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Sunday Lunch in Dorchester

Dorchester is an historic market town in the heart of “Hardy Country”, boasting a great selection of restaurants, gastro pubs and carveries, making it a perfect place to visit for a Sunday lunch with the family.

An ideal base for exploring the county, Dorchester itself is bursting at the seams with vintage shops, museums and even an art deco cinema but MOST importantly, it has tons of fantastic foodie venues.

Quite simply, it is one of the best places in Dorset for a Sunday roast dinner or lunch!

Dorchester

The Square Bistro

The Square Bistro

Opened in 2021 and highly recommended by all. The Square Bistro is all about fresh, simple, and most importantly, local food... Fine dining (ish) in a warm, cosy atmosphere with unpretentious, good quality food and top notch service... 

Their Sunday menu is first class and very reasonably priced at 2/3 x courses at £20.95 and £25.95, respectively. Beautifully presented and NOT to be missed, their roasts will keep you coming back for more!

The Sunday roast menu  changes regularly with the  seasons or availability. 

A fantastic selection of unparalleled wine and ales, all LOCAL, are available to accompany the perfect Sunday meal. Meals can be tailored to any requirements and kids are happily catered for.

Starters: Dorset Snails (!) and Filled Yorkshire Pudding with either Pulled Pork and Piccalilli or Blue Vinney and Mushrooms. 

Mains: Topside of Dorset Roast wBeef with Yorkies and Caramelised Onion Beignets, Pan Roasted Chicken Supreme with Pistachio & Cranberry stuffing AND Bread Sauce! Butternut Squash and Walnut Loaf and Pan Roasted Lamb Rump are just some of the incredible choices. All served, as you might imagine, with perfectly seasoned vegetables, plenty of roast potatoes and lashings of gravy.

Desserts: White Chocolate Brioche Pudding and a Dorset based cheeseboard.

Options: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Sunday Serving Times: 12pm-4pm (Closed the first Sunday of every month)

Menu: Click here

Price Range: - £3.95 - £25.95

Address: 1 Challacombe Square, Poundbury, Dorchester, DT1 3SX

Telephone: 01305 592267 

The Sun Inn

The Sun Inn

The Sun Inn is a  gloriously quaint, 17th century, traditional country pub. Warm red brick and wooden interiors with roaring open fires and a gorgeous front courtyard, garden and play area for the kids in the summer months. 

With a formidable collection of real cask ales and wines. Family friendly with excellent service and their Roasts aren’t just for Sundays either, making all your carvery dreams come true, as their famous carvery is open seven days a week! 

Alongside the customary meats, the carvery offers a fantastic selection of vegetables including crispy roasties, braised red cabbage, cauliflower cheese, honey glazed carrots and parsnips, endless gravy and ALL the sauces.

The Sun Inn also has a daily specials board and an a la carte seasonal menu, featuring a selection of good old-fashioned home cooking and classic pub dishes, as well as some more unusual dishes.

Options: Kids menus, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, 

Sunday Serving Times: Monday-Friday: 12pm – 2.30pm & 6pm – 8.30pm/Saturday & Sunday: 12pm – 8.30pm. Drive Thru’ Carvery also be open during these times

Menu: Click here

Address: Lower Burton, Dorchester, DT2 7RZ

Telephone: 01305 250445 - call to reserve only.

*Useful things to know*

Outdoor Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Reservations, Validated Parking, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Drive Thru, Playgrounds and Dog Friendly.

Yalbury Cottage

Yalbury Cottage

Yalbury Cottage is located  in Lower Brockhampton, has stunning rooms to rent and an award-winning restaurant. Highly rated by locals for its top-quality local produce, spectacular setting and sustainability. Their seasonal menus change daily and their superb Farmers Market Sunday lunch showcases the best of what the local area has to offer.

The Sunday menu reads like an epic tale with courses named BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END, with a ‘Sea’, ‘Meadow’, ‘Field’ and ‘Garden’ offering, along with a Special of the day and The Best of the West Cheeseboard.

Why not grab a glass of bubbly and enjoy wonderful homemade canapés served in the garden (weather dependent) before starting your sampling journey through Dorset?

The food and wine menus are faultless and with its oak-beamed ceilings, exposed stone walls, and crackling log fires and gorgeous flower-filled gardens,  it is quite literally heaven on a Sunday, or any day for that matter. 

A little pricier than other venues but everything about it has been so well thought out and it will be a truly magical afternoon experience…

Starter: Smooth duck liver, Dorset snails or Chalk Stream Trout Pastrami

Main: Maiden Castle Farm Roast Sirloin Of Beef, Garlic And Thyme Roasted Chicken Breast Or Smoked Aubergine & Mushroom Kiev, Citrus Aioli, Hispi Cabbage

Desserts: Dark chocolate Marquise or Caramelised Apple and Thyme Tarte Tatin 

Options: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free 

Sunday Serving Times: 2 x sittings - 12pm- 2pm - Please note YC closes at 4.30pm on Sundays 

Price Range: 2 Course £35/3 x Course £45

Menu: Click here 

Address: Yalbury Cottage, Lower Bockhampton, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 8PZ

Telephone: 01305 262 382 - it is essential to book!

*Useful things to know*

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Free off-street parking and Dog Friendly.

The Brewers Arms

The Brewers Arms

The Bakers Arms is a 19th century inn, in the village of Martinstown, Dorchester. Family run and passionate about food, with Sunday roast being the jewel in their proverbial crown. All their food is made from scratch and locally sourced with a healthy offering of real cask ales and wines to choose from.  This welcoming freehouse really does add the ‘WOW’ factor to any Sunday lunch with its stunning location, huge garden (with heated sheds) and incredible roasts! 

“A Sunday well spent”  brings a week of content” according to their website, so take their advice and book yourself a table for Sunday Roast , for you and the family.

The Sunday Lunch menu changes with regularity but firm favourites include:

Grab a Bloody Mary from the well stocked bar and some Honey and Mustard Chipolatas or Spicy Edamame Bean to snack on before the main event…

All served with an enormous Yorkshire pudding, plenty of gorgeous fresh seasonal vegetables, crispy roast potatoes and a side of the cheesiest cauliflower cheese

The Mini Brew (3 x course) selection for kids is fantastic at £14.95 and Kids roasts are available for £7.00

If you feel like something different,  Steak & Ale or Steak & Stilton Pie, Butternut Squash, Spinach & Pepper Lasagne and Scampi and Chips are readily available, along with choices from the main menu and daily specials. An entirely Vegan Menu is also available. 

Leave room for the homemade desserts, as they are LEGENDARY!

The Brewers Arms also has 2 x gorgeously decorated B&B rooms, plenty of events to entertain and a mobile bar for hire called The Brew Box! 

Starters: Breaded Brie Wedges or a Cajun Spiced Prawn Cocktail - what’s not to love..?

Mains: Traditional Sunday Roast Beef (£15.95), Pork (£15.95), Chicken (£14.95) or Vegetable Nut Roast (£11.95) are all for the taking.

Options: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free 

Sunday Serving Times: 12pm – 3pm

Price Range: £4.50 - £16.50

Menu: Click here 

Address: Burnside, Martinstown, Dorset, DT2 9LB

Telephone: 01305 889361 - it is essential to book!

*Useful things to know*

Outdoor Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Reservations, Validated Parking, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Dog Friendly

The Kings Arms

The Kings Arms

The King’s Arms, has an illustrious past and even hosted The Rolling Stones, but sadly fell into disrepair… In 2015 it was given a much needed renovation and now is a beacon of culinary and design delight! Award winning local producers and seasonal dishes using wild, organic ingredients have propelled the restaurant to greatness once more, and their Sunday Roast Menu is a culinary wonder not to be trifled with!

Simple and seasonal, always and organic and wild, wherever possible, is the basis for all the dishes on the Sunday Roast menu.

Portland Princess Oysters or Pigeon Ham Hock Terrine to start the proceedings.

Followed by Rare Roasted Sirloin and Slow Cooked Brisket of Angus Beef with red wine jus and the oft missed Horseradish Sauce, Free Range Roasted Chicken with Sage and Apricot stuffing or Mushroom, Beetroot & Quinoa Roast 

All served herby roast potatoes, Savoy cabbage, Celeriac Purée, Root mash and Yorkshire pudding. 

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Honeycomb Ice cream or Tonka Bean Panna Cotta - the choice is yours.

There are plenty more delicacies to choose from on the Sunday Menu, the dining room is stylish and the service is sublime.

The dinner cocktails are divine and the wine and drinks list will satisfy even the trickiest of customers… The dining room is stylish and the service is sublime.

Kids are welcome and even have a specific roast menu on Sundays or a kids main menu to choose from.

Awarded an AA Rosette for culinary excellence in 2022, for good reason as dining here is an experience to be treasured.

Options: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, if notified in advance, will cater for any requirement.

Sunday Serving Times: 12pm- 5pm 

Price Range: £5.50 - £21.00

Menu: Click here

Address: 30 High East Street, Dorchester, DT1 1HF

Telephone: 01305 238238 - it is essential to book!

*Useful things to know* 

Reservations, Seating, Serves Alcohol, Table Service, Highchairs Available

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