The Best Cafes in Hermitage, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

Found by chance when perusing the menu of a more expensive establishment. Inside was too busy for nine of us but in the small yet quaint courtyard we managed to shuffle a few tables together to accommodate our needs. The food was delicious and reasonably priced... the pot of tea was enormous and required a strong arm to lift and pour! The staff were very friendly especially one gentleman in particular who instigated much banter. Would definitely visit again... highly recommended.

A very warm welcome, great menu and friendly staff. The food was excellent.

excellent venue , clean and well presented . i always check the toilet , spotless. the food is great and the atmosphere is fantastic. we have booked for christmas . thank you for going out your ti help us mike. see you all soon

Absolutely fabulous. Beautiful home made Dorset Apple Cake. Strong and tasty Latte. Staff are wonderful, friendly and Caring. I will be back. Thank you. ❤️❤️🌻🌻

This is an absolutely amazing place. The staff were extremely attentive, the food was phenominal and definitely worthy of a Michelin star and excellent value too. They really care about service and quality here . The best food that I have eaten in a long time. Thank you so much.

Absolutely wonderful overnight stay, with excellent breakfast and dinner, extremely comfortable accommodation, highly professional and friendly staff... need I go on? I would unhesitatingly recommend this charming hotel.

Yalbury Cottage is a place where excellence, friendliness, and quality come together seamlessly. As someone who loves travelling and exploring new cities and places, I have stayed in numerous accommodations, but none compare to Yalbury Cottage. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and look forward to returning to the area. The staff at Yalbury Cottage consistently went out of their way to be friendly and did everything possible to ensure our stay was exceptional. The room exceeded my expectations significantly, with its stunning and unique view. We truly felt as if we were at home, but in a setting with beautiful new scenery. Situated in Dorchester, Yalbury Cottage offers a perfect base to explore the area and nearby cities such as Weymouth. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, have recommended this place to others, and will continue to do so. The bed was incredibly comfortable, and everything was spotlessly and well-organised. Additionally, the thoughtful touch of leaving brownies in our room upon arrival exemplifies their dedication to Yalbury Cottage and their commitment to providing each guest with an exceptional experience. I personally can't wait to return to this charming cottage for another uniquely wonderful stay.

Had the best Greek salad outside of Greece and my husband had the best Dorset Ploughman's lunch. Really delicious and well-presented food in a small, friendly café. Generous portion sizes too. You can't see the huge chunk of cheddar in the pic as it was behind the huge hunk of wholemeal bread! Highly recommended.

Lovely little place. Actually more space in there than you might think. Very nice & friendly staff. Didn't have to wait too long for service & food. Very tasty meals, & excellent sized portions at a very reasonable price. Will certainly visit them again next time I'm in Dorchester.

Stopped for lunch at 'The Posh Partridge' when visiting Dorset on a combined business / leisure trip. It was a relaxed and pleasant place for lunch and both the service and the food was quality and nicely presented. The hot Pastrami sandwich I had was very tasty, as was the toasted Brie and Cranberry Panini. The cost for two toasted sandwiches and two diet cokes was £20.80

Amazing. The food never disappoints and the staff are so kind. The cafe is kids friendly with a good kids menu. The soup is amazing too. I would definitely recommend this!

I meant to review last wkd after we left. Lovely tea rooms and the lady serving was so friendly. Another customer was chatting to me and it felt so cosy. The poached eggs were perfect. I will be bringing my family for a cream tea very soon.

What a lovely and welcoming tea house in the heart of Dorchester. Whether you‘re stopping to sleep, or just for tea / breakfast / food (we did both, one year apart! 😃) , Debbie will make it a memorable experience! The house has extensive history and Debbie is well versed in it, so ask what interests you! We will stop here every time when we‘re passing nearby!

I meant to review this amazing place as soon as I left! We went in the beginning of November, I’d just missed the Halloween decorations apparently. It’s such a beautiful tea room, I hoped it was haunted and yes! Wasn’t disappointed, the lovely owner had lots of stories to share, such a sweet, wonderful lady who couldn’t have been any nicer. I wish she would adopt me, even asked if she’d consider it!? xxx Please visit and support the sweetest and most charming of places and please do pass on my love, from Tania from Bournemouth xxxxxxxxx

What a beautiful b&b with plenty of history. Owner was very informative about the old tea room and surrounding area. She was also the most amazing host, so friendly, kind and welcoming. Made us feel like we were at home. Breakfast was amazing with a great choice of cereals, pastries, yoghurt and then cooked breakfast. The cakes and scones are a must when visiting....tasty! There is a plaque which says " come as guests leave as friends....we have definitely left as friends.

First visit to the restaurant. I was very impressed with our server, who suggested we could move to the adjacent barn where it would be leas noisy. He was right. It was😎. Food quality was excellent. Also, I was very impressed with the general cleanliness. Toilets were immaculate. I would definitely recommend this place. 👍

Had the pleasure of visiting here last Sunday we arrived just after 10 and there were already quite a few people here. Offered seating inside or out, we ordered coffees which were very good and then I chose the homemade granola bowl which was absolutely delicious (it was also huge!) my husband chose the Mexican open flatbread which looked amazing, which he said was really good. Lovely friendly staff. Highly recommended.

We had a baby shower for my sister at The Cow Shed in their Barn area on Saturday, and it was perfect - everything we had hoped for! The staff were so helpful, both in the lead-up to the event and on the actual day. The barn itself is really picturesque, which was perfect for photos. We opted for a cream tea with both sweet and savory scones, and it was lovely. We paid per head for drinks, which guests could get from the private bar as and when they wished. There was plenty of room for games ect too. We couldn't recommend it more. We had the most special afternoon celebrating our new arrival with family and friends. A big thank you to The Cow Shed Team 🤍

Had some delicious food here for brunch , made by chef Maria. Was extremely tasty!

Absolutely adorable little cafe with the sweetest service, great prices and really yummy food! Forgot to take a picture of my BLT but my partner had mushrooms, eggs and avocado on toast and we both loved every bite! Will definitely be back :)

Friendly staff. Very accommodating with dietary needs. Service was relatively quick considering it was a busy lunchtime. Would recommend.

Welcoming atmosphere. Dog friendly which is great. The breakfast was one of the best I have had anywhere. Decent amount of food and perfectly cooked. And only £7.50 which included tea or coffee. Absolute bargain. Definitely recommended. Will be stopping in next time we’re passing.

We had the best sunday roast today for a very long time! I had beef and my husband had pork. The meat was plentiful tender and tasty. The cauliflower cheese was delightful and the roast potatoes were crisp and yummy, the red cabbage was super flavoursome. There was also plenty of gravey. What a find, we will definitely be heading back very soon. Thanks guys!

4 of us went yesterday to celebrate a 90th birthday, we opted for the afternoon tea and booked in advance. From start to finish the service was fantastic! Owners made a real fuss of the birthday girl, we were all made to feel very welcome, were really attentive, offered more tea and water and even offered to warm the scones - which 2 of us enjoyed! The sandwiches were tasty, fresh with plenty of filling (my fave being the ham and mustard!). The cakes were also fresh and delicious! We were even given a box to bring leftovers home. We have been before for breakfast and that too was a tasty treat!! Would definitely recommend this to everyone! Will be trying the lunches next

What a wonderful find, friendly staff, fantastic breakfast and great prices! Will definitely be going back, highly recommend!

Stopped at this lovely cafe on the way to Cornwall and it was so good we stopped there again on the way back. Emily and John are friendly and the food tasty with generous portions. We thoroughly recommend. Keith and Serena.

Friendly and kind staff, they are really a pleasure to be around and the cafe is honestly a great place to have a snack or a drink in. Tasty hot chocolate!

Amazing customer service, very reasonably priced. It's a cafe you come away thinking "that was amazing" rather than "that was ok" Thank you very much! Will come back ❤️❤️

A “rare find” as AirBnB often says! An old school cafe, with personal service at reasonable/fair prices. It’s not often that you can buy an Americano for £2.20 these days! And their menu has a wide range of sandwiches and/or toasties. Nothing fancy, but great value and a friendly welcome.

This is a nice little café near the university. It serves differents options to eat, different types of coffee and the decor and music in the background is good. I personally would use a different type of coffee but it's up to taste.

Very lovely! Had a breakfast burrito and a latte, was fast and hot, the staff were so lovely too:)

Lovely little café, great food amd friendly service

Cozy and fab. Drink, all day breakfast and services are perfect. Will definitely visit again.

Finca. Coffee only. I chose this café based on their Google reviews as I’m only passing through so my expectations were raised. Well, I wasn’t disappointed as my cappuccino was totally delicious. Strong, smooth, rich and hot. With chocolate sprinkles added without having to ask. Perfect! You can smell the coffee as soon as get to the front door! 😁 It’s only a small shop but I really loved the decor with the lady serving being very personable. A great location for the Dorchester West train station. Parking nearby Card only

Great coffee place in Dorchester, it has not lost its touch despite opening more shops and becoming a mini coffee chain. The carrot cake was delicious too.

Popped in for a proper coffee on our way through Dorchester and this place exceeded expectations. The owner couldn’t have been more happy to go the extra mile for us (filled up our water bottles, showed us the equipment he uses etc.). He is super passionate about coffee and truly knows his craft, which shows.. the coffee is INCREDIBLE. A lot of care goes into each and every cup. Highly recommend checking out this little gem, lovely vibe to the place too, the sweet treats also looked great. Thank you for the great coffee and inspiring chat. We will definitely be checking out other locations and returning to this one!

Lovely coffee. We always have oat milk lattes and they are delicious. A little on the small side for me, I like a big coffee. But, very nice. Nice selection of cakes and treats too. It overlooks a road, which is hard not to in a town center for the most part, however the other side of the road is green with trees and not just other shop windows which is nice.