The Best Restaurants in West Knighton, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

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 !!

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.

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

Have a lovely lunch here with my godmother. We had pork belly and it was very tender but abit too salty. It’s ok when eat with the mashed potato, it’s balanced out. Very friendly and attentive service 👍🏻

Great little place in the countryside. Not quite a gastro pub, but more a traditional pub food with lots of winter warmers and plenty of food on your plate. The place can get very noisy with even half the tables full so much so it drowns out the background music.

The Thimble Inn is FAN-TAS-TIC. We made a booking for 10. We were taken to our table immediately and all given menus. The food arrived all at the same time for starters, mains and desserts which is fantastic as there were so many of us. The food was exceptional and presented lovely and the waiters were friendly and amazingly helpful. We were asked throughout if we needed top up on drinks and if everything was alright and even when we needed the bill- despite being busy they were fast. Comfortable seating and environment. Lively atmosphere with a very cosy feel. Food fantastic, and service terrific. Thank you for a great evening! 😋

Busy local pub restaurant. Booking required. Easy online booking. We both had pies. One had the chicken pie which was full of meat. I had the vegetarian veg pie. Very tasty and they didn't make the common mistake of over compensating the flavour with salt and pepper. Good veg. Our own jugs of gravy so could decide how much we wanted, which in our case is a lot. Dessert choice good and good portion size. I couldn't finish my chocolate mousse which is a rare occurrence. My husband mentioned it was our anniversary and we were given some fizz, a nice touch. Served by a pleasant young man. Overall a great experience.

This is the best pub we have been to in years. The staff were incredibly attentive and friendly, the food was impeccable and our doggy had a lovely snooze after a long day of walking. If you’re visiting the area make sure you book ahead to secure a table at this place for a meal! I had both the specials, poached mussels for starters and crab linguine for main. These were absolutely gorgeous in both flavour and presentation. The portions were very generous with plenty of mussel and crab meat. My husband had the pie of the day and mash (steak and ale) which he rated very highly. We shared a chocolate brownie for pudding which was melt in the mouth decadent. Even the little details like the properly made chocolate sauce and garnishes were spot on! But the whole experience was wrapped together with a nice bow thanks to the cosy atmosphere and the very attentive team who made us feel welcome and valued as customers. The manager was even dishing out dog treats to the four legged customers in the bar area, and this on a busy Saturday dinner sitting. Can’t rate this place highly enough, and will be back for sure next time we’re in the area! Thank you Thimble Inn!

Dropped into the Black Dog for dinner for the first time in nearly 20 years. A fondly remembered pub delivered to the moment, well kept and served beers, but it was the food that blew me away. Went for the venison, black pudding and melted stilton burger off the specials board, wow! Seasonal menu and table decorations, nice touches all around, highly recomended. Whilst the venison burger becomes a must for me, great food selection, right across the board.

Lunch time with friends. Great service. Tasty, well cooked and presented food at reasonable prices with plenty of choice.

Such friendly staff. Found us a table for 4 adults a baby and 2 dogs at very short notice. The food was amazing and great value for money. Would definitely recommend booking as it was very busy, but the service was spot on.

Excellent stay here, a warm welcome and great service from all. Good pub food and a 10/10 full English Breakfast. Room was warm and comfortable. Beer (Landlord) was perfectly kept. The only critism was I only had 1 night here!

Very good food, value for money, traditional pub, log fire , a bit out of the way but worth the visit

It was amazing. The dinner was really yummy. Huge portion, we had the steal & ale pie with chips and veggies. The meat was sooo tender, juicy and full of flavour. We stayed for one night in the little rooms they have in their fields. Very cozy and cute. Clean toilets and the shower was working really well. A nice warm bath after a hike to the beach. Breakfast was included, a nice english breakfast. I loved the sausages, very flavourfull. We had some tea or a coffee plus the Orange juice. I asked the staff if we could feed the pigs some apples that were in the floor and she said yes, very cute piggies! The staff is very kind and helpfull.

We visited for the first time, 30th Apr 24. As it was a tue it was very quite, only a couple of tables (this was the afternoon too) so can't comment on atmosphere much, but loads of seating inside and out. Nice play area for kids, and lovely surrounding walks. Service was prompt and professional. Food was delicious. Little pricy (only over by a few pounds,) £10.50 jacket potato. Similar price for baguette. For lunch, reasonable prices for dinner My friend had the ploughman's, my only moan about it would be, we didn't like the fact you choose ham or cheese, I personally think it should come with both. All the food was excellent size, quality and taste was beautiful. We will definitely return again.

I recently visited the Seven Stars Inn, and it was an absolutely delightful experience! The staff and their service were outstanding, making me feel truly welcomed with their warmth and attentiveness. I ordered a chicken curry meal, chips, and wings as a takeaway, and as an Indian, I was amazed by the flavors—it was so delicious that I almost fell in love with the food. I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for amazing hospitality paired with excellent cuisine!

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.

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.

Amazing service, one of the best Sunday roasts I have ever had. Carvery is excellent for vegans and vegetarians too! Staff really friendly and helpful especially the two young lads who have helped us both times we were there.

Went for my birthday. Had a lovely carvery. One negative was that when they collected the plates, they asked if we wanted more drinks which we did but never asked if we wanted a dessert. Initially thought that maybe they were giving us a bit of time after the carvery but 50 minutes passed and other surrounding tables arriving after us were all asked. In the end, we decided to just pay up and leave. Hence the reason for a docked mark on service. A downer on what was supposed to be a celebration meal.

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!!

Cozy atmosphere, especially on a cold winters day. Floofs allowed 🐾 & tasty food. What more could you ask for?

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.

Probably one of the best carverys I've had. Large portion size, quality food in a lovely country pub with a good atmosphere. Pool table and play park for the kids available. Was very busy so would recommend booking ahead. They have gluten free options available.

As part of my wife's birthday week (and to check out the venue for a future event) we came to the Countryman inn. The images seen did not do justice as the place is much nicer. Greated on arrival and shown to our table in a very friendly manner. The menu had a very good choice and the food arrived in an decent time. Quality of food was excellent and cooked as requested. The price, well, just under £70 for 2 people (main, desert and two drinks each) that to me is very reasonable. Going to return to try the Sunday Carvery. Highly recommend.

We booked to stay here for the night - the room was clean, cosy and had everything we needed for a comfortable nights stay. I added a special request for a room with a bath which we were given so that was very welcome! We ate in the pub for our evening meal and couldn’t rave about it enough! Sadly a few menu choices were unavailable but the food we did have was absolutely delicious! We had 3 courses and all come out piping hot, presented well and was perfectly cooked - will definitely return for the evening menu!! The evening staff couldn’t have been more helpful and were extremely attentive - special mention to Oscar who served our table and to the barman for being so knowledgeable and friendly! We came down for breakfast in the morning and there was only one lady serving, clearing tables, handling walk ins, check outs etc.. she was absolutely rushed off her feet but huge credit to her for still being calm and polite with everyone. We were seated quickly but unfortunately did wait a while after this so had to flag her down to order hot food but again, appreciate it was extremely busy and do not fault her for this - the pub is popular so there were a mixture of walk ins and staying customers so would be for the management to take on board and make sure service is appropriately staffed for future! We did come down at the latter end of the breakfast time so the buffet station was a bit sparse. The hot breakfast that we ordered though was delicious - arrived quickly once ordered, was piping hot and all good quality ingredients! Overall, we had a lovely stay and would definitely recommend to others looking for a cosy, village stay!

We booked a table for 9 for a special birthday. It was very busy so definitely book ahead but even with a full restaurant we had wonderful service, all of the team were smiling and clearly happy to work there. The wait for food was not too long and it was hot and served quickly, great menu with something for everyone. Nothing was too much trouble. We had a wonderful evening…food, drinks, service and atmosphere were all 5 star. Well done to all of the team at the Countryman, we will be back again soon. Great to have such a wonderful country pub close by.