The Best Restaurants in Buckland Newton, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

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.

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.

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.

We stopped in while visiting from America. I would consider the White House to be an upscale pub. The ambience is great! Lots of stone and heavy wooden beams. There were lots of locals there when we were there which is always a good sign. The staff was wonderful! The food was truly excellent! Every starter and entree was done to perfection! If we lived in the area we would be here often!

Wonderful birthday dinner. Lamb Scrumpit, Tuna Carpaccio, Pork Belly, Dorset Crab Linguine, Tiramisu (a little heavy for my preference, but still delicious) and Cheese and crackers. We’ll be back!

A group of us are lunch at the white horse yesterday, the food is exquisite, there were 7 of us and every plate we were served was exceptionally presented and tasted amazing!!!! We will be back, what a memorable time. Thankyou so much. The village this pub is situated in is idyllic, like a fairy tale.

What a lovely evening me and my family had last night at this lovely little pub. Thank you so much. The food was fabulous and your wine pickings for us were perfect. See you again soon.

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.

Lovely eccentric gardens with a very grand sandstone house which is used as a wedding venue. Check for the occasional partial closure. Gardens are quirky and most enjoyable. Nice cafe terrace with everything from panini to a variety of salad specials. Very visit able.

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.

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.

Superb Sunday carvery! Roast potatoes were divine! Dog friendly. Loved enjoying the selection of games at the table, kept the children entertained 😊 great value thank you 😊

We didn't stay overnight so cant score them as we just dropped in for a quick pint after a walk. The barman was very friendly and welcoming. My friend had a sandwich for lunch which looked lovely. It is what I call a 'proper pub' - beams for example that looked like they had been part of Noahs Ark! Well worth a visit!

Had a lovely stay at Hunters Moon. Staff are really friendly and I loved the dogs Dubury and Dilbert. Made it feel very homely. The rooms are small and cosy, they were quite cute and private. In the morning I could get ready with my door open as the room are not overlooked. The area is stunning! beautiful old listed buildings, beautiful nature, such a pretty area. The pub has quiz nights, live music and a great atmosphere. Breakfast was very good. Thank you :-)

Had lunch one day and drinks another. Great place. Nice atmosphere. Pleasantly upmarket without being pretentious.

Went for a Mexican and half price cocktails on a Wednesday evening. Mexican is cooked in a van in the car park, but served in the bar/conservatory - excellent food (real cutlery but takeaway boxes).

A stellar experience. Lovely service from the team, who clearly are passionate about what they do. The steak I had was maybe the best I have ever been served - a lovely cut and cooked perfectly. Just a great experience.

Really well looked after when they were busy with a birthday tea party. Delicious cream tea in a beautiful garden. Excellent staff. Made really welcome. Looks a pleasant place to stay too.

Pub dinner- Just returned from the new inn pub. First visit, but not our last for sure. 3 x diners all left very pleased with the venue, great staff, and excellent menu. We had Angus burger and lamb burger, and we all enjoyed them. Very tasty and filling. Thank you.

Came here for a lunch meal as a surprise birthday party, and can't praise the restaurant enough. The food was lovely, and they managed a large group very well. I've been to other places before as a large group and it has been a disaster, so it was really nice to see how well this place handled the 23 of us. If I lived closer, I'd definitely be back more often!

We didn't stay at the New Inn, but we did have a large family Christmas lunch. The food was delicious; the service was fun, attentive, and professional. The atmosphere was lovely. Everyone has commented on how special the afternoon was and will return. I've already recommended The New Inn to folks and will continue to do so. If you get the chance to visit, GO!

Only ate, didn’t stay. A fantastic location in a lovely village. There were 15 of us; the food was outstanding, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We will definitely be eating at The New Inn again.

A quintessential English pub in a beautiful location. Fantastic service from friendly, helpful staff. The long term chef is passionate about the menu and is more than happy to openly discuss the recipes with you. Whether you are calling in for a pint of ale, straight from the barrel, for dinner or staying in one of the beautiful rooms, you can be assured of having an experience that you remember and will look forward to returning.

Brilliant location, a beautiful country pub. Nicole was a superb host. Highly professional, organized and friendly. Amazing huge bed, enormous bath. Very comfortable room. Food available was delicious, hot, and served quickly. Thankyou.

We had a fabulous one night stay here, what a beautiful part of the world. The room was excellent, rainforest shower and huge bathtub, comfy beds, spotlessly clean. We had dinner in the evening and food was just perfect, every dish was mouth-wateringly tasty. The breakfast was very very good, fresh sourdough, good coffee and a non greasy fry up! Highly recommend.

Lovely, homely, welcoming feel. Food and service was fantastic, everyone went out of their way to make it a pleasant stay. Area is wonderfully rural, but close to all the attractions. Very friendly for dogs.

This is a wonderful old English inn dated from 1540. Has loads of character & charm. We had Sunday roast here... Was fabulous, prices are very reasonable. Staff are friendly, helpful... Inn has wonderful atmosphere. We also stopped here for afternoon tea with Dorset Apple Cake... Again fabulous. Highly recommend

A stunning pub, with friendly and helpful staff. Sadly the kitchen's were closed at the time we visited, but they were offering various puddings to stave off the hunger. The Apple cake and cream was lush along with a pint of the local ale. Just the thing on a very wet day, as it was when we visited. Only downside is, It would be a 240 mile commute for me to call it "my local". A title I'd love to call it.

Very cosy pub with friendly staff loved the soup as it was delicious, definitely recommend a visit.

We had a wonderful experience at The Royal Oak recently. We had a great lunch and an amazing dinner. Caroline was so welcoming! A lovely place full of character and friendly people!

Have a lovely lunch here with my godmother. We had pork belly and it was very tender but abit too salty. It’s ok when eat with the mashed potato, it’s balanced out. Very friendly and attentive service 👍🏻

Visited by chance on a wet Wednesday and so glad we chose Al Molo. Restaurant was busy but staff were excellent, very friendly and attentive and despite being rush off their feet always available when needed. Food was fabulous and when we visit Dorchester again will definitely be back.

Incredible food. Went for my birthday and the food was absolutely amazing!! Best steak we’ve had and the portions were generous! Staff were extremely polite and friendly, we cant wait to go back !!

This place is remarkable. I honestly feel like I have to leave a review because I had a private room booking for party of 7 (engagement celebration). The team took care of us extremely well and I want to give special honour to our hostess Verity, so sweet, so patient, clear in her communication- 5 stars for her. The food was gorgeous and pretty affordable in my opinion . Some portions were small but I understand that it is more on fine dining side. The only critique I would give is about some cleaning aspects in which the rooms had like old cobwebs, spider webs on the windows, just could use a deep clean.

Thank you for accommodating us as walk-ins for the Sunday Roast. The food was delicious, the staff were welcoming, the atmosphere was warm, relaxed and peaceful (some places can be very noisy during afternoon roast dinners). We have also tried the outdoor seating previously for some nibbles and the review remains exactly the same. We really enjoyed on both occasions and we will definitely return.

Visited The Sun Inn whilst staying in a holiday cottage 5 mins walk away. We booked in for a second time that week because we enjoyed it so much! Highly recommend the carvery, it was delicious. Can’t fault the staff, they were all lovely and so attentive. Great atmosphere, and great pub in general. Would suggest booking in advance because it’s very popular.

Amazing service, one of the best Sunday roasts I have ever had. Carvery is excellent for vegans and vegetarians too! Staff really friendly and helpful especially the two young lads who have helped us both times we were there.

We found The Sun Inn on google maps last minute, are plans had changed. What a find, lovely welcome and a very nice carvery , roast beef or turkey loads of veg all hot and fresh. I recommend booking in advance as it was very busy, they squeezed us in on a barrel table, not suitable for everyone, we didn’t mind they asked us first.