The Ilchester Arms Hotel Restaurant in West Dorset

I was stuck in local floods and sought shelter. They were able to offer overnight B&B at a reasonable cost. It was quiet and clean. There is another pub across the road and Italian restaurant next door. The full full English breakfast filled me up and there was the option of fruit and cereal too.

Really enjoyed the Sunday roast, good vegetarian option, very tasty side vegetables and an amazing side salad which I never saw before served in a pub.

Was told on arrival it was a scaled down Sunday lunch menu as they only had one chef, one waitress and one bar person. This was ample as the place was almost empty and got even quieter. Dinner arrived looking very unappetising. Frozen Yorkshire, hard cauliflower, grey fatty beef, I like mine quite rare, very hard roast potatoes, like they had been cooked but kept warm for a long time. Gravy and carrots were OK but the cabbage, I think it was, was a pale mush . Only 3 choices of pudding which the waitress had to get the blackboard. Surely you can remember 3 items! Halway through my dinner a started to choke on a piece of hard potatoe. Not one member if staff helped me, I ran to the loo and tried to dislodge it but to no avail luckily, a lady came into the loo, saw my distress and got her medic husband. Thank goodness for him. He sent out for water. Eventually it moved and I went back to my table, not wanting the rest of my dinner obviously. Not one member of sraff asked me if I was OK. Needless to say we will not be going again. £17 ! Shocking price for awful food!

Honestly the worst carvery we have ever had. The whole experience from start to end was very sub-standard. A 45min wait for food and when the food came out it was very poor....between two people they bought out the smallest plate of vegetables which when shared meant we each got two small carrots, a teaspoon of swede, uncooked cabbage and half a spoon of overcooked green beans... It's embarrassing that I had to question whether the vegetables were meant to share as it was barely enough for one person...I wish I took a photo as it was comical. At no point did anyone check back on our table so we had no opportunity to raise complaints. I would not recommend anyone go for a Sunday carvery. It was a huge disappointment. The food was unseasoned, embarrassingly stingy portions and seriously overpriced for the standard of food.

Great place to stop for a pint and food after at long walk down the Southwest coast path. Friendly staff, great atmosphere. Good good at a reasonable price . Will defo be back soon 😊

Pub was very quiet but Sunday lunch still took an hour to arrive, and when it did it was disappointing. The veg was overcooked, cold and inadequate. Three small pieces of carrot for two people? Gravy was watery and tasteless.. The beef was okay but again for £17 there wasn’t enough of it.

We were not won over by the place. The service lacks attention and professionalism (waiting when few people). The fish from the fish and chips was disappointing, the prepared tartar sauce was not as good as the one in the sachet...

Stopped in for a drink after a walk. Lovely old pub with friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere. Older reviews say there’s no draught beer, but it’s under new management now and there were plenty of options when we came.

We had a great dinner here with drinks, wine, ice cream, etc. - The lamb and the beef burger. Great, friendly service and food!

Highly recommended by a local, great service both behind the bar and table service. Wide variety of food on menu, fantastic wine list . Ruby was the duty manager and kept a firm handle on the shift. Very impressed

Popped in after a circular coastpath walk for a pint Greeted in a friendly manner, pint of cornish ale in Dorset? I was Surprised a local ale was not on tap. The beer was well kept and fresh decent pint to be honest Didn't stop for food, but it smelt lovely Nice old worldly pub feel in a modern guise

I've had an email informing me that my room booking is cancelled and they are not refunding me. I paid in full. This is truly appalling.

Absolutely love the place! Very comfy bed and the food was excellent! We will come back for sure!

Very lovely quiet little hotel. Nice pub on the main floor. Beautiful room. Excellent and friendly service. :)

Lovely old pub, but it's definitely in need of some investment, maintenance, and updating by the owners. We paid £40 per night and had the best room, so considered it was exceptional value for money. If we had paid the peak season prices, I would be disappointed. Breakfast was good. as was the evening meal and the staff were friendly. I would definitely return for the same or similar deal. Sadly, I feel that this lovely piece of history will go the way of so many other British pubs and eventually close and be lost forever, which would be a real shame.

I stayed here in February 2024. So well out of season. They had no draught beer on in the pub but plenty of choice of canned and bottled beer. Plenty of wine and spirits to. The room was very good for the price. Massive bed and tv. Breakfast was great. Staff couldn't be any more friendly and helpful. 100% will be back in the future.

Lovely home cooked food. Best brownie! Definitely visit here for Sunday lunch

At just 40 quid a night, what more could you ask for? Yeah, the rooms are pretty dated, and a draught pint would be lovely, but the staff were happy and helpful, the food was hearty, and the location is stunning. We had a lovely stop on the way down to devon, and would definitely stop again. Thanks folks

Shockingly awful place with rude staff and owners, plus the locals are openly racist and all taking hard drugs. This has been run by the same family for years and it is a local's pub who don't care about their food nor about providing good service, really crass and common people on both sides of the bar.

Awful… avoid, don’t waste your money! Visited the pub to sit in the pub garden to view the chapel but we’re greeted instead with a poor badly neglected area they called a terrace/garden. Nothing like the photos we saw on TA which were from 2014, obviously under different management who have let it deteriorate to a shocking level of disrepair. The outdoor wooden furniture was rotten, falling apart, nails protruding on benches, an absolute H&S nightmare. Disused equipment, dumpsters, old petrol cans, shopping baskets, rubbish strewn around making it uncomfortable to sit in and to look at. We found a table, rotten with used cigarette butts and to our left a dead mouse, our right a pile of dog mess.. dead flowers in rotten wooden planters, dead trees, broken umbrellas, no staff clearing up.. so disappointing, what could be a beautiful country pub in an idyllic village has been left to slowly rot away with management who obviously don’t care about the pub or their customers.. absolutely shameful

Ordered and waited 45mins for lunch to come. No apology. Smoked salmon salad served with no lemon. Waitress disappeared. No asking if everything was ok. My husband had to go into the kitchen and ask for a lemon. Salad as boring as they come. Bagged leaves, cucumber, tomatoes and onion slithers. Nothing interesting yet charged £15.95! Nice conservatory, nice bowls but apart from that would never go back and do not recommend.

We called in here for a quick drink to find only one of each of the following available: lager, cider, Guinness. No draught beer. We were told they were expecting a delivery. The bars look run down and in need of a clean and decorating. The only good thing is that the pub is well located for a walk up the hill to the ancient chapel and great view.

Friendly staff, clean room and great food, a very enjoyable stay. We had a wonderful stay and would definitely return. The food was so good especially the home made burger with relish to die for!

I stayed for just one night and couldn’t wait to leave - Alex Polizzi needs to do her magic here because we guests shouldn’t have to put up with this sort of thing. Grotty bathroom, mouldy shower and tiles, old towel from previous guest found in chest of drawers, smelly wardrobe, dirty drain and someone else’s hair stuck on the back of the tv!!! I had to ask for tea and toast at breakfast with my breakfast, whilst a member of staff walked across the breakfast room with a bag of loo rolls. Come on, you can do so much better than this!!! It’s an ideal location for offering quality, clean rooms and good pub food.

Lovely location and the beer garden is nice. But £11.25 for a pint of ale and a medium glass of wine is simply not ok. We were going to stay for a bite to eat and a couple more drinks but based on the price of the drinks we felt this was out of the question. The ale was nice but not local and obscenely priced. The pub was not very busy for a Friday night. I’m not surprised. We certainly won’t be back despite being a regular visitor to Abbotsbury.

four of us went for dinner a few evenings ago and they needed to check whether chef could provide food even though very few were in the pub and it was only 7.30pm! Food and service was very average with vegetables barely cooked. Table was sticky and whole interior needs some love and attention. Very disappointing. Have been living in Dorset for 8 months and regularly visiting country pubs for a bite to eat and this is definitely the worst yet. Wouldn't recommend a visit. There are plenty of better options nearby. Won't be returning.

We were staying in the beautiful Abbotsbury and looked to book for a meal in this place. Despite ringing several times, they didn't answer so we had to walk down the road to make the reservation in person despite it being very quiet when we arrived. The service was a bit hit and miss when we were there later on too but the food was delicious.

We ate at the Ilchester Arms Restaurant two nights running sampling different aspects of the menu each evening. The best parts were the beers and our starters. Overall my assessment of the food was that the menu was substantially under developed tasting like the efforts of a first year catering student not a professional national chain. The cheaper ingredients were in abundance but with no seasoning or sauces or other tasty treats - bland and too expensive for what was served up to us.

We arrived at 12.30 and asked if they were serving lunch. The woman who was cleaning the window on the front door told us they were and we went in. There was no one about until she turned up a couple of minutes later. She took our order from a very lacklustre menu and said she couldn’t process it until she knew which table we would be sitting at. There was NO ONE ELSE THERE! The jacket potato had been microwaved and looked and tasted hugely unappetising. The ploughman’s was extremely dull. As we sat outside, numerous staff wandered about calling to each other and chatting loudly - one even used our table for her Coke can as she was gardening nearby. It was a disaster, all the worse because we then found the sub-tropical gardens’ cafe nearby

We enjoyed a very good meal and were made to feel very welcome. My husband had a ham hock special and I had the belly pork both were very tasty and filling!

We were staying the hotel for the night so it was natural to choose to eat in and we were very pleased we did. Menu had something for both our requirements. Food was fresh and delicious.

One of the worst welcomes I've ever received. We arrived early and had no intention of asking to check in but just wanted to use the loo before we set off on our bus ride and coastal walk back. We were told very curtly by the lady behind the bar that we we couldn't check in yet! The following morning at breakfast the same member of staff was very short with a couple who were waiting politely to be seated. First impressions are paramount in the catering industry and this didn't leave a good one. The bar staff at dinner were however friendly and polite and the food was good so this partially made up for a bad start. I know covid has been tough for pubs but there's no need for rudeness as it gets everyone off on the wrong foot.

Great freshly cooked food, Great flavours, always hot and great and friendly service. Would definately recommend. Hopefully be back in 2023. Thankyou for a great stay in beautiful surroundings.

Had lunch here with friends. Plenty to chose from on the menu. Staff were very friendly and helpful. My cod and chips was fine, not the best I’ve ever had, on the small side.

Having previously decided not to return after a visit in 2019, friends booked this out of the blue, and so we decided to give it another bash. The food menu was a bit limited but o its credit, seemed to be trying to be different...

We visited during COVID for dinner, and had not made a reservation, but fortunately they were able to seat us. Service was a bit slower, but we were told by a very friendly man behind the bar that they had several staff members out sick,...

The waiting staff were good as usual. However having been to this pub many times, we noticed a few changes which unfortunately are for the worse. Plates that are too small, why on earth would they provide plates that result in some of your food...

We both ordered the fish pie taken in by description on the menu. What we got was very different. You could have fitted the pie in a decent sized coffee cup. After burrowing through the mash potato you eventually find the token, tasteless pieces of...

Nipped in for lunch and ate in the conservatory. Is all a bit unloved, and could do with a good clean (dusting mainly!) and getting rid of uncared for stuff hanging from walls, etc. It's as if no-one really bothers. So we were surprised when...

This was just the right place to be at the end of a long circular walk. We got a warm welcome from two lovely ladies, who couldn’t have done more for us. The sandwiches were freshly prepared and crammed with scrummy ingredients. The chips were...

There are two pubs in Abbotsbury where you can have an evening meal, and this is definitely the swankiest. Going in, we were shown straight to the conservatory, which was attractive, light and airy...a nice place to eat. And throughout the meal, the staff were...

Me and some friends had lunch here it was very nice, quite a long wait considering it was quiet. (Perhaps less staff on due to covid which is fair enough). Staff at the time were pleasant. Our second visit the same day in the evening...

We stopped in Abbotsbury as part of our South west coast walk. Dinner in the Ilchester Arms was decent. Home-made fish pie and lasagna were tasty. Chocolate Brownie to finish. Friendly service. Nothing flash but did the job and worth a visit.

I visited this fine establish and thought the interior design was warm and inviting. Food was delicious, great sized portions, nice and friendly staff

What a nice pub in an idyllic village. Visited on a wet and windy Saturday night and in spite of them being Covid savvy the staff were very friendly. Especially the young blonde girl (apologies for not getting your name) who very kindly put the...

We did not stay at the hotel, we had lunch at the pub which is located in the heart of the small village of Abbotsbury which is close to the sub-tropical gardens, the swannery and Chesil beach. Menu was limited & the food was reasonable,...

Wonderful dinner at The Ilchester Arms. The garden and conservatory area make it a brilliant place in the summer and the food was gorgeous. Thanks to all.

On holiday in Dorset and walked a section of the South West Coast Path in horrendous weather. Most of Abbotsbury was closed it seemed but two of us, wet through were welcomed along with our rather damp dog. We only had a light lunch but...

New Year’s Eve dinner with children and friends. It appeared we’d come on holiday by mistake!! Food poorly prepared. Fish pie tasted off and was sent back. Rest of the meals were heated up, catering style and tasteless. Food was rubbish and overpriced. Service was the only positive. Real shame great location. Should be much better.

Was hoping for nice meal w friends and family on New Years eve. food overpriced, fish pie off, trifle was a bowl of mush all mixed up together it had a gross red sauce over it, no custard or jelly in it, half of the desserts on menu were missing. Basil fawlty would’ve been proud. Service was good had a very nice waitress who we felt sorry for having to continuously serve up the lackluster offerings. Custard tasted like rice pudding but still couldn’t disguise the poor quality of the iceland bought chocolate fudge cake. In summary the one star is for the waitress the food is unfortunately awful.

2 of us had an enjoyable meal here recently. The young lad at the bar was also doing an excellent job as waiter, and could not have been more pleasant or helpful. The food was good quality and tasty, the wine list was reasonable and the ambiance pleasant.Would happily return

Thai chicken curry contained red undercooked chicken with greasy tasteless crackers, 2 tasteless fish cakes for £8. and after a 10 min wait following our drinks order had to leave the restaurant table and collect them ourselves! When we pointed out the undercooked chicken the waiter just shrugged his shoulders and walked away! PRICEY POOR PUB FOOD

Had dinner here on a Sunday evening, the starter and main courses were first class. Well presented and well cooked, portions were generous as well. The staff were attentive and I was impressed they had a non-alcoholic gin.Very disappointed with the dessert menu - you had to love chocolate and I do not like chocolate desserts. Out of the choice of 6 - fruit crumble, chocolate brownie, chocolate fudge cake, chocolate tart, toberone cheesecake or cheeseboard - so not much choice on a hot day. One of the party had the crumble and he did enjoy that another had the cheeseboard but they had run out of the dorset red smoked and substituted for red Leicester which was a shame but then served cheddar instead of a blue cheese. They were very busy that evening as it was a bank holiday weekend - but they need a more varied dessert menu, even it one choice was just ice-cream (not chocolate).

Last-minute booking to take advantage of the weather. The rate was cheap so we feared the worst but got not far off the best: comfortable room with good TV, shower that did its best if you weren't in a hurry, no late noise from the pub below and a thumping good breakfast. Parking was ample at the rear by the pretty beer garden. Very convenient for many attractions e.g.the sub-tropical gardens, walking on the ridgeway and St Katharine's Chapel outstanding a short hill climb away.

I am British so hate the fuss of returning food.Why offer a specials board if they are unavailable - clearly the specials are just an extension of the main menu here - an advertising ploy?I ordered the sea bass and tenderstem broccoli - it went back. I was presented with yellowing, last week's normal broccoli - certainly not tenderstem. It was grim and fit for the compost bin, certainly not the plate. The chef/cook could not fail to notice and it reflects poorly on their standards...... The fish was so over cooked..... The plate went back without a fuss and was replaced by a very acceptable fish pie. The cost of my main meal was taken off the final bill and not included even when I pointed out its absence - a very good touch so I feel a little churlish leaving a poor review but isn't this the point of being honest to allow others to make their minds up on where to eat.

We had booked a table for four, having a drink in the bar before dinner I watched a guy return his dinner. I could see the broccoli on his plate was yellow and watched him cut into something else on his plate, look at his his wife and shake his head.We went to our table to be told most of the specials were done. My wife asked for the salmon avocado salad to be told they had no avocado so she substituted with chicken carbonara which had come out of a microwave and was extremely bland.I ordered a bottle of Chilean cab that was fine other Than that it was dumped on the table unopened....I guess I was lucky I ordered a screw top!My brother ordered the sea bass, which you would think would be a safe bet being on the coast. On seeing it I realized it was what the guy I had seen earlier have. Just by looking at the curled up end of the fish I could see it was very overcooked and again served with yellow/ brown broccoli and the mashed potato looked far from appetizing.I had the steak and ale pie with chips ( I figured it was a safe option and it was fine).My sister in law had the fish and chips which looked fine.The servers were ok, a little unattentive. Nobody checked on how we were doing, I wondered if they new better.The breakfast was average, my son wanted the eggs Benedict with an English muffin but they were out off muffins!Beautiful location with average accommodation but go out for dinner!

A fantastic Sunday roast served with extra gravy and cauliflower cheese. Nice, helpful staff. More food than we could possibly eat. Lovely thank you.

Visited on a Monday evening, it was quiet. The homemade fish pie was excellent as was the x3 cheeses for £10, certainly more than enough cheese for two people! Lovely garden, efficient staff, good wine selection and free WiFi.

We have just returned from a super Sunday lunch that we couldn't fault from start to finish. The customer service we received was second to none. We sat in the conservatory but it was quite sunny and hot at our allocated table. The staff we so helpful and let us move to another one not in the sun and opened the door to give us some air, asking our opinion before doing so. Good what I call old fashioned customer service. The food was really good indeed. Two of us had roast lamb, one sausage and mash and one burger which was a really good homemade one. Puddings were really tasty, well presented and good portion size. Value for money we could not fault as we used our taste card and four of us ate for under fifty pounds. Overlook this venue at your peril, step inside and you will not be dissapointed. Thank you all

We have eaten here quite a few times and it’s always nice but today our lunch was just fabulous. The menu is really interesting with some old favourites and some new ideas including vegetarian options like grilled haloumi with asparagus salad and falafel burgers. Luckily they had lovely soft gluten free bread available so as I wasn’t really very hungry I ordered smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches with salad. When it arrived it was a huge triple decker with a good 100g of salmon between the layers and a massive salad, really fresh and varied with a delicious light dressing. Husband had a BLT - agin it was a triple stuffed with bacon and he had some thick chips and a decent amount of salad with it. Both these lunches were only £7 each!

We did arrive around 8 pm but the staff were happy to find us a table and take our order. We both had Fish & Chips which was really good. We were asked if we would like to see the desert menu. "Yes please" how could we say no! The waitress was rather surly however we looking forward to the deserts. 20 mins later when all the other diners had left we still hadn't seen our deserts so l went to the bar to ask. By now the kitchen staff were leaving! Apparently the waitress hadn't put the order through. Such a shame as this spoilt a very enjoyable experience.

Had a nice beer in the pleasant beer garden of this nice pub in Abbotsbury, with St Catherine's chapel visible from where we sat. Not a great range of beers, but the food others were eating looked good.

Chanced upon this lovely little pub whilst on holiday and so glad we did. Absolutely gorgeous food, friendly staff and a beautiful setting. Highly recommended. So good we visited two evenings in a row!

Table for 9 at 12.30 on Sunday for roast dinner.

Stayed at this beautiful hotel and the staff were fantastic from the moment we arrived to the moment we said goodbye. The room was lovely and comfortable and the breakfast was amazing. Thank you so much for making our stay so enjoyable

Came here to eat a few times, the fish pie was great and plentiful myself I had the Steak & ale pie with peas and mash absolutely brilliant so much I couldn’t eat it all. On other occasions the lunch menu we had was also nice, a good range both lunch & dinner, for food well recommended, the staff were friendly and helpful especially the guy who kept stoking the fire on my request well done.

I had a couple of meals here this week while in the area on business and found them both to be excellent. Portion size was generous, the food was tasty both times and I found that there were a number of options that didn't force you to have chips.

Very unfriendly pub/restaurant. Food is not served at times advertised on web site or on noticeboard outside pub unless you are staying there. We visited for coffee and breakfast at 10am as website advertises breakfast served up to 10.30 and noticeboard outside advertised open for breakfast. We were told that the chef would not do breakfast for us unless we were staying there, and they were very unfriendly and unwelcoming. I sent an e-mail querying the service we had received but they could not even be bothered to respond. We visited several other restaurants and pubs in other villages in Dorset where we always received friendly good service. We will definitely never return to the Ilchester Arms in Abbotsbury.

Maybe we should have researched more before visiting. However this was a final stop after 9 miles walking the SW Coastal Path and although we had planned to visit a tea room (both of which were sadly closed) I assumed that if all else failed the pub would surely serve food. However when arriving at 4pm there was no food available except snacks. Now this is solely my fault as the website and signs clearly state lunch and evening service time schedules but I of course didn't plan to stop here. However the pub did boast some comfy seats, a beautiful beer garden and friendly staff. The toilets must be one of the cleanest I think I have ever seen in a pub and dogs were invited in - he promptly fell asleep at my feet. If we weren't relying on public transport to get back to our holiday park we would have stayed for dinner service. Overall a lovely village pub to put our feet up until our bus arrived.

As a group of 6 adults and 5 kids, we have eaten here quite a lot in the past 2 years, and I can honestly say whether it was lunchtime or a evening meal we have always had a great time at this place, the food was great and the seats by the fireplace in evening was great, especially with a glass of red !, it won’t be the last time we go there.

This very nice restaurant with some elements of a pub environment is an excellent place to stop for a meal or even just a drink. It's located in the center of Abbotsbury; the food is good and the service friendly. It's the type of place that once you've arrived you can linger for a long time.

Just back tonight after a really enjoyable and tasteful evening meal at the Iichester Arms. The hotel/restaurant is what I would describe as shabby chic with a oldie worldly touch. Staff are most welcoming and very polite. We sat in the conservatory which was light and airy with fairy lights adorned around the edges- very pretty. For starters I had the Mackerel Pate and my partner Devilled Whitebait , both very tasty. Mains were Steak for me and for the other half had the Steak and Ale Pie, most enjoyable. FInally even though we were full we managed to squeeze in puddings which consisted of a Chocolate Brownie and a Lemon Tart - really scrummy. Will definetely visit here again when on holiday and would recommend to others to pay a visit. Lovely end to a fab holiday in Dorset.

We had been told that a new chef had arrived, and indeed the menu was pretty mouthwatering. The service was good and the food even better. We sat in the conservatory, a little way from the bar and open fire, but nevertheless the atmosphere was great.

Went to this restaurant on the 17th September after visiting my father in Dorchester hospital..

Great venue, interesting decor in the front bar, great menu which delivered very adequately - tasty whitebait and gorgeous mash with leeks - and a great location.

My wife and I have visited here many times over the past two years but recently the experience has greatly improved. Service for us has always been very friendly but food was a bit hit and miss. Now things have improved exponentially, the menu has a good selection and the new French twist really has a changed things. Last night's dinner was the best meal we have had and as always lovely friendly service. Would highly recommend this place. Ray & Sue

Stopped in for lunch, the service was fantastic that we returned in the evening for a meal, slight wait on food but worth the wait and worth the price! Would highly recommend this place,

Visited here with my mother and son after we had been to the sub tropical gardens. We were planning on going to the tea rooms but they were sadly closed so this was a rush option as my baby boy was getting hungry. As we walked in an older lady (Jackie) with brown hair just glared at us as did the younger girl at her side. So we asked if we could sit in the conservatory (there was nobody else in the pub at all) and they said well no not really! So at this point I was ready to leave but my son wanted a feed and my mum was starving so we sat in the conservatory much to Jackie’s dismay! She came over about 20 minutes later to take our order and my mum asked if the chicken and bacon panini has mayo as that’s her favourite and Jackie replied with a filthy look “of course it’s not you wouldn’t want warm mayonnaise would you” and basically made out my mum was a complete idiot!!!I’ve been many places that serve chicken bacon mayo panini warm so your on your own there Jackie! 25 minutes later our food arrived, it was bland and uninteresting, mum had a sausage sandwich and said it was horrible, she ate one slice of bread and left the rest, prices pretty high too considering it’s below the standard of a weatherspoons! Not remotely surprised there was nobody in there! My advice is either go hungry or visit one of the other cafes in the little village if they’re open.

Unfortunately, we only had the opportunity to sample lunch and breakfast on our visit. But both were really good . Beautifully cooked and presented and we look forward to having the opportunity to eat dinner here on our next trip. Excellent value for money.

Dinner for 6 friends who holidayed in one of the Symondsbury Estate rental homes (excellent accommodation!). Our last night at The Ilchester Arms was truly memorable: great food (scallops were perfection!), wine list, service. Would give it 10/10!

We have been here many times - it was our favourite place to go on a sunday. The past couple of times have been not quite as good.. It's still 'nice' but its not as good as it was and we have left feeling a little disappointed. The portion sizes have gone down. We queried this with one waitress who explains that it differs from chef to chef. Sorry, but you have to have consistency - maybe the kitchen staff need to get together to make sure they are all doing things in the same way. For example one of us had less chips with their main meal than the other one did with their sandwich (always used to be a small amount of chips with the sandwich and a larger amount of chips with a main meal. The main meals we have had have not been as nice as before, and generally as mentioned above, the portion sizes have been reduced and therefore the value for money is just not as good. I would now consider it over-priced for what you get. It's still 'nice' but it just doesnt live up to previous visits and unfortunately for this reason it is unlikely we will go there quite so regularly. Such a shame as its a lovely pub with a lovely atmosphere and great staff.

Being in the area we thought we would go and have a nice meal in what looked like a nice pub/restaurant. Couldn't have got it more wrong!! Sad looking restaurant in need of a refurbishment.. Gardens needed a complete makeover with broken concrete as a central attraction! Food was poor with the salad being dry and uninteresting. The smoked salmon was the cheap end cut which is dark grey in colour. The "homemade" pie looked shopbought and just microwaved. £15 for the rubbish and £10 for the salad! Awful! Keep driving!!

Really nice evening meal. Quality food and excellent service by efficient and hospitable team of staff

I stopped off here for lunch with my husband and three children, 17, 12 and 9.

Spinach and mushroom soup was very tasty - bit mean on the bread. Jacket potatoes all good with a nice salad. Friendly staff. Eclectic furnishings but comfortable and laid back. Beautiful village and surroundings.

Just a fast stop for lunch. Basic service (help yourself) and good food... nice indoor and outdoor area + conservatory. Gods friendly with cookies for them 😁

We arrived at the Ilchester Arms at just before 2.30 pm and were fortunate enough to be served as the chef was just preparing to go for his afternoon nap. The food served was fair, considering the lateness of the hour and parts of the...

Staying in the Abbey House we had dinner here, which is only 5 minutes walk. Pleasant environment and good meal with our fish pie.

Its ok nice flavour in the food the calarmi and chips where the best the burger was ok nothing speical i would agree that the burger was dry. And my wife had a problam with her diet coke as there was no syrup on the...

We went into this hotel for a drink after the arduous climb to St Catherine's Chapel. We were impressed with the food menu and what we saw on other people's plates so we decided to eat. My partner had the belly of pork and I...

Went tor Sunday lunch for 4 with our dog, we booked ahead and got a lovely table on Easter Sunday. Lovely quality food and great drinks service. Attentive staff and just very people, child and dog friendly. We had a really lovely meal relaxed unrushed and just great !

It looks like there are not decent pubs in Abbotsbury. Either the Swan or this.

Stopped by for a few drinks whilst walking the coastal path. Two and a half pints, a sparkling water, and four packets of crisps. Just a few pence off £20. It's the only pub in town so I guess they can charge what they like. We missed our bus, so we spent a couple of hours there as there was no other option, but £60 for three rounds of drinks for four people was taking the micky. One member of staff wasn't over friendly either (think she didn't like me questioning the bar bill...!) but seating was roomy and comfy, and there was no rush to move on. I just don't like being taken for a ride price wise, which I believe we were here.

3 senior citizens walking the Hardy Way eastwards from West Bexington arrived at the Ilchester in time for lunch. We were cordially welcomed by a lovely young man behind the bar who provided excellent service during our visit.

Good quality and large portions. Staff are very attentive and helpful. Some unusual dishes on the specials board all worth a try. We had a great stay, thanks to all the staff.

Pleasant enough place, a bit Tardis like. The food was good and the service pleasant. However the table we were placed at was in a narrow space near the bar and the haunt of several dogs. Probably good for locals in the winter and geared up for hundreds of visitors in the summer but not so good for visitors in the winter.

Called into here late Sunday after an amazing walk between Beer & Branscombe.

Not that often that I feel compelled to write to compliment what I was expecting to be a standard sunday lunch out with the family. However from the early morning phone call to the pub to ask for a reservation for lunch, I had the sense that this would turn out to be far from the standard pub experience. Really pleasant and helpful reservation phone call, (which unfortunately these days is becoming something of a rarity).

A friendly welcome on a very cold day.

Had dinner with two friends but the meal was very disappointing. Salmon was dry and tasteless, as was the chicken, and the vegetables were not so much 'al dente' as raw an inedible. All four of us left most of the food on our plate. The waitress was very apologetic and the bill was reduced accordingly, but would prefer to pay full price and have a good meal. Will not visit again.