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

Nestled in the beautiful Dorset countryside, Washingpool Farm Shop & Cafe is a hidden gem that offers a delightful farm-to-table experience. My recent visit to this charming establishment left me impressed with its warm ambiance, friendly service, and delicious offerings, and I am excited to share my review. Upon arriving at Washingpool Farm Shop & Cafe, I was greeted by the serene and picturesque setting. The farm shop and cafe are located on a working farm, surrounded by rolling fields and stunning countryside views, creating a peaceful and inviting atmosphere. The rustic and cozy interior of the cafe added to the overall charm of the place. The farm shop at Washingpool offers a wide variety of fresh produce, meats, dairy products, and other locally sourced goodies. It was a joy to browse through the shelves filled with fresh vegetables, fruits, homemade preserves, and artisanal cheeses. The quality and freshness of the products were evident, and I appreciated the emphasis on supporting local farmers and producers. The cafe at Washingpool was equally delightful. The menu featured a range of homemade dishes made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients. From hearty breakfasts to delicious lunches and tempting baked goods, there was something for everyone. I opted for a farmhouse breakfast, and it was a delicious and satisfying meal. The food was cooked to perfection, and the flavors were outstanding. There's also a great playground for the kids.

Excellent find!…came across this farm shop by chance…well stocked with lots of fresh local produce and wide range of chilled food items. Helpful staff who go above and beyond. Full covid19 precautions are in place (masks required upon entering). Cafe adjacent to the farm shop offers a reasonable menu including all the usual favourites such as cream tea. Coffee tasted good and the Dorset Apple Cake was first class. Play area for children and stunning uninterrupted views across Dorset. Family run business which shows. Ample parking and full disability access. Outside portaloo only available at this time which would not be accessible for disabled customers. Highly recommend. Will visit again. 😀

Beautiful Spot! We sat on the terrace with our coffees and enjoyed the sunshine and the views! Staff were lovely, menu is a little pricey, well very pricey. We had a pot of tea for two, and we each had cake with clotted cream on the side, it cost over £17! I will say however, the cake portions were humongous! I've never been served a slice of cake that big in my life before! And it was very very delicious! The farm shop is beautiful, a gorgeous display of fruit and vegetables and a great selection of local produce. I very much recommend a visit!

Lovely farm shop great variety of fruit an̈d veg . And amazing baked potatoes ! Would definitely 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.

Just back from a fabulous 2 nights here. What a lovely place, would highly recommend to anyone thinking of going. We were made very welcome and the staff were so friendly. The food was lovely and my husband said especially the breakfast. I'm sorry I didn't get one of the managers names who spoke to us this morning, just after breakfast, but she was so nice and a credit to The Smugglers. We will be back.

We’ve just returned from a wonderful two-night stay at The Smugglers Inn. On arrival, Lloyd greeted us and made us feel welcome instantly - before any money had even exchanged hands he made sure we were ‘fed and watered’ after our long drive. Nothing was too much effort for any of the staff…. Special mentions to Rafaela our waitress,Ella, and the bar-staff who really looked after us. The Sunday lunch was fantastic, great menu in general and a great breakfast spread! The room was spotless, cozy and well-equipped. It was my partners birthday and they went out of their way to make it special for him. We would definitely recommend staying here and we have already talked about returning one day. Thanks again to ALL the staff for making our stay so special. Sam and Phil

I was on a one night walking break and feeling a little out of sorts. A lovely lady Hebe really looked after me and made me feel so welcome. I called in for a snack and coffee but booked a room. The amazing hospitality continued the next morning with delicious breakfast and Ellis really looked after me. I’ve only been away once on my own before and they really gave me confidence to do it again.

Fantastic restaurant. Fantastic location on WestBay Beach. We had a Sunday roast which was so tender and tasty. Thank you. We will be back.

Superb restaurant and perfect location. If you're fond of sand dunes, and salty air, quaint little villages everywhere..... IYKYK. Food is always great, service spot on.

A wonderful lunch, we all decide to have the daily specials. All were delicious, great value for money and we had three dogs with us and the staff could not have been more friendly or accommodating. They bring you complimentary biscuits for the dogs.

Great lively place, right on the beach, good food and service, good fast pizzas 🍕.... Needs a nice craft beer on tap 😂👍

Beach cafés can be a bit of a dive — not this one! Really tasty good, generous portion sizes, friendly staff, a relaxed atmosphere, and sea views. We especially enjoyed the scampi and the dirty fries.

The food is chip shop style but tastes good. Service is friendly and there is a separate bar for alcoholic drinks.

Camping at Freshwater holiday park, a 20 minute walk to visit this gem of a place. Busy and bustling restaurant, great menu, food was outstanding and the service was great too. Dog friendly aswell, all in all, will definitely be returning soon.

We arrived at 11.20, just in time to order breakfast. We were lucky to get the table on the edge of the 'tent' overlooking the beach. Despite being quite busy we received very efficient service. The food arrived within 15- 20 min, then our hot drinks. We had 3 x full English and egg Benedict on muffin with bacon. Everyone enjoyed it. The only nuisance were a few wasps but not a lot to spoil our experience.

Huge muscles in a nicely balanced blue cheese cream sauce. The fish chowder was also lovely, great tasting fish and fresh veg. We enjoyed on a wet and windy day, outside seating had heaters which warmed us up nicely. Would recommend after a walk.

Came here today, after walking from our campsite at Graston Copse through Burton Bradstock village. A warm welcome by a member of staff & shown to our outside table for 4 with 3 dogs. Our waitress took our drinks order & returned after a few minutes to take our food order. She was very friendly and attentive, giving time for a chat despite being extremely busy. Wait for our food was minimal and when it arrived it was hot, tasty & well presented. Back ground music was pleasant, giving the Mediterranean feeling due to the sunshine. Wouldn't hesitate in returning if we are in the area again .... thank you.

Can't fault it. Good breakfast and coffee to start with. Parking right next door no problem for big 4x4 Jeep to get into. Friendly staff and nice atmosphere. Dogs dotted around chilled with punters on their laptops or tablets working. Had a group of 6 as well sat in the middle of the cafe having a great time. Quick walk down the beach for a bit of sea air. Can't wait to go back but with the dog next time 🤩

Good place to have breakfast and coffee. The place was a bit busy when I been there so I had to order couple of times to get all what I want but it was pretty straightforward. Recommend in a sunny day as is close to the beach

OMG!!! I thought... just another front beach cafe ... You'd expect bad expresso, everage food at high cost.... WRONG! never had such a flavourful dish in places like this. The crunchy skin in the salmon was superb and the fish cooked just right. The mash and asparagus were dressed and seasoned properly not just on top. The expresso was full of flavour and body (Italian barista I bet!) The stuff very kind and courteous. The salmon dish in the picture was just 17£ Please don't miss this place!

We had a wonderful evening at the cafe Oasis. From the moment we arrived the atmosphere and ambience was lovely. Good choice of menu. Our food was delicious. We were advised well regarding our choice of main meal which swayed my husband towards the spicier dish Excellent customer service. We've booked again!!

Great place always worth a visit when in the area. Couldn't ask for a better place to have some lunch or just a nice cold cider. Keep up the good work.

Hi Team, Very professional customer service. Polite & very cheerful. Food is very tasty. A Good Cuppa ! Work extremely hard. Above & Beyond. Amazing " View "

It is difficult to compare a beach side café with others, but they work very hard indeed in the holiday months, and deserve plenty of praise.