The Best Restaurants in Hooke, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

We recently had an amazing meal out here. The cosy pub setting was relaxing and pleasant to sit in. A great selection of drinks on tap and bottled as well. The service was very good indeed, polite and friendly, our food was served very (but not too) quickly! Three of the six of us had fish and chips, it was the best I have had for a very long time, with lovely light batter and delicate fish. The chips and onion rings are also proper pub standard, we enjoyed this very much! Our grandparents very much enjoyed the senior citizens options - these were a selection of slightly smaller and cheaper meals, but were still a generous amount of food and great value for money. We highly recommend and would return - an amazing choice of mains, specials, sides, desserts and 'small plates' for any occasion!

Really nice and friendly old school pub. Good beer, all our food was really good and the service was great. Will be back

we stopped in for lunch and found the pub to be a very comfortable location to visit; eat and drink . We only had a sandwich and chips with drinks, but the meals other guests had looked very nice with good portions The staff were very helpful and this is a dog friendly location

Some places just stand out and should be recognised as such. Bob and Jenny have not been at Hare and Hounds too long, but by goodness me, what they do there should be emanated across the service industry. Small, but absolutely fabulous pub and food is immense. Try it, try it today, you will NOT be disappointed. I always say, you tell a place by the toilets.... and this one they are A1*

A lovely pub - so pleased we found it! Bob and Jenny were wonderful hosts (actually all the staff were). The menu is reasonably priced and lots of choice. My husbands steak was perfect. The beer garden is so lovely - the wild garden is beautiful. We had a wonderful afternoon there and we will be back when we are next in the area. Really dog friendly too. Thank you and we will see you next year! :)

Walked here from Pineapple Farm Campsite, we enjoyed a lovely lunch and a couple of pints. Good local pub & highly recommended.

Probably the best country pub in the world! Bob and Jenny are wonderful, genuinely warm hosts. The food is fairly traditional in style and incredible. It's a Palmers pub which is okay ( Palmer's 'Tally ho' is a great pint) The atmosphere is just what you need from a country pub in my opinion. Unfussy, unhurried, mud and dog friendly, and possibly the best beer garden view on the planet.

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.

A lovely place which such an amazing team! We were well looked after celebrating our first wedding anniversary and the crispy lionsmane mushroom dish at the restaurant was one of the best I have ever had! We had the most perfect stay.

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.

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

Absolutely amazing roast and I’ve eaten a lot of roasts!! Huge portions and the meal included cauliflower cheese at no extra cost. Lovely pub garden in a beautiful little village. Golden Cap on a nearby so I’d recommend a long walk along the gorgeous Jurassic coast followed by a roast at this gem of a pub

A fantastic pub, clean, friendly, lovely atmosphere. The garden is sheltered with plenty of seating. Dog friendly. Booking is reccomendationed. The menu is varied with plenty of choice for all dietary requirements. Along with sharing platters. The staff are attentive and friendly. The pub is historical. The old post office has been integrated into the front lounge area. If you love your Sunday lunch, book early as you won't get a seat.

Great food, fantastic service and really well priced. A kids meal for £8 with dessert and a drink is great value.

I can firmly recommend this restaurant. We came here for a dinner and were very surprised. Everything was exceptionally tasty and very well decorated. Service was fast, the waitresses were all friendly. The food took a while but the place was full. We sat in the dog friendly garden. We had three starters to share, prawns, the cauliflower and BBQ pulled pork. Especially the cauliflower was awesome. To the point. Lots of spices, great sauce, spicy. The fries were crisp even covered with sauce. We then shared the fish curry. Another surprise. Also spicy, the rice was perfect, crisp vegetables and a delightful sauce over the shrimps, the fish and the mussels which were outstanding huge. The prices for such high quality are very OK. The negative reviews could be explained by the season. We were told that during summer vacation the near campground is flooded with people who then also flood this place.

The best service we have experienced in a restaurant in ten years. Our host was happy to alter how my wife's fish was cooked to reduce the seasoning. Her Sea Bream and my seafood medley were prepared with excellent produce to a superb standard and well sized. Our lad was very happy with an excellent authentic pizza. Table service was quick, polite yet not at all overbearing. In summary, excellent seafood, very well prepared, attractively presented with understated yet world class service to match. We couldn't recommend more highly

If I could give more than 5 stars I would. We went there for the spectacular and it was everything the name suggests and more, it was absolutely spectacular! The seafood was cooked to perfection and the taste was absolutely amazing. My son had the cabonara and said it was the best food he has tasted ever! We then finished our meal off with their raspberry cheesecake which was creamy and so fresh. We will definitely be back even if it’s a 3 hour drive from home, would drive all that way for that meal all over again. Great value for money and the atmosphere was lovely, the staff were so friendly and welcoming. Thank you so much Olive Tree we will see you again.

We visited here last night with family, and I have to say it was an absolute gem. Roasted Hake was the catch of the day and it was divine. A brilliant combination of excellent food, friendly service, and all very reasonable pricewise. we very much appreciated the picture taken, including the bonus selfie 😂 Looking forward to coming back again sometime soon.

Come across this restaurant by chance. My word What a Find!! The food was amazing Sea food very fresh, delicious!!! beautifully presented and friendly service, and amazing price. We can’t wait to return. Well done chef👏👏

Lovely location, very nice pub, friendly staff. We stopped off for a quick pint randomly but we're probably going to visit again after our break as the food looked very nice! I would definitely recommend it if you're in the area.

Just enjoyed the most delicious lunch here! Four of us plus 4 large damp dogs! The staff couldn’t have been more helpful. The service was excellent and the food was absolutely fantastic! Compliments to the chef and thanks to Luke who looked after us so well! We will definitely return! A gem!

Good food and a very comfortable dining experience. Service was excellent and food is always served freshly cooked. Plenty of seating outside with views across the whole valley. Great place to watch the sun go down. Dog friendly and a good children's menu. Recommended to book for an inside table or larger group.

We stayed here due to a burial the next day. Rooms were lovely and bed was very comfy. Would definitely stay here again. Staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble.

I often stop off here on a Friday after work, The staff are lovely, the beer is fab. I've yet to try the food but plan on coming back with family. Well worth giving it a go. Just a few mins off the A 37.

Lovely Atmosphere, the Food was delicious at very reasonable prices and the Bar Staff and Landlady very pleasant. And exceptionally Dog Friendly. Well worth leaving our village and travelling a few miles.

We had Sunday lunch here last month. This is a lovely pub, great lunch and most of all great service. Made our Sunday and fully recommended.

The food was delicious. Great customer service. Very nice pub and beautiful garden

The Red Lion pub is a fantastic find. The owner is so friendly and welcoming, the food looks and tastes really good and they stock Powderkeg gluten free beer alongside beers from the brewery . This visit we had cheesy chips - best cheesy chips ever.

Stopped in for some food and found the pub very pleasant. Quite stylish inside with nice decor and lots of seating. Food was good although medium rare steak was over cooked. Well priced for food and drink and we'd visit again.

A surprise visit for lunch after a walk. Sunday roast was great and reasonably priced. Nice décore and good atmosphere, with friendly staff. Shame we live over an hour away or this would be a regular drop in. All 7 of us cleared our plates!!!

We arrived at 11.20, just in time to order breakfast. We were lucky to get the table on the edge of the 'tent' overlooking the beach. Despite being quite busy we received very efficient service. The food arrived within 15- 20 min, then our hot drinks. We had 3 x full English and egg Benedict on muffin with bacon. Everyone enjoyed it. The only nuisance were a few wasps but not a lot to spoil our experience.

Huge muscles in a nicely balanced blue cheese cream sauce. The fish chowder was also lovely, great tasting fish and fresh veg. We enjoyed on a wet and windy day, outside seating had heaters which warmed us up nicely. Would recommend after a walk.

Came here today, after walking from our campsite at Graston Copse through Burton Bradstock village. A warm welcome by a member of staff & shown to our outside table for 4 with 3 dogs. Our waitress took our drinks order & returned after a few minutes to take our food order. She was very friendly and attentive, giving time for a chat despite being extremely busy. Wait for our food was minimal and when it arrived it was hot, tasty & well presented. Back ground music was pleasant, giving the Mediterranean feeling due to the sunshine. Wouldn't hesitate in returning if we are in the area again .... thank you.

Camping at Freshwater holiday park, a 20 minute walk to visit this gem of a place. Busy and bustling restaurant, great menu, food was outstanding and the service was great too. Dog friendly aswell, all in all, will definitely be returning soon.