EATING AND DRINKING IN WEST DORSET
There are so many places to eat and drink near Wantsley Cottage that it's impossible to list them all here, but here's a selection of the one's we like the most or have been recommended to us and we've yet to visit! Beaminster ones first, then farther afield.
Beaminster & Broadwindsor
The Ollerod
On the left as you leave Beaminster this charming hotel has two lovely bars with open fires and sells top cocktails. From Tues to Sat. they have a fab and varied Food Pop-Up in the car park, just grab a bite and sit in the bar sipping your favourite tipple.
Beaminster: 5 mins
Stableyard
Rubbish picture.V close, (up hill to Broadwindsor on left) good for breakfast -eggs benedict etc, light lunch and ok coffee. In the Craft Centre on left just before you enter village. Great cakes.
Broadwindsor: 2 mins
££
Dexters
Breakfast, lunch and dinner, just off the square in Beaminster. Simple good food, Steak, scampi etc. Lovely garden, my boys swear by the chips but not sure how helpful that is.
The New Inn
Our local pub a lovely 20-30 min walk over the hill to Stoke Abbott. Now a Gastro Pub, so booking to eat esssential, oak beams, fire and a garden.
Parnham Park
On the right as you leave Beaminster to Bridport, it's hi end, has local produce, impressive cocktails and great surroundings. Open for Lunch and Dinner Thurs - Sun
The Greyhound
Beaminster's very local pub. Friendly, hearty 1970's food right on the square. No booking required.
Beaminster: 4 mins
£
Beaminster Curry House
Local Indian, pretty good all round, not Streatham, but very passable. Recently under new ownership.
Brassica
Exciting and inventive cuisine right on our doorstep in Beaminster. Also open during day for coffee etc - great pastries, and also has a tempting little shop area..
The Red Lion
On the square in Beaminster. Good food, reassuringly small menu, local beers, garden, dog friendly - great middle ground place to eat locally. Book over the phone.
Local Chippy
Kingfisher Takeaway, just down North Street opposite the square in Beaminster. Comically rude (it's a thing) sometimes good, sometimes not- all round deep fried stuff. Good for. "too tired to cook, too hungry to wait"
Beaminster: 4 mins
£
Bridport & West Bay
Dorshi
Tucked down a little side alley in Bridport Dorshi is a real gem. Superb dumplings using local ingredients, wicked cocktails and of course the all important saki.
Selected Grapes
Pop-up Wine bar open at weekends (4-10pm), great reports of lovely vibe, live music and smashed burger van
Red Brick Cafe
Delightful hippy dippy cafe in Bridport. Great home-cooked food and a very cool artisan vibe. Occasional live music and DJ's. Not open every day!
Rubicon Kitchen
The best food from the smallest shack on the coast. Outside eating only, book ahead in high season, absolutely not to be missed. Too small to have a website. Tues-Sat: 12-3 & 5-8. Sun: 12-3pm. Open March - Sept/Oct.
The Watch House
A charming shabby chic shack (hard to say after a wine or two) right on the beach at West Bay. Wood fired pizza, good fish, yummy cakes and large outside seating area.
Soulshine
Half way down South Street in Bridport, Soulshine is a very atmospheric cafe with locally sourced food and great salads. Good for breakfast too.
The Olive Tree
F-in-Law swears by it but his taste buds are shot. Charlie says the pasta is outstanding. Atmos a tad crusty.
101 Bridport
Open Thurs and Fri eve, posh nosh, local produce, quirky.
Unit 101 St Michael's Ln, Bridport DT6 3RR
Rise
With a great location overlooking the river in West Bay, Rise has a fabulous barefoot chic atmosphere and an interesting and mouthwatering menu.
Platform
Eat delicious food in a railway carriage down at the old station in West Bay. Quirky and entertaining, intimate and interesting, an evening you'll remember for a long time.
Mercato Italiano
Oddly tucked into a trading estate this is a hidden treat. Part deli, part cocktail lounge and superb pizzas, a proper Italian. Funky, different and WELL worth a visit.
Sundorbon
Winner of Best Indian 2023 it's a surprise to find this. level of Indian outside Tooting. Worth a visit when only a curry will do.
Klin Klans. Thai
The Parlour Pizzeria
Sister to the The Parlour in Burton Bradstock (and much nearer to us), it's open from 8am serving full Bfast to 11pm serving its much loved pizzas - along with tap beer and cocktails. Also does take-away.
Further Afield
The Parlour
Wonderful vibe, deeply popular pizzas and interesting specials. As well as inside dining there's a lovely outside that feels like your eating in the Mediterranean. Cider bar. Close-ish to Hive beach (and we think better than the Hive).
The Club House
Further east along the coast at West Bexington is a sister restaurant to the Hive. Pitched a little above the Hive, it's a treat of a place brimming with seafood and right on Chesil Beach. Check out their website and feel your mouth water.
The Fox Inn
The Marq' O' Lorne
A pretty inn in the charming village of Nettlecombe. Broad and interesting menu, booking usually essential, lousy photograph.
Symondsbury Kitchen
In Symondsbury (somewhat obviously) just outside Bridport. Open for Breakfast & Lunch, local produce, good food, on-site art gallery and wallet-emptying shop. Great for an indulgent morning out.
Seaside Boarding
Rooms dinner cocktails, overlooking the sea above The Hive, somewhat up itself, but the view and cocktails are good.
Lord Pullet Arms
A beautiful traditional pub with excellent food you'd be hard pushed to beat. Has a charming garden and is in the village of Hinton St George.
The Hive Beach Cafe
So on the beach it's almost in the sea, the Hive Beach Cafe does an astonishingly good fish & chips and loads of great seafood. Always busy so get there early.
The Anchor Inn
The only pub right on the beach for miles, the Anchor offers a wide variety of great food and local beer and you can dip in the sea to wash it down!
The Acorn Inn
A. delightful 16th Century Inn in a charming village complete with old fashioned bowling alley. Top notch food, good beers.