The Foundry Arms At Poole in Poole

One of our favourites in Poole. Couple visit today, after necessary trip to town. Good beer 🍺, good wine 🍷. Excellent food. Friendly staff and surroundings. Known for charitable work.

Just read all the other reviews and had to double check I got right one.Well I don’t know what to say really,but as for having a sign outside saying “Pooles friendliest pub”,they can take that down pronto.I’ve been in there twice now,the first time I thought maybe they’re having a bad day,so I went in there again today,being Armistice day,thinking it would be packed out with Veterans,it was empty.They greet you with a hello,disappear to wherever,and when you go,not as much as a goodbye,so perhaps I was right the first time,because us Armed Forces Veterans,which I proudly stand up as one of them,have a sixth sense for when something is not quite right,and I’m sorry to say that the Foundry Arms is definitely not the friendliest pub in Poole.

Great place to visit in poole. I was out shopping when I came across this little gem of a place. Great atmosphere, live music, good food, Great range of drinks. What more could you ask for.

Stopped by for a drink in the afternoon sunshine. Great service in a great pub.

Third visit to this " proper pub" Excellent barstaff, led by Karen a terrific landlady. Great Sunday lunch, followed by a fews rounds of playing card bingo and a singer who would not be out of place in a big venue. A host of long standing locals, friendly to all visitors. A must visit.

Went there with 6 friends for Sunday lunch great atmosphere as we walked in friendly and sociably relaxing place. Great food, followed by great entertainment. This is one pub which truly stands out as the landlady is worth her weight in gold ensuring that you’ll be back!

Great food, entertainment and atmosphere. We had Sunday lunch there was eight of us, all our friends loved the pub. The land lady is worth her weight in gold making shore that you’ll be back!

Wonderful atmosphere always friendly, highly recommended.

Foundry arms is a nice pub, I went in the day so not busy, the price for drinks were not to bad, haven't tried the food yet.

Nice cosy pub with friendly staff

It's one nicest friendly place that I would personally recommend for good quality services ..

Best pub in poole very friendly

We visited the Foundry Arms for the first time today, but sadly, the food didn’t live up to our expectations. I had the beef burger, and it seemed like it was a frozen patty that had been overcooked and ended up dry. Even though it was priced reasonably at just over £10, we felt it wasn’t worth the money. We also ordered the fish and chips, which wasn’t great either. I’m not an expert, but I wasn’t sure if it was really cod—seemed more like a lower-quality fish. My wife noticed her napkin turned yellow after wiping her lips, which made us think the batter had turmeric in it, giving the fish a taste we weren’t expecting. Again, while the price was low, the meal wasn’t enjoyable. Despite the food, I’m still giving five stars because I love supporting small, independent pubs that aren’t part of big chains. The place itself was really clean and had a nice, cozy vibe. Unfortunately, the staff didn’t check in on us, so we didn’t get a chance to share our feedback. We did finish our plates, though, as we don’t like wasting food, even if we didn’t enjoy it. If we visit again, it’ll be just for a pint of beer, not the food.

Food awful. Meagre portion. Hand-wash so watered down it looked like water and smelt of nothing. Sad as used to be a great little place for lunch

Foundry arms is the best pub in Poole lovely food great atmosphere super landlord xx

Hi, portions very small. ,ham nice but feeble portions poor size , chips and peas cooked more than once and portions rubbish no vinegar avaliable , unprofessional . .more interested to close early

Great pub, really enjoyed it here. Great beer lots of variety of drinks great locals really good time the weather was great. So we sat outside and it was really nice. We will definitely come again. We are passing.

Love this plus it has a real community feel to it, staff our very friendly the food is amazing especially the roast dinner and always great entertainment on the weekends

Amazing Sunday lunch. Amazing staff, great atmosphere. Loved our visit. Can highly recommend.

Lived here all my life never been before. My sister's and I went for breakfast. Food delicious service great. Will definitely be back

Lovely dog friendly family pub. Ran by a very nice couple. The food is so cheaply priced that I was scared to eat at first but when it came out I was pleasantly surprised. Tasty and clean and rather cheap! A win - win situation!

We were welcomed like old friends. Karen and her team are great.

told this place does excellent food and the breakfast is top notch THE BREAKFAST WAS BANGIN! EVERYTHING COOKED SUPERBLY flavours an textures an so moreish the bubble an squeak was the best i had TEN out of TEN we will be back soon

A lovely pub! Always very welcoming. Karen, the landlady and all the staff are very friendly. You can build your own breakfast with items as cheap as 50p! Great butcher quality sausages. Vegetarian options are also available. Sundays are definitely Fundays at the Foundry! Outstanding Sunday roasts and vegetarian options too. I recommend the veggie Wellington. Then you can play a few fun games of card bingo, followed by live music. The atmosphere is always incredible. Unlike a lot of other local pubs, dogs are very welcome and you can ask for water for them and help yourself to dog treats. Best pub in Poole.

Only really landlord serving behind the bar.. other 2 guys were a bit away with the fairies and really couldn't pull a pint for toffee... Didn't eat but buffet laid out which wasn't really my thing. Apart from that.. lovely evening with friends and happy easy atmosphere

Amazing Sunday lunch then games and entertainment. The staff are all really friendly and the whole place is so welcoming. Best pub in poole in my opinion 👌

Lovely breakfast, hot plates really nice food nice peaceful atmosphere. Will definitely visit again soon.

We have been going to this pub for 5yrs. Recently we have been booking a table every month for a roast dinner. Since Karen has taken over its truly amazing. So much better than before. The food is amazing as is the service. Its the same every month. Its such a lovely fun atmosphere pub everytime. Well done Karen and your team. You all do a great service to us. The Foundry afternoons on a Sunday are the best ever!! See you again soon. P.s. your roast dinners are the best xx

Lively pub great food the Sunday roast is amazing the owners are great 😃

Great little friendly local pub with well kept beer.

Fantastic friendly pub. Good food great staff . All are made to feel welcome . The general ambience it great. All that a pub should be run by landlady Karen who wants everybody to feel welcome and enjoy themselves

What a friendly, welcoming pub. I can’t rate this place highly enough. The staff are amazing. The food is fresh and delicious. If you visit Poole you really should visit .

Awful pub full of locals - anyone else made to feel very unwelcome. Every one stands around the TVs and refuses to move out of your way. One particularly ignorant local said “push your chair in!” when I left, clearly trying to start a fight. Bar staff disinterested. Poor selection of beers. Avoid - especially if you’re a visitor to Poole!

Friendly proper pub with good food.

Visited several times, especially when the 6 Nation Games are on. It doesn't matter who is playing, the banter and atmosphere are always good, and so is the respect for the teams and supporters, win or lose. A good pint of Guinness makes it even better.

This is a very lively pub and clearly extremely popular with the locals. Really great food and atmosphere.

Alway good food and a lively atmosphere especially on Sundays, booking is essential, always a good sign.

I took my (teenage) son out for lunch, I'm sure all parents of teens will appreciate how hungry they are, he had the best fish and chips (with peas) that I've seen for a very long time. My panini was super tasty. He was stuffed after his lunch, which is a real achievement! Thanks chaps.

Cosy, friendly pub to relax , enjoy your drinks, and dog-friendly as well which is always welcome .

Amazing pub and staff food was first class and then music to finish the afternoon excellent value for money definitely worth a visit you won’t be disappointed

Our first visit for a friends Christmas lunch. When booking I had a very helpful chat with the Landlady Karen. We had a wheelchair and they had made provision with an accessible table. We ordered from a great menu and the food was good. The pub filled up and the atmosphere was great. Highly recommend and we booked a date for 6 in January as they were so good. Thank you

One of the most expensive pubs in Poole and not even a view. The landlady has no descretion. On the other hand they do a lot for charity which I admire.

Nice pub, very nice bar staff. Would recommend a visit to all.

Best pub in Poole with great staff and very friendly customers with a great atmosphere, you go in as a stranger and come out a friend, great food especially the Sunday roast

Fabulous family pub with fab food, great atmosphere and true values. Always feel very welcome here and will come back again.

Staff very friendly. Pre-ordered food as request. Unfortunately we still had to wait 45mins for our meal to arrive. Food was OK for the cost. Atmosphere was very good everyone in the pub were friendly.

4 of us had sunday roast best in dorset by TripAdvisor the chef must have had the day off fatty processed packet meat soggy roasties and a Yorkshire done with a blowtorch I trained and worked as a chef for 10 years wouldn't even think of serving this up ! Never again

4 of us just had sunday roast supposed to be trip advisors best roast in dorset don't think so I was a chef for 10 years it was very poor fatty beef pork and it was like processed packet meat even the chicken tastless potatoes and cremated Yorkshire

What an amazingly friendly pub. I am happy we chose there to watch the rugby

What a disappoinment with the Sunday dinner. To start I had soup, had to ask my husband what flovour it was but he had no clue, all we knew was it was green. I had roast beef, it was so thin but ok to eat , the yorkshire pudding was burnt. I was going to ask for a new one, but I looked around our table and the other meals were the same, so left it, as I thought ,no point in asking as they would be the same again from kitchen. Well the roast potoes all 2 of them were not even crisp and well over cooked. The veg over cooked, must have been cook in the morning then reheated in microwave, as I could not hold bowl as it was burning hot. Stuffing was like a rock . Overall - cremated offerings!

The pub itself has a nice friendly atmosphere, so wouldn’t complain about that side of it. We went to have Sunday lunch there which apparently has a good reputation . Disappointed to say the least. The meat was fatty on the pork. The pork and beef cuts were so thin that you would have thought that it had came out of a packet. 2 roast potatoes were hidden under the meat so as to appear that there was a lot of meat. The veg was ok. All in all, very disappointing. Will not be returning. Did make our feelings known to the waiter.

I am a local been in this pub most of my life . Came in here about half 6 and asked for a bottle of wine . The bar man said what do you want with such an attitude . It has recently been taken over . Food is good people are nice that come in here but had one drink and went /

Didn't eat there, but told the food was good . The Guinness and the atmosphere was excellent

As soon as you walk through the arched alley way with cobbled floor you feel the warmth and welcome from this place. The staff are wonderful and the atmosphere is fantastic. The Foundary prides itself on the charitable work and the support within its community. Sunday lunch is superb with after dinner entertainment including card bingo and live music. You would be missing out when in Poole not to visit.

Amazing Sunday lunch - one of the best we have had in a long time - service was good - great portion size - would highly recommend

The Foundry Arms became a pub way back in 1891, nowhere near as old as many British pubs, it is based, as its name suggests on an old foundry. It is definitely well loved by locals and is the haunt of many ex-servicemen. Inside is warm, cosy and welcoming. From the tartan carpet on the floor to the many proud British military flags that cover the ceiling. Army, Navy and RAF are all well represented here. Flags of St. George bedecked the windows like pelmet curtains. The furniture is rustic, wooden, miss-matched and surprisingly comfortable. There is not an inch of the walls that is not covered with military or sporting memorabilia. Guns and bayonets vie for wall space with rugby shirts, photographs of aircraft, Navy ships, soldiers and sailors. The staff easily match the warmth of the pub its self. Friendly welcoming and chatty… when one wants to be… and quiet and supportive when one needs peace and tranquility. I came here first when I was at a low ebb and I was welcomed in with calm, supportive friendliness. This is definitely not a “plastic palace” as so many of our so called “local” pubs have become in the last 30 years or so. They have a slightly unusual food ethic. Breakfast is available every day except Sunday from 10:00. Items are charged a .50p each which gives one a chance to “build your own” breakfast. Later in the day lunch is available but there is no food, other than crisps etc. in the evening. The pub has a well earned reputation for their Sunday Lunch. This is filling, tasty, well cooked and reasonably priced. However, one does need to book a table well in advance. However, this slight inconvenience is well worth the effort as the roasts are tender, delicious and more than ample, the vegetables nicely cooked, in plentiful supply and the gravy delicious. It would be very safe to say that this has become “my local”!

I went to meet a friend for a quick pint. I walked in to what can only be described as the most vibrant traditional pub I’ve been to in a very long time. Great beer garden and a marquee too. It was rammed, people playing bingo, followed by live music… and I even got a shamrock on my Guinness!! ☘️

Best breakfast In poole good price comes with tea amazing sausages are to die for its build your own which is great

Fantastic Sunday lunch here. The food was hot!! The gravy was awesome. Well done to the kitchen. Service was very good. Hope to be back very soon

Went in for a Sunday Lunch, without booking, but luckily there was some seating available outside in the marquee. A little bit strange to order and pay for your drinks at the bar but then to order and pay for your food with the server separately, but it was fine, just not we’re used to. There was a bit of a wait for the server, Karen, to take our food order, but it was busy with some couples ahead of us, so it was understandable and Karen was SO friendly and bubbly, nothing fazed her. When the food arrived and we got stuck in it was worth they wait, my husband had pork and gammon and I had beef, the meats were perfectly tender and delicious with great roasties, large Yorkshire and side veggies. All the staff were very friendly and made sure everything was ok, we would happily return for a roast any Sunday!

Went in for a Sunday Lunch, without booking, but luckily there was some seating available outside in the marquee. A little bit strange to order and pay for your drinks at the bar but then to order and pay for your food with the server separately, but it was fine, just not we’re used to. There was a bit of a wait for the server, Karen, to take our food order, but it was busy with some couples ahead of us, so it was understandable and Karen was SO friendly and bubbly, nothing fazed her. When the food arrived and we got stuck in it was worth they wait, my husband had pork and gammon and I had beef, the meats were perfectly tender and delicious with great roasties, large Yorkshire and side veggies. All the staff were very friendly and made sure everything was ok, we would happily return for a roast any Sunday!

Went there on a Thurs night at 8pm, was the only customer in the pub. Barmaid was pleasant, served me then disappeared. Absolutely no atmosphere, didn't stay for another drink.

Great pub with plenty of nostalgia 👍🏻

Great atmosphere on my first visit here.... will be back 👍

I would like to say this food was fabulous and we wernt the only people to know this gem .. we had the last table so it was a bustling pub with great atmosphere …. The food was great value ( and even better deals if you prebook ! ) thre was entertainment in the form of card bingo : and also live music which was great and not too loud to still have conversation I have a special needs child who found the environment welcoming and not uncomfortable ( in fact he got up and had a danced which no one seemed to mind I had prawn cocktail / roast beef / and lemon meringue pie Will definately be back so thank you everyone at the foundry ! My new happy place x

I'm very disappointed in the fish and chips the batter was soggy the fish nice I also found a bone I have been before and found the food okay

Managed to just get in for lunch before the 2pm cut off. Very friendly staff. The food was good value 👍🏽

Great pub with a nice outside area

Friendly pub with a good selection of draft beer

What a fun place to spend a Sunday afternoon. Great food, followed by some fun card bingo games, raffle and then wonderful live music that got everyone up dancing and enjoying the atmosphere. Super place where all are made very welcome

Friendly sociable bar team. I chose a Razorback real ale.and was happy with the pint.

Lovely place to eat well pleased with the service food excellent &friendly staff

Try a breakfast, you won't be disappointed

Popped In for a quick drink 🍸 and a sit down, great service lovely atmosphere, recommend this place.

Good food, good crowd highly recommended.

Best Sunday roast not just in Dorset..best ever tried..staff are friendly..Karen a real gem..really great well connected atmosphere..felt like a proper old fashioned type of pub..felt comfortable as also ex forces

I spent last Sunday (21st May) enjoying a Sunday Roast, followed by a Madness tribute band. We were a large group and Karen and her team took great care of us all. Sunday pamering the way it should be!! Ten out of ten!!!

Visited this pub for Sunday lunch with a group of friends last week. Excellent roast dinner, and really good deals on price for 2 or 3 courses. I can recommend the lemon meringue pie for dessert. Stayed for card bingo from 2 and live music...

As part of a larger social group, we attended for Sunday lunch... The food and service was amazing, nothing was to much trouble and the tribute band was an added bonus. Looks like a regular spot for us and think we're going back to have breakfast... Great work and lovely food

Arranged lunch for 17 friends at this pub and we couldn’t have been happier with the service and experience - huge thank you yo Karen and her team for working so hard to ensure we had a fabulous get together

Lovely new landlady who has given the place a proper overhaul. Full of characters . Great food and beverages.

Great Sunday lunch friendly staff.

Had a lovely build your own breakfast here, order what you want and no need to make swaps/changes just pay for what you choose!

Visited this pub for pre-booked Sunday lunch as we were staying in Poole for my husband’s birthday. On arrival the bar area was busy and it was very chaotic. Eventually we managed to order a couple of drinks after several other customers pushed in front...

Much improved atmosphere from a year ago. I will return now

Fantastic little pub We had the pleasure of meeting the lovely landlady . Thank you for the razor back. Chris. :-)

Only been there the once, but it's a nice little pub 😉 👌

Amazing breakfast, pick what you want, proper bacon and sausages.

Brilliant. Get down there Sunday. Good be great food, live band and pud games.

Had a lovely lunch in the Foundry. Excellent Brie, cranberry and bacon panini. Oooozing with cheese. Nice hot chips and a very yeasty dressing on side salad. I will def go back. Reasonable prices.

Great quiz night. Friendly staff

Don’t usually write reviews but just returned from having Sunday lunch at the foundry arms and wanted to say how impressed I was. The roast was one of the best I’ve had out, and very reasonably priced too. Atmosphere was buzzing for a Sunday lunch...

Probably one of the best pubs in poole.

Proper pub, good food and beer and friendly staff and locals

Truly amazing breakfast, freshly cooked and well presented with a build your own option. You won't find better. The rest of the menu is worth a try with liver and bacon and onion gravy all delicious.

Lovely home made food - Best lasagne in town!

My oh my what an experience. The wonderful atmosphere in this pub was almost as excellent as my phenomenal server “Finn”. This little lad was an absolute dream, and made my Saturday evening drinking experience perfect. As well as this, Tiernan also treated me with great respect and is wonderful at his job. I ended up buying the likely lads a few bevs which I hope cheered up their night, pretty sure I saw Finn wobble at one point #whoops #lol. 10/10

The build a breakfast option is genius and why hasn’t someone come up with this before?? Everyone is a winner and you get what you want with no waste. Highly recommend with great service and high quality local produce. No tinned mushrooms here!!

Very welcoming and accept dogs.

It's a great place to be. Great normal people to chat to and always with smiles.