The Best Gastropubs in Somerset: 11 Country Pubs Worth the Drive

Last updated: October 2026

Flagstone floors, hefty wooden beams, giant open fireplaces: there’s no denying Somerset’s country pubs have bucketloads of character.

What’s changed is the cooking. A good handful of these rural boozers have really upped the ante in the culinary stakes, gone out of their way to source the best local seasonal produce (or growing their own) and created a tastebud-tantalising dining experience to rival the best restaurants, making themselves destination pubs in the process.

These are the best gastropubs in Somerset that I’ve eaten at or rate highly, usually with my family in tow. As a former Sawday’s Special Places to Stay employee I’m fussy about what makes the cut: food worth the drive, a building with some soul, and a friendly welcome. I haven’t been everywhere yet either, so the ones I’m still working through are listed at the end.

New for 2026: two pubs near Bruton, Margot Henderson’s Three Horseshoes at Batcombe and the revived Manor House Inn at Ditcheat. Planning a bigger trip? Start with my 50 best things to do in Somerset.

Somerset gastropubs at a glance

Pub	Village	Nearest town	Best for
The Queens Arms	Corton Denham	Sherborne	A ridge walk with stunning views, followed by a pint
Lord Poulett Arms	Hinton St George	Crewkerne	A romantic night away or post-walk fireside warm-up
The White Horse	Haselbury Plucknett	Crewkerne	Sunday lunch
The Devonshire Arms	Long Sutton	Langport	A long lunch in the pub garden
The Red Lion	Babcary	Somerton	Muddy walkers and small children
The Barrington Boar	Barrington	Ilminster	Chef-led cooking
The Five Dials Inn	Horton	Ilminster	A pit stop off the A303
The Bell	Broadway	Ilminster	Roasts and pizza under one roof
The Cotley Inn	Wambrook	Chard	Dogs, muddy boots and a fire
The Three Horseshoes	Batcombe	Bruton	An exquisite chef-led lunch with a picturesque pub garden
The Manor House Inn	Ditcheat	Castle Cary	A slap-up roast in colder months, drinks or pizza in the pub garden in summer

South Somerset: around Yeovil, Somerton and the Dorset border

The Queens Arms, Corton Denham

Nearest town: Sherborne · Rooms: yes, including dog-friendly · Website and booking

The Queen’s Arms is a family-owned Georgian inn on the Dorset-Somerset border that has been pouring cider since 1851. That was the year landlord Uriah Parsons began accepting local apples as payment, stored them in the cellar, then brewed his own cider and sold it back over the bar. The food here is quite exceptional and comes with a warm country welcome plus cosy fires in the colder months. Can’t bear to tear yourself away? There are rooms upstairs, including dog-friendly ones.

Make a day of it: walk the Corton Denham ridge first. It scored a solid 10/10 from all of us for the views, the length of walk for our young kids and the pub at the finish line. Here’s my Corton Denham ridge pub walk.

Lord Poulett Arms, Hinton St George

Nearest town: Crewkerne · Rooms: 6 · Sunday lunch: yes · Website and booking

Nestled in one of South Somerset’s most picturesque hamstone villages, this 17th-century thatched inn is the ultimate gastropub with atmos and has been getting the formula just right for years. I’m fondly attached to the place – my husband and I spent our wedding night in one of the six bedrooms above the pub (ours was the one with the in-room slipper tub), and my sister-in-law had her wedding here too.

It sits in Hinton St George, one of South Somerset’s prettiest hamstone villages. Inside it’s duck-egg-blue walls, dark wood, candles, huge beams, exposed stone, foliage on the ceiling and a choice of snug nooks and open fires, so it oozes cosy in winter. Come summer, the lavender-edged, Provençal-style courtyard garden is the place to while away an afternoon with a cocktail.

Menus are built around meat and game from local farms, West Country cheeses, fish landed on the south coast and leaves from the pub’s own kitchen garden, with much made, cured and smoked in-house. Can’t decide on your Sunday roast? Don’t. You can have all three meats on one plate.

Make a day of it: Wayford Woods is a short drive away for a pre-lunch leg stretch.

The White Horse, Haselbury Plucknett

Nearest town: Crewkerne · Sunday lunch: yes · Website and booking

This husband and wife-run village pub serves one of the best roasts around, with extra-flavoursome gravy and amazing veg. Try their Sunday sharing platter if it’s on. During the week, the menu leans towards Mediterranean flavours: I had south coast hake with herb pangrattato and trombetta courgettes, and it was delicious.

A 17th century coaching inn, dark beams, dangling hops, wooden floors and a roaring fire make this an atmospheric bolthole, with cosy nooks to snuggle up in with a glass of wine. In summer there’s a small outside space for eating in the sun, and the staff are friendly and attentive.

Make a day of it: the Ham Hill circular walk is close by and will earn you that roast.

The Devonshire Arms, Long Sutton

Nearest town: Langport · Rooms: yes · Website and booking

Save this one for the next sunny day!

Set on the pretty village green in Long Sutton, The Devonshire Arms is a Grade II-listed former hunting lodge with rooms and a cracking beer garden to its name. Out front, a little terrace drips with wisteria in May. Round the back, a gigantic multi-level grassy garden, that feels part-chic southern France, thanks to its clipped topiary, and part-relaxed Greek taverna courtesy of a long pergola. And yet it’s every inch a Somerset country pub.

Inside you’ll find the winter essentials: a crackling fire and cool old flagstones. On our visit the sunny garden won. We parked ourselves with a couple of ciders after a trot along the River Yeo, while our four-year-old dashed in and out of the hedge and befriended a girl whose expert daisy-chain making had piqued his interest. Big shoutout to her for generously handing over her floral masterpieces to him.

The Devonshire is in Sawday’s pubs guide/bible. Speaking as a former employee, I can vouch that it’s one of the most reliable guides for tracking down a pub with excellent food, good drinks and plenty of character.

Make a day of it: the River Parrett Trail circular from Langport is 3.4 miles and five minutes up the road.

The Red Lion Inn, Babcary

Nearest town: Somerton · Rooms: yes · Website and booking

Continuing on our mission for young person-friendly stomps around the Somerset countryside, followed by some sort of refuel in a charming rural watering hole, The Red Lion Inn was our target. Surrounded by fields, a sprinkling of cottages and a pretty church, it’s got that muddy-boots-welcome, atmospheric inn vibe down to a tee.

If snuggling up in a cosy nook beside a roaring fire with an extremely handsome roast sounds like your idea of Somerset pub, then this 17th century thatched boozer will be right up your street.

There are rooms, a garden with a slide, and wood-fired pizzas outside in warmer weather, plus a playground across the road (not belonging to the pub) if the kids need to let off steam.

Make a day of it: Check out my ideas for things to do in South Somerset with kids.

Ilminster, Chard and the Blackdown Hills

The western edge of South Somerset, where the A303 meets the Blackdown Hills National Landscape. It’s good walking country, and handy if you’re heading on to Devon.

The Barrington Boar, Barrington

Nearest town: Ilminster · Rooms: yes, including four new rooms for 2026 · Website and booking

Opposite an octagonal church in the conservation village of Barrington, all local stone and thatch, the Barrington Boar is run by husband-and-wife team Alasdair Clifford and Victoria Collins. Alasdair spent more than ten years in Michelin-starred kitchens, including Chez Bruce and The Glasshouse, before they opened the Boar in 2018. In 2020 The Times named it one of the 30 best places in the UK for a pub lunch.

The menu changes regularly and is sourced mostly from local farms, cheesemongers and brewers. It’s modern British with, in their words, “a deep connection to Somerset’s rich culinary heritage and terroir”, and it’s seriously yummy. Drinks are local too: West Country gins, a Somerset sparkling wine, craft beer and, of course, cider.

There are umbrella’d benches out front for watching sleepy Somerset village life plod by, a garden for warm days, and a light, beamed interior with an open fire for the rest of the year. When we visited, colouring was handed to our offspring straight away, which is always appreciated.

Good to know: new for 2026, there are four B&B rooms, each named after a local apple variety, and a bakery working with regenerative farmer Wildfarmed.

Make a day of it: Burn off a good feed at National Trust Barrington Court, or follow the village Apple Heritage Walk to discover more about the area’s cider-making and apple-growing traditions. More grand houses in my stately homes guide.

The Five Dials Inn, Horton

Nearest town: Ilminster · Rooms: 6 · Sunday lunch: yes · Website and booking

Close to the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this roadside pub does Italian-accented cooking, hearty roasts and excellent puddings. If you’re popping in for a cider, best to check out the list yourself before you sit down – this is Somerset after all, and the emphasis on West Country booze here means the list is quite long! Julian Temperley’s Somerset Pomona from nearby Burrow Hill Cider Farm is on the digestif menu, and there are 21 gins behind the bar.

On sunny days, sipping some such tipple in the leafy suntrap patio garden, with its dangling grape vines and vibrant flowers evokes strong Mediterranean vibes. Chillier mealtimes call for the log burner in the calm, contemporary dining room.

Good to know: the roadside tables suit pit-stopping cyclists. With the A303 close by and six en-suite rooms, it’s also a handy overnight stop if you’re heading further south-west.

The Bell, Broadway

Nearest town: Ilminster · Rooms: 6 · Sunday lunch: yes · Website and booking

On the edge of the Blackdown Hills, this family-run Somerset pub dates back to 1640, making it the oldest watering hole in the area. A big renovation in 2018 kept its 17th-century bones: open fires, flagstone floors and candles flickering against exposed brick while you eat.

The menu is classic British, with produce hailing from Somerset, Dorset and Devon and I can confirm the roasts are cracking. So are the wood-fired pizzas. There are benches in the characterful front courtyard and a beer garden out the back for summertime drinking, and if you don’t fancy stumbling far afterwards, six guest bedrooms to choose from.

The Cotley Inn, Wambrook

Nearest town: Chard · Rooms: yes · Dogs: welcome · Website and booking

Tucked away down a country lane in the rolling hills of Wambrook near Chard, The Cotley Inn is a quintessential English country pub with good food and roaring fires. Set in the Blackdown Hills National Landscape, we discovered this place after a good stomp in the surrounding countryside.

Dogs, well-behaved owners and muddy boots are all welcome, which was lucky, as ours were COVERED in mud when we walked in. There’s a small terrace, tables out in the gardens in summer, and rooms in converted outbuildings.

Good to know: the same team reopened the Candlelight Inn at nearby Bishopswood in January 2026, so if the Cotley is full, it’s worth a look.

Bruton, Castle Cary and East Somerset

Bruton has become one of Somerset’s food-and-art hotspots, and the villages around it have caught up.

The Three Horseshoes, Batcombe

Nearest town: Bruton · Rooms: 5 · Sunday lunch: yes, 12pm to 3.30pm · Website and booking

Batcombe is the kind of village you’d never stumble on without a reason: a huddle of stone houses down narrow lanes, not far from Bruton. The reason for me was the Three Horseshoes, a 17th-century inn reopened in 2023 by gallery owner Max Wigram, with food by Margot Henderson of London’s Rochelle Canteen. In the 2026 Top 50 Gastropubs list it came in at No. 14, the highest-placed pub in Somerset.

The cooking is seasonal and nose-to-tail, in the same spirit as St John, the London restaurant founded by Margot’s husband, Fergus Henderson. The menu changes daily, the kitchen does its own butchery, and there’s always a pie on (eel and bacon has made an appearance). Treacle tart is the best seller. Much of the produce comes from just down the road: Westcombe Dairy, Brown & Forrest smokery and Feltham’s Farm, plus veg from no-dig grower Charles Dowding. Day to day, head chef Nye Smith runs the kitchen.

Interiors are by Frances Penn and the garden by Libby Russell, with a stone terrace and walled garden and the medieval church as the backdrop. A lush spot on a summer day.

Good to know: this isn’t a cheap pint-and-chips stop. Harden’s 2026 guide puts starters at around £12 and mains at around £22, plus a 12.5% service charge, and its latest diner survey is more mixed than in the pub’s first year. Go for the cooking and book ahead.

Make a day of it: pair lunch with an afternoon in Bruton. My guide to things to do in Bruton has lots more for the rest of your day.

The Manor House Inn, Ditcheat

Nearest town: Castle Cary · Rooms: 9 · Dogs: welcome inside, on a lead · Sunday lunch: yes, 12pm to 8pm · Website and booking

Booking myself in for a cosy roast (or a Somerset staycay!) at the first possible opportunity. Because between the boat-size Yorkshire puds, seasonal West Country grub and a crackling fire, The Manor House Inn was right up my street.

This 17th-century pub reopened in February 2025 after a major renovation, and they’ve done a rather lovely job of it. Think flagstone floors, big ol’ beams, elegant gothic windows and cosy corners made for whiling away a Sunday afternoon.

And it’s not just about the looks. There’s seasonal West Country pub grub, plus Nole sourdough pizzas served in the old skittle alley from midday every day. Breakfast starts at 8am, too, so you’ve got plenty of excuses to pop in. Ditcheat is also prime racehorse country, with champion trainer Paul Nicholls’ yard right next door. You might even spot thoroughbreds clip-clopping past on their way to the gallops.

The beer garden is equally enticing, with lots of tables, a church backdrop and a fire pit to sit around. Fancy turning lunch into a little Somerset staycay? There are nine bedrooms, including some with roll-top baths and views of the horses heading out in the morning. Go on then!

And how about those Sunday roasts? Served from 12pm to 8pm, they’re ideal after a morning exploring Somerset, whether you’ve been walking (I’ve got a great route I’ll share soon), visiting a nearby attraction (East Somerset Railway is close) or simply having an indulgent weekend.

Somerset pubs on my bucketlist:

I’m slowly eating my way round the county and will write these up as I go. Know one I’ve missed, or run a pub you’d like me to visit? Do get in touch.

South Somerset and the Blackdowns

• The Candlelight Inn, Bishopswood: reopened in January 2026 under the Cotley Inn’s team, with a new head chef. I’ll be back to see what’s changed.
• The Crooked Swan, Crewkerne: a gastropub with rooms in the middle of town
• The White Post, Rimpton: for the views
• The Cat Head Inn, Chiselborough: named one of the Guardian’s top 10 Somerset pubs with gardens
• The White Hart, Somerton: a gastropub with rooms

Bruton and East Somerset

• The Montague Inn, Shepton Montague: a country pub a few miles south of Bruton

Wells, Mendip and the Levels

• The Sheppey, Lower Godney: a gastropub with rooms out on the Levels, and on the Telegraph’s list of the best pubs in Somerset
• The Litton, near Wells: a boutique hotel and gastropub
• The Talbot Inn, Mells: a much-loved village inn with rooms
• The Swan, Wedmore: a boutique hotel and gastropub
• Queen of Cups, Glastonbury: No. 42 in the 2026 Top 50 Gastropubs

Exmoor

• The Luttrell Arms, Dunster: a historic inn in the heart of the village
• The Exmoor Forest Inn, Simonsbath: a moorland inn listed in the Michelin Guide

Plan more of your Somerset days out

If you’re building a trip around a good pub lunch, start with my 50 best things to do in Somerset, then pick one of my Somerset walks to earn your pudding.

• Eating out with kids? Try my best pubs with play areas in Somerset.
• More good food: my reviews of Holm, South Petherton and Horrell & Horrell, plus the best Somerset cider farms.
• Staying over? Browse family glamping in Somerset.
• Gardens to walk off lunch: my guide to gorgeous Somerset gardens.

Eaten somewhere brilliant that I’ve missed? Tell me in the comments below.

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