The Pear in East Dorset

This place really cannot manage large table bookings. We booked for a table of 26 for a Saturday evening in April for a joint 30th and 50th. The lady I was dealing with advised in the phone we needed to supply menu choices a month in advance, I clarified she meant a month & she confirmed a month. I thought this was quite far in advance but did as was requested. When I called with a query it was an absolute nightmare to find our booking. The same person then told me I had sent the choices to early & I need to give a weeks notice. I was then told menus are changing & is picked the wrong menu (I hadn’t. I also hadn’t got the month/week wrong as I checked our internal cctv and our conversation was there). After lots of blaming me, she eventually accepted that it was probably due to her language barrier. Every time I had cause to speak to her it was a challenge. On the phone call she kept saying our booking was Sunday & given all the previous pains, I was really nervous we’d even have a table to sit down at! Anyway, we arrived earlier than 5:30 as we advised we’d like to decorate. Our tables weren’t set out yet, which was fine, we just decorated around them. The staff in the sun restaurant were lovely but the lady who dealt with our booking I felt was very rude & not welcoming in the slightest. In fact, she made us feel like we were a huge inconvenience. I sensed there wasn’t a lot of cohesion with her and the rest of the team. Our starters came out and midway through eating mine I was interrupted to ask if I could double check the menu choices. I then got the impression the original lady hadn’t been great at communicating with the kitchen. By the time we’d gone through choices my starter was cold. I also requested one garlic bread to share between two kids & two cheesy garlic breads. 3 normal garlic breads came out. The mains did all come out fine (thankfully) but all the additional sides were missing so there was a wait for those. The desserts were just plonked anywhere & at this point any feelings I had of not being welcome here had been cemented. It was like no one could be asked with us anymore. We also had no staff come back to check how puddings were so I couldn’t advise we’d been sent out an extra cheeseboard (their error). I was also told I’d need to supply paper plates for the birthday cake which was no issue but then they brought out plates & these were pretty grim & I had to clean them before use. When it came to pay and I highlighted to the main lady that we’d been charged for additional garlic breads and cheeseboards she would not accept she was wrong. Argued the toss over everything (which I experienced throughout this process) & she made the whole experience quite draining. We obviously didn’t pay for stuff we didn’t order but it was like climbing a mountain to get it taken off the bill. The whole experience felt very disorganised and chaotic. I don’t think a single person wished any of the birthday girls happy birthday either, just adding to the pretty rubbish service we received. I have put the poor experience down to them having a really busy Saturday and we were just unlucky. The guy who came and checked our orders was fabulous, great service and attitude and really apologetic. But the woman, who I think is manager, absolutely awful. I’ve had better service from McDonald’s than from her. I’ve also attached an email reply from her, you can get the gist of what she’s saying but it is a good example of how unclear her communication was through the whole process and I just guessed a lot of it. Really bad experience for what was a really lovely occasion. Would not advise anyone to book here for a party over 6.

First time visit, we were surprised at how extensive the pub and its facilities are. Dinner and service fine under the circumstances. I was shocked at the state of the ladies toilets (looked like they hadn’t been checked all day/night) and there were dirty glasses on virtually every surface in the bar and outside. Overall it doesn’t make you feel confident in the standards. They seemed to have plenty of staff and it was obviously a very busy day but it was a slightly disappointing experience.

Good beer, good food, & good service. What more could you want?

Very disappointing visit to this restaurant. We have been here twice before in previous years and had enjoyable food, good service and customer care. This time will be our last as the whole experience was completely different i.e. very poor.The food was dismal, the service was dismissive and the ambience was that of a school canteen. The noise levels were extraordinarily loud for a restaurant. I don't know what has happened to this establishment but it needs to address these issues otherwise they will lose more customers. Sorry The Pear but improvement required urgently.

We eat lunches here once a month, so we thought we would try the evening menu which is from about 5.30 to 7.30 pm and is slightly cheaper than the a la carte dinner one. We soon realised that by going on a Saturday the cheaper menu would not be available as that one is only Monday to Friday. So for a Birthday do, the whole family of 9 of us had the a la care one which was very nice, if dearer than we'd intended. The steak my wife and I had was cooked just right, and everybody else was happy with theirs too. The desserts were so good we wanted two, and it was quite crowded for early Saturday evening, on a nice day.

Creamy Guinness, tasty food and good service. All round a great spot for food and drink. Highly recommend. Cheese soufflé was great. I also had the fish and chips which were massive.

Visited 13/4/25. Food was really lovely, but our visit was sadly let down by the quite aggressive service! We were rushed to order (we weren’t being slow!), practically had our food thrown at us, served over the top of other guests heads rather than walking around the table. The waitress shamed me for asking a question about something on the dessert menu. A waiter was shouting about another table saying, “they’re still there!” We left rather bemused and probably won’t return

Lovely building, superb grounds, very nice food.

An impromptu visit after deciding we fancied a drink, in a pub, in the sunshine... We found it by doing a Google Map search for pubs on the way home, and it was delightful. They were able to seat us after we decided we wanted to eat too. It was all very last minute and we had a lovely meal. We took advantage of their set, fixed price menu. The pork belly was divine, and my friend enjoyed the burger. We both had cheesecake to finish. Yum! The staff were very smiley, and there was a good vibe. Very accessible with large open spaces, wooden decking, and ramps. Dogs are welcome outside, and there is a huge field area at the back that has a good view over Poole and Bournemouth. It's great for the kids who were running about and having fun in the sun. It's definitely a place return to.

We had my son and his partners wedding there on 11.04.25 and I can truly say it was the most perfect day , all that I could have wished for and more The atmosphere and food was 10/10 and the staff were 100/10 nothing was to much trouble The band neon state were superb !!!! I have literally only one complaint that we could do it all over again !!! Thank you for my boys dream day

We were staying near by so decided we would walk to this pub. We had a table in the "stables" great food choice, service was ok for a Saturday night. They were very busy. Bad points, not enough bread with the camembert starter, for a very nice restaurant and prices you would expect a decent wine glass. Served in a cleanish wine glass you would find in a social club. Water glasses had to be changed as were dirty. Other than that, really nice location,pretty place.

Booked the Stables for a big Birthday Celebration for 22 of our family & friends. Exceptional Service, could not be improve on by exceptional waiting staff Exceptional Food, all meals arrived hot, quality ingredients, cooked & presented excellent Exceptional, was every guest's comment, the evening was exactly what I wanted for a special birthday. We have been coming for quite a few years now & will be back again very soon.

Delicious starter, cheese souffle & steak dianne main. Staff very happy & friendly. Good value early evening choice menu.

We had been to another pub close by and had heard good things about the pear so we went in for coffee on our way home. We had never been into the pear even though we have lived in the area for 27 years. The staff were welcoming and the pub and gardens were a pleasant surprise. On first impressions we would return to eat.

I have a medical condition so rang before hand to ensure I could eat from child's menu. It was agreed, I arrived only for the extremely RUDE manager Infront of my party of friends to inform me this was not happening. I said fine , I won't eat at all! She sent the assistant manager over to deal with me, this lady who was the polar opposite and helpful in everyway. Maybe these big companies can look at there menus, move with the tines and work with folk instead of being unhelpful and unfriendly. I won't be attending the Pear again and infirmed Christine (the Manager) of my thoughts in a very pleasant way!!! Customer care course wouldn't go a miss!!!!

Everyone at my table of 7 enjoyed their lunch. Price, service and atmosphere were all very good.

I visited The Pear today and was disappointed by the service. While the food was enjoyable, the experience was overshadowed by a staff member who was unnecessarily rude when I enquired about changing my wine. Good customer service is just as important as good food, and unfortunately, this left a negative impression. I hope management addresses this, as it could greatly improve the overall dining experience.

I've eaten at The Pear on several occasions now for family get-togethers, and the food is always delicious with vegan and vegetarian options. The staff are really helpful and courteous, and the atmosphere is relaxed and pleasant. This will always be our restaurant of choice for our big family occasions. Recently we celebrated my mums 90th birthday here and it was lovely.

We hired a hut for a birthday for my mother. Everybody found the food to be very nice and the staff to be helpful

Having just 1 member of staff serving behind the bar on a very busy Sunday was totally inadequate. Some of the garden tables were close to a drain; the smell was appalling.

Food was served hot and was nice. In our opinion it would have better if the children had been served first. In the barn it was cold and drafty, the gaps in the walls didn't help.

New menu for Spring and did you know there was one for 5pm to 6.45pm? Similar to the lunch one. Devilled Kidneys and parfait are back on Starters, while chicken and mushroom pie is on Mains, which was delicious, with a nice crust around the top, with peas and baked potatoes or chips. Belly of Pork and Sea Bass was also enjoyed by us, with waitresses passing by with that huge piece of fish you can also have. Dorset apple cake is on puds, with orange posset, which are lovely.

My lovely friend treated me to lunch and this is her local venue. It was a first time visit for me. Everything about The Pear was excellent. Great parking. Extremely friendly and happy polite staff. Well done ladies you certainly made us feel welcome. Great to have water delivered to the table without asking and any allergies enquired about. Beautiful dining room looking out over lovely gardens and dining huts. The food was delicious, simply excellent and could not have been better. Every mouthful of the mushroom stroganoff was delightful . My friend and I are both chefs and we like to be impressed and we definitely were. I will most certainly be recommending The Pear to my B&B guests this year. Thanks to everyone .

Just had Sunday lunch here with friends down for the weekend. First time visit for us. How nice to go somewhere where food and service excellent rather than 'ok'. Will definitely visit again. Only downside is needing to book a fair while in advance because of its popularity.

First time visiting. Cannot fault the service, food and atmosphere. We visited at lunchtime and was very surprised at how busy it was. Obviously this is testament to how good it is. I had pork belly which was cooked to perfection followed by the crumble which was very tasty. Our waitress (Jenny) was very attentive and on the ball which makes the whole dining experience pleasurable. We will definitely be back especially in the summer as I can imagine when the doors are open it would be wonderful looking out of the stunning views. I'm glad we found this gem of a place.

Staff were friendly but sadly the food was not upto the standard I would expect from a restaurant.

This was our third visit to The Pear at Parley for lunch and we cannot rate it highly enough. We visited in September for our Wedding Anniversary, again in December and on 14th February. Both the food and service are fantastic. We are looking forward to returning again soon. Thank you to the team at The Pear.

Large restaurant with massive outside area decking great in summer. Also, peripheral outside cabins. Food up to a good standard. Recommended

A great place with exceptional food and exceptional service

Would have been even better if there were more main meal choices

With Family living in Wimborne, Branford and Chandlers Ford we decided to meet up at the Pear. On arrival we were met by one of the team, and received a very friendly and warm welcome. The bar/restaurant area was very relaxed and had a laidback vibe. We had starters, mains and sampled a number of the wines, all were very nice and everyone enjoyed their meals. Durning this time we were served by at least four members of the team and all were a credit to your business. All in all it was a fantastic experience! 😀 Thank you

Don't miss this place excellent food and great service

Before my evening out with friends I rang to check I could eat off the child's menu! Due to my medical condition. Told yes.

Our family decided to try this pub for a birthday celebration however we were all disappointed with the Sunday Roast. It was luke warm when it came out (we mentioned it to staff) I had two small slices of pork. The veg was overboiled, and serving courgette was a very odd choice for a roast. We felt it wasn't good value for money. The puddings were nice and staff very attentive despite it being very busy but sadly we will not be returning.

overall not what you expect given the cost. i ordered the fillet steak and it was undercooked - surely one of the basic requirements for a chef is how to cook a steak depending on the customers choice! i sent it back and it was returned to me charred and still slightly undercooked. It was the most expensive thing on the menu £37 plus i had to pay extra for the peppercorn sauce (£4.50) which i thought was cheeky. The staff were very nice but given the cost of this place i expected more to be honest!

Cosy place. Welcoming atmosphere. Comfy settees. Staff happy to answer questions.

Great pub/ restaurant with a huge garden and plenty of seating. The food is very good and staff are always friendly and welcoming.

Visited yesterday for the first time with friends family for his Birthday celebration. Whilst the atmosphere was really cosy and the service great i felt the food let it down. We all had roast dinner. The menu stated " served with crispy roast potatoes and seasonal veg"... from my understanding , broccoli and courgette are most definitely not winter veg. Crispy potatoes they were not.... soggy and dark, no fluffing at all. This won't stop me going again however as I believe it can be a good food venue

Lovely, cosy atmosphere. Friendly service. Delicious food (lamb shank).

Great pub with huge garden. Brilliant location

Underwhelming Christmas offering, despite beautiful presentation. Elisa served us with a smile but my turkey was rubbery, potatoes under cooked & the sticky toffee pudding was anything but! Very disappointing experience.

I never expected Garlic to be added to Soup of the day or wouldn't have ordered it. And Large fish&chips just was not .!!

Wonderful restaurant and beautiful location.

Lovely place. Always good food. Went for Christmas menu recently. Very nice experience. Only suggestion would be to have Yorkshire puddings with your Christmas turkey as other pubs offer this. It would make the Christmas meal even better. Thanks for a lovely experience.

Absolutely delicious Christmas menu. I had a trio of salmon and lamb which were both excellent dishes, but the standout star was the cheesecake - pure dessert based wizardry.

Private dining huts are great for a special event with family or friends, however we found that the distance from the kitchen and bringing the food uncovered outside resulted in a number of dishes arriving cold. The roast vegetables accompanying the main dinner were bland and underwhelming with frozen rather than fresh being served. The Roast potatoes were soggy in consistency and braised beef so tough this could not be cut easily with cutlery supplied. The hut could have done with a better clean between parties, decorations were remaining from a previous 50th birthday party as well as a dirty glass under the benches. Overall considering the cost I found that this was a disappointing experience.

Best visit yet. The food was absolutely delicious and came in ample portions. Every element of each course was so tasty. Our servers were cheerful and friendly and very considerate of the pace that we wanted to have our meal. A great evening to kick off our Christmas celebrations.

This has to be one of the best places I have ever been staff awesome food amazing place and setting spectacular This place woukd be the perfect setting for a wedding venue the garden out back is big lovely views and just so nice to be around If your in the area or even if your not come have a look and something to.eat you will not be disappointed

If you would only answer your phone, it would help... a LOT!!!

Had the Christmas meal ,very nice , and the stout is lovely

Nice place, went for company Xmas dinner. Waitress missed my dessert out. Beer pricey.

Our ladies that lunch (5 of us) had our Christmas get together meal there today. The food was lovely and the staff were great. We all had a fabulous time and the Pear will now be our luncheon get together place. Highly recommend . A big thankyou to all the lovely staff.👌

Delicious food with great service, not a bad thing to say about it visit!

Can't fault this place. Wonderful steak and ale pie.

Lack of soft furnishings means the noise level is quite high making conversation difficult but the atmosphere was good, service excellent

Fantastic meal. Staff attentive and helpful.

Great food. Most of us had the roast dinners - great quality and plenty of it. Only downsides were sauces in plastic packets and £10 for desserts. Beautiful setting and attentive and smiley staff.

Great food & service arrived at 530pm only a few people in, it soon got busy around 630 plenty of parking & varied menu

The meal was fantastic, the service was incredible, and the atmosphere was superb.

Attending here for our festive party

Basically I really likes the food the huts we were in was amazing but the wagyu burger I had which was well done and I got food poisoning and now i have to waste the rest of my weekend resting in pain but the food did taste nice

Food was amazing, perfect portions, service was spot on. Will be coming back!

Pretty place where we had lunch. On the positive side they had a vegan menu as well as the normal. On the minus side I chose falafel salad which consists of a bit of rocket and possibly quinoa with very dried out falafel over a thick tomato paste. Very dry and hard to swallow I'm afraid. Luckily I ordered fries too

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 ❤️😀

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!

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!

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)

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

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

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 ).

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

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

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

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

Spectacular atmosphere for all tastes.

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.

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

Good food and we had a lovely waitress.

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 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!