The Ship Inn - Traditional Pub and Restaurant — Restaurant in England

After an incredible day exploring the fascinating collection at Bovington Tank Museum, we couldn't have asked for a better place to unwind than The Ship Inn. This charming blue-painted pub, just a stone's throw from the museum, proved to be the ideal spot to decompress and reflect on our historical journey.

The highlight of our meal was undoubtedly the venison shanks, which were featured as the day's special. The tender, slow-cooked meat fell off the bone beautifully, served alongside creamy mashed potatoes and rich gravy that perfectly complemented the robust flavors of the venison. The presentation was rustic yet refined, exactly what you'd hope for in a traditional English country pub.

We also enjoyed their flatbread offerings and a beautifully prepared salad with perfectly grilled meat, both of which showcased the kitchen's attention to quality and presentation. Every dish arrived fresh and flavorful, demonstrating the pub's commitment to good food.

The beer selection was excellent, with well-kept ales that paired wonderfully with our hearty meal. The staff was attentive and knowledgeable, creating a welcoming atmosphere that encouraged lingering over our pints.

What made our evening truly special was discovering that several tank museum war historians were also "dining" at The Ship Inn. These passionate experts, likely connected to the nearby Tank Museum, graciously shared fascinating stories about tank warfare, military history, and the local Dorset countryside over several rounds of drinks. Their insights added an unexpected educational dimension to our evening, bringing the day's museum experience full circle in the most delightful way.

The Ship Inn offers the perfect combination of excellent food, quality drinks, and authentic local character. Whether you're visiting the Tank Museum or simply exploring the Bovington area, this pub provides a warm, welcoming environment where history comes alive through both its proximity to the museum and the knowledgeable locals who frequent it. We left with full stomachs, new knowledge, and wonderful memories of an evening well spent.

Highly recommended for anyone seeking genuine English pub hospitality with a side of military history! Make your vacation as...

They where called Steak burgers - more like dirty burger van burgers. The burger meat was gristly and crunchy?! Good amount of chips and nice little garnish but burger was disappointing. What was even more disappointing than the burgers was the managers attitude when I sent something back. I sent my latte back because it was like milky water, the manager was visibly irtitated by this and said/laughed "well ile sort it when I can but im busy" he raised his eyebrows and shook his head as if I had some ridiculous request. I said ok thank you there's no rush... Then my desert came out, I ordered the dark chocolate gnash cheesecake with ice cream (word for word from the menu). The young boy waiter came over and said "cheesecake" holding very obviously not a dark chocolate cheesecake but a vanilla cheesecake with some chocolate sauce dribbled on the top. I said I ordered the dark chocolate gnash cheesecake not a vanilla cheesecake. He rolled his eyes and said "so you don't want It then?!" I don't like vanilla cheesecake so I said no thank you can I have the menu I will choose something else. The manager then came storming over holding the cheesecake preparing for round two. He said "what's wrong with the cheesecake? It is served exactly as it reads from the menu! " Which it obviously was not, it did not read ' vanilla cheesecake with chocolate sauce served with ice cream ' if it had I wouldn't have ordered it and had to defend myself when I'm trying to enjoy a family meal. I felt the manager responded quite passive aggressively, not very professional or understanding and made me uncomfortable. On first impressions I was thinking oh this is nice we will come here again and by the end couldn't wait to get...

We absolutely loved our visit to the Ship Inn after a day at the Bovington Tank Museum. We had the most lovely server whose name was Ben, I think. Young and friendly guy who briefly lived in Alberta, Canada. He helped us Canadians understand UK pub practices that we were less familiar with, haha.

The atmosphere here is awesome. It's everything we could have imagined for a perfect English country pub. Old building with lots of character, cozy atmosphere, beautiful outdoor seating area, comfortable inside seating area, friendly staff, and lots of locals gathering. We sat inside but near the door. They had a lot of tables reserved so our options were limited but we were happy with our seating. It may be worth making reservations if you want to visit.

On to the food. It was perfect. PERFECT. We planned to get fish and chips (classic pub fare and all) but they had a lamb burger on the specials menu so we each had one, a choice recommended by our knowledgeable server. The absolute best lamb burger we've ever had. Maybe the best burger we've ever had. Everything was so perfectly balanced with flavors and textures it was mind blowing. We each had a Fursty Ferret ale which we enjoyed. The side of onion rings was yummy, fresh, and crispy with not too much batter. The salad and coleslaw were fresh and tasty. For dessert my husband had the ginger cake and I had the brownie with clotted cream ice cream. Again, just amazing. I am reliving it with happiness as I write this.

Price was great - £60, and was better than any of the food we had during 4 full days in London. And that food was good, just this place was over the top good!

I hope we can...