Best restaurants in Dorset
Published 24 February 2024

To one side of the old 1920s Grand Cinema in the Bournemouth suburb of Westbourne, Art Sushi's stark grey frontage marks a Japanese eatery of rare distinction. Its proprietor, Kamil Skalczynski, is an adviser with the World Sushi Skills Institute, a honour bestowed by the Japanese government – all the more remarkable for the fact that he happens to be Polish. In this small room with its counter seating, the flashing blades and exquisite presentation that make sushi preparation such consummate restaurant theatre are the object of beady-eyed attention. California-style seafood variations in tempura offer king prawns with mint or salmon with mango encased in brittle batter, while the platters of chirashi sushi mobilise visually ravishing garnishes of glazed kanpyo gourd, soy-marinated ajitama (aka ramen eggs), edamame, avocado and chilli for sea bass, salmon and yellowfin, or perhaps the white meat of Dorset crab. Nigiri are on point too – scallop with tobiko roe and smouldering sansho pepper, for example. The omakase selection is the chef's own six-piece menu surprise, while Sundays are reserved for chirashi sushi feasts. Sake cocktails and a short slate of sharply defined white wines help things along no end.

With its 'lovely vibe' and 'inventive food', Brassica has undoubtedly given a welcome jolt to the dining scene in Beaminster, which is exactly what its owners Louise Chidgey and Cass Titcombe set out to do. Inside the bay-windowed corner site, the decorative tone vibrates with idiosyncrasy, thanks to brightly coloured prints and plates on the walls and a connoisseur's approach to vivid cushions. Business gets going at the back end of the week, with lunches and suppers Thursday to Saturday, and a well-supported Sunday lunch offering.

Cass Titcombe has a cool instinct for the combination of accented seasoning and lightness of substance that are today's hallmarks, resulting in main dishes such as orecchiette with prawns, agretti and tomato, or a precision-timed halibut fillet with borlotti beans, fennel and spring onions, given creamy pungency with aïoli. The smaller plates have a distinctly tapas-like air, from Ortiz anchovies with sourdough to sliced raw courgette freshly dressed in mint and lemon. Those Sunday lunches proved a winning formula for one couple, who enjoyed the careful treatment accorded to both hake and pork, as well as the inspired choice of veg. If vegetables are to be the main element, they might be roast leeks with pickled mushrooms, lentils and chard.

Desserts are a canny exercise in how simple resources can produce extravagant satisfaction: chocolate and ginger sundae; almond cake with raspberries and crème fraîche; apricot fool; affogato. A small but expertly curated wine selection is packed with on-trend flavours, from Grüner Veltliner to Blauer Zweigelt. Small glasses start at £5, and damn us for pointing out that even the £105 for a bottle of developing Gevrey-Chambertin is hardly an act of grand larceny hereabouts.

Weymouth’s harbourside is suddenly looking a tastier proposition these days – thanks in part to this ambitious set-up. The restaurant is in a traditional quayside building above a working fishmonger called Weyfish, with a solid spiral staircase leading up to an impressively clean-lined, modern yet atmospheric space with an open kitchen and high-raftered ceiling.

The kitchen itself is now run by chef-patron Ben Champkin (whose CV includes a stint as sous-chef at L’Enclume), who is shoring up Catch’s reputation for ‘locally sourced, amazingly creative seafood’. Visitors are quick to give a wholehearted thumbs-up to his supplies of fresh fish (some coming from the boats moored directly outside) and the consignments of locally reared meat from named suppliers that feature on the tasting menus. To start, there might be citrus-cured monkfish with yoghurt or braised squid croquettes dressed with pork fat (the cephalopods caught by a certain Kelvin Moore in his boat Rampant, WH148). A serving of dark wholemeal sourdough could usher in potted crab with hollandaise and broth or Bay prawns with celeriac and whey, although the centrepiece (aka ‘The Catch’) is always something ‘freshly landed, local, seasonal and tidal’ – depending on the boats.

A refreshing sweet-savoury pre-dessert might feature golden beetroot sorbet paired with orange sherbet, before a full-blown confection such as baked dark chocolate with sourdough ice cream brings the curtain down. Service earns special praise from readers, who rightly appreciate the team of hard-working staff – ‘they should be very proud of themselves,’ noted one fan. Shorter menus are also available at lunchtime and early evenings, while the sharp list of European and English wines offers great value from around £30.

‘The freshest of fish and the funkiest of food combined with the friendliest of folk,’ enthused a reporter – although the prospect of chilling under cover, with the bracing expanses of Chesil Beach stretching out in the distance, is also an irresistible draw for visitors to this cheery wooden shack. Oysters from the owners’ beds are always in demand, although Portland brown crabs are the undoubted stars of the show. Otherwise, the menu is driven by the sustainable haul from the West Country boats – perhaps whole plaice with anchovy butter and Somerset cider onions or hake fillet with cashew pesto and truffle-scented mushrooms. Kids have fish and chips, ‘simply floured, buttered and baked’. Expect crowds, whatever the weather. 

Bridport has punched above its weight food-wise since the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall days but it's still a surprise to come across this cool café-cum-dining room serving terrific cocktails and pan-Asian small plates. There's an emphasis on dumplings with creative fillings (organic curried lamb with curry leaf and cayenne, perhaps) though other dishes such as charred organic pork belly with pickled mustard seeds are just as good. Expect friendly, personal service from the owner and his young team.

Picture the scene: a lovely sunny day and a delightful lunch by the sea, complete with a gorgeous panoramic prospect of Dorset’s cliffs and headlands beyond. In fine weather, diners head for the covered marquee, before dipping into the ever-changing menu of fresh, flavoursome local seafood. Breakfast and lunch are the main events, with staples such as crab sandwiches or Newlyn hake and chips competing with specials from the day’s catch – perhaps grilled megrim sole with samphire, crayfish and blackened cauliflower purée or halibut in tomato jus with edamame beans. For afters, nothing beats a creamy lemon posset with heady notes of citrus. Enthusiastic local staff stay focused – even when the place is packed. Decent drinks too.

*Chef owner Harriet Mansell has announced that Lilac will close after a final service on 3rd August after a series of special dinners in July.*

Secreted in a 400-year-old basement beneath a local solicitors, Lilac follows in the footsteps of its more auspicious grown-up predecessor, Robin Wylde (currently closed), putting the emphasis firmly on sustainability, eco-sourcing and zero waste. Expect a diminutive but elegant space, ‘bright and date-ready’ for aperitivi-style drinks and nibbles (from 5pm) and prepped for full restaurant meals five evenings a week. The menu deals in small but generous plates of food with lots of local and seasonal grace notes. Home-baked fennel-seed focaccia with pungent confit garlic oil and crisp house pickles sets the tone, while leaves, greens and salad veg from locally admired Trill Farm add vitality and freshness across the board – from radishes with labneh and dukkah to a ricotta-stuffed courgette flower paired with soft peaches, crushed hazelnuts, sprigs of allotment mint and honey (from a beehive across the road). Bigger plates merit serious attention too, from a ‘precise and satisfying’ dish of pearly hake topped with pangrattato in a pool of creamed spinach sauce to a rich, earthy hogget ragù spruced up with a scattering of ewe’s milk cheese. If you hanker for something sweet, consider the chocolate nemesis or lemon meringue tart with yoghurt cream. The drinks list also passes muster, with plenty of zippy cocktails and craft beers alongside an inventory of ‘rare, local and low-intervention’ wines. Saturday brunch and Sunday lunch complete the offer.

Paul Merrony made his name cooking accessible French brasserie food at the much missed Giaconda Dining Room in Covent Garden's Demark Street. With partner Tracey Petersen, he decamped to Dorset and set about turning a failed pub into a bistro with rooms, developing the place on a shoestring. Indeed, there’s a homespun honesty about the resulting dining room with its plain light-wood tables, red napkins, dark-green walls and old-fashioned sideboards.

Readers continue to applaud Merrony’s dedication to seasonal produce and, above all, the outstanding value for money: you can get three courses for under £30 if you steer clear of the supplements. The menu, scribbled on a blackboard, is a modest line-up of classic French bistro staples, all ‘well-prepared, lusciously flavoured and beautifully presented,’ according to one reporter who enjoyed a bowl of authentically chilled vichyssoise followed by ‘excellent’ cod provençal. Otherwise, expect anything from duck liver mousse or ratatouille with goat's cheese crotin to steak tartare, gigot of lamb or roast guinea fowl for two to share.

There’s always a daily fish dish and various seasonal specials too, while desserts bring forth a hotchpotch of Gallic classics – iced apricot mousse, fruit charlotte, Mont Blanc, rum baba, Agen prunes. Glasses of kir and Ricard are there for the taking if you require a sharpener, and the carefully curated 60-bin wine list kicks off with an easy-drinking ‘Le Lesc’, Côtes de Gascogne. 

The location in a little parade of shops in the Southbourne district of Bournemouth may lead you to expect a run-of-the-mill neighbourhood bistro, but Roots has rather loftier ambitions than that. Its pint-sized dimensions and simple-enough decor, with sea scenes on exposed brick walls, belie the wide-angle culinary lens of Jan Bretschneider. That's abundantly evident from the off, with a serving of sumptuously textured rye bread with various spreadable toppings – a fond wave to the proprietor's German heritage.

To follow, expect a range of dishes that look distinctive, even occasionally bizarre, but that mobilise layers of flavour of unexpected subtlety and impact. Kombu potato with cream cheese in seaweed beurre blanc might precede a pairing of scallop and oxtail, powered up with horseradish and salsify in red wine dressing. Another successful twinning, of halibut and lobster, comes in massaman curry guise, full of the sweetness of carrot and passion fruit, while the principal course on the taster could be as old-school as beef en croûte with parsnip in garlicky bourguignon.

Bretschneider's signature ‘jelly and ice cream’ finisher might well be scented with winter truffle and boozed up with Tokaji, but the superb cheese selection is worth saving a little capacity for too. A relatively compact wine list is served with enormous enthusiasm by one of the most engaging front-of-house managers on the whole South Coast.

Just across the water from big-money Sandbanks, this is quite a location – with unbeatable panoramic views of Poole Harbour and Brownsea Island to boot. By contrast, Shell Bay itself looks a bit like a seafood shack that has seen better days – but don’t let the picket-style fences, canvas awnings, technicolour pub tables and bright metal garden chairs put you off. A troupe of smiley, buzzy, dressed-down staff keep things moving along at a pace, and the food passes muster – even if the bill is several notches up from your average high-speed seaside café (mind you, those fabulous vistas are almost worth the price of admission). Not surprisingly, seafood figures prominently on the wide-ranging menu, from Poole Bay oysters with shallot vinegar or clean-cut cured salmon with fennel and apple salad to whole local crab and various offerings ‘from the wood oven’ – perhaps sea bass, Galician-style octopus or skate wing (perked up by a side order of sweet, nutty roasted Jerusalem artichokes with truffle and Parmesan). Otherwise, the kitchen goes walkabout for the likes of red lentil kofta with quinoa tabbouleh or a duo of lamb with Puy lentils, cavolo nero, pomegranate jus and smoked almond brittle. To finish, a light, creamy coffee crème brûlée was the top pick from a mixed bag of international desserts at inspection. The wine list is designed for mass-market appeal, with prices from £24.50. Note that Shell Bay is closed for most of the winter months, so check before travelling.  

Built as a school in 1864, this vast gabled building is architecturally striking with stone arches, a cloistered frontage, huge windows and gables topped by an ornate clockspire from which the restaurant takes its name. Soaring raftered ceilings and ornate chandeliers continue the grandiose theme in the dining room offset by contemporary flourishes of pastel shades, polished concrete floors and arty floral displays.

Though there are few conventional fine-dining trappings here, chef Luke Sutton can deliver some intricate, highly worked dishes. He takes an intelligent, creative approach to seasonal produce, perhaps adding some BBQ English asparagus and wild garlic sauce to a starter of mushroom raviolo or serving Cornish stone bass with a spring vegetable chowder, sprouting broccoli, caramelised apple and vermouth sauce. Main courses could be as classic as sirloin steak with portobello mushroom, tomato chutney and triple-cooked chips or as up-to-the-minute as Creedy Carver duck breast pointed up with pickled radish, haricot bean purée and spiced sauce. Desserts are also given exact, thoughtful treatment as in crème brûlée custard tart with poached pear and caramelised white chocolate.

There's also the option of a £30 three-course set menu at lunchtime and early evening, while the restaurant’s feel for ‘niche presentation’ extends to well-reported Sunday roasts (cider-brined pork loin, rump of beef with slow-cooked ox cheek). Slightly formal but super-efficient service makes everyone feel a bit special, and the extensive, globe-straddling wine list includes a decent selection by the glass and half bottle. 

Positioned on the water's edge to max out the views across Christchurch Harbour, The Jetty is a modern construction with acres of glass to ensure that those panoramic vistas are served up to one and all (there's a terrace, too, if you want to feel even closer to nature). Alex Aitken is a chef with a passion for seasonal cooking (and a bit of a legend in these parts), and it's satisfying to report that fresh seafood from local waters is the backbone of his menu – no surprise given the glorious coastal location. Cockle popcorn, crispy and lightly spiced, is a little snack which sums up the ambition and joie de vivre of the place. A starter plate of sashimi (including sea bass and scallop) stands or falls on its freshness and its classic Japanese accompaniments, or there's fish soup – a classic from another continent. Elsewhere, cod and crab are firm friends, the former topped with the latter in a herby crust, and it's worth keeping an eye out for the 'catch of the day'. Away from the coast, there are other options such as beef carpaccio or a deliciously green spring risotto to start, followed by the likes of lamb panzanella with rosemary polenta. For afters, crêpe Suzette soufflé combines two archetypal French desserts. A tasting menu might fit the bill if the whole table is on board, while the vegan and vegetarian option doesn't stint on creativity or flavour. The wine list opens at £29, and includes sections dedicated to 'cult and classic' whites and reds.       

'The location right on the beach looking over the Solent is unbeatable and, after a makeover, it is now bright and elegant as well as friendly and casual! The food seems to get more and more classy, making an effort to do something different – say, seared tuna crudo with mango piccalilli, whipped avocado, chilli and popped quinoa.'
L Markus

‘Ollerod’ is Dorset vernacular for ‘cowslip’ – the flower which brightens the hills of Thomas Hardy country every spring – though in truth, this titular venue blooms irrespective of the season. With low beams and a wood burner in an ancient hearth, the 15th-century building makes for a cosy refuge from the winter cold, while in summer you might opt for the conservatory round the back to savour the Wessex sunshine.

The menu shows a bias towards what is seasonal and local. Dorset accents are evident in starters such as a trio of Poole oysters or perhaps potted Portland crab with grilled fennel. Our visit yielded a simple but satisfying starter of chicken liver parfait, resting on a bed of homemade chutney. Beaminster is little over seven miles from the sea and you can catch a tang of saltwater in many of the mains too – such as whole grilled sea bream paired with spinach and samphire, crushed potatoes and piquant confit tomato salsa verde; also look to the specials board for Swanage lobsters.

The kitchen strays from its (mainly) European linchpins to minister to local appetites with burgers, steaks, takeaway pizzas and lunchtime sandwiches (look out for biltong on the side – a clue to the owner's South African roots). All-comers, however, are surely tempted by the desserts in the form of chocolate brownie with honeycomb or, perhaps, a mixed berry Eton mess. A decent wine list offers house selections from around £24. Note that on Wednesdays the kitchen is closed and food is provided by a Mexican pop-up (evenings only).

Ultra-dependable and much-loved locally, this bakery-café is as busy and buzzy at breakfast as it is for lunch but folk are more than happy to queue (they don't take bookings). All eyes are on the open-plan kitchen, where the team serves up an all-day menu full of good things – from sourdough pancakes with maple syrup and sublime Turkish eggs to lunchtime sandwiches (perhaps slow-roasted beef brisket), toasties (chicken, bacon and smoked cheese, say) and curries. Be warned: their sourdough breads sell out very quickly (pre-order for collection). Children and dogs are made very welcome.