7 Best Restaurants in The South, England

Perched on a bluff overlooking sandy Burton Beach, this airy restaurant in a hamlet at the western end of Chesil Beach specializes in freshly caught seafood and locally raised meat and produce. The short but focused menu includes dishes like grilled Dorset Blue lobster with garlic and samphire or fillet of turbot with braised artichokes and peas. It's a set menu on weekdays, but à la carte is available on weekends. Bar food is served when the restaurant is closed, and there's an afternoon tea. The restaurant is in a Victorian villa remodeled to evoke a chic 1920s feel, and the tables outside on the terrace have fabulous views across Lyme Bay. There are also nine light-filled bedrooms with views upstairs. The restaurant is 7 miles northwest of Abbotsbury, near Bridport, via B3157. 

Both the taste and presentation of its creative dishes have been winning rave reviews for this family-run, centrally located restaurant. Produce is largely fresh and local; meats and poultry are free-range and sustainably farmed. There's a six-course set-price tasting menu for sharing as well as shared plates that allow diners to sample a broader mix of dishes. Options might include roast cod with oyster mushrooms in a green curry cream, venison haunch with walnuts, and pigeon breast with roast celeriac.

A solo venture from celebrity chef Mark Hix, this restaurant combines stunning views overlooking the Cobb with his trademark high standards and originality. The menu changes twice daily, but the focus is always on simply cooked and beautifully presented locally sourced seafood dishes, such as grilled monkfish tail with caponata, chargrilled black sea bream, and, of course, local oysters. There's a limited vegetarian menu, but the dessert menu is extensive, with dishes like Brazilian chocolate mousse. Book well ahead to sit by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the coast, on the small terrace, or for the six-course Kitchen Table experience, where Hix cooks for you in his own home.

The funkier sister of glamorous Lime Wood, this New Forest "restaurant with rooms" is a local favorite that puts the emphasis on local produce (with all ingredients sourced within 25 miles if not the restaurant's own kitchen garden) and seasonality. Lunch and dinner are served in a large Victorian greenhouse overlooking the lawns, and the twice-daily changing menu may include dishes like an Isle of Wight eggplant with Romano peppers or a whole Poole sea bass. You may also accompany the "staff forager" on expeditions to find shellfish or edible flora like wild garlic and berries. Overnight in one of the 26 comfortable rooms in the main building (an 18th-century former royal hunting lodge) and the converted stable block or one of seven huts and lodges. All combine a slightly retro, shabby-chic style with modern bathrooms.

Befitting its waterside location in a harbor village just outside Ryde, this hotel has two restaurants with a strong maritime flavor. The fine-dining Aquitania sources much of its produce from the Seaview's own farm and features dishes such as herb-crusted cod loin with an heirloom tomato salad, whereas the less-formal Pump Bar serves battered fish-and-chips and traditional Sunday roasts. There are also gluten-free and vegan options, daytime light bites, and sandwiches. Luxurious fabrics characterize the chic guest rooms in the adjoining hotel.

The timbered and gabled building may be venerable—it dates back to the mid-15th century—but the cuisine is contemporary British. The small but well-executed menu is particularly strong on dishes using local ingredients, like roast wood pigeon with white onion purée, roast lamb with wild garlic and spaetzle, and pan-seared chalk-stream trout with dill oil. Good service and the heritage charm of the surroundings further enhance the dining experience. There's also a good-value set lunch and early evening menu. 

Superbly positioned right on the beach close to Bournemouth Pier, this fish restaurant serves the best seafood in town, whether grilled, baked, or in fish pies and stews. The menu may include dishes like tempura halibut, pan-fried sea bass, and a locally caught fish of the day, plus shellfish such as local oysters, crab, mussels, clams, and lobster. There are a few non-fish dishes such as an aged West Country sirloin steak. Simple wooden tables and a large glass front lend a modern, minimalist feel, and there's a narrow deck and terrace for open-air dining. In summer, pick up ice cream and snacks from the adjacent stand.