The Best Restaurants in East Stour, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

First visit this evening and we will certainly visit again. Staff helpful and attentive, it was a relaxed atmosphere, and we were certainly not rushed. The food was excellent, the salmon and asparagus was superb and the chicken in cream and mushroom sauce was equally as good. Good selection of pasta and pizza dishes on the menu and a great kids menu. We had a lovely evening, thank you San Tonino.

A group of us went here for a meal to celebrate a birthday. I messaged beforehand to check they were able to provide a vegan alternative. They replied quickly with a list of different items they could adapt to be vegan. I opted for the Calzone as I haven't had the chance to have one since going vegan. It was absolutely delicious! The man (who I presume owns the place) was incredibly helpful and attentive. I fully recommend eating here! I'm looking forward to returning.

Wow had a fabulous meal and dessert last night 05/03/24 here. Look at the pics and decide yourself. Wonderful service too. Love and thank you.

We stumbled across this place on a short visit to Shaftesbury. Such an amazing building and interior, but by far the best bits are the staff and the food. Absolutely delicious food and incredibly friendly and helpful staff. It was quite quiet during our visit which can have an impact on the atmosphere - depending on what you're after - but I'd definitely recommend a visit!

Small plates, order at least 3 each and share, great selection and good quality. Dog friendly every where in the restaurant. I found it a bit complicated, it's a bit like Spanish Tapas and our total bill was around £70 it soon mounts up.

Absolutely gorgeous pub situated centrally in the lovely historic town of Sherborne in Dorset. The staff were so friendly and helpful. We stayed in The Hayloft for one night, like a lovely mini apartment overlooking the courtyard of the pub. Super comfy bed, great little bathroom and really lovely breakfast in the morning.

Lovely late lunch. Quality food and friendly, accommodating staff. The outside looks fairly drab and some of the Italian signage is slightly incongruous (are Wadsworths synonymous with Italian dining? No), but don't be put off, the inside is far, far better with modern styling in a traditional setting. Not cheap but where is these days.

What a surprise treat! I visited this restaurant with family when staying in the area for a weekend away, and what a gorgeous find this was! Situated right in the heart of Sherborne (which is a charming town to visit regardless) this restaurant was just fabulous. The menu was fab, tapas dishes inspired by Italy but using West Country produce - what's not to love! Staff were friendly and accommodating, the drinks selection was vast and impressive and the food quality was truly 10/10. Would definitely be back if I lived closer! This place gets very busy over weekend so definitely book in advance, and also would recommend arriving for an earlier sitting rather than later before it gets too busy.

Recommended by some friends who live locally. Extensive menu, although it was pizza night so we chose off that menu. Very tasty, and the side portions (chips, onion rings, garlic bread) were HUGE! Great selection of drinks as well. Does seem to be busy, so may be an idea to book ahead. Planning a return visit for a Sunday Roast! 😁

A great traditional Pub, friendly atmosphere, serves good pub food. We will go again it may even become our remote local.

Stayed in Marnhul for a midweek break, this the local pub. A great social hub. Locals friendly and welcoming. Landlord and staff were great. A special thanks to Mark for looking after us and the dog. It's not very often you get a really good and varied menu nowadays in a pub. This was both. We ate every night and the quality was outstanding. We had a great time.Thanks very much

We liked the food. Service was okay. Vibes were good. Just one hiccup - we reserved a table for dinner way in advance and were cramped in a small corner while the next table had a bigger group (around 7 persons seated at a 4-person table) just having drinks. Not surprisingly, they were pretty loud in conversing. We were not comfortable with this setting and after a short while, requested to switch to another table. The staff was courteous and helped us look into that. Fortunately there was one spare and more spacious table available in another section of the pub and we were able to better enjoy our dinner eventually. I wish they could be more thoughtful when they were assigning table for guests.

Beautiful location. Staff were efficient friendly and helpful. Rooms were great everything worked as it should. The building is quite old so if your looking for chic this isn't it. The rooms were comfortable and warm with quality mattress and bed linen. Foid here was good and the service was great. Everyone was friendly. The area is pretty. The Swan is somewhere I would definitely go to again

Lovely room with very comfy bed. We were in the area for a wedding and the staff were very helpful in organising transport to/from the venue for us, thank you!

Second time I've stayed at this wonderful place bed like a soft marshmallow clean room fantastic delishous breakfast real money for value.

We had a family Sunday roast here the weekend before last. The staff were perfect! Attentive but not too much, the food was lovely by far the best roast we have had put in a long time and we eat out most Sundays.

Third time we've stayed on route from Suffolk to Cornwall. Lovely location. Dog friendly. Excellent service. Super rooms... very comfortable. Wonderful service and great breakfast.

We had a wonderful day for our wedding and reception in September 2023. The venue, marquee, staff, food and service were amazing, they couldn't do enough for us. So many of our guests have commented on the lovely location and marvellous food. Thank you all for such a special day with a loud shout out for Michael who was brilliant!! We would not hesitate to recommend heart ♥️

We had a family Xmas dinner and it was absolutely perfect. The staff are fun and attentive, every course was perfect on every meal. Thank you very much for a lovely time and food.

Booked a table for Mothering Sunday 19/03/2023. Arrived 10 minutes before reservation, friendly waitress showed us our table. Drinks arrived within a few minutes following by starters and then freshly cooked mains. Meals are very tasty, staff very attentive and helpful. Happy to return here and recommend it! Thank you 🙂

Lovely pub rustic inside lovely setting staff very friendly and the food was lovely Easy to get to.and plenty of parking

Nice pub. New landlord who was kind and welcoming. Good value. Locals were kind. Warm atmosphere

Great pub. Nice atmosphere and welcoming at any time. Like the open fire in the winter. Had a great new year's there. Keep on going strong The Phoenix!

Great local pub! Love this place - my favourite local