The Cross Keys Sherborne in West Dorset

Fantastic 5 star experience today at the Cross Keys for birthday lunchtime with some friends. The wine (Appassimento, Puglia 2023) was just superb. The food was a joy. We asked if some of the menu items could be offered as an array of meze to share, and it was all done tastefully and beautifully. Service was attentive and just right. The restaurant space and ambience are comfortable and attractive - decor, design and lighting all lovely. All round, a great, long ,leisurely lunchtime which was joyous. Most definitely recommend.

Fantastic five star experience today at the Cross Keys for leisurely birthday lunchtime with friends. Excellent wine, food, service, ambience - it was all a joy. We asked if menu items could be presented as meze for us to share - all tastefully and beautifully done. Would heartily recommend.

Well, what can I say? I went in with an open mind. I wanted a quick lunch at a reasonable price that wasn’t too heavy on the stomach. I therefore ordered the fish cake which said it was local fish and it came with a salad and chips. The chips were delicious very crunchy and warm. The salad was a but a few leaves with the saddest tomato that had clearly never seen the sun and can only be described as hard and pale. I did not eat the tomato. If it’s difficult to source a good tomato, there are other salad items available. A cucumber perhaps would have been a better choice. The fish cake itself was a huge disappointment. It was overcooked on top, less well cooked on the bottom, and I probably could’ve overlooked this however finding two large bones was alarming. I would’ve been very upset had that been served to a child. The service was friendly and efficient. It was easy for me to get a table and the location of the pub was convenient for me on that day. I was visiting Sherborne and staying in a local B&B. I mentioned it to my host and she suggested to leave an honest review in the hopes that the food served can be improved. It is such a shame because the location is fantastic and the prices are good. The problems with the meal are easily rectified. However, as it is the next time I am in Sherborne unless I know that the quality of food has improved I would not visit The Cross Keys again. Nor would I recommend it to anyone else apart from a quick drink. I acknowledge that I did not mention any of these issues at the time and therefore did not give a chance to the management to rectify the situation.

16 of us had a brilliant family celebration lunch. The food was great, as was the service and value for money. A super spot in a great location!

Lovely welcome and love our cosy room no 1.. staff always so friendly - served again in the restaurant by the lovely Megan - what an asset she is … delicious Chicken Supreme and Smoked haddock and leek au gratin - just a fab meal in a great pub - we will return again !! Thank you all 🙏🙏😘😘

I am so upset to write a bad review for The Cross Keys which I have always enjoyed but the birthday meal we had on 1st February was terrible and I hope that by writing this review the pub will look at its kitchen and get back to what it used to be. We ordered the cornish squid for £9. What arrived was 3 large rings of squid - the size of onion rings, exactly the same size and clearly frozen from a packet. I had to send my chicken supreme back. So over cooked it couldn't be cut, with a watery sauce and no taste. Interestingly we were the only people eating at 6.30pm on a Saturday which I found strange. The burgers were ok - but for the price I would expect excellent. The staff are lovely and it is not great that they have to deal with unhappy customers when the food from the kitchen is below standard. I would not risk going back until I know the food has improved.

Staying in Sherborne & hungry after a days racing at Wincanton, the Cross Keys was recommended by our hotel. A warm & friendly welcome from the staff, & a nice table to the side of the main bar. Food was good - well cooked & nicely presented, but not fancy & not trying to be something it wasn’t. Service was delightful - thanks Megan & team for looking after us so well!

Came here for lunch with a few of my friends and as a veggie I had the coconut tarka Dahl and wow it was amazing very flavourful beautifully presented definitely worth the money will be back again!

So, I'm going to attempt a s**t sandwich - i.e a massive negative enclosed by 2 positives... I went to the Cross Keys with friends for Sunday lunch on 19 Jan 2025. Positive - the meat roast looked ok - good portion size, nobody complained. You need to ask for salt & pepper as this wasn't provided automatically. You can also request extra gravy (this seems to be much needed but only supplied in the world's tiniest jugs...) Damn, that was my positive... So. I ordered the veggie/vegan option. There is no choice here but that's to be expected on a Sunday (I am actually a chef, so will give them this one as it's better to do a few things very well rather than a massive menu badly). The veggie/vegan option was a Tarka Dhal. This is strange option for a Sunday roast but I can live with that. The menu description was Coconut Tarkka (their spelling, not mine. And wrong) dahl, chickpeas, butternut squash, aromatic rice an crispy shallots. The coconut was non-existent, as were the shallots.. The butternut squash tasted like it had been boiled (it clearly wasn't as it wasn't mush but was also lacking any seasoning whatsoever). The dhal itself was totally without flavour. Possibly the blandest dish I've ever had the misfortune to spend over £17 on. The whole dish wasn't very big, which given it was horrible, I was possibly a good thing. I would have sent it back, but frankly it wasn't fixable and there were other veggie options on the menu. Two medium sized glasses of white wine and a small sparkling water cost £22.60. Have a word with yourselves guys and more importantly teach your 'chef' how to make veggie/vegan food that doesn't taste like soggy cardboard. So to finish the 's**t sandwich' with a positive... the service was good.

Delicious food, great staff. Thanks!

Very friendly welcome. Excellent food and service. We will return.....thanks to everyone.

Outstanding meal, friendly service, lovely table, I can heartily recommend.

Had a Christmas meal here this afternoon. The best Christmas meal I've had. Turkey was super tasty. The vegetables were beautifully cooked. Tasty gravy. Super service , all the meals were piping hot. Thank you very much , will be recommending to all my friends.

Always a great place to visit...

What a lovely evening and delicious food served by the gorgeous and knowledgeable Megan! Fab sticky toffee pudding to end the meal too! Great central location in Sherborne.. we will definitely return thank you 🙏❤️

Friendly efficient service. Great location.

A delightful pub, restaurant and B&B venue in the centre of Sherborne. Dinner was delicious, well served by a cheerful and attentive staff

I love the background music, the coffee and the service.

Had a fantastic meal last night with friends. All the food was excellent

The worst beer ever. Visited after a concert with a group, and so many people had received undrinkable beer. Beware what you choose.

We had an incredible experience at the Cross Keys. Mo and his team hosted my Father's funeral wake yesterday. The whole experience was incredible - made so special by Mo, Lucy, David and the girls. Nothing was too much trouble, and we felt completely wrapped up in their arms from the moment we walked through the door to make the arrangements, right through to the day itself. I cannot thank the team enough for creating such a special celebration, which you planned so incredibly well. The delicious food platters were superb, and all the guests said what a beautiful venue it was. I was personally nurtured throughout the whole day, with Mo and Lucy checking in with me to make sure everything was perfect - and even David coming in on his day off to make sure my Dad's favourite music was being played. I can't thank them all enough from the bottom of my heart for all their kindness. We stayed in their family suite for the night. Our room was superb, with the biggest bed I've ever slept in, and beautiful views out onto the market square and the Conduit. I can thoroughly recommend a stay at the Cross Keys - the service is exceptional, the rooms amazing, and the breakfast was superb. We also had our evening meal in the restaurant, and it was exceptional. THANK YOU TO THE WHOLE TEAM AT THE CROSS KEYS - YOU ARE ALL AMAZING.

Whilst I've visited many times before, I've actually never been inside! It was a bit chilly so we had a couple of drinks inside. Service was wonderful. My dog was welcomed and made a fuss off. As was the dog with another table there at the same time. Only had a drink, will be back for food another time I'm sure!

Fantastic staff, food and atmosphere. My father is an elderly man who came to eat here on his own one evening. The staff looked after him wonderfully well. Big thank you to you all.

Such lovely staff and great coffee!

Only visited Cross Keys for a breakfast.

The Cross Keys ALWAYS delivers the best service, best quality food and superb live music. We had a fabulous stay (as always). Thanks to Mo and his team for such a wonderful experience.

Visited here for a quick lunch and the food and service was superb. Highly recommended.

Great food and friendly helpful staff

Thought I would try again as didn't enjoy previous visit. I wish I hadn't. Up most of the night with a very bad tummy. Not going back.

Excellent evening at the cross keys whilst staying in Sherbourne for the weekend visiting the castle for the classic car show. Friendly welcome upon arrival, very nice decor & a lovely dining area. Service was efficient & friendly, nice range of drinks including a good wine list. Food was very good, squid starter was very well cooked, burger was excellent & the panacotta dessert was a delight. Would certainly recommend & will visit again if in the area.

Lovely restaurant, only had coffee and a pastry. Service was good as was sitting in the little sunny court yard

We stayed for two nights on bed and breakfast. The staff was super friendly and our room was extremely nice - if very hot, which isn’t really the hotels fault! Breakfast was very good indeed. If we come back to Sherborne we wouldn’t hesitate to book again.

A good room with lovely large comfy bed. En suite was good too. Breakfast was very good! Only downside might be possible noise from outside tables in the late evening. Will stay agin.

Good lunch, very good price and excellent service

Friendly and welcoming, we had lovely lunch, will go again

Eight of us walked in at 20:00hrs hungry, without a booking Hearty food in front of us within 15mins. Great selection of ales. Result !!

Great place in Sherborne to eat, drink or even spend the night. Amazing rooms, staff and food. We will definitely be back.

Always a pleasurable experience 👍

Good service very friendly and helpful

Sherborne’s go to place for friendly, understated and consistently good hospitality. Great ambiance, service and location.

Had a two night stay at the Cross Keys, arrived on a Friday and left on a Sunday. First night we had dinner in the bar/restaurant and the service and food were excellent. The room was clean and tidy overlooking the square. Whilst the hotel is quiet at night sadly the outside square isn’t which means it can be noisy, completely outside of the hotels control. Parking is in a local open car park a short walk away, cost around £15 for two and half days inc two nights. Breakfast was fab as were the staff and manager/owner Mo. Really nice stay.

Just walk in, feel the welcome back chime from the owner Mo and his team. It's like there is no problem with anything you ask for. Great pricing and value for money. Go check it out. Whether it's 7.30 for coffee and croissants, lunch or dinner. Lovely rooms too, if you want to stay over. I totally recommend the Cross keys Sherborne

Great food. Lovely staff, well looked after

We were made very welcome on arrival With good service with a smile 😃 Food was very nice 😋 Will come back again.

Every single time I visit the Cross Keys I am filled with admiration for the service, the delightful atmosphere and attitude. Mo and his team are an all too rare delight , there is no where else in Sherborne where a customer can feel so wanted, respected and cared for. The food is delicious and beautifully presented and always served with a smile. Just a coffee and it’s also a treat. Genuinely I would recommend to anyone wanting a happy , relaxing and warm welcome to call in.

On Friday December 15th 2023 I took a day trip to Sherborne. After strolling through Cheap Street a very friendly local lady recommended Cross Keys to me for dinner. I went there at about 5.30 pm. Two young gentlemen welcomed me very friendly and offered me two nice tables for two to choose from. I appreciated this very much and sat down at one of these. The next minute a young woman who was apparently in charge of the seating told me I couldn't sit there and "forced" me to sit on the tiny table right hand from where you come out of the kitchen. She wasn't happy about the decisions the young men hand made because I was on my own. How dare you to offer a nice place to a single female foreign tourist! One of the gentlemen brought the food, asked what brought me to Sherborne, was very friendly. Maybe he wanted to make up for the rough behaviour of his female coworker. One of the originally suggested tables was taken while I was at the Pub, the other stayed empty. I stayed for less than an hour because I anyway had to take the hourly train back to Salisbury. So why all the fuss about changing the table? Do you expect single travellers staying for hours, take your best tables and ruin your business? Bye bye Sherborne, you maybe a nice place but there is a definite lack of hospitability at the Cross Keys Pub. It wasn't a good experience for me.

Lovely place for a coffee on a sunny Sunday morning

Great selection of drinks and lovely atmosphere.

Called in for an evening meal which was very nice. Service exemplary. Would be happy to use again if we are in the area. Need to book a table.

Group Lunch for 33 on Tuesday January 2024 The welcome was friendly and professional, the service excellent and efficient throughout and the food was of a consistently high standard and great value for money. The location is perfect, central in the town and close to the Abbey and the eating area and facilities are high standard. Thank you to the entire team at the Cross Keys and especially to all those involved with arranging and delivering a first class group lunch, on time and correct in every way.

The service was very good, quick and polite. Calamari starter was small yet tasty. I had a steak ordered medium rare. It was rare as you like and fatty/chewy, almost sent it back - taste was ok though but was disappointed. I also ordered a vodka martini - just poured in the glass, not shaken with ice so warm, no olive or lemon zest.

We stayed a night at Cross Keys Hotel, in the upstairs family suite with our twin babies. Great room, lovely friendly staff, excellent breakfast. Thank you for making our stay so special! Highly recommend!

I just have to say the staff / owner of the pub treat the traders on the market so well! Most other pubs require us to buy a drink to use the toilet every single time which becomes pricey, the cross keys is the only pub that kinda just lets us run in as and when we need and of course in return we buy a coffee or two to say thanks. Even if we didn’t buy drinks they wouldn’t deny traders using their toilet and it makes all the difference to us. Simple nice gestures like that go along way! Selfless and pleasant staff

Live music was great, pub was great as were the staff. I will definitely go back.

Food was very nice but limited choice on the evening menu

Becoming a local for me.Fantastic meals,friendly staff.

Really enjoyed our stay, lovely room

I want to give a massive Thank you to Mo, Michael, Molly and Brandon for making my Dads 80th birthday so very special last Sunday. The food and service was absolutely amazing 👏 thank you for looking after all twelve of us. You're the best pub/restaurant in the world. Zoë xxx

Hands down the best coffee around

Lovely lunch of rabbit with a nice wine

Great brassiere in the centre of historic Sherborne. Go here for coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner or drinks. Very well run. Excellent food and selection of drinks. Nice outside seating in the square or in the rear garden.