The best restaurants in Swanage North Purbeck South West

Today....one of the best bacon baguettes ever!! Fresh baked baguette rammed overfull of quality bacon, nice people great location sat on the beach overlooking a sunny Swanage Bay, fantastic!!

The best pizza, the friendliest ever staff, perfect setting for the location, and….. long overdue in Swanage. We will return, regularly :)

Finally.. somewhere in Swanage with real taste! The Sandwich Shed is a hidden gem. Run by a lovely couple who have crafted a small and delicious menu, made up of gourmet sandwiches. All on homemade focaccia, my favourite was the BBQ beef brisket served with sauerkraut, smoked cheese, crispy onions and homemade black garlic sauce. Accompanied by some freshly cooked skinny fries and smoky “shed” slaw and a drink from the pub in which the SS is situated, there is nothing to fault. Would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys home cooked, quirky food.

Great spot for a drink after a day at the beach, fabulous views across the bay. Service is good and the prices are reasonable.

The Thai Hut are usually at the market at Swanage every Friday although I get the impression they might have not been there for a while. They had not sold out of anything yet on this visit so I had the Penang Tofu Curry with Steamed Jasmine Rice. I think the curry might be a different recipe to the one I had here before but it was very good. The chef is friendly and provides a good service.

We love visiting Swanage and have found this gem of a place. We first went here in the summer and enjoyed fresh crab baguettes. The food is excellent with fresh produce and a great choice. This time we had granary baguettes freshly made with ham, salad and chutney. They were delicious. The owners are very friendly too. We will definitely be back for more. If you fancy something different from pasties or fish and chips then the Purbeck deli is the place to go.

We never got to experience this cafe. We got there on 27/9/2024 having travelled specifically to eat there based on the positive reviews, I also checked their website/facebook page and there was no announcements about closing. Their page says opened till the end of September and as this was the 27th and a glorious, warm and sunny day we assumed it’d be open. I also did ring the mobile number during the morning (we were getting there for lunch) but no one picked up, I assumed they were busy. Unfortunately one of our family members suffered an injury going down to the cafe so the whole experience was tainted and hugely disappointing.

Have been to this amazing pub when on holiday so many times, my favourite pub in the UK. Just finishing my craft cider after a lovely home made pasty, and sitting on the stone seats outside with husband and dogs. Bliss.

Watching seagulls flying, eating French fries in the sea breeze, tourists come and go as they please. So relaxing! Watching seagulls flying, eating French fries in the sea breeze, tourists come and go as they please. So relaxing!

Ordered main meals and drinks for 4. Asked for either sliced bread or bap burger bun in the side, which I was happy to pay for. They refused. They did have them in stock for breakfast sandwiches and burgers but wouldn’t sell me any. Very annoying. Burgers and fish and chips ordered was quite tasty.

We bought this as a belated birthday gift for my MIL, after the last couple of years we were very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately, as we arrived we were told that we would be stationary for the majority of the meal as the driver had been working all day and will now be over hours. We stated that this is not what we had paid for and all we were told was “they were trying their best”. We were fine with accepting that it would be a diesel train instead of a steam train due to the heatwave, but to sit in a hot carriage with a view of Swanage’s finest COOP was not the experience we were expecting. We feel poor planning by the organisers if they are reliant on only 1 or 2 drivers for an event that had to be booked months in advance. We spent over £200 for this much awaited birthday gift and the only compensation we got was just £10 off our bar bill. Would not recommend this line. Also, do not choose the crumble, it came burnt and is served dry with no cream/custard/ice-cream.

Need an ice cream you won't forget? Got no cash? (though they do take it). Highly recommended... There are some fabulous flavours, and they offer a tremendous option of a milkshake; I went for coffee and pistachio.

Very friendly staff who made you feel very welcome. Food piping hot - good portion sizes with delicious flavours. Will definitely visit again.👍

Discovered this bar in October 2022 and spent a couple of pleasant afternoons sitting outside watching the world go by. This November it was too cold to sit outside so instead spent a couple of afternoons indoors. It’s very comfortable and relaxing and the staff were all friendly. What’s not to like?

Great fish and chips. Nice to have skinless cod. Service was good. Very happy customer, would recommend. Excellent location on the beach