The Cricketers

4.6

284 Reviews

£25 and under

Pub

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 8, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 3 times today

Experiences are available.

Charming
Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions

Soak up our friendly service and homely charm when nestled in the impressive roadside pub in the picturesque village of Shorton. Here at The Cricketers, we are the perfect retreat to sit back, relax and indulge in our delicious food with the perfect drink in hand.
Situated at the foot of Hambledon Hill, home of an Iron Age hill fort, and just off the Wessex Ridgeway footpath, a right of way passes right through our garden, making it a delightful spot for walkers to rest and enjoy some well-earned refreshments!
Here at the Cricketers, we see ourselves as being a real village pub - delicious food, a great selection of drinks and the warmest of welcomes. Well behaved dogs are also welcome!

Private dining

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Dining areas

Additional information

Location
Shroton, Blandford Forum, ENG DT11 8QD
Phone number
01258 268107
Price
£25 and under
Cuisines
Pub
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu 12:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–8:00 pm
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
You may be required to park on the road due to limited spaces in our car park
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa

Experiences

The West End Performance Faulty Towers
£60.00 per person
Prepaid
Jun 12, 2025 only
7:00 PM
Last year we gave you the Las Vegas Strip... In June were turning Main Street into the west end... Come and Join us for what can only be described as a fun packed evening taking you back to the 70s! 2 hour show which also includes 3 courses for £60 per person The Cricketers Shroton, DT11 8QD Thursday 12th June Arrival from 7.00pm Seating and show starts at 7.30pm Book Online or Call 01258 268107 Book now before were fully booked as we wouldn't want you to miss out, limited spaces available!

What 284 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on recent ratings

4.4Food
4.4Service
4.5Ambience
4.5Value

Noise • Energetic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

The Cricketers offers a "warm welcome" and an "interesting menu," making it a standout local pub. Known for its excellent Sunday roasts and delightful service, it features unique dishes like belly pork bao buns and prawn curry. Despite occasional lapses, its "wonderful staff" and "great local ale" ensure a memorable visit.

284 Reviews

J
Jane
London
5 reviews
4.0
5 reviews
Dined on February 2, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Nice welcoming pub . Good price for Sunday lunch. One suggestion would be to use hot plates , food was really cold very quickly which was a shame.
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D
David
Dorset
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 21, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent lunch at a great local country pub! Thoroughly enjoyed our time and will definitely be back!
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J
Jez
London
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on December 15, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Have to say the beef was excellent... nice and rare, not tough at all. Sirloin beef is worth the extra cost..... Lovely meal. Great service and very nice people. A wonderful Sunday afternoon roast after a long dog walk with muddy boots...
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J
John
Dorset
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on December 11, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The Cricketers always offer a warm welcome and an interesting menu. My sister had the belly pork boa buns to start followed by chicken supreme with couscous. I started with the spicy buffalo wings with Dorset blue dip and then onto the prawn curry. We both the food was absolutely fabulous and certainly very different to most pub fares. Highly recommended!
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J
John
Dorset
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 16, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always a warm welcome here at the Cricketers! The lunchtime menu is good with special mention for the burger and ham, egg and chips. Timothy Taylor Landlord seems to be a permanent option and it is very rare to encounter it this far south in the country and all the more of a pleasure to enjoy one of the UK’s finest ales.
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S
Samantha
Lancashire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 21, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The lady who served us made our evening. She was an absolute delight.
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B
Bernard
Dorset
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on September 14, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Unfortunately although we have eaten here before and had a nice meal, on this occasion it was not good. There were 6 of us and whilst the main course for 4 of us was ok the shepherds pie that both my son and I ordered was frankly awful. There was small amount of sort of liquidised carrot on the plate which was ok but not exactly wonderful but the pie itself consisted of a small dish of diced meat which was full of in edible gristle, a small amount of gravy topped by a small dollop of mashed potato which wasn't even fully covering the dish. Together with the inedible meat I also had 2 pieces of string in my pie.The pub did however take the cost off the bill when my son paid but as it was supposed to be family celebration it was rather spoilt by the meal.. However, the waitress was friendly and efficient and the deserts were nice but I feel that the pub should not have accepted bookings for individuals when they had a large wedding party as the chef clearly couldn't be bothered with our shepherds pies.
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V
Val
Dorset
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 10, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
A lovely, warm and friendly pub. We enjoyed a delicious lunch which was chosen from an excellent menu - spoilt for choice! Loved the play on words referring to cricket. I'm very much looking forward to my next visit.
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J
Jennifer
London
9 reviews
2.0
9 reviews
Dined on September 2, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
Friendly service but staff very inexperienced/untrained? Food tepid - no reaction when staff informed. Good desserts. Overall disappointing.
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J
Jez
London
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 1, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
A great Sunday roast and a very good price. Wonderful staff.
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FAQs

The Cricketers offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at 01258 268107.

The Cricketers is rated 4.6 stars by 284 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 8, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 3 times today

Experiences are available.

Shroton, Blandford Forum, ENG DT11 8QD

Dining areas

Additional information

Phone number
01258 268107
Price
£25 and under
Cuisines
Pub
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu 12:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–8:00 pm
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
You may be required to park on the road due to limited spaces in our car park
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa

The Cricketers

Make a reservation

Private dining

Dining areas

Additional information

Experiences

The West End Performance Faulty Towers

Menu

What 284 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

Does The Cricketers offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is The Cricketers restaurant rated?

Is The Cricketers currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information