Ashburton Restaurant Guide

The “really imaginative, fresh and creative food served by engaged and enthusiastic staff” in the canteen at this organic veg box company’s HQ is “top, top grub – enough to turn the staunchest of meat-eaters into a temporary veggie!” – although some meat is served, albeit in a supporting role. Long-term admirers, though, regret that “the buffet of puds is no more, so you have to choose just one pud off the menu. I understand why COVID had this impact, but I do hope it isn’t permanent”.

2023 Review: Beautifully situated on Dartmoor, this rural pub was consistently well-reviewed this year for its hearty and enjoyable bistro-style menu (it’s not a pub grub kind of place). There are nine bedrooms, too, and – if you stay – there’s the additional option of a lighter early bird supper.

This “amazing organic pub-with-rooms, serving great food with a conscience and really lovely wine list” is “different from the usual”. It’s owned and run by Geetie Singh-Watson, a self-proclaimed feminist and ethical publican who moved to Devon after meeting her husband, Riverford founder Guy Watson, on Soil Association business. She sold her London flat to finance the rescue of the run-down pub, which is “becoming an established favourite for Totnes residents and visitors, so it’s wise to book”.

Decorated TV chef Simon Hulstone’s longstanding home base on the harbour was the first restaurant in Torquay to gain a Michelin star – an honour it has retained ever since; produce is largely sourced from Hulstone’s 100-acre Brixham farm, feeding into a brilliant value set-lunch (it’s thus tipped as a “superb lunchtime meeting place”) and more elaborate tasting menu.

“Divine fish and seafood” from Brixham is the mainstay of the blackboard menu at the Stacey family’s “small, intimate” and “good-value” spot, now in its fourth decade. “Have been going for years and the fantastic fresh fish never disappoints – have taken American friends who vow it’s the best they have ever had!”. There’s also a wine bar upstairs.

“Simple and small, sited right on back beach” this popular shack is “heaven for seafood lovers!” according to its fans. Too limited feedback for a rating this year, but there were none of last year’s gripes about rising prices: “all you need is a whole crab, truffle fries, some hardware, glass of something cold and an hour, then you forget about the cost!”

“Wow, what a treat… old world style and service… food all locally supplied, including from the hotel’s own kitchen garden… thoroughly deserving their new Michelin star!” – chef Chris Eden has delivered the goods at Andrew Brownsword’s stalwart destination, which lost its long-held accolade from the tyre men in 2019 and finally won it back in spring 2023. There’s nowhere else quite like this large, comfortable property, whose “lovely country house vibe” isn’t completely of a piece with its Tudorbethan styling, which would not be out of place in Surrey – yet here it is down a winding lane, beautifully situated in gardens on the fringes of Dartmoor. It became famous over 40 years ago under the Hendersons who were pioneers of the boutique hotel format, and has been owned by Brownsword since 2005.

The harbourside flagship of Mitch Tonks’s West Country group is a “great all-rounder”, majoring in “superb fish and seafood”. The Italian-influenced cooking is “delicious and unfussy”, the wine list “interesting at all price points” – “and to cap it all, diners are made to feel really welcome. It’s hard to find this level of hospitality nowadays”. Top Menu Tip – “the focaccia and anchoiade is legendary”.

The original and “still the best of the Rockfish chain”, founded by Mitch Tonks in 2010 and now with 10 satellite venues around the southwest coast, as well as its own boat and supply chain in Brixham. It’s an “upmarket fish ’n’ chip restaurant” with prices to match – and the “daily choice is always worth having”.

2022 Review: On the River Dart, this location has a fine culinary history, having been run by figures as diverse as Joyce Molyneux (one of the first women in the UK to receive a Michelin star) and TV chef John Burton-Race. It’s now under former MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Elly Wentworth, and fans “think it will settle down into a very good restaurant” indeed, with reports of some “very memorable” food (running from “stunning” Sunday roasts to a six-course tasting menu).

“This really was a very pleasant surprise” – a “small but very lively” osteria, set in a former Lloyds bank, that draws its name and inspiration from the Emilia-Romagna region; the “interesting, daily changing menu” is chalked up on the old vault door, and revolves around a “selection of delicious small plates” (including a particularly “stunning” ‘offal of the day’ option).

“The menu has become a little more sophisticated with the new chef, and prices have increased” accordingly, say fans of this much-loved joint above the lido. Given that “this tiny restaurant is best at simply prepared fish fresh from that morning’s auction at Brixham” (where owners the Perkes are wholesalers), the changes are not always supported, but even the odd critic “would still return for the freshest fish and that view to die for across the bay” to Torquay. In 2022, that view got even better, with a new rooftop terrace area where they grill the catch outdoors and bring it directly to table.