The Drax Arms in Purbeck

Old time pub that feels warm and welcoming. Good friendly and attentive service, providing really good food and beer. Can well recommend.

First time back for food for a while as until two months ago this was under same ownership as Royal Oak and they weren't doing Sundays here. The Royal Oak is now looking closed (certainly on a Sunday) so Bere locals have little choice. They're doing a Sunday carvery, three choices of meat and to be fair if you needed to feel full it's plentiful in all respects. But sadly lacked flavour, especially in the veg, and although pots looked nicely roasted, same result. Quality wins over quantity. Secondary issue, it happens occasionally, but I was overlooked for service at the bar, someone arriving minutes after, but spotted and served first without asking who was next. Pity.

Amazing food at fantastic prices, if anything too much!! Friendly helpful staff and dog friendly to boot. Will definitely be returning.

Cute village drinkers pub. Lacks a decent car park, looks like the previous one has been taken over by picnic tables. London Pride was a positive for me.

Had a carvery on their first day of doing it , Was by far the best I've ever had. Meat was perfect great selection of extras. Can't fault it at all and price was very good .

Gone downhill since being taken over! The place is filthy, the floors have not been mopped in weeks and the toilets smell! Such a shame as the young barmaid is lovely.

Our first quiz night at the Drax in ages. New landlady very friendly. Food basic pub food excellently cooked. Really enjoyed the evening. Was so impressed with the food we are booking a table for Friday night. Well cooked food at a reasonable price can't believe our luck.

Visited for the live band and found a lovely town pub. A lively bar made for a great atmosphere.

Visited for the live band and found a lovely town pub. A lively bar made for a great atmosphere.

Excellent evening. Great staff service and interaction.

No longer running as a pub/ restaurant. Probably a nice pub with a function room. Ended up in Poole instead a the The Poole Arms. Fate was smiling on us today.

Excellent evening. Great staff service and interaction.

Great atmosphere and the ale was good . Staff were excellent and the locals were pleasant too.

These guys that work here are awesome, so friendly, attentive and genuine. Friendly pub with a dart board and pool table

Has a small car park to the rear and a decent seating area outside. Quite a small place but great atmosphere and service.

Great local village pub. Friendly atmosphere and they keep their beer well for a really good pint

Warm and bright with TV and pool table (if you like that sort of thing). Beer was good though and fantastic music venue out back where they have interesting bands great place for live music

Great atmosphere, friendly staff & customers, get down there when there's a live band on. Perfect night out.

Very friendly, welcomes children and good value.

The Drax Arms is a great local pub with an even greater welcome! Excellent menu and fine beer but most of all attentive, friendly and caring staff. Can confirm after a dozen more visits, welcome is still as friendly and beer is still as good 👍

Very friendly and lively pub, popular with locals and generally quite crowded in the evening. Dog friendly, child friendly. No kitchen (temporary situation) when I visited but sister pub, located barely five minutes walk along the road, offers full restaurant service. Regular quizzes, live music, open mike events.

Our family went out for a lovely meal at the Drax Arms. We came just as they were beginning to serve food, so it was perfect timing. The staff were very welcoming and helpful and were always there to help us with our needs. The food was on point and we had no problems whatsoever. The only reason I haven’t given this a 5 star review is because the place was quite bland and the room was quite chilly. However, these are very minor issues and didn’t affect our meal that much. Overall, a great pub, would recommend.

A nice village pub. Only popped in for drinks so can't comment on the food.

It's a Goldilocks pub. Not too hot not too cold just right. Food's good beer's good bar staff good. In all a nice place to stop for a rest.

Nice friendly pub and also does take away too 👌🏼

Really chill place, we went for dinner and were quite disappointed with the food. The table next to us politely complained and the staff were so kind and offered a discount. We felt too shy to say anything! The food wasn't bad but very average. Other than that, lovely staff and environment and great deserts actually!!

Pub has changed to become the villager drinkers pub so it can be very noisy. Menu is now more limited in choice and our two main meals tonight were disappointing compared with on our many pervious visits. We will try other local pubs with eateries before returning

Love the attentive service. Barman was friendly and brought me some home made biscuits for free!. It wasn't a busy night.

Nice selection of drinks, friendly service.

It's fine, if you're an ale drinker there are only Badger ales which didn't seem very well conditioned, but passable. Service from one of the barmaids was far too intense and pressured for a village pub. Can't comment on food as they weren't serving food when we were there.

Fantastic Food & Drinks, Very Reasonable Prices, Warm atmosphere, Lovely staff. What more could you ask for? A Pub run by only 4 people, Amazing! 5 Stars all round Many Thanks to you all!

Great pub food was really good and very tasteful. We were a family of 12 service was also good . No complaints would definitely recommend . Lovely evening

Very clean lovely place for a quick pint.

Eight of us and two dogs arrived for a late lunch and were welcomed in straight away. Staff were great and even brought out some water and dog treats while we were waiting for our lunch. Food was great and came out together. My sons had a fish sharing platter each which looked amazing. All the food was of good quality and reasonable in price. We then had puddings which were also very tasty. Local beers as well so a very happy group.

Lovely friendly staff , fitted us in with two young hungry kids after a busy day site seeing , the food was delicious , definitely recommend eating/drinking here Thank you

Amazing staff and wonderful food absolutely delicious, lovely pub and very clean and professional, food perfect 👍 thanks so much.

Absolutely loved this family pub. My daughter in law is Coeliac and she was over the moon to see so many GF options. Not only did they have a great GF menu but the food tasted great too. We were there on a Sunday and they had live music in the garden which sounded great too. The staff were attentive and even though they were busy the food was served in a timely manner. Set in a lovely village it’s a beautiful pub that has some lovely features (huge fireplace in the restaurant area that must be lovely and cosy in the winter months) that was light and airy, clean and tidy too. 5 stars all the way

Great pub/restaurant. Loads of gluten free choices and clearly marked on the menu. Staff friendly and helpful. Food was delicious

What a lovely couple running the Drax, very welcoming, wonderful food and the lady spoke to children as individuals which you don't often find. Also dogs welcome couldn't be better. We will be back on our next holiday.

Really lovely meal and great friendly staff. Food was delicious and pub felt homely and relaxed. If ever we arenin Bere Regis we will go there again.

Great beer lovely meal and friendly staff. Mixed fish plater for two starter was great. Steak cooked to perfection, big very hot chips. Will be back.

Friendly staff, quick service, and good food.

Everything excellent. Lovely pub, beautifully decorated and great menu. Staff very friendly, efficient and helpful.n

Nice meal and pint following a walk. Friendly helpful staff.

Lovely village pub , great food and great service . What more could you ask for oh and very reasonably priced

Enjoyed our chilli and gammon so much we returned the following night after a long day at durdle door. Highly recommend. It’s worth calling ahead.

Amazing food, perfect steak would go again

Wondering little village pub great atmosphere and friendly bar staff just what you need also try the black cow vodka wow just superb.

Great service, and staff had noticed a small over charge and came straight over and rectified it.

very nice food, staff were very friendly and helpful. Will be paying a visit again next time we are back.

My boyfriend and I decided to treat ourselves to a takeaway this evening. Absolutely amazing food. Chilli chips instead of nachos and gluten and dairy free cheese and bacon burger, garlic bread and fries. Amazing food, would definitely recommend

Lovely characterful child and pet friendly pub with a varied & reasonably priced menu . Also had a good variety of kids options and generous portions. Really impressed with the free crayons & colouring sheets for our children. The food is of a very good standard, service was great (& there were 8 of us! ) and staff really accommodating and friendly. Would definitely recommend to others and revisit if in the area again.

Popped in there today, the food was excellent and a very friendly service. Would definitely recommend a visit to anyone.

An absolutely fantastic place, the staff were beyond reproach, so so helpful 😀 The food was perfect absolutely perfect .... many thanks Drax Arms ...well recommended

Visited the Drax's Arms on the 17th of July 2021 approximately 14 people in our group. We couldn't have been better looked after by the two lovely young ladies behind the bar who provided us, with excellent table service in the garden, even though we all turned up together without a booking. Both young lassies where extremely warm, welcoming & nothing was to much trouble for them. The food & drinks where good , all the Covid rules observed & a nice garden to sit outside to eat in. Easily two of the most likeable & profession barstaff, I have come across in many a year & I highly recommend a visit to the Drax Arms. The kitchen staff also to be given credit for dealing with a sudden unexpected large number of food orders all at the same time & still producing good food. Thank you all at the Drax Arms Best Wishes Michele. 😊

Dropped in for somewhere to eat. We had cheese and onion baguette as well as BLT baguette, both really nice. Had a rhubarb crumble for dessert and that was really good too. Was impressed with welcome and professionalism of young bar maid. Efficient service, clean...

My wife and two children had a lovely meal at very short notice. the staff were very helpful and friendly. They were kind enough to squeak us in 10 mins before the kitchen closed for a enjoyable meal. Would highly recommend. Thanks again

Very accommodating, lovely freshly cooked food

Food was delicious and great service. Nice atmosphere.

Can't recommend this pub, food was pretty awful, nothing homemade...I had the fish platter, calamari was horrendous...overcooked and inedible, husband had pizza, again obviously bought in and heated up. Very disappointing!!!

The food was very high quality, you could tell that they used fresh ingredients and the staff was as friendly as could be.

Wow what can I say about the draxs pub Went there on the off chance We was very impressed 👏 Beautiful pub ..amazing garden with great surroundings Had lunch 😋 thank you chef 😋 Was served by a Beautiful young lady (you no who you are bam bam ) food was very delicious Really great price and value Bam bam is very professional and polite young lady she nos how to treat the customers 😀 Definitely recommend.i will give this pub 10/10 And we will call in again xx

Good traditional pub food in relaxed country village setting. Staff couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful. Dogs made to feel very welcome. Will definitely visit again soon

Had a really lovely lunchtime meal. The service was spot on. The pub and garden have been recently renovated.

Ver friendly staff and great beer

Just popped in as on holiday and in the area unfortunately for us this was the only day that they don't serve food, however we decided to stop for a drink and were recommended an alternative venue for food by the friendly bar maid.

Like wow!!! The food is amazing!!!! And the people are awesome and so friendly!!! 1000000 stars!

Was a bit spit and sawdust last time we looked in here but now looks like it's had a makeover, all very smart. Now tempted to go back for a meal as we only popped in for a liquid refresher on this occasion

Lovely pub. Welcoming, great for our family meal. The steak salad a real highlight. Great value too. Will definitely visit again.

My fiance and I visited on the 25th of may for drinks in the afternoon and came back in the evening for dinner. Service was great considering only one person doing everything I work in same industry so know how much hard work it can...

How lovely is this place. Friendly, helpful, welcoming and Millie the dog was thoroughly spoiled!! She got most of the attention! She had water and treats brought to her and you can tell the staff are dog lovers. The food was delicious and plenty of...

Having had a very long walk in the afternoon we were looking forward to a simple hearty supper. The Drax Arms have a simple and limited menu but it seems to cover all the bases: something for everyone. Pizza, fish, steaks, gammon, veggie or build...

Thank-you for making our meal great. Chef and staff superb and the best pub food for many a year. Dorset apple cake in particular was superb. Highly recommended.

Friendly, attentive staff. Superb food, good atmosphere.

Clean .friendly and coved compliant

Excellent service, good food. Very much enjoyed my visit. Lovely fire places. General all round good feel about it.

This was a great find! Staff were lovely and bent over backwards to make us feel welcome. The decor and ale choice was also fab. We loved that the majority of the menu accommodated gluten intolerances which was necessary during our visit. We are so glad we found this pub and will come back in the future when next on holiday in the area.

This was a great find! Staff were lovely and bent over backwards to make us feel welcome. The decor and ale choice was also fab. We loved that the majority of the menu accommodated gluten intolerances which was necessary during our visit. We are so...

The food here is great quality and value, a very friendly warm welcome was provided following a long country walk. Highly recommended for a visit.

Immediately noticeable is that the premise is very clean and very tidy. The precautions in place for the pandemic are very good. We felt quite safe. My only negative is that they only sold coke cola from the tap and not by bottles/cans. The tap...

Had to wear mask on entry, had to give contact details, had coffee (lukewarm) and a beer. Pleasant and friendly service by young lady barmaid. Clean and well decorated.

2nd time we’ve eaten here..the food, service and feeling was impressive...try out the coleslaw and the mushy peas..best we’ve ever tasted...we’ll done guys..thanks for the experience!! Christine and Colin xxx

Let’s put it like this lads, we were visiting and we firstly went to the Royal Oak (Royal Joke) and we were shunted out at 9;30, aka it was beeping poop. We then retired to the drax arms, and it was bloody unreal. The service...

Barry is an excellent chef, excepted when we weren’t allowed in the Royal Oak. Jas behind the bar was amazing. Amber was great in the kitchen and gave us great service

The food was great and full of flavour. The main reason for this review is despite being fully booked the staff went the extra mile and opened an extra part of the premises. We'll done to all.

We arrived at about 6pm without a booking but the front of house guy was extremely welcoming and accommodating. He found us a table for three which he had cleaned thoroughly with antibacterial spray. He gave us each a copy of the “eat out” menu, which was a shortened version of the usual menu; however there was plenty of variety on there for us to choose from. Although the pub was busy, the food arrived in good time and piping hot. It was also very well presented and very reasonably priced - particularly with the Sunak discount! Congratulations to the hospitality staff and the two chefs for providing an excellent service and a very enjoyable experience.

Amazing. Really really amazing. Social distancing done right and felt totally safe. Felt welcome too. The food was amazing and timely. Just perfect. Thank you!

Very friendly staff & great food I can highly recommend for evening pub lunch meal exceeded our expectations

Very friendly staff and service! Food was great

We were camping nearby and ordered two pizzas for takeaway. They were very delicious indeed and much appreciated. Very tasty - and better than others we've had from takeaways.

Booked a table easily and on arrival the measures in place for COVID were very good and felt very safe. Good food, good service and reasonably priced. All round made our 2 night stay in the village very nice and would certainly recommend and return.

Nice pub to visit whilst we where camping. Provided taxi details too.

We visited the Drax Arms for the first time since the lock down was lifted and are pleased to report that the quality of food and friendly service is as good as ever. I had the Beef Bourguignon Cottage Pie which was exactly as the name implied, beautifully tender beef and shallots in red wine sauce and a gratin topping. My wife had the Haddock fish cakes and salad from the daily specials board which also was very tasty. Never had a bad meal here, good chef and friendly staff, always worth a visit if you're in the area. PS, great beer too from Hall & Woodhouse.

We decided to go somewhere we hadn't eaten before and ended up at The Drax Arms. The staff were welcoming and friendly and the pub was nice. It was good to see them taking social distancing seriously. I ordered cheese on my burger and it arrived without cheese. I tried to raise this with staff but they weren't anywhere to be seen and so eat my food in fear of it going cold. I asked the staff member whether or not I forgot to order cheese and she replied I am not sure what you ordered. I asked her to check and she replied she wasn't sure still. The bill arrived and I was charged for cheese, I didn't raise it after that as I didn't want another round of not sure or don't know. We were sadly asked not to run away without paying as we had a tab open between the four of us. This was a little uncomfortable as you can imagine. The food could have been a bit more tasty with the nacho crisps tasting plain. A bit of seasoning all round would have been amazing.

We booked here for dinner on Sunday The staff were friendly and helpful The menu was good with plenty of choices for everyone we had steak and beef Bourgogne The steak was perfectly cooked and tender, the beef Bourgogne was supreme This pub serves a selection of the local breweries beer which were excellent and thoroughly enjoyed. We would recommend this place for a beer or dinner.

Great family food. Lovely service by Brendan, Thankyou Ideal for our family dinner on the way back from the beach.

We visited here whilst staying at a local B&B. This is clearly a popular local and had a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We visited on a Friday - specials of the day were fish - and although it was fairly busy, we were served quickly. The waiting staff were helpful, friendly and efficient and helped us in making our selection. Food was delivered hot and quickly. Portions were very good and we were checked on a couple of times during our visit to ensure we had what we needed. Would definitely visit again if in the area.

If I say this is nothing special then that is not meant to be dismissive - it means it is good, reliable pub food. There are plenty of pubs that are not worth returning to for food; there are some, like this one, that you know you will do well at and not be disappointed: and a handful that are worth travelling a long way for. This may not come into the latter category, but it is a good local pub.

Homely pub with friendly staff and good drinks selection. Didn't try the food.

Have to say wasn’t overly impressed, it was cold in the pub, I had the pork, which was ok but it wasn’t hot enough, my friend had the hotpot, she wasn’t very happy with it, r pieces of meat and it had mashed not sliced potato, would we go there again, I’m afraid not