The Wise Man Inn in West Dorset

Wow. What a pub. Sat in the idyllic Dorset village of West Stafford lies this little gem. I couldn't have been more impressed. The roast dinner was perfectly presented and tasted even better. Nice work The Wise Man. Can't wait for round 2.

Today the Wise man was not at its best. Service was indifferent, even though we were the only customers, we were not offered a drink when shown to our table, the two staff were then chatting at the rear of the pub, so after ten minutes I went to the bar to order drinks. Food order was not taken for ages, eventually we put our menus at the end of the table so waiter would realise we were ready to order. Food was okay, my food order had to be redone as it wasn’t what I’d asked for, we weren’t offered coffee after dessert. I’d mentioned on my booking it was a birthday treat, but no reference made to this at all, which surprised me. So everything really not up to the usual standard, very disappointing.

Booked The Wise Man Inn for a wedding celebration meal, we had 30 guests for the evening and everything went so well, the staff were friendly and accommodating, service was perfect and the food was incredible! Everyone left with positive comments on the evening, thank you to Philip and the team!

What a lovely village and a lovely pub. The food was good with a good choice although the fish pie was disappointing. Service was good.

Came on a whim with my wife on Friday. Asked if the kitchen was open and was told no so just got a couple drinks. Asked where we could sit and told only outside. Personally I think this should be said before ordering but maybe that’s just me. Noticed a sign for a beer garden and asked the waitress which way it was and was ignored and she just walked off. My wife was cold so I tried to turn on the heat lamps which a few locals said worked and were on a few nights before. Same waitress walks by, I asked for help and was told just told no aggressively. The locals laughed it off as she is always like that and went in to ask the barman who turned them on. Awful experience due to this very inhospitable FoH member.

This place was recommended by the owners of our holiday accommodation so we drove out today for lunch. Value for money it isn't - all dishes were expensive for what they were but the piri-piri chicken with rainbow rice had the smallest chicken leg I have ever been served in my life and a very small portion of rice. For the price (£17) I would have expected at least twice the amount of chicken (didn't seem to be a problem with my wife's chicken clear salad) and if it weren't for the fact that the rice clearly had fresh veg in it I would have mistaken it for an Uncle Ben's microwaveable pouch.

Great village pub!! Food from the chef George was out of this world! Followed by the best waitress and waiter Becca and Toby who couldn’t do enough for us. Highly recommend!

Where to start. Meet and greet was non existent and the girl behind the bar was not doing this business any favours. Rude, abrupt and just not happy in her role, not what you want on arrival for sure. “First impressions and all that” we were clearly not wanted so drank our drinks and left hungry, we headed off to somewhere else. Not our normal experience for sure.

Have used this pub for a number of years whilst on holiday we would normally visit it about 6 times during our break. In the past the food has been superb here and the desserts were to die for but what a change this time. I had a dish with Fennel but it was so tough I could not cut it with my knife and it was inedible. My adult daughter had a dish of Skate but the seasoning was so strong it was making her cough, the waitress took it back and said she would get it made again with the seasoning on the side but when she returned with it and it was just the same. So we paid for what we had had and left, the waitress was very apologetic but I told her it was not her fault but the cook must have changed, I won't call him a chef as the food was so bad. This is such a shame as we always looked forward to our meals here and can say they used to be perhaps the best for miles around

Very welcoming- staff excellent- Sunday menu but not limited just to roast meals. Quality good and portions if anything too generous especially the roasts- really good experience

Visited this very attractive village pub for Sunday lunch. Excellent varied menu with several vegetarian and gluten free options. We enjoyed a fabulous roast lunch beautifully presented and perfectly cooked. The children in the group were also well catered for. The staff were attentive and friendly. We will definitely be returning soon.

We had a lovely walk to The Wise Man. The menu was varied and all sounded delicious, we chose to have four small plates. Delicious was exactly what they were. Friendly service and being dog friendly added to the experience, the sunshine helped too. We will definitely return.

Took family here for a Sunday roast. It was OK but did not meet our expectations. The wife had been told great things about the pub and the food. Don't get me wrong, staff were friendly and helpful but food was slow, meat was dry, roasties hard (nearly everyone left them). Maybe just a bad day so we'll try again later in the year.

We came here for Sunday lunch, as a family of 6 adults and 3 children. We had high hopes as we had been recommended the Sunday lunch here. The food was good, and done well but the thing that let our visit down was the incredibly slow service. Our table was booked for 1:30pm but we didn't leave until 4pm as it took so long to bring out the food. We had to chase up our meals several times - both for the main and also the dessert. It is easier to wait when you're a group of adults, but three young hungry children got very restless! I am thankful however for the staffs diligence in preparing an allergy safe meal for my daughter.

Nice welcome, and as we were cold we were sat near the fire. All good so far. Then my fish gratin arrived. It was inedible. Very strong rancid taste, skin left on a lot of the fish bits. No discernable. gratin (crust), a very thin watery sauce, with four soggy (I think chick pea) kind of croutons I only tasted a little, but the rancid taste lingered far too long in my mouth.. What a disappointment.

We were made very welcome on arrival. The staff were very friendly and helpful by answering any queries we had about the menu. We opted to have mains and desserts off of the specials list both of which were excellent (compliments to the chefs) The Wise Man has a very nice atmosphere , which made it a good venue for our get together.

The young people behind the bar were really nice and friendly and helpful, but the food wasn’t anywhere as nice as we have had there before. It was for a birthday celebration, so quite important. When ordering steak, I think you should expect more than a rather mediocre steak with chips, covered by some pieces of watercress. Where were the tomatoes, mushrooms, onion rings? Sorry, but we were disappointed..,

We were not disappointed, I booked up on sunday morning online as it was such a lovely day and we wanted to try somewhere new for Sunday lunch, the roast was lovely and presentation was good too, desserts were very nice I could have eaten the elderflower sorbet all day it was gorgeous. The staff were friendly and very helpful, the pub itself was very clean and welcoming, will definitely be visiting again very soon

Called in for an early dinner on a Saturday evening. Very friendly and professional staff and I thoroughly enjoyed the sirloin steak which was perfect.

Our absolute favourite and wonderful Wise Man pub. Some of the best food ever. Gorgeous cosy setting in the winter and beautiful sunny garden in the summer. So sympathetically cared for and such kind and considerate service from the lovely team. Our perfect place. Thank you to Philip and the team for continuing to make our visits so welcoming and so delicious!… Highly recommend Sunday roast lunches and beautiful fish specials (the halibut, best I’ve ever tasted) locally sourced and beautifully prepared ❤️

The service was excellent but only one vegetarian option for a main. We had to have cheese toastie instead of a main meal as we didn’t fancy the one vegetarian option.

Took my 102 year old Great Aunt her for a late birthday lunch and she ate a full turkey roast with all the trimmings followed by Xmas pudding with custard topped with raspberries. An outstanding meal. We loved the place, the atmosphere, easy access and parking and always happy to see Timothy Taylor’s on tap. It was a very cold day and to be honest the pub wasn’t that warm where we and others were sat but nothing an extra layer could sort out. We will visit again.

We have just had one of the best Sunday roasts ever. Cooked to perfection, beautifully presented and a generous portion. The puddings looked equally delicious so managed to squeeze one in and they were equally fabulous. The sticky toffee pudding was to die for. Cannot recommend this pub enough. Try it you won’t be disappointed.

Amazing food.. I’m coeliac and the gluten free options were amazing..couldn’t fault the service.. nothing was too much trouble Highly recommend

Booked for Sunday lunch with my parents and parents for my birthday. Excellent from start to finish. The roasts were perfect and same with plenty of trimmings and perfectly cooked veg. Wine wad wonderful and the puddings were divine! Excellent service despite being very busy. We will be back! Thank you

Once again , a great meal at the wise man, very friendly staff, great food , good value for money , very pleasant , unrushed afternoon , great atmosphere .

Another great meal. Table of 7 all served very efficiently. Several of us had steaks cooked to perfection also lamb curry was great. Will definitely be back

Extremely disappointed, we ordered Beer Battered Haddock, triple fried chips with pea purée. When our meal arrived, the fish looked amazing, beautifully battered and piping hot. However greatly disappointed with the chips which looked dry (possibly left over from previous day and microwaved). Definitely not freshly cooked, the pea purée was also dry, grainy quite unpleasant, could only be described as “claggy). Will definitely not be returning, neither would I recommend.

The pub must have changed hands recently, not a patch on previous visits. Too many lazy flies around our table and the food can only be described as very average. Sadly will not be back.

After many years of regularly returning here it must be time for another review. Boring though, as all I can really do is to repeat my previous accolades and appreciation for this truly excellent restaurant. Every aspect is invariably spot on, from kitchen to service. Always an imaginative and varied menu, and front of house is reliably both friendly and efficient. Occasional special events are worth watching for: Their recent supper club "On Our Doorstep" tasting menu, featuring only locally sourced produce, was an adventurous step up for them in both complexity and price point, and the whole event worked extremely well (albeit a little over-substantial). More of the same please!

We enjoyed a delicious lunch in the pretty garden. The menu was varied and the specials board imaginative. The service was excellent.

We took our friends for a birthday present. The location is lovely and staff approachable. We have eaten here on a few occasions and have been pleased with the standard of food and portion size. However, something has changed. The portion sizes are now very small for the price and I don’t even have a big appetite. The outside of the steak was tough and very difficult to cut. The gnocchi was tasty but again extremely small portion. I was advised it was pre portioned containing 6 pieces. I had five mushed up pieces on my plate. Even if there had been the full quota it would have been a very small dinner for £16. We did discuss our grievances with the staff who did their best to put things right. The young, tall manager was extremely polite and apologetic and we did not have to pay for the gnocchi which was good. The puddings were tasty but again in our opinion overpriced at £8.50 for portion size . Overall a nice pub with courteous staff, however, the quality, quantity and cost of the food needs to be significantly improved.

We had the most amazing meal last night. Varied menu with lots a great fish options. I had salmon and cod fishcake which was delicious. Octopus also great along with hake. Large portions and great presentation. We had a variety of deserts again great flavour combinations.

On recommendation we had dinner. Service was excellent but food we felt was overrated. Crab tart was dry, lacking seasoning, served with a very small salad, I would say garnish. The plaice special was over cooked as was the accompanying veg. Overall a disappointing meal .

I enjoyed a gorgeous dining experience at this idyllic and relaxing inn earlier this week. The menus were creative, adventurous and seasonal and the food simply delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed the crab tart followed by the hake and everyone in my party (of eight) were...

Absolutely superb food , staff were efficient and professional. Wish we were local as would eat here often. Prices were good for the quality of ingredients and cooking. What a great chef.

We’ve visited the Wise Man for both lunch and dinner and both times were fantastic! Really good food and friendly staff. Brilliant dog friendly pub. We will definitely return if we are back in the area.

I love this place. The welcome is always warm, service is good and food is delicious. However, I’ve visited three times this year for Sunday lunch and, being vegetarian, I’ve ordered the vegetarian roast (which is delicious) but, when compared with the meat roasts, the...

Lovely pub in a beautiful village. We visited for dinner. The food was delicious and the service was outstanding. We’ll definitely be eating here again on our next visit to the area! The pub is dog friendly which is a bonus and there is also...

Spent a week in Dorset, and this village pub was recommended by a few establishments and locals as a place for fine dining, and we were not disappointed. A beautiful village location, and a great English pub environment, the staff here could not do enough...

The manager James was amazing.... But when the 'boss' Phillip took over the whole mood changed.... It's obvious that Phillip is hungry for money, and not customer satisfaction. He has to pay for his million pound holiday home in the Cotswolds somehow, through awful food...

Visited a couple of weeks ago , but hadn’t had time to post ,. Food , service and surroundings Excellent as always . Great pub whatever the beer crowd thinks. No food = No pubs . You don’t stay in business on wet sales anymore.

This pub is very pleasant , not rushed , food Is lovely and served well. Food allergies are very well Catered for. All staff are kind and its dog friendly.

This isn’t a pub. It’s a restaurant. If you aren’t eating then you’re made to feel unwelcome. Not that there’s any real space to simply have a drink anyway. We were met with quite an unpleasant member of staff who I think may have been...

Have been visiting this pub for years since we used to live in the village but have to say that under the current ownership the food has always been reliably excellent, service good, staff friendly, fairly expensive but worth it, will be visiting again very...

This has been a favourite local pub which could be relied upon for interesting menu choices which were reasonably priced. Sadly on this occasion the menu was limited and overpriced. Service however was good.

A lovely pub in a lovely village. It’s great to support local businesses serving food from local suppliers. What let’s this pub down is they don’t serve any local beer at all - the nearest ale was from Cornwall ! This is the very essence...

Second time visiting with my family and it didn’t disappoint. We hadn’t booked but they managed to fit us in. Decent children’s menu choices and nice beers too. Only slight drawback was the limited vegan and vege selections, but what they had was delicious. I...

One of our favourite pubs in Dorset. Great food, great atmosphere, lovely staff and best Amstel anywhere (according to my husband) Can’t wait to return

We had a lovely lunch here today and the food was excellent as always. The beef cheek and chocolate custard dessert were both exceptional and the hake was delicious too. The staff were super professional and friendly as always, and were particularly accommodating of our...

We managed to get a table for lunch on Christmas Eve as my brother and sister in law had descended upon us for Christmas. The place was packed. Staff were friendly and fast, the menu had a great selection of 2 or 3 courses and...

Visited at lunch time and the pub was extremely cold. Had to put our coats back on. Asked if they could turn up the heat. Reply was they had lit the log burner. This did not happen. Waited 45 minutes in the cold for main...

The pub was cold as we went in - we sat down and ordered food. We asked if the log burner could be lit but were told there was no kindling - we asked if the heating could be turned on and were told it...

Partners Dad found this pub whilst looking for real ale pubs prior to their visit to Winfrith and I’m glad he did. Came for lunch on Tuesday 15th of November to celebrate partners birthday and the food was amazing . Fish and chips, Lobster Mac...

The Wise Man Inn is such a reliably good place to bring family and friends. The building itself has managed to retain its soul and character with its stone floors and leaded windows and outdoors, a recently built eating area provides rustic charm! The service...

Wonderful pub/restaurant. The food was good value and really delicious, very fine dining, good sized portions, we had belly pork with all the trimmings and a good bottle of Merlot at lunchtime, dog friendly and lovely to sit outside. The staff were so friendly and...

Thank you so much to all at the Wise Man. On arrival we had a lovely reception from all of the team. The food was fantastic and we will definitely be back. Thank you all for making us feel so welcome.

Excellent Sunday roast dinner, very tasty and a lovely pub and atmosphere highly recommend! Will 100% be going again soon

We turned up for a Saturday lunch for four of us and were greeted warmly, shown our table and were taken through the specials board. We all decided to have something off the specials which happened to all be fish. Every meal was fantastic and...

I have had dinners here before, but lunch was just as good!! Brown bread Doorstop sandwich Layered with Generous Ham Hock Friend egg , matchstick fries and topped with a delicious piccalilli. Simple but perfect. Ridiculously it wasn’t to busy for middle of the holiday...

A group of us came here for a birthday celebration dinner. Table was booked for 8pm, we arrived at 7pm to have drinks outside. Came in at 8pm to take our table and it took over 30mins to order any food, by which time some...

Absolutely superb!! Dined here with friends who live in Dorchester. 3 of us had the Sunday roast and 1 had the monkfish risotto. Roast beef was the best I've ever had. Cooked and seasoned to perfection! Monkfish was so tasty and a very generous portion....

Could not fault the food, promptly served. The best pork I've had in years! Vegetables cooked perfectly. Really sooo good. Might be best for the waitress staff to clean all the dining mats and polish the knives and forks behind the scenes. We sat eating,...

Not sure I really want to share how good this pub is, as I’ll be gutted if it’s too busy to book. We’ve had two meals here with different friends in the last week and both have been really delicious. Sunday lunch, huge burgers, fish...

I was in a group of 4. The other three were not vegetarian and were all happy with their meals. I was disappointed with the vegetarian choices, and with the meal when it came. Vegetarians are those who eat a different form of protein. We...

We received a warm welcome from the staff on arrival . There were 4 persons dining . It was early evening & not busy but we were shown to a table in the far corner , squeezed in between the kitchen & the door to...

Unbelievable quality on the plate, relatively well priced although not cheap. Lovely setting, dog friendly, warm and welcoming.

Excellent family meal. I enjoyed the Monday night deal of a pie and pint for £15. My wife enjoyed the delicious lamb with a rogan Josh sauce. Good selection for the children’s menu. Deserts were great too. I enjoyed the banana rice pudding. Service was...

At here twice in the past couple of weeks. Both occasions superb. Great food, ambience and super efficient and friendly staff attending to us. Highly recommend. Worth booking first.

From the moment you walk into this place you know you’re going to have a great time. The staff are wonderful and very friendly, the food choices are copious and the prices are reasonable. The atmosphere is warm and buzzy with various groups of family...

Absolutely fabulous food, ambience and service. We had a mini camembert as a nibble, crab thermidor as a srart, main was fresh hake and finally ginger sponge with poached apple. The pla e has a great vibe and from the moment we walked in nothing...

We have had dinner here quite a few times over the the last few years. The food is always first class. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about the service which is very haphazard. We often feel that we have been forgotten! It is also...

My nephew and his partner were staying over so I booked The Wise Man for dinner. As always there is a warm welcome upon arrival from all the staff. The menu and specials board looked great. Three of us went for the scallops to start...

Had not been here for a while, however found the food extremely basic for the money. Although others in our party had the beef, I had the pork, which was slices of pork loin, which was very tight and dry with very little flavour. Would...

It’s my second time here and it never misses a beat. The food was the same as the service, excellent as always. My mum can’t have dairy and the team were very accommodating, they took the menu away and marked it up with what she...

Tucked away enough to get no passing trade, this is a bit of a hidden gem that's deserving of the reviews. A lovely old village pub it was busy even for a Saturday with a mixture of locals out for a drink and people who'd...

Quality food in this dining pub in a gorgeous west Dorset village. Not lots of space set aside to remain as a drinking pub but as dining pub it didn’t let us down again . Fabulous meatballs in chorizo sauce .

Last Saturday lunchtime we celebrated a birthday with a large party of family and friends. The 3 course meal was delicious and all 58 of us were served together. The staff were wonderful.

We ate outside in the covered area which has heating that works extremely well. The waitress service was very good and all the staff were very polite and helpful. I had the Cod loin for a main course. The fish was cooked to perfection and...

Haven't been to this pub restaurant for over 5 years, so we thought we would give it a try to see if it had improved. We were not dissapointed. We are a family of 4 adults and eat out most nights whilst on holiday in...

The food was delicious but very small portions, more of a lunch time portion. Service very friendly and welcoming. It was very pricey especially for the size portions. Would recommend if you don’t mind small portions.

Visited here last night with my brother and his wife for dinner. We had been before but not for a few years so we decided to try it again after reading the reviews and we weren't disappointed. We chose to sit outside in the lovely...

always excellent food here, varied menu and great staff, lovely option of dining areas but need to book as very popular hardly surprising given the quality of food

We visited this pub a few years ago and it was so good that when we rebooked to visit Dorset from Yorkshire this year, we booked beforehand to ensure we got a table! Sadly, we were left disappointed. The service was slow, the starter kebabs...

We found this pub last minute, the food was amazing and great value , the pub is clean and well presented. Staff are great and really friendly Best place we ate all holiday

A very pleasant experience. Beautiful pub in a lovely village, excellent food and outstanding young wait staff - noticeably so. Friendly, responsive and very welcoming to us and our children. One of the highlights of our short Dorset stay.

Not sure why my review was deleted, but the public deserve to know the truth, so will keep re-writing! This is the most pretentious, overpriced dump I've ever visited. The food was overpriced, the portions were tiny and the landlord was very rude. Also the...

First visit to this pub, was very impressed. Nice atmosphere, great service and lovely food. A little on the pricey side but buy cheap, buy twice!

We regularly visit the pub but unfortunately the service was painfully slow. The food was great but the experience a little spoilt by the service.

We have recently moved to the area and wanted to try this attractive looking pub with a view to booking an evening meal in the near future. We decided initially on visiting at lunch time for a drink and to view the lunch and evening...

A fabulous gastro pub in a beautiful village! - Visited the Wise Man on vacation to Dorset and visited a number of pubs but this is the best by far! Phil and his team were super welcoming and made us feel at home. The food...

This pub is a must if you're visiting Dorset ( or live there) We visit on every holiday as it never disappoints. The food is outstanding, the staff are amazing and most of all the surroundings inside & out are incredibly welcoming, very modern &...

Fantastic setting very cosy inside but very overpriced and lacking in vegetables, a bit of wilted spinach or a small bunch of watercress and that was it. Pie and chips were very dry. THE mackerel was delicious just 4 small new potatoes and some watercress...

This pub is so good we ate there three times. Excellent service, menu and value. There is a car park and you should book online.

Our meals were good: starters of baked Camembert and fish chowder very tasty, but the chowder arrived a little cool. Steak and langoustine were excellent; accompanying chips slightly underdone. Beer selection poor, and no real ales or craft ales. We booked late and were seated...

Lovely looking pub in idyllic setting, but service was very slow. I booked online but was only offered inside seating, on arrival it appeared there was a lot of seating outside but we weren't offered that option. Inside was cosy and as it was only...

We had a really delicious meal here, bettered only by the lovely team! We will definitely return if visiting the area again!

Really nice atmosphere, all staff really attentive. Food was really nice and a great choice of drinks . Would definitely recommend a visit .

What a lovely village setting for a pub among the quiet roads and thatched cottages of West Stafford. Although recommended by a couple of people at our hotel I found it distinctly average. Perhaps it it's a victim of it's own success but I found...

How lovely a spot to find! Beautiful pub in a beautiful village, All the team were excellent, the service really attentive and the food was excellent. We stopped en route from Somerset to Swanage and are really glad we found you! Prices were great and...