The Pear in East Dorset

The soufflé and burger were fabulous but the big let down were the French fries which appeared to have been served from the bottom of the deep fat fryer, full of fat and blackened potatoes. Otherwise all was lovely.

Wow we have found a gem. The food was amazing. We had 3 courses each. We took our time and was not rushed. The waiting staff are excellent and fiendly. Lovely atmosphere. I loved everything about the place. Very much looking forward to our next encounter. I cannot rate it enough. Try it you wont be disappointed.

We have been here a lot but not on a Sunday, definitely best roast in Dorset and Waitress Clare is so friendly with our dog too. See u very soon!l ❤️😀

We just wanted to say thank you for the amazing time we had last night to celebrate our son’s 21st in one of the Woodland Huts. The food was incredible and the service provided by the all the team was just brilliant. We especially wanted to give a massive thank you to Clare, who looked after us all evening - nothing was too much trouble, she was very friendly and always smiling. She made us feel so welcome and relaxed from the minute we arrived. Thanks again for a great night!

Delightful venue set in lovely grounds. We had Sunday lunch which was superb… My Wife had the nut roast, I had pork loin. In both cases, portions are generous, quality of mains & sides was excellent & service equally attentive. As easy a 5/5 review as I’ve experienced recently.

Food was wonderful staff attentive and informative the surroundings were stunning . Loved it!

Good food which came all at the same time and was piping hot ...and there were 7 of us

Are semi regulars to this spot up a short track off the main road, recently resurfaced (hooray). Lovely lunches especially today when I had the red wine and shallot steak pie. Have avoided this before as I am not keen on shallots but you hardly taste them, and the menu covers lots of other things I like, like large beer battered fish and chips, and they do mean large, it's bigger than the plate! Getting back to the pie, not only does it looks nice with it's ring of pastry around the edge of the hot pie dish it's obviously cooked in, it tasted wonderful. I soon managed to tip the lot out onto the my plate for ease of eating. Nice chunkyish chips and quite large peas completed the dish, and it was really filling. I could have had 3 desserts as they are all lovely but had to have one as I was very full up. A very busy establishment for lunch, and you can see why; the food is excellent.

We dined here midweek for lunch the food was lovely the restaurant was bright and spotlessly clean the staff were friendly and helpful it was a delight to be served by Tara.

Would not book here as you are limited to a time at your table 1 hour 45 although you could eat your meal in this time I feel when your paying good money for a meal it’s a liberty to ask that you vacate your table with in a time limit, I like to eat my meal with family and enjoy it without worrying about giving up table and constantly checking time.iam well travelled and no where I have been restrict you to a time only in this country (greed)

Decent Sunday roast, lots of lovely fresh veggie. ok service but soooo noisy

So impressed, everything was 10 out of 10. Welcomed on arrival, service was Fantastic. We went for birthday meal, everyone's meal was perfect. Nothing was a problem. I would (and will) go back in a heart beat. Brilliant

Great menu and an awesome venue. Amazing location perfect venue. Thanks

Just had dinner at the pear verry last minute called and was able to get a last minute booking staff were amazing and ther service was impeccable. Food on the other hand well ... 5* the chef has really considered every aspect of every dish from texture to flavour not many chefs can hit a twice baked soufflé but damp they did, The lamb was perfectly cooked and well the pork belly gave me real food envy, can't wait to come back and try the desert menu (little one was ready to pass out ).

Amazing food and large portions. Steak pie is the best I have ever had. Well worth a visit.

Been trying to book a table for a birthday and have called daily , no one ever picks up no matter the time of day.

Food is delicious, lamb rump and the steak pie highly recommended

Booked a table for my mums birthday , sadly no vegetarian roasts left by the time we arrived. Portions could’ve been more generous , 2 small slices of pork and only a few small roast potatoes didn’t feel great value for £17 , enjoyed the puddings though

Extra edit - just had my mum's 80th birthday meal here. What can I say but an utter thank you so much for the staff & the service. Their dedication & patience was outstanding & definitely helped contribute to an outstanding experience & evening for her & us all. As the whole family from all over the UK was here & several of us have coeliac's, the staff both front of house & chefs/back of house staff made everything superb. Potions excellent, tastes amazing. Thank you ❤️ Been back a couple of times since the original post, TBF, even better meal today - excellent service & time had by all ❤️. Had a fantastic family meal for my birthday. The lunchtime menu was superb. Potions excellent. Taste sumptuous. Priced brilliant. Will definitely be returning, truly lovely food, place, staff. Extremely helpful as I'm coeliac and for my disabled mother. Never been before & will be looking forward to next summer for the garden experience.

We were greeted with a warm welcome. So thought the evening would be good. The soups came out stone cold. Waited an age to be brought back out. Also, tasted nothing like cauliflower. In the meantime our guests had eaten their starters. The main dishes were brought out and we all thought there was too much salt in all of our dishes. The main meals were OK apart from the salt. Staff were less attentive during our stay than when we first arrived. Was busy but not overly. Would we return. Possibly but won't be soon. Also, a footnote your carpark needs retarmacing. I nearly went over walking outside as it dropped in places and I couldn't see as it was dark

Food was exceptional, service okay a bit rushed but overall a lovely place. Good décor with lovely views over the well kept grounds.

Very disappointing roast dinner, with small portions and poor quality vegetables. The cauliflower cheese consisted of one floret. Not worth the money

Arrived and even though there was a lady with brown hair in a ponytale at the walk in counter she didn’t greet us at all - not a peep out of her - instead she pretended not to realise we were there. Then a waitress finally acknowledged us and asked us to wait a moment. She then asked how many of us there were..two! Which unfortunately seemed to be one too many even though we could see a table of two right behind her and other empty tables she proceeded to ask another waitress who then told us they were too busy to accommodate us as they were hosting a big party. Never mind us who had spent fuel to get to this inhospitable restaurant!! So the moral of this story fellow customers is that they don’t actually need your money or your custom so you are much better off not wasting your petrol and being ignored and told they are too busy and go to somewhere where they want your custom!!

Perfect meals for all 6 of our family tonight celebrating my sons birthday. Sea bass, salmon, pies, lamb and sizzling steak… could not fault a thing! Very reasonably priced and no forced service charge much appreciated. 10/10

Perfect pub.. Great food great wine and beer and great service.. also a great outside area

Great hidden spot for food snd great beer. A must visit spot

No one ask me if I had allergies. When I ordered I did state no butter or cream on my meal , when it came the veg had butter on it . I waitress did change it for me. I think this is very slack service and could have ended badly. Shoddy service they need more training.

Spectacular atmosphere for all tastes.

Celebrated my Dads retirement here and the place had fantastic food & and fantastic atmosphere. Great service from Elisa as well. 5 stars all round

Excellent food and great waitress service from elisa , would highly recommend

Amazing, second visit in a couple of months. The cheese soufflé is wonderful, followed by normal fish & chips and couldn't move for the rest of the day, portions were huge. Waiters/resses lovely and happy. Very noisy when it was full though, the plastic screens did not muffle the noise. That said, would go again without a doubt.

Good food and we had a lovely waitress.

Good food consistently, everyone we bring here enjoys the great food in a lovely setting. Staff are friendly, professional and efficient. Highly recommend

A gem that you do not expect when you walk in. Good food and drinks and the outside area is a wow!

Great food and very attentive service. Would recommend without hesitation .

Great location, food very average .

We hosted a “big birthday” celebration here on a Sunday in August for over 20 people. We were in Stables area, shared later on with another big birthday but plenty of room and the timings worked really well. The venue is stunning; we were lucky to have the weather to fully appreciate the gardens. Lots of space for the kids to run around whilst the adults caught up. The Stables area was very pretty - fit for a wedding! The food was good; pre-ordered but the restaurant was able to accommodate extra starters and desserts on the day. The bar was also in the stables area so we didn’t have far to get drinks. A big shout out to our server/host Elisa. Ever present without being in the way, making sure we have everything we needed and everything was good. It was excellent, we would highly recommend!

Nice place with a huge garden and loads of places for the kids to explore.Good parking. Drinks a bit pricey but the food was spot on...One of the best steak and ale pies i've ever tried.Highly recommend the food.

So, been a few times as local, and yet again the manager comes across as obnoxious and bossy, where as she should be inviting. Asking for a table in the garden outdoors we were told only the tented area was available and told us we could only eat flatbreads. Didn’t want to sit ‘inside’ that area, although lovely, but wanted to sit outside on a sunny day. Went to leave and when we pointed to a picnic table outside, we were then told that we could sit there yes but she told us we could only have main restaurant menu, which was highly limiting - if you a vegetarian and don’t eat fish, you have one main course option. So… we got the out outdoor bar menu, as saw others utilising that, although we were told different , which contains mainly flatbread/ pizzas or burgers. The point is, having spoken to other customers by us, the staff were great but the manager confused and complicated the situation, and not the first time we have experienced it there. Superb surroundings, other staff great though didn’t really interact as busy, but there was definitely a wasp nest near by, as spent lunch fending off 4 or 5 constantly . Will we go again, probably not, more likely to go 100metres down the road to The Hornes, who are really friendly, and burgers 200% better on taste, additional salad items and value

Lovely place and lovely food and staff are very happy to help.

Went for a meal with friends. First they over charged us on ours drinks. Friends had the same drinks but was £3 cheaper. Then our friends ordered their starters only One came out ( 2 of them) waited 10 mins then went in to enquire 5 mins later waiter came out and said they hadn’t paid for the starter in a very accusing manner, we worked out his bill and he had paid for it. Then waitress come out and said it was paid for and would come out with mains, so he cancelled it and got a refund. Meals came out luke warm with one bowl of veg between us when their meals We’re on a separated bill. Then whilst eating our meal the staff over the fence ( we sat in the garden area)next to us were having a massive argument that went on for ages. Really not professional . Hence we will not be returning.

Food was beautiful, varied menu with plenty of choice. Will definitely be visiting again soon. Service was efficient and friendly. Atmosphere has improved with more tables, very busy restaurant would recommend booking your table. We had Belly pork, crab linguine and fish and chips

Hosted my birthday party here and the team was brilliant and so accommodating. Food was wonderful and the setting is just perfect for a celebration. Thank you so much!!!

Lovely place for the whole family

Great place and food is good but drinks could be a bit better !

Fantastic meal with my family. Incredible service with very friendly and attentive staff. Superb food all cooked, presented and served to perfection. Thank you so much.

Delicious food, friendly staff, and a great atmosphere. We had a lovely evening.

Why not 5 stars. Well everything was fine. It has a buzz, food is good and service is good. The atmosphere is likely and will appeal to a certain kind of clientele. If you are that kind of clientele you will probably give the atmosphere 4 stars. I would recommend this restaurant and give it a try. We would definitely visit again, but dress down a bit and enjoy. A good evening out, better than most restaurants we have tried locally. Excellent Gluten Free options too.

I liked. I recommend a visit. Friendly, attentive, almost familiar staff.

Just superb! Make sure you book it's a popular place!!!

Very noisy, so much so that we struggled to hear at the table... Food is over hiped, was ok but had better for the money elsewhere.. Probably wouldn't bother going again

Really lovely time .friendly staff. Good food great surroundings xx

Went here for dinner mid-week as a foursome to celebrate our wedding anniversaries. Our table was booked for 6.45pm. The location of the restaurant could not be faulted. Stunning views out the back. The service was hit and miss. The lady who took our order looked like she didn't want to be there (she wore a black glove on one hand). The other waitress who dealt with us - a petite dark-haired lady with glasses was so wonderful and friendly. So, when the drinks arrived, my beer tasted off. I called the waitress over and mentioned it to her. It emerged that the barman had served me the wrong beer ! When the correct beer arrived, it was perfect ! Anyway, we placed our order, and a few minutes later, the waitress returned to say that they had run out of the pie we'd ordered and also run out of one of the starters! This was at 6.45 pm - they'd run out of meals !!! So, when we came to order our desserts, they had run out of a particular flavour of ice cream ! The flavour and presentation of the food were stunning ! This is not a particularly cheap restaurant. I'd expected better, if I'm honest.

Great meal and really good service from Elise. The restaurant was full and had a great atmosphere

Nice staff, not great food, very noisy. would not go back.

Wonderful food, setting and service. Best place in the area! I love it.

The food was very good and the team very nice !

Great value lunchtime menus, sea bass was perfect.Lovely location and plenty of parking

The food is superb, we had a lovely family lunch in a hut, great for 4 generations the children could run around the garden. The huts have a lot of atmosphere with mood lighting, air con or log burner, all round seating and cushions.

The menu needs updating, the food is good and the staff are great 👍

Nice outdoor seating. foods is decent too.

Been here several times and they always get it just right(we even started booking big birthdays here) so a review is deserved! No, they arent shooting for rosettes or stars but this is posh pub bistro at its best. A little pricier than most(justified by the atmosphere and stunning garden) but you are always greeted with a smile, food and drinks are timely(right mix of paying attention to customers needs whilst not being overbearing) and a cracking sunday roast! If you're in the area this should be your first stop.

Lovely place to enjoy with family ... Ladies loves this ...... They can do lots of shopping,😅😅😅

I'm afraid.... If it's going to happen to anyone it will be me..... Been before and the staff were using tablets to send orders to the kitchen. Yesterday an officious waitress took our order... We said parden? Twice! Couldn't catch what she was asking us as spoke so fast! Waited 45 minutes and my other half noticed others who came in after us were eating, so he enquired about our starters. She went off to check and came back babbling that she had not put our order through as someone else was at the till?! I commented that I thought that was the case as she appeared not to write our order down! It was busy yesterday lunchtime but no excuse really. The custom was steady I would say. All booked custom. She did apologise.... And offered to pay for our starters. I had originally ordered twice baked cheese Souffle, the reason why I thought the order would take time. But as we had waited so long by now she recommended I chose a cold starter! OK....but after that we felt uncomfortable to be honest. And add insult to injury it was my Birthday lunch with the other half. (so not a big order!) Will go back but if I see this waitress I may well be wary. Ask her to write our order down next time 🤣

Great gastropub atmosphere with great views of the grounds. We went for a 25th anniversary meal so did not hold back 😁. We started with the soup of the day, leak and potato which was ok and pate, very tasty but never enough bread 🙄. For main courses we had fish which was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and a mid fillet steak, which was incredible, cooked to perfection (medium rare) the second best steak I have ever tasted! If you like steak you need to try this when you visit! For dessert we had rhubarb and pan a Cotta, this was a little disappointing with the rhubarb undercooked enough to cause a couple of hours of stomach cramps (and the only reason I dropped a point for food 😕), I had a generous helping of delicious cheesecake. The service was exemplary, and there is no service charge added so you are free to choose the level of tip - very refreshing. Next time we are in the area we will definitely be dropping in to The Pear at Parley.

Oh what a lovely pub nestled away from the main road! The newly added stables were so lovely to eat under and have created so much more outdoor space. The food! So delicious, we had the chicken and the beef burgers plus a childs fish and chips. All three meals were divine! The childs fish was so light and tasty and the batter was equally as delicious. Regrettably we didn't have a roast, but they looked extremely hearty, and we heard nothing but praise from those eating them. The staff were so so lovely, very attentive and knowledgeable about the whole menu. The childs park has been removed, however from what I can tell is now a herb garden. There are two huts set to the side of the garden that can be booked out by anyone. Great idea! The main garden is a fantastic space for all ages of children. We did a parameter check for our 2 year old and there is no way to get out of the garden. There are some smaller 'nook and cranny' spaces, but they are safe and the younger children especially wouldn't be able to go any further. There is a small woodland space, where one child had taken his bug hunting kit which was perfect! There are outside toilets accessible from the Stables, they are in a trailer, and are very clean. There is ample free parking at this pub, and also the Stour Valley pathway passes the entrance of the car park, so would be a perfect pit stop if on a countryside walk. Really can't recommend this pub enough, I am so looking forward to visiting again soon!

Bit dated and not much atmosphere in the bar

Nice food as we've eaten here before. Relaxed atmosphere BUT tried to book a wake here and found the two young ladies very unhelpful, first they were booked, then they realised they weren't, then, once again they decided they were too busy that day. Very unhelpful so we've decided to go elsewhere

Portions are much too large for most people. The meal I selected was enough for two! The artificial ivy hanging above our heads was not attractive.

Lovely setting, great views. Tasty food and very friendly service. Decent value for money as well.

A very nice place to eat and drink and meat up with friends. Beautiful setting and excellent food. I had the scallops for a starter and the duck for the main both cooked perfectly. Not one complaint from a table of 10.

First visit to the Pear and was very impressed with the venue, standard of service. Would definitely recommend a visit.

Wonderful! Arrived at the last minute Monday lunchtime without a reservation and were offered the last garden table. Picked it because the reviews seemed good and it was near some fields etc+ dog friendly. Such a good find! Small menu and very well cooked, excellent service and reasonable pricing. The grounds are also lovely with lots of mature trees and lawn - great view to enjoy the food and company

Lovely meal starters are all £7,85. All main meals £14.50. Lovely garden and views

Fabulous service and beautifully cooked food. We had a lovely time and will definitely be back!

Beautiful, relaxing, great food, service. And prices....

Great night out. The waitress was good and the the food was first class. Good evening was had by all Xx

Beautiful place service excellent all the ladies are so friendly, food fab too, and beautiful setting

This is our first trip to the area as we are buying a holiday home. We hadn’t booked a table so was told upon arrival the only tables were the ones near the bar, note we could sit anywhere l! So we did and then was told to move because regulars sit there. Then a couple came in who hadn’t booked ( regulars) and was told there is a table and could have it for an hr, we wasn’t offers that instead my little boy had his dinner on his knees. The food was delivered and was amazing, thanks to the chef! We had eaten our food nobody even checked if everything was okay and did we need anything else! Overall the food was amazing the service from a few was very poor and made us feel rubbish and not good enough!

It's a place praised by all, but maybe that's why you have hight expectations. Food is better than in your regular pub, but that's all. Location, however, a true highlight, even if weather wasn't great, I could it's a really nice place to spend an evening! Service was faultless, really friendly and accomodating!

Excellent pub! Staff very friendly and helpful. Wish I could have stayed longer!

Excellent lunch with friends. 4 really good starters and 4 wonderful main courses. The food is well priced for such high quality

Really exerlent food and lovely setting. Loadz of free parking is a bonus too. Had fish both times I've visited recently and cooked perfectly 👌

The food was great but the service even better. A thoroughly enjoyable experience Thanks

Bit out of the way, nice grounds for children. Food and Drinks are good, but everything is expensive now- a -days.

Service, and food was good. It was very busy when we left. It seems a very popular venue

I only come back to see Jenny. Who ever is the chef in the evenings of week days. Omg. Do not leave. This place, without jenny, would be down the sink.

Pros: Great restaurant! A cozy place with large panoramic windows. Good service! The food is simple, without "frills", but very tasty and at reasonable prices. The main course, dessert and cappuccino cost around £25. We were there on March 7th in the afternoon, but the hall was full. We reserved a table in advance. This is a very popular place! Minus: But the “rural” road to this restaurant (when you turn off the busy road) is full of holes and ruts. The owner of this restaurant needs to somehow solve this “traffic” problem.

Great staff and great food! Valantines meal deal was worth the money

This dinner was a birthday treat on a weekday in February. Service was fast and food was good, although the dessert was pretty but bland. For me, the issues were that we were on a table for two in the middle of the floor with busy tables surrounding us and it felt like we were right on the thoroughfare with people passing us all the time. It definitely wasn't private and intimate, and IT WAS REALLY NOISY! In fact we hurried the dinner to get away from the noise. It wasn't that the guests were particularly unruly, it's just the acoustics. So if you're looking for a quiet corner somewhere, this isn't for you.

I had a lovely lunch today with my husband here, the staff were amazing as well as the food, We were really happy we can be joined by our little dog, great experience

I went here for Sunday lunch and I am not exaggerating when I say it was the best roast dinner I have had in a restaurant. I had the roast lamb which came as a generous portion and was cooked beautifully. It came with a delicious mint sauce which had a lovely sweetness to it. There was a well made, home cooked Yorkshire that was crispy, fluffy and not greasy all at once (no easy feat with a Yorkshire). The roast potatoes were perhaps a tad tough on the outside but otherwise spot on and didn't have that rubbery texture often seen in restaurant roast potatoes. I had a bread and butter pudding dessert that had the stodgy appeal you would want from a winter pudding whilst still, somehow, feeling light with delicate flavours. The staff were friendly and very accommodating. We had a baby with us and they were all lovely to him. (We went on 11/02/2024, any of the waitress staff on that day should be commended for their customer service!) My partner had roast chicken which she rated highly. I tried some of her toblerone cheesecake dessert too and that was delicious as well. Will definitely be going back. Would definitely recommend!

It's the little things. A smile from the staff. A birthday candle in a pudding. A nice smelling toilet. Good food. Warm atmosphere on a cold day.

Great food and very pleasant surroundings.

My 50th birthday lunch...my wife arranged this....food and service outstanding

Lovely food, reasonably priced. It is nice to dress up a bit for dining out. No workwear permitted. Super waiting staff who were very attentive. We will be returning.

I heartily recommend the Pear, the food is excellent, the service is superb and the atmosphere is wonderful, if you haven't been yet, why not??

Hadn't been back here for many years. Very impressed with food quality, presentation, portions and excellent service on 2 recent Sundays. Will certainly be back again. Only reason for one star less than max is due to noise level, being in a conservatory type setting the echo from other tables does get very loud.

Food was good but took a long time to come out and not a lot for price.

Always great food and service, have recommended to many...