The Best Restaurants in Langton Matravers, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

After a lovely sunny walk we ended up at the Square & Compass. We had an ale and mulled cider with a steak pasty and a chicken leek and bacon pie. Service was quick and the staff were polite and friendly. We sat in one of the snugs. The whole place is a living museum and you step back in time once you cross the threshold. Service is through a hatch in line with the entrance, it became very congested very quickly with only a few people being present. Not so easy to navigate once you add a tray with drinks and food on it.

Such a special place. Can't beat it. Frequented the place when we lived in Dorset & come back on every visit. Visited today after a lovely walk from Worth on the Priest's Way, down to Dancing Ledge for a swim & back along the coast to Windspit before heading to The Square & Compass for a Pint & a Pasty. Nowt fancy, just good honest food at a good price. Couldn't ask for better.

Keep it simple, a selection of pasties, a sausage roll, and a steak pie, plus some good cider/beer. Served from a hatch which does admittedly cause a bit of a queue, but eaten on tables outside in the sun was worth the wait. Don't miss sticking your head inside to the museum room on the far left and the atmospheric lounge on the right.

Is nice pub to be there after a bit hiking around Dancing ledge, a lot britains goes there to have a glass of beer 🍺, nice talking, good view. Also they have a small museum about fósils found around. They hay a good variety local beers 🍻 simple but nice taste traditional food.

A wonderful restaurant with an interesting range of options for meat, fish and vegetarian tastes. Food produced was well presented and very tasty. Music was great. The chocolate desert was one of the best my wife had experienced. Well done. Lovely staff and highly recommended.

Very welcoming and friendly service, and Chef came out to recommend and check for feedback. Superb food, perfectly cooked, chosen from an excellent menu. The decor is interesting and appealing. I loved the sound tracks, just perfect for a cool evening - not noisy, easy to chat. Reasonably priced, given the fine dining experience. Swanage needed quality dining like this and The Narrows delivered. We mentioned it was our anniversary and, after the best wobbly panna cotta and gooey chocolate fondant desert they presented us with a 'Happy Anniversary' chocolate plate with lovely fondants as a gift. A memorable and very enjoyable evening.

Lives in the area for a year now for work and tried this place on a whim with my friend. Turned out to be one of the best meals we’ve had since moving to Dorset. Really modern and needed for Swanage, great food, lovely and genuine staff and really pretty decor. We’ll be back!

Just walked in off the street and staff were so friendly and accommodating. Had a beautiful meal with local beer. Would highly recommend, the food was sensational.

Friendly pub. Busy with locals and visitors. A warren of little rooms so you can find a space to sit. They have sky sports in one room for those that want it and plenty of alternatives for those that don’t. Games and puzzles to occupy you. Menu looks good. We had the Sunday roast which was unbeatable value and really tasty. Nice selection of beers on tap. Highly recommended

Unfortunately food was not available when we visited but at the time we were only looking for a snack. What a pub, not necessarily to everyone's taste but the atmosphere and the socialside with the barman/landlord (?) and locals was really welcoming. The Ale was awesome, my first pint tasted so good it disappeared so quick I had to buy another. Even better it was in a dimple glass with a handle. Best PUB I have been in for ages.

Usually drive by this pub but decided to pop in this time, not disappointed, excellent service from barman accompanied by the locals who were very welcoming and entertaining. Went through to the garden area (very dog friendly) with the seating and ordered a snack to go with our drinks. It was outstanding in both taste and value, so many thanks for that, would thoroughly recommend this pub and will definitely be back for further ventures into the menu, many thanks.

Generous portions at a reasonable price. Food was tasty and staff were friendly. We enjoyed our visit and will definitely be returning.

Went for a Sunday roast. Options beef, chicken or pork with all the trimmings. Puddings were lovely, cherry pie and custard and 3 scoops of ice cream… there were more but the cherry pie got me. Large seating area inside with nice decor and large bar. They also allow well behaved dogs. Seating outside also available. Would recommend booking .

Amazing spooky old pub. Was here just for drinks as we missed the food time. Interesting place. The garden is awesome, quite a few tables on a bit of an incline. Mini stone circle and memorials out there.

What a gem! The pub itself is really nice, with lovely owners. The locals are good fun and everyone was chatting. The atmosphere is nice and it's much quieter than the busier pubs further into town. Would come again.

We just stopped in for a quick drink on our way out of Swanage as all the pubs in the town were busy. Such a lovely place cozy and quirky with a lovely garden, really friendly staff who clearly loved engaging with anyone who walks through the door. We'll happily visit again if we're back in the area.

What a fabulous atmosphere, warm and cozy pub. The Sunday roasts were to die for! The staff so pleasant and welcoming, pubs like these are a dying breed. 5 stars from me!

Nice cafe and walking trails along the coast. Parking is charged but no other fee for entry. They also have an art gallery and small shop on site. Beautiful views of the coast and surroundings throughout the site. Definitely stop in for a visit.

Was only able to spend a short time there but clearly a place you could spend hours walking cliffs top walks. The terrace of the cafe offers great view of the coastlines. It is very hilly and they have tried their best to make it accessible, but be aware that there are lots of significant slopes.

This was a lovely find and experience. The whole place had been redesigned for accessible use, and the attention to detail was everywhere. The architect should be very proud of their accomplishments. We grabbed some food and were pleasantly surprised. So much so we headed back a second day. Views are amazing and accessibility is extremely good, despite being on the cliffs. Great day out.

A fantastic restaurant with great food and excellent service. Their pizza is especially outstanding. The cocktails and beers were lovely and everyone was very friendly. Warmly recommended.

Fantastic hidden gem, me and partner went for dinner this evening. Initially we was the only people in there at a 7:20 reservation and was slightly worried however it was superb. 8pm arrived and it was suddenly rammed and a great atmosphere. Highly recommend for all.

Went as part of a group for a lunch at opening time. Considering we were unannounced the staff were brilliant. Food was served pretty quickly, tasted amazing and was good value. Definitely plan to visit again when next in swanage

We just had the most delicious dinner at The Cabin. The food was lovely, the view spectacular and the staff were incredibly friendly. Contrary to a review below, portion size was very generous. Will definitely be coming back here!!

Absolutely stunning little cafe fresh crab was perfect and right on the beach ‘if the flags are flying they’re open’ ❤️

A lovely rooftop beach bar with views to just sit and admire. Beautiful spot for a bite to eat and a pint. Good selection of snacks like baguettes and kid friendly food too.

This is the most awesome cliff-side cafe around, well, it's the only one I know of so... a well deserved title! Opens at 9am, perfect to grab a delicious fried breakfast at the start of the day before enjoying the surrounding scenery / beaches. Get there early and you can sit half way up the cliff (on top of the café roof to be precise - the cliff isn't very high!) and take in the lovely view of Swanage bay at the same time. Quick, friendly service, not too expensive, they also take card/phone payment... what's not to love?

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

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!

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.

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

Great food. Very generous portions. Was delicious. Everything had a lot of flavour and was so well priced. Would definitely recommend and very good value for money.

We originally had booked The Pig On The Beach for dinner but when walking past Purbeck Plaza decided to cancel our booking at The Pig and try this instead and we are so glad that we did! The food was incredible and from 7pm the atmosphere picked up and the restaurant was really busy, the staff were really lovely and attentive and the owner spent some time talking with us and recommending other local places to eat as well. I would definitely recommend booking as we had booked for 6:30 and from 7 the restaurant was basically full. We really liked the fact that the menu changed daily and it was so reasonably priced! We ordered 7 dishes at it came to around £35 + the jug of sangria! We will definitely be coming back when we’re back in Swanage.

Delicious food, cooked perfectly with a great variety! Also love that the menu varies every time. Friendly staff and lovely atmosphere and decor, child friendly too.