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

We don’t really know Dorchester but found ourselves at Brewery Square, just away from the town centre. It was a place full of unexciting corporate eateries with one exception - Vibes. We went in because it was dog friendly but stayed for the eye poppingly delicious vegan food. We ate a fantastic mushroom shawarma plate, a felafel wrap and some onion rings too. All were absolutely delicious. Really good. Add in some chilled music & calming decor & this was truly a place of positive, er, Vibes. Visit & be delighted.

Came here with my sisters hen do, enjoyed it so much I had to show it to my partner. I love the atmosphere here, the servers are so kind and friendly you feel right at home. The drinks are delicious! I'm lucky I got to try quite a few with the group. The food is absolutely delicious 🤤 and I am quite a picky eater but I loved it all. Over all I would recommend to anyone and will be coming back in future.

I had the fully vegan breakfast and was thoroughly impressed—it definitely didn’t disappoint! I followed it with the breakfast wrap, which was equally amazing. However, the lemon cake was the real highlight. Would have happily eaten more if we could. It was absolutely delicious!

Just dined at this very cute cafe with finger-licking good food!!! My family and I ordered Falafel Wrap, Mushroom Shawarma, Buddha Bowl, and Sourdough bread. In addition to this we also ordered their Sunshine Smoothy and Iced Latte. Everything we ordered here was flavourful and delicious. Their falafel was really good as well, which in my personal experience is a hard one to get right. It was crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. The owner and the server were really sweet and welcoming as well. In all my family and I had a very good experience with great food. :)

Beautiful food and coffee with lovely attentive staff who were very friendly and super helpful. Food was delicious and cakes were incredible. Handmade on site too. Beautiful scenery. Absolute 10/10

Waiting for the car to get new tyres fitted at National Tyre (a Halfords Company.....) I stumbled upon this lovely little cafe and all of its quirky contents - staff included. A lovely Americano and a rich, crumbly and packed sausage roll proving to be just the restorative I didn't know I needed - even if it was proffered by the waitress to everyone before finding its way to its rightful consumer... hilarious, as I watched it unfold, and no grudge at all, it should probably write its own travel memoir).

Lovely owners. Mum makes the savoury food and her daughter makes the cakes. A choice of vegetarian and gluten free options alongside full English breakfast etc. Not a huge cafe but charming with seating upstairs as well as down. Chairs and tables are also set out on the green. Supper evenings available and the downstairs setting is super romantic.

adorable little place next to the green, we sat outside on a little table with our dog and enjoyed some savouries, cakes and coffee. the sausage roll and ham and cheese croissants were delicious! the staff were lovely too, thankyou 😊

An absolutely brilliant restaurant offering a lovely range of delicious meals, with focus on local Dorset ingredients. The three course set menu is definitely worth the money, and I found each course to be very delicious! Even though this is described as a “bistro”, the dishes do come off as quite complex and the restaurant certainly offers fine dining. The drinks on offer were also very lovely, and the servers were helpful and friendly. Overall, our meal was an entirely positive experience and this restaurant is definitely worth a visit.

We ate with friends and the food was exceptional. The service was “fine” but the inexperience of the young team came across as scripted and insincere. We’ve booked to go again at Christmas, it’s a great, intimate bistro with great food options.

Today my friend and I found this little gem of a Bistro by accident, and oh my the food was perfection! The food is all local produce and it was just beautiful tasting. We had come from Bournemouth and we will defo be coming back! Totally recommend this place!

This can be recommended for its food, service and ambience. We went with two friends and we all enjoyed our starters, main courses and dessert. The wine was reasonably priced and pleasant. The serving staff were helpful and pleasant. The decor was good and there was a relaxed atmosphere. This is a real Poundbury asset- I hope, for many years to come!

Genuine Italian warmth and hospitality in Dorchester! I went with my Mum and boyfriend and we all had a fantastic meal and loved the atmosphere. The waitresses and chef were very welcoming and the chef even came out to offer my Mum some choices for the vegan option that evening. It's a small menu with everything cooked to perfection. We will definitely be back soon!

Great food. Great service. Really good to see something of this quality in Dorchester. I don’t know if management will ever see this, but my ONLY negative would be to dim the lights in the evening. It would really improve the atmosphere if they were turned down to create a more intimate space.

Outstanding food, exceptional service and a really welcoming atmosphere . The chef cooks exceptional food . We had a fabulous time and will definitely return.

Just had a wonderful two course lunch here - fabulous freshly cooked Italian food, super friendly service and a great wine list. Oh and great value too! This is going to be our new favourite place for lunch in Dorch.

Yalbury Cottage is a place where excellence, friendliness, and quality come together seamlessly. As someone who loves travelling and exploring new cities and places, I have stayed in numerous accommodations, but none compare to Yalbury Cottage. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and look forward to returning to the area. The staff at Yalbury Cottage consistently went out of their way to be friendly and did everything possible to ensure our stay was exceptional. The room exceeded my expectations significantly, with its stunning and unique view. We truly felt as if we were at home, but in a setting with beautiful new scenery. Situated in Dorchester, Yalbury Cottage offers a perfect base to explore the area and nearby cities such as Weymouth. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, have recommended this place to others, and will continue to do so. The bed was incredibly comfortable, and everything was spotlessly and well-organised. Additionally, the thoughtful touch of leaving brownies in our room upon arrival exemplifies their dedication to Yalbury Cottage and their commitment to providing each guest with an exceptional experience. I personally can't wait to return to this charming cottage for another uniquely wonderful stay.

Absolutely wonderful overnight stay, with excellent breakfast and dinner, extremely comfortable accommodation, highly professional and friendly staff... need I go on? I would unhesitatingly recommend this charming hotel.

This is an absolutely amazing place. The staff were extremely attentive, the food was phenominal and definitely worthy of a Michelin star and excellent value too. They really care about service and quality here . The best food that I have eaten in a long time. Thank you so much.

This place is remarkable. I honestly feel like I have to leave a review because I had a private room booking for party of 7 (engagement celebration). The team took care of us extremely well and I want to give special honour to our hostess Verity, so sweet, so patient, clear in her communication- 5 stars for her. The food was gorgeous and pretty affordable in my opinion . Some portions were small but I understand that it is more on fine dining side. The only critique I would give is about some cleaning aspects in which the rooms had like old cobwebs, spider webs on the windows, just could use a deep clean.

Visited by chance on a wet Wednesday and so glad we chose Al Molo. Restaurant was busy but staff were excellent, very friendly and attentive and despite being rush off their feet always available when needed. Food was fabulous and when we visit Dorchester again will definitely be back.

Incredible food. Went for my birthday and the food was absolutely amazing!! Best steak we’ve had and the portions were generous! Staff were extremely polite and friendly, we cant wait to go back !!

Beautiful food had 3 courses and all were beautiful, service was well paced and not fast so you get to enjoy the dishes . Steak was more than an 8oz fillet and my wife’s seafood linguine was in her words divine. Waiters were lovely and honoured to meet one of the chefs . Thank you

Visited The Sun Inn whilst staying in a holiday cottage 5 mins walk away. We booked in for a second time that week because we enjoyed it so much! Highly recommend the carvery, it was delicious. Can’t fault the staff, they were all lovely and so attentive. Great atmosphere, and great pub in general. Would suggest booking in advance because it’s very popular.

We found The Sun Inn on google maps last minute, are plans had changed. What a find, lovely welcome and a very nice carvery , roast beef or turkey loads of veg all hot and fresh. I recommend booking in advance as it was very busy, they squeezed us in on a barrel table, not suitable for everyone, we didn’t mind they asked us first.

Have had two visits over the Christmas holidays and both times and found the food, service and atmosphere really good. Have not had the carvery yet but the beef burger, chicken burger, pie of the day and cold cuts have been good value and filling. Many thanks to all at the Sun Inn

Thank you for accommodating us as walk-ins for the Sunday Roast. The food was delicious, the staff were welcoming, the atmosphere was warm, relaxed and peaceful (some places can be very noisy during afternoon roast dinners). We have also tried the outdoor seating previously for some nibbles and the review remains exactly the same. We really enjoyed on both occasions and we will definitely return.

Just been and had food on way home. Really lovely sausage and eggs nice and fresh. Bun lovely and soft. Toilets could be a bit better but they are nothing to do with the guy who does the food but to be honest on a road trip as long as I can pee I am happy 😂 Definitely will be back!

Lovely little cafe, we drove past it multiple times whilst on holiday and kept saying we need to pop in. Finally did it before heading home and it was a really friendly place at good prices. Would happily pop there more often if we were local 😅

This lovely little road side cafe cooks the most wonderful tasty burgers locally sourced ingredients and lovely buns. My 1/4lb cheese burger was £4.9 my husband's sausage bap was £4.4 flat white coffee is £3 which was very good. We ate in our car as it was raining and the tables were outside. Worth the extra 3 miles down the road from the local McDonalds. There is a block of toilets next door but they are very basic. They also sell locally produced eggs jams etc

Food is well priced and there’s a great selection to choose from. Portion consistency varies depending on who’s working. Quality consistent though. Example, bought the wife the Brie and bacon panini six weeks or so ago was packed with Brie and bacon she liked it so much that she asked for it this time. It was a little skinny, let’s say, but still tasty!

Selfishly I would like to keep this little gem to myself so that I can always go when I want but in the spirit of generosity (and because these guys are so brilliant) I felt I needed to leave a review. All of it is outstanding - the food, the service, the ambience, the wine - and I’m a hard person to please! I have been for a quick soup and a sandwich, full-blown Sunday roast and a mid-week supper. All superb, freshly prepared food. Yes, maybe slightly pricier than other pubs, but if top quality food and a genuinely friendly service is your priority this is the place to come!

Lovely couldn't fault anything the food was delicious as were the desserts..Staff very friendly and welcoming..Definitely will be visiting again soon

Fabulous gastro pub. We enjoyed the food so much we went there for a second evening whilst staying overnight locally. Really good value for money with generous portion sizes 😁 If you have the fish Friday, which includes a drink, you need to ask, which ones are included before ordering. We didn't realize that at the time and ordered drinks that weren't included.

Very cozy place! Had a table booked for 12:15 but showed up an hour early, we still were friendly welcomed and enjoyed a coffee and a pot of tea in the cozy sunny spot inside before we could order our lunch. Great selection and daily specials. We had a Camembert with sourdough to share and two starters as small Mains, salmon fish pie with cream cheese and watercress, breadcrumb battered feta with caramellised figs and honey glaze and two portions of chips. We even got the aioli requested from another main to dip the chips in! As dessert we shared grilled plums.. all very lovely presented. We were absolutely stuffed, even we had no breakfast and no mains! Two drinks. Card payment didn't work for ages and stuff was very helpful and patient!! We spent 3 lovely hours in here with delicious food for a very reasonable price!! Recommended!!

We enjoyed our stay at the Kings Arms, we had an issue with a light fitting in our room which was dealt with very efficiently. Breakfast was delicious and there was lots of good quality food to choose from ! We also hired the Casterbridge room for a family wake, delicious food & a great space with history attached to the space. Would thoroughly recommend.

I dont leave many reviews for things; but have been meaning to write this one for a while. Came for a Sunday roast a few weeks ago and can honestly say it was one of the nicest roasts I've ever had. We chose the Kings Arms after previously visiting a sister hotel in Shaftesbury and very much enjoying our meal there. The service was excellent, with attentive but not overbearing staff, the food is delicious and the portion sizes were great. The prices arent cheap, but i felt that i got an experience that justified the price charged. Would thoroughly recommend.

(We didn't stay - merely went for a celebration meal.) The food was really excellent, the service friendly and efficient, and the hotel's restoration after its long period of disuse could not be more sensitive. The bar and restaurant areas are simply beautiful!

Best place to have a few Christmas pints with friends. Very cosy seating areas with sofas next to the fire place. Reasonably priced beer (£4.80 ish) for a pint of Butcombe, very good quality / price!