Bridport Dagger, Bridport

E TA left this review about Bridport Dagger

Opened in 2024, the building used to be a branch of HSBC. This unusual establishment has elements of pub, cafe and nightclub, though inevitably it compromises and doesn’t fit any of these roles perfectly. Now the cavernous banking hall houses the main bar, with a servery where the old banking counter was. At one side is a very high raised platform used by DJs when the pub is pretending to be an Ibiza-style night club with its late night opening. The hall has multiple TV screens, which were showing live sports when we visited, and there is a dartboard in one corner. There are also a couple of gaming machines near the door, in front of which are two sofas with a coffee table, the only really comfortable furniture here. Much of the floor is taken up with cafe-like wooden tables and chairs which made it feel more like a seaside cafe than a pub. A separate room somewhere in the bowls of the building, on the way to the toilets, has a pool table. They offer simple modern pub food, mainly burgers, baked potatoes and sandwiches, though they also offer cooked breakfasts, cakes and croissants. Two cask ales are on offer, Jail Ale and Butcombe Original, both in average condition though the Jail Ale was a bit over-chilled. There is also a large selection of boxed ciders from Lilley’s behind the bar. The keg options were Guinness, Mahou, San Miguel, Camden Hells5 from Thatcher’s and Devon Mist. An industrial coffee machine occupies one end of the bar. The couple running it were friendly, chatty and helpful. I’d be happy to come back in for a pint or a snack, maybe include on a crawl, but it doesn’t have a cosy pub atmosphere that makes you want to spend an evening here.

On 27^th October 2025 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3649 recommendations about 3611 pubs]