The Ugly Duckling Cafe in North Dorset

I was quite late on a cold Sunday afternoon. We were able to pop in for a quick bite to eat. The service was great and the decor and atmosphere was excellent. The sausage rolls with caramelised onion and side salad was one of the best I've had dor a while. My latte was flavourful as was my friend's pot of tea. I will go again as soon as I'm in the area.

First time visit staff very helpful and friendly and the food was nice

It was a lovely little cafe with plenty of seating and the staff was very pleasant and polite, there was a decent menu and selection of cakes on the counter to choose from. We opted for the breakfast which was very disappointing, the only nice thing on there was the bacon as it wasn't overcooked the rest was overcooked and seemed as though it had been sitting under a warmer or hotplate, the fried bread was in parts burnt, and the sausage was rock hard down one side, the hash browns where not great however we did eat it all as we paid for it and we don't like to waste food and because of the amount of money we paid for them I had a large breakfast and my wife had the small and the extra addition of black pudding on both and two drinks cost was under £32.00.

Excellent toastie and coffee. Service good, friendly staff. Great menu choices, although we didn’t have a cake they looked very temping.

Called with no booking, a table was just coming free, and we were seated almost immediately. Excellent service and a lovely snack and coffee.

Absolutely delicious breakfast and a superb dirty chai latte highly recommend this eatery for breakfast lunch and great atmosphere 😋

Very good breakfast here and had fried bread! Very few places do this now. Once in a while is fine! Would have given top marks but the fried egg was hard. I'll try again soon to see if it's better.

Love the food and the and attentive servicing. Atmosphere was nice as well

Absolutely LOVED our vegan brunch!! And the fried bread - my goodness, what a treat!! If we lived closer, we would be here every weekend. Love that our doggy was catered for too, thank you!

Popped in for lunch whilst visiting Shaftesbury. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meal. My husband ordered a cheese and ham omelette which looked and tasted perfect, golden brown and served with a really fresh and varied side salad. My jacket potato with prawns was generously filled and accompanied with butter pats and more excellent salad. After, we ordered coffee and cakes from a varied selection. The brownie was one of the best the hubby had had, and the coffee was good and hot. Note: No Wi-Fi and no dogs allowed at this cafe. Service friendly. Excellent cafe, thank you

Only popped in for the coffee which was delicious and a chocolate brownie which was sublime. Very friendly staff and a good range of cakes.

Tucked away in Swan Yard. Warm and cosy. Seating outside too. Jolly decoration. Food excellent. Coffee delicious. Prices reasonable. Staff friendly and efficient. Care taken over food preferences and allergies. Accessible and with a disabled toilet. Parking in main town car park a short walk away.

Came upon this cafe by chance whilst in shaftsbury. What a gem of a place. The staff were very welcoming and friendly. We all chose the toasted sandwich option, which in our opinion was the best we have had in a very long time.If we lived in the area instead of being tourists,this would definitely be our favourite cafe.Please go hear if you are in the area. Happy visitors from I.o.w.

Great food and staff. Toilets available. Seating in or out. Wheel chair access made at home. Rainbow 🌈 cake a must . Cheese scone and chutney divine xx

Super little independent cafe. Very popular. Staff friendly and attentive.

Amazing ploughman’s! Friendly staff and extremely welcoming cafe, with a good variety on the menu. Prompt service. Couldnt ask for more, highly recommended 5*

Lovely lunch, friendly staff Nothing to much trouble Thank you Dale Recommended by a local xxx

Great choice of gluten-free options here, including sausage roll and scones! I was amazed, and the sausage roll was very tasty. I didn't sample the scones.

Great place lovely food. Double poached eggs on the Smashed Avocado and big rashers of bacon on the full english. Bravo!

We went to this place on a rainy day, best comforting food and they served me the best scones I’ve ever had!! 🤤

Lovely cafe. Definitely get the bubble and squeak. Good for vegetarians too.

Lovely little cafe in a lovely setting

Visited this cafe for the first time as my wife was singing with her choir in town and she had seen excellent previous rewiews when looking for somewhere in the local area for us to have breakfast. The cafe is located in a quiet yard off the main shopping street in Shaftesbury and is very clen and tidy inside and also has lovely outdoor seating too. I had the full vegetarian breakfast ( with yummy fried bread )which was cooked to perfection and my wife had poached eggs on toast which she again thought was perfect. For drinks we both had chai latte which we both agreed were the best we have ever had and put major coffe shop chains to shame. So good infact we both ordered a second one. Service was polite , efficient and friendly and the bill was really reasonable. Honestly we both think that the whole visit was the best breakfast we have ever had. We will be back very soon.

Good coffee Lovely food Good GF choices Highly recommended

We came here for breakfast and arrived at 10.40 and ordered within a couple of minutes. We then had to wait 50 minutes for our food. I don't know how big the kitchen is, but it seems that they were making each order individually from scratch each time they picked up an order receipt. The reason why I say this is because we were two of about 5 people before us who had ordered the same thing. Surely you would batch cook what you need rather than cooking on breakfast then moving on to the next. The only reason I can think for this is the size of the kitchen, and if that's the case, then it would help to be told that it may take a while for food to come out. We were in a hurry and only just made it to where we were going. It just seemed an odd way to run a kitchen. The food was lovely and the staff were lovely it was just a shame that we had this issue.

Great food and friendly service!

Called in for lunch today on this cold grey April day … warm welcome and nice service … excellent sausage roll with nice salad and slaw … reasonably priced. Best of all for my wife was that they had a gluten free version … top marks for that!

Quirky little cafe - food, service and staff were all excellent. The odd sized lampshades above the counter messed with my OCD and couldn't stop looking at them...... Niw you won't be able to either...... 😂

Really good service, nice outdoor setting area with free entertainment.

Lovely little café. Lovely friendly staff. Great menu, including gluten free, food cooked fresh, Delicious cakes.

Delicious apple cake served with thick cream, lovely atmosphere, well recommended to all visitors

Expensive sandwiches - Not a working man’s cafe. Great atmosphere, seemed to be full of retired people. I ordered a Sausage and Egg sandwich with a Latte for a total of £10.50 - which is expensive. They added crisps and salad for free. Great quality egg and sausage on standard white bread. The fry ups, however, seemed cheap in comparison and judging by the great quality of the food they are presumably delicious too. I unfortunately didn’t have time to try.

Great find!! Lovely cafe with lovely staff. We visited with our 3 year old daughter and sat in the "naughty corner" perfect for us as we had plenty of room for all our coats and bags! Food was lovely and service was very good. Staff paid extra attention to our daughter, giving her some books and toys to play with whilst we waited for our food. Plus they kindly wrapped up what our little girl left for us to take home! Five stars 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Dog friendly and one of the best flavoured sausages I have ever tasted.

Six of us met up for a breakfast which was brilliant ,staff helpful and so polite, we would highly recommend this little friendly cafe to anyone wanting a full English breakfast in a loverly atmosphere. From Julian, Billy,Scorp,Phil,Bod & Michelle.

Good food from naught corner staff very good well done tony mbe

IT REALLY IS A MUST IF YOU ARE HUNGRY, GRAT SERVICE PLEASANT STAFF, FOOD IS DELICIOUS we visit both Saturday & Sunday, because as I said food is great

Attentive & welcoming staff. Warm & relaxed atmosphere. Affordable prices. Fab place 👍

So friendly and inexpensive. The staff were lovely. Took a little while to find it but well worth it. Will definitely go again.

Great place with friendly courteous staff

Busy and not surprising. Good food, good value and a lovely atmosphere.

Nice food but the food and drinks took AGES

Lovely place, and such lovely stuff! Breakfast was amazing 🩵

I chose to visit The Ugly Duckling as I wanted somewhere for a casual light lunch on a Sunday, and it was absolutely perfect. A wide range of hot and cold meals- I had a delicious and generously filled panini. Friendly staff and fast service.

Good toasted sandwich, great service.

Food was good but wish they had a children’s menu

Very friendly staff we had a large fry up and could not have asked for more. Pleasant outdoor eating area. Recommended

If you are ever in or just visiting Shaftesbury, feeling peckish this really is a nice place to have something to eat, good menu and very competitive prices, service 1000% staff are very pleasant, courteous, and well mannered

Un café y un mola excelente. Sitio recomendable

The perfect breakfast!!! And great staff!!!

Lovely brunch and breakfast enjoyed here a couple of days.

Nice little cafe,had coffee and cake, nice staff

The Ugly Duckling is a very friendly place to eat with good quality food attractively presented. Good home cooked style breakfasts and meals at a reasonable price

Exceptionally good food. Wonderful gluten free selection and the service is beyond compare.

Lovely place in Shaftesbury with good service and food.

Had a great breakfast and awesome shake.

Great fried breakfast and lovely coffee

We've been here before when in the area and enjoyed a hearty breakfast so where to go for breakfast this visit - The Ugly Duckling of course. Even though there has been a couple of years between visits, we weren't disappointed. Very busy little cafe, lovely breakfast and pleasant service.

Friendly prompt service with great food.

Had a wonderful breakfast before long journey home

First time visit ,absolutely great, attentive staff good food at good prices and a very friendly atmosphere to boot .

Yet another visit and still as good as the last!

A truly delicious and satisfying gluten free breakfast 😋 💙

Fantastic breakfast, very much needed

Lovely little cafe. We had the steak and onion baguettes that were delicious. Finished off with warm homemade Dorset apple cake with clotted cream! 🤤

Nice friendly little cafe, good variety of food, pleasant staff.

If you want a seat at the Ugly duckling on a weekend or during the holidays make sure you arrive early, they are very popular and for good reason! The food, the staff and the atmosphere is all amazing, they serve one of the best breakfasts in the area.

Lovely staff and food is lovely

Friendly staff with good prices.

Always busy, and tables booked for breakfast

Nice little cafe tucked away from the main street , nice food took a little longer than I thought it would but worth the wait

I go there because my lady friend lives it there she likes the cakes .A pleasant cafe with niice people serving To be honest it's becoming a bit cramped in there though.I usually always sit outside if I go for a tea etc Overall a really nice place with ex food

Delicious cakes, friendly staff and reasonable prices. What more could you ask for?

Lovely Panini, lovely coffee, great service, comfortable seats.

Really nice cosy cafe. Stopped for brunch. Reasonably priced, fast service and cute decor. Dorset apple cake was the highlight!

Cute cafe with a chilled but humorous decor. Staff and patrons were friendly. Food was better than the slop you get around London and felt like they actually cared. Nice outside area with shelter so you can watch the world go by. No complaints at all.

A nice little find, friendly staff and a nice bite to eat.

Great little cafe - very accommodating for dietary needs/choices.

Nice ladies, lovely soup.very polite. A normal price. 2 t's 1 soup inc bread £10. No comfy armchairs.

Great little cafe for a hot meal or just a cuppa

Good food. Friendly staff. Child friendly

Too often cafes sacrifice quality for quantity or vice versa. Not The Ugly Duckling. A wonderful lunch, that was delicious, large and excellent value for money. The Ham and Cheese Omelette was very well cooked and tasty, and the All Day Breakfast was superb! The staff were fabulous and friendly. Seek this delightful cafe out, it’s well worth it.

Excellent vegan options, including a delicious chocolate fudge cake 😊 Nice friendly staff too!

Always friendly staff and they do some nice gluten free and vegetarian options.

Staff were very nice and food was enjoyable. Drinks were ok. There's a nice range of items on the menu. Interior is maybe a little bit cramped

A very good Cafe good food and friendly service 👌

Quick service, friendly staff, great food and great prices! Highly recommend

A great place for breakfast, tucked away in a quiet corner off Shaftesbury High Street. Check out the amazing mural of old Shaftesbury on the wall at the back of the covered terrace. It seems to be a popular meeting spot for locals and the staff are very welcoming to visitors too.

great for breakfast and light lunches.

Excellent cafe. Brilliant breakfast, lovely staff and great prices. What more could you want.

We sat outside in the sun. Lovely food. Inside seating available.

Hidden gem. Very popular. Indoor and outdoor seating. Reasonable price. Friendly staff. No parking outside but plenty around the area.

Fabulous bacon,Brie and cranberry panini. 1st visit we will return.

Absolutely up their own, well one women. I waited over half an hour, I'm down the lane away from cafe, on one of their tables, someone hovering for the table, so I rang, so not to lose the table. Young women, who I have never been a fan of, always looks like she is up herself, comes down the lane, with my money, minus price for tea, lol, clearly desperate for the money, gives me my money back. Said she told me it was a 45 minute wait. Complete tosh. All about herself. Don't touch the place, if she is working. Older women is much better, always friendly, but not on today. Never going to come here again. I don't expect a dictatorship attitude. No apology, awful. All about her.

Cappuccino was hot and creamy. Polenta cake was fresh and moisty. Seats comfy. Happy days! 🙂

Love this Cafe. Always such a warm welcome from Tanya. My friend Rose and I go there on a regular basis. Food and drinks delicious especially the Dorset Apple Cake served warm with clotted cream😋

Nice breakfast, outdoor space is kids friendly. No halal option but many delicious vegetarian and seafood choices.

Had breakfast for two at this family run cafe over the weekend. Really friendly service, and a very good filling breakfast. Made to feel very welcome, and we were really well looked after. Highly recommended!! Thanks team!!

Lovely cafe, friendly staff. The boys loved their food, especially Sam with his full English

Wonderful staff and location. Great gluten free & diary free options!