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

Lovely little gem of a place! Gorgeously old building with low height wooden beams. Busy but in a good way, very cosy atmosphere. Lush coffee's and cake!

If you would like to have a delicious variety of food and desserts wrapped in a dog friendly welcoming, relaxed atmosphere topped with an amazing customer service - this is the perfect place! The also have Vegan and Gluten free options :-) We were served by Renata (the owner) , a lovely woman that definitely understands the importance of having the knowledge of the ingredients in the different dishes and the attention coffee beans needs to be able to produce the perfect cup of coffee. We highly recommend to give the King Alfred’s kitchen a visit as it’s 5* in every way!!!

Everything taste amazing! Huge selection of cakes, specialty coffees, proper pies, but also salads and lighter fare. We had the chicken, ham and leek pie with reduced red wine onion gravy, lime and blueberry and maple, pumpkin and chai cakes. But it was very difficult to choose off the menu. The atmosphere is quaint and cosy with plenty of seating and happy, warm people on staff to serve. You’d be crazy not to stop here when in Shaftesbury!

THE MOST INCREDIBLE CAKES AND DRINKS!!!!!! The atmosphere is super cute and cosy, very relaxing but the cakes and drinks are to die for!!! Definitely 100% a must visit!!!! The food looked really yummy too, next time we visit we will definitely be having lunch here too

Lovely place to meet up! I’ve been to the blandford one and this one and I think I prefer Shaftesbury. They always have great vegan options, even my non-vegan colleague chose the vegan toastie and loved it. I come here as it’s a half way point to have meeting with my colleagues from Yeovil but I like the vibe and the food!

Lovely surroundings and friendly staff.We both had coffee which was very good and some apple cake very generous portion and very tasty dog friendly as well 😊

I've now tried all the cafes in Shaftesbury, by far this is the best coffee around (Oat flat white). The staff behind the counter were all delightful, atmosphere is really cosy and friendly with the larger 'shared table' in the middle. Vegan cakes were always available. Dogs welcome!

Such a friendly little café with great vegan options! We had the vegan new yorker sandwich and a lovely slice of ginger cake. Especially loved the decor, there’s wifi too!

Wow had a fabulous meal and dessert last night 05/03/24 here. Look at the pics and decide yourself. Wonderful service too. Love and thank you.

A group of us went here for a meal to celebrate a birthday. I messaged beforehand to check they were able to provide a vegan alternative. They replied quickly with a list of different items they could adapt to be vegan. I opted for the Calzone as I haven't had the chance to have one since going vegan. It was absolutely delicious! The man (who I presume owns the place) was incredibly helpful and attentive. I fully recommend eating here! I'm looking forward to returning.

Lovely old chapel and the decor was fantastic, ordered onion rings to start and despite the price of £5.90 they were frozen, albeit well cooked and crispy. The Hawaiian pizza was basic and uniform, I was expecting a more hand tossed rustic base but the ingredients were good quality. The chips again were basic frozen fries and quite costly at £5.90. I wasn’t introduced to the specials board which disappointed me too. I’m glad I went to try the place but wouldn’t return.

First visit this evening and we will certainly visit again. Staff helpful and attentive, it was a relaxed atmosphere, and we were certainly not rushed. The food was excellent, the salmon and asparagus was superb and the chicken in cream and mushroom sauce was equally as good. Good selection of pasta and pizza dishes on the menu and a great kids menu. We had a lovely evening, thank you San Tonino.

Friendly local free house pub. Nice staff, large beer garden. A bit awkward for wheelchair users because of steps, but staff will help if asked. Often crowded on Sundays, so booking is advised. Car park is on opposite side of road, so you need to be careful when crossing.

I was met with a warm and friendly welcome as soon as I stepped into the pub not only by the staff but also the friendly locals, for a Saturday evening it was the in place to be with an array of different drinks on offer to suit everyone's taste, great atmosphere and fantastic staff, I'm now planning my second visit.

Nice pub ... good selection of real ales and some nice keg Gritchie session beer. Only 4 stars because its hard to get in.. customers standing at the bar block the entrance. Plenty of room inside though.

A beautiful place,nice food and we bought a whole cake to take home. Excellent view

Great food, service and prices. Excellent view too.

My wife and I, Visited Shaftesbury on Saturday. To do some shopping and check out Gold Hill (Featured in the Hovis advert from the 70's) when we got to the top of Gold Hill we came apon this lovely restaurant. All the staff were lovely. So lovely my wife and I cried. Xx. We have had a lot going on recently. Jo was very kind. The food was amazing. We went for the tuna ciabatta. Lovely.. And then there's the view. Amazing.. Well worth a visit and popping in for something to eat. Xx. Thank you again xxx yours sincerely Steve and Annie and Luna xx

This gem did not disappoint yet again! Even if not on the menu, you can still get an amazing omelette here! Great after cycling up Gold Hill :)

Our first time at The Fleur De Lys for dinner. From the moment we set foot in this small hotel, all was perfect. We were shown to the bar where we had aperitifs, then to our table . We all had different starters and mains; all were absolutely delicious and beautifully presented! The service and atmosphere was low key yet excellent. This was our first time at The Fleur De Lys and certainly not the last! well done!

What a surprise. La Fleur de Lys deserves its good reputation. Food was of a very high standard and the service was discreet and professional. The chef came to the table to check all were satisfied and we were. I wasn't expecting such a treat.

We stayed and dined at the Fleur de Lys and it was absolutely delightful. The accommodation is comfortable, quiet, and clean. Mary and David are truly graceful hosts and assisted with some arrangements for us, and it is clear that they are well to connected with the best professionals in the area. The food is as exceptional as other reviews suggest. Thank you so much for a great stay!

Perfection on 4 plates! Our second visit to this excellent restaurant. The food, once again was a delight as much for the eyes as for the taste! The 4 of us had different starters and main courses , and each were delicious. The service was perfect, so was the atmosphere. Pleasant environment, staff and owners.

I am giving this five as it is a museum piece. Opened in 1976 it has never changed. Been decorated regularly, but kept the original features. So if you want a 70's cafe with frothy coffee & fried food this is the place. They do have the modern coffee & up to date delights of the 21st century, but keep the old favourites. The breakfast are fun as are the lunches. Some good photos of old Shaftesbury on display. The manager has been there for 43 years, so the owners must be great too.

Good inexpensive traditional cafe. Lovely staff. Very dog friendly. Good food. Well worth a visit

Popped in for breakfast 😋 and wasn't disappointed at all, it was delicious 😋 good portion size too, we had the peel breakfast and couldn't finish it, eyes bigger than our bellys. Tea is refilled as well for no extra cost, bargain.The staff were very friendly and helpful the premises were clean and the toilets were spotlessly clean too with free sanitary products, amazing touch. Thankyou for a good experience all round, highly recommended.

A great place for breakfast, tucked away in a quiet corner off Shaftesbury High Street. Check out the amazing mural of old Shaftesbury on the wall at the back of the covered terrace. It seems to be a popular meeting spot for locals and the staff are very welcoming to visitors too.

Love the food and the and attentive servicing. Atmosphere was nice as well

Absolutely LOVED our vegan brunch!! And the fried bread - my goodness, what a treat!! If we lived closer, we would be here every weekend. Love that our doggy was catered for too, thank you!

Visited without a booking they were able to squeeze us in. Very busy for a Monday night, which was a good sign! Outstanding food, really tasty and well presented, and attentive waiting staff. Would recommend booking as they were turning people away!

Very nice food. Staff are friendly and service is brilliant. Would highly recommend

Been a customer for many years. Standards inevitably go up and down, but the food on my last visit was best ever, lots of fresh flavours, really tasty. Bit of a shame the prices have gone up so significantly, today, but they are probably only catching up with the rest of the sector, post-covid.

Picked the cafe for a meeting point with my family. A great choice. Lovely friendly service straightforward foods and drink. Very pleasant. Recommended as a great meet point for a good breakfast. . .

First time here with friends absolutely disgusting spot on good customer service food was amazing. Nothing was to much trouble I had standard breakfast want fried potatoes with it which was no problem at all .Thank you so much definitely be coming back again.

Excellent fry up, just what we needed after our weekend at a festival. Friendly staff.

Lovely hot breakfast. Great value. Highly recommended