The Best Cafes in Shipton Gorge, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

Wow I usually go here for the ice creams with the kids, this time was in the area for lunch so thought I'd try and it was amazing 5 stars well deserved

We called in for drinks and cake. They do fab milkshakes and Iced coffee with ice cream and plenty of cream on top :-) The cakes are yummy too, we had the chocolate brownies and Flapjacks. They have a varied menu. This cafe has a fun retro style, dog friendly with easy access to the carpark and views of the harbour. Will return.

Cherries has a great vibe and serves excellent coffee. Their sandwiches, flatbreads and a different take on the Greek salad were noteworthy. Considering the feel of the place one would have expected more vegetarian options in the kids menu.

Always served with a smile and happy persona every time we visit, food always hot, fresh and delicious! Very clean, and staff are so friendly and attentive!

Hi called in today with my other half after visiting the local churches grave yard to lay some flowers and was very pleasantly surprised with the new landlord and landlady they was lovely. Will visit again . Good luck you will do well . Will visit again

If there is one thing you should do before you keel over is go to The Half Moon and try their food. They have amazing customer service from the get go, great COVID regulations, ths canopee was such a lovely atmosphere with beautiful lights and fire heaters. Wildflowers and brilliant music. Such a lovely atmosphere all round and the food was to die for. It was absolutely delicious and we are definitely going back. Hopefully every year! Thank you for an amazing experience and unforgettable anniversary

We visited the Half Moon whilst on our minimoon in Dorset. We wanted a lovely “home cooked” Sunday roast and boy did they deliver. The food was exceptional. They also had a band playing in the garden and a magician coming round to the tables (when you weren’t eating) and it was great! Highly recommend and if we’re ever back in the area, we’d definitely visit again.

Really nice pub with log fires. Very welcoming and dog friendly as well. Food was very nice and reasonably priced. If being really critical to them, then they could do with being a little bit more flexible around the menu...ie.. can't have the lamb with chips, can't have a sweetcorn as a kids side meal... As they only have enough for the steak meals that it comes with.. As i say, it's being super critical, not a deal breaker and didn't spoil a lovely meal.

Me and my girlfriend came here for a dinner and had a great time. The food was amazing, the drinks somehow tasted better than other pubs I've been to and service was brilliant. We were served by an Australian girl and her partner and they were really lovely!

We came for a roast dinner on a rainy Sunday. The service was incredible. The food was delicious. The only problem was the portion size - barely enough meat on the plate to make a sandwich let alone a Sunday roast. Otherwise all good.

Wonderful spot down a country lane, nestled right on the beach. Great fresh local produce and friendly staff. I would love to stay one evening in their rooms and wake to the fabulous sea view

A good restaurant in a great location ! Market fish was the best choice on the menu! Extremely fresh and perfectly cooked, accompanied by fennel and good buttered bread. I must say I was a little disappointed with the bouillabaisse... A bit coarse for my French-educated palate... And the apple cake was as beautiful as amber but not very subtle and not rich enough in apples for my taste. The staff were extremely friendly, polite, smiling and efficient. Impeccable hygiene and one of the nicest toilets (perhaps not what you'd expect from a restaurant review, but how important it is! Particularly when you're on the road a lot, it's important that the place where you stop offers comfort in this respect too, and even better with a touch of aesthetics. I highly recomand 🩵

Came here on a recommendation of a family member and I was glad I did! It was a busy day and the staff were clearly rushing all over the place, with our food taking quite a while to arrive. However, our breakfast was fresh, hot and most importantly; extremely tasty! Great quality sausages (a big hit for me) and thick cut bacon. Minor complaint that I received fried bread instead of toast, but it wasn't enough for me to raise it at the time. Nice coffee too! Even had some colouring bits for young kids, which is a nice touch.

I think we paid around £10 for 3 babyccinos, a double espresso and 2 packets of biscuits, which given today’s prices is pretty good 🙌🏻 Side note: the Babyccinos are awesome. They’re £1.45 and you get frothy milk with marshmallows but a cheaper version for kids. Highly recommend and the kids loved them👌🏻 I could imagine that it would be quite relaxing and enjoyable, but we had 3 kids. Sitting in a cafe is generally not all that enjoyable with kids but they were quite bearable and no one died. And big up to the member of staff that took the time to have a chat with one of our kids and even gave them all paper bags to collect treasure in from the beach 🙌🏻

It was windy inside but a hellabullo outside...great cafe with great views. Great menu and service was prompt and with a smile. Our dog loved the attention and the doggie sausage which was a nice touch. Food was well presented and tasty and hit the spot. The cafe has an extension menu and do great breakfast upto midday. Lovely cakes too but we were full from our lunch. Recommend the coated chips with. Cheese and pulled pork...yum 😋

We have been coming to the windy cafe on a regular basis. Some times we just have a coffee , which always comes out lovely and hot , we bring family and friends to eat here. Very good choices on the menu .when brought to your table its well presented and hot. Service is excellent. Highly recommend this place to everyone.

The Cornish Bakery holds a special place in my heart for its unparalleled food quality and exceptional customer experience. Whether it's an early Sunday morning breakfast or any other time, their wide selection of freshly baked delights and aromatic coffee never fail to impress. The warmth and friendliness of the staff add to the overall charm, making every visit a delightful culinary journey.

Got a great cup of tea but the stand out was the spiced chickpea pasty was awesome! Stopped in Bridport on a recommendation and so glad to have found this place.

Beware does not take cash. Reasonable pasties and a decent cup of tea.

Excellent and tasty Cornish pasty and sausage rolls... Id drive there again just for lunch (80 miles away). All cooked on site too. Thanks guys for a really good food experience.

What a hidden gem!!!! Absolutely delicious cream tea. The service was absolutely brilliant, we came on a particularly busy day, and we had to wait 20 or so minutes for a table, the waitress was quick to book us in. The service was incredible, chatting lovely staff and our order came really fast. The scones were really something else! Warm and fluffy! Really affordable

Amazing lunch but the best was the cream tea! I actually went to The Ritz in London a couple of days later for afternoon tea and the scones at West Bay Tea Rooms were better than theirs.

Family run, friendly. Thoroughly enjoyed the home made scones ❤️. Very generous portions! Thank you for staying open even after closing time. Would definitely recommend if visiting the area.

We stopped for a scone on the way back to the car after spotting the tea rooms menu. When we arrived a sign said to sit at a table and you will be served from it. We knew what we wanted and were quickly greeted by a friendly lady who had observed we were ready and ordered 2 Dorset Cream Teas. Our food and drink was served within minutes and I couldn't actually believe the quality and quantity of the order for just £6.96 each! Absolutely delicious, will return for sure.

What to say? Beautiful, well decorated, wonderfully staffed with friendly people, great quality, well made food, great coffee, nice rear garden, wonderful products for sale, the lost goes on and on. I will definitely pay another visit next time I am in Bridport. This coffee is on my all time favourites. Thank you for the great experience!

Excellent food and service and the owner went above and beyond. Soulshine was recommended to us for a great place to have lunch. They had a great selection on the menu but at the time, I was unable to eat any carbs or sugar(nightmare customer, I know) due to a current health problem. The owner who was also serving us, recommended the salad but I was tempted by the meatballs, which unfortunately came with potatoes. So I opted for the salad as suggested. All of a sudden the owner came back to our table and said "would you like me to add a couple of meatballs to your salad" to which I was over the moon. The food came out promptly and it was delicious!! He didn't have to do that for me so it was very kind of him to go out of his way and to accommodate me. My mum and her partner had marmalade on sourdough which they said was very nice too and the coffees were excellent. Next time we are back in Bridport, we will definitely be back. Highly recommended for a chilled out atmosphere and rustic homemade style food. Thank you.

Excellent brunch! We stopped by on a long drive from Cornwall to Brighton for brunch and loved this cafe. A great space with more room at the back so bigger than you initially think. Good coffee and great brunch options - plenty of vegetarian ones too. Service was very friendly. A super convenient stopping point too as only 3 mins off of the A road and with a car park just across the road.

I'd earmarked this place for our visit to Bridport and on the day we went it was tipping it down with rain and it was packed. There was a queuing system for lunch tables, so we waited in line and watched with interested as the chefs plated up in the open kitchen. Service was efficient, friendly, and the menu is full of interesting options, plus loads for vegans (which we both are). We opted for the split pea hummus, soup, and chocolate & hazelnut buckwheat slice. All were absolutely divine. There is a little shop at the front selling coffee beans, cakes, jarred bits etc. Wish this place was closer to where we lived, I'd be in there all the time.

Great food and drink. Lovely setting. Sat outdoors for lunch. Was very busy but still got a table for four plus dog. Great staff; swift and friendly service. Thanks

My big sister beryl. The wannabe Mrs ,Bucket. Took mum and dad too this restaurant for a Christmas meal. Having just had new dentures. Dad put his teeth under a napkin. On the side plate ... And completely forgot about them. Imagine the young waitresses surprise. Thought she had a Christmas tip..🎄🎄🐥😄. Only too find dad's teeth. Beryl red faced went back a couple of days later too get them So he could chew her burnt offerings for Christmas day..

Beautiful food and great service,comfortable surroundings. Would visit again.

Amazing place to eat for a special meal or to find great seafood. We had the chowder on special for starter which was insane! Fish pie was lovely but the prawn curry was to die for. Will be returning 10/10! Also lovely interiors, nice atmosphere and staff were lovely, attentive and ensured we had enough room with our dogs

I thought that tomato soup was lovely but now I've tasted one of the nicest I have had and if there was a reason to go back it's the SOUP , beside that that the rest of our order was a great in look/taste and value . The service was friendly and prompt plus there was a great feel to the place for us This is now our place to go when we come back to Bridport....👍👍👍

What a find! So glad we decided to go off the beaten track. We were warmly greeted by a lovely lady and a young lad behind the bar (sorry we didn’t get your names!). We had the fish pie and steak and ale pie with red wine. Could not fault it! Absolutely superb food, clearly home made and not out of the freezer! With the mains to such a high standard, we decided to go for a pudding too, although we were both full from the very generous mains portions. We had sticky toffee pudding and chocolate fudge brownie, both with ice-cream. Again, outstanding quality! We can’t recommend The New Inn highly enough. Good car park and dog friendly.

Andrea 10/10 fabulous landlady, bar staff 10/10 made you feel so welcome as soon as you stepped in the pub. Fantastic food once again, Andrea is a marvellous chef. Went back the 2nd night basically because the food and atmosphere was incredibly. Lesley and Richard (brown sauce)

My sister and myself walked to this pub from Hive Beach, as soon as we stepped through the door we felt welcomed. We were met by the man at the bar who happily sorted out us having our food earlier and was attentive both with drinks and coming out to us for more information on the table. We both ordered a roast dinner, sitting in their beautiful garden area with plenty of seating, the vibe was lovely, even though it was an Easter Sunday you could tell the people their were a mixture of locals and tourist which is nice. Our food, as you can see from the pictures did not disappoint in size, but most importantly with flavour, the waitresses were again attentive, friendly and polite! I don't often give reviews but when you find a local spot like this, they deserve it :)

Found this pub by accident, really friendly and very good food. Fantastic pint of dorset gold. Fish cakes were amazing and so were the ham egg and chips. Landlady was really welcoming! Dog friendly with treats as well!