Dorset pub guide - information about pubs and bars in Dorset # beerintheevening.com

Dorset pub and bar guide

Here's a guide to the pubs and bars of Dorset - good or bad, we bring you the most talked about venues and the places you have to visit at least once. We've included a few user reviews, to give you an idea of what to expect when you get there. Or you can follow the links to see full details and all reviews for each pub.

The Square and Compass, Worth Matravers

Address: Worth Matravers, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 3LF [map]
Phone: 01929 439229
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Reviews by BITE users:

3 October 2008 - The Square and Compass, Dorest is crowned Cider Pub of The Year

5 Oct 2008 18:22

Used to be my 'local' when I lived 14 mile away,
now I live 220 mile away, everytime I go west always call in, superb pub, specially when the sun's out but seeing all the reviews wonder what a pub has to do to get 9 or 10 !!

27 Sep 2008 08:52

The very best pub in the world!!
I've been checking its still up to scratch for the last 34 years. All 3 of my kids have visited before they were 2 weeks old. I feel its important to give them as good a start in life as possible!!
Last visited for the cider festival in June, which was a weekend to behold!! Back next weekend1
10/10

6 Sep 2008 17:46

The Bermuda Triangle, Parkstone

Address: Parr Street, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH14 0JY [map]
Phone: 01202 748087
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Nearest train stations: Parkstone (0.2 miles), Poole (1.4 miles), Branksome (1.6 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

This is a all round nice place. Beer good, atmosphere good 8/10

4 Jun 2008 13:37

Great little pub,reminds me of when my dad use to take me to his local in Hammersmith,Still has that traditional feeling with more atmosphere,Plus a very good selection of beers.A1

29 May 2008 20:37

Must be good, lots of Camera awards displayed on the walls.I drink wine so I dont know how the beer tastes,But certainly a great atmosphere

20 May 2008 20:33

Goat and Tricycle, Bournemouth

Address: 27 West Hill Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 5PF [map]
Phone: 01202 314220
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Nearest train stations: Bournemouth (1.2 miles), Branksome (1.6 miles), Parkstone (2.9 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Visited last night after a local tip off, of all the pubs in the area this is the best by a very long shot. A very rare find set just off from the main high street. 13 real ales very well kept, food is fairly priced and of very high standard - try the home made pork pie! Friendly bar persons who provided plenty of entertainment. Appeals to all ages. Will definately be back.

2 Oct 2008 22:45

Asked the owner of the Charlesworth Hotel where we were staying to point us in the direction of good beer and food. 10/10 on both counts. Lovely atmosphere. Good selection of ales and cider. Simple pub grub and Goat curry on the menu. Wish this pub was in our area. Will be back. :-)

2 Oct 2008 18:59

done up a while ago now which took a bit of shine off but still the only decent pub in Bournemouth town centere by a country mile. Great selection of ales and, for such a large number, all very well kept.

30 Sep 2008 18:04

Tom Browns, Dorchester

Address: 47, High East St, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1HU [map]
Phone: 01305 264020
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Nearest train stations: Dorchester South (0.6 miles), Dorchester West (0.6 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Great to see Dorset brewing company have found a great landlord in mike pollard to run the pub with his knowledge the beer will inprove and he will have great food on offer soon .Now its time to visit

6 Jun 2008 14:52

now dorset brewing company are at helm hope to see some improvement,beer is already there,staff still leave a little to be desired

1 May 2008 22:42

now dorset brewing company are at helm hope to see some improvement,beer is already there,staff still leave a little to be desired

1 May 2008 22:42

The Red Lion, Swanage

Address: 63, High St, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 2LY [map]
Phone: 01929 423533
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Reviews by BITE users:

Our party thought it was the best real ale pub in Swanage by a good margin. 4 well kept ales plus lots of cider and perry if that's your thing. There's a fair sized garden at the back. The bar was small and cosy, and there was a dart board if you fancied spearing the unlucky drinkers sitting underneath.

4 Jun 2008 10:26

Decent pub. A couple of very good pints of Deuchars Ipa were had here,barman/landlord had a good giggle when I asked for a "Ducksarse". Friends had Badger which went without adverse comment also. Those who had scoff were satisfied. Arranged the beer for the Swanage Diesel Gala beer festival it seems. Yeah worth a visit.

12 May 2008 21:34

The beer is excellent, the cider and perries make a welcome change from the usual fizz, and I really liked the place. It is a place that caters for the locals, whilst accepting the tourist trade, and I thought that they had the balance right. The garden was really nice, and the staff very friendly. Not too impressed by the curry, but it was not expensive, and it soaked up the beer and cider nicely. A real pub!

1 May 2008 23:00

Drovers Inn, Gussage all Saints

Address: Gussage all Saints, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 5ET [map]
Phone: 01258 840084
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Reviews by BITE users:

A few miles from me but a lovely run up Cranborne Chase on a nice evening. And the Ringwood beer is always excellent. Haven't yet tried the food, but it looks good so will do. Good beer and friendly service, real fire in the winter, nice garden in the summer. Quiet location with great views. And with no smokers polluting it now, it's just how a pub should be. I'll rate it further when I try the food.

8 May 2008 12:49

great pub...food is fantastic..

try their homemade produce...
local produce (local =10 miles)

check out the village shop!

28 Apr 2008 23:14

don't forget to check out the new Drovers Inn Website.

Over the next month this will be the place to find details of events that we will be holding & The menus that we are running.

http://www.thedroversinn.biz/

18 Jan 2008 23:31

The Boot, Weymouth

Address: High West Street, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8JH [map]
Phone: 01305 770327
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Nearest train stations: Weymouth (0.7 miles), Upwey (3.3 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Just returned to this much loved pub with an overwhelming sense of relief. Either the Landlord is exceptionally canny or Marstons are beginning to look after their newly inherited silverware. Ringwood beers all still on top form, bar staff attentive (and witty!) but most importantly the atmosphere still chatty, warm and unmistakenly 'The Boot'. This is the kind of pub we should cherish.

7 Jun 2008 23:54

7 Jun 2008 23:48

Having visited twenty two pubs in Weymouth, this was the one we went back to. Excellent beer, a friendly welcome. Five ales on the hand pump including a storming porter. The Cheddar Gorge cider looks like orange squash and is worth trying a pint.
The landlord was very welcoming, and they are one of only two pubs we found that does pickled eggs. 9/10!!

11 May 2008 14:48

The Saxon Inn, Child Okeford

Address: Gold Hill, Child Okeford, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 8HD [map]
Phone: 01258 860310
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Reviews by BITE users:

Went back again as promised to try the food. once again i wasn't disapointed. a lovely Pint of Ringwood Seventy Eight ,and another! and another!....The food was great.
Comment for 'alehouses' below..when was the last time you ate there? ..try it again..

19 Apr 2008 10:22

decent ales, well kept by knowledgable landlord...
chatty environ, but not much bar space when locals are in situ...
food was dreadful when I last ate there...

8 Apr 2008 15:11

The pub now does food on Sunday evenings ie 7days/nights of the week.

7 Apr 2008 14:09

The Blue Raddle, Dorchester

Address: 9 Church Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1JN [map]
Phone: 01305 267762
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Nearest train stations: Dorchester South (0.5 miles), Dorchester West (0.5 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Well worth finding! Really good real ale selection & brilliant, well-priced food.
Very nice inside, with very friendly, helpful staff and a great atmosphere.

14 Apr 2008 14:25

Excellebt pub, good food, we did have to wait a while afer ordering our food, but was woth it when it arrived.

9 Dec 2007 17:05

Top quality pub with 'doom bar' always in good nick. friendly staff and friendly characters. 'private eye' magazines on the walls in the gents and blackadder played over the PA system. Best pub in Dorch.

5 Dec 2007 19:31

The King Charles Inn, Poole

Address: Thames Street, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1JN [map]
Phone: 01202 674950
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Nearest train stations: Poole (0.6 miles), Hamworthy (1.7 miles), Parkstone (2.1 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

time appears to have stood still with this place, but sadly so has the poor ale quaffed a couple of weeks babk, 6/10 could do better!

25 May 2008 14:30

I was passing by on the 19th March and they were closed. Is this operating under unusual hours?

The comments below sound promising, except for the no live music rule. That top room had the potential to be a perfect venue (with the right music).

22 Mar 2008 09:58

just had sunday lunch in this pub, must be one of yje best value roast's in poole - lots of meat and veg with friendly staff. One to try.

16 Mar 2008 22:54

The Moon in the Square, Bournemouth

Address: 4-6 Exeter Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 5AQ [map]
Phone: 01202 314940
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Nearest train stations: Bournemouth (0.9 miles), Branksome (1.9 miles), Pokesdown (2.7 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Range of guest ales has improved somewhat in recent months, but service remains unreliable.

18 Jun 2008 20:04

Had a good pint of Ringwoods 49er whilst waiting for someone and had to wait for that due to lack of bar staff. Food seemed OK but didn't try any of it.

1 Jun 2008 14:21

Went in this pub at the end of the Spring Beer Festival.
The usual Wetherspoons lack of staff, with little or no supervision. It is probably not the fault of the staff on duty, but down to the management, or lack of it!
Otherwise, it was a good visit, with the three beers tasted in excellent condition.

19 May 2008 14:44

The Botany Bay Inn, Winterborne Zelston

Address: Winterborne Zelston, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 9ET [map]
Phone: 01929 459227
See full pub details

Reviews by BITE users:

Stopped here for breakfast on the way from weymouth to london. helpful staff, 3 friendly pub dogs and a decent sized english breakfast for about £5. Obviously this doesnt help for anyone wanting 'beer in the evening' but if you want 'breakfast in the morning', you cant go wrong (after 10am).

29 May 2008 14:24

This is always my favourite stop for a bite to eat on my way to Weymouth for our annual holiday the great thing about this place is my dog Harry is always made very welcome the foods good too keep up the good work

11 Apr 2008 22:44

Places like this have a nasty habit of staring down their noses at you if you dare to enter the building and just want a drink. The barman (I'd often wondered what had happened to Duncan Norvelle) fiddled with receipts and did his best to ignore us for 10 minutes, obviously realising that we didn't have a menu in our hands. Very poor service.

22 Oct 2007 18:04

The Three Tuns, Bransgore

Address: Ringwood Rd, Bransgore, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 8JH [map]
Phone: 01425 672232
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Nearest train stations: Hinton Admiral (2.7 miles), New Milton (3.8 miles), Christchurch (3.9 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Visited this pub at the weekend. We have been before and the food and friendliness of the bar staff is excellent.

Not very impressed with the Welsh manager though. Seems to be rude to his bar staff who clearly do a very good job.

23 Jun 2008 15:55

Was back here last week again, still the best pb by far. Visited the lamb as suggested by a local shop, wont be going again was awful and should have learnt the first time I went there! So the Tuns evening dinner was superb, a pork roulade served with vegetables was delicious and topped off with a sticky toffee pudding. The good landlord was off and it appears the welsh one was the awkard customer in the corner with his girlfriend, continuing to treat his staff with contempt despite their best efforts. Welsh guy should be in another industry, he clearly is not cut out for this trade. Talk of the town locally

6 Jun 2008 18:32

Great food, great staff (esp wed evenings!). Bar staff very friendly, helpful and entertaining, nothing is too much trouble.

The welshman needs to appreciate his staff and stop interrupting them when they are trying to take orders for food. Ringwood Best is first class.

2 May 2008 13:18

The Portsmouth Hoy, Poole

Address: The Quay, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1HJ [map]
Phone: 01202 673517
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Nearest train stations: Poole (0.6 miles), Hamworthy (1.8 miles), Parkstone (2 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

A lovely pub with great food and nice beer - had a nice pint of "thrice hopped" hopping hare in the proper glass :)

The service was great, and the food was probably the best pub food on Poole Quay. In three nights in Poole we drank there one night after dinner, then ate there the remaining two nights. The staff were happy to put things on a tab for us (a rare sight in a pub these days) without even keeping a card behind the till, and arranged a taxi for us at the end of each evening. Would really recommend for anyone living in or visiting poole :)

16 Apr 2008 10:42

Good food and beer. Like a previous writer, I am not too happy with the interior design. It is still, IMO, the best pub on the Quay.

13 Apr 2008 20:52

Had a lovely pint of Pickled Partridge and a lovely soup to go with it.Good location on the Quay and friendly staff.

16 Jan 2008 15:15

The Duke Of Wellington, Wareham

Address: 7 East St, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4NN [map]
Phone: 01929 553015
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Nearest train stations: Wareham (0.5 miles), Holton Heath (2.4 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Best pub in Wareham - At least 4 regularly changing real ales, of excellent quality and better priced than anywhere else in the area.
Food is very good, with a range of prices from good value to very high.

14 Apr 2008 12:23

I have eaten two very good meals here recently ,and had some fine beer to go along with it.Four good ales on and large menu with many fish dishes on.Best pub in Wareham by a long chalk.

23 Mar 2008 12:58

VERY well kept ales although slightly pricey but a great pub worth visiting

12 Mar 2008 15:37

More information

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