The Volunteer Inn in West Dorset

The Volly gets even better. A real pub, serving great beers. Staff are fantastic. Great interior with some really good food options at sensible prices, not the daft costs of the pubs down on the sea front. Well worth a visit.

Just had lovely belly pork, fresh greens and a lovely honey cider gravy. Nice atmosphere and friendly service. Cozy tradional building

Came across this great pub on a recent trip to Lyme Regis. It's definitely one of the best pubs I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. New owners, lovely local beers, great atmosphere, and just a very short walk from the sea front. Highly recommended! 👍

A wonderful night having a few pints of local beer. Lovely atmosphere and a really friendly feel. I will be back next time I am in Lyme!

Good traditional setting friendly

Lovely atmosphere, a clean well kept bar and friendly staff . Would definitely recommend a visit to this beautiful little town of Lyme Regis

Great authentic pub on the High Street in Lyme Regis. Lots of original features including warming fires in both rooms. Very large selection of ales. Staff very friendly.

Always had been a great pub and still is now.

Very quirky place, friendly staff

Lovely pint of Rev James ale, friendly staff and customers

Great pub on the high street, low ceiling and full of atmospher. We were visiting so only had a quick drink but if I was staying longer I would have returned and given it a good go. A perfect pub for sheltering from the rain whilst waiting for a taxi, I'm unlikely to return to the area but it's a happy memory.

Hoped to eat here after an earlier visit but sadly kitchen was closed following a fire. Hopefully next visit as really enjoyed it last time.

Great place for a drink whilst you wait for the bus.

Went in for a sandwich with my daughter pleasant pub and nice food, barmaid was nice and friendly

Absolutely The Best fish and chips thanks to their decision to use cider in their batter! It came out light yet also rich!😋😋 The bartender/waiter was also very friendly 😀

Booked here late as our intended lunch destination, The Talbot Arms, was unexpectedly closed. Great welcome from a very friendly, and excellent, barman. Went with salt & pepper squid to start. My wife then had steak & ale pie and I had the scampi. All first rate. With two rounds of drinks, which included Prosecco, the bill was just £65. Great value…. doubly so given the free dog treats! Highly recommended.

Staying in Lyme Regis and have been to the wonderful Volunteer Inn on 3 separate occasions for dinner and have to report the food is Fantastic !!!!!!....it's a lovely pub for drinking also and the Dinners we have had were really top notch, great choice on the menu and would recommend all the dishes and the value is the best we have seen anywhere in Lyme Regis, also a big thank you to Will who serves there and is a total joy and is what every pub needs serving the public, charming, polite and fun !!!!...don't walk past this pub...WALK IN !!!!!........THANK YOU ALL AT THE VOLUNTEER ..SEE YOU SOON !!!.....Richard & Lesley.....

Friendly, cosy pub when we went the kitchen wasn't open until Wednesday, and when we did go to the Wednesday it was busy and I can see why, we had belly pork in cider sauce, piping hot really enjoyed our meal

We had a wonderful lunch here today, very pleasant barman, food was excellent, home made steak & ale pie and home cooked ham & eggs, highly recommended.

Great little pub just a short walk uphill from the main tourist area. Full of very friendly locals, serving well kept real ales and good pub food. There are two rooms , one on the left for food which is quieter but you can sit and drink there and the busy hub in on the right hand side. Service is really good and very friendly making you feel at home .

I booked a table for myself and my wife for Sunday lunch because we’d been in before many years ago and the pub was a really friendly local, I had roast beef and my wife had roast pork and it was delicious, served with extras, cauliflower cheese, pigs in blankets, red cabbage and an enormous Yorkshire pudding, the staff were friendly and welcoming as was everyone in the pub, return visit definitely on the cards, 👍😋

After a fabulous walk across the coastal route we were ravenous and the food at the Volly did not disappoint. The Volunteer is a cosy, traditional and extremely friendly local pub. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals and the excellent wine. The service was super friendly and efficient. Thank you once again everyone at the Volly - you’ve definitely got great service and good food down to a tee!

Very good staff and didn't feel like a tourist recommended 👌

During a short break at Lyme Regis we came upon The Volunteer Inn. A friendly traditional pub with a very good selection of beers/drinks.

Visited twice whilst staying in Lyme Regis, first for Sunday lunch (booking advised). We all had roast beef with all the trimmings- Yorkshire puddings and cauliflower cheese was delicious! Followed by a tasty homemade treacle pudding! Staff were very friendly. We visited a second time for a drink in the bar. A proper independent, traditional pub in the heart of Lyme Regis. Great fun!

Cute cosy pub. Service was decent. BUT the food was v disappointing and left a lot to be desired… The menu on the website did NOT match what was actually available. TLDR; come for the drinks, leave for the food. My partner ordered the garlic chicken burger and could hardly taste the garlic. I ordered the slow cooked pork belly with roasted garlic potatoes. The potatoes were basically boiled and soft. The slow cooked pork was surprisingly tough for something“slow cooked”. It feels like a home cooked meal I could’ve made better. The only roasting in this place is this review.

Excellent. Great welcome. See you again soon.

Relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff. We had lunch and evening meal there as we were staying nearby. Would visit again.

Nice local pub, dog friendly. A tad chilly, but on request, the heater was turned on. Good food too.

Cute blonde working behind the bar is gorgeous! Will definitely visit again when she's working!!! No wonder the locals stay for hours

Never been before and my wife, who is older than ,me has compiled a bucket list of pubs to see before the end. The bar was buzzing 🐝 and the parson serving was super friendly and did not mind as my wife spent a life time selecting her gin. Lots of great restaurants in Regis Lyme so this is a place to go for pre’s, as my generation say! My wife was angry about the Broad Street hill but that isn’t the staffs’ fault. Well worth a visit.

Booked v last minute for Sunday roast. Staff were so friendly. Food was really nice. Proper home cooked roast dinner / sausage and mash. Portion sizes were generous. Beer was lovely, too!! And bill was cheap. Perfect - would definitely recommend 10/10.

Please avoid unless you’re local. The person behind the counter, Will, if i remember correctly, particularly unpleasant

The place caters for the locals. We were made to wait for a long time and the parson behind the bar was particularly unwelcoming ( I think his name was Will) please avoid, there are some lovely places around.

We enjoyed this pub its a proper pub nice and cosy inside with a fire atmosphere was great on a Friday night food was great staff lovely

Was recommend this place by my hotel and went for dinner and drinks. Food was decent, not too badly priced for pub grub and the atmosphere was cheerful and welcoming. My one regret is that on Sundays, they only do lunchtime carvery. Still overall pleasant experience

Excellent roast, quality meat. Roast was the only option on the Sunday which left vegetarians with only one choice (the nut toast). Good beer selection and well kept. Popular pub and although short of room, it does have a good atmosphere. Enjoyed the visit.

Interesting enough building, with a fireplace. Two bars. One full of unfriendly locals. The other empty and rather cold when we visited. A decent enough pub for locals I imagine: surly staff and awkward service throughout: food expensive for what it is, and rather bland. Staff seemed aggrieved with having to deal with non-locals. Sighing and harrumphing. Won’t go back.

The smallest pub with the greatest heart

Went in last night for a meal . Sat in the restaurant side which is cosy with nice vintage furnishings and a beautiful chandelier. Food was fab and service was excellent . Will definitely be back :-)

Pure chance found us in The Volunteer Inn, before heading to a comedy night. What an all round, wonderful, experience. Walking into the cosy, character bar and being greeted by charming, friendly, happy and polite staff was so lovely. We shared a goats cheese and beetroot burger, with chips and salad - absolutely delicious, beautifully cooked and presented. Went back later for a drink, again, a warm welcome and such a gorgeous feeling of being nurtured in a top class and genuine pub environment.

My local..... Always an absolute pleasure xxx

I have been to the pub before but just for drinks. Yesterday we had lunch there and the crab bruschetta with cheese was amazing I could have eaten it again 😃

Brilliant. Atmospheric and friendly. A motley mix of clientele but all very jolly and friendly. Kinda wish I was a local.

A little cramped in the bar,food ok and a bit dear for what was on the plate.

Excellent food, just how pub food should be, tasty and filling. Are here on a Saturday evening and was so good we came back for Sunday lunch. Staff friendly and helpful too.

Delicious Sunday roast, fresh vegetables and lamb superb. Highly recommended

We booked here last minute for a Sunday Roast while staying for the weekend in Lyme Regis, opted for the restaurant and not the bar as its a little more relaxed. The staff are all very friendly and welcoming, they took our drinks orders and advised us of the options available, there is only so much of the meat choices so once its gone its gone. Even though we were booked for 2pm there was still options available but for those that don't want a roast they offer sausage and mash served in a giant Yorkshire oudding. All of our food had the home cooked feel and was great, could not fault any of it and the portions are plentiful. Would definitely boom here again for a Sunday Lunch.

Didn't eat but it's always a friendly old pub and a great place to have a drink - not snobby or expensive.

The Volunteer is a quaint pub. Old worldly type. We were welcomed by a very smiley and sincere staff member, quite possibly the manager. A great variety of ‘proper’ food on the menu. We had steak and ale pie and it was really very good and plentiful. Will definitely eat there again.

Best pub in Lyme for beer, no idea about food.

A great find! An honest, proper pub that's worth a visit. Pass the tourist traps and find your way up to this gem!

Friendly, good beer and food. Lovely traditional pub. A little pricey but everywhere in Lyme seems to be.

Went for a drink but very disappointed - not at all as described on their website. "We'd rather introduce you to the very best beer and cider that we have available locally than offer you something that is available everywhere." - NOPE! A poor choice of general ales . "And if you like cider then we've always got four of them too. All from the West Country - three from Somerset and one from Cornwall - proper, traditional cider fermented the old fashioned way." DEFINITELY NOPE! Two, generic, national ciders were all that was on offer. Can't comment on the food as we didn't eat. Atmosphere okay.

Great place to eat in Lyme food was very good and not expensive.Staff were friendly and helpful and went out of their way to make sure we had an enjoyable meal

Proper old fashioned pub. Nothing "corporate" about this lovely place. I didn't get food so can't rate that, however the menu looks pretty decent and not overpriced. Friendly staff, great atmosphere. This place is a listed grade 2 building. Like pubs used to be. Brilliant.

Great traditional pub. We had steak and ale pie with a fabulous baked suet crust. Veg were perfectly cooked and generous portions. Beers were lovely as was the service. Reasonably priced. Just what we needed! Will certainly be back!

We ate here last night. I went in because they said on the board outside they had beef lasagna - which they didn’t. I tried fish pie which was terrible. Mostly potatoes drowned in cheese. My wife had a burger and our friend had prawns...

Wonderful service, but the food average unless you go for the vegetarian option which is well below average. It’s a nice cosy pub and the staff are all very pleasant, friendly and give good service. The problem is the food which was pretty average for...

Fantastic Sunday Roast with roast beef, homemade yorkies , roasties and plenty of veg and plenty of gravy too. Best roast in town !! 10/10 !!

Coming her was like getting an insight to the really community. Full of characters and friendly people to chat to. It was lovely to sit up at the bar and have a pint with the hassle and bustle of life going on around you. Food...

We popped in on the off chance of a Sunday Roast at 2pm and we were quickly sat at a table and told the kitchen was about to close but we'd be served. We had 2 but roasts , chicken and a beef roast dinner....

Thought we would pop in for a nice pub lunch was met by an unwelcoming lady, said we would have to go next door with kids (we have 3 all over 10 years old). We then had to walk back to the main bar to order, was then told they don't serve hot drinks, very strange. Saw the food, looked pretty average. If you are a family, seemed you are not really welcome. Shame as we love a traditional looking pub

We went inside for an easy lunch but the service was non-existing. We left after a while since the woman working there didn't seem interested at all to take our order.

Both meals we had were not nice. Place is very much for the locals only as not made very welcome. We went elsewhere to eat and have drinks instead.

Very good food and drinks served by friendly staff!

Very warm welcome, found us a table very last minute. Great service. Food was very bland and plain, especially for the price. Nothing different to home cooking but at £15-16 per meal. Garlic chicken had no garlic flavour to it and mushroom risotto was a flavourless creamy sauce.

Was a little on the pricey side but sooo worth it. Food and service was amazing, felt very welcomed and looked after.

Delicious sunday roast with locally sourced ingredients including fresh vegetables. Huge yorkshire puddings too. Great service. Thanks

What a great pub this is.Friday evening and the bar was busy.Ordered some food whilst having a great pint.The food arrived and we were impressed with our order.The belly of pork in a cider an honey sauce was spot on.My wife's Ham egg and chips...

Food stuff and atmosphere 1st class

Great atmosphere and well kept beer. The food is superb.

We enjoyed a first class Sunday roast here. We called in on the off chance and were lucky enough to be given a table although most tables were reserved which shows what a good reputation they have. The best roast I’ve had in a long...

Legendary in every way. It's not just a pub, it's a lifestyle.

Traditional pub that seems to be well favoured by locals. It was very busy when I visited on a Sunday afternoon but still very enjoyable. Very welcoming service and general atmosphere. No food Sunday evenings.

Lovely food & service recommend the chicken stroganoff. Pity they don't do pudding in the week.

Great drinks and lovely atmosphere.

What a fabulous place to have a drink and some lovely pub food. Atmosphere just fantastic. Friendly, warm, and welcoming. Thank you so much.

Nice friendly pub with a good selection of beers. Bar staff very welcoming.

Excellent delicious Sunday lunch! We were a party of 11 ladies on a hen weekend, and the volunteer inn staff made us so welcome. We all thoroughly enjoyed our Sunday roasts - would highly recommend. Thank you to the chefs and staff at the volunteer...

I have walked past this old pub for years , each time I said we should check this place out it looks great , so today we did , instead of going to our favourite places for food and drink we went to Volunteer Pub...

One of the few less expensive pubs in Lyme Regis, good friendly service & fairly popular with the locals. Highly recommended.

Had a delicious Sunday lunch here, we had the beef roast dinner and the sausages mash and Yorkshire, the portions are very big, so definitely good value for money. Staff provided excellent service and were very friendly. Would definitely recommend and go back again.

Great service and lovely food especially the roasts! Very dog friendly would def recommend and we will be back. Staff first class

Wow what a surprise we were having a lovely day in the town and we thought let’s go a nice lunch in the pub but on entering we automatically with out saying hello you can’t come in the bar because you have a kids and...

Our first meal at The Volunteer for quite a while. We were early for our table as after ten minutes standing at the bar of The Nags Head I just could not get served. This was no bad thing as this is a very traditional...

A proper nice English Pub, probably the last in Lyme Regis. You can sit and chat, with just a little background music there's a nice atmosphere. A choice of 3 real ales I sampled the Landlord Tim Talyors and it was spot on. The Sunday...

Very friendly helpful. Would definitely recommend for a cosy drink. 👌 Originally came in on my arrival in Lyme Regis to access Internet as I was desperate to get important info to gain entry to our accommodation,ie key safe code! Matt was so kind ,...

Popped in for lunch this Saturday and delighted we did. Lovely, traditional split room pub with a friendly welcome. Good food menu with plenty of choices. I had one of the specials of crab on ciabatta, which was excellent! Would def go back when in Lyme Regis again and would highly recommend it.

Lovely small pub excellent but food, great atmosphere.

On holiday and booked for Sunday lunch with 3 friends. Fantastic large tasty dinner arrived with beef and pork and a small sausage with roast potatoes red cabbage , carrots, parsnips, cabbage, bowl of cauliflower cheese Yorkshire pudding and a jug of gravy. traditional pub...

Lovely pub shame about northern barmaid rude arrogant possibly drunk food looked amazing locals were very friendly had a good laugh as I said shame about service with a smile will try again may be she won't be workin

Really busy pub, but it's really worth a visit as the food is the best.

Fantastic Sunday Lunch. Well cooked and big portions. Would recommend this cosy pub. Friendly bar staff ensured a very good experience.

Outstanding Sunday Roast! Not exaggerating in saying this was one of the best I have had in years and years! We rang up at very short notice and the staff were very helpful and fitted us in! Exceptionally welcoming, told us they could do kids...

Good local pub with a good atmosphere.

Small, dark, low ceiling, sour wine and an absolutely uninspired selection of beers by the tap. Sorry, can't understand the 5* ratings.

Ha ha now that I’ve got your attention I shall begin. We’ve been coming to Lyme Regis for several years now at various times of year. The Volunteer is alway top on the list for a visit. Pleasantly refurbished since we were last here but...

Good selection of ale in a warm and friendly environment look forward to my next trip to Lyme Regis

Visited this pub today Dog friendly Great service Excellent food Would recommend and return Thank you very much 😍