Great classic English Pub with a nice food upgrade. Very good beer, thatched roof, neighborhood…read morepub. Nice garden where the locals bring their dogs and have a pint. Tuscan pork and bean stew (outstanding!), chili with chunks of real steak, first class fish and chips. What more could you want!?

Well, where to start . . …read more I found this place by accident when I was doing my articles to qualify professionally in Salisbury, by sheer good luck I took rooms just a few yards away from a pub I had unknowingly driven past a hundred times - it is - it really is - well hidden. Once I found it I practically moved in . . .. This pub is located in the tiny hamlet of Netherhampton - just outside Salisbury in Wiltshire. If you are in the area - eat here! It is a chocolate-box cover thatched pub - all oak beams, real fires and horse brasses. The beers - ever changing - are kept in such fine condition that they have won awards (plural) from CAMRA. Their lagers are - well - lagers (enough said) if you're in this pub drinking lager you've missed the point utterly. However - their ciders (and I'm thinking Black Rat in particular) are first class. If you want a drinking pub you can't go wrong here However . . . their food . . . is . . . sublime. Now don't get me wrong they serve pub food. You won't find some sort of Cordon Bleu stupid pretentious nouvelle cuisine here. But you will find things like sausage and mash with sausages made from local wiltshire pork with REAL mash made from real spuds. The ham and eggs are made with ham from the local farm simmered in Black rat cider for four hours then roasted slowly and served with eggs from the hens next door. Their Jambalaya Gumbo and Cassoulet are beautiful creations scratch made by their chef (and she really is from New Orleans!!). But - and I challenge you: try their chilli. Normally Chilli is a dish that is best avoided at all times - its usually made with left over roast beef from the Sunday roast or it's just minced beef with tomatoes and hot stuff. This is different - this is real chilli, real steak - in chunks, whole tomatoes braised to a vermilion syrupy sauce ignited with fresh scotch bonnet chillis. The other chef, Taylor (the boss's son), has made this his signature dish. Now listen up: I hate chilli - it's usually secondhand, second-class, reheated muck that I wouldn't serve to my dog. I NEVER order it when eating out - with one exception - the V&A. I regularly travel from my home in London down to Netherhampton just for lunch, and if I'm to be honest, I order one of their fabulous pub meals and get them to pack me a serving or three of their chili to take back home. Great beer, great food and great hosts. I know of no finer pub in England (that hasn't stopped me looking you understand . . .) One more thing, dogs - even three-legged ones - are welcomed. Oh yes - forgot to say - you'll find a picture of it among my photos.

The White Horse was recommended to my husband and I from our Air BnB host in Durweston. It was only…read morea short 15 minute walk to the place, and we were incredibly pleased with our experience. In fact, of all of the pubs that we visited during our week in Great Britain, this was truly our favorite. The bartenders, Mandy and Zoe were kind, friendly and made an effort to make us feel welcome in their place. We both ordered the Chicken in tomato/onion sauce topped with bacon and sides of veggies and it was delicious. For dessert we shared a special raspberry/sponge tart that Mandy recommended to us, and it was hands down spectacular. In addition to the warm atmosphere and good music, I felt the the locals here really went out of their way to get to know us. I could not have asked for a better experience for dinner/drinks and I would highly recommend this pub to anyone in the area. The delicious food, perfectly poured drinks and top notch customer service was a highlight of our trip to Dorset and Britain.

Went there with my husband, baby, a friend and their dog. What a great place! Fully modernised!…read moreFantastic menu and the food is great! I had a sirloin steak with curly fries and salad! There is so much room and it is remarkably clean the baby could do a little bit of crawling exercise on a rug next to our table! They have tables and chairs outside in their garden next to the car park, however, as it was a cool September evening we decided to go inside and the dog had plenty of room to lay down. I was also very impressed with the toilet facilities. Very clean, newly tiled, beautiful mirrors on the wall. Look forward to going there again soon.

We called in for lunch. A friendly staff and a pleasant ambiance welcomed us. This is an old…read morevillage pub that offers great food and beer. They also support local community events and activities. Toilets are clean and parking is available. I had the best steak and kidney pudding and all the trimmings while my daughter enjoyed the vegetarian menu, vegan options are also available. The Royal Oak is the essence of what a rural pub needs to be to survive these days. Only a mile or so off the A36 but in a beautiful old village. I heartily recommend, but do book early as this is a place sure to be popular with cyclists, tourists, locals and passing trade.

I just stayed here for a wedding. Decent sized parking area with a very nice garden. Beautiful…read moreplace. It was very welcoming and clean with all new bathrooms with cozy robes, complimentary beer, fizzy water, biscuits, and we enjoyed some great food. Breakfast was included. Also very dog friendly! They provided a dog bed for the family dog. Oh and very lovely beer brewed on side! Will be back for sure!

An absolute gem of a pub in one of Devon's prettiest, most tucked away coastal villages. The…read moreMason's Arms is, quite simply, a fantastic place in every sense of the word. I've stopped off for a snack or a quick drink a couple of times, and it's always really impressed me, and the lunch my parents and I had recently ranks as one of the best pub dinners the Andrews family can remember. Their crab sandwiches were fresh, as were the fish in their delicious creamy leek fish stew, while the ploughmans was huge. Desserts of chocolate and pecan brownie and banana fritters with toffee sauce were gobbled up. Ok, it's not cheap for a Devon pub, but the food is worth every penny - there was hardly anything on the menu I didn't want to scoff down. The pub itself is a charming sprawl of wooden rooms, and a small seating area out the front. It's homely and although the staff run a slick operation, they're still friendly and helpful. The pub was recently taken over by St Austell Brewery, so there's a good range of their beers, plus a couple of guest ales. This includes one local beer brewed in Branscombe. It's quaint, delicious, comfy and sits in one of the most stunning areas of the Devon coast. It is, quite simply, a perfect pub.

The bartender was really nice-she chatted a bit about the area and responded to my request for a…read morelocal beer.

Visiting Bath for a couple days and stepped in here for a pint to cap the day of sightseeing. Local…read morefolk were welcoming, and we had an interesting chat. I'm thankful for this Yelp app and our reviews which is very helpful in finding great spots we might miss otherwise.

How do you entertain yourself between the work day's end and a late supper when you live in the…read moresleepy country villages around Dorset? You come to the familiar red-brick, vine-laced local pub for a craft ale or standard on-tap cider, of course. The picturesque King Johns Inn appears to be a sort of upscale "Cheers-where-everybody-knows-your-name" evening hangout for couples who seem to have known each other forever. No one is left to trail up the walkway without an affectionate nickname or insult being shouted at him or her. The interior is exceptionally decorated with nothing extra and everything in its sensible place, giving it a tidy and *almost* too clean feeling. Black and white photographs adorn the dim-lit rooms. The light wood furniture, warm fire, and leather couches give it a smart country home feel. The ales are good, though don't look for lots of variety. The prices are high but this reflects the well-to-do clientèle and the affluent area. There is an informal restaurant with a menu which looks very well thought out, but I cannot attest to it as I haven't had the pleasure of trying it out myself. There is a wine shop adjoining, in case you need to pick something up to go along with dinner. And the red our hosts kindly treated us to was rather nice as well. A great pub in a great location.

The Square and Compass is such a gem if you're looking for an authentic pub experience in the…read moreEnglish countryside! The views alone are worth the visit, but the unique character of the place makes it even better. From the beer garden in the back to the small museum of fossils and local artifacts, it really has a one-of-a-kind charm. One thing I loved was the quirky "Woodhenge" sculpture in the parking lot--made from tree trunks, it's been standing since 2015 despite the local council initially wanting it taken down. It's still there as of my recent visit, and it's a fun little sight that adds even more personality to the place. The menu is limited, but that's part of the charm! I had the sausage roll, and it was sooo good! The warm, flaky crust and flavorful sausage made for the perfect pub snack. We sat inside since it was a warm day, and the locals couldn't have been friendlier. My friend and I (a pair of Americans) were welcomed like old friends, which made the whole experience even more special. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area--especially if you want to enjoy the local history, great beer, and a fantastic countryside view.

A couple of friends and I once went for a hike along the South West Coast Path in Dorset. It took…read moreus a couple of hours and was really nice: good weather, beautiful sea views, rolling pastures, and a great pub at the end. That pub turned out to be the Square and Compass. When we arrived it was warm and sunny, and most people were sitting on the dozens of outside tables, rocks, or just on the grass, enoying the sunshine. Oddly, a large number of chickens were strolling through the assembled patrons, but no one - drinker nor chicken - seemed to mind. There was a band playing some Beatles covers, too, though they finished shortly after we arrived. This is a proper country pub, long, low and very old wood and stone. They keep kegs of real ale and cider in a pump room here, so you order at the hatch. Check the Dinosaur Room while you're there. I won't say any more, since it deserves to be a surprise. I can't imagine a more relaxed, laid-back, country pub. The only downside was that although we'd planned to take a local bus back to Swanage, where our car was parked, those services don't run on Sundays. The day was so nice we decided to walk back anyway (along the road, though, a much shorter trip than the coastal path). EDIT: I was back again today, and despite the weather being crap - or maybe because of it - this pub was even better. We walked down to the ocean, to watch the surf pound the cliffs by the old quarry. We wedged into one of the tiny rooms and ate pasties and drank Ringwood ale. We gazed in wonder at the bizarre little fossil-and-beach-item museum at the back.

Can't fault this place! Very pretty from the outside and quaint, on the inside. It's been nicely…read moredone up. Cosy and homey, there's plenty of seating to choose from. Lovely nooks and crannies with couches and more, and a nice patio for warmer weather. If you're looking for a traditional British pub, you've come to the right place. Reasonable prices too. There's a lovely bar with enough beers on tap to suit all palates and more in the fridge. As for the food, they have most of the pub favourites along with steaks and salads as well as some vegetarian options. The set menu is on from Mon-Thurs and is great value at £11.99 for two courses + £2 for three or for a steak meal. I couldn't fit it in, but dessert was full sized and delicious too. Some had a berry crumble or a melba panacotta. If you're in the area, this place is well worth a visit, it won't disappoint!

Arguably one of the best meals we had. Cookin from the stars i had my reservations about the…read morepulled pork but it wasn't bad. The soup was great. Overall we were happy with the meal and would go back here to eat.

I liked to stop at the oldest pub/bar in cities that I visit. The Haunch did not disappoint! I…read morearrived a bit on the early side for lunch and the waitress took good care of me. I had an excellent view of the old church clocktower. The restaurant is clean and remarkably spacious for such an old building. It was bright and cheery. The bar downstairs felt cloistered but I only passed through. I had the Scotch egg and fish and chips, along with some local ales. I only had 2 days in England and I feel like I got the exact meal I had been anticipating.