The Best Cafes in Melbury Bubb, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

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.

Lovely place to stay. Food was beautifully presented and cooked to perfection. The one thing that I would of appreciated (as an older lady) would of been a bath mat in a very slippy bath. Fabulous, would certainly visit again.

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.

UPDATE: Since I wrote the review below, Board Cafe have started doing food, and it is excellent. The sourdough pizzas are among the best we've had anywhere. You're here for the games, and they have a super selection of quality games in very good condition. You want to be guided in how to play new ones, and the staff are genuine enthusiasts and generous in the help they offer. You'll sustain yourself with decent drinks at a good price, and they've got that covered - the coffee is barista quality, and friends who like that sort of thing said they love the milkshakes. There are alcoholic treats, too ... perhaps for customers who aren't as competitive as us! They are building a kitchen upstairs to do food in future, and in the meantime they have been inventive with the cake selection and snack menu. We got the "three bowls for £5" offer this time - sour jelly sweets, chocolate buttons and Doritos, which helps create a party atmosphere. We've been here with a group of 10, twice in a group of 4 and today as a couple, and each time we've had a great experience (see picture of Wingspan, a lovely game based on the idea of building a bird reserve). Book your table in advance - this is a very popular place.

This was an incredibly fun and entertaining experience. They have every board game you could possibly want from quick casual games to prolonged involved experiences. The food is also good and sold at very reasonable prices. I can wholeheartedly endorse this location and I will be returning in the future.

Had a lovely relaxed Saturday afternoon eating tasty food, discovering new games and drinking a very tasty milkshake! Good vegan options (I'm dairy free so always look out for them!) and friendly staff. Will definitely be back 😊

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

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.

A fantastic cafe, serving delicious, well priced food. We stopped for lunch and enjoyed sandwiches, soup of the day, and the crab bisque, followed by treacle and ginger tart and Bakewell tart. All of this was homemade and the portions were excellent. This cafe is not to be missed!

An absolutely brilliant cafe with delicious fresh food, friendly staff and very reasonable prices! The South African cuisine was one I had not tried before, but it was presented brilliantly to me with the wide array of inventive yet authentic dishes on offer. The coffee was also brilliant and the cakes were delicious.

Fables and food has a lovely atmosphere, it is happy and Homely, has incredible food and amazing service. I had the French toast and it came out so well presented and tasted just as good as it looked! This cafe is like no other I’ve been to before as it has such a South African vibe, from the food to the decor! They even sell fresh eggs, cakes and fresh bread. Could not recommend enough!

Lovely food and host/wait team! We went for the special barbecue lunch and it was lovely as well as great value. My only comment would be that I'd have loved it if the food had been brought in piping hot but it was delicious nonetheless. Definitely revisiting to try other things on their menu.

Incredible food, friendly staff and lovely atmosphere. Stopped for lunch with my sister when we were in the area. So glad we did! I had the chicken nourish bowl and it looked as good as it tasted. We look forward to returning to try the gorgeous desserts.

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.

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!

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.

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

Absolutely divine Sunday roast at the Octagon cafe. Choice of 3 meats, lots of veg, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes, yorkshire…too much to eat! Excuse the lack of gravy in photo, that was my choice as I have never liked gravy!! Thank you, I will be back!

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

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

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!

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.

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!

I love this little place that has a larger personality especially around the holidays, nice food, nice helpful staff, and full of friendlyness. It gets bigger and louder during the holidays and summer months when it opens the play area and the maize maze. Lovely for families and children. I have to say it pleases my heart to see this place set up for children's outside play, they certainly keep you on your toes, even when you are not part of that group or party, it has a little downside life everywhere when is busy hearing can be an issue even when sat face to face, so if you're expecting a wee cuppa or coffee or lunch in peace or relative quite here, you honestly won't know until you get there. It's just lovely hearing the children and youths being a play outside and not attached to their phones or computers.

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

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 :)

Excellent service, food was incredible. I got the eggs Benedict with salmon and it was probably the best I’ve had. Yolk was perfectly runny n was well presented. Will be returning in future.

Just had our Christmas lunch a party of 13. Wonderful hot food ..great service lovely atmosphere would definitely recommend you won't be disappointed.

This place takes you by surprise as it looks small from the outside but there is a lot of seating inside, plus upstairs. The service was really welcoming and friendly. The scones were amazing! The menu had lots of choices including sandwiches and jacket potatoes.

Cosy, licensed café restaurant offering everything from coffee and cake, a quick bite or fine lunch. Confit duck in Cointreau sauce was very good.

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.

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 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!

Sensational afternoon tea with amazing scones. We also really appreciated having several gluten-free options too. But best of all was the service. So friendly and chatty with plenty of history about the building and town. Can't wait to return!