The Best Cafes in Up Cerne, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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

What a little gem of a cafe/restaurant!!! We popped in for lunch today, Sunday, for 16.95 each had sirloin beef roast, generous portion, toasties, potato gratin, plenty of veg, Yorkshire pudding, just the right consistency of gravy. And a side of horseradish. Best roast we've had in a very long time.... I normally save room for a pudding... but no... I ate every mouthful...and at 6pm was still not hungry. Staff so pleasant . I almost didn't want to leave such a good review in case I can't get a table any time soon!!

Really excellent. As someone who also owns a small independent cafe, Potters is one of the best I have visited. Lovely food( club sandwich) almost too much to finish, and I’m a big eater. Very attentive staff, and extremely good value for money. All round an excellent little cafe.

We only popped in for a drink but the staff were lovely and the service was very good.

Been a couple of times and already planning my next trip! Staff are lovely and attentive, menu is simple but wholesome with a great selection of café classics and specials. Really lovely setting and a courtyard - and a big bonus they're dog friendly!

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!

Best latte I tasted in a while, you ‘ll see a cafe nero next to it; ignore that and their overburned coffees and come&visit this cafe 🥰 tasty cakes too

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.

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.

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.

Friendly accommodating staff were good about my girlfriend's allergies and swapping ingredients round. The food was also good and tasty. Only gripe was the full breakfast coming with only one slice of toast which wasn't anywhere near enough to soak up all the breakfast goodies - surely 2 slices a minimum! Offering breakfast with a hot drink like some places do would have definitely got 5 stars. Would go again.

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.

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

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!

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!

Visited today with 3 adults, 1 teen, 1 child. Lovely serene gardens. We did the fairy and dragon trail which was loved by all. The variety of plants, trees and flowers is amazing with all the different colours. The river walk is stunning with all the mini waterfalls and the big bridge at the end. Will be revisiting. A hidden gem 💎

Fabulous Gardens. We visited in Early May and saw the stunning rhododendrons at their best. It was so much better than we had expected, with lovely walks through long established gardens. A real treat.

We have been to Minterne Gardens a few times, this time we went to see the rhododendrons and azaleas in flower, we weren't disappointed. Be aware that some of the paths are a bit steep and uneven, so may not be suitable for wheelchair users, pushchairs or anyone a bit unsteady on their feet. Teas, coffees and snacks are available on the terrace . Toilets available in the gardens.

Amazing house and gardens nestled in the Dorset countryside with a lovely tea terrace. Very quiet and peaceful as we wondered through the garden walk, enjoying the tranquility and beauty of nature. There was a Himalayan hut and gorgeous riverside walk as well as a Japanese pagoda. All so serene! Will definitely come again. All lit up at Christmas, I believe.

excellent Cafe - Deli in Poundburry, perfect place to meet and eat, stunning sausage and beans with a Spanish twist

Wheelchair friendly. Epic food experience, Brisket Keftiko for £18 is amazing. I did not expect to eat such superior quality food next to a garden centre. I see a bright future after filling up my belly and hopefully for this place. Don’t lower your standards

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.

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.

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!