The Ship in Purbeck

Same experience as the last reviewer, the barman (manager?) made us feel unwelcome. It was late afternoon and the pub was almost empty other than two families with young children and pushchairs. We were told when we arrived we had to sit with them (no explanation and we were made to feel a nuisance even going into the pub!) After getting our drinks we went to sit at one of the many empty tables, we were immediately told we had to move to the crowded area. I would add we are both around 70 and as it turned out the families and children were delightful unlike the manager!

Stepping into this pub felt less like entering a warm, welcoming local and more like stumbling into an amateur improv night gone horribly wrong. The man behind the bar, presumably the manager (50ish, and definitely living his best "I’m the boss, deal with it" life), greeted us with the charisma of a wet mop. By "greeted," I mean he didn’t. No smile, no welcome, just a frosty silence. Naturally, I asked if they were open – the emptiness of the place should have been a clue (a glaring red flag). His reply? "No" however his younger, visibly friendlier colleague gave a confirming nod. Hope glimmered. Undeterred, I ordered drinks. Cue the manager’s attempt at humour: "I told you we’re closed." Confused, I pointed out his colleague had nodded. "He’s got a twitch," he deadpanned. Ah, the cutting-edge wit of Basil Fawlty. If that wasn’t enough, this walking HR incident proceeded to harass his staff, demanding someone refill the dog water bowls. When I helpfully pointed out the bowls were already full and our dogs were fine, he quipped, "They’re filled with vodka." That’s when the wheels fell off entirely, as he turned to publicly ridicule his poor colleague in a manner that was neither funny nor appropriate. This man is not a character – he’s a caricature of everything wrong with bad hospitality. Rude, bullying, and clearly under the impression that customer service is optional. Sure, it’s tough to find staff these days, but frankly, a chimpanzee with a crash course in politeness could do a better job. Avoid this place unless you enjoy being insulted and witnessing a masterclass in how not to run a pub.

We visited today for lunch. My 9 year old son went to the men’s toilets, when he returned to the table he told me had received an electric shock from the hand dryer and had black stuff on the back of his hand which he washed off. He has a black mark on the palm side which won’t wash off - ? Burn mark. Another customer in the toilet informed the manager of the dryer and it was isolated from the mains immediately. On attending the bar to pay my bill I explained that my son had revived an electric shock from the dryer and had a burn in his hand. No apology was made, no concern for the welfare of my son was made. I was left feeling very disappointed and angry. This is not how customers should be treated and needs to be addressed immediately. Utterly disgraceful.

Visited a couple of years ago and was very disappointed with the service. Thought we’d give it another go and actually went two out of three nights we stayed in Swanage. On the first occasion the initial “greeter” seemed like he needed smiling lessons, but he improved. Otherwise all service good and friendly. On both occasions the food was excellent with good portions. Their chips are to die for. The only real minor complaint is that it needs a bit more heating as it was a little chilly. Would return though for sure

We visited for dinner on a Saturday night in November. The pub was inviting, busy and food really good (and not too expensive). Good service too. Would recommend as couple or as a family.

Really lovely meal, well cooked (corn on the cob, and garlic bread with balsamic, Japanese chicken and scampi), all very nice and good portions. Didn't get the lads name who served us, but he was friendly and efficient, very good service indeed.

During our stay in Swanage we ate four times in the Ship, because the food was great! My partner had what he called ‘the best burger of his life’ (blue cheese burger), I had the Japanese chicken. Pizza specials at the weekend too, although we didn’t try these. A wide selection of drinks to sample. Very popular so it’s worth booking a table.

Haven't been to The Ship for a while but previously had great meals here. We ordered three roast dinners, 2 beef and 1 mixed. Service was very slow, 30 min wait for anyone to take our order, then another 30 min wait for drinks. Food looked lovely but sadly once we started eating we realised the beef was cold and the veg just warm. I lifted up my red cabbage and found a chicken bone - slightly confusing when I ordered beef. Very disappointed - will not return again.

Went here for lunch with husband and 5yr old. Had a Hallumi burger and husband had chicken burger. Real highlights were the chips! REALLY good- feel like these might be the best chips I’ve ever eaten, They are skin on and cut in a special...

Looking for somewhere to eat on a January evening - we were delighted with the professional reception and hospitality received from all staff Very knowledgeable about the menu and gin!! We had the best steaks ever, cooked to our requirements and the gorgeous presentation was...

Called in on a visit to Swanage with friends for lunch. Friendly welcome and shown to a nice table in the window with nice views. Drinks order taken by a lovely waiter who when asked told us a bit about the history of the pub....

Superb Sunday roast. Beef was cooked to perfection, big portion and a great selection of veg. Cauliflower cheese was exceptional (it’s an optional add on, don’t hesitate!)

Excellant pub/restaurant serving great food ,staff very professional Highly recommend Well done all

As soon as we walked in and asked for a table we were told that their cook was on an hour's break. Even in the busiest and most exclusive restaurants in London do not turn away people instead of serving food. Clearly they have too...

Kitchen closes at 8. Was advised to arrive 15 minutes earlier. Fine. Ordered salt and pepper squid which came quickly. Dish was removed before I’d finished. Japanese chicken skewers arrived suspiciously quickly. Which led me to believe it had been made earlier and bunged in...

Visited this pub on a chilly Thursday afternoon. The welcome we received from the man behind the bar was less than welcoming. He clearly should be in another job. So unfriendly. The pub although it was a quiet Thursday was so cold, and needed a...

Visited this restaurant on Saturday night and was quite honestly the best meal we have ever had and we eat out regularly. The steak was cooked to perfection, proper large mushrooms, the chips tasted homemade and the salad on the side was gorgeous. We had...

It appears the recent new management changes and more focus on dining here have certainly maintained the high standards. We had a delicious local ale, brilliant ham egg and chips and an scrumptious stuffed chilli pepper dish. The crumble dessert was also super and all...

Absolutely delicious food myself, husband and four sons age 22,21,17 and 9 booked a table for 4.45 on line. We were greeted by a charming friendly man called Tom, who was a superb host for the evening. I had Beef special. Husband and eldest had...

A lovely looking pub in the beautiful town of Swanage which is a regular school holiday destination for my family and I. Unfortunately on a very rainy day we walked into the Ship Inn looking for some refuge and a nice pint or two. Unfortunately...

We went for a family evening meal and the food was excellent and good service. A reasonable choice on the menu ut we all agreed our individual meals were all very good. Lovely desserts beautifully presented. Very busy so I would recommend booking - it...

5 out of 5. Not eaten here for many years. So thought we give it ago. Highly recommend to book a table. Menu choice excellent. Thai Green Chicken Curry was amazing. The vegetables were crunchy & very tasty. Excellent service. Definitely recommend the pub.

Looking forward to having fish and chips near the sea. The fish was delicious although the batter was a bit soggy inside. Nice atmosphere and good cider.

Staff were very friendly and attentive. Food was excellent, nice range of different options. I had the superfood salad which was beautiful. Just the kind of place we were hoping to find.

Very friendly staff, good latte, service was great . Have Toilets lovely atmosphere outside seating please to see ashtrays on outside tables. Thank you.

Best ever Gluten Free burger served in gf bun with new potatoes and salad. Friendly staff who talked through gf options. Meal made complete with an accompanying gf Peroni. Highly recommended. Would like to return. Thank you 😊

Visited for lunch and was not disappointed! Clean, neat and modern pub. Good selection of drinks at the bar and decent size menu with a great selection of food. I had a Blue Dog, wife had fish and chips (arguably better than the local fish...

Great service, lovely decor, clean, very good value and dog friendly. The food was the best pub grub we have had in ages.

Got a table kind of late. But they squeezed us in. Had a decent meal and did enjoy it. Just felt bit ignored but staff seemed to be winding down so kind of get it. Otherwise overall was a good experience.

Superb family meal The Ship Inn, Swanage tonight, perfectly catered to our 18th birthday party for Leah and 14 guests, the food and service was amazing literally no faults, thank you Sophie, Alfie and all staff 😀 (sorry I didnt take more pics couldn't wait)

Unable to give a review on the food or service as my husband and I visited The Ship Inn at 16.30 this afternoon 12 September 23 hoping to order meals. We were asked if we had booked saying they were fully booked and as we...

I called the Ship at the last minute to try and book a table knowing it was a long shot as it’s always busy. Suggested I just turn up and they’d get me a table as soon as one became free. Walked in and they...

You will need to make a reservation if you want to eat in the evening. We tried twice as walkins and there was no room. Went one afternoon instead and were seated. The food was great. Easily the best pub meal we had all week...

Visited the pub last year, out of season and the menu was both extensive and delicious. The beer choice was also local. We visited this bank holiday weekend and found a very different establishment. The menu is slimmed down with no wraps and a number...

When we arrived it was very busy. We had a table booked for 7pm. We enjoyed out meal but by 7pm they had already run out of several items on the menu. There were still quite a few items to choose from . The staff...

Not a huge choice food wise but sometimes that can give you problems in what to go for. We got a chicken burger which was nice but the coating was a little burnt so you could keep tasting this every now and then. The scoopy...

Great food shame about the service. Drinks came but like the adjoining table after 40 minutes had to enquire when our food was coming. Eventually after 50 minutes it arrived with an apology that the till roll ran out in the kitchen and our orders...

right in town centre. Open on Mondays when many places not serving food Food is straight Uk pub food but good quality Service is absolutely outstanding - American standard in fact. Place was packed and the small team found us a table in 5 minutes,...

Great service, didnt book but managed to find us a table. Service was quick and very friendly staff Most of all excellent food, really enjoyed the whole experience.

Some of the best food I’ve had this holiday. Excellent chips and a really nice BLT. Good portion sizes too.

Great atmosphere, quick service, and hygge feel - just what we needed on a windy cloudy day - the other cafes were so jammed packed and this place had plenty of space whilst still offering a nice ambience with customers dotted around. Great food too.

Very friendly staff, made us feel welcome from the moment we walked in. Food was excellent and a good selection of beers and spirits.

Food was amazing, staff were so friendly, brilliant service. We were all very happy with our meals. Definitely recommend

August 23, two couples. Incredible experience. Alfie and the team did an amazing job looking after us and the food was exceptionally good. Would highly recommend a visit.

Looking for somewhere for a pint and a snack. Found it a bit odd to find a "wait to be seated" sign in a pub but it wasn't a problem. It seemed even more odd that, having been seated, I then had to go to...

My wife and I visited the ship inn and found the food nice. We both had the 10oz rump steak with the pepper corn sauce. The steak came out cooked nicely and the sauce came out slightly salty to in both our opinions, but still...

Regular pub food, nicely done and OK prices. Suffering the Brexit supply chain issues like many others so menu can be limited but enjoyed what we had.

We enjoyed two extremely delicious meals at The Ship Inn at Swanage. We would highly recommend this as a place to eat. We have already booked a table for when we visit Swanage again in September! Tom looked after us and his customer service was...

Me and my partner came here for dinner and was lucky enough to be booked in last minute! Food was absolutely stunning and amazing portion sizes for the price Staff were all lovely and very polite. Asking if we needed any condiments etc! Would highly...

Having previous enjoyed two visits to this delightful and easy-to-find venue in September of last year (please see my previous review), we spent another short break in the wonderful resort of Swanage so simply had to re-visit "The Ship" for a couple of meals! We...

This was a really excellent experience for us. The staff were friendly, helpful and really professional. They brought over menus and took our drinks order within 5 minutes of our being seated. The starter, a sharing board of bread and olives, arrived swiftly and was...

Visited the pub last week whilst on holiday in Swanage. Didn’t book but was found a nice table near the bar by the lady who greeted us. My wife and I like cider so we choose Aspells which was excellent. For food I had fish...

Wine list is a bit sparse but food good nicely served and reasonably priced. Can get very busy in the evenings always reserve if possible.

Wow! What a difference a year has made. This pub has really upped it's game with service, cleanness and food quality. I had the stuffed pepper dish, totally yummy, so much so that we went back later in the week and had it again, just...

Warm and sunny morning and .... time says 'beer o clock'. So many choices within Swanage so just found the most convenient. Quiz night Thursdays but not staying that long.

We ate here twice and had different meals both times, the place was always busy and its best to book to guarantee a table. The food was really nice and we had different meal both times and I certainly have no complaints on that but...

Great pub one of the nicest gf burgers I've had really tasty! Everyone enjoyed their meals! Friendly staff reasonable prices.

We ate in the ship on 2 nights whilst visiting Swanage and on both occasions the food was good and the staff friendly and helpful. The menu was varied and plenty of choice. it is a busy pub so my advise would be to book...

Had the best burger ever! Ordered the Blue burger and it didn’t disappoint. The onion marmalade was delicious and the burger juicy! Would definitely go back!! The staff were friendly and welcoming!

What a disappointment, have been to the ship on a couple of occasions before and had good food. Unfortunately, the menu is now limited, due to the fact the pizza oven is too expensive to fire up!, as the waiter told us. Opted for the...

Glad we had booked as was busy on Saturday night, which made for a great atmosphere. Service was very efficient and though there was a good choice of menu, including specials, we all opted for Haddock and Chips - no complaints as very tasty and...

Super food in a Super pub. Very friendly staff and a really good pint. If you visit Swanage you should call in for lunch. You will be very welcome and will not be disappointed.

Highly recommend The Ship- lovely clean pub with a young team who are providing first class customer service. Extensive menu, cater well for special diets and a nice glass of wine too! Very pleased with lunch, would definitely return and recommend.

What a cracking meal, the best steak, burger and hunters chicken we have ever had well worth a visit

Had a quick bite, squid and burger, with side of coleslaw. The squid was beautifully cooked and the coleslaw was delicious. The burger was nicely cooked, moist, chips were nice too. Service with a smile and a lovely atmosphere. Worth going.

Smashing buttermilk chicken burger. Chips are cut in a way that makes them a little more crispy, which is great. Nice local amber ale. Great service.

Absolutely first class service and fabulous tasting food. All members of staff were very polite, helpful , great service on a Friday evening will be back.

Just had to say all four of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals last night. Every meal looked and tasted delicious. They must have a great team in the kitchen.

Another great family dinner. 2 of us enjoyed a Friday night Fish Supper (as good as you’ll find on the south coast), 2 others had a buttermilk Chicken Burger & the teriyaki salmon with Thai infused rice. All superb.

Had mid week Fish & Chips lunch on a cold February day with husband and sister. Friendly service, nice atmosphere. Great fish & chips & scampi & chips both with peas £14.95 each big portions great value. Would recommend.

Lovely food. Friendly staff. Reasonable prices. Great choice of venue for a warm refuge on a very cold day - we’ll be back!

We went in for a family meal. Staff came across unfriendly and not welcoming maybe because we weren’t local. No atmosphere and the food wasn’t great for the price.

Called in to this lovely traditional pub for a Sunday lunch. Both my wife and I had roast beef. The quality and quantity of food was excellent and the service was perfect. We would definitely visit again in ever back in Swanage.

Nice decor, staff friendly and food nicely presented but only went today to try the gourmet bratwurst hot dog and didn’t get it! Was served a giant frankfurter in a baguette. This is not bratwurst, and I was very disappointed. Not sure what was gourmet...

We are residents of Swanage, so recently we have had two families descend on us for a stay. On recommendation we have taken them to the Ship for a meal. All fourteen of us thought it was really good. Most places locally are more expensive....

We were down for the weekend with friends to celebrate a birthday. Unfortunately, in January a lot of the cafe/restaurants are not open in the evening. One pub that was recommended to us was actually shut for its winter break! Nevertheless, we booked here and...

This pub is lovely in the summer when you can sit outside. It used to be nice sitting in the main area too. It's just such a shame now that if you want a drink ( rather than a meal) that you can only sit...

Very weird and uncomfortable experience. Walked into completely empty dining area early Wednesday evening (4:45pm) and were offered small central couples table. As it was completely empty asked to sit at one of the larger tables round the outside. Nope, it was “reserved”, the next...

Diabolical work Christmas dinner. The room was very cold - the food was under cooked, over salted and cold on cold plates. The table service was abysmal ! (despite empty tables - now know why!) Complained, offered 50% off - paid and walked out without...

Lovely pub. Clean and tidy with excellent attentive staff. Made to feel very welcome. We didn’t eat but the food was flying out the kitchen so it’s a popular place. Would definitely recommend.

Shocking place the bar staff very impolite using bad language for the time we were there we stopped for 1 beer my wife was appalled will not go again

So after wandering around swanage in the dark (although it’s still lovely, and they were putting the Christmas lights up) we didn’t know where to get a bite to eat… Anyway, popped in here early doors, and what a lovely surprise! Freshly cooked, homemade food...

We had a great meal - good choices on the menu and friendly staff. Lots of people eating on a Wednesday in November. Ditch the scented candles!

Recommended by our AirBnB hosts so booked a table to give it a try. Was pretty busy, which generally tends to be a good sign. Food was OK (but no more than average). Staff were friendly. Service was “leisurely”. Would have been OK if you...

Everything was perfect. Food. Service. Atmosphere. Food. Price. Oh and the FOOD. Highly recommend for couples and families alike.

Went for a family meal with a large group, amazing service and really friendly staff. Food was brilliant, best chips around!!

Very attentive service of well prepared tasty food, and not too expensive. A good menu with something for everyone.

Visited the Ship Inn for a family meal. Food was amazing, full of flavour and plenty of it. Service was excellent. Will definitely return on our next trip to Swanage. Would highly recommend a visit to this beautiful restaurant to anyone who appreciates good food.

Took a stroll into town and came across this pub. It was busy but luckily they had a table ( others coming in after us were told if they hadn't booked then sorry no room so guess we were lucky). Ordered haddock and chips and...

Not normally a Chip person but their chips were amazing.. slightly salted and crispy and crunchy on the outside.. we all had chips with our main course and there was not a chip left at the end of the meal. My fish was fine, as...

Wandered down to swanage town from our accommodation and thought we would give the Ship Inn a try. We were quite early so luckily they had a table. We had the chilli and a blue burger followed by cheesecake and crumble, and everything was well...

I’m not really sure what has happened to this place! We used to come to this place on a regular basis for food and drink but not any more. It was one of the best places in town to get a delicious burger not anymore,...

Having never visited Swanage before we were looking for a nice friendly place to eat and happened to find "The Ship Inn" ....... located very near to the picturesque seafront this pub looked perfect and we were sooo pleased we visited it on Sunday and...

GCSE celebration lunch and wasn’t disappointed. Booked in the morning for lunch same day. Shown to table on arrival from friendly staff. Clean table and clean menus. Great choice. Loved the food and didn’t break the bank. Great spot to celebrate our sons exam results...

Came here Sunday (no Sunday roast) and the staff were lovely. Popped in today. What a change. Barman was rude as was the woman serving. NEVER coming here again.

Having perused all of the food choices in our day at Swanage, we came to the conclusion that the Ship Inn was the best. How stupid were we. This was a case of venue over menu. Not only does their main menu not start until...

The staff here I think are better than a lot of others. Very friendly and professional. The food was very nice and it’s all reasonably priced.

A very busy and lively pub serving good food. Staff do a great job even when it's super busy. Was here on a busy evening, food was served swiftly and had a nice pint too!

Visited on a very busy evening in august. Although we had a long wait for our food it was good and great value. Felt sorry for the staff as they were working really hard and discounted our bill in compensation for long wait. Staff were...

No acknowledgement or apologies given for slow service. We waited around 1 hour for our main courses. It seemed the restaurant was short staffed as staff were working very hard. The food was very good, especially the burgers and chilli peppers.