Diners' Choice: Best Ambience restaurants in Dorset

OpenTable

Updated 05 December 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best ambience in Dorset? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyses nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you book, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Art Sushi

4.9

4.9 (470)

£26 to £40

Japanese Speciality

Bournemouth

About the restaurant

Art Sushi was named on The Good Food Guide top 100 restaurants also the OpenTable top 100 restaurants in the UK and included in both the MICHELIN Guide and Good Food Guide. Chef Kamil Skalczynski - a finalist of the World’s major and most prestigious tournaments for Sushi Masters.
WORLD SUSHI CUP 2016 IN JAPAN and also GLOBAL SUSHI CHALLENGE 2015.
Adviser World Sushi Skills Institute and also He won the Certificate of International Sushi Kuro-Obi and International Proficiency, the Only accepted In the World, awarded by the Japanese Government under the Leadership of the Japanese Association „SUSHI WSSI ALL JAPAN ASSOCIATIONS AND NORWEGIAN COUNCIL SUSHI AND SEAFOOD”.
Co-founder of Japanese Restaurants, awarded by ‘AWARDS OF EXELLENCE BY POLAND 100 BEST RESTAURANTS”. Chef in Chef Academy & Cookery School.
He gained his experience working and completing internships in well known restaurants in Poland, the Michelin Star Atelier Amaro and also he graduated the Academy of Jean Bos.

Top review

Richard

Dined on 21 Dec 2024

Amazing experience at art sushi. It was my fiancés birthday and they gave her complimentary sake. The food was incredible. The best sushi we’ve ever had. So fresh and flavoursome and the staff were brilliant.

Discover more

Experience

Chirashi Sushi Selection!

The Old Inn

4.6

4.6 (2897)

£26 to £40

British

Wimborne

About the restaurant

The Old Inn is a traditional country pub in the heart of the idyllic village of Holt. Situated close to the historic town of Wimborne Minster, The Old Inn is the perfect destination when you fancy a homemade, traditional pub meal. With real fires, a beautiful garden and fantastic service, this pub is definitely worth a visit. We have worked hard to put together a menu that offers something for everyone. Everything is freshly prepared at the Old Inn, from our Chicken Liver paté, to children’s chicken nuggets. We pride ourselves that all of our meals are traditionally cooked using largely locally sourced ingredients and our seasonal specials are definitely worth looking at too, as well as our delicious desserts! We aim to provide a prompt, efficient and friendly service and we can cater for all types of parties.

Top review

Tina

Dined 4 days ago

This was our second visit, we were not disappointed, warm friendly welcome, good selection of food,even for us being pescatarians.The vegetables served were not over cooked, lovely salad according to my husband was very fresh. Standards within the pub were excellent, service was very friendly and professional even, the way the tables were cleaned, the washrooms were very clean. We will be going back and have already told family and friends how great our experience was. Well done The Old Inn

Discover more

Popular dish

Garlic Pizza

BEAR Wimborne

4.6

4.6 (27)

£25 and under

Café

Wimborne

About the restaurant

Our store in Wimborne, Dorset, breathes life into a beautiful Grade II listed building that once housed The Bell Hotel, a local landmark since the 19th century. The patio space, once home to an old glassblowing building, is the perfect little sun trap to enjoy a coffee, a bite to eat, or a cocktail or two.

Whether you’re popping in for a quick coffee or staying longer for brunch, our Wimborne store presents the perfect blend of heritage and modern comfort in the heart of this historic town.

Top review

Andy

Dined on 21 Dec 2024

Great food and drink in an inviting atmosphere, with a warm welcome: who could ask for more? See you again soon.

Shalims Balti House

4.7

4.7 (947)

£25 and under

Indian

Weymouth

About the restaurant

Shalims Balti House is a national and regional award winning Indian restaurant. Come in and enjoy the best in Indian dining Weymouth has to offer. The mouthwatering food and warm comfortable surroundings all add to the experience that you'll find hard to beat when it comes to Indian food in the area. For the best food, service and comfort dine at Shalims Balti House.

Top review

Julie

Dined on 28 Dec 2024

Fabulous. We are regulars and it never fails to please . Excellent

TWELVE EATERY

4.8

4.8 (962)

£26 to £40

Vegan

Bournemouth

About the restaurant

Sustainability and nutritional is at the core of Twelve. There are no obvious vegan cues and most of our guests don’t even make the connection that the menus is plant-based.

Twelve is defined not by what’s missing but by what it is.

Twelve Eatery is where vegans, vegetarians, pescetarians, flexitarians, omnivores and meat eaters meet to try creative dishes in a good atmosphere with stylish interiors.

We believe great food and good music should be enjoyed by everyone!

Top review

Amanda

Dined on 23 Dec 2024

Delicious plant-based food in a lovely restaurant.

The Anchor Inn

4.7

4.7 (735)

£25 and under

British

Bridport

About the restaurant

You'll find us nestled snugly right on Seatown Beach, hidden along one of the many coves that litter Dorset's famous Jurassic coastline. Once a smugglers haunt, the pub now serves a seasonal menu with a focus on seafood and fresh local produce.

Complete with wood fires and Palmers award winning ales, the pub is the perfect location to refuel after a day on the coastal path or for a special evening meal with friends or family.

Top review

DaveVIP

Dined 4 days ago

What a wonderful place. Food is fantastic, setting and the pub itself just lovely, and the owners clearly run a happy team of staff. Cannot fault it.

Oliveto

4.5

4.5 (2482)

£26 to £40

Italian

Weymouth

About the restaurant

Oliveto brings Italian cuisine from the heart of the owners and Italian Chefs. Using local produce with the finest Italian ingredients the restaurant prides itself on quality food with a difference in a venue which provides an amazing setting. Whilst dining on excellent cuisine you can enjoy panoramic views of Weymouth Bay and the Jurassic coastline in a relaxed and grand setting. Respecting the building's origins as part of the piers bandstand the restaurant's decor nods to the past incorporating art deco features together with modern design. You sense a feeling of luxury as you walk through the doors.

Top review

Rachel

Dined on 28 Dec 2024

Lovely meal in great atmosphere. Delicious food. Service was excellent. Quick food production. Great views even at night.

Al Molo Dorchester

4.7

4.7 (467)

£26 to £40

Contemporary Italian

Dorchester

About the restaurant

Al Molo is an award-winning Italian restaurant launched in 2015 and transformed Weymouth’s Pier Bandstand into a destination for wonderful Italian food. Co-owners Giuseppe Vannucci & Tim Newton achieved national recognition from the Italian Chamber of Commerce with the “Marchio Ospitalità Italiana“ seal of quality award and won Gold for ‘Restaurant Of The Year’ at the South West England Tourism Excellence Awards.

Building on that success, this new restaurant, their second, Al Molo Dorchester, is traditional Italian cuisine and seafood Restaurant focus to bring fresh, locally caught fish to the forefront of the menu.

Situated in one of Dorchester’s oldest buildings, Judge Jeffreys on High West Street, one of the few surviving timber-framed buildings in Dorchester.

Using fresh, locally caught fish and produce, coupled with the finest Italian ingredients, the restaurant will pride itself on quality food in a venue which provides a unique historical setting.

Top review

Nigel

Dined 2 days ago

This is the best dining experience I have had in a very long time. It was made really good by the consummate professional that was our server. It was so nice to have a bottle of wine properly presented, to have a good discussion about the menu with knowledgeable recommendations. He was excellent. The food was very nice. The menu is varied and interesting. The prices are very reasonable. An absolute gem of a restaurant.

Pho Bournemouth

4.6

4.6 (333)

£25 and under

Vietnamese

Bournemouth

About the restaurant

Healthy Vietnamese Street Food, we specialise in serving pho noodle soup, hearty curries, delicious chicken wings, sharing spring rolls, and much more besides...

Top review

Naomi

Dined 2 days ago

Delicious food. Great gluten free options. Great cocktail menu! Friendly staff. Quick service! Can’t wait to eat here again!

Ivy Bournemouth

4.4

4.4 (38)

£25 and under

British

Bournemouth

About the restaurant

Nestled in the coastal town of Bournemouth, The Ivy brings a taste of luxury to the local dining scene. Discover menus featuring modern British cuisine to brasserie classics and fantastic vegan and vegetarian dishes, with something for everyone to love. From breakfast through to dinner seven days a week, the restaurant offers a luxurious haven in a stunning and elegant setting.

Top review

Dean

Dined on 27 Dec 2024

The level of custi.er service I received on a recent visit was close to exceptional. The food was excellent and not over prized. Dessert was amazing.

Discover more

Experience

Breakfast Set Menu

Experience

The Ivy Bournemouth Afternoon Tea

Experience

A Taste Of History

Explore Diners' Choice best of Dorset