The Best Cafes in Winterborne Monkton, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

Such an amazing hidden gem. This was out 3rd year visiting and we've used all facilities. The owners are fabulous and accommodating. There are shepherd's huts, Bell tents or a shepherd's hut in a hidden wooded area on its own perfect for couples. Tents and other huts are in a field and perfect for families. So safe. Hay bales and a little Fort for the children to play on. Each tent/hut has their own bbq for your use. All bedding is supplied. Bell tents have double bed and 2 singles. There is a cafe onsite called the pig shed which cooks fantastic breakfast baps all own produce or very local to Dorset from neighbouring farms. There is a selection of homemade cakes and cookies. Soft drinks, teas and coffees. Twice a week is pizza night. Homemade in there outdoor pizza oven. To be enjoyed with a cold pint or glass of wine, yes they're licensed. It's a working farm so the children can see the cows, sheep, goats, donkeys and even feed the goats. Mini landies (landrovers) come out in the morning for the children to have a go on. Supervised. Fairy lights at night come on around tents and so pretty.

Just visited for the farm and the maize maze. The animals were so cute and very friendly especially the sheep ( often sheep run away whereas these run towards you and loved being petted). Very cute and affordable afternoon we had. Will definitely come again.

Pumpkin picking, a maize maze, animals, coffee, cake, bacon baps, burgers and hot dogs. Our daughter loved it and so did mummy and daddy, all at a reasonable price. Would recommend.

Place is amazing if you got children and want them be children and run around! grown ups got time time to chill out when kidies are bussy with animals and exploring. We has the best time! thanks to the boss Lady for making our stay amazing! It's a gem 💎

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Margot has been running her cafe from this site about 8 years,so I have been many times in i think the last 7+ years... I live around 150 miles away,and hadn't been here since Christmas... So I got down about 06.30 this morning and had table booked for 09.30..... I can not fault this cafe,I tend to have the Spire Hill Grill and I have yet to have a bad bit of any meal. With the ever increase in cost of living,I was expecting it to be more expensive than Christmas 2022...but nope,same price,and I think it is amazing quality for a very reasonable price. I was with family that live in Dorset and visit this fantastic cafe often....in fact my sister was in the day before also. The staff are lovely...Margot (owner) is a true professional and has built her business up over the years,take look at the website,and the produce that have,home made jams etc etc,I understand they now have some of the produce selling in a local shop. The customers in the cafe are also friendly,and seem to know each other.... I did a review on TaT before,and I'm doing this update as and edit,my original is below. We had pot of tea and three coffees...the little milk bottles,the glass teapot are just examples of some of the things they do differently...and it all goes to show the love Margot has for food and service to her customers (friends) The head chef Eve (pink shorts ;) ) is also a little star,and has been with TaT from being tutored from as an apprentice to becoming head chef... And is a credit to Margot and to catering... We came away with a couple of pieces of home made cakes....and will enjoy later. I know before I arrive that the experience will be all I could reasonably expect,and could only ever leave a rate of 5 star.... Anything less...I'm my view is unjust. My original review below Brilliant cafe,I always try to visit when in area,it's a lovely place,great food,and staff are greatest

Fantastic gem of a cafe with a great selection of cakes and hot food. Margo the owner is forward thinking and the waiting staff Ollie and Gabby know how to make you feel seen and welcome. Will be back

The food here is always delicious, theres a lot of innovation and choice in what is on offer. Very friendly staff, and theres a range of their own condiments for sale inside too. Such a great place 👍

We stopped off here for breakfast at the end of a weekend away as we’d heard from our hosts that they did good food and were dog friendly. The food was delicious and great value. The staff were really friendly and welcoming and we managed to pick up a couple of early Xmas presents for hampers as a bonus! Would highly recommend.

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

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 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.

Recommended by my friends cousins and wasn't disappointed. Great breakfast and coffee. Great views across the bays! Must be good as we left at 10 q was well out of the door!

Great cakes, coffee and tea (we stopped both ways walking from Osmington Mills to Weymouth). Views are spectacular to!

I fly kites at Bowleeze Cove common ground, and the Lookout is right next to the field so it's very convenient. They provide great food with good sized portions and the freshly ground coffee is lovely especially on a cold day. Would recommend 👍

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!

A lovely little cafe, tucked away in a Dorchester side street. A well-kept secret that the locals cherish. You can get to Potters back door and their lovely patio garden by turning left before entering Waitrose. The front door is in the street next to Tony & Guys hair salon. The cafe offers lots of homemade goodies and great tea and coffee. They are a little pricey for some of their items but it's worth paying that little bit more for quality. The staff are well above the average.

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

Friendly welcoming staff that couldn't do enough for you. The food was well presented, and very tasty- The Timmy (fish finger sandwich )was delicious, one of the best I've had. The decor was spot on and there was so many things to look at. The latte was slightly watery tasting- but minor compared to the experience overall. A new favourite.

Literally had the best afternoon tea I’ve ever eaten this weekend and I’ve eaten lots over the years, which is why I felt so compelled to write a review to spread the word! I’ve been coming here for years and it just gets better and better. The food is always incredible and super fresh, there’s always lots of specials and the menu choice offers something for everyone. The staff and atmosphere really do make this place extra special, you feel very welcomed and an added bonus they absolutely love dogs. We are so lucky to have such a superb spot like this in Dorset.

Definitely worth a visit. Breakfast menu a wide choice of delicious foods, home made cakes and very yummy. Service impeccable from being greeted on entry., to great service when ordering food. Food delivered quickly on hot plates. Wide choice hot and cold beverage. Quirky place to eat out with light music. Very popular hidden away professional place. Even better when warm as can sit outside.

Visited a few times and never been let down. Very friendly staff, amazing food, lovely laid back environment with lots of different things to look at. Had the homemade quiche, amazing. Fully recommend you visit.

This lovely little road side cafe cooks the most wonderful tasty burgers locally sourced ingredients and lovely buns. My 1/4lb cheese burger was £4.9 my husband's sausage bap was £4.4 flat white coffee is £3 which was very good. We ate in our car as it was raining and the tables were outside. Worth the extra 3 miles down the road from the local McDonalds. There is a block of toilets next door but they are very basic. They also sell locally produced eggs jams etc

Lovely little cafe, we drove past it multiple times whilst on holiday and kept saying we need to pop in. Finally did it before heading home and it was a really friendly place at good prices. Would happily pop there more often if we were local 😅

Just been and had food on way home. Really lovely sausage and eggs nice and fresh. Bun lovely and soft. Toilets could be a bit better but they are nothing to do with the guy who does the food but to be honest on a road trip as long as I can pee I am happy 😂 Definitely will be back!

Fantastic breakfast butty! Well cooked, tasty & very good value. A lovely spot to stop off at, plenty of parking, picnic tables & very friendly people. Homemade cake, and local jams & chutneys too. Definitely the best road side cafe!

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!

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.