The Best Restaurants in Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

We ate with friends and the food was exceptional. The service was “fine” but the inexperience of the young team came across as scripted and insincere. We’ve booked to go again at Christmas, it’s a great, intimate bistro with great food options.

This can be recommended for its food, service and ambience. We went with two friends and we all enjoyed our starters, main courses and dessert. The wine was reasonably priced and pleasant. The serving staff were helpful and pleasant. The decor was good and there was a relaxed atmosphere. This is a real Poundbury asset- I hope, for many years to come!

This is now my favourite restaurant and will be telling everyone I know to visit. Had a lovely Friday lunch here, the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming. The staff are friendly and the food and drinks are wonderful. We had 3 courses and they were all well balanced and tasty with my favourite being the chocolate ale cake with caramel miso sauce and muscavodo ice cream. I would keep going back just for that dessert! My husband loved the cocktails including the Japanese sour cocktail which was just one example of the great and interesting selection of cocktails available. Definitely visit again as soon as we can.

Today my friend and I found this little gem of a Bistro by accident, and oh my the food was perfection! The food is all local produce and it was just beautiful tasting. We had come from Bournemouth and we will defo be coming back! Totally recommend this place!

Decided to give it a go on our holiday as we wanted to avoid the chain restaurants nearby. Very glad we did. Waiters fell over backwards trying to help and make sure everything was okay! Mussels weee delicious, the ravioli even better and the dessert was perfect too! Wonderful atmosphere and a great place to eat

Just had a wonderful two course lunch here - fabulous freshly cooked Italian food, super friendly service and a great wine list. Oh and great value too! This is going to be our new favourite place for lunch in Dorch.

Outstanding food, exceptional service and a really welcoming atmosphere . The chef cooks exceptional food . We had a fabulous time and will definitely return.

Genuine Italian warmth and hospitality in Dorchester! I went with my Mum and boyfriend and we all had a fantastic meal and loved the atmosphere. The waitresses and chef were very welcoming and the chef even came out to offer my Mum some choices for the vegan option that evening. It's a small menu with everything cooked to perfection. We will definitely be back soon!

We chose Gorwell for our wedding in July 2024, booking two years prior. Mary and the Team are fantastic, you can really tell that they want your big day to be a success. Mary was full of recommendations for vendors, which was amazing as it can definitely feel overwhelming. Throughout the communication was fantastic and there was no such thing as a silly question. The Farm and the cottages were fantastic and being able to get married outside under the trees was incredible. Thank you so much Mary & Family! (photos by Charlotte Stoneham Photography)

Very interesting day out. The guides were so knowledgeable and helpful. So much to see that I will need to go back to spend more time in the fantastic gardens. Bit of a walk from the car park if your mobility is not great.

We got married at Gorwell Farm on September and we can’t recommend it enough! The most beautiful venue and surroundings, the bar was great and the cottages and campsite were ideal for our guests. We can’t wait to return as guests!

Gorwell Farm was where we chose to have our wedding this summer, and we could not have chosen a more perfect location for our special day. The cottages are spacious and comfortable for the morning-of preparation, and the barn and surrounding grounds are just idyllic. It really was the perfect space for our wedding. Mary and the team were great in the run-up to the wedding and on the day. It meant we didn't have anything to worry about. Also a shout out to the bar staff who were absolutely fantastic!

This can be recommended for its food, service and ambience. We went with two friends and we all enjoyed our starters, main courses and dessert. The wine was reasonably priced and pleasant. The serving staff were helpful and pleasant. The decor was good and there was a relaxed atmosphere. This is a real Poundbury asset- I hope, for many years to come!

This is now my favourite restaurant and will be telling everyone I know to visit. Had a lovely Friday lunch here, the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming. The staff are friendly and the food and drinks are wonderful. We had 3 courses and they were all well balanced and tasty with my favourite being the chocolate ale cake with caramel miso sauce and muscavodo ice cream. I would keep going back just for that dessert! My husband loved the cocktails including the Japanese sour cocktail which was just one example of the great and interesting selection of cocktails available. Definitely visit again as soon as we can.

Today my friend and I found this little gem of a Bistro by accident, and oh my the food was perfection! The food is all local produce and it was just beautiful tasting. We had come from Bournemouth and we will defo be coming back! Totally recommend this place!

We ate with friends and the food was exceptional. The service was “fine” but the inexperience of the young team came across as scripted and insincere. We’ve booked to go again at Christmas, it’s a great, intimate bistro with great food options.

A lunchtime treat! We ate the really great value lunchtime menu. Starting with prawns, I then followed this with the beef, absolutely amazing. Great glass of wine too!

This is a little gem of a restaurant! I'm a total novice when it comes to Korean and Japanese food so I went for the Siksa tasting menu which gave me the opportunity to try lots of new things. Honestly, everything was incredible and I look forward to going again and trying more things.

Wow! Wow!! Wow!!! I couldn’t name any of the courses, but every single one of them was absolutely delicious Fresh, tasty and unforgettable We could definitely come back and couldn’t recommend highly enough *****

No doubt about it: we will be back! The quiet atmosphere of the restaurant captures you at first, then the incredible and attentive service opens the door to the main thing: the delicious food! The presentation of the dishes is impeccable, the quality of the product is amazing and the combination of flavours is out of this world! You can see that there is a lot of work behind the scenes thinking about what should be on the menu and what quantity is perfect to eat! really amazed, taste, quality, good service and price more than appropriate. See you soon!

Popped in here for breakfast while our car charge. Excellent breakfast menu with amazing vegan options, very tasty juices and great coffee. Left feeling full and well watered and bought some sweet treats for later. Very much worth checking out.

We don’t really know Dorchester but found ourselves at Brewery Square, just away from the town centre. It was a place full of unexciting corporate eateries with one exception - Vibes. We went in because it was dog friendly but stayed for the eye poppingly delicious vegan food. We ate a fantastic mushroom shawarma plate, a felafel wrap and some onion rings too. All were absolutely delicious. Really good. Add in some chilled music & calming decor & this was truly a place of positive, er, Vibes. Visit & be delighted.

Just dined at this very cute cafe with finger-licking good food!!! My family and I ordered Falafel Wrap, Mushroom Shawarma, Buddha Bowl, and Sourdough bread. In addition to this we also ordered their Sunshine Smoothy and Iced Latte. Everything we ordered here was flavourful and delicious. Their falafel was really good as well, which in my personal experience is a hard one to get right. It was crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. The owner and the server were really sweet and welcoming as well. In all my family and I had a very good experience with great food. :)

I had the fully vegan breakfast and was thoroughly impressed—it definitely didn’t disappoint! I followed it with the breakfast wrap, which was equally amazing. However, the lemon cake was the real highlight. Would have happily eaten more if we could. It was absolutely delicious!

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 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.

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.

Amazing service, beautiful food and a really great selection of gluten free cakes and food options. We felt well looked after and well fed! Also, the coffee is on point!

We recently had a delightful short break with our best friends. It was welcoming, and comfortable, with beautiful views, delicious food, friendly, helpful staff, and the whole atmosphere conducive to relaxation and allowing a recharging of the batteries. We arrived in thick fog and pouring rain which meant a quick change of our original plans. The management immediately arranged for us to take possession of our rooms four hours early, which to us was going the extra mile. Thank you so much to The Manor Hotel! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 The weather improved dramatically and the whole stay was a great success!

Our experience was dinner which we enjoyed the first time to warrant a return visit two days later. We were staying close by not in the hotel. Luckily I had pre-booked as gets very busy especially Mondays. The service was excellent and Matt made us feel very welcome on both occasions. Good food, good atmosphere and a great view from the conservatory.

Didn't stay, just visited for food. The staff were brilliant, very warm and friendly. The steak dinner was amazing to match the gorgeous views. It is absolutely worth the long drive down. Can't recommend enough.

I recently visited the Seven Stars Inn, and it was an absolutely delightful experience! The staff and their service were outstanding, making me feel truly welcomed with their warmth and attentiveness. I ordered a chicken curry meal, chips, and wings as a takeaway, and as an Indian, I was amazed by the flavors—it was so delicious that I almost fell in love with the food. I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for amazing hospitality paired with excellent cuisine!

It was amazing. The dinner was really yummy. Huge portion, we had the steal & ale pie with chips and veggies. The meat was sooo tender, juicy and full of flavour. We stayed for one night in the little rooms they have in their fields. Very cozy and cute. Clean toilets and the shower was working really well. A nice warm bath after a hike to the beach. Breakfast was included, a nice english breakfast. I loved the sausages, very flavourfull. We had some tea or a coffee plus the Orange juice. I asked the staff if we could feed the pigs some apples that were in the floor and she said yes, very cute piggies! The staff is very kind and helpfull.

What a wonderful experience visiting the Seven Stars Inn Wool, Moreton, Dorchester restaurant. The food was first class cooked with love and care by a really good head chef and his brigade. Couldn't fault the food in any way what so ever good flavours, textures and presented very well. A really great dining experience which I will remember for a long time. The front of house staff very very friendly, professional providing a great service to compliment the kitchen Definitely worthy of a 5 star review and I would definitely recommend visiting this wonderful restaurant and I hope I will be back here myself.

Very fresh selection of seafood. Generous portions too. Had the white bait, the cod fish and chips as well as the mussels. Very impressed by the freshness and quality. Batter for the cod is very light and crisp. The cod was delicious and had the right texture, and ratio of cod:batter. The black mussels were very sweet and I enjoyed it very much when paired with fresh bread. Service was very organised. All in all a great experience and I’d definitely bring my friends here when we drive down to the south coast again.

Wanted to meet a friend and halfway was the Martyrs Inn. So pleased we chose there. The food was lush, I had the bacon, brie sandwich and oh my goodness! You don't only get a sandwich, but a garnish, chips and potato salad. Stuffed!!!! Very reasonably priced. Staff were lovely and friendly, on the ball and very welcoming. Highly recommend and with out a doubt will be back.

Went here on Saturday with my family. Food was delicious and well priced. The service was above and beyond, with them trying to find us a table as it was busy. Menu is great dairy free and gluten free, it's all written on there and lots of choices. I would definitely go back here.

Great lunchtime pub with very generous portions. I chose the ploughman's lunch and could barely finish it! The waitress was new in the job and very friendly and efficient. The Martyrs Tree is just down the road.

It Was a very good carvery and reasonably priced. The staff were friendly and the locals were kind. Good selection of real ales... partner had a gin and she said that was good. They Squeezed us in on a Remembrance Sunday afternoon. Loads of space. Thank you all for the food and drinks.