Taste

Top choice in Dorset


One of Dorchester's best, buzziest brunch and lunch spots has fleets of fans thanks to a buy-local ethos and emphasis on superfresh sustainable ingredients. They crop up in everything from platters, tapas and melts to classy bistro dishes: grilled steak, confit duck, garlicky linguine.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Dorset attractions

1. Dorset County Museum

0.03 MILES

The Thomas Hardy collection here is the world's largest, offering extraordinary insights into his creative process. You can see from text in Hardy's…

2. Lucetta's House

0.03 MILES

Some say this grand Georgian house with ornate doorposts was an inspiration for Thomas Hardy as he imagined the home of the character Lucetta Templeman in…

3. Mayor Of Casterbridge's House

0.1 MILES

A red-brick, mid-18th-century building (now a bank) that's named as the inspiration for the home of Thomas Hardy's mayor of Casterbridge, in his book of…

4. Roman Town House

0.22 MILES

The knee-high flint walls and beautifully preserved mosaics here powerfully conjure up the Roman occupation of Dorchester (then Durnovaria). Peek into the…

5. Max Gate

0.91 MILES

Novelist Thomas Hardy was a trained architect and designed this attractive house, where he lived from 1885 until his death in 1928. Tess of the D…

6. Maiden Castle

1.82 MILES

Occupying a massive slab of horizon on the southern fringes of Dorchester, Maiden Castle is the largest and most complex Iron Age hill fort in Britain…

7. Hardy's Cottage

2.35 MILES

This picturesque cob-and-thatch house is the birthplace of writer Thomas Hardy. It features evocative, sparsely furnished rooms and a lush garden. It's in…

8. Sea Life

6.13 MILES

Highlights include sharks, penguins and seahorses, and talks and feeding demonstrations are held throughout the day. Tickets fall to £14 for adults and …