The Best Cafes in East Orchard, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

A wonderful find hidden away at Stalbridge Dorset we have a warm welcome and could sit outside or in the restaurant area, the menu had a good range of meals and the homemade cake where to die for. I am fussy about coffee this was good roosted by readscoffee.co.uk.

Margot has been running her cafe from this site about 8 years,so I have been many times in i think the last 7+ years... I live around 150 miles away,and hadn't been here since Christmas... So I got down about 06.30 this morning and had table booked for 09.30..... I can not fault this cafe,I tend to have the Spire Hill Grill and I have yet to have a bad bit of any meal. With the ever increase in cost of living,I was expecting it to be more expensive than Christmas 2022...but nope,same price,and I think it is amazing quality for a very reasonable price. I was with family that live in Dorset and visit this fantastic cafe often....in fact my sister was in the day before also. The staff are lovely...Margot (owner) is a true professional and has built her business up over the years,take look at the website,and the produce that have,home made jams etc etc,I understand they now have some of the produce selling in a local shop. The customers in the cafe are also friendly,and seem to know each other.... I did a review on TaT before,and I'm doing this update as and edit,my original is below. We had pot of tea and three coffees...the little milk bottles,the glass teapot are just examples of some of the things they do differently...and it all goes to show the love Margot has for food and service to her customers (friends) The head chef Eve (pink shorts ;) ) is also a little star,and has been with TaT from being tutored from as an apprentice to becoming head chef... And is a credit to Margot and to catering... We came away with a couple of pieces of home made cakes....and will enjoy later. I know before I arrive that the experience will be all I could reasonably expect,and could only ever leave a rate of 5 star.... Anything less...I'm my view is unjust. My original review below Brilliant cafe,I always try to visit when in area,it's a lovely place,great food,and staff are greatest

The food here is always delicious, theres a lot of innovation and choice in what is on offer. Very friendly staff, and theres a range of their own condiments for sale inside too. Such a great place 👍

We stopped off here for breakfast at the end of a weekend away as we’d heard from our hosts that they did good food and were dog friendly. The food was delicious and great value. The staff were really friendly and welcoming and we managed to pick up a couple of early Xmas presents for hampers as a bonus! Would highly recommend.

The food was delicious, lovely atmosphere and were able to offer most options gluten free. We had the avo halloumi with chilli jam and it was perfection - ( small kitchen area so chance of cross contamination but they knew what they were doing so I felt safe to eat) my daughter had the kids snack box which was brilliant and made her feet kick (she loves her food) definately will be back

Beautiful florist/cafe. The most delicious cakes & treats to be eaten whilst having a look at all the lovely home wear & florals. Beautifully festive for December also

Friendly and unusual A combination of florist, cafe, and interiors shop done very well. Excellent coffee and pastries surrounded by contemporary floristry with incredibly friendly staff. They act like they love their job and enjoy serving you. Had iced coffees, a selection of cakes/flapjacks and bought a baguette for later. Went back the next morning to pick up pastries for breakfast. All excellent.

Had a takeaway. Lovely service and great cakes. Our drinks were double cupped to stop them being too hot to hold. A thoughtful gesture - thank you.

I've now tried all the cafes in Shaftesbury, by far this is the best coffee around (Oat flat white). The staff behind the counter were all delightful, atmosphere is really cosy and friendly with the larger 'shared table' in the middle. Vegan cakes were always available. Dogs welcome!

Lovely place to meet up! I’ve been to the blandford one and this one and I think I prefer Shaftesbury. They always have great vegan options, even my non-vegan colleague chose the vegan toastie and loved it. I come here as it’s a half way point to have meeting with my colleagues from Yeovil but I like the vibe and the food!

Such a friendly little café with great vegan options! We had the vegan new yorker sandwich and a lovely slice of ginger cake. Especially loved the decor, there’s wifi too!

Had a bacon and Brie sourdough toastie. The bacon was high quality and very tasty.

Really lovely tiny wee place. I'monly 5'1" so was able to 'just' walk easily through the door into the downstairs area, but my taller friend had to really duck,until we sat down 😆. Perfect coffee made just the way I asked (twice.. we were in there chatting for 2hrs!)... and then we went back again for lunch! The food was awesome.

Everything taste amazing! Huge selection of cakes, specialty coffees, proper pies, but also salads and lighter fare. We had the chicken, ham and leek pie with reduced red wine onion gravy, lime and blueberry and maple, pumpkin and chai cakes. But it was very difficult to choose off the menu. The atmosphere is quaint and cosy with plenty of seating and happy, warm people on staff to serve. You’d be crazy not to stop here when in Shaftesbury!

If you would like to have a delicious variety of food and desserts wrapped in a dog friendly welcoming, relaxed atmosphere topped with an amazing customer service - this is the perfect place! The also have Vegan and Gluten free options :-) We were served by Renata (the owner) , a lovely woman that definitely understands the importance of having the knowledge of the ingredients in the different dishes and the attention coffee beans needs to be able to produce the perfect cup of coffee. We highly recommend to give the King Alfred’s kitchen a visit as it’s 5* in every way!!!

THE MOST INCREDIBLE CAKES AND DRINKS!!!!!! The atmosphere is super cute and cosy, very relaxing but the cakes and drinks are to die for!!! Definitely 100% a must visit!!!! The food looked really yummy too, next time we visit we will definitely be having lunch here too

An amazing maize, maze one of the best around. What a pity it's the final maze this year. A wonderful attraction for all the family with all the usual facilities including a superb little cafe. Play area for younger children and very reasonably priced. Staff extremely friendly and helpful adding to the experience. The maze is open all summer until early September so get in there quickly for a brilliant day out!

Good location on the edge of Sherborne to let the kids run and play while you sit comfortably in the old farm yard with a cake and coffee or maybe a light lunch.

Went with my sister ( a local ) and daughter and granddaughter. Food was really lovely. Highly reccomend the quiche. The play area is safe and really well laid out. If you are in the area it is well worth a visit. We live over an hour away but do make a beeline for Blackmarsh Farm when visiting. Staff are lovely too.

As always, friendly, efficient and very welcoming. Comfortable sofas and easy chairs as well as tables and chairs for eating at. Some had been reserved in advance. Great decaf coffee (& lovely mince pies - thank you!) And the sun streaming through the conservatory roof - though cannot promise that every time!

Lovely clean café, friendly staff, and quick service. The all-day big breakfast was just what I wanted 😋

Great place to meet friends and have decent coffee, and if you are peckish plenty of choice on menus.

This gem did not disappoint yet again! Even if not on the menu, you can still get an amazing omelette here! Great after cycling up Gold Hill :)

This place is located at the top of Gold Hill with beautiful views over the valley. It was a beautiful day so we sat on the benches outside to soak in the beautiful views. The staff were friendly and the service was quick. The menu had plenty of of options and the food was really tasty. If you’re a tourist looking for the feel of England, then definitely come here!

My wife and I, Visited Shaftesbury on Saturday. To do some shopping and check out Gold Hill (Featured in the Hovis advert from the 70's) when we got to the top of Gold Hill we came apon this lovely restaurant. All the staff were lovely. So lovely my wife and I cried. Xx. We have had a lot going on recently. Jo was very kind. The food was amazing. We went for the tuna ciabatta. Lovely.. And then there's the view. Amazing.. Well worth a visit and popping in for something to eat. Xx. Thank you again xxx yours sincerely Steve and Annie and Luna xx

Great food, service and prices. Excellent view too.

Great food and staff. Toilets available. Seating in or out. Wheel chair access made at home. Rainbow 🌈 cake a must . Cheese scone and chutney divine xx

Love the food and the and attentive servicing. Atmosphere was nice as well

Absolutely LOVED our vegan brunch!! And the fried bread - my goodness, what a treat!! If we lived closer, we would be here every weekend. Love that our doggy was catered for too, thank you!

Good inexpensive traditional cafe. Lovely staff. Very dog friendly. Good food. Well worth a visit

I am giving this five as it is a museum piece. Opened in 1976 it has never changed. Been decorated regularly, but kept the original features. So if you want a 70's cafe with frothy coffee & fried food this is the place. They do have the modern coffee & up to date delights of the 21st century, but keep the old favourites. The breakfast are fun as are the lunches. Some good photos of old Shaftesbury on display. The manager has been there for 43 years, so the owners must be great too.

Lovely traditional cafe Banging breakfast Would fully recommend

The food was lovely. It was part of a party group I joined in with to celebrate a friends 80th birthday, which, while I was their, went very for everyone. We were all looked after, very well.

Absolutely adore this place. Makes our favourite chicken and bacon hot wraps, which are sublime and gorgeous cakes and tray bakes. Such a good range of fillings for baguettes too. Oh, and good coffee, tea AND smoothies too. Small place, but big on value and service. A gem of a place.

Really Friendly staff and lovely atmosphere inside. Food is also absolutely delicious. Great prices for the quality of the food. Only spent £18 on two meals two drinks and a brownie! I asked for ham on my Croissant instead of tomatoes as I don’t like them, they remembered this and put no tomatoes on my salad too! The little things made my experience great.

What a lovely little cafe, made even better by helpful and attentive staff. They were able to accommodate dietary requirements without fuss and were so nice! The people here clearly enjoy what they do and it shows.