Woodman in East Dorset

Ate here as was staying at the local premier inn. Staff seemed friendly enough. Very basic menu (pretty much all fried). Food appeared to be plonked on the plate/bowl and served with no attention to presentation; no garnish of any kind. Child’s pasta dish was tiny; probably ok for a 3 or 4 year old; served in very small enamel dish. Overall, food was ok and it was convenient for our stay.

This is our third visit on the last two months. On each occasion the food was excellent and larger than normal portions. We booked on line without any problems. As my husband likes beer his only criticism would be to have a better selection. Also on our second visit there was none on at all so he had Guinness. Otherwise we will return in the future.

We use the Woodman regularly as it is an excellent place to eat, great food, excellent service and staff.

We went as a party of four including one person in a wheelchair. Access was easy using the wheelchair lift, so plus points there. Staff are really friendly. We ordered at the bar, no problems opening a tab for the table. Service was reasonably quick, the food arrived promptly and was ... very good. It's simple, no frills, and not pretentious, pub food at a good price. Would we go again ... yes.

My daughter and I came for lunch mid-week for a simple no-frills good value for money meal ... which is exactly what we got. The staff are so friendly! After ordering at the bar the food arrived in reasonable time despite our order going in just after a large wedding group order. The food was good ... we both had Lasagne and we'd both have it again ... Good simple pub food at a good price in a comfortable surrounding with friendly staff.

Lovely staff very helpful and really nice reasonably priced food. Michelle jo and kenadi served us

Only disappointing aspect of the visit was the beef on the carvery was given the end of a joint it was tough and unable to eat. All the other meals were fine 6 out of 8.

Bit of a wait to order food and get a drink,short on barstaff..food good and hot

Stopped for lunch . Wasn’t planned . We had 2 dogs with us . We were very welcomed . The food is lovely . The staff were brilliant . A lovely pub and will definitely be coming back

So below standard i am surprised by the positive reviews on here. Greeted when we arrived and were told to find our own table. Queued for a while at the bar to place order as only one staff member serving there. This staff member was friendly and helpful. I will give her 10/10. Food took ages to arrive. When my spicy burger with onion rings got to my table it was stone cold. Waitress took it back to the kitchen where it is apparent that it was just microwaved. The only positives i can find is that the place is clean and the staff have a smile when serving.

Lovely Birthday Meal and Gemma was Fantastic working hard

Great service and lovely food… thank you 👍🏽

We have been going to the Woodman for the last year usually every month so this is just a little hiccup on Saturday night our sons birthday. I had called in at 1400hrs on the Saturday to book the table and the young lady said it was all booked on the computer, unfortunately when we arrived the table was occupied. Our son explained to the people and they very kindly moved, no sign of a reserved notice on the table. I went to order the meals and drinks, a different young lady served us, i ordered two half,s of beer and received a pint and a half ,i pointed it out to her and she apologised and said she would alter it on the computer , asked her again and she confirmed that she had done it. Low and behold when i paid and got the bill she hadn,t. I know staff have to learn and it was busy on Saturday night but im sure you dont want to get too many reviews like this

Terrible, not sure what has happened to this place it used to be good. Avoid at all costs The person who we met to check reservation (wish I asked for name) seemed unable to communicate at the most basic of levels. Just seemed angry and absent of any type of personality suited to working with people. struggled to find a table in a room full of empty tables. (we had booked) Dirty sticky tables, we asked to wipe (3 times) they did not. Waited an hour for food but they never told us there might be a wait. I went to ask how long it would be and the mentioned lady devoid of empathy or emotional intelligence said proudly another 15 minutes. When I said we have been waiting an hour why did she not tell us, she seemed to catch a falling star out of the corner of her eye and exhaled arggggh and could not produce anything resembling a word or sentence. Food was shocking, like they had cooked someone's leather shoe soles. provided with cold chips, stale bread. There was one amazing lady in a striped top who cleared all tables and service all food, god bless her. Not sure what she has done to deserve working with these others

Family out for Sunday Lunch.. bad decision 😫….food was awful. Dreadful roasties, Yorkshire and beef too tuff to cut. Never again 😡

There was a rude member of staff there when I went. Becuase there wasn’t a sign wait to be seated so we sat down and she got very rude and shirty with us. Food was great.

Great pub if you’re in the campsites and don’t want to cook. Thoroughly recommend the mixed grill. Had it 2 nights in a row 😋

Lovely wood, quick service. Greater area outside. Very popular at the summer time

Lovely meal and very friendly staff - well worth a visit Visited again today (26thbMarch) - another lovely meal

Very good value for money food. Very good customer service

Food wasn’t that great but the service was good and great atmosphere

We shared a Tuesday evening midweek meal here, and it was fabulous.. the staff in particular were excellent and are all a credit to your company.

Half decent spot for a cheap meal. We enjoyed it but it is no ritz carlton!

They rely on an app for ordering and it’s a waste of time

A member of staff greets us as we walk through the door and take us to a table sometimes to our choice depending how busy they are. Selecting our meals and drinks are taken at the bar area and usually the drinks are brought to us and then the meals when they are ready, on every occasion without doubt our meals have been excellent which is the main reason for returning to give ourselves an occasional treat. We have tried other restaurants in our area but none as good as he Woodman

Always have a fabulous meal from here,staff are wonderful and helpful to us.look forward to returning again in near future.

Food was very average and the service was average. I had the beef burger which was a burger in a average bun, 1 pice of lettuce and a bit of sauce. The food here is nothing special, beer is over priced. I paid £6.20 for a pint of Moretti, its usually a little cheaper in nicer establishments.

Excellent service and excellent value for money. If we were here longer, we'd definitely be going back.

Visited many times before . All staff are very polite and attentive throughout the evening. We ordered via the app which was very easy to use. Drinks arrived very promptly and food soon after. Food very very nice. Best burger I’ve ever had ( no lie) Overall left very happy and satisfied, nothing could have been better. Definitely 10⭐️ and will definitely return and will definitely recommend to family and friends .

Thoroughly impressed with the quality of the food and portion size during our recent visit. We ordered mixed grill (extra chips), 8oz rump + peppercorn sauce and kids meal - all with drinks. Only negative comment was amount of peppercorn sauce in the jug, but that’s a small point. Will be returning and recommend this pub - child friendly and good play area. Well done Woodman Team 👍

They ran out of steak on a steak night and also had no daft bitter

Arrived at a busy pub without a reservation, but the team managed to fit us in with a smile. Food was served quickly and was excellent value for money. All team members were friendly and accommodating. Well done all. Definitely reccomend.

Quick stop off for lunchtime bite. All good 👍🏻

Very happy with the food and service

Amazing service and food and second visit here last week. Always use this place when we are down on holidays, keep up the great work.

The food was amazing. I had the steak and my mother had the hunters chicken. The staff was very happy and friendly. I liked that dogs were allowed in if they were well behaved. Will definitely be returning ❤️

fantastic spot with super friendly staff, delicious food, and great facilities – you’ll definitely want to come back

Amazing food and service, play area .and dog friendly

Nice place to Stop for a Bite to eat" Great fast friendly Service .. Dog 🐕 friendly

Love the food here, lovely garden and such helpful staff

Food was delicious and the service was very quick.

15 Sept Sunday lunchtime Roast carvery. The two of us were seated upon arrival, I then went to pay for our 'plates' at the bar and order drinks. There was no one serving to take payment and what started as just me there quickly grew into a small crowd with no order to who was first. I then wandered over to the carvery where once again there was not one member of staff serving. We then left and luckily managed to find another local pub that sat us down and took our order straight away without any fuss and queuing. Its a pity because would of used the 'Woodman' again for evening dinner but the staff appear sullen and disinterested.

Very slow service, more staff needed. Food below average for the price in my opinion.

Big pub. Poor choice of ale. Only one available. Lagers and ciders are the usual boring choice.

Very polite friendly staff, who provided a fast efficient and professional service. Very dog friendly and food priced at a good rate, similar to at home in the north west, which was a pleasant surprise

An adequate place to have drinks and a meal with friends

On entering the staff made us welcome, our meal came quite quick after our order on hot plate's and we were asked if there was anything else we wanted, during the meal we were asked if everything was ok, a pleasant experience that didn't cost a fortune, will be visiting again soon.

Fantastic value for money, really friendly staff and good menu

The staff were very welcoming and we were shown to our reserved table. I ordered two regular carveries, which were absolutely excellent.

Vital EV car charging, and refreshment/toilet break.

This pub/restaurant is outstanding! I can quite frankly say the best food I've had this year! Really great value for money and there was hardly a wait time. The staff are incredibly warm, welcoming, friendly and helpful! Highly recommend 👌

Had a lovely meal , food was great, friendly and helpful staff , will definitely come back

Everyone was very helpful. The Sunday Carvery was really good.

Good food however, QR code didn’t match with menu. Meals ordered were not available so a 2nd choice had to be made. Eventually had to order at the bar as QR requested a UK phone number and we are from overseas.

We called in as on holiday in the area. Food was good value for money & tasty. Staff friendly & helpful Service prompt, didn't have to wait for food too long after ordering. Will definitely call again. Appears to have a good play area for families with children.

Lovely food, great service and great kids play park

Visited recently and was blown away by my experience the food was amazing shout out to James the chef I have some dietary needs but nothing was too much trouble thanks again to all the staff

Nice food and atmosphere ,friendly staff!

Lovely meal, burger was absolutely smashing 10/10

Lovely pub, stopped by on the way home with family, everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal and even the dog got her own dog meal! We will definitely be returning!

Staff were very friendly and helpful. Restaurant was clean enough and wasn't busy. Food was as expected so no complaints and was fine.

Good value food, accepted blue light, good variety on menu.

We were on holiday , and visited 3 times, whilst at st leonards, this is a lovely place, made all the better, by being dog friendly, and they are even able to go in the restaurant part, great staff, really friendly and lovely dogs; they even have a doggy menu, which our two had a burger each a couple of times, nice relaxed atmosphere, great🥰

I quietly told you I was going to review your pub... it is just phenomenal! Had scampi & chips, and it was also incredible! 9.5/10! ❤️

Nice food Friendly staff And beer!!!

My wife and our friends were travelling home from a day at Kingston Lacy National Trust property. As we were in a long traffic jam my friend and I needed a comfort stop and were passing Woodman and decided that we needed to use its facilities. Once inside we really liked what we saw, a quaint pub, and decided to have a meal there. It turned out to be a good decision. The staff were friendly and efficient and the food was delicious. Thank goodness for the traffic jam because without it we would have missed out on a lovely time. We will definitely return when we are passing that way again. Good value for money and we highly recommend a visit to Woodman

Just wow, what a lovely pub, friendly staff & amazing carvery. Best carvery we've had for a very long time, 4 choices of meat, turkey, pork, beef & gammon. All veggies very hot & cooked to perfection. Big thanks for getting us a table an hour earlier than we booked.

Enjoyed our meal and great service

Good food, nice garden, convenient location - a great country pub experience.

This pub has possibly the cheapest prices around and you get what you pay for . Food items often unavailable and 'ok' . Good garden and convenient stopping point for most . Nice atmosphere and service is fine even if slow .

Amazing food and service, very dog friendly, team were very helpful and welcoming. Our new favourite place to eat!

Food and service good. Okay, if you dont mind kids running about and shouting around you while you eat.

Loved the whole experience, Staff were helpful and friendly, food arrived quickly and hot and delicious, The atmosphere was fabulous with all the dog's and our dog's loved it.

Enjoyable meal but unfortunately let down by the steak. Three of the party had mixed grill and all found the beef tuff and very chewy. Staff were very happy, cheerful and happy to help.

Great dog friendly put, would visit again if we were in the area.

Disappointing food; all over cooked on a dirty grill. Sat in the garden and was treated to the lovely waft of the cesspit / backed-up drains. Beer was good, but not enough to make it enjoyable.

Second night in a row visiting the Woodman. Really enjoy sitting in the garden with nice food, drink and excellent service. Highly recommend 👌

Disappointed that the carvery had been taken off the menu.

Lovely place and great value. Good play area outside for kids

Sat in the garden .food was very good

Have passed lots of times but never stopped before, we will in future, my meal is always scampi, (£11.59) choice of mushy peas or normal, (mushy for me) and you can double your chips for £1.79 which is great value and you wouldn't want more. My other half had chicken. There's space for kids to run around, dog friendly too, all the staff were friendly, the only one we caught the name of was James. Will make it a regular stop off between home in Surrey and the holiday cottage in Devon.

Stopped for a meal on the way back from our holiday cottage in Devon to our weekday home in Surrey, driven past a zillion times but never stopped before, but will make it a regular place in future. My go-to meal is Whitby scampi and mushy peas, £11.59, I took advantage of the double chips for an extra £1.79 great value. Staff member James made sure we had everything we needed, will recommend to others to travel this way through Dorset.

Passing with friends today we decided to try the carvery. It didn’t disappoint was well cooked plenty of it and well presented ( compliments to the chef ( James I believe) most definitely will return and recommend…. The outside seating area was great on a day like today. Thanks woodman keep up the good service 👍

Was passing today with friends and decided to try the carving…. It didn’t disappoint was well cooked plenty of it and well presented ( complements to the chef … James I believe) staff were so friendly and helpful… great atmosphere. Would most definitely recommend and without a doubt will return. Thank you woodman keep up the good service 👍

Great food quality and very friendly staff. Will come again soon.

Went with my partner for lunch, as usual perfect service and food will definitely be returning next week, the staff are exceptional and the manager as always was extremely helpful

My wife & I came to the Woodman two weeks ago with 4 other members of our family and our newly born Great-Granddaughter. This was a bit of a desperation move, as we couldn't get a table for 6 at the restaurant where they were staying just down the road. However, in the event, we were so pleased we had to do this as it was a great experience. As a result, wife & I decided to try it again last night. We came away delighted! We find that the staff aren't just friendly, but they go out of their way to help you with anything and like to make sure you have everything you need- even when they're busy. Most of them are young, but there also was a slightly more mature woman (who may have been the manager) who came round to chat to the guests and ensure all was well. It really made us feel appreciated. It was easy to order the food and they were quite happy to serve my wife (who has a small appetite) with a meal from the children's menu. She ordered a small Gammon steak with a very well-cooked egg and I asked for a full-sized Rump steak. Both were served in good time and were of excellent quality. My wife was delighted to have a solid egg (as they are often served soft) and my steak was very tender with a lovely Diane sauce. We were so impressed. We both then had desserts from the children's menu, which were very adequate for our needs and served with "proper" ice-cream- not the soft variety you get elsewhere. We came away feeling so grateful that we've re-discovered this place- especially as I had a 30% discount voucher on adult meals! We just wish we could give them 6 stars instead of 5!

Amazing dog friendly pub. Few and far between. Staff all friendly and quick to serve food and drinks. A table near us had an issue and I was amazed at how quick it was solved without any hassle, with utmost sincere apologies. Can’t fault the place…priced accordingly for decent food and drink and to have a doggie menu is just unreal! Love it. Will continue to use on our back and forth journeys. It was really nice and good value for money.Thank you to all!

Easy and convenient with excellent customer service

Great food great staff would definitely come again when staying in the area

The food came out quickly and was of a good standard as far as pub food goes. The service was professional and the staff was lovely. The server was polite and helpful, I believe her name was Jazz. Will be coming back 👍🏻

Really good food recommend the carvery reasonable price

great food and good service from jo!

Beef and turkey were superb. Veg cooked properly not crunchy how some snobs say it should be. Food could have been a little warmer but apart from that really good.

Popped in to charge the car on way home. Had lunch. Service was top drawer, food was great. All in all great 👍 experience

Fantastic food, fantastic service. Very welcoming and freindly

Needed somewhere local to where we were staying and had to be dog friendly. This place was perfect. Dogs had food from the doggy menu, and we had the surf and turf, and the cowboy burger. We were not disappointed at all, food was good and dogs were very happy. Service was excellent. Would recommend if you're staying local and especially if you have dogs. Kids play area outside if you have a need for the sprogs to be entertained.

Service was amazing, carvery could not of been better, brought my westie with me and to my suprise they had a doggie menu too! Will definitely be returning when I'm next in the area . Highly recommended!

Had a lovely meal with family on a visit from Sheffield. Great food, portions perfect and very helpful and friendly staff. Would recommend and we will be back without a doubt.

This was my first time at the Woodman, being a chain pub my expectations wasn't high but I was blown away with everything. The service was friendly, quick and personal.The food was cooked well and served hot! .I had a cowboy burger and a side of cheesy garlic bread. The staff made my experience the best I've had in any chain pub. I will definitely be returning more often.