enough! We will be back.

Lovely and generous breakfast- we had the full English and a vegetarian breakfast. Good portion sizes with stunning views across the bay. We will definitely be returning.

Just had a lovely breakfast at the Cabin,great friendly staff with amazing views, very Covid safe very clean and great view

Great to be back at the Cabin. A brilliant cafe, with good food, friendly owner/staff, and of course the wonderful views across Swanage bay.

Thoroughly enjoyed our visits to The Cabin, always a warm welcome with friendly staff. The ideal place for dog walkers as it is located near to the beach where dogs can enjoy a dip in the sea! Delicious breakfast and toasted sandwiches. A must for us when we are staying in Swanage.

We’ve only stopped for drinks before when walking our dog down to the dog friendly beach, but being away on our own walked down for lunch yesterday. We sat on the top decking with fabulous views over the bay. Considering how busy it was the food came in good time, I had a lovely prawn salad, nice large fresh salad and generous amount of prawns. My husband said his Brie & bacon bap was the best he’d had. So happy we got to have lunch here and had a great time. Plan to come back when we’re next here and have the fish basket.

The food and Welcome are excellent. So long as you arrive away from peak time the wait to order is reasonable. They work hard to make the dining experience a good one.In the week we have just spent in Swanage my family and I ate there three times.

Just had a delicious breakfast here with the best sea views in swanage !! Can’t recommend this place enough . Good food , good views and friendly atmosphere ! What more could you want .

Had a fabulous full english, food was cooked fresh, excellent quality and quick & friendly service. Very reasonably priced given the fabulous beach front location.

What a lovely setting for a delicious breakfast by the sea. We found the Cabin from reviews on Trip Advisor and we haven’t been disappointed. The staff Michael and Anthony are very friendly and helpful. We have enjoyed the breakfast so much that we have returned on 3 occasions. The setting on the beach front with seating on an upper level, makes it a lovely sun trap. All food was prepared to order and nothing was too much trouble for the men in the kitchen. Thank you you have added to our memories for Swanage

Lovely food and great service with an amazing view! We will most definitely come back everytime we are in Swanage.

Good menu including a Fantastic breakfast with friendly service. We’ve visited twice this week and intend to have a third breakfast before travelling home. We would highly recommend a visit to this cafe with beautiful views of the bay

If you come to Swanage you must have at least one meal on this beach cafe . Situated on the beach under the Grand hotel, it is a perfect little piece of paradise. Serving breakfast, lunch and drinks. We had fab fresh crab sandwiches and our friends had the posh fish finger sandwiches. Washed done with cold white wine and plenty of sunshine. Perfect day!

What a location?! Even on a windy bank holiday morning we managed to secure a table with a view which was second to none. With magnificent views of the shoreline we enjoyed our breakfasts and I have to say they were ENJOYED. Vegetarian full English breakfast, extras added - the ingredients are top quality and perfectly cooked, plate placement was perfect with attention to detail. Staff are friendly, nothing is too much trouble and I cannot recommend highly enough. We will cannot wait to come back again for a crab-burger!

Great to be back at The Cabin. Heat food great service. Best place in Swanage to chill and watch the world go by and the waves lapping on the sandy beach. And Bonny’s favourite place for a slice of bacon.

Just back from a long weekend in Swanage and visited The Cabin every morning for breakfast. The cleanest breakfast ever, so tasty and all served within government guidelines. The staff are so friendly. My only advise get there early to avoid disappointment people were queuing for seats at breakfast time. Think the person that gave this a one ate in a different place. Will definitely be visiting again.

Great place to enjoy the view...but don’t eat the poor quality food, terrible breakfast..so bad I just left it..probably the worse full English I have tasted.

Not sure what the 1 star was for on a previous review don't think he was eating at the same beach cafe! Never disappoints had a full english breakfast here today food was well presented and very tasty. The staff are very friendly and polite. All covid measures in place. A great place to eat and a fantastic view what more could you ask for and dog friendly. They also do dog ice cream which my dog loved. Will definitely be back soon.

We stumbled across the cabin on a walk along swanage beach. We had a lovely breakfast looking out across the beach and lovely service throughout. We’ll definitely visit again when we’re next in swanage!

Visited 3 times over our short stay. Each visit every one was polite, welcoming and very helpful. For a small beach cafe they have a good range of food and also drinks. The place was very clean and all the seats looked over the sea. A perfect spot. I had a delightful full cooked breakfast this morning washed down with a Dorset cup of tea. A great beach bar.

We came here after a walk to old Harry’s Rocks. It is a friendly and efficient restaurant working well within covid guidelines. We enjoyed views of swanage bay whilst eating quality, well prepared food for all the family. We especially enjoyed our wine and beers looking over the bay. We will definitely come again! Superb meal out

We’ve just had a great bite of lunch at the Cabin along the beach in Swanage, Dorset. The food is great, especially the seafood basket, you can grab a beer/ wine and there’s plenty of choice for the kids. A little away from the crowds (and the better for it) this is a great find, has benches right by the beach and booths set a little into the bottom of the cliff. The staff are very friendly and the place is dog friendly.

Whilst taking a stroll along the Swanage seafront we fancied some refreshment and happened on The Cabin.Coffee with a warm mince pie was good but my wife decided to have an ice cream - in December!The owners were good company and chatted away with us

Excellent freshly cooked fish basket (even happy the replace items with other as per taste), very warm welcome

We visited this little gem twice, once for breakfast and once for drinks. It was one of the highlights of our trip. Amazing spot right by the beach with views to die for. A very friendly place to sit and watch the world go by with amazing staff and food. Next time we are down this way, we plan to visit here again and can't wait. Just love it!

View from a cafe looking right over swanage beach and Bay. Wonderfu service and the photos speak for themselves . Can't wait to go back for more crab!

This is literally a hidden gem. It looks like you're going into the private gardens of the Grand Hotel, but keep walking! The most friendly service and amazing food with a view you cannot beat.

Fantastic crab sandwich here with an amazing view! Very efficient service. Be aware that there are no toilets though.

We found this amazing spot by accident after a beach walk. On both visits I had the crab salad and my wife had the crab sandwich + chips, my daughter had the spicy bean burger. It was all faultless! Great care is placed on distancing and sanitisation of menu's etc. What more can I say! Well done for an amazing lunch we will be back! Family from Tetbury.

Very Covid friendly environment with shelter from the rain if needed. Staff are very friendly and accommodating to needs of everyone. Love sitting in the booths admiring the stunning sea view. Best crab sandwich ever in the best location. Thank you 😊

Go to the right of the hotel and down through the garden to find this bustling cafe right on the beach. We shared a seafood basket for a light lunch after a walk along the cliffs from Studland. Table 25 a sunny sheltered spot from the NE wind on a breezy autumn day. Friendly and efficient service following strict Covid procedures for a perfect lunch on a perfect day. Thank you The Cabin for a memorable lunch.

I checked Trip Advisor for where to lunch in Swanage and found The Cabin. I managed to park near The Grand Hotel and walked down a lane to the beach, though you can approach it from Swanage promenade. I received a warm welcome and chose a Crab Salad which was delicious and beautifully presented. All the passing food looked great too. The Cabin is in a lovely location right by the beach with three levels of seating (beware, no lavatories). I’ll happily return.

We have been to this place a number of times when we visit Swanage. Turn left and walk along the sea front past the private beach, beach huts and cliffs. It is directly below the Grand Hotel and right on the beach. A lovely place to chill and watch the world go by. You may see a dolphin or seal if conditions are right. We only ever have a coffee but it’s good and the chap who serves you is very pleasant and efficient .

This is our first time visiting. We had the full English breakfast and I must say it was incredibly well cooked, presented and priced. We have visited a good number of places for breakfast and I must say this is one of the best! To top off the exceptional breakfast and view, the staff were very polite, positive and welcoming. The owner was not afraid to come and have a chat with us. When visiting Swanage again we will most definitely be having breakfast at The Cabin.

The Cabin is a great beach bar with varied seating on 3 levels. The seafood was v tasty as was a spicy bean burger, chips & sandwiches. Beer was lovely & cold, coffee lovely & hot The outstanding part of The Cabin, apart from its great location, is the warm welcome & quality of service. Sunny, the owner, was v busy the day we 6 visited but he was cheerful & charming non the less . If you like a chill beach vibe, here it is!!!!! Thanks Sunny!!

Spent an afternoon in the sun on roof terrace sipping a drink eating ice cream looking out to sea.a littal bit off the Mediterranean in Dorset. Lovely place friendly staff covid secure without making you feal unconfable and seen to have flexible open hous other place along the seafront alreadey closed for winter.only drawback no internet and no toilets

Food absolutely wonderful brie burger was amazing and Eton mess cherry bakewell is a must Perfect place to sit in the sun. Very friendly staff lovely and clean too.

A long awaited visit to Swanage was made all the better by lunch at The Cabin . In fact it was so good we went all 4 days of our trip . Great food in a lovely setting directly overlooking the beach with friendly staff and great observation of Covid safety . Highly recommended

No trip to Swanage would be complete without a Fish Platter at The Cabin. Great food, excellent service, even in these difficult times. Loved the frozen grapes in the wine. Looking forward to our next holiday there.

Staff were friendly and food was great! We visited twice during our stay in Swanage and would recommend.

What a fabulous find this gem of a cafe is! This cafe has THE most stunning sea views set over several levels so there is plenty of space and seating outdoors and also some seating under cover. Now we love a crab sandwich and this was one of the best crab sandwiches we've ever had. Together with lovely staff and glorious views and a glass off chilled prosecco what more could you want? If you have children they could play on the beach while parents could chill and enjoy the tranquility. Nice walk from swanage Town to the cafe. We can't wait to go back!

Can only agree with other comments. We were staying at the grand Hotel above the Cabin. We were so impressed with every aspect of this beach cafe. Lovely lunchtime food. Try the seafood basket, yum. Great service from everyone and a location to die for. They deserve to do well.

So good to sit in the sunshine, literally two yards from the golden sands. we enjoyed some excellent sandwiches, great coffee, and superb wine. Very Good

Visited here this morning - beautiful location, very good food and the mans serving was very friendly and welcoming. highly recommend if you're in Swanage

We were delighted to find this place in such a brilliant location. Food was nice, service was good all looking out to sea made it a great spot for our holiday lunches. Thoroughly recommend

If you want a cafe on the beach this is it. The food is what you’d expect. It would be great if they offered decaf coffee and slightly better quality food items. They are competitively priced for breakfast.

What a wonderful place we stumbled across today. Great range on the menu and ours was delicious (bacon & brie) excellent, friendly service and incredible views. It's quite a drive from where we live but we will definitely make the effort to go again... maybe for breakfast

Really good well cooked food. We had the seafood bucket and the cabin delux burger, both of which were really lovely. Beautiful setting too.

AMAZING!! Came upon this place purely by accident and so glad we did. Visited today with my friend after a walk up to Old Harry Rocks. Awesome food, awesome service and fab setting and general atmosphere. Thanks guys 👍

Lovely lunch overlooking the sea in our own booth. We both had crab cakes which were delicious. Definitely recommend these. Very clean establishment with good safety measures adhered to. Thank you Mike.

was in swanage for the day and walking along the beach and came across this restaurant, it is right on the beach with decks going up the cliff for something a little more private, we sat on the beach. Menu is good, food is taste and service was with a smile. The weather was excellent which helped but would go again and recommend . During these strange times name and number was taken, there was distance between the tables but servers were not wearing masks but then no-one was in swanage and i could not see any hand gel. food was expensive but was worth it

We went for coffee and that progressed to lunch with wine! Twice this happened!! Both times we sat in our own booth looking out to sea. The perfect spot. Can thoroughly recommend the seafood basket. The lovely friendly lady taking orders was brilliant. She even added a couple of iced red grapes into our rose wine. A nice touch. Tasted good too! Sarah (believe that’s her name) young lass from Liverpool was great too. Jolly friendly personality and made us laugh. Great to enjoy some normality with excellent food and drinks. Congratulations to all staff. Your doing a cracking job.

Hard to beat this place for the location, very friendly staff and lovely breakfast, get here early for best cabin seats

We enjoyed The Cabin a few times over our weekend break in Swanage. We liked the roof bar looking out over the sea and the lady who worked behind the bar was extremely friendly and helpful. Would recommend !

It was great to return to a favourite little spot in Swanage discovered a couple of years ago. The seafood basket is delicious and although I see quite a rise in prices, I would say this little gem of a place is worth it They truly look after their customers and work hard to please; the sun was out and I so hope little places like this continue to survive in these changeable times. Thank you for a lovely lunch and hope to see you next year.

It was so good we went back! Recommend the crab, fresh that morning, worth waiting for delivery. Lovely staff and so chilled we sat and watched the world go round.

Fabulous location right on Swanage beach with fantastic views. Generally decent grub but sausages were a disappointment (like something out of the ‘70’s). Pretty much everything else was good tho. Decent value too.

We had a superb Full English Breakfast, which was served very quickly by friendly helpful Staff, nice location overlooking the Sea, very clean with lots of choice as well, ice creams, sandwiches, light lunches and more, decent prices as well.

What a joy to see the flag flying . Great place great food & friendly staff , best customer service ever . Can’t wait to come back to Swanage !!

Always come here for breakfast at least twice when we stay in swanage and it never disappoints. Great food and great service.

Excellent food and service as always at The Cabin in fact they should offer customer service training they are so good. Always a joy to spend time there, however, still not seen a dolphin!!!!!

I have been coming to Swanage for 30 plus years. The Cabin is now one of my favourite places. This is the area of beach we choose to sit on. Lovely food from breakfasts to burgers. The staff are lovely!! Friendly and helpful. Always smiling! Special mention to the owner. Always a pleasure when he serves you.Yesterday we had the prawn sandwich and the lovely fish finger sandwich. Followed by glasses of wine on the beach late afternoon.

What a great find. On a sunny day, one of the best beach bars I’ve ever been to (I have visited beach bars all around the world including Thailand, Australia, the Caribbean and America so that is a truly high complement).What sets this bar apart is the excellent, cheerful service and the friendly banter. Drinks are far cheaper than you might expect for the setting, and the barman introduced me to grapes in my wine (keeps it cold, and then a tasty little snack afterwards)!!Definitely worth hunting out. Just kick back, chill out, and enjoy supporting a local business who put in a lot of effort.

I have just come back from a weekend away with friends in Swanage. We stayed in the lovely Grand Hotel but for me what made the break was breakfast on the beach at The Cabin each morning. It was lovely and hot, fantastic friendly service from the owners and an amazing view - I will certainly be recommending this to friends and will be back to Swanage to have my breakfast on the beach again, Thank you guys.

This up-market cafe with a separate set of decks on the cliff face and tables set on the promenade serves a range of fish and seafood dishes. We had the posh fish finger sandwich and the seafood basket. Owned by a friendly couple and below the Grand Hotel . Seems very popular.

We stayed at The Grand Hotel above this cafe - and what a bonus to find this fantastic little cafe at the bottom of the stairs to the beach.We had Fantastic Crab sandwiches and salads sourced every day from the local fisherman. The icecreams were to die for! And in the evening we had Rhubarb G&T's on the beachThe owner and his staff were really friendly. The view and seating area is great - much better than you'd expect for a beach cafe. What a gem - we hope to go back very soon.

I have been to this establishment many times in recent years and have never left a review. Shame on me.This cafe / diner is Unique. It’s outdoor seating is amazingly cut into the cliffs giving the diners or coffee / tea lovers an incredible view whilst enjoying the Fayre of their choice. I have had breakfasts and lunches here and they are always excellent.They also do take aways which are also highly acceptable. They do a Great sandwich too.The place is admirably run by “Sunny”, ( by name and nature) and his incredibly hard working team.I urge you to go here, because if you don’t then you are missing out on one of life’s most interesting dining experiences.Cheers.Famous Phil.

Mike and the team put a hell of a shift in. Great food and drinks Awesome view. Especially if you’re staying at the the Grand

This is a great place to visit if your coming to the beach. They do a lovely breakfast, staff are friendly and the Views over the sea and towards the bay are superb. Well worth a visit !!

Amazing food, well run and great staff. Fabulous full breakfasts. Scorching hot day today, but no complaining by the staff who were melting in the heat.

Visited 4 times during our Swanage visit - if I’m honest the service can be a tad slow, but this little restaurant/ cafe became the hub of our holiday and was absolutely superb on each visit. Food is nice and fairly priced, the setting is exceptional and the staff are awesome. It couldn’t be any more charming.

We set off from Boscombe to find this cafe for a crab sandwich lunch and were not disappointed! The sandwich that comes with kettle chip and salad garnish was deeeelish. Seating is lovely and on tiers: you may think there are no seats free but if you are able to go up some steps there is another deck (which has a bar for evening) with many seats - all in the open air and overlooking the calm bay. Absolutely will revisit Swanage and this lovely little cafe!

My review is pretty simple, the food was absolutely amazing (I had the deluxe cabin burger) the staff were extremely friendly and helpful and the view that comes with it made the whole experience even better, definitely going again

Last time we visited The Cabin I left an review that was positive overall but I commented that we were disappointed to see The Cabin using plastic condiment sachets, plastic cutlery, plastic bags and styrofoam takeaway containers (these take 500 years to biodegrade)The owner responded to my review saying that he felt it was the responsibility of the large suppliers to address the plastic problem. I’m afraid I disagree. It is everyone’s problem. We returned to The Cabin again last week to find that nothing had changed; still the same beautiful beach location, still the same excessive use of plastic. It seems very disrespectful, when I highly suspect that the owner of The Cabin is doing very well out of this prime location, yet is happy to plough more plastic waste into the natural beauty of our beaches. He says he recycles where possible, but this is not enough. Other places we ate at in Swanage provided takeaways in cardboard or biodegradable packaging and provided wooden cutlery. I suggest the owner gets in touch with The Black Swan Inn, Old Stables Turf and Surf, The Fish Plaice etc to find out which supplier they are using as they all seem to be able to get hold of more eco friendly options. I’m afraid we won’t be returning to The Cabin until we hear that things have changed. Our environment is too precious to support those making money off it, but seemingly not prepared to use their privileged position to protect it.

Great view, good food, friendly staff. Booths are nice and cosy. Perfect for lunch. Highly recommended the vege burger and fish finger sandwich!

Exceptional waterside licensed eatery serving a great range of fresh food.The staff are so friendly and welcoming that we wouldn't consider anywhere else in Swanage. Try the local crab salads and sandwiches but you won't be disappointed with any offering on the menu.The Cabin truly makes our holiday, it wouldn't be the same without it.

Having eaten at lunches The Cabin for many blissful summer holidays, I can honestly say that it never disappoints. Wonderful, polite and friendly staff and delicious crab sandwiches....the Sauvignon is pretty marvellous too. Thank you for making the days at the beach even brighter.

Ate here for the first time today after reading all the review and have to say we thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, we did have to a wait, a while,but that is because it is obviously very popular. Loved the quirky, dry humor of the man who appeared to be in charge.

Had the best sandwich last Wednesday. Booths safely isolated. We are locals and happy to sit and enjoy our first meal out since March. Thanks to all the friendly staff.

The Cabin has recently reopened after the pandemic lockdown. This restaurant is located on the beach in Swanage and serves great food. We decided to have breakfast there today, bacon butty, the most delicious orange juice and a big mug of tea, all freshly served with a smile.As it was such a gorgeous day, we decided to spend some time on the beach and soon it was lunchtime. I can heartily recommend the scampi and my husband a seafood basket. All safety procedures were adhered to and the staff were polite and respectful. Although very busy, we didn’t have to wait too long. Highly recommended.

Following positive reviews, we had to try the Crab & Lobster Burger “the house speciality” ...it was awesome, so fresh and so generous in portion too! Friendly staff a credit The views from the terrace are second to none - views of the whole bay and over to the Isle of Wight

The best outlook and friendliest staff+food and coffees are great too. We always love coming here and will continue to do so. Really doing a great job post coronavirus too. Well done all.

Great location with fantastic food and views. We ate here most days on our 5 day break to Swanage. Breakfast was spot on. Crab and Lobster burger was delicious.

We absolutely love this place! We visit Swanage twice a year and always use the beach by the cafe...mainly because they serve the best crab sandwich and the owner is so accommodating. Massively recommend The Cabin....and who wouldn’t want a jug of pimms by the sea?! xxxx

Stopped here back in the Autumn, good location close to the beach Stopped here for ice creams and drinks

i asked could they give me new chips because they were cold then he said come here so i went behind with him and he hit me i didn't know what to do so i ate my chips cold.