The Best Restaurants in Gussage St Michael, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

My husband and I recently held our wedding day here at the end of May, and we are absolutely thrilled with how everything turned out. Julie and Chris were incredibly kind and supportive all through the planning and the day, it felt as though they were just part of the family by the end of it. Julie's enthusiasm and can do attitude is so uplifting and refreshing. Chris made us feel as if nothing was a problem, making everyone feel at ease. Claire who made us deliscious breakfasts was also incredibly helpful and lovely to be around. The staff who helped throughout the day were fantastic, we could not ask for more. Everyone who stayed at the venue loved their rooms and the beauty of the venue itself. The gardener did a fabulous job for our special day. We highly recommend using 10 Castle St for building happy and fun memories. We are so glad we chose them!

We had a lovely evening, hosted by the lovely Laura. This was my first visit to 10 Castle Street since June last year and my have things improved. The food was great and a fun sharing menu, not something we were used to but everything we ordered was super tasty and we enjoyed mixing and matching the dishes. Best of which was the Monkfish, yum.

WOW!!!! Highly recommend, food was incredible, portion sizes were very generous and taste was fantastic. The staff could not do enough for you, particularly loved sitting at the bar for “Happy Hour” whilst James mixed amazing cocktails. We stayed in bedroom 4 which overlooked the garden, loved laying in the bath with the view out onto the beautiful surroundings, the bedroom was very comfortable!! Will definitely be back soon ❤️

A lovely lunch, returning as we did after experiencing a splendid group dinner a few weeks earlier. The Lobster bisque is wonderful. A community run pub in a quiet Dorset village. Ideal.

The Cockerel is an absolutely pub located out the back of wimbourne. It’s nicely hidden away but a lovely location to be. The pubs service was amazing, the bar tender was funny and charismatic and was a joy to be served by. The food was incredible, great prices and really tasty! There was also a fire on for the duration of our meal which gave the pub a really nice atmosphere. The pub is quite small so make sure to book in advance!

Stayed at the cockerel for a night when exploring the new forest. This is THE BEST spot for an authentic pub. Hosts were really welcoming and loved the quirky features inside and out. Food was also delicious! Wish I could give more stars!!!! 10/10

Very tastefully decorated and homely village pub. We had Sunday lunch which was very well presented and taste lovely. Staff really helpful and good natured. Lovey warm greeting from the owner, Margaret, on arrival. Kids potions available. Very enjoyable.

Was passing by today on our travels and decided to stop for lunch. We are so thankful we did. The staff were lovely, very friendly, food came fast and perfectly cooked, great atmosphere, couldn't fault a thing, even the music was great! We didn't want to leave! Will be stopping again on our way back through.

Very pleasant countryside pub. Although given its location, it can be very busy. Plenty of room inside and out. Can recommend an outside table when the weather is hot. Nice selection of beers. I had Timothy Taylor's Boltmaker and Flack Manor Double Drop, very nice they were too

Visited here twice in one day! Cannot speak of The Horton Inn more highly.We came back the same day as we had been let down by an AirBNB in Bournemouth on the first day of our holiday. The kitchen at the Horton Inn was inundated with orders, close to the end of serving, but the staff went out of their way to accommodate a tired, fed-up family of three. Really lovely staff, incredible food, a friendly atmosphere, perfect location and a definite third return from us. Hopefully an overnight stay too!

23 of us had a Christmas menu lunch after a local walk in morning. Fran and Mya + chef gave us excellent service. Food was good and hot . A few more veg for some dishes would have been appreciated. A good day and happy social occasion.

Have had a couple of Saturday evenings at The Old Thatch recently. Lovely food (Venison pie, fish pie and apple & berry crumble with custard), efficient and friendly service and accommodating to a large friendly dog, who was happy to receive gravy bones and a bowl of water. Good beer, including real ale on tap. Busy, but everyone seemed to be having such a good time - so much to recommend and will definitely be back there again soon. Thank you for your hospitality x

The food was really good as was the cocktail I had. Staff were friendly. We dat outside which was a lovely area. Highly recommend

The Old Thatch in Stapehill, Wimborne, Dorset, a 17th century pub which sits directly opposite historic Stapehill Abbey has a very warm and welcoming feel to it, from the roaring fireplace to the friendly smiling staff. My wife and I decided to try this place out as we had heard great things, and we were not disappointed. We had not booked, but the staff found us a lovely cosy corner next the fire. The seating was very comfy and I could have stayed all afternoon. The staff was very attentive and a drinks order placed within a few minutes of sitting down. After a quick study of the menu the waitress brought over the drinks order and took our food order. The starter arrived in good time and it tasted fantastic, fresh and full of flavour, once finished the waitress wasted no time in clearing our plates and again the main course arrive shortly after hot and freshly cooked. The mains were perfect, the pie was great and the vegetables cooked to perfection, crisp and full of colour. The deserts followed and again food heaven. So what does this place score for us. Atmosphere, 5 stars Service, 5 stars Food quality, 5 stars Price, 5 Stars

Good Sunday lunch! Food as always was brilliant! Service was a bit slow this time!

Had a great Sunday lunch here. The food is absolute excellent, really good starters and the roasts were delicious. It’s good to see the pub busy again after standing empty for so long, and the new owners have done a nice job of refurbishing it. The only slight comment was that service was a little slow (particularly with drinks) but I’m sure this will get better over the coming weeks. All of the staff were really friendly and we’ll definitely be coming back.

Have had lunch in the bar a couple of times. Food is excellent and staff make you feel really welcome. Dog friendly and lovely log fires. Good location to sit and relax with a drink too. Will definitely go back to eat in the restaurant. Very reasonably priced too.

Decided to pop in here as it recently reopened...found a little gem. Ordered the club sandwich and a sausage roll from the bar menu best sandwich I've had delicious and the chips were great, nice tasty homemade looking sausage roll. Can't wait to try the main menu. Lovely staff as well. Ignore the miseries with low scores it's early days but can't fault it's food.

Reserved a table for 6, for their XMas 'festive menu'. Service was friendly, food was served pretty promptly. Generally everyone really enjoyed their food - only feedback was veggies were a bit hard. Atmosphere is pretty cosy, ... would recommend for an XMas visit.

Had a pre-Xmas Sunday get together and the venue and staff were absolutely awesome - would have scored them a 5 but the veg was too sparse on all the roasts (albeit they did bring us more when asked) and what should have been the absolute bomb of a dessert didn’t quite hit the mark as the sauce to melt the rock hard chocolate case hadn’t been heated up. Will definitely return - it’s a fab venue, with fab staff and food 👍👍

We ordered a takeaway from here after visiting for lunch last week (which was great! Fab food and service). Large choice of menus, if you can’t find something you like….id be confused! Ordered the roast pork, my partner had the trio. Wow, so tasty! Everything was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Had to change an option through the phone as I had an allergy and the staff were beyond helpful. Will defo recommend to my friends!

We stayed for Valentine’s dinner and bed and breakfast on Saturday 11th February. The menu was exciting and special and the food absolutely delicious. Both the salmon and steak melted in the mouth, just perfect. We loved the dessert of three puddings to share. We were completely stuffed, but very pleasantly! Our room was large and comfortable and the breakfast in the morning was extremely good. It was a real treat. We shall definitely go again. The staff were willing and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. We can thoroughly recommend the Fleur de Lys Inn.

Lovely food, lovely service. Good price, it's budget friendly but the quality of the food definitely makes this place feel higher quality. I recommend a Sunday lunch here.

Was very impressed by complimentary parking right in the town centre! Very nice receptionist. Hotel is a beautiful old building and room was lovely.. breakfast was lovely as was the Xmas decor in the restaurant area. Wifi worked for my business purposes. Given the central parking had a sort walk after breakfast taking in the charming old town. All good!

Visiting family and we stayed just one night. We ate dinner elsewhere so can’t speak to the food except breakfast, which was good. Excellent service. Comfortable and spacious room. Great location for central Wimborne.

Dog friendly with a large enclosure for your dog to run around in, there is water and toys for them to enjoy. The food is lovely and well presented we had a family birthday party there with two pets and was given an area at the Saied because of the dogs or we can go outside.. I felt it may have been slightly understaffed as it took awhile to clear our plates apart from that we enjoyed our visit and loved the dog enclosure (even the dog treats they gave us)

Recently taken over by new management and OMG Amazing!! Visited last Sunday for a roast dinner ....DEVINE! I noticed then they did breakfast...so here I am back again a week later! How on earth it isn't rammed for breakfast is beyond me! Beautiful coffee and food! Fabulous hosts. I cannot recommend this breakfast enough. I intend on making regular visits and trying all the delicious choices available!

Good food, good atmosphere and a lovely setting. Recommendation of starter platter in particular. Cottage pie croquettes were a novel and enjoyable discovery

We visited the Fox & Hounds today with family (5 of us) for an early festive meal and were not disappointed! Our first visit in over 40 years and the whole place has been re-decorated and fitted out to a very high standard while keeping the nice warm & traditional feel an establishment like this deserves. We were greeted and well looked after throughout by their friendly staff. We all made selections from the festive menu and the food was well prepared and presented and very tasty. The location is brilliant for us when getting together with family so we will certainly be returning.