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

What a charming pub! I was there last night with a group of friends for our regular get together. Crop Circle beer delicious, food superb and the staff were absolutely lovely. What a tremendous bunch and all in an idyllic spot/village. Highly recommend to one and all!

Amazing atmosphere. Really friendly staff. Lovely area and great garden. Fireworks were amazing too.

A small country pub in a little village, with 2 comfortable accommodation rooms in the pub and a shepherd's hut in the grounds above the pub. A bonys is the kingsize beds. The landlord and team were very welcoming, and there was a good selection of food and drink. Work is in progress to make improvements to the ground above the pub to enjoy the views. It is very dog friendly.

Good old traditional English pub. Good hearty food. Cosy & welcoming. Just what I want when I visit the country side. One of those pubs you can just rock up to without having to be suited & booted. Wellies welcome. Glad the new owners didn't turn it into an expensive posh nosh Queens Arms.

Macready's: An Unforgettable Anniversary Celebration 🎉 My fiancé and I had an incredible anniversary dinner at Macready's. The staff were exceptional, particularly Eliza (I hope we have spelt her name right!), whose care and good humor made our evening even more special. Myself and my fiancé exchanged anniversary cards during our meal, and Eliza surprised us with a beautiful "Happy Anniversary" message on our dessert without us ever mentioning the occasion! Props to her attention to detail and initiative! The food was truly outstanding. I was full halfway through the second course, but it was so delicious I couldn't stop eating! The music playlist was perfect, and the interior design was stunning. The attention to detail was impressive, and the restrooms were uniquely designed. I highly recommend Macready's. It's the best restaurant I've been to in ages, and I eat out a lot (probably too much!).

We had a lovely meal for my dad’s birthday last night. The food was excellent and the restaurant is a great edition to Sherborne’s various places to eat. The service from everyone was fabulous. My mum is disabled and finds walking difficult. Every effort was made to make sure she was comfortable, sat in a suitable seat for her disability, with even some support to walk to the restrooms. Thank you so much to everyone working that evening. It made my mum and my dad’s evening very enjoyable and special.

Stunning bistro! Food was first class, very modern fine dinng. I had the Portland crab linguine, it was delicious! The sweets are fabulous too. I would highly recommend a visit.

Excellent fish and chips, service very good. Super surroundings

Very nice meal, although a bit limited menu options on the day due to being in between chefs. We had wanted the prix fixe, which wasn't available. The food was good and the service was excellent. Prices are quite high, so expectations are high to match.

Certainly recommended, good food and excellent service in pleasant surroundings.

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.

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.

An incredible meal at the plume! We were turned away from another restaurant despite having a reservation, but when we came to the Plume they were happy to help and sat us promptly. The meal was absolutely delicious and filled us up nicely. We had 6 dishes between 4 adults and were stuffed! The service was great and the atmosphere was so lovely.

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 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.

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.

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

We had a lovely one night stay at this independent hotel. The hotel is very quirky and really well thought out with lovely touches all around. I took my 2 children and they loved playing in the big garden and our room was very spacious with a huge bed and double sofa bed. The bar is really cosy and the food at dinner and breakfast was really lovely. All the staff were very welcoming and the resident cat was a huge hit with my daughters. The location was perfect for us, just a 5 minute drive to Sherborne but in a quiet village location. Would definitely recommend this hotel and would love to stay again.

Visited with friends today for a Sunday lunch. A very pleasant experience. Reception dealt efficiently with the booking and queries before the day. The room was comfortable, the decor was contemporary and the service good. There was a slight delay between bringing the main course and the vegetables arriving, but the food was excellent and the plates were hot. We will definitely return and wish we had found you earlier.

This hotel is absolutely stunning! The pictures do not do it justice. The hotel is charming, beautiful, unique, vintage and quirky. There is lots to see around the hotel and it was beautifully decorated for Christmas. We booked for the festive getaway deal which was an amazing price for all it included, we upgraded our room prior to arriving and on arrival got told we were upgraded again for free which was a wonderful surprise. Our room was absolutely beautiful! The hotel was very peaceful and the food and drinks were delicious. Our room and the hotel was very clean. We absolutely love the friendly, cute hotel cat Neptune!! Breakfast didn't come with all items included on the menu (we didn't get any potatoes, mushrooms or tomatoes like stated) they also hadn't had their delivery of bacon so breakfast seemed a little chaotic, but other than that everything was perfect, staff were friendly and attentive and we absolutely cannot wait to come back and stay here again! I highly recommend this hotel, really beautiful and peaceful and great value for money.

The best pub in Sherborne and beyond! Excellent food, real ale and great value for money. Friendly staff and always a great atmosphere. One of the few 'proper pubs' left.

Love this pub. An authentic, old-style pub with a lot of charm and a great local vibe. Good selection of beers and ales.

We popped in for a pint and some lunch, but the kitchen had closed. However, they kindly made us sandwiches to go with the delicious ale and stout. A friendly, proper, old-fashioned pub.

Visited today. As someone who prefers an unpretentious "Traditional Ale House" with excellent real ales and good straightforward food, on the basis of today's lunch this is the best pub I've ever been in. Our pints were spot on, and our meals were outstanding. A real gem of a discovery, only shortcoming is it's a tad over 200 miles from home!

We hit this place while looking for a lunch stop on a long bike ride. Thoroughly pleased with the food (sausage & egg bagguette) and the coffee was tasty. Would certainly ride this way again. ... Did I mention how good the flapjack was ? Mmmmm

Stumbled on this place by chance and would definitely recommend! A cosy real fire to sit by with warming tea and delicious soup followed by scrummy bread pudding and some cider to take home! I’ll be back 😁

We have been here twice now .Once for a small lunch and then for Breakfast.The small lunch was superb and very reasonably priced.The Breakfast was fantastic and extremely priced for quality and price .Excellent service ,all cooked fresh.This place is a must visit .

We had an incredible experience at the Cross Keys. Mo and his team hosted my Father's funeral wake yesterday. The whole experience was incredible - made so special by Mo, Lucy, David and the girls. Nothing was too much trouble, and we felt completely wrapped up in their arms from the moment we walked through the door to make the arrangements, right through to the day itself. I cannot thank the team enough for creating such a special celebration, which you planned so incredibly well. The delicious food platters were superb, and all the guests said what a beautiful venue it was. I was personally nurtured throughout the whole day, with Mo and Lucy checking in with me to make sure everything was perfect - and even David coming in on his day off to make sure my Dad's favourite music was being played. I can't thank them all enough from the bottom of my heart for all their kindness. We stayed in their family suite for the night. Our room was superb, with the biggest bed I've ever slept in, and beautiful views out onto the market square and the Conduit. I can thoroughly recommend a stay at the Cross Keys - the service is exceptional, the rooms amazing, and the breakfast was superb. We also had our evening meal in the restaurant, and it was exceptional. THANK YOU TO THE WHOLE TEAM AT THE CROSS KEYS - YOU ARE ALL AMAZING.

Fantastic staff, food and atmosphere. My father is an elderly man who came to eat here on his own one evening. The staff looked after him wonderfully well. Big thank you to you all.

The Cross Keys ALWAYS delivers the best service, best quality food and superb live music. We had a fabulous stay (as always). Thanks to Mo and his team for such a wonderful experience.

Excellent evening at the cross keys whilst staying in Sherbourne for the weekend visiting the castle for the classic car show. Friendly welcome upon arrival, very nice decor & a lovely dining area. Service was efficient & friendly, nice range of drinks including a good wine list. Food was very good, squid starter was very well cooked, burger was excellent & the panacotta dessert was a delight. Would certainly recommend & will visit again if in the area.

Outstanding carvery lunch! Didn't need a reservation. Food was amazing, even had a vegetarian option. Will definitely be going back!

Been in for food this evening! Can honestly say the food was amazing! All made from scratch, and the desserts were amazing! Great portions nothing too much! Definitely be coming again very local to us!

Superb carvery! Lovely friendly warm welcome ,very attentive and dog friendly. The dog was very happy to enjoy a fuss and tasty treats. Good selection of cask ales. Will definitely be back 😊

My friend and I arrived late Sunday evening for the pub roast. But we were greeted with a warm welcome, great service and a gorgeous roast dinner, all beautifully cooked, loads to choose from and plenty of it! I would highly recommend this to everyone. You won't be disappointed.