Dorset Pubs: The Best Pubs and Where to Drink

The Dorset pubs most people look for are the Square and Compass at Worth Matravers, run by one family since 1907; the Tiger Inn in Bridport, CAMRA’s West Dorset Pub of the Year for 2026; the Bankes Arms at Studland, with a brewery next door; and the Acorn Inn at Evershot, which appears in Thomas Hardy. Below are those four and twelve more. Every entry was checked against the pub’s own website, or CAMRA’s listing where a pub has no site of its own, on 24 October 2026.

We have not visited these pubs for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry sets out what the pub says about itself and what it publishes on hours, beer, food and house rules. It then adds the public record: the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), whose West Dorset and East Dorset branches cover the county, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) hygiene rating for pubs that serve food. Winter hours start in November at several of these pubs, so check before you set off. This guide covers the Dorset Council area; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are not included.

Purbeck

Square and Compass, Worth Matravers

The pub’s history page says the building became an alehouse around 1776, and that Charlie and Florence Newman took the tenancy in March 1907; the family has run it ever since. In 2017 CAMRA named it as one of five pubs to have appeared in every edition of its Good Beer Guide, and East Dorset CAMRA made it its rural Pub of the Season for summer 2026. The pub says plainly that it has “no restaurant”: it serves only homemade pies and pasties, including gluten-free ones, alongside its own cider. It has a small fossil museum and regular live music; a Sausage and Cider Festival is on Saturday 7 November. It opens from noon, seven days a week. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 3 October 2025). Worth Matravers, BH19 3LF.

Bankes Arms, Studland

The Bankes Arms says it “could almost set the blueprint for every other traditional country pub”, and it looks out over Studland Bay. The Isle of Purbeck Brewery has brewed beside the pub since 2003, and its five core beers are served on draught. Winter hours run from 1 November to 31 May: the bar opens 11am to 10pm, with food noon to 9pm at weekends and noon to 3pm and 6pm to 9pm on weekdays. Tables are not booked for food, so it is first come, first served, though large groups are asked to ring ahead. It says it is dog friendly, and it closes on Christmas Day. From the Poole side, note that the Sandbanks chain ferry is away for its refit from 2 November. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 13 May 2026). Manor Road, Studland, BH19 3AU.

The Scott Arms, Kingston

The Scott Arms calls itself a traditional country pub with “history, character, community and atmosphere”, and says its garden gives “one of the best views in Dorset across to Corfe Castle”. It opens 11am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and noon to 9pm on Sunday. Food is served noon to 2.30pm and 5pm to 8pm Monday to Saturday. On Sunday the roast is served at lunchtime and the normal menu from 5pm to 8pm, and roasts run from late September until April. The outdoor Burger Shak is shut until Easter 2027. The pub says “all well behaved pooches are welcome”, with bowls and treats in every bar. Hygiene rating 3, generally satisfactory (FSA, 22 April 2026). West Street, Kingston, BH20 5LH.

The Greyhound Inn, Corfe Castle

The Greyhound stands in the village square below the castle ruins and claims “arguably the best view” of them, from a garden with its own terrace bar. Its cask ales come from the Dorset Brewing Company and Ringwood, and its cider from the Purbeck Cider Company, and it makes its own gin infusions. The pub is open noon to 10pm every day. Kitchen times vary, and the pub asks you to ring to confirm both its opening and kitchen hours. There are Sunday and Christmas menus, and tables can be booked online. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 23 January 2025). The Square, Corfe Castle, BH20 5EZ.

Bridport and the West Dorset coast

The Tiger Inn, Bridport

West Dorset CAMRA named the Tiger its Pub of the Year for 2026, a year after it was runner-up. The Tiger Inn calls itself a “traditional grade 2 listed 18th Century Inn” and a family-run free house, with two bars, two courtyard gardens and a vintage alley bar. CAMRA’s listing counts six changing real ales, mostly from the region, and points out a rare etched Groves Brewery window. The pub serves no food apart from breakfast for guests in its seven rooms. CAMRA lists it as dog friendly, but pets are not allowed in the bedrooms. It opens noon to 11pm, and noon to 9pm on Sunday. It has no car park; the pub suggests the long-stay council car park in East Street. 14-16 Barrack Street, Bridport, DT6 3LY. Our listing.

The Woodman, Bridport

The Woodman calls itself “fiercely independent” and serves cask ale, craft beer and what it calls “award-winning ciders”. CAMRA members voted it the 2024 Wessex Regional Pub of the Year and the 2024 Regional Cider Pub of the Year, according to its CAMRA listing. The same listing describes a one-bar room with a stone floor and a log burner, and one handpump kept for stouts and porters. There is a garden and a skittle alley, and folk nights, storytelling and DJs feature in its programme. CAMRA lists hours of noon to 11pm Monday to Thursday, noon to midnight on Friday, 11am to midnight on Saturday and noon to 9pm on Sunday. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 22 July 2025). 61 South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NZ. Our listing.

The Anchor Inn, Seatown

The Anchor sits at the foot of Golden Cap, a few steps from the beach at Seatown, and quotes the Telegraph calling it “a destination gastropub serving elevated British classics”. Its winter menu lists mains from £17 to £27, battered haddock and chips at £21 among them. It opens noon to 10pm daily, with the kitchen open noon to 8pm, and says it is open all year except Christmas Day. Inside tables can be booked through OpenTable from 30 September to 31 May; in summer it is first come, first served. There is a children’s menu and highchairs. It is cashless, so bring a card. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 22 September 2025). Seatown, near Chideock, DT6 6JU. Our listing. The Golden Cap walk starts nearby.

Dorchester and the villages

The Thimble Inn, Piddlehinton

West Dorset CAMRA made the Thimble its Beer Drinkers’ Pub of the Year for 2025, an award decided by members’ scores for cask beer quality. The Thimble Inn describes “low ceiling, original features, crackling fires” beside the River Piddle, and pours Palmers ales and Fordington gin. It says it is at “the beginning of an exciting new chapter”. Dogs are welcome in the bar and gardens. It opens noon to 5pm on Monday, noon to 10pm Tuesday to Thursday, noon to 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5pm on Sunday. Book a table online or on 01300 348270. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 13 March 2026). 14 High Street, Piddlehinton, DT2 7TD.

The Royal Oak, Cerne Abbas

The Royal Oak calls itself an “independently owned 16th century thatched freehouse” built in the 1540s, and it is a Grade II listed building. CAMRA notes three connected rooms with real fires and flagstone floors, a patio at the back, and usually at least one beer from the Cerne Abbas Brewery. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. It opens noon to 3.30pm and from 6pm Wednesday to Friday, from noon on Saturday, and noon to 7pm on Sunday. Food is served Wednesday to Saturday from noon to 2.30pm and 6pm to 8.30pm, with Sunday lunch from noon to 2.30pm. It says “we are dog friendly”. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 12 December 2024). 23 Long Street, Cerne Abbas, DT2 7JG.

The Acorn Inn, Evershot

The Acorn Inn is a 16th-century coaching inn that, it says, features in Tess of the d’Urbervilles, with “old beams, oak panelling and roaring fires”. It won Gold for Pub of the Year at the South West Tourism Awards 2023/24. The bar opens 3pm to 10.30pm on Monday and Tuesday, noon to 10.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and noon to 11pm on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant serves Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 1.45pm and 6.30pm to 8.30pm, and there is a children’s menu. Dogs get water bowls and biscuits at the bar, and can stay for £15 a night. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 16 January 2025). 28 Fore Street, Evershot, DT2 0JW.

Weymouth and the coast

The Boot Inn, Weymouth

The Boot claims to be Weymouth’s oldest pub, on the grounds that Melcombe Regis, across the harbour, was a separate parish until 1920, CAMRA explains. The building is Grade II listed and dates from the early 17th century. CAMRA lists its interior as of special national historic interest: much of it comes from a 1930s refit, and a Victorian water tap survives on one counter. Real ale is discounted all day on Mondays. CAMRA lists it as dog friendly, with real fires in winter and a public car park next door. It lists hours of 11am to 11pm Monday to Thursday, 11am to midnight on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 10.30pm on Sunday. The pub’s own site is run by its owner, Marston’s, and CAMRA warns it contains mistakes. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 8 July 2025). High West Street, Weymouth, DT4 8JH. Our listing.

The Smugglers Inn, Osmington Mills

A thatched Hall and Woodhouse pub on the clifftop east of Weymouth, which describes itself as “once the headquarters for 17th Century smugglers”, with views to the Isle of Portland and Badger beers on tap. It opens from 8.30am every day, until 10pm Monday to Thursday, 10.30pm on Friday and Saturday and 9pm on Sunday. Food runs from breakfast until 8.30pm Monday to Thursday, 9pm on Friday and Saturday and 7.30pm on Sunday. A weekday set menu is £19.95 for two courses, Monday to Thursday. CAMRA lists it as cashless and dog friendly, and warns of a very steep approach from the car park. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 18 May 2026). Osmington Mills, DT3 6HF. Our listing.

Sherborne, Shaftesbury, Blandford and Wimborne

The Digby Tap, Sherborne

The Digby Tap is a free house that says it was included in the Telegraph’s guide to the 500 best pubs in England in July 2025. It says the Good Beer Guide and the Good Pub Guide have both featured it. Four handpumps are always on: one session ale, from Cerne Abbas, Otter or Teignworthy, and three guests. The oldest part of the building is thought to date from between 1550 and about 1700, and it served as the parish workhouse from 1749. Home-cooked food is served at lunchtime, Monday to Saturday. Tables must be booked by phone on 01935 813148; the pub asks people not to book by email or Facebook. It opens 11am to 11pm Monday to Saturday and noon to 11pm on Sunday. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 12 March 2026). Cooks Lane, Sherborne, DT9 3NS. Our listing.

Ye Olde Two Brewers, Shaftesbury

Ye Olde Two Brewers is an 18th-century pub at the foot of Gold Hill and calls itself “a real hidden gem”. CAMRA’s listing says the pub takes its name from its first landlords, two brothers who brewed their own beer and sold it at festivals. It also notes that Gold Hill was the setting for the Hovis advert. The pub says it is family friendly and dog friendly, serves locally sourced daily specials and takes bookings online. There is a skittle alley and a garden with views. CAMRA lists it as closed on Monday except bank holidays, open noon to 9.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, and noon to 6pm on Sunday. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 18 February 2026). 24 St James Street, Shaftesbury, SP7 8HE.

The Stour Inn, Blandford St Mary

East Dorset CAMRA chose the Stour Inn as its rural Pub of the Season for spring 2026. It has no website. CAMRA’s listing describes a Grade II listed free house with five changing ales from independent breweries, an open fire, monthly quizzes and live music. It adds that pub sources put it at 400 to 450 years old, while the listing dates it to the late 18th or early 19th century. CAMRA lists it as open 3pm to 10.30pm Monday to Thursday, noon to 11pm on Friday and Saturday and noon to 10pm on Sunday. Food is served Wednesday to Thursday evenings and Friday to Sunday lunchtimes, with Friday and Saturday evenings too. It is dog friendly, and there is a single step at the door. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 7 May 2025). 5 Blandford St Mary, DT11 9LH; 01258 268188.

The Vine Inn, Pamphill, near Wimborne

The Vine is a National Trust-owned country pub a mile west of Wimborne Minster, run by the same family for over a century, according to its CAMRA listing. CAMRA rates its interior three stars, “of outstanding national historic importance”. The public bar, about eight feet square, is one of the smallest in the country. There are two changing cask ales and Purbeck cider. Food is limited to ploughman’s lunches and toasties at lunchtime, and it takes cash only. It has no website, and its hours are short. CAMRA lists 6pm to 9pm on Monday; noon to 3pm and 6pm to 9pm on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon to 3pm on Wednesday; and noon to 4pm and 6pm to 9pm on Sunday. It is dog friendly, and the access is sloping, with steps. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 8 October 2024). Vine Hill, Pamphill, BH21 4EE; 01202 882259.

How we chose

We began with the pubs Dorset’s two CAMRA branches have named in their recent awards: Pub of the Year, Pub of the Season and the Beer Drinkers’ award. We then added pubs with a long public record: historic interiors on CAMRA’s national inventory, listed buildings, tourism awards and national guides. Each pub was checked on 24 October 2026 against its own website, or its CAMRA listing where it has none, for hours, food, prices and closures. Hygiene ratings come from the Food Standards Agency register, and nothing rated below 3 is included. Prices are the pubs’ own published prices and can change. Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@dorsetpost.co.uk.

For more, see the best restaurants in Dorset, things to do in Dorset, what’s on in Dorset this month and Dorset’s dog-friendly beaches. Every pub in our directory is in the local business directory, and the latest inspection results are in our Dorset food hygiene ratings round-up.

Frequently asked questions

Which Dorset pubs have won CAMRA awards recently?

West Dorset CAMRA named the Tiger Inn in Bridport its Pub of the Year for 2026. The Thimble Inn at Piddlehinton was the branch’s Beer Drinkers’ Pub of the Year for 2025, and the Woodman in Bridport was the 2024 Wessex Regional Pub of the Year. East Dorset CAMRA chose the Stour Inn at Blandford St Mary as its rural Pub of the Season for spring 2026, and the Square and Compass at Worth Matravers for summer 2026.

Which Dorset pubs allow dogs?

The Bankes Arms, the Scott Arms, the Thimble Inn, the Royal Oak at Cerne Abbas and Ye Olde Two Brewers all say on their own sites that they are dog friendly. The Acorn Inn puts water bowls and biscuits by the bar, and dogs can stay for £15 a night. CAMRA lists the Tiger Inn, the Boot Inn, the Stour Inn, the Smugglers Inn and the Vine Inn as dog friendly too.

Which Dorset pubs do not serve food?

The Tiger Inn in Bridport serves no food apart from breakfast for guests staying in its rooms. The Square and Compass has no restaurant and serves only its own pies and pasties. The Vine Inn at Pamphill does ploughman’s lunches and toasties at lunchtime only, and it takes cash only.