A tasting menu can go one of two ways. Done well, it gives a kitchen the chance to show what it can really do, and nudges you toward dishes you’d probably never order off a regular menu. Done badly, it’s a long evening spent waiting between artistic spoonfuls, quietly wondering whether to stop for chips on the way home. Dorset, as it turns out, does rather well on the first count – between locally caught fish and shellfish and the county’s countryside produce, there’s a genuinely good spread of tasting menus on offer, from modern and theatrical to classically French. Here are six worth booking.
Thirteen, Poole
Run by siblings Alex and Frances Naik from a tiny 20-cover room on Poole High Street, Thirteen is the most adventurous and theatrical tasting menu in the county – thirteen plates, as the name suggests, ranging from beef and lovage to skate and peppercorn to strawberry and cardamom. Choose from four plates (£60), six and a half (£90), or the full thirteen (£135). Michelin-recognised with two AA Rosettes.
Restaurant Roots, Southbourne
Open since 2015 and holding three AA Rosettes, Roots takes a more understated approach – modern, uncomplicated cooking that lets good ingredients do the talking, from truffle sourdough dumplings and a rye bread course through to fish, meat and dessert. Dinner is £99 (vegetarian menu available), lunch £69.
Catch at the Old Fish Market, Weymouth
Set above Weyfish’s own fishmongers in a Grade II-listed building on Weymouth Harbour, Catch builds its menu around whatever’s actually come in that day rather than a fixed plan – native lobster might sit alongside less fashionable cuts like skate jowl, depending on the catch. Lunch from £55, an early sitting at £65, or dinner at £95. The best choice on this list if you want the freshest possible seafood.
The Jetty, Christchurch
Chef Patron Alex Aitken’s waterfront restaurant at Christchurch Harbour Hotel leans classical rather than experimental, and the setting does a lot of the work – a seven-course menu (£80) taking in Jetty fish soup, scallop, crab and locally landed fish and meat, finished with dessert. Worth booking for the view over the harbour alone.
Al Molo, Dorchester
Housed in the former lodgings of the notorious Judge Jeffreys, Al Molo’s eight-course menu (£68) blends Italian technique with Dorset seafood and seasonal British ingredients. One AA Rosette, and a minimum booking of two people.
Bistro du Vin, Poole Old Town
The “Taste du Vin” menu pairs a glass of wine with each course for £69.95 all in – think pissaladière with a glass of Chablis, langoustines à la Provençale alongside a Côtes de Provence rosé. A plant-based version is also available, and it’s a genuinely good option if you’d rather the wine did some of the deciding for you.
Worth knowing before you book
For the most theatrical evening, Thirteen; for the most accomplished all-round cooking, Roots; for the freshest seafood, Catch; for the setting, The Jetty. Menus at places like these change with the seasons and the day’s catch, so it’s worth checking current details and flagging any dietary requirements when you book, rather than assuming the menu above is exactly what’s on offer the night you go.
A small thank you to the place we call home
We’re lucky enough to work with clients across Poole, Bournemouth and the wider Dorset area, and pieces like this are our way of saying we’re genuinely part of this community, not just based in it. And if a good meal happens to get you thinking about the bigger picture – your finances included – we’re always happy to swap the tasting menu for a straightforward conversation about your plans, no obligation attached.
Prices and menu details are correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing (September 2026) but can change, so it’s always worth checking directly with the venue and booking ahead.