Pilot Boat Inn Restaurant in West Dorset - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

From the outside doesn't look hugely inviting but inside completely different story. Loads of table, lots of space around, great decor. Waiting staff really friendly, good menu. One of our group always struggles to choose a meal and the waiting staff were happy to keep coming back until he made his mind up and even found it hilarious with us. Food was well cooked and presented, everything was delicious and reasonably priced.

We decided to take a spontaneous trip down to the coast on a bank holiday weekend. Some might say madness!!! I was astounded that the pub had a room free and then even more suprised at the quality of both room and meal!! The rooms are funky, comfy and the best mattress and bedding. There were lots of lovely extra treats that made it feel really special. The table for supper was easy to book online and the staff were incredible - friendly, attentive and really professional without being corporate. We watched the fantastic manager making the most of his team - talk about great leadership. Laid back, cool and brilliant decor with mismatched furniture and a trip down memory lane with an old school roller blackboard for the specials. The food didn’t disappoint with the best gluten free menu I have ever had - and I had Pizza - haven’t had it for years!! Fluffy base cooked in a wood oven - just delicious. Will be back for sure. Well done team Pilot - you are incredible.

Having finished the esplanade walk, we (family group of 10) were looking for a place to eat. This place seemed OK and so we popped in. There were no rooms inside or on the terraced roof, so we opted for the alleyway area, which was the only mistake that we made choosing this pub. The waitresses were engaging and fun and suggested places to see the sunset (although one suggested it was a mountain :-0 ). The food and drinks came out promptly, but as we were sitting outside and it was windy, the food got cold very quickly, so we decided not to have pudding. Would recommend it as a place to go, but if only outdoor alleyway seating, make sure it is a hot non windy day.

Lovely welcoming staff and fabulous food in a relaxed and modern dining room... in an ancient hostelry! We loved our food: Chicken Burger and Seafood Pasta Highly recommend

My family stayed in Charmouth and visited The Pilot Boat for a lovely meal during our holiday! The atmosphere and decor is lovely! It feels relaxed and welcoming, but also feels upmarket! The staff were all lovely and super friendly. We were served by Alicia and she was just lovely. We very rarely eat a three course meal, but we just couldn't help ourselves as everything was so delicious! I had the Dorset Crab pizza which was exceptional although next time I will ask for some fresh basil and chillies on there as well. Everything was fabulous and it was one of the highlights of our trip! I would 100% recommend The Pilot Boat!

Really friendly staff, efficient service, good value, tasty food, would recommend! Came on a Friday afternoon, not busy, nice space outside

After a few days of fish the girls wanted ”a burger”! We popped in here for a drink and the fab staff made us feel really welcome and very quickly we decided to stay for supper. Great starters and main courses. A real variety. Highly recommended!

Dog friendly. Nice beer tasting idea of serving 6 1/3rd beers for £10. Some locally brewed. Lunch menu is OK, limited. Go for chicken option on burgers, the beef patties are very processed. Chips were good.

Stuck for somewhere to go on a Monday night so booked here. Pleasant enough atmosphere. Server showed no interest in us at all just there to take order. We had fish and chips which should have been amazing as in Lyme but sadly rather greasy and overcooked, chips were same. Should have stuck to a take away. I love Lemon Meringue so opted for lemon tart with meringue. Too sweet and not at all what I expected. Not exactly cheap either. Would not choose the Pilot again.

We have always eaten at the Pilot Boat our regular visits to a friend in the town. But today we were utterly underwhelmed. The food was tepid, and served on very cold plates. Clearly not freshly prepared or warmed up sufficiently.

More training needed for some of the staff. My son had fish and chips and a pint of blackcurrant squash. Throughout the meal I took him to the toilet leaving my bag on the table to come back to a cleared table when the meal and over half a pint of drink was left to be finished off. I couldn't believe that this was taken away when I returned. My son was very upset and I went to the bar and said to the young lad that somebody had taken away my sons plate and drink when he hadn't finished and his reply was "sorry about that' and that was it. I'm feeling quite angry about this. Service is obviously an issue in this place as the poor reviews seem to be about service. I would really like to know that this is being dealt with.

What a gem of a find!! Despite being one of their busiest days of the year, Easter Sunday, the food was outstanding, the service was exemplary and the Long Island Iced tea was very strong, just how I like it :)

This restaurant was recommended by a micro brewery staff. Great food. Good service. Your start was cheese very good great bread. Main was excellent, and fresh. Also very nice pudding. We had great time

We booked for Easter Sunday lunch as we were staying in Lyme for the weekend. The restaurant is spacious and clean with great decor. The gravy on the roast dinner was beautiful and the roast potatoes were the best I’ve tasted in a restaurant. The service was prompt and the staff were on the whole were really polite. Unfortunately, I can’t give higher than an average rating due to a few things. We booked online and requested a highchair and clearly explained that a toddler would be one of the 3 people dining. When we arrived, we were seated at a table with 3 chairs and no highchair. We then had to go searching for a highchair ourselves. Despite the rest of the roast being really nice, the pork was incredibly fatty which was a real shame. The biggest letdown though was an incredibly rude member of staff. On 3 separate occasions, she barged past us (one of the times actually pushed our pushchair out of the way while we were waiting to be seated) without any apology or any acknowledgement at all (unless you count a dirty look.) Unfortunately, I didn’t get her name. All I can say is she was quite short with long, dark hair. It’s a real shame as the rest of the staff were excellent and this one particular member of staff clearly needs some extra traning.

Booked here on a whim as it was the last night of our little holiday and I didn’t want to have to drive. We were definitely not disappointed! Service was amazing from start to end, we were greeted very quickly upon walking in and seated at a booth by a very friendly man. Our server then came over, she was very chatty and bubbly, and put the both of us (who are typically very anxious) at ease. The food was nothing short of incredible - I had the pomodoro pasta, which was delicious, and my boyfriend opted for the cheeseburger that he remarked was the ‘best burger he’s ever had’. We were checked on regularly throughout the meal, our drinks were never empty and the cocktails were amazing. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area, I know we’ll definitely be returning next time we find ourselves down here!

Warm atmosphere with a limited menu. Food was good. Service friendly and good. Nice region of UK. The prices were fair. We had poached eggs on toast which was very good. The toast was tasty and crunchy. Coffee was good. The restaurant was attractive.

A great find in Lyme. Looks like a pub from outside but is so much more. Lovely dining experience and friendly, helpful staff. Highly recommended. We would definitely come again when in the area.

Had a half of Palmers Gold ale, it was disgusting. It put Palmers brewery to shame. I drink in the Axminster Inn and the ale is the best ever. I will never put myself to taste another one in The Pilot Boat.

Food is excellent... freshly cooked & tasty...we stayed overnight rooms are outstanding & spacious, very clean we also enjoyed drinks in the bar..staff are polite and very friendly

Really great meal here on a very busy Saturday night where everyone it seemed was sheltering from the rain! Service was prompt and friendly, every member of staff was polite and happy, (not always the case in a busy restaurant) so bravo! Really looks like they run this place well. Great atmosphere. We’ll be back in the summer! THANKYOU

Brilliant place , great service great homemade food. will definatly return . love the way they put a sandwitch with the soup . the veg soup was so tasty .

Absolutely lovely, food brilliant, service brilliant what more could you ask for will return soon when I’m in the area h

I booked a table here for an evening meal. I booked via email which was friendly and without complications. I was greeted by friendly staff and given a choice of tables. There was a nice warm friendly atmosphere in the pub and although it was quite busy, there was plenty of room. All of the staff that served me were very friendly & helpful. I had the homemade scotch egg for a starter which was fantastic, as was the Mediterranean pappardelle I had for a main course. Drinks were good also. There was no pressure to add a tip to the bill which is both a plus point and a rarity these days. I found the food prices quite reasonable, drinks maybe a little on the high side. I would definitely eat here again.

Took my husband anyway for a surprise birthday treat and was blown away by the warm welcome from the owner, friendly and attentive staff, delicious food and absolutely beautiful and luxurious room with sea view! Great facilities in room. Breakfast - the choices were really good, cooked perfectly, fast service and great coffee choices. Evening meal - The garlic confit was a really nice alternative to garlic bread. Fish was delicious. Pizza really nice. Can't say a bad word about this place. Cocktails a definite 10 out of 10. We WILL most definitely be back!

Disappointing, no atmosphere ,the young girl who served us clearly had no interest in her job, could hardly string a sentence together, didn't smile and left us feeling like we were a nuisance wanting to order a meal. We ordered 2 fish and chips and 1 Childs fish and chips and 3 drinks, The whole meal was such a let down, tasteless fish with a really thick batter and very thick chips, it looked delicious but unfortunately it was very disappointing. £65 later and 1 hour after we sat down we were in the car on the way home. The venue looks nice and welcoming when you walk in, it's just a shame the service and food wasn't as good, perhaps some staff training would help.

Walked in without a booking and warmly greeted by friendly team. Shown to a comfortable booth in the rear restaurant area. Both choose roast dinners (one trio and one sirloin). Both dinners well cooked with cracking Yorkies. Service was relaxed but attentive. Really enjoyed the whole experience. A great place to spend a Sunday afternoon.

A really disappointing evening with friends, service was not great, main course served while we were still eating sharing board starters, we were told we had exceeded the 15 minutes allowed for starters before the main is served!, we then had to ask for some cutlery, we had to wait quite a while for drinks. Pizzas were ok but the burger was awful, burnt to a crisp. We are local but we won't be returning.

We came to this pub with a view of having a lovely meal on Thursday evening at 7:45 14th December. We went up to a member of staff to ask if we could go into the restaurant. She responded with reluctant grunt that she would deal with us soon. We waited 5 minutes then an another female member of the team asked us to follow her to a table. We sat down selected our food and waited waited and waited approx 20minutes. No service we waited another 5 minutes and decided to leave on the way out we walked passed the two female members of staff and they were both too busy gossiping with each other to know we were there. That’s not the way to look after customers. Someone needs to take those waitresses aside and teach them how to look after customers. If you snooze you lose. They were sleeping on the job!

Great food. Great beer. Great prices. Lovely pub. The only thing that lets it down is the staff seemed pretty miserable. Maybe they had something going on. I won’t be too harsh. But especially the waitress looked like she’d rather be anywhere else. I’d recommend pub opposite, The Rock Point Inn, where the food and drink are just as good but the staff are absolutely lovely.

We turned up on a rainy Sunday afternoon having made a last minute booking a couple days prior for a relaxing evening in their king luxury room (Known as Dorset Gold - their rooms being named after local beers). All Staff were so incredibly helpful and friendly. It wasn't as such as they were just 'friendly' it was that they truly cared and made you feel entirely comfortable; truthfully we had zero issues and everything was absolutely perfect, their ease to cater for you and professionalism most certainly helps you unwind. The room was beautiful, adjoining our room we had the ensuite of ensuites with a lovely roll top bath for two, a very large (and powerful) shower and enough room to swing multiple cats. Little touches like complimentary beers and bottled water, decent coffee and a little Roberts radio were lovely. On to breakfast - perfect. Great portions, a large juice instead of a thimble you get in most places and a coffee as you like it. Vegan, Vegetarian or meat eater - an incredible offering for either or. So, you can rest assure that we will be returning. My advice, go book it now, enjoy the incredible Jurassic coast with England's unpredictable weather and duck in to little pubs littered around Lyme for a quiet pint and the excuse of refuge before making your way back to the cosiest of rooms at the Pilot Boat. P.S. We ate in the Pilot Boat for our evening meal too - it was equally great, just trying to keep the review short - Try the hand dived Scallops! Alice and Luke.

Lovely good quality food, service was brilliant and family friendly. We walked in with no booking but only 3 of us at the end of October.

Everywhere was busy but managed to find a table here, staff were friendly and food was nice and good portions. Average prices £15 for a burger with chips.

Lovely family lunch. Group of 12 accommodated at short notice. Great service and food. Kids portions are big. Coeliac daughter really appreciated separate menu and knowledgeable staff - confirmed use different fryer so reduced contamination risks, ate well with no ill effects. Thank you!

Popped in for lunch on a rainy afternoon and was thoroughly dissatisfied. Was sat by a lovely girl but then completely ignored for about 10/15 minutes. A lady, assuming manager as was not in same uniform as everyone else, came and took our order. Food...

We passed by looking for a place for Sunday roast & went straight in. The place has a lovely feel to it & friendly staff. We both had a beef roast dinner which was excellent. The best roast potatoes we’ve had & generous portion size...

3 of us visited here last night, the food and service was amazing, would definitely come here again, we had the haddock & chips, beautifully cooked & tasted gorgeous

Really delicious food, I had the catch of the day which was perfect, husband had a burger which he really enjoyed. Wine was yummy, service was great. Definitely recommend.

Had not been here in recent years and went twice in September. Spacious with nice atmosphere. Staff really pleasant and food good with an excellent selection of beers and wines. It is not cheap but unless we can persuade weatherspoons to open in Lyme Regis...

The food is excellent. A chef who knows what he is doing! Beautifully presented. Had a return visit 2 days later

Sensibly priced evening meal with a good choice of menu - fish, meat, pizza. The service was good and the tables aren't packed in.

We’d been on a trip in our RV and the road to Charmouth was closed and Lyme Regis was were we had to stop for the night. After a long walk downhill to the seafront we were beckoned to the Pilot Boat. We enjoyed a...

We ate here twice while holidaying in Lyme Regis. First experience was great, great food, great service. The second not so good, good still good but a totally different service experience. Had to ask twice for everything and was greeted with sarcasm when we basically...

Definitely the go to place for good service and excellent dining.The staff were really friendly and took time to talk. The food was beautifully presented,and cooked to perfection. The restaurant looks small from the outside, but it extends into a roomy restaurant. Everything here created...

Fab modern and bright decor, friendly and efficient service, easy to book online, good menu, well priced, tasty food and will visit again when in Lyme Regis

Visited the Pilot Boat a number of time during our stay, food was very good but long wait when busy, staff very friendly

We thought we had a booking at another local restaurant but their website screwed up and they were full. So we wandered off and ended up at the Pilot Boat. Despite good reviews on-line, it didn't look very welcoming from the street but it turned...

Food was ok but a little pricey for what it was. Place could do with an update. Staff very helpful and friendly though.

After a poor breakfast in another venue, we were delighted with our experience at the pilot boat. Great service and fantastic food. I had the steak, and my wife had the haddock and chips. Both were cooked perfectly. There are plenty of seating options both...

We walked in without a booking but the friendly staff found us a seat near the bar which we were grateful for. The atmosphere inside is so much better than the outside suggests and we were pleasantly surprised by the vibrant feel of a place...

The Pilot Boat has such a lovely atmosphere and really great, fresh food on offer! The staff are so accommodating, and helpful, especially with my milk allergy! We will definitely be returning next time!

Been here a few times and every time, the food and service is very good. Staff are friendly, tables are nicely spaced apart and food reasonably priced.

Four for dinner plus dog, booked online then saw the message on the website saying to phone to book if you have a dog, called to make sure they had a table for us to allow the dog and the phone was answered straight away,...

Family of four, including one vegetarian and one coeliac, we visited here in August for dinner and loved it so much, we came again two nights later. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable and the food was really good with a varied menu for all....

Great meal! Went with some trepidation expecting it to be like so many other Uk places - poor service and mediocre food. Well absolutely not. The service was outstanding….(why oh why can’t other establishments get their staff to wait properly). It was busy but they...

Excellent staff, and fantastic food it a lovely open setting. We really enjoyed a family meal here, mainly because of the menu options and lovely staff. The food was great- well presented and wonderfully cooked. Scallops, burgers and crab pizza went down very well

Visited with my husband and 2 fussy eating kids and had an outstanding meal. We started with the bread board to share with delicious confit garlic. Both kids then had pizza-they were huge but we bought leftovers home for supper. Husband had Cajun chicken burger...

Fantastic family Eatery Great food, amazing service and family friendly. We came here with our son and the waitress was so welcoming and chatty. My son tried calamari and food he had never had before and loved it. The hand dived scallops were so tasty....

Everything about the Pilot Boat was great. The staff were friendly and my burger was great value, not least because of the Droset Blue Cheese. The chips were crispy and hot- not something you can always guarantee. My wife had fish and chips. She usually...

We were looking for a place to have lunch, and they had tables. It's a bit of a TARDIS, it looks modest on the outside, but the restaurant just keeps going. The adults ordered the scallop special and fish of the day special, the children...

We liked this restaurant so much, we went back the next night. Really good flavoursome food with excellent service and a well stocked bar in a lively atmosphere. Recommended.

As a nervous eater with my coeliac, I can't say enough amazing things about this place. They put me a ease with all the information the staff knew and I didn't need to ask the same questions I always do when eating out. The staff...

OMG some of the best food I have ever eaten. Even the gluten free menu was fabulous. The staff were very knowledgeable about the food as one of my party was coeliac. Can't praise them enough.

Really good, simple food. We had a mixture of starters and the mushrooms were lovely. Pasta was excellent. Also excellent service! Thank you, smiley Lily!

Food was wonderful, service was great. Our server was knowledgeable about the food and ingredients in eat dish. We have various dietary requirements and all where catered for, coeliac, dairy free, for two examples. I would come here again. Wish I lived more local.

Very good family pub meal with early teenage grandchildren. We were well looked after by friendly and helpful Abby, and all enjoyed our meals. Both adults chose The ‘catch of the day’ - fillet of hake nicely cooked and served in a tasty light Thai...

Amazing blue cheese burger. I’ve eaten chips (some crazy people call them fries) All over the place, and I judge them very critically. These were the best I’ve ever had bar none. Crunchy crispy a symphony in potato art. You gotta try these babies! Oh...

As frequent visitors we like the Pilot Boat for its ability to serve a variety of meals from Pizza to standard pub fare well. Spacious restaurant area. We were a party of 15 with 2 young children. We were seated in bar area despite having...

Good atmosphere and great for a mates get together. Food is good, but not great. Picked as it has a better range of vegan and vegetarian options than most of the restaurants. Had run out of pina colada mix so I had a zombie cocktail,...

Me and my wife visited the pilot boat for fish and chips which was the best we have ever eaten absolutely beautiful. Izzy was our waitress and she was first class so attentive and an asset to the pilot boat we will definitely go back...

The restaurant inside is much bigger than it looks from the outside. We chose this restaurant as it had a separate gluten free menu and were not disappointed. Staff were very friendly and helpful and we had a great Meal with some nice drinks I...

A nice restaurant with a great atmosphere and decor, the menu was varied and fitted everybody's needs. I would recommend a visit to this restaurant, if you were on vacation in Lyme Regis. I would, however, make sure you check the bill before paying!!

Good ambience.Efficient friendly staff but steak and chips not very hot and served on cold plates.Our first visit to the Pilot Boat and will not be returning .

My husband and myself ordered a Cajun burger with fries our daughter had a burger and fries . The Cajun chicken was a very dry hard small piece of chicken breast with Schwartz herbs sprinkled on it from a jar , we could barley cut...

We wanted to have that last special meal in Lyme Regis after a lovely family weekend. Scoured the website, read the reviews and made a booking. When I booked I requested an outside table, when we arrived that request had not made it. We ordered...

We were a family of 8 including a fidgety 2 year old. We were seated but our member of staff was not particularly engaging (he may have had a long day). Ordered drinks and food, no problem there. Drinks arrived, followed by starters and no...

Food was lovely, some of it slightly over priced for what you got but on the whole very nice. The latte was shockingly bad which I did point out to the waitress, not sure if it was the brand of coffee or if the milk...

Huge battered fish, nice aperol spritz, good service, could consider it to be slightly overpriced - probably would return

Doesn’t look like must from the outside but it is a beautiful restaurant! Friendly staff, amazing food. So good we went twice!!

went twice in same week,while on holiday/ dover sole fillets and sticky toffee pudding with a nice toffee sauce and a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, very nice.

We have been here before which is why we wanted to return. Service was disappointing, slow & the waitress not as attentive as she should have been and, no excuse really because the restaurant was not busy. As for food, expensive. Requested spinach to replace...

Nice interior BUT the outside tables & seating was covered in baked on bird poo, made us think twice about eating, deciding not to ,

This restaurant is a little gem and shouldn’t be missed. The food is absolutely amazing and so beautifully prepared and presented. We had the scallops as a starter to share along with the bread basket and followed this with the catch of the day which...

Really impressed with speed of service. Thought it might take a while due to the number in the restaurant but good food delivered in good time.

Customer service was non-existent. No welcome. No-one assigned to look after our table. Actually felt invisible. No-one came over to our table at any point unless we caught their attention. Then, one man (presumably a senior member of staff as not in uniform, although difficult...

Upon entry front of house appeared very hostile. Then whilst trying to enjoy a drink with my sister a female staff member just came upstairs and started glaring at us. Will take my money elsewhere in future. Very unwelcome feeling pub

We are here as a large group (9 people), on a very busy bank holiday weekend. The team working here were very patient and helpful, but the food quality was inconsistent. One member received and incorrect order, but this was changed and deducted from the...

Our favourite restaurant around! We live in Axminster and frequently visit. The food is always amazing, with our favourites being the Fish and Chips and Pilot boat Burger. The pizzas also look amazing. The drinks are always great, with both a summer and winter menu...

Recently remodelled/renovated to a high standard but retaining a very relaxed atmosphere. Great to find all of this and dog friendly too. Really nice food and good friendly service. Would make this a regular eating/drinking place if only we were locals and not on holiday....

Lovely place- good selection of food, great atmosphere Our meals were gorgeous- one of our group said her fish and chips were the best she had ever tasted!!

Dog friendly with excellent food and helpful staff - great location and open on days when other restaurants were closed! (Tuesday)

Ate here on a Monday night - a difficult night in Lyme. Pleasant enough place, decent service and decent fish and shellfish options on the menu. Plates aren’t huge but well prepared. Fair wine list for Lyme. Outside the scaffolding is off putting but this...

We had a fabulous lunch at the Pilot Boat Inn this afternoon. We’d heard really good things about this pub and restaurant and we weren’t disappointed. We were served by a lovely young man who made sure everything was to our liking. I had the...

Huge pub with terrace and good bar. Ordered two mains, a pasta dish that was spot on, and a burger was ok if rather overcooked, and the dish in general was just lacking in a bit of garnish and presentation. Certainly for £15 I've had...

Service was very good, lovely ambiance, food delicious. Scaffolding is outside at the moment, please don’t let this put you off, the staff were extremely helpful and friendly.

We called in saturday lunchtime and had a pleasant drink in the courtyard. We thought the place looked nice so booked a table for dinner. It was totally different in the evening. Music was playing far too loud, and we were having trouble talking to...

Relaxed family dining, good ambience. Food was superb - we had fish specials which were cooked to perfection & children had the pizzas which were delicious. The only reason it’s not a 5 star rating is lack of attention to detail from waiting staff, having...

We were really pleased to find out the Pilot Boat is dog friendly but we had a disappointing evening meal. The service was really slow and the food greasy. Not a good end to our holiday :(

What a gem! Amazingly friendly and welcoming staff, the whole place is so well laid out, very stylish rooms and dining area. Food was delicious, we will definitely be coming back soon!

Visited over Easter on Saturday night - which was absolutely packed. We had a nice booth in the main restaurant. Seated quickly and courteously, and our orders were taken quickly. The food arrived after about 15 minutes, which given how busy it was, was very...

The venue itself looks great, and the kids loved our booth, as well as the colour-in menus and decent set of pencil crayons provided. The staff seemed less than enthusiastic to be at work however, barely a smile between them at about 5pm on a...