The Symondsbury Kitchen in West Dorset

Great little cafe with friendly and professional service. Great food. Visit the estate to explore and hike and have lunch here before or after.

We decided to have breakfast out last Sunday (28th Oct) & decided on Symondsbury Kitchens. A beautiful venue in a beautiful location ! Within 15 minutes of arriving we had - scrambled eggs on toast for one & two 'full english' breakfasts. Brilliant ! The baked beans were homemade & so was the tomato ketchup. The filter coffee was just what I needed at ten in the morning. Hot & strong. Lots of staff waiting on us,very efficient Will be back ! 😉

We booked for 21 and had a great meal. I had the roast pork. The best part was the potatoes and, of course, the crackling. Others had fish or vegetarian fare and everyone said they enjoyed it. I would have liked a draft beer, but the bottled IPA was a good substitute. Very friendly service.

Came for lunch with the family, and the food was incredible. You can tell the ingredients are fresh and a lot of effort is put into each dish. The girls on shift were extremely welcoming and attentive, which made our experience 10 x better. Will definitely be back!

Stopped at Symondsbury for lunch with friends. It’s well signposted, but be aware there is a long gravelly drive before you reach it. Once there the setting is glorious & with shops & galleries much more to do than just to stop for food. We firstly sat outside (as it was a glorious sunny day) however, quickly moved inside as there were wasps everywhere. This was such a shame as the outside area is very pretty & would’ve be lovely to sit outside. I had a quick scroll through older TA reviews & it would appear the wasp situation has been going on for quite some time 🤔 As for the food, it was all absolutely delicious. We all had different food choices & everyone agreed it was first class with presentation & taste. Staff were also very nice & helpful. Food was a little slow in being served, but again reading other reviews that seems to be a regular gripe.

Visited twice during our holiday, once for coffee, and then returned the next day for breakfast. On both occasions we had great service, by friendly courteous staff. Coffee was good, served very hot as was the food which made my elderly parents very happy as its one of their measures of a good place! Full breakfast was cooked perfectly with home grown tomatoes, open mushroom and "symondsbury" baked beans. Will definitely return next time we're on hols to try lunch!!

Staying nearby I was excited to go here for brunch. However we stopped for drinks and cakes one visit and it was disappointing. Service was slow and staff were a bit rude when we ordered and when I checked on status of our drinks. Waited nearly 20 minutes for coffee, iced coffee and 2 soft drinks and 4 cakes to take away. No prices on any of the cakes and I thought it was expensive at £28. Didn’t go back for brunch in the end.

The Lyme Bay Ladies came together at Symondsbury Kitchen for a delicious brunch and relaxed networking. The team at Symondsbury were fantastic and even though we were a big group all ordering different breakfasts everything went perfectly. The locally sourced food is scrumptious and coffee is always excellent. Leave room for the huge pastries and amazing cakes! Thank you for looking after us so well.

Fabulous lunch, food was delicious. They coped well with our allergy requirements. Put us in a quieter area as my Grandson is Autistic and can be very loud (and he was! This was also no problem.) He also had a variation on a dish - he likes sausage & chips, no extras. Definitely recommend.

A great spot to enjoy spending time with family and friends on beautiful country estate. Friendly, happy staff. Local suppliers and tasty menu. Lovely courtyard and plenty of space for dogs. Really enjoyed it!

A really lovely breakfast in a beautiful location. The service was great, everyone really friendly. Will definitely be back!

We walked into the cafe and were blasted out by the music. It would have been good if it had been a disco night. So loud. How do they expect folk to have a conversation? We left and found somewhere quieter.

Very friendly staff, warm welcome. Lots of dogs which we enjoyed. Sausage and mash and burger both tasty. Prices high but same as anywhere really which isn’t Wetherspoons! Food not a knockout but well worth a stop if combining with a walk.

Cooked breakfast was 10/10. Good service in cosy surroundings next to the wood burning stove. Very good selection of cakes (inc vegan) to take away for later. Very happy.

Quality of menu deteriorating. Local person who has visited many times Not enough food on plate . Soughdough Hummous and tomato very scant content. Brought 7 people with me and I was embarrassed .Good service from Waitress with a smile .

It’s a nice restaurant/ cafe and the coffee was really good. However, the staff seemed really stressed despite what seemed like a relatively quiet lunch service. We only dropped in for coffees. We were seated quickly by a very polite waitress however we then didn’t see her again for another 15 minutes. There was a huge amount of activity but very little occurring in terms of food or drink being placed on tables.

This is one of my favourite cafes in Dorset. Fabulous, fresh local produce in a charming, historic location. Love it, 5 star!

The food was overpriced and pretentious to such an extent that the small portions were unpleasant. Patè came with toasted sourdough which would have been ok if it hadn't been soaked in oil. The accompanying salad was also soaked in oil. The pea brushcecco with poached egg was similarly on oily sourdough and was cold. It is a good location that deserves a restaurant providing decent food.

I used to like this place. They had some good vegan options. These have all been removed now so don't bother visiting if you are vegan or have a vegan in your party. Very disappointed ☹️

We loved the food and wine. Staff were great and the buildings are so pretty. We enjoyed browsing in the shop. We will definitely go back. Many thanks to the team at Symondsbury

After walking the Shute lane and Hells lane nearby we also climbed Colmers Hill we called in and had a very nice lunch. Free parking here which is a bonus. Plenty to see here at the centre after you have eaten

Beautiful setting. Unfortunately had to sit inside this time as far too many wasps outside! Might be an idea to put some wasp deterrents outside. Food very good as usual.

As a self confessed fat man that loves his food, I’m not always easy to pleased. I had the pork burger with feta and chili jam… omg fantastic. Our friends chose the meze lamb dish and it was a 10/10. Definitely recommend!

Excellent lunch for 2 - short BBQ ribs and a fine home-reared pork burger and chilli jam and home made coleslaw. Fine glass of white wine, and she had local cider. Attentive service and a relaxed Bank Holiday Sunday atmosphere.

I have never been served a bacon roll with streaky bacon in 60 years of eating bacon butties all over England , everywhere from restaurants to vans by the road.. Not only was the bacon streaky, it was very fatty. The roll was over buttered and just looking at it I was so taken aback by the amount of grease I could not eat it. They kindly offered me a replacement dish. I chose Banana pancakes. Whether they were American or English they were only cooked on one side. The other side was raw. Kindly we did not have to pay. I have eaten here several times before and never been disappointed. But I'd hesitate to visit again, specially as I had recommended it to my colleague.

Delightful rustic courtyard cafe. Excellent service, tasty and reasonably priced menu. Make the effort to visit, you won’t regret it!

Brought my elderly Mum here for lunch. Lovely setting, explored the galleries and the shops. Service was efficient, but felt short staffed as a little impersonal. We sat inside and the wooden table felt really sticky (maybe the wood stain?) My beetroot burger was tasty, the chips soggy. Mum’s fish cakes were inedible as full of bones, but she commented that the flavour was lovely. I’ve worked the service industry for many years and felt that constructive feedback on the day would have helped, but Mum is old school and didn’t wish to complain. This place is close to being a hidden gem, but not there yet.

So disappointed with bacon rolls which were always lovely- today was served meagre streaky rashers for a £6.50 roll! Not much taste and bit fatty. Would expect back bacon in such a nice place. Hi

Perfect sunny day to walk out to Symondsbury, arrived at 2.45pm to be told we could only have cake, do these people ever go abroad, where cafes are happy to feed you at anytime of the day, I never understand the British culture of being dictated to about what you can eat and when, needless to say it was quiet, try thinking outside of the box rather than being the cafe that closes for lunch

Coronation cream tea was a little disappointing. No cup and saucer served, just mugs for tea. Certain elements advertised when booked were not provided and substituted but the staff did not advise. Very overpriced for what we received. Such a shame as Symondsbury kitchens food is usually excellent.

What a lovely place to visit lots of little shops dotted around and art galleries too . Stopped for brunch just catch on them as they stop serving breakfast at 11.30 but was definatly worth it a great rustic breakfast .

Having visited before and thoroughly enjoyed the food this visit was sadly marred by overpricing for the breakfast food. I fully appreciate that Covid and the lockdown has changed how costs have had to increase but for one slice of toast with butter and jam for £3.95 is stretching it a bit far. There were five adults in our group and we all had something different but the costs were unreasonable for the quantity served. It's very hard to complain at the time as we did not want to create a scene but I am afraid this review is not as favourable as it could have been . The location is excellent it is clean and serves a variety of choice but needs to check its value for money for the future.

A treat lunch from my daughter that was an all round great experience and amazing value for money. The manager and staff were all welcoming and helpful despite our late arrival, my enjoyment of the visit was obviously a priority to them. The roast lamb...

20 of us met for lunch at the Symondsbury Kitchen today. Richard, the manager and all staff were brilliant. We had tasty food and great service! Richard had arranged for us to have sole use of a side room off the main dining area -...

We visited this wonderful cafe after climbing Colmers Hill. Excellent americano coffees, danish pastry and vegan brownie. Very friendly service and pleasant atmosphere. I would recommend visiting.

We visited Symondsbury Kitchen for the first time in before Christmas for a bunch with some family members. We all had breakfast, scrambled eggs served on toasted sourdough plus, one with salmon, one with bacon, and mine with mushrooms. However, mine came out with one...

Visited the Symmondsbury Kitchen after enjoying a walk around the Estate's unique little shopping area. There was a cosy atmosphere in the restaurant which has plenty of seating inside and outside. The menu is not huge but tasty and very reasonably priced. The staff were...

Enjoyed absolutely delicious roast lamb with pumkin gratin followed by yummy orange polenta cake. Warm and atmospheric cafe with friendly and efficient staff - would recommend coming here any day of the week but especially for the Sunday lunch.

Happy New Year Sunday lunch with good friends at Symondsbury Kitchen. What a delicious lunch! Their own home reared lamb, cooked to perfection with all the trimmings and home grown veg. Topped off with a delicious toffee pear pudding. Thank you Santina and staff, you...

Wonderfully festive visit to Symondsbury! Lovely and tastefully festive decoration in the cafe. Service was great: smiley, friendly and attentive service from all! Coffee (as always) was good and a great selection of interesting cakes with a variety of flavours on offer!

Loud music, which seemed to be for the entertainment of the staff, was intrusive and not in keeping with a peaceful rural break. Some staff not exactly friendly, some ok.

We were just going to have a cup of tea but when we realised they had a vegan and gluten free cake we decided to have one as a treat. Normally in a pot of tea you can squeeze two cups each but the pot...

Lunch for a family of 5 was disappointing - poor value, very mean portions for very average fare. Leek and Gorgonzola tart more like a starter in size, puff pastry was burnt and for the price I expected something a bit more substantial. Cheese ploughman...

We had a wonderful stay here. We attended a “pig in day” cookery course was very interesting. Richard and his staff were extremely helpful and so friendly. Would definitely recommend a stay here

Very much enjoyed my visit here and had the best Vegetarian breakfast I've ever tasted. Nothing was too much trouble, my GF diet readily accommodated , the ambience and setting delightful.

Small portions, expensive for what was on offer, limited choice on menu, new potatoes were undercooked so very hard, shame there wasn't a more innovative menu on offer with all our fabulous local produce- only saving grace from 3 stars was the setting and it...

Called in last Saturday for lunch. We both chose the fish ( catch of the day) and chips with minted pureed peas, and a side if garlic bread . Superb ! I've never had fish so fresh. My wife followed hers with the chocolate brownie...

Had a lovely breakfast with the family, nice staff. but only gave 4 stars as the menu was a bit limited and pricey. Beautiful surroundings though.

Having spent nearly 3 weeks in the area, this became our "Go To" place for coffee as well as the occasional breakfast and lunch.. As ever the service was with a smile and can do attitude. Granted the menu has reduced slightly over the past...

I absolutely love this place and visit it regularly! The food and coffee is always delicious and the cafe itself is so beautiful. Looking forward to my next visit already.

We had heard good reviews before going and we weren’t disappointed. Everything was very fresh and felt homemade, I even had to take a photo of my meal so I could try and emulate it at home! Service was also good and cafe is perfectly...

I am not usually one for writing reviews on cafes/restaurants, but having had a look at the recent reviews, I thought I ought to share my great experiences at the Cafe. I must visit the Symondsbury Kitchen 4 or 5 times a year, so I...

Sadly this restaurant doesn’t cater for vegans. I had to have the Greek salad without feta as my main course which was basically cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce and olives. Friends’ salad accompaniment had pine nuts and pumpkins seeds in and a side of potatoes. At least...

Have visited this restaurant over a number of years generally lunch time and usually coupled with shopping at the excellent garden centre or for a walk around the outstanding Coles Hill area. They have always been very busy and difficult at lunchtime to sometimes get...

Called at 1620 on Wednesday to be told its quiet so we have shut you wont do any trade if your not open not at all acceptable

Start with the best thing - the wines! Never seen such good prices for such delicious rose. NEVER CHANGE! Had a great lunch at the café. I had the Hake and chips which was perfectly cooked and a decent size. Others had veggie tart and...

Part of an overall experience i.e. visiting the Symondsbury Estate complex. The 'offical' route into the site is by way of a rough unmetalled track which is heavily potholed/rutted. This put me off right from the beginning and on that basis alone, I will not...

Probably the smallest portion of chips I have ever seen in my life! Literally 5 or 6 chips! What a rip off!

It’s a shame as a lovely location. Service was good, smiling staff but what they offer overall needs a proper re-think. Choice, style of menu and portion size will be a disappointment to many.

Friday 22nd July After a beautiful week in Dorset we decided to stop off for Breakfast at The Symondsbury Estate. We always seek out good produce and particularly when it is Organic. We ordered 5 Breakfasts and various items for the Kids. When the Breakfasts...

Made a booking for 9 people at 2.30pm, I checked that cream teas & a selection of cakes would be available to us at that time. I was assured that it wouldn’t be a problem as I had given the a fair amount of notice....

a friend nd myself visited today. shops very good but a bit expensive for the everyday person. we wanted some lunch so made our way to the cafe. Asked for an indoor table for 2 only to be told non available when we were actually...

Celebrating our wedding anniversary we decided to visit Symondsbury. Welcomed by staff Good selection of food and wine Reasonable prices, Plus enjoyed visiting the Art Gallery and shops. Delightful

Delicious food, not much variety on the menu. Staff were all very nice and welcoming. Would recommend

Came here twice in one day, before and after climbing Colmer's Hill. Both times made to feel a nuisance, staff not welcoming and apart from one young waitress the rest of the staff didn't seem bothered or helpful at all. Coffee was decent and the...

Staff are nice and the buildings/site pretty. However, the food is shocking. Very expensive breakfasts for very poor quality and taste. Would not come here to eat again. Probably the worst full English I’ve ever had.

Menu is expensive and don’t come here if you are hungry. Small toasted sandwich on sourdough with two lettuce leaves £8.50. Will not be returning!

We booked a table for brunch at 11am, and ordered I plenty of time before breakfast service finished, the food was very disappointing,the portions were tiny, for example one of our party ordered the vegetarian breakfast, this consisted of a tiny piece of toast with...

This is in a lovely rural location with a large free car park. Excellent outside seating area. Staff are friendly and efficient. The downside is the very poor choice on the menu which in my view is in urgent need of expanding

This is a really lovely place to visit. The food was nice enough but the portions are so small and over priced. Locally caught fish and vegetables was a tiny bit of fish and a few spinach leaves, no potatoes or chips included. Really disappointed....

Have been before for breakfast and coffee and cake, always relatively happy until today. Took in-laws and mother out for Sunday lunch. Roast dinner was possibly the worst I’ve ever had. All the dinners were cold! Much too cold to eat, so had to be...

Amazing Birthday Brunch! Pancakes were lovely and the cooked breakfast was fantastic- the sausages were great! Service was great, very attentive and welcoming staff! Definitely will come back again !

The most expensive bacon roll in Dorset I suspect! £8. Very hard to justify. A pleasant environment and otherwise reasonably priced, although other breakfast items also expensive

We had a bowl of beetroot coloured soup which lacked any detectable beetroot flavour and a pathetic slice of what was described as garlic rye bread, lacking any garlic flavour. The portions were small, very small. Not value for money.

Went a few months ago and was disappointed, however decided to try lunch once more. The disabled parking is no longer readily available. We were told in the cafe that you could phone up if you needed disabled access, and on the way out we...

Went there for breakfast with friends very disappointed only Sour bread was on offer when the poached eggs came on one slice of toast came I couldn’t see the one piece of toast under the eggs as it was so small and it came on...

Popped in for lunch, and although busy, they fitted us in with no fuss at all Not everything available on the menu which was a pity, but what we had was very tasty and reasonably priced Friendly staff as well

My husband and I visited with our large dog. We were all made to feel really welcome. Lovely festive, relaxed ambience. Service was friendly & efficient and the food was really tasty, even our dog got a treat! Will definitely be coming back.

Super place to stop off after a very wet dog walk. Staff very friendly and dogs are welcome. Bacon and sausages are produced on the estate and are extremely good

Very friendly and welcoming staff. Lovely atmosphere and decor. Such quick service and amazing food will be coming back again 100%

What a major disappointment. I had planned in advance to come , and booked, for breakfast. My booking wasn’t in place when I arrived so I was told I could just naybe come back in half an hour. I asked if I could have a...

We ordered soup and a lentil dish. Soup was supposed to be served with sourdough but arrived with one piece of toast. Soup was v average. So different to the soup and delicious bread we’ve eaten in this cafe in the past. I was excited...

Nice area, and look of the cafe was lovely. ….. BUT , Not at all welcoming on arrival, waited to be seated at just after 2pm, thinking we could have a light lunch , as said on website it was serving until 3pm. But we...

Disinterested staff, reduced menu, order wrong and no apology. Asked for tap water in addition to drinks and food we had ordered and were told no because they would be shutting in 20 mins.

I ordered a lamb and hummus dish off the lunch menu. We waited age's although other hot food orders,with later order numbers, were being served up. When it arrived, I was very surprised at how small the portion was. Unfortunately, the Lamb content was almost...

If I could leave no stars then I would. No vegan options on the menu, staff unwilling to accommodate even a request of toast as it's "off menu". Menu very expensive and is not proportional to the quality of what is provided. Coffee was expensive...

As a frequent visitor to Symondsbury kitchen cafe, I was disappointed this time :( We arrived an hour and a half before closing, no problem, we ordered coffees and cakes, after an hour we asked to order 2nd drinks , one of the waitresses looked...

Always a point of call for a good breakfast , good value, nice location and good service. Need a good appetite because you get plenty, but good variety as well if dont want a traditional English. Open throughout day.

Staff were polite but not friendly. They offer dairy free milk for drinks but nothing on the food front. Very unusual for this kind of establishment not to offer anything at all. Staff were not interested in trying help.

Came to the cafe for breakfast today. All the staff were so attentive and really helpful. Very quick service and the food was incredible! The staff deserve credit for their hard work! Thank you so much, we’ll be back again for sure!

Very dissatisfied outside tables left uncleared. Staff disinterested. The tea was terribly weak and the slice of cake was very small. I was really disappointed the garden setting is lovely but that was it

Frustratingly Tripadvisor offers 3 stars for average and 4 for very good. I'd probably have gone for 'good' if it were a choice. Not particularly fast service.

Took an afternoon walk at Symondsbury estate wand stopped at the kitchen for a late lunch. It is quite a busy season, with clearly understaffed restaurants and cafes so this was considered. Service was friendly but choppy. Tables were sticky and many flies about. Food...

The welcome was abysmal. One really nice tall waiter, the others just seemed annoyed people were turning up. The order was wrong, then the food was cold and the drinks we’d ordered hadn’t come out either. They’re lucky they have a beautiful setting, but the...

Ordered lunch for 6 of us, 3 peoples’ lunch arrived and they had virtually finished theirs before 2 more lunches arrived, the 6th had been forgotten completely so that was a further wait. The lunch was nice but overpriced. £11.50 for a piece of toast,...

Called in with family for drinks and cake. The smallest portion of lemon drizzle cake (itself a description that wasn't very accurate) we've ever seen. Cups were chipped - think that may have been part of the ambience - but just made it awkward to...

Had been for a walk in the local area and stopped at the cafe for drinks and possibly lunch. Ordered two coffees, a hot chocolate and a soft drink whilst we looked at the menu. We were still waiting, just for this order, half an...

My wife and I stopped here for lunch-we were delighted to find this out of the way place with such a lovely atmosphere. The staff could not have been more helpful. The food was lovely, and as we are both vegetarian we were delighted by...

There's no doubt this is a beautiful location, hence 3/5. However other aspects have really declined and although I have visited frequently I don't plan to come back in a hurry. The extremely short menu could be justified by great quality but the food was...

Having visited this cafe for several years, and always enjoying my time here, naturally I have visited a few times recently, only to be incredibly disappointed each time. I usually don’t write negative reviews and am certainly not complaining here, just sharing my recent experiences...