The Best Restaurants in Minterne Magna, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

I have been all over the world and have stayed and dined at numerous hotels. Since 1991 I have stayed several times, every year, at Plumber Manor and I can in all honesty say that I have nowhere felt as comfortable and at home as in that wonderful little Country Hotel tucked away in lovely Dorset. Also the food and wine list are superb and the fact that Plumber Manor was elected best Hotel in Southern England in 2024 is totally justifiable.

We went to Plumber Manor for a birthday meal whilst visiting Dorset. The service, comfort, ambience and food were all exceptional. This is a fabulous hotel and restaurant with a relaxed and efficient style set in beautiful gardens. The menu offers something for every taste and palette, the waiting staff are efficient, unobtrusive and professional. We would definitely visit again and we thank you for an enjoyable and memorable evening. Lin and family.

We have stayed here three times since 1980. Still in the same expert ownership. Beautiful country manor house. Well maintained in a discreet style. Fabulous food, interesting wine list with a range of half bottles too. Good value for Londoners!!! Friendly relaxed service. Welcoming sitting room with open fire. Make a special journey to visit if you can.

Really nice experience. The decor inside was very appealing and comfortable. Went for the 3 course set menu and the food was very well presented and had a lot of flavour. Waiters/waitresses polite and attentive. Will recommend to friends/family.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable and delicious dining experience at the Clockspire Restaurant this evening. Food was excellent along with the service. The old school building has been beautifully restored and creates a delightful surrounding and atmosphere, complimenting the whole experience. This has just become my favorite restaurant. We shall return.

Overall is good, the quality it's top as the price and service. Lovely place with good atmosphere. If you're on rush, don't go, take your time and enjoy the food.

Fantastic food! Really delicious. We will definitely return on our next trip to the area. The staff are lovely and welcoming, and we felt at ease for the whole visit.

A great afternoon out having a tour and (very generous) tasting of the orchard's cider. Very friendly hosts. They also do pizza nights which sounded great!

Exceptionally friendly staff even showed us her dogs puppies , local cyder just the thing for a cool summer drink , we visited in early afternoon and it was a nice time to relax in the sun. They do barbecues as well and I would think it can be quite popular The only thing is that if you didn't know it was there you would miss it completely, it needs signs desperately on the road, otherwise people would sorely miss out on such a gem of a place !!

Katherine was so helpful and lovely, delicious brownies (which i dropped on the floor so had to bin them,sad times)the cider and little basket of bread butter and some fruit was sweet and the milk was so nice and fresh, and the hot tub was amazing, there were a few things that let it down.they change you £30 for clearing but im guessing thats just the hut and tub as ALL the cutlery and plates needed to be washed ,the bed spread had 2 stains on it (looked like a paw print)the quilt cover was torn in two places so that wasn't great for the money you pay (it didnt bother us much,and would possibility go back)just a little side note a tea towel would have been great as had to use a hand towel .

Absolutely fantastic tour at the Dorset Star Orchard. The tour guide Richard was fantastic, the tour was informative and fun followed by lots of cider. Would thoroughly recommend!

Lovely village pub. Only one server to convert bar and restaurant so a bit slow but very friendly and good good though fully priced eg fish and chips 18gbp

After an emotional day, my partner and I decided we would stay over and booked our room on line. On arriving quite late, we received a very warm welcome and despite the kitchen having already closed, were offered fish and chips without hesitation. Our host did check with the kitchen first but it seemed absolutely no trouble. The rooms were worthy of the most historic public house but still provided all the home comforts one could wish for. After a comfortable nights sleep, interrupted only by the effects of alcohol consumes throughout our day, we descended the stairs to have breakfast. Eggs Benedict and cooked to perfection. The spread was fantastic and would satisfy the biggest of eaters and overall, the standard of what was offered was far in excess of expectations. Would recommend without hesitation and when we return to this quaint little place, we will definitely be booking our room here!

We popped in for a spot of lunch while visiting sights around Dorchester. The landlady of the cottages we rented highly recommended the pub and even contacted them about allergens in their foods to help support one of our party who is suffering some medically induced food issues at the moment. The staff were absolutely superb and did everything they could to ensure we had an excellent experience there. The food was typical pub grub, but at its finest and the prices were absolutely spot on. We will be visiting again.

I visited this pub on Sunday on a staycation in Dorset, we just popped in, and were very pleasantly surprised. A girl named Ruby served us & recommended some cider for us (as we’re not from the area) which was great. She was so personable and helpful and made our experience great. Amazing service, thank you for your hospitality.

The most amazing quality for the money.. we stumbled across this pub on a wet Wednesday..even though it was 2 pm, the kitchen was open and all the menu was available. I was blown away with the quality of the food and hospitality..

We stayed here one night in early July ( visiting from Australia but born in Dorset).. A lovely atmospheric room with modern bathroom. We opted for dinner in the restaurant and had probably the best sunday roast we have ever had , roast beef done just right with yorkshire pud my mother would be proud of - high praise indeed! Accompanied by a range of vegetables that were great but almost too many to finish. Ditto for Breakfast the following day . Staff ( owners? ) took great pride in this establishment and delightful to boot. So thoroughly recommend the New Inn. .

We stayed over the bank holiday in Aug and it’s so quiet and peaceful. Food was amazing and my husband said it was the best breakfast. All the staff went above and beyond especially Haley and another lady whose name we didn’t know. Fantastic little find.

My husband and I were on holiday in Cerne Abbas and came across this very special place on our first day walk. What a wonderful find, we were warmly received by Annette and Julian, who showed a great interest in us and where we had come from and checking out where we may visit while in Dorset. We loved this place so much we visited 4 times for evening drinks and meals. The recommendations for local beers, wine and Gin were excellent. They were always interested on our daily adventures. We can honestly say the place had a wonderful vibe with pleasant background music not to loud, and listening to the local banter was heart- warming. Also lovely to see all dog visitors getting doggy treats from the owners. Always served with a smile The food was absolutely delicious, they have a very talented chef, the presentation and food portions were spot on and there was no waste from us ! Thank you for a marvellous time at The new Inn and we will be back again soon and will definitely book a stay as well . If we could give you 6 stars we would

We visited on a weekday. We chose this pub over others in the village because of the reviews and because the food looked good value. There was one bartender on quite a busy lunchtime. She was good humored and efficient, taking drink and food orders, and delivering the food to the tables. We ordered our food and took drinks out to the garden at the back. Our food soon arrived despite being warned it might be a time. Simple fare, but generous portions. I ordered ham, egg and chips. The ham was delicious, three thick slices cut from a ham leg. Not the normal plastic ham in a prepacked plastic container. My partner had Nachos with a vegetarian chili. She enjoyed it. After lunch we walked around the village and came back for another pint before leaving on the bus. Good collection of beers including a local beer brewed in the village The pub has music events as well.

A group of 4 of us came in today at lunchtime, including a very disabled gentleman who is in a supportive wheelchair. Great choice of food and we all enjoyed it. Briony was serving behind the bar and bringing our food. She was so very helpful, friendly and attentive, we were really impressed. We'll come again!

We booked to go for Sunday lunch. The food was delicious and hot. Vegetables cooked to perfection. Cosy setting and quiet atmosphere even though fairly busy which we like. Staff friendly and attentive. Recommend.

Came in on the off chance, staff were very warm and welcoming, food was delicious and good value for money, My husband loved the homemade tartar sauce. Did use the facilities the toilet clean and fresh. Will definitely pop in again whenever we are in Cerne abbas. The place was bright and light and spacious

This is a wonderful old English inn dated from 1540. Has loads of character & charm. We had Sunday roast here... Was fabulous, prices are very reasonable. Staff are friendly, helpful... Inn has wonderful atmosphere. We also stopped here for afternoon tea with Dorset Apple Cake... Again fabulous. Highly recommend

Very cosy pub with friendly staff loved the soup as it was delicious, definitely recommend a visit.

We had a wonderful experience at The Royal Oak recently. We had a great lunch and an amazing dinner. Caroline was so welcoming! A lovely place full of character and friendly people!

Lovely welcoming traditional pub. We only stopped for coffee and dessert but really enjoyed it. Pets are welcome. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Food a little pricey but good size portions and tasty.

We did enjoy coming here, however the food wasn't up to par this time round. It was super busy ( Christmas) and for the price, I expected something more treat worthy. First time we visited. The food was tremendous, hence the revisit and I felt spoiled which is how we should feel when choosing to eat out. This saddened me because I thought we had found a real gem 💎. Sorry guys x

Lovely Christmas dinner. The food was very nice but there was so much of it it was hard to enjoy it. My feedback would be to have the veg in dishes on the table so we can pick out how much we need. Would save a lot of waste and far easier to eat as not so much. The staff are always very welcoming and friendly x

Excellent pub with high quality food, good beer, service and a lovely ambience. Was staying at TDOC Poundbury. This place was far better for food, drink and price.

We’ve been coming to the Saxon Arms for years, and with good reason: the pub is lovely, the welcoming service from all the staff is exemplary and the food is a cut above the average. I don’t normally write reviews, especially for places I visit frequently, however I ordered the Beef Wellington for lunch today from their varied specials board and it was simply superb. It’s a favourite dish, but I rarely have it when I’m out as it’s easy to mess up - tiny steaks that are overcooked and pastry that’s soggy and tasteless, and the whole lot is more often than not outrageously overpriced, but today’s was outstanding. It was beautifully presented, perfectly cooked and tasted fabulous. The last Beef Wellington I had that was this good was at Hawksmoor in Spitalfields, a world away from this relaxed, quiet country pub in the middle of Dorset. I can honestly say that the Saxon Arms never fails to meet expectations and would always get my hearty recommendation, but today’s lunch was worthy of an establishment charging many times more for its food. Outstanding.

We met friends here today for lunch, on their recommendation. Absolutely delicious food, beautifully cooked and served, excellent value for money and lovely, friendly staff. My new favourite place, especially as it's only 10 minutes away!

Lovely local pub in the heart of the Dorset Countryside. Lots of nice walks around and rural spots to explore!

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

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

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.

The best roast I've ever eaten at a restaurant. Beautifully presented, perfectly cooked roast pork.