The best restaurants serving British food in West Dorset South West

We have been getting a takeaway from San Telmo for some time. The quality of food is excellent. Tonight however the battered cod was superb, I don't think I have ever tasted fish that good and so well cooked, absolutely beautiful. Well done to the staff.

Had a night out with my brother who moved to the area and we happened across the Poet. It has the feel of a real local with live sport, a very decent menu, and really helpful staff. Easygoing and relaxed atmosphere with a "there are no strangers, only friends you haven't met yet" vibe to it. I'm looking forward to my next visit (to the pub, not my brother).

Lovely lunch with a nice table and smiling staff. Food came quickly. We both had the rare roast beef Sunday lunch and a lemon posset which was perfect.

A very welcoming team and environment in the heart of Evershot. Great service and very delicious and beautifully presented food.

We chose the White Lion for an Easter meal out, on a Saturday evening. We were warmly welcomed by the landlady and given time to choose from the a la carte menu and specials, before deciding on complementary drinks. The food was prepared fresh, and served promptly. The landlady, Kerry, made a point if checking with us that the food was satisfactory. It certainly was. £49 for 2 x two course meals and three alcoholic drinks. Good value for money, in a welcoming village pub.

Great coffee & a lovely warm welcome from staff as usual. So sorry to hear that you're closing for good on the 24/4/2025. It is such a shame, that like many others in this country, at present, you will have to seek another job. Wishing you all the very best!xx

Really nice outdoor area for lunch. Very pleasant & professional staff. Lots to choose from on the menu. We opted for individual dishes from the set lunch menu. My roasted cauliflower soup was absolutely gorgeous & was served with warm bread rolls (approx £8.50). I would definitely recommend this inn as a good place for lunch.

Seemed like a good idea to hold an evening surprise for my wife in our local. I started as a meal for family and a simple birthday cake !! we ended up with a full blown do with ballons, place names (mini penguins) and a rather large cake in the shape of a penguin (we ended up sharing the cake with the whole pub and still took some home). fortunatley a member of the pubs familly is a professional cake maker (thanks Kay).

Excellent Sunday roast. The meat was so tender! Delicious pudding apple and mixed berries pie with custard. The staff went above and beyond as they were busy. Would highly recommend a visit to this pub. Thank you for fitting us in it was so appreciated. We will see you again in June! Many thanks.

Although we’re locals the Vinny is also a perfect stopover on A35 being 200m from the Puddletown junction. Martin has transformed the pub recently and the interesting menu extremely good value. Young staff need time to learn their trade and service is now less hesitant- Sunday lunchtime and live music make for busy sessions at most pubs so some may choose to go then, or conversely choose to avoid. I’d highly recommend, you won’t be disappointed. Altogether a bit quirky, but all the more special for that reason. Enjoy it for what it is.

We were back in West Bay for a pre-Easter week-end and after visiting one or two of the pubs/restaurant for lunch decided to visit The West Bay Hotel for Sunday lunch. The welcome from the staff was as expected, still warm and friendly and a very good atmosphere. The roast menu was varied, not expensive, well cooked and certainly value for money. The availability of small plated roast dinner was very welcome for those with smaller appetite. Customers can park fee in the car-park opposite, giving their vehicle registration at the bar. We also visited a couple of evenings for early evening drinks. We would have eaten on these occasions but the kitchen still did not open to 5:50. We would still recommend.

dark chocolate tiffin - AMAZING! chorizo focaccia - AMAZING! Coffe was tasty but small cup for price. But overall, great coffee place for a bite.

Warm welcome and an excellent,hot,tasty lunch. We sat in the sunny little courtyard to eat and thoroughly enjoyed our pit stop break. We hope to return on our next trip to Dorset.

Fairly small selection of food and beer but what there was was OK. Beer is very expensive though. Service was rather slow. Could have done with more bar staff.

We stopped off here for a lunch, and was welcomed by friendly staff. We had bacon and brie rolls that were so good, the bacon was nice and crispy, a delight. We will be back.