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

All sorts of pasties is the only menu. Lots of different beers to choose from and the most amazing view, it's on a hill and best to experience when sunny. Outside seating is really unusual on lumps of stone or wooden benches.

Excellent and very popular pub in a very pretty little village. Has excellent views from the front seating area to the sea. There are quite a few footpaths that converge in the area so it is very popular with walkers. The food is excellent, and it has a tiny, and very strange little museum.

Is nice pub to be there after a bit hiking around Dancing ledge, a lot britains goes there to have a glass of beer 🍺, nice talking, good view. Also they have a small museum about fósils found around. They hay a good variety local beers 🍻 simple but nice taste traditional food.

Keep it simple, a selection of pasties, a sausage roll, and a steak pie, plus some good cider/beer. Served from a hatch which does admittedly cause a bit of a queue, but eaten on tables outside in the sun was worth the wait. Don't miss sticking your head inside to the museum room on the far left and the atmospheric lounge on the right.

Great location, best for Sunday outdoor coffee. Unfortunately, they have stopped serving brunch before 11am, so to share the food experience you have to be a very early bird. I would definitely recommend visiting, coffee and the view is very good.

Lovely location, excellent food, friendly staff. Must visit again.

Unfortunately it's a members only venue. We were given a visitors pass for turning up but right on the lakes edge.

I had lunch at the restaurant of Mortons Manor after a nice walk from Wareham to Corfe Castle. The hotel is located close to the entrance of the castle and has a parking lot, which is very useful in the small (and beautiful) town. The service was great and the food really good Also, prices are fair, particularly if you consider the quality of the ingredients. I definitely recommend this place.

We booked Sunday Lunch at the Manor. It was lovely menu and the food was presented beautifully. Yes staff were very attentive and polite. The parking was good and on site. I would recommend booking for Sunday but be prepared for a really special experience.

Had a lovely dinner here and would highly recommend. All the staff were very welcoming and friendly and they were very happy to let us bring our dog as well. Food was delicious and a good range of options as well for vegetarians. Beautiful building as well! 👌

We originally had booked The Pig On The Beach for dinner but when walking past Purbeck Plaza decided to cancel our booking at The Pig and try this instead and we are so glad that we did! The food was incredible and from 7pm the atmosphere picked up and the restaurant was really busy, the staff were really lovely and attentive and the owner spent some time talking with us and recommending other local places to eat as well. I would definitely recommend booking as we had booked for 6:30 and from 7 the restaurant was basically full. We really liked the fact that the menu changed daily and it was so reasonably priced! We ordered 7 dishes at it came to around £35 + the jug of sangria! We will definitely be coming back when we’re back in Swanage.

Excellent find. Food was excellent. Welcoming and friendly staff. Would highly recommend. Only thing I’d say is that they probably need more staff as it seemed really popular. Thank you. A lovely special meal on the last night of our Purbeck holiday.

I was recommended this pub by a local and they were so right about the good food - in my opinion. The staff were friendly and knew the menu well and could recommend which ciders were best too. You do need to book ahead as they are well known for good food and therefore usually booked up. I chose Fish Pie with vegetables and Tiramisu and I enjoyed both. The perfect meal for my last night in Swanage and I'll be going back next year - when I stay in Swanage again, that's for sure.

Lovely old pub in Swanage High Street. Absolutely fantastic food and great beer/wine at very reasonable prices. Menu specials vary day to day .You need to book a table if you want to eat.

I visited the Black Swan Inn with my large family for a meal on Sunday and we all absolutely loved it. The food was delicious, the service was 10/10 and the chef even came out twice (unrequested) to chat to us about different food intolerances. It was such a friendly atmosphere and the garden is a beautiful sun trap! We will 100% be back!

Great Monday night dinner… our food was fabulous..the Jurassic feast for 2 … great if you love pork. Couldn’t finish it. All meals looked great. Bonus was staying across the road from a great food venue. Pretty quiet otherwise.. but make sure you book if you can as it is booked out by early afternoon

Came here on a Saturday afternoon. The food was already cooked and displayed in the shelves. Ordering is easy. Food is tasty. Just the portion is not enough for the price I pay.

Me and my wife came here for dinner on New Year’s Eve, it was the perfect way to celebrate the year. The food was excellent and we loved watching the chef cook over the coals before plating up. The service was great and all the staff were super friendly, the whole restaurant had a great atmosphere. We’ve been here for breakfast and coffees on many occasions, but will definitely be back for dinner in the future. I would highly recommend a visit!

Went to the salt pig last night. Great service and great atmosphere. Locally sourced ingredients and everything tasted vibrant, fresh and well cooked . 10/10

A wonderful Christmas dinner experience celebrating my mother in law's 80th birthday. There were 15 of us, we ordered before the day and the food came out all together, piping hot and well presented. If anything there was too much food, the portions were very large. We had no space for the delicious looking mince pies that arrived after dessert so we asked for a box and took them home! Everybody said how delicious there food was. I had soup and the pie both delicious. Such a lovely night and very helpful staff.

Went for a Sunday roast. Options beef, chicken or pork with all the trimmings. Puddings were lovely, cherry pie and custard and 3 scoops of ice cream… there were more but the cherry pie got me. Large seating area inside with nice decor and large bar. They also allow well behaved dogs. Seating outside also available. Would recommend booking .

Generous portions at a reasonable price. Food was tasty and staff were friendly. We enjoyed our visit and will definitely be returning.

This was such a lovely stop in Swanage. The highlight of the day was sitting and enjoying the view here with a nicely composed cocktail. I would definitely prioritise visiting this place especially when the sun comes out!

Previously visited The Roof Terrace and was keen to return. The menu's exciting, if it doesn't bring on a decision crisis then nothing will. As a foody I'm always on the look-out for something unusual, the crab nachos jumped out at me straight away, and we weren't disappointed. Succulent fresh crab, tossed through peach salsa and spring onion, piled onto home-made nachos and topped with finely sliced red chilli. We also had scallops, served in their shells with lightly grilled Chorizo. The wine list is simple but thoughtful, we had the organic Sauvignon Blanc which was a perfect match.

We came one night for a drink and some oysters and promptly came back for dinner the next night. Gorgeous views, fresh seafood and young, friendly staff. Definitely worth a visit 😊

Absolutely stunning place in Swanage. In fact one of the nicest places we’ve visited during our visit whilst staying at Poole. Beautiful views over the harbour, great drinks and food menu, staff are all lovely and very attentive. Dog friendly. Can’t say enough nice things.

Superb dramatic ruined castle in a beautiful setting, towering over the picturesque village that shares its name. The castle's grey stone walls date back 1,000 years, and their imposing presence contrasts with uplifting views across the surrounding hills and heathland. Information boards reveal more about the castle's history as you walk around the site, and there's a small visitor centre with a café, gift shop and toilets just outside the grounds. The castle is open all year round except over Christmas, and the price of entry is reasonable for such an iconic place. Dogs on leads are welcome. There's free parking just outside the castle grounds at the edge of the village. Be sure to take a walk around the village as part of your visit, it's one of the prettiest in the UK and connected by heritage railway. There's a great view of the castle from the small hill immediately to the west - definitely worth the walk up.

Kings View is fantastic. Had an excellent visit in early January with very good weather. Clear sunny day. Very friendly helpful staff. Plenty to see and a very good story teller. It is a very good castle to visit. Very pleased we could book to go up and see Kings View. Fabulous view but also very interesting seeing the door up close. Very knowledgeable guide too. It won't be available for long I understand so even if you have been before this is well worth another visit.

It is a really nice visit because it isn't only the ruins of the castle that you are visiting but the village and surroundings. It has a car park and a restaurant so you start from there crossing the big road and going up smoothly. It is a really nice walk and the views are extraordinary. There are activities for children and a historical walk through the demolished walls of the castle. Very good information about the history and recreation. In the village there are very pretty houses, independent shops and restaurants.

A castle where you can fully explore at your own pace enjoying both the history and outstanding views over the local area. There is a national trust car park a short walk away, but it's worth noting this fills up quickly in the summer months. Car parking is limited to 4 hours for non-members. If you are a member parking time isn't limited, so it's perfect to go on a walk, as well as explore the castle and village.

This national trust house is impressive and really nice to see. It has a big car park, the entrance is just there and you walk a few steps and you can see the house, the laundry and the kitchen also the stables converted into a Cafe which is really good. The prices are high but you think that you are collaborating to maintain the house but you have to help yourself with the cake and they make you the tea pot and you help yourself to cups, spoon and sugar situated near a wall at the entrance. Free water which is a very good idea and plenty of space inside and outside. Very beautiful atmosphere and surroundings. The house is magnificent and the gardens too. It has a Japanese garden with a tea room close to the public but nice to see and the largest kitchen garden I have seen, so beautiful!

Beautiful walk! Dogs must be kept on a lead but plenty of different walking routes and different things to see. Really lovely even mid winter!

Amazing property, the artwork is beautiful. They have presented the history extremely well. Lots of beautiful walks through the woods into the Japanese gardens into the house gardens.

very nice day out. impressive stately home surrounded bu impressive countryside that is excellent for a relaxing walk it's a national trust property. in busy periods you need to book. there are nice cafeteria which was a little small so you might struggle for space at busy periods but lots of space for a picnic. there was a nice book shop with lots of oldbooks for sale.