Fox and Hounds in East Dorset

Visited this week for a meal. Great dog friendly pub. Lovely meal. Always a warm welcome. 100% recommend.

A overall disappointing experience and a generous 3 star review. Sadly the service was generally poor, It took is 30 minutes for our order to be taken (we was ready within 5) All in all 2 hours to have a starter and desert. The garlic bread we had a starter and sadly it was not the best to say the least, but it was ok. The main.... lamb was really nice, my partner had a steak, and it was cooked 'perfectly' sadly the chips were totally cold, we was so fed up by all the waiting we just didn't say anything and carried on but left them, when we was asked by the young waitress if everything was OK, we reluctantly said, (as we don't like to complain), the chips were cold... her reply was, oh, want me to get them reheated?!! No apology, NOTHING! What happened after turned it from a 1 or 2 star to a 3 star review, What i believe was the manager came over and apologised and arranged to get us some hot chips and a complementary drink, good of him. Then what I believe possibly the landlord came over and further apologised and was polite and friendly at the end. A up and down experience which we ultimately left in a bad mood, which when we are rather quite accomadating and sympathetic to busier periods. (I used to be chef and partner used to be a barmaid)

Amazing food in a really lovely pub.

Great food and service. We ate at lunch time and were again impressed with the food and service. A cosy ambiance just rounds everything off. Dog friendly area in the bar too. Can’t wait for summer and to try sitting outside in the garden. Will certainly be visiting again soon.

My husband and i went for lunch today will definitely be going again. Food was lovely fresh and hot. Also David looked after us really well. Highly recommended

booked online.. drove from Poole, told no space when arrived.. blamed " the system". not very good.

Great atmosphere, great food and service. Andy our waiter was super happy and friendly. Highly recommended. Dog friendly which is great. Cozy thatched cottage

I recently visited the Fox and Hounds in Wimborne for a meal and drinks, having made a reservation over a week in advance for dining in the restaurant. Unfortunately, my arrival was less than ideal. When we arrived, we were seated at a table in the corner of the bar on bar stools, which I wasn’t happy with as I had specifically booked the restaurant. I kindly asked the waiter if we could move to a proper table in the restaurant, but he repeatedly told me that it was full. This left me feeling confused as I had clearly made a reservation for the restaurant and thought I would be part of the 'fully booked' group. After trying to explain the situation, I asked a lady at the bar and received the same response. I then decided to take a walk into the restaurant and noticed several vacant tables. When I asked again, the waiter said no but eventually suggested we could 'try to squeeze in.' At this point, I just wanted to settle and enjoy the meal, so we did. Once we finally got seated, the rest of our experience was much more pleasant. The food was fantastic — we all enjoyed our roasts, and the service from a young waiter was lovely. I could tell he was working hard and dealing with a lot, as some of the other waitstaff seemed a bit rude or unhelpful. While the pub itself is lovely, with a great atmosphere, the arrival process and the confusion with the staff left me feeling stressed. It was especially frustrating as I had made a reservation for the restaurant, yet there seemed to be a lack of communication or coordination about available tables. I’d love to return because the food and the overall vibe were great, but the initial experience really put a dampener on the visit and makes me question whether I’d like to go again!

This afternoon, we visited the Fox and Hounds in Wimborne for a meal and drinks, having made a reservation over a week in advance for dining in the restaurant. Unfortunately, my arrival wasn’t great. When we arrived, we were seated at a table in the corner of the bar on bar stools, which I wasn't happy with as I had specifically booked the restaurant. I kindly asked the waiter if we could move to a proper table in the restaurant, but he repeatedly told me that it was full. This left me feeling confused as I had clearly made a reservation for the restaurant and thought I would be part of the 'fully booked' group. After trying to explain the situation, I asked a lady at the bar and received the same response. I then decided to take a walk into the restaurant and noticed several vacant tables. When I asked again, the waiter said no but eventually suggested we could 'try to squeeze in.' At this point, I just wanted to settle and enjoy the meal, so we did. Once we finally got seated, the rest of our experience was much more pleasant. The food was fantastic — we all enjoyed our roasts, and the service from a young waiter was lovely. I could tell he was working hard and dealing with a lot, as some of the other waitstaff seemed a bit rude or unhelpful. While the pub itself is lovely, with a great atmosphere, the arrival process and the confusion with the staff left me feeling stressed. It was especially frustrating as l had made a reservation for the restaurant, yet there seemed to be a lack of communication or coordination about available tables. l'd love to return because the food and the overall vibe were great, but the initial experience really put a dampener on the visit and makes me question whether I'd like to go again.

There was a warm welcome on arrival despite it being very busy. We had booked and we were shown to our table. The drinks order was taken immediately and then the person looking after us came over and introduced himself. Very attentive service. The food was on the Sunday roasts list and there was a good variety between beef, turkey, pork and a vegetarian option. We had a Sunday roast each and it was brought quickly . The food was piping hot and was very nicely cooked. The extra sides were brought with another jug of gravy. My whole party enjoyed the lunch and would gladly eat here again. The portions were more than adequate.

Great service from all staff, very attentive and pleasant led by the wonderful Andy who went above and beyond for our family

We had a lovely meal. The staff were very professional and friendly. Service was fast and efficient. Thank you for a lovely evening, we will definitely be back again.

Friend and I went for dinner and had a fabulous meal. Highly recommend the Chicken Duo, the Belly Pork, and of course the Salted Caramel Sundae! I was driving, so pleasantly surprised by the non-alcoholic fizz available. Even bigger bonus is that they accept Tesco Clubcard - although we would still go even if they didn't :-)

We went for dinner early on a Sunday evening. Service was actually very good. Sunday menu choices were unfortunately limited, no roasts available, we chose the last remaining vegetarian mushroom "Wellington". This turned out to be a puff pastry pie with a couple of mushrooms, some small onions and some gravy in it, not really as advertised. None of the usual sides were available either... A note on the normal menu, if you're vegetarian, there is only one option, a vegetable burger.

Fantastic pub/restaurant very friendly staff, fantastic food, good Gluten free menu selection, very good lunch menu for very affordable price.

Lovely food, nice atmosphere & friendly waitress.

Delicious food, lots of choice for everyone and friendly staff. Will definitely go back.

Had a fantastic visit here recently. The food was excellent, the staff were super accommodating, and the atmosphere was spot on—you can tell a lot of thought has gone into it. Had a quick chat with the manager, Steve, who’s clearly working hard to make this place a success. Definitely worth a visit!

This is the 2nd time visiting recently. My friends + I thoroughly enjoyed the ambience of the premises. The owners + staff were very attentive. The food was fresh, delicious + well presented. Well done Guys we will be back soon

Had lunch in the bar before went back only for them to say they weren’t doing lunch in the bar only the restaurant which they say was fully booked . Think it was more of a case they were short staffed they seem to pick and choose when they want to do bar food. Younger girl was very pleasant and polite older staff came across as rude

Too class service worth a visit owner really nice and keeps his staff in check lol. Waitress was lovely 😍 👌 Food awesome going again New Year. Gets busy book ahead. Best pub restaurant I've been too. Went again Friday waitress was super and it was burns night excellent food and service. Always a pleasure worth a visit. Really busy tells you how good they are. ❤❤ sorry no photos was too busy eating. 😅

Food was delicious! Staff pleasant and helpful. We shall go again.

Good food Service was so so, but that just needs some training

Food below average, service slow not enough staff, staff were friendly

Everything was fine apart from taking our initial drinks order which got lost in the system and we didn’t have drinks when our starters arrived . Apart from that the food, the service, the atmosphere and cleanliness of the pub was fine.

Friendly staff warm welcoming atmosphere and well priced. And the pet pigs are adorable

Great food. We all had roast which all of us said it was the tastiest roast we’ve ever had. Staff lovely. Roast potatoes fluffy really nice. The pate gorgeous. Can’t fault it

How it's changed but not for the good

Lovely stop on our walk, very friendly staff and good food selection

Doggy friendly 😍 with soft beds, fresh water treats and staff very accommodating ☺️

I popped in for a catch up with a friend, the pub is beautiful, the staff are amazing and the atmosphere is so chilled. Highly recommend it.

Great breakfast, coffee, and service from Steve.

Lovely homely pub beautiful open fires. Did and service was incredible

Average quality pub food. But reasonable prices and nice atmosphere

Disappointing roast, food lacked salt

Asked for a starter which we never received with no explanation just served our mains .The wife’s food was great but my triple meat roast only had two meats and as far as vegetables lol nothing from the menu I got a tiny bit of cabbage and some little cubes of carrot and swede. The roast potatoes literally no explanation just terrible. Maybe cater for food intolerance better if you advertise that you do. My food was bought out with a separate gravy but the meats on the plate were already drenched in gravy clearly the same gravy my wife had and a complete different colour to the gluten free gravy. I believe my meal was deliberately served with gluten as Ive felt terrible since getting home. All the great reviews and was left vey disappointed Thanks for that chef

Went for a family meal, elderly parents don’t go out much. Daughters back from Uni. Sent seabass back, food cold, pub understaffed. Long wait, with so many great pubs around. This is now bottom of our list.

Another lovely experience here! Food is fabulous, seems homemade. Rare to find a pub that doesn't serve oven chips and frozen peas so I'm very pleased! Lovely staff and the Christmas decorations are beautiful, so cosy. Will be visiting again

What a fantastic experience, all four of us were raving about it! Such friendly staff and amazing food, the pudding was incredible! It was so Christmassy and so I've already booked in again! I can definitely see us making this our regular. Thanks so much!

Just had the best roast in ages here! The week before Christmas - so was really busy. Despite this, food amazing and service polite, friendly, informative and helpful. Will certainly be back again soon. Merry Christmas to all who work there.

Absolutely lovely. Brilliant gluten free menu. And so nice to be able to have a gluten free roast dinner with trimmings! Staff really great and friendly. Will deffinetly return!!

Booked for breakfast as we were meeting our daughter who lives nearby. Never been before but ended up with the best cooked breakfast I've had in ages. Fresh, good quality food. Pub nicely decorated for Christmas and with an added bonus - we had it served by Santa himself !

Incredible food, best Sunday roast we’ve had in ages. Tony was so lovely and helpful with my gluten allergy. Would highly recommend.

Absolutely amazing food, I brought my parents when they visited from Ireland. From the moment we came in we were warmly greeted, and brought to our seats, we were served by the amazing Tony who made the experience even more special. We had the festive menu and the food was 10/10, plenty to eat and the taste was out of this world. A very relaxing day to end a trip and would 100% advice anyone to come in for a meal.

Better food this time, no complaints.. new ownership..fantastic service had 2 course festive menu roast turkey so tender served up quick..the Landlord and his staff were excellent 👌 great value for money.. beat the toby carvery anyday.. take Tesco reward vouchers. Sat in restaurant good atmosphere..landlord and staff very attentive..in particular Pauline definitely will go back

We visited the Fox & Hounds today with family (5 of us) for an early festive meal and were not disappointed! Our first visit in over 40 years and the whole place has been re-decorated and fitted out to a very high standard while keeping the nice warm & traditional feel an establishment like this deserves. We were greeted and well looked after throughout by their friendly staff. We all made selections from the festive menu and the food was well prepared and presented and very tasty. The location is brilliant for us when getting together with family so we will certainly be returning.

My husband and I visited this gorgeous pub while on our holiday. The staff are really lovely and friendly and the food was absolutely beautiful!! We would highly recommend.

Excellent food. Excellent atmosphere. Child friendly and not too spenny on the wallet. Tony & Steve were very welcoming and could not do more to make our visit better. I certainly recommend for somewhere to take the whole family - a true country pub.

Not the best, time these chain restaurants employed proper chefs not reheaters

Great pub, great food and atmosphere

Had a drink here nice staff cosy pub

the beef ribs melt in your mouth, the best in dorset

Lovely Sunday lunch in a nice cosy setting. Good service too thank you, we'll be back soon.

Had a lovely lunch today. Cheese toastie was the best I've had for a long time, good value as served with chips and salad. Smothered chicken was also delicious. Only thing that I think could be improved is the eating area where dogs are allowed. Think it needs a bit of tlc and sprucing up.

We stopped at this delightful pub on our way to watch a football match. What a lovely pub…. Lovely bar staff very attentive and wonderful food. Highly recommended if your in the area.

The Fox and Hounds has been transformed under the new ownership. The quality of the food is great, the welcome from the staff (particularly the landlord) is fantastic and they have several dog friendly features (beds, water and treats). The whole place is wonderful all year round. Highly recommended.

Highly recommend the pork belly with marmalade glaze. Delicious, as are the vegetables. My only slight criticism is the hispi cabbage. It needs either slicing in 2 for cooking or you need sharper knives!😄 It's difficult to eat it all as it's hard to cut. I hate wasting tasty, quality food. 😊

We do enjoy a Chef & Brewer pub. This one had a good atmosphere and the staff were very friendly and helpful. Would recommend a visit; we will definitely be returning.

New managers (tookover 5 months ago), food was amazing and service was spectacular

Food and staff were amazing, can't wait to return, would absolutely recommend

Met with family for breakfast, great service and good breakfast menu choice in a relaxed atmosphere, definitely be back

Enjoyed a great meal, plenty of vegetarian and vegan dishes to choose from and at a good price. Well done, we'll see you again soon.

A fantastic, family-friendly, dog-friendly pub. The food was amazing, the service was brilliant, and the dog-friendly enclosure was the perfect finishing touch. We'll definitely be back! Thank you!

Again another lovely meal on Wednesday 16th Oct. Food as always was great and the staff very pleasant . If you have not been since Steve took over then give them another try. Will be back next month .

Every time the food is great. Staff are lovely and help out in whatever you need. All round great place for dinner and drinks.

We had a very warm welcome and we were shown to our table. There was a wide choice of food both meat and vegetarian/vegan. The food and drink arrived quickly and the waitress was very helpful and cheerful. Great evening with good food and drink arrived quickly

Very friendly staff. Lovely food. The cheesy garlic bread was the best I had eaten. Great atmosphere. Will definitely be returning.

I booked 6th October for 11 of us to celebrate my 80th birthday. I could not have wished for a better welcome. All 11 of us were seated at a long table which was great. The choice of food suitaed everyone. Service was very quick considering th4e high number.. Everyone declarede their choice of meal to be first class. A member of staf even took a photo of us all so that we were all in it and not the camera person missing as often happens. I would certainly recommend this venue for its friendly welcome and great food. Thank you Fox and Hounds for making my 80th so good and memorable.

Amazing food 😋 and Holly was really lovely with Amazing service. Will be back for my mother in laws 90th birthday

Great food and amazing atmosphere. Definitely coming back!

What an amazing pub... friendly and really lovely.... Will definitely be back ! X

I have had several meals at this pub, all have been excellent, especially the Sunday roast. Price is good and the service great.

Wonderful dog friendly pub, fantastic food with a warm welcome, from the new owners A choice of 2 bar areas to eat as we had dogs with us (and they're not allowed in restuarant, understandably), with comfy chairs and proper tables to eat from. Varied menu, our food was delicious. Dog mats, water bowls plus gravy bones free to help yourself. Garden is amazing, completely enclosed so totally dog friendly, with lots of seating areas. In addition there is a separate enclosed area with tables and chairs, so you can let your dogs off for a run. Fantastic, if youve had a a bit of a long travel like we had. A really welcoming dog friendly pub, give it a try - you won't be disappointed.

Busy, delayed service, average food. Staff trying very hard, just not enough of them. Disappointed.

A lovely friendly atmosphere, cheerful staff and delicious food. Thank you.

Food good. Service very poor! Need mire staff as very busy... Staff laying tables instead of serving.

There was a problem with the booking system and although we had booked it didn't show but one of the staff found us a table el pronto. The food was delicious. My wife and grandson had the roasts and wow what a plateful. They were so impressed. We had the dessert and so refreshing to find a sundae with real cream not the canned variety.

A fabulous pub. Not the most extensive range of beers but met our needs. Food was fabulous, staff very helpful and the service was prompt. Nice atmosphere and we had a lovely time.

Went for Sunday lunch a couple of weeks ago ( apologies for late review) Well what can I say but completely fantastic staff food service atmosphere everything is 5* And so very very dog friendly I must try you will definitely be glad you did Thanks to all of you for making Sunday lunch one to remember

7 years since we were last here. Seems to have improved beyond all recognition since then! Food & service was superb. Thank You for a lovely visit.

We decided to have the steak pie and was very disappointed it was all gravy and no meat inside

Dog friendly with a large enclosure for your dog to run around in, there is water and toys for them to enjoy. The food is lovely and well presented we had a family birthday party there with two pets and was given an area at the Saied because of the dogs or we can go outside.. I felt it may have been slightly understaffed as it took awhile to clear our plates apart from that we enjoyed our visit and loved the dog enclosure (even the dog treats they gave us)

We had a wonderful Sunday roast here today, plenty of choice, lots of food and the staff were all polite, cheerful, kind and professional.

Stopped off for lunch, nice atmosphere and nice food, will be going again.

Staff were really nice, the, service was perfect, friendly and funny. The food was shocking. Dry chicken under bbq sauce for 2 people and a burger that was swimming in grease, pouring out. The fruit salad was the low quality tinned stuff. Nothing negative about the staff, they were busy and friendly. The car park top end was deep gravel thst will beach cars too. Been before and it wasn't like this,, shame really.

This was by far the best Sunday lunch I’ve had in years!! The food was insanely delicious and a great service too. You have to try it!!

We really liked the dog area, it was nice that our Vizlsa could wander around in it while we ate.

First time visiting for over 20 years. We had a full English breakfast which was lovely and we will definitely be going back! Well recommended

Had a reasonable meal here early evening shared fried squid to start which was very tasty & hot for main I had sea bass & my wife had the pork special both were good without being outstanding, we’ll definitely be back

Had a delicious lunch here yesterday. We were told there would be a 45 minute wait when we arrived, but it wasn't anything like that long. We got a warm welcome from the staff, the dog in particular was made to feel very welcome, & we had a really lovely meal from a varied & inclusive menu.

Easily the most dog friendly pub I've been to. There is an enclosed dog area in the garden with tables where you can let them off the lead, my dog was wiped after playing with other dogs whilst I enjoyed a pint. Food was great too and friendly service, will definitely be coming back again!

It was a great place for a spot of lunch, a nice country pub feel and wonderful service

Nice pub for food or a drink. We went on a hot day. There were lots of tables, but most were lacking shade, unfortunately.

Really good choice of lunch stop. Lovely old pub. Friendly service. Good menu with lot of choices and most important, small appetite offers. Dog friendly with biscuits and water to help yourself to. Would return should we pass this way!

Lovely food. Lovely place. The people welcoming and friendly

We had a full cooked breakfast on a Friday morning outside with the sun shining recently and could not fault the food or the service. The breakfast items were cooked superbly and tasted fantastic and we definitely had service with smile. We couldn't speak highly enough of our experience that morning. We will be back again very soon. New management took over a few months ago with new menus too.

Incredible Sunday breakfast in the most dog friendly pub I've come across. We even had our own dog friendly garden!

Lovely dog friendly pub with welcoming staff where dogs can eat in or out. Had a lovely meal with my husband. Free dog biscuits for the girls and plenty of water bowls about. Recommended if you're in the area, maybe visiting Kingston Lacy as we were.

The food is really outstanding! Every meal we had was full of flavor and cooked to perfection! 😁🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Perfect for a delicious, reasonably priced breakfast or lunch and very dog friendly. Separate, fenced-off, outside seated area where dogs are allowed off-lead without disturbing dog-free families. On edge of the Castleman Trailway so miles of beautiful walks. New management earlier this year which has improved the service, reliability, food and overall quality of the place.