Woodman in East Dorset

Great food well cooked hot and plentiful. Atmosphere was pleasant staff accommodating to all our needs, polite and attentive excellent experience…

We called ahead to check if The Woodman could accommodate a group of five for Sunday dinner and were pleased to be told they could. However, upon arrival and while waiting to be seated, we were informed that the Sunday carvery is not served in the evening. This wasn’t mentioned during the call, so we were a little disappointed, as that had been the main draw for our visit. Ordering is done either by scanning a QR code at the table or placing your order and paying at the bar. It’s a relaxed, informal system that works well for some, though it may not suit everyone — particularly in larger groups. The pub itself was busy with a warm, lively atmosphere, which is always a positive sign and suggests it’s clearly doing something right. The setting was welcoming, and the staff were friendly and courteous throughout. Just a small note of advice: if you’re specifically visiting for the carvery, it’s worth checking the serving times in advance.

This is a great value pub and the carvery is great value. We are able to take advantage of a blue light card for 20% discount, which makes it really great value.

Very helpful staff & accommodating. Was dog friendly, food was hot and plenty of choices

Absolutely fantastic, staff was superb

This isn't the first time we have been here as it's so welcoming. The dog is a allowed in and is usually spoilt too.

Clean and tidy Very dog friendly Friendly and helpful staff

Had a lovely time here with friends and family. Great atmosphere and lovely food and drinks , would definitely recommend and will return.

Our family have always had a welcome as soon as you come through the door. The staff are attentive, professional and polite. The food is always great especially for my fussy daughter. We always come here for a treat.

The only disappointment was the company.

We were lost in the area and stopped to regroup. Discovered a lovely place with a delicious carvery.

Lovely pub, yummy yummy in my tummy food, I saw a Gary Linekar lookalike in the car park.

Great family pub highly recommended

Very pleasant meal with friendly efficient staff serving us. One particular young lady was very friendly and very helpful with the tea that was served for me.

Friendly , helpful staff. Good food reasonably priced. Comfortable surroundings and clean . Definitely will return with the rest of our group . Well done The Woodman

Brilliant service. Food was lovely really nice staff amazing visit a lot and will continue to do so.

James is the most handsome barman that we have ever had the pleasure to be served by. He is funny and handsome. This is 100% not written by James ;)

Thank you! Had a lovely midweek lunch today BBQ cauliflower wings salad. This was freshly cooked very nice salad. Thank you, compliments to the chef and the very kind and exceptionally helpful friendly female waiting staff. Thank you 😊

First class service from Hannah, lovely young lady who helped us several times. Although very busy the food didn't take to long and was first class, all seven meals were hot, well presented and tasty

Very friendly staff good priced food

Been here 4 weeks on the trot. Great Sunday carvery and great value for money. Far better than Toby!! And cheaper!! Great regular menu throughout the week too with special theme days on like burgers and curries for example. Burgers are great too. All the Staff are very friendly and welcoming. Helpful and hospitable. Highly recommend. It won’t disappoint.

Great little spot, the food was great. Stopped for a drink and some lunch after visiting the hospital. James was very friendly and checked on our food. A credit to yourselves!

First class service and food James is really friendly

Great service , very friendly . Will definitely be back

Well worth the visit, excellent service and food and cleanliness, lovely place to visit and enjoy a meal Sunday carvery was top marks

Visited yesterday lovely food and the staff were amazing with a great time with my family no one rushed so we a had lovely chat. Will be back soon

Great place for all the family. Also the best value around. There’s always a deal on of some sort. The food is excellent and the service is super fast. Very relaxed and chilled atmosphere staff are lovely and friendly. Also has a play area for kids inside and outside. Really can’t fault this place. James even sorted me a delicious side salad as there wasn’t one on the menu. Will definitely be back. A well deserved five stars from me.

Good food , friendly staff ( especially Poppy), Great play area for kids & kids menu

James is fantastic The lady on bar is fantastic 26/4/25 @roughly 7pm Family of 4 table 70 We have Never Ever had a bad meal here

I’d give the woodman as many stars as they want because they are as near perfect as you can get! The food is not only amazing value but the best fresh tasting out of all eatery’s! Service bright, lovely staff and all served with smiles. I’m extremely hard to please so congratulations to the woodman for ticking all the boxes 👏 James is most welcoming including all the staff. Lastly I must take my hat off to the chief, I bow down to you sir 🫡

Lovely family meal. Great relaxed atmosphere. Good gluten free menu.

Stopped to charge our car on the convenient EV charge point and had a lovely, great value meal served by polite and efficient staff whilst we waited. Thanks James the waiter.

Didn’t have a mix grill the first time I visited, but the second time they did, and it was absolutely beautiful

Excellent food, very friendly service (remembered our visit from previous years) highly recommended!

Really nice pub. Friendly staff. Dog friendly (even have food for dogs like sausages, chicken etc!). Had a chicken platter and wife had mixed grill. Ordered on webpage, easy to do and food and drinks served quickly. We really enjoyed eating here and would return if we are in the area.

I had the spicy burger, was OK, a bit sloppy and greasy, but tasted OK, my wife had the spicy chilli, was a smaller portion thepan expected, but tasted quite nice, a bit more meat would get a higher score

The staff were very friendly and helpful, food was served on time , however this is where the problem starts. I had the sausage & mash. Peas were like bullets and the sausages had been microwaved and then flashed under a grill, they were more like large chipoatas rather than decent sized sausages. Very disappointed . My wife had.the lasagne which she says was bland at best. My mother had a prawn cocktail and some breaded mushrooms which were tasteless. To be honest food isn’t your forte. Try something different!!

Really nice Sunday roast and a nice location to meet up with family. The servers gave us a long time to catch up. Really good portions and reasonable prices.

James went out of his way to help us and made our visit very pleasant

Always good food and friendly service . Thank you to James

James was amazing, great service, kind and attentive, well done 👏

We recently stumbled upon this lovely restaurant while camping nearby and we’re so glad we did. The food was absolutely amazing, with plenty of gluten-free options for my partner who has celiac disease, which is always a big plus. They even have a doggy menu, which our pups thoroughly enjoyed! Prices were very reasonable and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. A special shoutout to Michelle, who was incredibly kind and helpful. She gave us great recommendations for dog-friendly spots in the area and even pointed us toward a charming dog charity shop where we picked up some toys and blankets for our furry companions. Highly recommend this place if you’re in the area. Great food, thoughtful touches, and genuinely lovely people!

Stopped off for lunch sat in the garden order via the app. Took 20 mins for drinks to arrive, then food came out I ordered lunchtime fish & chips first the lady dropped the tarter sauce pot and then ask if I still wanted tarter sauce, yes please I said then she said she would have to go all the way back to get it. The fish well I have seen bigger fish fingers it was that small. Had similar at the filly in the forest on Saturday same price but twice the size. Then when she finally returned with the tartar sauce we enquired where the extra chips where we orders to go with hubby’s lasagna. She said we did not order chips, yes we did and paid and extra £3 for them, well I didn’t see it on your order. 5 mins later she returned with the smallest bowl of chips almost throw them down and said she didn’t check the order but here are some chips, made out it was our fault. Defiantly will not be returning to this pub again.

We had 2 adult carveries and 2 meals from the menu. All were really nice and at a reasonable cost. It was great to be able to enjoy a meal with our 13 year olds and our dog. The staff were friendly and would definitely go again the next time we are in the area on holiday.

Pie was hot so was the cod Took a while to get served as coffee machine broken only one person ahead of me but waited over 10 minutes to get served. Although the bar maid was lovely. Food arrived on cold plates Cold chips Cold gravy Cold peas Been before and accept it's a chain but considering it wasn't that busy you'd think the chef would be more proud of what they send out Won't be back

An all round really nice experience. Food was good, service and staff were great. A great place for family and dog dining

Thursday steak was as expected. Average price for a chain. Kids enjoyed the colouring

Very good value for money and staff very friendly. Food excellent

The food was substandard and so was the service. My meal came out but the children’s food took another 10-15 minutes which meant that by the time I got to eat, my food was stone cold. I ordered a £14 beef&lamp dinner kebab which was an absolute insult in taste and portion per price. I got a flatbread with barely two mouthfuls of meat 70 grams at absolute best. Not even 1/4 of what you would get in a small takeaway donner kebab for £7. I would have expected more meat on the plate for £14. I would not use this place for food again.

Very enjoyable meal and good ambience (music not too loud :) ).

Great pub, very spacious and very friendly atmosphere. We have just been for a roast dinner. The Meat was so tender it just fell apart! The desserts are disappointing as they only had one choice for vegans!

Pleasant experience, friendly, clean.

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.

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!

Very friendly staff. Good food . Good value for money.

3rd time here Lovely pub Great food Value for money Lovely atmosphere Good customer service Our dog always enjoys his sausage (dogs made very welcome )

A nice welcoming pub with separated bar and restaurant areas. Everywhere was clean. Tables in the restaurant area were neatly laid and my only annoyance was that there was a dog, with the people on a table near us, that growled at a staff member. Service was prompt and friendly and the choice of drinks was very good.

Had a wonderful lunch. Service by a waitress called Michelle was prompt and professional. She was so so helpful. We needed help with dietary needs and nothing was too much trouble. Really surprised as we had nit been before but will definitely visit again. It was a shame our meal was spoilt by arrogant rude couple next to us. They ordered the wrong meal and then tried to blame the waitress. I have no idea how she kept her polite composure! They would have worn it if they had spoken to me like that! Apart from that unpleasant incident, a clean pub with nice food and staff. Thank you !

Lovely experience happy with everything Michelle was a first class server

Dear Manager and Team, I am writing to extend my heartfelt thanks to you and your staff at the Woodman for the incredible support and care I received during my recent fainting episode. It was a distressing moment for me, but your help and your team's quick action and professionalism truly made a difference in my recovery. I am especially grateful for the attententiveness of your staff, who ensured I received immediate assistance. Once again, many thanks to you and your staff for their kindness and support. With kindest regards, Malcolm Adam

Food was absolutely delicious, beef from the carvery was moist and tender, potatoes delicious and gravy top notch. Staff all very friendly, chef was really lovely and helpful and spoke to my two young daughters (7&9) in a lovely manner and couldn’t have been more helpful.

Nice pub with good service. A varied menu with good value, enjoyable meals. Quite a few young children milling around spoiled the atmosphere. One of our dishes was cold, but was swapped out quickly and we were offered a free dessert as an apology. This was handled brilliantly. The ordering process was straightforward with barcodes at tables. Well prepared drinks.

Had a great time, food was excellent and the staff were extremely helpful and polite

Easy booking online and quick food ordering system. Food produced in good time and well cooked.

Great food which was very good value. Served by friendly staff.

First visit but I will certainly be back. The staff were really friendly and helpful. The food was piping hot and delicious. Curry was very tasty according to my companions. Sadly we were too full to have a dessert.

Great service, staff super friendly and food was delicious.

Great service and friendly staff. Nothing is a problem for staff when you ask, in fact they ask you occasionally without over doing so.

Went for my Birthday lunch Had a lovely Carvery, followed by chocolate sundae. Friendly staff and great food, as always.

Lovely staff. Food arrived as promised not too long to wait. I'm coeliac and staff made sure the kitchen were aware and they were able to answer my questions easily. Lovely pub. Dog was happy with her choices too!

Lovely meal and friendly staff. Very quick service using the app and the notes for our food preferences were followed spot on. Thanks

Very good food,excellent staff service. Clean and tidy

Excellent meal and experience, the server was extremely friendly, would come back again for sure!

We returned to The Woodman on the 21st February by request after visiting before this pub before. We were greeted by Jamie who took care of us all night and was very professional and attentive. We have a lovely experience with our Son, Daughter in law and Grandchildren and really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. We would recommend this family experience.

Lovely carvery plenty to choose from all beautifully cooked very friendly staff and it's dog friendly which was great

Cracking lunch today and a nice pint too !!

Thursday steak and drink deal, the rump steak was very tender, cooked as requested.. Will return to try the Sunday carvery soon.

Brilliant pub and delicious food and a very good price , James in particular gave brilliant service , won't be long till we are back !

Nice place, nice staff, great food.

A real good place to visit. Our mother came here so we've come back in her memory. She would have been 90 on Saturday. But sadly no.longer with us.

Came for Sunday carvery - table of 7. Perfect location for meeting family members who were travelling home with a dog, being on the A31 and with walk opportunities and welcome inside for our dog. Staff were super friendly and the carvery was great value for the price

Friendly helpful staff. Good welcome on our arrival. Food was well presented and arrived quickly. Nice and hot and good size portions. Very pleased with our experience their.

we regularly visit with our family. Staff are always super friendly and cant do enough to help and food is top notch and great value.

Staff were all friendly and helpful Ordering at the table was easy Food was really good and value for money Will definitely be back

A lovely visit, yummy food and very nice to be dog friendly too. Good variety of meals, especially for a vegetarian who doesn't like Halloumi (which seems to be an assumption that if you're vegetarian you love Halloumi!). A dog menu is available, which is nice for them to be included. Service has always been great and we looking forward to coming back

Good value for money and the staff are very friendly

Staff were very helpful. Food came out quickly and was hot and tasty

Very disapointed. Think we got there at the wrong time. Had carvery. Daughter had to ask for steak knife to cut her beef which she left. It was very chewy. My carrots were hard and cold, peas were cold too as was the inside of my Yorkshire pudding. Sticking toffee pudding was just warmed through. Not been for years. We won't have Sunday roast again.

Such a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. I went for after work drinks with my new job and it was lovely. I only live round the corner and in the last 5 years we visited twice with a fairly underwhelming experience. I am already booking for the carvery tomorrow with my family now to try it again. Very excited to hopefully have a local venue to go for family dinners.

Very friendly staff, and quality of the food very good.

Food was amazing well presented good price staff were polite and chatting and I nice atmosphere will be back for sure

Lovely stuff, all the time. Food in good amount and prices. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nice food and drink, useful offers friendly and quick service

Huge place with lots of seating. Good food and really great value. Friendly staff and dog friendly as well.

First time visiting today and it was awesome and sooo friendly. Would recommend to everyone

Really good value for money and really friendly staff. As they were quiet they served us at our table. We will be back.

Lovely atmosphere, really friendly and helpful staff. Food was absolutely delicious. I had the tuna mayo melt with chips, and the chips were really delicious, the baguette was really soft and fresh. The staff checked in with us regularly, and were really nice. First time visiting, and would definitely go back. I’d highly recommend.

It has a very nice atmosphere. Staff are very welcoming.

Excellent meal, great portions size, Fab pub

Lovely food, great pub, amazing garden!