The Salt Pig in Purbeck

Well, I have read most of the reviews on the Salt Pig in Swanage, and must say that unfortunately they must have been having a bad day. My wife and I did not have a great experience of the food; we ordered lasagne with a side order of carrots and cauliflower cheese, it was so disappointing. Firstly, the food was barely warm, the lasagne had very little taste with hardly any meat in it. The cauliflower cheese, well! I can only describe it as a mixed vegetable concoction, with no cheese or taste to it at all. The serving staff however, were friendly and attentive, the young gentleman server actually went out of his way to help an elderly gentleman who was visually impaired. Total respect to him.

During the day, it's a butcher shop and a dining area. At night, it's a restaurant.

Nice place with good food, atmosphere. Nice friendly staff.

Lovely place with a great atmosphere. Staff extremely attentive and very helpful, we were a group of 7. Very quick service . Highly recommend.

Another top experience, sometimes you find a place that is so darn cool n serves yummy food to match. Definitely a big yes. Fabulous staff a great place. Dog friendly, top service & staff. Thankyou Daz Mel and Lilybear the dog x

Great food, home cooked specials. Menus attached. The Sunday roast looked very popular too. You can reserve a table.

My ideal dinner out. Superb quality food. Great relaxed atmosphere and top notch staff. Enjoyed celebrating my birthday here. The staff were particularly kind to our three inquisitive young boys. Highly, highly recommended.

Really very pleasantly surprised. I booked here last minute with my two daughters for Sunday lunch. The food was great, very tasty and good presentation. Especially the roast which I loved. The staff were attentive and pleasant, especially the chap who was serving us: thank you. We were aware of a table nearby that were generally complaining and moaning about all things in life: including the temperature of their plates and the glasses used to serve drinks in. All these things were nit picky type things that certain people like to moan about wherever they decide to roam. My point is that you can never please everyone and occasionally negative comments turn up everywhere but the overall 4.5 rating the establishment currently have is totally reflective of our experience. Very good. Will be returning. Jamie.

Greatvl place doing veggy and of course all things pork...cafe and butchers on site.. Quality produce...

We were in Swanage for my birthday and after researching several restaurants, decided to try The Salt Pig 2. I'm so glad we did because the chuck steak was amazing. My husband and I both agreed it was the best steak we've eaten and every element of the dish, from the parsnip and beetroot chips, roasted cherry tomatoes, garlicky potato dauphinoise and red wine jus matched the excellence of the beef. We also like the lack of pretension in the presentation - just a great sized portion attractively presented on a sensible plate. Dessert was fire-roasted plums with pistachio crumb and this was delicious too. It's a pity that we live too far away for us to eat here regularly but we highly recommend the restaurant. We also had coffee at the Wareham branch and at the Sandy Salt Pig too. We weren't intentionally trying to visit their branches but the coffee is very good too!

A lovely little venue with a great deal of unique character! Delicious homemade treats and it’s obvious they’ve gone out of their way to provide the freshest, often organic ingredients. Very popular with locals as well as tourists 😋 🐖 I thoroughly recommend the sausage roll 🤩

We enjoyed an excellent evening meal there, the pulled pork in cider was amazing my husband had the pulled lamb ,the staff and service were brilliant.Thank you for a very nice evening

Had a fabulous meal at this lovely little restaurant. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Highly recommended.

Fabulous place. Delicious breakfast with their own sausages, bacon and baked beans to die for. Service was excellent, friendly and helpful. Very comfortable and original looking eating area. Would recommend.

If I could rate Salt Pig 10/10, I would. The exceptional service provided by Mitch, Beth, and Katie was truly remarkable. We indulged in the Sunday roast, which was nothing short of extraordinary. The locally sourced meat was of exceptional quality, and the accompanying sides were not your typical greasy vegetables. For those seeking one of the finest roasts in Dorset, Salt Pig is undoubtedly the destination. The cost is also very reasonable for the exceptional quality of food you receive.

Wow what a surprise. Great place. Great ambiance. The staff were brilliant, attentive, pleasant and knowledgable. But food, well the roast option was beef, lamb or pork. One meat or a choose of two. It was perfect, and massive. Can’t wait to go back. Be warned, go hungry. And don’t forget to book. A number of people came in but missed out this time.

The rudest service I've ever encountered. I'm truly flabbergasted by how rude both staff were this evening. Absolutely no excuse for making customers feel unwelcome. You should both be ashamed of yourselves. No grace, thanks, pleasantries, smiles - pure gruffness. I shall NEVER return.

So happy we decided to go in for lunch after coming off the steam train in Swanage. Delicious food and cakes, dog friendly and excellent service provided with a warm smile! Would definitely visit again if we're ever this side of the island!

The worst food I've ever had to eat , never again. And the service well ,words fell me . I definitely would not recommend this place to eat ,if I had knowledge of other restaurants just around the corner, I would had gone there . A far customer service experience full stop.

The chuck eye steak was probably the best steak we've ever eaten!!! Every bite was mouth wateringly delicious. A huge portion, definitely go there hungry!! They other meals were excellent, just felt this deserved a special mention!! Angela excellent choice for lunch or dinner in Swanage!!

Absolutely amazing service and food, both my partner and I commented on it being the best burger we have ever had. The staff were lovely, all round a fantastic dinner, thanks a lot 👍🏼

Me and my wife came here for dinner on New Year’s Eve, it was the perfect way to celebrate the year. The food was excellent and we loved watching the chef cook over the coals before plating up. The service was great and all the staff were super friendly, the whole restaurant had a great atmosphere. We’ve been here for breakfast and coffees on many occasions, but will definitely be back for dinner in the future. I would highly recommend a visit!

Friendly. Amazing food. Sausage rolls much pricier than Greggs but a different thing altogether and worth it

Lovely roast dinner. Mac and cheese was also epic.

Lovely team and food is outstanding

Love this place. We are regulars at the little Studland Branch but first trip here. Love the decor, atmosphere, beautiful food at amazing prices. Staff are lovely and got to buy a whole trout on the way out to cook later!

Had heard good things about this place and the butchery counter etc looked good. We arrived after the main breakfast slot (around 10am). We ordered one full english and a vegetarian. It arrived really quickly - we were surprised. However, once we saw what was served it wasn't a surprise. The mushrooms were (in the main) shrivelled to within an inch of life). The vegetarian bean mix was dry and the sauce was non existent. The two porker sausages were crucified and so dry. We complained to the waitress who consulted chef and told us they made their own sausages so naturally dry. However, you could tell these were cooked some time before and reheated - they were almost black. They had no excuse for the black shrivelled mushroooms. We had a discount off our bill which probably amounted to free tea? I hope this was a one off ocasion due to their reputation, but that said, why would you serve such 'OLD' food!!!

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast here recently, excellent produce and nice portions. Looking forward to our next visit!

Very quirky place with butchery attached to the cafe area. We had one vegetarian breakfast and one regular breakfast with meat. The bacon was superb tasting but a little greasy, as was the egg. They do home made beans which taste great but weren’t that hot. A shame that the bread wasn’t better quality - for a place like this we expected an artisan type bread. Sausage was tasty but a little strong for my palette. We ordered coffee and tea and I was surprised that I got served just a mug of tea. I expected a small pot. We would go back but would try the avocado and eggs next time. The butcher is a very jovial Welsh guy, full of stories and really interesting guy. The staff that served us seemed that they didn’t want be there. This venue could be great instead of just above average.

Highly recommend the Roast Dinner, good ingredients cooked really well and served by welcoming staff. I particularly liked the variety of different veg and my partner said the venison was exceptional - thank you 😊

Fantastic meal, great staff and atmosphere! We had a great view of the chef and barbecue oven, the team were loving their jobs! Lots of regulars eating. The grilled pineapple dessert was off the dial! When back in Swanage we will definitely be back! A great night

Stumbled across The Salt Pig on a recent trip to Swanage, lovely atmosphere, great staff and the apple pie was amazing!

Brilliant Sunday lunch at the Salt Pig Swanage, the food was delicious and the service was very friendly and efficient, would highly recommend.

Well just amazing ! The best we have had in a long time The starter of baked Camembert was just superb coupled with the most scrumptious tomatoes from isle of white gorgeous bread , this is the best starter I have ever had and I’m 50 and ate in many places !!! Attention to flavour and detail with the little veggie crisps The burger … well incredible … left very full and very happy the most delicious beef , sauce and salad Deffo coming back in our next visit to swanage YOU MUST COME HERE great service too took amazing photos but wi-fi pants in caravan !!!! Wouldn’t upload them

Great place, excellent atmosphere, recommend the whole trout!

Went there with my family, said we had to book, asked how to book so we could come back later, was told we couldn’t book in person we had too call. Restaurant was empty so unless the bookings were late no idea why we weren’t allowed to come in.

Came here on a Saturday afternoon. The food was already cooked and displayed in the shelves. Ordering is easy. Food is tasty. Just the portion is not enough for the price I pay.

Good food and service.Reasonably priced.

Food was very good. It was different. The average price in 15 per dishes

Very good service and very good food dog friendly all food is good quality I would recommend them

The staff could not have done more for us. The food is fresh and there was something for everyone which was amazing! Definitely worth a visit!

Coffee and breakfast really good

Went for breakfast while we were staying in the area. Food was amazing, especially the salt pig beans on the full English. Service was also great with friendly, attentive staff.

Brilliant breakfast, eggs cooked perfectly, and our dog got a bone which made his day! Will definitely be coming back here when we come back to swanage .

The scallops were fantastic. Beautifully cooked and part of a delicious meal.

Excellent Local food. Had breakfast in a jiffy.

This is the first review I have ever given as it’s the only place iv eaten that I thought it deserved one. To start the service was second to none with a friendly service and even joined us for a chat. Now onto the food we had ousters and pulled beef salad to start very tasty and as a main chuck eye stake now as a beef farmer it takes a lot to impress me when it comes to beef but wow I was impressed very tender, flavoursome and well present good to see a restaurant utilising all the cuts and not just the prime ones a well deserved 5 stars keep it up.

Very good food but a plain green salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber) as a side choice would have been nice as all the salad options were far too fancy for us. We chose the slaw but it was just 99% red cabbage and we left it. Would go again though but not too frequently.

The whole ethos of the The Salt Pig group is top quality local Purbeck produce , well prepared and reasonably priced. They certainly hit most of those points. We decided to eat early before it got really busy. The staff were very helpful especially the man who served us. He recommended a locally brewed ale which was most welcome.

We went for breakfast. Very disappointing. No bacon. Was told the bread was sourdough, it wasn’t it was a muffin. The avocado was too firm, the “poached” eggs were hard boiled. Very poor experience on one of the busiest weekends of the year. Won’t go back

Didn't actually get to eat here as just over an hour before our booking time we recieved an automated email saying our booking had been changed from 8pm to 8.15! No explanation given. We decided to pop in to ask as now we had to go out and buy food for dinner. 8pm for us was late enough for us but 8.15 just pushes it over the edge. We popped in and were greeted with a "don't know why that's happened as on our system you are still booked in". No apology or explanation. Almost blamed us for their system and said there was still a table for us for 8pm. We then asked "so is it 8pm or 8.15?" By this time we'd lost enthusiasm and said we'd leave it. Considering this is a small business his attitude was very unhelpful and frankly he couldn't careless. Glad they can afford to put customers off!

Still one of my favourite places to chill and eat.

Went to the salt pig last night. Great service and great atmosphere. Locally sourced ingredients and everything tasted vibrant, fresh and well cooked . 10/10

We've bought from the butchers before and walked many times wanting to experience the dinner service. We found it hard to find a menu online and reviews were not as great as we thought the place deserved by looking at it. We took the plunge regardless and we were so happy we did. The service was great, friendly, but busy, great atmosphere. The staff were great at recommending dishes and pots of friendly banter which made us feel at ease. The food is locally sourced and promptly served. The food was the most flavourful and fresh we have ever had. 10/10 recommend service and food. Ignore ant bad reviews honestly so worth it!

Great range of superb takeouts on offer. Great service, all good quality scran.

Such great salads. Really good value for money and a cosy place to eat.

Great place altogether, run by lovely folks, really good coffee and great breakfast. Defo worth checking out.

Stopped here for a much needed cooked breakfast on Sunday. The cafe is nicely set out with tempting baked goods on display. The lady that took our order was friendly and efficient. However the breakfast wasn't as great as I'd hoped; the sausage tasted meaty in a gamey way but it was dry and I wouldn't choose to eat it again, and the eggs were overcooked. A bit disappointing but might return when I'm in the area to try other things.

Pizza was amazing, build your own starter board was also fun!

What a fab place - cool, trendy, amazing food and wonderful service

One star for food and drink pushed up to two stars for friendly staff. Firstly, one shot of vodka in a glass of £1.59 cheapest supermarket carton of mixed fruit juice (in place of decent quality grapefruit juice), does not a cocktail make! Our other "cocktail" was automatically brought with "diet" coke rather than normal coke without asking whether "diet" was wanted. Many people have intolerances to the ingredients in "diet" drinks so they should never be automatically served. Secondly, the food was awful. One of us couldn't even plough their way through our completely flavourless salad bowls of 4 different salads. The beetroot and orange salad had no orange in it. The Waldorf salad which previously has been delicious, was tasteless and without apple and barely any walnuts. Another salad that was advertised as having hazelnuts in, had not one in my bowl. Unfortunately the one thing that is usually excellent; the vegetarian quiche, was sold out. Other options on the menu that could be seen on the hot counter looked quite unappetising which was why we just opted for the salad bowls. If you can't make proper cocktails then don't advertise that you can. We would have gone for the safe option of a Cawston Press juice instead.

Very expensive. Not really impressed with the dish I ordered ( tagliatelle and pulled beef) with what looked like a thin gravy. £35! I guess I chose theo wrong dish. Didn't like much on the menu. The place was packed so I'm guessing it's just me. The actual place itself is fantastic and a true experience. So still give it a go.

Tasty local produce, cooked or continental breakfasts, nice range on the menu, one of the only places in Swanage with good gluten free options, slightly posher than most

Nice little place. It's great to see a place using all locally sourced ingredients and you can really tell it's quality food .

A wonderful place and I can see how it would be a lovely experience. I was very excited to see all the food coming out. Unfortunately it took 30mins to place an order and then another hour to get our food. The staff were lovely and comped us a drink for the food wait. Unfortunately when the food did come out mine was half the size of the other portions I’d seen coming out and it was cool. Once warmed it was delicious and my friends food was superb. I was just disappointed after such high hopes.

Friday of August bank holiday was a great time to visit for a meal. Both starters, mains, and pudding were absolutely fantastic. Lovely bottle of wine too But the evening was made by the attentive and empathetic staff who really looked after our every need. Thank you so much to Mitch, Ella and Rachele you made a good evening a special one

The Salt Pig Too delivered on all levels. Delicious food, incredibly reasonable prices for such high quality produce, inviting decor and absolutely LOVELY staff - Lola took great care of us. We will absolutely be coming back. The coffee was also spot on.

Great priced seafood. Lovely deli. Will definitely be back to try the cafe.

Quite a nice lunch there. I think because of who runs it, it gets the rave reviews. From my view, it was fine and that’s about it. Not incredible. Not bad. It is what it is.

Great range of food, delicious

Having arrived in Swanage on a steam train, we wanted a light lunch in the centre of town. We had heard the Salt Pig was good and this turned out to be true. The food was very tasty. It is a cafe rather than a restaurant but none the worse for that. We enjoyed the experience.

Was recommended to us and rightly so, fantastic restaurant

Best breakfast this year. Beautiful staff, lovely food, a fantastic place. Cups of tea arrived very fast...

The girl serving the drinks was friendly but the other girl ignored us and it too 3 attempts to order. Customer service course needed I think. Food and drink great though.

I liked the Salt Pig in Swanage. It's actually called the Salt Pig Too, I assume the Salt Pig in Wareham was number one. I like simple good food, and good coffee which they provide in a good casual atmosphere.

Great food Proper traditional butcher

Maybe we went at a bad time near the end of breakfast. What was good food was spoiled by being over cooked and dry. Perhaps they had all been cooked first thing and been kept warm. That would explain the hard dried up roast potatoes, sausage and bacon. The yoke of one fried egg was solid and the other had a very small amount of runny yoke. The beans toast and mushroom were nice.

Great place for breakfast. Kind and welcoming staff. Good food. Nice atmosphere.

Had a lovely lunch at Salt Pig Too. The lasagna is amazing - better than I can make myself. The quiche is also great and a good choice of side dishes. Prices for food and drinks are good value compared to other places we've visited. We'll definitely be going back.

Very good. The lady and the gentleman serving were very hospitable and gracious. Even when I split my tea she came over and sorted it without a fuss. Excellent service.

We had a lunchtime meal which was very very nice. We then decided to buy 2 Rib eye steaks,which I thought looked lovely. £30 was like wow thats alot.....But after eating it tonight...it was absolutley 1st class could not fault it at all. Worth every penny 100% Thankyou to the butcheress who also gave Nigel our dog a little taster of beef during our purchase. Thanks for a great experience!

Delicious dinner (particularly for meat lovers!) and a great atmosphere!

Quirky little place, full of atmosphere. We came for lunch, I had the vegan salad bowl and chips, my husband had quiche and slaw plus wedges. Both were delicious and filling. Would definitely come here again as a lunchtime treat. Recommend it if you're in Swanage and looking for somewhere a bit different.

This is a lovely restaurant, coffee shop, we had coffee. We tried to book lunch but they were fully booked. So book in advance advised as it seems very popular.

Just very poor! Great business model ruined by poor staff and poor food preparation… Numerous tables complaining on the night! One table left without even ordering One table left with half food not eaten One table complaining of temperature of food (cold) Maybe a bad night but a restaurant should be consistent! Can’t recommend sadly… & wouldn’t go back!

Overrated..... my partner was served raw chichen thighs from the grill which the waitress told us was "ok because it had been cooked to the right temperature ". We could watch the chef cooking and did not see him use a temperature probe! My lasagne was not hot, luke warm at best. Was this just a bad day? Looking at other reviews maybe but we certainly would not go back. Such a shame as its a great business model. It could be so brilliant.

Went here for lunch today. Was my first visit and won't be my last. The food was amazing. Absolutely delicious would highly recommend. The staff are really friendly and very helpful. Brilliant service all round.

What a great place very friendly helpful service on a hot day provided us with ice packs to keep our salad items and sausages and cooked ham cool cole slaw . beetroot salad.carrot and kale salad Waldorf salad thank you so much highly recommend you go here

Banging quiche and lovely salad. Very tasty and hearty. My body is thankful

Very good place to visit. Excellent food, good range of drinks, very nice staff.

Ordered pie and new potatoes to take away. The pie filled the container and the guy serving me then went to squash the new potatoes on top, I asked for another cardboard container to put them to be told no, do you know how expensive these are. Wouldn’t have minded but it was £9.50 for a pie and a few new potatoes. Pie was average, lacked flavour.

Had a mixture of salads which were ok but In my opinion, lacked flavour

Very pleasant experience. Food was good and portions were of a good size.

Absolutely delicious top quality food. Local produce and enormous portions. Worth every penny.

So good homemade treats , loved it!

A lovely place with some unusual decor. The staff were great. I had the scallops from the specials board, followed by the chuck steak. Washed down with a couple of bottles of Purbeck Brewery "Full Steam Ahead". All local produce and the food cooked to perfection.

An incredible Breakfast. They were busy at 8:30 but they managed to fit us into a table of four. We enjoyed the atmosphere before ordering. They catered for everything we wanted. Food was presented beautifully. Really friendly staff and a wonderful butchers/fishmonger too - will be returning for more produce in the week.

Fantastic food and great service

Lovely Sunday roast got to be one of the best in Dorset.

Great food and normally great service but the girl that served me on this occasion was uninterested in assisting us, took 10mins to make our takeaway (wouldn’t let us sit in) coffees because she was chatting with her colleague. Hit and miss.