Cafe on the Square in East Dorset

We had flat white coffees and walnut cake. The coffee was nice and strong. We had it with soya milk. The cake was delicious. Nice outdoor seating too.

Disappointed. The atmosphere and staff were great, but my baked potato had obviously been left in the warming oven for days - it tasted horrible and the texture was awful!! Otherwise good!

Wouldn’t return, my wife and I went for breakfast and thought being in a prime spot would be idle well I was wrong. Other than location I don’t think personally had any thing good. Poor quality service (slow), atmosphere was none existent and when food and drinks arrived it was cold, messy and missing items. All Around not a pleasant experience.

I regularly meet friends here whether inside or outside rain or sunshine. I cannot speak highly enough of friendly and efficient staff led by Helen, a shining example to them, and the produce on offer

Nice cafe, we stopped during a cycle ride, they have a rack and track pump for the bikes so it must be popular with cyclists. Good sausage rolls.

Stopped for a coffee while passing through the town. The cafe faces South so It was a pleasure to be able to sit outside on a sunny morning in November. I ordered at the counter and because it wasn’t too busy our drinks were with us quite quickly. Coffee was good but a bit on the expensive side.

We stopped en route from Kingston Lacy to Creakmoor Village and this is a well appouinted alfresco Cafe in Wimborne Minster that dates from Roman Times. Close by is the Minster War Monument and a real sense of historic market township pervades its ancient charm where there is still a medieval Town Crier to be found on market days. I was recommended the Badbury Rings that are concentric circles that date from the Iron Age in the vicinity that we shall walk next time.

WE GO THERE FOR COFFE AND CAKE ON A REGULAR BASIS. HOWEVER JUST OF LATE THERE ARE TWO OLD MEN WHO ARE THERE AND SIT SMOKING LARGE CIGARS,IF YOU GO THERE YOU WILL LEAVE SMELLING OF SMOKE. QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WE KNOW HAVE STOPPED GOING THER BECAUSE OF THE CIGAR SMOKE.WE SPOKE TO THE WAITRESS SHE SAID SHE COULD NOT DO ANYTHING. DONT GO THERE UNLESS YOU WANT TO SMELL OF SMOKE. THESE OLD MEN HAVE NO CONSIDERATION FOR ANYBODY ELSE.

I was shocked to see some of these reviews. We stopped today whilst away on holiday. I am very picky on where I stop and my food, I have a few intolerances. I have to say this was probably the tastiest coffee I’ve had this break and the cakes were AMAZING! The Normandy apple tart looked great! I had the gf and vegan date flapjack, delicious! I am actually wondering if they’d take an over the phone order and send to my house ha ha!! The staff were lovely and it was not overpriced. Unfortunately prices are just higher right now. Okay it may be a bit tired inside but this place is much nicer than a sticky Costa shop (and I don’t mind Costa coffee FYI)

Stopped with family and omg we thought costa was exspensive so went here instead boy was we wrong :( the prices are way to high . Service was ok but slow but ok , inside was uninviting look cold and bare :(

The survive was excellent and the breakfasts were well worth the wait and money. The food quality was outstanding and the customer survive was great!

Set in the heart of the Market Town of Wimborne. This Cafe is heads above anything else. Friendly staff and the food is fantastic. I’m local to Wimborne and I have to say that this is my first visit here while I’ve been living here five years, but it won’t be my last.

Thought I'd give this cafe another go after a bad experience... should not have bothered. Service is unbelievable slow. I waited 20 mins for my coffee. Definitely won't be going back.

Lovely spot for lunch on the square. Staff were friendly and open to accommodating menu requests and portion sizes.

Great shady location in the square. Friendly staff happy to do share portions and portions were a reasonable size. good coffee.

I went early on Saturday morning for a coffee before shopping. I was served a really friendly woman who bought my coffee out to me. Lovely coffee and I felt the price was the same as everywhere else.

Miserable, rude & disorganised staff. Unbelievably slow service for the food, we waited over 30 minutes for toasted sandwiches and croissants (which were awful) Other people served before us even though they arrived after us.

Passing through Wimborne, and liked the location of this cafe. Staff were shockingly bad - very clumsy and rude. Food poor quality for price £39 for four sandwiches and coffees. Staff spilled hot drink on our shopping as they served us and a group of cyclists who were there too had a whole tray of drinks accidentally tipped over them. It was am unpleasant disaster.

Very slow service, took over 20 minutes to get 2 glasses of Prosecco!, We ordered at counter instead of at table! Unable to have poached egg instead of fried on friends meal. My coronation chicken sandwich came out and was crispy on top, so obviously left on side for the 20 mins waiting for drink! Informed straight away and taken away and before know if came straight back out, what appears to be just turned over and think get away with it. The only thing going for this place is being able to sit outside. The customer service really does leave a lot to be desired. Would not recommend to anyone really.

Just tried their new home made flapjack, it was delicious, it went very nicely with my fresh latte. The staff were all friendly and smiling, Well done ladies keep up with the hard work.

We just popped in for cups of tea and coffee. We were not asked to check-in (COVID) however there was a QR code available. Tables rather crowded together and blocking the area for passers-by. Coffee was weak, as was the tea. Both were warm rather than hot, I'm guessing the pot/cup were not warmed before service. All in all, very disappointing.

Went on a Sunday afternoon when business was quite slow. Sat in the cold whilst the cafe took 25+ minutes to produce 3 coffees and 3 cakes from what was left of their very limited selection!The very relaxed approach to making coffee, which was evident from the chatting going on inside and very limited selection is a great advert for Costa coffee next door.

Absolutely terrible service. The staff are polite but require serious training. The wait for coffee and food is unbearable! The couple who own this cafe need to seriously think about how the manage their business. The chap who owns the cafe is nice, but his partner/wife is awfully rude and speaks to her staff is such a degrading way. If I hear her doing it again I will actually take her to task !!!

Lovely location, great potential... BUT run in a way that makes it shambolic, stressful and unenjoyable. You barely finish saying hello on arrival before the waitress barks "IT'S A 15 MINUTE WAIT FOR HOT DRINKS" (it was 25 in the end). You either need more staff, to train them better, or find a higher calibre of staff who can cope with the busy periods. I'll say it again: Shambolic.

This is the third time I’ve been to this cafe and had terrible service. The first time they literally forgot about our food order and I had to leave with no food as was on my lunch break for work. The second time just went for tea and cake and had to chase several times for our order. Third time it took an hour to get our food and drinks, and extremely over priced. They need more staff and quicker processes. Also they are not cleaning in a Covid friendly way at all!

Placed the order for three hot drinks. What a shambles 30 min and still no sign of them. Do not recommend this cafe if you only have an hour to spare. Especially if they are not busy. God knows what it would be like if they were

I bought a takeaway vanilla latte, and a flat white. Walking away and reaching the minster, to my horror the flat white was disgusting. It was more of an americano with burnt milk, such a shame, as the coffee is amazing from beanpress, and all the effort to produce and roast the coffee is wasted due to the male barista who made our drinks. Real shame, as by now a barista should be able to make a decent flatwhite to showcase a great coffee, waste of money and i wont buy again of i see the chap on the machine.

was horrified today to see large crowd sitting in the square have you forgotten about covid 19 , if we do not stick to the rules this will escalate again and then into another lockdown.

I went in for a Cup of tea. Explained that I was catching the next bus. I asked to use the Loo. Closed. I was charged £2.50 albeit they bought a teapot full, which I had no time for. I sat looking at the price board and saw no drinks for £2.50 so asked the waitress. I was told they hadnt changed the board " yet " To be fair, this lady must have spoken to another person, who returned 50p to me. Fair cup of tea , and the food looked nice, but I would suggest that you get the price from the board BEFORE ordering. I got a later bus searching for an open Loo ! a 25% hike isnt good enough.

I had time for a quick cuppa and slice of cake.The waitress was ok in the endShe suggested a lovely lemon cake and I ordered a hot chocolate too.Usually the cakes are home made so I was shocked when it arrived in a plastic bag.The cake was shop bought and the hot chocolate was horrible.The beautiful sunshine in October left me feeling good but I will never return again

Service was so poor didn’t stay. Sign said tables service, we come to you. We sat and waited and made eye contact with the waitress. Others nearby where served. Another group arrived and the waitress immediately went and cleared their table and took their order. So we decided to leave. Went to another local cafe and received excellent service.

Cold wet day thought we would shelter from the rain and have a coffee had to sit outside because we had dog and wouldn't let us in although other places say dogs welcome we were just under corner of a gazebo cause it was quite busy but still not right under so getting wet when someone moved we moved closer to middle so we was by heater and undercover . Because we had ordered before we moved lady came out with our coffees and didn't like it cause we moved and just banged coffee down and walked off. By the time our baguette's come out my coffee was cold and my husband had drunk his so had to order more drinks. Wasn't allowed to use toilet told to go up road to public toilets . Although the baguettes were very nice I wouldn't return very over priced and not very friendly apart from one lady who came and was quite chatty. Also no social distancing at all.

When the weather is warm there is plenty of outside seating which provides a good location to absorb some of the pleasures of Wimborne. I had a pot of tea and this was fine and particularly generous in size compared to many other places

If it were possible I would give this place 0 out of 5. We were told a machine had just broken and teas would be in paper cups but still in a teapot. When the luke warm teas arrived, no teapot, no spoons, no sugars, just in paper cups, no serviettes or cutlery for the cakes. Having just read other reviews it seems serving with paper cups etc is common. Staff could not have cared less whether they served us or not. Tables not wiped. Anything for an easy life. Very pricy at £2.50 for a cup of slop served in a paper cup. We usually eat in the Priests House museum garden cafe but unlucky for us it was closed and decided to eat here because there was outside seating. There are plenty of other places in Wimborne. Be warned and give the place a miss.

Decent coffee & cake for a wet Wimborne morning. Service very good & very happy staff. Great location for people watching. Would visit again.

Nice (not excellent) but very pricy coffee but the location is excellent and as such a wonderful place to sit and have a reviver in the sun.

Recently visited to the cafe, I have to say disappointed was the visit I was shocked when the lady said £5.00 for 2 teas but already had company at the table so sat down waited ages 2 paper cups arrived tea tasted off milky waste of money. I used to really enjoy this cafe .

Table's were dirty and not wiped in-between customers. Customer service very poor.Had a brown bread tuna sandwich which was very disappointing and a prepacked supermarket sandwich would have been better.This place obviously only does well because of it's prominent location. Much better local places to visit.

fairly busy and limited staff (to be,expected) coffee when it arrived was unfortunately not exactly a flat white as ordered (both of us,left the coffee after about 2 sips) sorry guys for what is in effect takeaway coffees (in disposable cups) but at sit-in prices you need to up your game

Visited Saturday 4th July - no social distancing - tables pushed together so no way can you be safe - sat on public bench - there was a heated discussion going in between owner and council about the noncompliance of many things - to be frank they are not interested in anything - also a singer was performing close to the customers - again not allowed along with motorbikes starting their engines again near the customers - I bought a coffee which was great but the atmosphere has not changed - one would think they would want customers to be safe - however........

Love this place winter and summer inside or out. Excellent coffee and beautiful cakes and happy service

Just had lunch with my husband, both the food and service were outstanding. We both only had a sandwich but the food itself was fresh with good choice of fillings served with crisp and fresh cut salad. The manager Matt runs a very friendly efficient new team team of staff, well done Matt keep up the good work.

Very poor service on a Saturday morning. Staff rude and appear unhappy. Staff seemed to add a 5 minute wait for every person who ordered a coffee - e.g. I was told 15 minute wait for one coffee for myself, the next person to order told 20 minute wait for coffee... and so on, with no apology to the customers. Also no thank you to paying customers, and everything seemed an inconvenience to the staff! Avoid.

Change of ownership. Pastries offered not up to previous standard. Staff not happy or particularly friendly. Not exactly busy ordered pot of tea for two, cookie and fruit flapjack. 15mins later still nothing. Go and enquire oh sorry order overlooked !Received tea shortly afterwards, correct cookie wrong flapjack - quite a simple order really. Sadly to say we will no longer be going here. Need to find somewhere else.

Was looking forward to a hot chocolate after a 20 mile bike ride. Ordered, paid, waited for 10 minutes, went in to enquire.... order hadn't been processed! Money back and enjoyed a hot chocolate at home instead!

Pleasant, friendly and cheerful stop off right in the centre of Wimborne. Hot and cold food, nice pastries and good coffee. Service is a tad slow but food is bought to your table rather than be collected from the counter.Good find and much more varied and better than Nero/ Costa nearby.

lovely food and I couldnt fault that, great for people watching having tables out on the square, always having a dog with us we are limited with where to sit (not allowed inside) so we don't visit as often as we would, many others cafes in town do allow dogs so I think theyre missing a trick there.

A very pleasant snack. Appetising food that tasted of good quality. Friendly and cheerful customers and staff. Located slap bang in middle of the square, close to the shopping area near the Minster

Lunch baguette and pastries prior to a cinema visit. Recommend the sausage and bacon baguette, very filling. Probably shouldn’t have ordered a slice of tart to follow.

My wife and I had soup and a baguette. Served quickly, was very tasty and great value for money. Would definitely stop here again.

Popped in the Cafe on the Square for a spot of light lunch. I had the Turkey, Cranberry and Stuffing Bagette which was piping hot. Even the bread was warm. My wife and her friend had the Roasted Goats Cheese with salad, which they both enjoyed. Not a great deal of choice, but what they do offer is very nice. Great coffee too. Handy for cyclists as they offer a good sized cycling rack to store bikes. Nice looking selection of cakes, tarts and gateaux.

We spent the day in Wimborne Minster exploring the shops and obviously visiting the Minster. We wanted a light lunch but was struggling to find somewhere.

Ordered and paid for two bacon and sausage baguettes.at £6+ each. My wife saw the size and then changed hers to a half a baguette and was given a refund of £1.50; daylight robbery !

Enjoyable coffee and fruit tart after walking into Wimborne. Relaxed atmosphere and plenty of room for the dog to lie in the shade. Friendly happy service.

Met my friend mid morning.Never been before, the choice of cakes was amazing. As it was a warm day we sat outside. A friendly waitress brought us our hot drinks and cakes. Very enjoyable experience.

It was a hot day and we sat inside as the awning actually made it cooler there. We had a great cup of leaf tea and sampled two cakes from their patisserie and I have to say, they were good. All went well until my husband went to the loo and saw the underside of the seat (which he lifted, of course) He said it was horrific!

Serves food on a Sunday until 3pm. Got there at 2pm and they'd run out of food. Ordered one tea, one latte and one cake. It took FORTY-FIVE minutes and there were literally three people inside and about five outside. The manager was moaning about how she needed more staff... however three sullen teenage waitresses were standing around doing nothing.Finally got the drinks and cake and it was plonked down with an "enjoy" from a surly waitress. Not a sorry or anything... This after we asked 20 minutes previously how long it would be. AVOID THIS PLACE.

Visit here every month for breakfast, lovely coffee, happy staff and a bacon and brie baguette to die for! Never had a bad experience, great place to relax and watch the world go by but sadly some people seem to be impatient these days

We visited here today with friends. Very friendly staff and good service. Good menu, quiches highly recommended as were the delicious eclairs! Iced Latte was very good and we also had a good cappuccino. Well worth a visit and very reasonably priced.

Chose this cafe due to the lovely location. We initially sat outside, but quickly chose to relocate indoors because of the many wasps. We ordered 4 bacon & brie baguettes and 1 jacket potato with tuna. Service was incredibly slow and we had to chase our food up twice before it arrived. When we asked the waitress why the eelay had occurred, she said that the member of staff in the kitchen that day was a woman in her 70s who only works 2 days a week and who is very slow. I have no idea why the cafe thinks it is acceptable to offer poor service because of their inability to recruit somebody who can make a baguette in less than half an hour.

Waited 20 minutes for two coffees to be brought out to us.

Always met by efficient and courteous staff, quick service, good menu enjoyable atmosphere, with competitive eateries nearby this is a good one.

I know there is always alot of people sat outside but that is because all the seaating (bar a cple of tables) is outside so it makes it look busy. They cannot cope at all with demand. I wouldnt go here again even if someone else was paying

Waited 25 minutes for two diet cokes and a cake. £8.75. Asked if there was any lemon tart which I saw going out whilst standing in the queue and the girl making the coffee shouted that is was only what was in the cabinet that was left. This was 1pm on a Sunday afternoon. Poor show.

Went here today for lunch with my husband. Have been before so knew they where slow. Ordered a ham salad sandwich, 20 minutes later it arrived. Something didn't feel right to took one apart and there was the slimy lettuce! I took it to the staff and said someone needs to check the lettuce. They couldn't care less. Oh dear was said, that's all. Husbands goats cheese tiny and salad was hardly there. The staff spent a lot of time talking to friends who had come to see them. Surely the customer needs that attention. Obviously not going there again and have told my family and friends, who where horrified. Very rude and no customer service.

Great food and cheerful, efficient service. The cakes are absolutely delicious and it was lovely sitting outside under the trees.

Handy location in Wimborne centre. A large paved area outside with seating if weather permitting.

Called in for light lunch, we ordered an open egg sandwich, a cake and 2 coffees. I ate my cake very slowly and we drank our coffees very slowly, but still no sandwich after 20+ minutes. Had to chase the order, still took over 5 mins. Disappointed.

Enjoyed two visits during our stay in Wimborne. Nice selection of cakes, quick service and lovely position to enjoy watching the world go by in the sunshine.

Called in here for coffee and cakes, actually ordered toasted tea cake with coffee, was told on arrival of the drinks that it wouldn't be long and then again after a couple of minutes, after some time it finally arrived after I'd drunk my coffee.

wonderful decaf cappuccino for two, with a shared coffee eclair. delicious coffee filling and a lovely foamy coffee with a designer sprinkle of cocoa on top. what a lively way to watch the wimborne world go by.

We visited this delightful cafe on pur last day in Wimborne, sitting in the sun drinking tea which to my delight was made with real tea leaves.

Popped in for a coffee, friendly professional staff, cakes look delicious. Ideally situated for the shops, great seating outside.

We came upon this little gem by chance before setting off for a fairly long drive home. The staff were welcoming and helpful. 'Real' leaf tea was served in a cheerful large red teapot. Toasted teacakes were crisp and hot. Perfect!

Went for breakfast on this wet windy day .. had scrambled eggs with mushrooms and lovely latte.. food was very tasty and coffee was very good ... the rain didn’t stop people coming out as every table was full.. staff were very friendly and excellent service would definitely recommend this lovely cafe .. don’t understand the negative remarks below .. !!! ..

I have been here this morning meeting and catching up with friends, it has been lovely. The staff, Nicky and Izzy, have been very attentive and it is always service with a smile! I would recommend to anyone to come here for a great cappuccino and tasty breakfast.

Staff were not bothered about customers. Behind counter had rubbish on the floor around the waste bin. Dirty crockery on counters and many tables. The staff would just be chatting and obviously not bothered. One member of staff was heard to say “I suppose I ought to clear some crockery” obviously recognising there was dirty crockery around. What are they being paid for ?

Visited on a Saturday evening for a coffee with the mother in law, we ordered a couple of coffees.

As before - good cakes - expensive coffee - poor atmosphere - quite pricey - never busy though - maybe worth a visit - warm in winter

This was an impromptu visit as we were in the area. Had had a most interesting walk around the Minster and wanted a cup of tea before heading back home. The cafe was busy, but we were welcomed warmly. We chose what to have and the young lady soon cleared our table and sorted our order. Food was good and the teapot was full enough for refills! Teacakes were crisp and hot. Thoroughly recommend!

Very polite staff, beautifully decorated, small little cafe in the heart of the town centre. I visited here on a lunch break ordered the most delicious tuna & sweetcorn jacket potato. When I asked for a glass of water that have a great little set up with lots of different glasses and a couple of fresh cold water in jugs to help yourself without a charge. Definitely recommend this place for a little lunch.

I have been here several times over the last three months but must confess to have only been a couple of times each of the past two summers.

First visit to this establishment on a Sunday afternoon. There was no welcome greeting and although the place was quiet, we were left waiting for several minutes before the woman behind the counter bothered to take our order for tea and a hot chocolate. We chose a table towards the middle of the cafe at the end of the counter. The first thing we noticed when we sat down was that all the upholstery on the chairs was dirty with coffee and tea stains, etc. All the chairs at surrounding table were similarly affected. While waiting for our drinks to be served we noted that there were three bottles of cleaning fluid with dirty cloths left out on the end of the counter top next to a toaster.

Staff took ages to acknowledge us and were impolite when we eventually had their attention. They were also audibly gossiping about other customers. The cakes we sampled were really bland and the coffee burnt. Definitely won't be going back.

It was several months ago I visited this quaint cafe yet the the staff still recognised me. This made me feel exceptionally welcome, very personal service you don’t get these days.

Called in on a chilly Sunday afternoon for just a coffee and to share a cheesecake.

A place to avoid - I do not like leaving poor reviews but in this case I feel I must - The owners (older couple) are not really that friendly - service is slow (not busy when I was there) - large turnover of staff - never the same people twice - not a good atmosphere - although quality of food is good and the cakes are also well tasty it is all let down by the attitude between the owners - I only know they were owners as I asked one of the staff who they were. I do not think the man works there as he was very scruffy but the lady does but still unnecessary to have heated discussions in front of the customers.

We sat in the square having afternoon tea in the sun opposite Wimborne Minster, with a good view of the QuarterJack on the clock tower. (The drummer beats his drum every quarter hour.) It was abit chilly in the wind, and the cafe provide blankets to wrap round your legs, which was a nice touch!! There was a good range of tea and cakes and the service was friendly and efficient.

Very nice little cafe. Friendly staff and nice atmosphere. Coffee of good quality and the cakes yummy. A very pleasant break in the after.

Extremely busy for midweek. Good selection of food and drinks. Service a bit slow but didn't mind the wait. Food really nice. Best bit was the cakes, tarts were massive and really tasty. Quite expensive but in a good location.

Staff very unprofessional constantly talking about customers Food very mediocre Less chatting more customer service required

A really good place for a light lunch especially if the weather is fine. Plenty of outdoor seating. Food was really good in generous proportions. Also service with a smile.

Ordered a wrap with coffee. The coffee arrived promptly but had to wait 35/40 mins for the wrap, my coffee had been drunk and I had to ask three times for my missing wrap. No apology and no reason why. The wrap was average and overall expensive. Two coffees one wrap and one slice of lemon tart £14. Would not go back. Shame as coffee was quite good.

We both enjoyed the excellent fish pie special, tea & coffee at Café on The Square.

This cafe offers a very good service,coupled with a nice location. Seating is plentiful both inside and outside. The quality of food and drink is high, making this venue an enjoyable experience.

If you like a warm, friendly service in a relaxed atmosphere this is the place for you. The selection of teas and coffee is wonderful and the pastries are just delicious. I liked very much sitting outside on the square and watching the world go by.

Visited on Saturday for lunch ~1:30pm. Decided to sit inside as all the tables outside were being pestered by wasps. One table moved inside whilst we were there as the wasps were so bad. Ordered soft drinks and nothing complicated from the menu. Drinks arrived promptly, but had to wait 50 minutes for our food to arrive. Lots of waitresses standing around, so perhaps some should be re-assigned to the kitchen. I'd hate to know how they would cope if they had a real rush on!

Visited today with my mum for Brunch. Opted for a table inside, plenty free but none had been cleared or wiped down. Ordered two soft drinks and two sausage sandwiches. Drinks arrived promptly. Sandwiches arrived 45mins later, stale bread and undercooked sausages we left more than half each, so disappointing for £17 bill! Menu isnt very clear as most options are only listed inside the cafe when you go to order.

Thursday 2 pm, not a sunny day and not busy, on my own, all I ordered was a single espresso.. paid and sat down, it took 17 mins for the espresso to arrive, I actually checked the till receipt to the time of ordering,...

Just the ticket for a caffeine fix, Lovely setting to watch the world go by for half an hour, highly recommend