
Dorset restaurants are lucky to have such a plentiful supply of local produce on their doorstep. The county's rich pastures are perfect for lamb and beef, while estates are a great source of local game.The coast is also a vital asset and Dorset's ports provide abundant seafood for the all sorts of eating places. Poole, Weymouth, West Bay and Portland (famous for its crabs) all make a useful contribution.Two regional curiosities are making a comeback in the county - the once legendary Blue Vinney cheese and thrice-baked Dorset Knob biscuits.
Bridge House HotelThe old market town of Beaminster is set in beautiful countryside and is home to the Bridge House Hotel. Dating back to the 13th century it features a beautiful walled garden, beamed ceilings, large fireplaces and a charming candlelit restaurant with its oak panelled walls and 'old world' charm.
3 Prout Bridge, Beaminster, Dorset - Cuisine: International
Stables Restaurant at The Langton ArmsThe Langton Arms, an attractive 17th century thatched inn, has an ever changing selection of outstanding real ales is well known for its excellent food and offers a good selection of interesting home made dishes, including vegetarian, at value for money prices.
Tarrant Monkton, Blandford, Dorset - Cuisine:
Aruba Bar & RestaurantA riotous tropical extravaganza on the first floor of Bournemouth's Pier Approach building, Aruba is the brainchild of local entrepreneur Andy Price (of WestBeach fame).
Pier Approach, Bournemouth, Dorset - Cuisine: Eclectic
Bistro on the BeachBistro on the Beach certainly lives up to its name. It stands in a glorious spot on the Solent Promenade with to-die-for sea views from just about every table, whether you are sitting outside or gazing through the full-length windows in the casual dining room.
Solent Parade, Bournemouth, Dorset - Cuisine: Eclectic
Chine Hotel, Sea View RestaurantThe Sea View at The Chine Hotel in Bournemouth is a traditional restaurant with a modern interior and an unpretentious style, but with a romantic, intimate ambience.
Boscombe Spa Road, Bournemouth, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
Langtry Manor HotelIt's romance all the way in this splendid edifice, built by Edward VII for his mistress Lillie Langtry. Inside, there are all the expected trappings – twinkling chandeliers, a minstrel's gallery, stained-glass windows and lofty ceilings.
Derby Road, Bournemouth, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
MandarinA popular restaurant, Mandarin offers Chinese cuisine from three regions, Canton, Peking and Szechuan, each giving a variety of contrasting taste.
194-198 Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, Dorset - Cuisine: Chinese
Ocean PalaceA galaxy of famous names and faces have frequented this popular and long-serving Chinese restaurant over the years: it's a great favourite with big-name players on the snooker circuit, but it also attracts performers from the nearby Pier & Theatre, and is handily placed right next to the Bournemouth International Centre.
8 Priory Road, Bournemouth, Dorset - Cuisine: Chinese
The Print RoomA new venture from the team behind the highly successful WestBeach on Bournemouth seafront, this glamorous mix of brasserie, café and charcuterie bar occupies the ground floor of the Seal & Hardy building (once home to the Bournemouth Daily Echo).
Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
Twenty RestaurantA popular choice for casual dining in Bournemouth, Twenty combines the virtues of an all-day café/bar with a fine dining restaurant.
20 Post Office Road, Bournemouth, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern British
WestBeachA stunning location right on Bournemouth promenade, just a few yards from the pier, is just one of the attributes of this bright young venue, where beachfront decking and a buzzing minimalist dining room framed by large windows make the most of the views.
Pier Approach, Bournemouth, Dorset - Cuisine: Seafood
The West BayOriginally known as the Neptune, this eighteenth-century stone-built inn is a favourite refuelling point on the old Abbotsbury to Weymouth road.
Station Road, Bridport, Dorset - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Marquis of Lorne InnOriginally a sixteenth-century farmhouse, the Marquis Lorne stands in delightful Dorset countryside just a short drive from Bridport. It's a particular favourite when the sun shines, since it boasts a big garden with great views, a play area and picnic tables under the shade of old apple trees.
Nettlecombe, Bridport, Dorset - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Riverside RestaurantWhen it first opened more than 40 years ago, the Riverside was a seaside café of the old school, but it has gradually evolved into an unaffected restaurant dedicated to fresh fish.
West Bay, Bridport, Dorset - Cuisine: Seafood
Anchor InnA new team is at the helm, but little else has changed at this 300-year-old pub/restaurant on the Jurassic Coast between Lyme Regis and Portland.
High Street, Burton Bradstock, Dorset - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Royal OakSet in a pretty Dorset village famous for the awesomely endowed Cerne Giant carving, this sixteenth-century thatched pub looks as pretty as a picture.
23 Long Street, Cerne Abbas, Dorset - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Chideock House HotelFar from the madding crowd, deep in the heart of Hardy's Wessex you can find the Chideock House Hotel a few minutes from a coastline designated a World Heritage Site.
Main Street, Chideock, Dorset - Cuisine: British
Splinters RestaurantSplinters Restaurant is an intimate, romantic dining experience found on the cobbled street leading to Christchurch Priory. It comprises of several eating areas, some with separate booths, all candle lit for that special ambience.
12 Church Street, Christchurch, Dorset - Cuisine: International
The Lord Bute Hotel & RestaurantThis magnificent edifice, which stands in delightful grounds behind the entrance lodges to Highcliffe Castle, was Lord Bute's residence during the latter part of the eighteenth century.
181-185 Lymington Road, Christchurch, Dorset - Cuisine: European
Three TunsSituated on the fringes of the New Forest National Park, some three miles from Christchurch, the Three Tuns is instantly recognisable with its immaculate thatched roof and hanging baskets.
Ringwood Road, Christchurch, Dorset - Cuisine: Gastro pub
The Coventry ArmsA watering hole has stood on this site since 1426, and the present Coventry Arms still puts on a rustic face with its original flagstoned floors, roaring open fires, heavy exposed beams and real ales drawn direct from the cask.
Mill Street, Corfe Mullen, Dorset - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Acorn InnA warm welcome awaits visitors to the 400 year old Acorn Inn in the picturesque Dorset village of Evershot. Run by new owners, Todd and Louise Moffat, Todd describes his restaurant as "London chic come to west Dorset.
Evershot, Dorchester, Dorset - Cuisine: British
Yalbury CottageRecently voted 'Rural Idyll of the Year' by the Good Hotel Guide, this enchanting 300-year old thatched cottage was once home to the local shepherd and keeper of the water meadows, but is now a beguiling country retreat just two miles outside Dorchester.
Lower Bockhampton, Dorchester, Dorset - Cuisine: Anglo French
The Museum InnHolding pride of place in a village of 'roses round the door' cottages, this gem of an inn was extended by Victorian superstar archaeologist and anthropologist General Augustus Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers to accommodate visitors to his museum of personal treasures.
, Farnham, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
Stock Hill HousePeter and Nita Hauser are now into their third decade as custodians and congenial hosts of Stock Hill House. Their delightfully tranquil late-Victorian residence is approached along a beech-lined drive that meanders through 11 acres of carefully nurtured wooded grounds near the Dorset/Somerset border.
Stock Hill, Gillingham, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
Dower House HotelHidden away in its own walled grounds some three miles west of Lyme Regis, this converted Victorian rectory has been cleverly transformed into a relaxed, personally run hotel with excellent facilities and fine views over the Axe Valley.
Rousdon, Lyme Regis, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern British
Hotel AlexandraBuilt in 1735, The Alexandra is set in beautiful grounds with stunning views and just a short distance from the beach and Cobb Harbour.
Pound Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset - Cuisine: Traditional
Rumours RestaurantRun as a husband-and-wife double act, Lynda and Ron Skelton's amenable restaurant is tucked away in a quiet part of town within easy reach of the sea.
14 Monmouth Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset - Cuisine: Seafood
The Broad Street Restaurant'Easily the most up-to-date place on the Jurassic Coast,' enthused The Independent's reviewer about this relative newcomer in an historic building less that minute's walk from Lyme Regis seafront.
57-58 Broad Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern British
Fox Inn'A real picture-postcard ideal of an English country pub,' is how one UK Restaurant Guide user described the Fox Inn, and it's easy to see what she meant.
Corscombe, Maiden Newton, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern British
Brace of PheasantsStanding at the village crossroads close to Plush Brook, this beguiling old thatched inn was the result of a merger between two cottages and the village forge.
Plush, Piddletrenthide, Dorset - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Harbour Heights Hotel, Harbar & Brasserie'Contemporary elegance with a classic Rhode Island twist' is what you can expect in this handsomely renovated 1920s hotel, which now struts its stuff as a luxury boutique venue.
73 Haven Road, Poole, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
Haven Hotel, La Roche RestaurantFor more than 100 years, The Haven has stood at the southern most point of the unique Sandbanks peninsula with the sea lapping at its edge and overlooking the broad, beautiful sweep of Poole Bay.
Banks Road, Poole, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
Patrick's Restaurant & BarA stunningly converted bank building in up-and-coming Lower Parkstone is the setting for Patrick's contemporary restaurant and bar. Once through the original bank doors, you can't fail to notice the spectacular bespoke chandelier that hangs from the 40ft-high ceiling.
1 Bournemouth Road, Poole, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
Blue Fish Café & RestaurantOn the site of a legendary Portland café called the 'Dap & General', the Blue Fish is something of a labour of love for Luciano Da Silva and family.
15-17a Chiswell, Portland, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
La Fleur de LysDavid Shepherd and co. have been in Shaftesbury for some 15 years and recently moved their well-known local restaurant to new premises in a converted girls' boarding house.
Bleke Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset - Cuisine: Anglo French
Royal Chase HotelHandily placed by a roundabout close to the centre of Shaftesbury, this historic building (originally called Belmont House) served as a Victorian monastery before being converted into a delightful hotel in 1922.
Royal Chase Roundabout, Shaftesbury, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern British
Eastbury HotelThe Conservatory Restaurant at the Eastbury Hotel in Sherborne, is light, airy and individual. It overlooks the walled garden at the hotel and provides a varied menu with choices to suit most palates.
Long Street, Sherborne, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern British
The GreenThere's no village green here anymore, but verdant paintwork, window boxes and an old stone façade help to give this attractive neighbourhood restaurant an appealing outlook.
3 The Green, Sherborne, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
Shell Bay Seafood RestaurantArrive by boat and anchor-up, or take the car across the Sandbanks Ferry to reach this sunny restaurant/ bar on the shores of Pool Harbour, looking out towards Brownsea Island.
Ferry Road, Studland, Dorset - Cuisine: Seafood
Cauldron BistroA handy position close to Swanage quay ensures that fresh fish is in plentiful supply at this long running local restaurant.
5 High Street, Swanage, Dorset - Cuisine: French
Abbots Cellar Restaurant at The Priory HotelThe UK Restaurant Guide discovered that table reservations are strongly recommended if you intend to dine at The Abbots Cellar Restaurant in Wareham.
Church Green, Wareham, Dorset - Cuisine: English
The Manor HotelOn a bright summer's day, with the Chesil Beach breezes blowing across the hotel grounds, you might almost think you were soaking up the semi-tropical luxuriance of the Channel Islands.
Beach Road, West Bexington, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern European
Perry's Restaurant'Perry's is fabulous,' raved one UK Restaurant Guide user about this converted Georgian townhouse right by Weymouth harbour. Over the years it has become a local institution and it continues to pull in the crowds, whatever the season.
4 Trinity Road, Weymouth, Dorset - Cuisine: International
Les BouviersJames and Kate Coward preside over this secluded restaurant-with-rooms set in five acres of Dorset green belt land complete with a lake and a wooden footbridge.
Oakley Hill, Wimborne Minster, Dorset - Cuisine: Modern French