The Curlew in East Dorset

1st time, what a great experience food was fresh hot & very tasty. We’ll definitely be back very soon.

A lovely atmosphere, and very welcoming staff who provided excellent service. Excellent food.

Excellent choice of place to be.

Love the food here, been a few times and our waitress Emily was absolutely lovely, great friendly service

We had a wonderful evening, Lauren was the perfect waitress and very patient with our decision making. And checking ingredient for one of the puddings. The food was amazing and the mains lovely and hot. The atmosphere was warm and friendly. We will be back soon

Lovely experience at The Curlew during the weekend. Nice atmosphere and decor, but the Calamari was very underseasoned and not very fresh.

We made a last minute online booking. Got a table in a quiet area as requested. Service was excellent. Meal was delicious and hot.

Great Sunday Lunch, love bely atmosphere, and friendly staff, especially our waitress who was lovely and worked very hard.

Great Sunday lunch a few weeks back - thank you Lorraine!

The staff were an absolute delight, so friendly upbeat and chatty! Food was beautifully presented and served quickly. Lovely menu, relaxing atmosphere and a warm welcome! We will definitely be back and recommending to everyone

Very Disappointed. We returned to the Curlew after our for visit in April. Turning up early for our reservation, we went to the bar and ordered a drink. Bar person showed us to our table without taking out drinks. Not shown our seats, just pointed and said, “it’s there” Ordered starters, mushrooms and patè. Mushrooms tasteless no seasoning and tasted like a mushroom soup had been added. Patè ok, a little slight on the bread to accompany. Chicken parmigiana was dry and tasteless, no flavour in the sauce or cheese wasn’t Parmesan, some cheaper alternative. Fish and chips again tasteless and not very well seasoned. Restaurant was too hot, With no consideration for customers. Very poor overall and very disappointing for the price. Would have been better going to a carvery or a Hall and Woodhouse. Not worth the money and will not be back. Can’t believe there is such a difference in 8 months for me and a few weeks for my friend. Just not good enough.

I visited with family on Friday evening and had an excellent curry in this lovely , warm ( there is a real fire) pub. Great welcoming atmosphere and fantastic service so friendly and efficient from Emily and Sophie who we learnt had only just completed the first hour of her first shift! Would absolutely recommend. Marcelline

Hi, our party of 6 ladies attended last night for our monthly catch up and as usual the food was excellent. Emily as always was attentive friendly and what we all find important is she came back to our table to check that everything was OK, she was also doing a great job of training the new girl Sophie on her first night. We will be back for our next catch up. We'll done to all.

All was great! Staff, service and food were excellent.

Good food, friendly staff and reasonable price!

Brilliant service friendly waitress, Emily our waitress very helpful. Delicious food as always.

Had a lovely Sunday lunch today ; very nice cosy table by the open fire. our waitress Sharron was so attentive and friendly: made our lunch extra special; will definitely return.

Lovely food in a beautiful pub. One of the best sunday roasts in the south

We went to The Curlew for lunch today for my husbands 90th birthday. It was a lovely meal and we even had a candle on the pudding and a Happy Birthday in chocolate. Thank you to Sharon.

The first time here for a number of years and it turned out to be a good choice. Came here with some friends for a midweek lunch and, although the place was busy, they kindly fitted us in. The menu offers a good range of dishes - we sampled quite a few between us and all were well cooked and presented. The portions were good and the service was friendly and efficient without being pushy. We felt the pricing was a little high for a pub meal but was justified by the quality of the tasty food. Definitely recommended

First visit here and just wanted a light meal. Good menu and I chose a vegetarian roasted vegetable wrap with a side salad. Very disappointed, couldn’t see any roast veg. I was expecting aubergines, peppers, courgettes, onions etc. Just a lot of salad (already had that on the side), beans and I think hummus. My mini pud on the other hand was delicious and just right. Will visit again and try a Sunday lunch. Staff very nice and worth going back to though I won’t be having the roasted veg wrap!

Heard good things about the roast dinner but unfortunately the beef was chewy and the roast potatoes had clearly been sat under a heat lamp for some time as they had lost their crispiness. Ordered pigs in blankets as an extra and they were grey and only just cooked :-( Waitress and service was great however

We came to the curlew on short notice for dinner. After a warm welcome we were shown to our table. We had our order taken in suitable time for us to decide. Great variations of food choices on the menu. the meals we did have were all cooked to perfection. Absolutely brilliant staff and environment. We can never ask for any better after each time we have been in there. 10/10 from us. Also a massive thanks to Lorraine and the rest of the team

This week, a lunchtime visit to The Curlew and it didn't disappoint. A great welcome when we arrived and we found a dog friendly seating area for Mr Ted. The service was friendly and efficient. We liked the varied menu opting for Prawn skewers , Thai chicken & coconut curry, fruit crumble and banana choux bun. With drinks , 2 courses came to £65. We will definitely return.

We had a fantastic Sunday lunch recently

Kitty was great! Very attentive and kind, made us feel welcome and nothing was too much to ask. Thank you for a lovely evening!

Had a lovely lunchtime meal here. I had a ham hock pie from the main menu, which was a proper all round pastry pie - not one that just has a lid - it came with spring onion mash, carrots, green beans and gravy. My friend had mac & cheese which came with garlic bread and a bowl of salad, followed by sticky toffee pudding and custard from the 2 course meal menu. We both thoroughly enjoyed our food. Very fresh and tasty food. Great value for money. We were served by the lovely Emily. Comfy surroundings, warm and friendly. A very enjoyable treat.

The food was exceptional, we were shown to our seats as soon as we arrived and introduced to the amazing Kitty who was friendly , polite and attentive. Lovely place to eat, warm and welcoming

Popped into the Curlew for an impromptu lunch and was very impressed. Was very warm and cosy on a dull wet day! Food (we ordered the beef sandwich and fishfinger sandwich) arrived very quickly and was very tasty. Emily served us and she was lovely- attentive and friendly. We will definitely be back.

Very tasty food and atmosphere. Service was very professional. Good vegetarian options, would definitely recommend!

Lovely food, great company and great service from Emily, highly recommend The Curlew!

Fab food and great service. Thank you Emily for being the best!

Lovely meal tonight served by the lovely Emily who was very nice, polite and efficient.

Good service and the food was good. Met friends for lunch and enjoyed the occasion.

Wonderful evening meal! Great food and really friendly staff, definitely recommend

The food was absolutely amazing compliments to the chefs I tried the lamb skewer and wow. Shout out to Kitty who was very attentive without it being too much. She was very friendly and chatty thank you so much

Excellent choice of freshly cooked food. Fish & chips highly recommended. Our server, Emily, 10 out 10. So helpful and informative. Every question asked was answered with enthusiasm and detail it made the whole experience and visit to The Curlew so much more than just a meal out. Will 100% be going back to try another tasty meal. Thankyou

Pints are expensive but of good quality

Walked to the pub on Sunday early evening for a few drinks with the wife and upon entering we were told we couldn't go to the bar and sit inside as all the tables were being used for diners! The young man told us we could sit outside in the cold though! I'm sure this used to be a pub not just a restaurant. Very poor really.

Excellent meal, good quality food and very good service

Claire is such a star and deserves special mention! She went above and beyond to make sure we had a great experience, despite a little issue with the food (which she then spoke to the chef and they were able to resolve) and all the while the place was busy and understaffed that day! Thanks for a great evening. Would recommend.

Great food and excellent service from Emily

Lunch was amazing, staff were friendly (particularly Emily our waitress who was lovely), nice atmosphere. We will be back.

Emily was really professional and great for our service, did a great job! Will be coming back

Emms was brilliant, food was quick and service was great, thankyou!

Great place to eat...staff are great...attentive.

1st time here with my sister Jackie who comes often. Fab food, waitress Kitty brilliant and packed out which proves how good it is. Next time in Bournemouth I will visit again. Malcolm

Emily was very attentive and personable. Food was good, everyone enjoyed the meal.

Good food, great service. Our waitress, Emily, was very attentive and helpful. Highly recommend

Tasty food. Enjoyed the atmosphere, service is good. There could be more for vegetarian though. Prices are a bit too high for me so I won't come back unless I have a voucher.

We had our anniversary dinner here on the 6/10/24. The food was amazing and the extra additions they made to our night as it was our anniversary was so kind. Our sever Emily was fast, efficient and chatty. I had the roast and my husband had the burger and it was delicious. I really recommend here especially if it’s for a special occasion.

Busy late on a Saturday night but lacking character and atmos

Very good food served here by friendly and attentive staff. Always popular.

Excellent meals and great service, friendly and helpful staff. Four people and we all had different meals and all were excellent.

Just returned from a great lunch at the Curlew - Emily was really helpful and welcoming and the meal was fantastic - Nigel had the chicken and mushroom pie and I had the Moroccan chicken skewer and both meals were exceptionally good - please thank your excellent chefs xxxx

Excellent food, quick service even though they were busy. Popular pub for food so you need to book. Cab also sit outside, weather permitting.

The trio of roasts was excellent. Great service as the staff are very attentive. A very good place to come to for a Sunday roast.

Lovely service from Sharon, food was delicious and fresh. Such a lovely atmosphere and very friendly with our dog!

Had my daughters birthday meal there ..food was amazing and staff helpful especially kitty..Will return

Great food and great service. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Had an excellent meal tonight with great service, will definitely recommend & return. My only complaint which is not the venues fault is having to fight thru smokers / vapers standing around the main entrance.

Had a lovely lunch with my husband at The Curlew. Food was excellent especially my amazing mango and passion fruit pavlova. Kate was excellent making sure I got the right deals from my app! We will return again as we love good service.

Sunday lunch for four - food was tasty, hot and a good size portion. Service was also very prompt and friendly - would definitely recommend.

Lovely welcome for our party and the dogs, the waitress asked the names of each of our dogs, and remembered them throughout our meal. We mainly had the Sunday Roast, i myself had the turkey. The quality and quantity of our meal fabulous, we all really enjoyed the food. Service by Sharon, our waitress, was second to none, attentive but not at all rushed. Desserts were scrummy, I had The Honeypot and it was delicious. All in all, well worth a visit!

It was OK, food was OK service was good

Food was delicious and service by Emily was perfect. Helpful, efficient and service with a smile. Thank you for a lovely lunch 😘

Had lunch here today chicken penang curry. Tasty but expensive for what it was.

Two friends and I visited The Curlew for lunch yesterday, 3rd September. we have visited the restaurant many times and have always been very satisfied. However, yesterday it took 45 minutes for the hot starters to arrive and when they did all three starters were cold. The staff were very apologetic but then it was a further 10 minutes before we received them again. Also the main courses were not up to the usual high standard. It was very disappointing as it was my birthday celebration meal.

Huge thank you to Sharon for looking after us for the evening! The food is always great and staff are very lovely.

Just perfectly cooked food and very friendly service.

Great ambience, meal and service, as always. Several different areas to the restaurant to cater for quiet dining, taking a dog with you or eating out with children.

Lovely meal and great service. Only issue for us: when booking a choice of ‘dining area’ or ‘dog friendly’ is offered - having selected ‘dining area’ we expected to get a dog-free experience but this was not the case. This would influence our willingness to return. We don’t have anything against dogs - but would rather eat our lunch away from them.

Sat in the garden for lunch, very nice and the trees and bushes blocked out the main road.

We had a marvellous time at the curlew. We had an ice cold corona and a lime and lemonade for drinks. Aswell as being a restaurant it’s great to have nibbles and picky bits which were really good. We shared garlic bread, chorizo and chips. All of this was accompanied by a lovely server named Holly who was very funny and a great asset to the evening.

We had a large party of 13 for dinner, on the whole the food was good, we had a few issues with dips or dressings missing from meals, some of the steaks were not cooked as we ordered (as in we ordered med/rare and it came med/well) and when you are now paying up to £30 per person for a steak meal it needs to be great. On the whole food was good but not great.

Extremely pleasantly surprised by how good this was. Had a meal here years ago and when friends suggested we go back I wasn't too keen. But I was wrong. We sat outside in the sun for a quick drink before dinner and then went inside. The young lady who served us was delightful - she was efficient and had both a personality and a sense of humour (rare these days) - and the food was way beyond my expectations. It wasn't all that busy but it should be - it was really very good

Just been to the Curlew for lunch and what a lovely experience. The food was great but the service from the staff was fantastic. Every team member was cheerful, efficient and so helpful. Well done guys you made a good experience really great 😃👍

Fillet steak over cooked, crème brûlée under cooked no crispness at all. Very good service, staff excellent, slapdash kitchen.

Best family meal experience we've had for a while. Great meal and fantastic service from Sharon.

Great food and really nice pub overall, Claire our server was very attentive and loved the service. Recommend this pub.

Such a lovely place to spend a Friday afternoon with family and the pooches

Really nice pub lovely food and very nice staff

Great pub with delicious food, lovely beer garden with very helpful waiting service. Only minor gripe the toasted flatbread could have been toasted a bit more otherwise perfect.

Have visited The Curlew a few times over the last 12 months, breakfast and lunch were very nice, lunch menu especially. And great for vegetarian options. The most recent visit was for Sunday roast, there were 5 of us eating 2 had the veggie Wellington, which went down well. The other 3 had the meat options. The time between ordering and getting the food was a long time. Originally, the server only bought out 1 bowl of veggies to share between the 5. These just about served 3, so we needed to order more. The meat was lovely but, and personal opinion, the veggies were under cooked. 1 of us ordered a cocktail, which would traditionally be a short cocktail. However, it was served in a tall glass, thus drowning the taste of what it should have been. Overall, it was a nice lunch, good service, and value. The staff were all friendly, and the servers were very polite and cheery despite being very busy. Will definitely return soon, especially for the lunch menu skewers.

Emily was very friendly and efficient

Excellent Sunday lunch, roast turkey and veg were delicious. Emily was our lovely friendly waitress. Will come again. 10/10.

Prepared meals NOT amazing staff efficient let down by food quality

Five of us for dinner and we were all very happy and satisfied and Emily our server was very nice and helpful!. We would definitely return and recommend the Curlew.

The restaurant was very busy for a Wednesday night which is always a good sign! Our waitress, Loz, was very friendly attentive and helpful. We were not rushed to pick our choices and there was a nice gap between courses! There were 4 of us eating and we all thoroughly enjoyed the food we chose. I would not hesitate to recommend. Some people may consider the prices slightly higher than ‘pub’ meals but you really do get what you pay for here, so it’s worth the little extra!

Loz was so kind to me and my family. She made jokes with us wich my Grandad loved, so did I. Thank you so much this was an incredible experience.

We stopped in for lunch on Friday 2nd August 2024 and were allocated a nice table inside. Served by Emily who was attentive whilst not obtrusive and very helpful. The service was excellent and our food was good too.

Our waitress Claire was amazing very very accommodating very kind and sincere. Steak came wrong because of other waitress but Claire changed it and was very happy and pleasant to do so So very good meal and experience because of Claire

Lovely pub food, staff are very friendly and efficient. Will be going back very soon.

Lovely meal and great service from Emily. Thank you 🤩

Nice atmosphere, very close to the campsite, good food, good service. Gladly again.

Heard great reviews about poached egg. Menu is premium with niceties like cherry on the vine tomatoes to polish up the breakfast with quality looking for something a bit nicer. It was a standard breakfast though and no cherry vine tomatoes, just basic grilled tomato I’d get at a Wetherspoons. Left having paid 32 pounds for a breakfast and coffee for 2 and I could get that for 22 at Wetherspoons. Poached egg was good. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Recommend adding seasoning to eggs and buying premium ingredients if you advertise them otherwise buyers will feel mis-sold of their premium quality.

I have not been for years, but hopefully return very soon. I had a great meal with great service..

Amazing food, very impressed with the Gluten free options , friendly and helpful service from Emily 😄

Fab meal, great service, definitely recommend

The staff was super polite and the food was amazing the scotch egg was the nicest ive ever had