Attempting to get to the Durdle Door without any directions, it appeared that Weymouth was the closest town, so that's what we put in the GPS. Then we got stuck in Friday afternoon traffic, and decided it was best to head straight for food. In looking up the best pubs in the area, the Red Lion was recommended.
We parked in the pay lot that's the other side of the Brewers Quay area and followed the crowd. There was the Red Lion with a full patio in glorious sunshine. We grabbed a table and headed inside to order. We each had the fish finger bap that comes with chips and salad (fish finger sandwich with fries and salad, for my American friends). We also got the half pint of prawns, purportedly with spicy sauce, and the house-made brownie with ice cream to share.
The food came quickly enough. And when the employee (bartender/server) heard our accents, he told us about how on the left side of the building, on the bricks of Cove Passage, dozens of Americans inscribed their initials as they waited to load the transport ships that would take them to Normandy for D Day.
The food was decent. The bun and lettuce of the bap didn't do much for me, so I just ate the fish fingers with the tartar sauce. Salad was fresh, crunchy, and lightly dressed. Chips are chips. The prawns were nicely cooked, but that sauce was in no way spicy, by any stretch of my American pallet. The brownie and ice cream were quite good.
There is free wifi, and it reaches most of the patio. Bathrooms were clean.
A decent experience, bumped by the friendly bartender and his historical tip. read more