The Fox Inn in North Dorset

We have been on a tour of local pubs for roast dinners on Sundays and to date this is the most tastiest meal. Dog friendly, made to feel welcome and lovely setting 😊

Great food and atmosphere. Plus dog friendly. Only had a meal, didn't stay for the rooms. But the area is lovely.

Lovely place m, Staff friendly and the food was amazing.

Walked here for lunch, it was well worth all that rain over the 9.3miles! The welcome was really friendly, dried off the wet weather gear in front of the log burner, beer was good and the chicken pie was marvellous.....probably one of the best ever and the portions were enough for two! Should also mention the music choices were exceptional!

Really tasty food, friendly and helpful service, good selection of drinks and in a great location

Had our wedding reception and 18 family/friends staying here in October 2024, and can't fault the staff or service. All enquiries were answered promptly, and they couldn't have done anything else to make us feel more welcome. The food was brilliant and served in a timely fashion throughout. Everyone commented to say the rooms were clean and comfortable; the only issue being sound proofing (although the atmosphere and character made up for that).

We recently stayed for a 2 night trip to Dorset. We had a great tour round the lovely countryside and this place was the icing on the cake for us. Exactly what we were hoping for. Staff were super friendly, helpful and our room was comfy, clean and spacious. We had dinner there 2 nights, food was delicious (pricey, yes but heck, we were on holidays). We will forever remember with great fondness, being asked by the locals to join them for a few drinks and a game of "spoof", along with a Belgian guest - much to the delight of Issac, behind the bar ! Cheers folks, we hope to see you again one day ! ❤️

What an place, nice attention to detail. Excellent meal, excellent breakfast and wonderful staff.

Very dog friendly, great staff, gf on menu, good ales. Meals were piping hot. Lovely desserts. Room very nice. Toast could have done with being browner, but that's gf bread for you. 😍

Absolutely lovely pub in the middle of nowhere. Perfect to relax and forget about the world. Lovely breakfast too!! Prices are very reasonable for the rooms, bar, and food!

Really liked this place, nice lads behind the bar and the food was excellent

Lovely dog friendly Inn. The room was of a good size, very clean and airy. Freshly cooked breakfast made to order was very nice. We didn't stay for an evening meal as the menu didn't overly appeal to our tastes, but it was busy when we passed by so I'm sure it would be of good quality. We enjoyed our stay here and would recommend it if looking for somewhere to stay or eat in the Dorchester area.

Lovely meal great staff and beautiful setting . The food was lovely too!!

We are camping over the road at Brewery Farm. Last night we went to The Fox, honestly, it couldn't have been better. The local beer from Cerne Abas was great and well kept, the wine choice perfect, and very fairly priced (by the glass almost the same price as a full bottle) but the food even better. We had pan fried hake and a burger. The fish was simply fantastic in a lemon and bazil crumb, very well cooked, on a delicious dill and potatoe cake (with samphire) with white wine sauce. Simply far better than we expected! The burger was clearly homemade, 8oz, big - served properly, on a plate with loads of chips (not in a basket), a good sized salad and homemade Coleslaw that wasn't over rich in mayonnaise. Also, it was Tuesday night, the bar was full of friendly locals, and there were quite a few people eating in the restaurant. Everyone was happy. A proper pub, in good condition, really friendly staff, great service with a smile, full of people. We should really support places like this. Thank you The Fox. Thank you to the barman, the superb waitresses, the chef, even the cleaners who kept the facilities so clean! Wish this pub was near to us!

We had excellent service and wonderful food. It's definitely a great place to eat and enjoy brilliant ambience

Great pub with rooms. Did not stay but camped nearby. Good food. Good beer. Dog friendly.

This is a good solid pub with good food and service.

Nice food and beer. Bit of a wait time on the food but all good when it came.

The Fox Inn was absolutely amazing! Went there today for a roast dinner and it did not disappoint. I’d say one of the best roast dinners I’ve had. You can tell the ingredients are fresh, gravy was so rich and tasty, meat (some had pork some had beef) was all tender and beautifully cooked. The Yorkshire pudding well that was yummy & the cauliflower cheese! 😋 (forgot photos of that! Just wanted to dig in straight away!) Puddings also were so yummy! I had the Eton mess which was so fresh and light which was needed after the large roast dinner. All in all amazing food. Compliments to the chef!! Waitresses are also very friendly. Great experience.

Friendly and polite service, particularly good at offering a range of gluten free options and very knowledgeable in regards to this. Good range and selection of beers.

Meal only this time. Will bring family dogs and stay next summer for a proper luxury break. Welcoming. Reassuringly busy. Quality meal and service. Really successful and everything you could hope for in deepest Dorset. My sirloin was perfect - and hard working team exemplary. Thank you.

We recently stayed at The Fox for 4 nights and held our wedding there. The staff have been incredible helpful over the last 12 months helping with planning and ideas, we had multiple meetings in person to ensure we felt comfortable at all times. Specifically Ali, Issac and Tori were beyond helpful throughout our wedding in preparations and running the day, the day was perfect!! The stay was brilliant, between our friends and family we had 11 rooms throughout the week and everyone commented on how great the rooms were; comfortable, clean and a very good size! The complimentary breakfast was also a big hit, being able to choose from a menu instead of having buffet style meant everyone got a freshly cooked breakfast to their liking. We had a large family & friends meal on the Tuesday (about 16 of us), everyone commented on how good the food was and the portion sizes were great! I also think everything is priced quite reasonably for such lovely food in a village pub. The garden and marquee was a beautiful setting on the big day for our guests and us. They let us set up a whole day before the wedding and pack down the day after, so there was no last minute rushing the night before! We had a Vegan BBQ Buffet for our main course and the Chefs did an excellent job, the food was delicious and there was plenty to go around and a good variety of options. We also had a selection of Vegan pizzas in the evening, again the chefs did brilliantly to give 3 different choices of pizza for everyone. We had a paid for a drinks package, which we adapted to suit the needs of ourselves and our guests and it was served throughout the day in a very smooth fashion. We had pitchers of Pimms, pitchers of Cider, Bottles of Wine and Prosseco for toasting. Overall I can't compliment the pub, the food or the staff enough or recommend it more highly.

Had a fantastic stay with my wife and Dalmatian at the Fox Inn. Room: Large, clean, fresh, and great condition. Food: Huge meals, breakfast and evening meals were hot, great pricing and excellent tasting. Service: Friendly staff who were always polite and caring made us feel at home. Our dog can be a bit of a handful when excited and they treated him like royalty.

Called for dinner while we were staying at the campsite over the road. Great food and friendly service by a young team

Just been for Sunday lunch Was seated straight away Our order was taken quickly and drinks arrived promptly. The food arrived without delay and was great, as a confirmed carnivore I usually suffer the accompanying vegetables however on this occasion I would have happily eaten a full plate of these without complaint. Desserts were excellent, Kudos to the kitchen staff The bill was fair given the quality of the food Holly our wait staff was friendly, attentive and is commended An all round good experience Will happily return

Always enjoy staying here, top notch English breakfast and dining room.

Don't waste your money on Sunday roast here. Cold tastless & nasty. Toby carvery would likely be better. Was once good but now very poor.

Bit pricy for what you get OK though 5,/10

Staff really great and polite Sunday roast to die for bloody great 👍 👌 😋

The garden is lovely, the rooms are clean. Otherwise it is just a chain hotel with thin walls. The food is okay but nothing to go out of your way for. It seemed as though the staff thought that guests were keeping them from their jobs.

I’ve been taking a group of people to this lovely pub, we’ve been on 5 occasions now and I can honestly say it never disappoints! The service and communication from the team are fantastic and in particular Ali. Ali is always happy to see us and nothing is too much trouble. We went Saturday and the Catch of the Day was absolutely delicious and a firm favourite. Can’t wait to visit again!

Delicious meal, recommend the fish of the day in particular. Friendly service, including for boisterous kids, and great beer

Great pub, didn’t eat and just had a drink but lovely just the same

(Updated 2024) Having been back to the Fox a few times since my previous review, I thought it important to update things. Every time I've been there in the past few years, the service and food have been really good. From a simple meal out with a friend, to a full-on family birthday celebration, things have always been great. Went again last night (Feb '24) and had an excellent meal. Staff were, again, really helpful and friendly. ------------------------ (Originally posted in 2018) The Fox is one of our local pubs and we've visited for a meal occasionally, but haven't been for while. We booked a table for early evening by email, which was confirmed in due course. The staff were nice and friendly and the main courses were really nice. Good quality and sensible portion sizes. After the main course, we ordered dessert. We were told there would be a 10 minute wait for these as they needed to be made (Waffles and chocolate fudge cake in this case). Not a problem, we thought. After half an hour, the desserts arrived. We'd almost given up on them! The fudge cake was OK, quite tasty and very rich, but both of the servings of waffles were pretty much stone cold - a bit like eating cardboard. Unfortunately, they were pretty much inedible. The staff were apologetic and didn't charge for the waffles. It's a real shame, because all the other parts of the meal were very good, but the huge delay and poor quality of the desserts was a real let-down. At £55 for 3 people, (no alcoholic drinks), the prices are around the norm for pub dining. We'll try again in the future I'm sure, and hopefully be able to rate it a bit higher. (The cheesecake we bought in the shop on the way home was lovely!)

Someone is doing something dodgy here. I had 3 transactions for high amounts in my card using the name of the pub. Never been to the pub. Hope you can resolve this.

Fantastic food and great staff 👍

We stayed here for new years eve as our dog hates fireworks.Room was clean and tidy .Food as always is excellent including the breakfast.All the staff are great and hardworking.

Lovely atmosphere and beautiful food

Popped in for a quick drink after a winter's walk. Greeted by friendly and welcoming bar staff. The cleanliness of the bar, dining area and toilet was outstanding.

We stayed here for 4 nights, we couldn't fault it, it was clean, comfortable, the breakfast was really good and the other meals we had there were all very good, the staff were friendly and helpful, we will definitely return if we come to Dorset again.

Such an amazing pub/restaurant hidden away. We had Sunday roast and it tasted amazing. They cook their carrots in a very tasteful way, so succulent, as well as the rest of the food. Desserts are great tasting too. The staff and service is very pleasant and polite.

Had a delicious lunch here yesterday with family. Two of us had pork schnitzel, which was full of flavour and served with a coronation slaw on the side. The other two had a pheasant burger, which had tender meat in a brioche bun. The chips were some of the best we'd ever had, and the coffee was perfect. Our waiter provided excellent service along with a great sense of humour.

Love the Fox, every time we visit they food is delicious and the staff are friendly.

Good food and drink, dog friendly, only one vegetarian option

The staff were really lovely. Food was good, it was a busy night and they still provided excellent service. The pub itself was lovely had fire going very cosy so felt very cosy and autumnal. The only let down was the beds in the room which weren’t massively comfy, the mattress felt old with ridged sides. They left tea / coffee out but would have been good to see some decaffeinated options.