Exmouth Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: “We love the Rockfish chain” – and “Exmouth is our favourite”, say fans of Mitch Tonks’s West Country seafood group, which had eight branches as we went to press, with two more (Salcombe and Topsham) about to open, along with an online seafood market and a pioneering canned-fish operation. Despite being a multiple, it offers “top seafood, and the staff seem really passionate about the subject”.

“Fresh fish is the attraction at this small bistro in Topsham village”, situated near the historic quay; the “first-class” cooking from chef Jack Harvey. He trained in London under Marcus Waring for 2 years, is well “deserving of its recent Bib Gourmand”, with particular praise directed at the “good-value” midweek lunch.

“Beautifully presented, interesting modern cuisine” is on the menu at this “Georgian coaching inn, centrally located in a lovely unspoilt historic port in the Exe estuary”, with “a conservatory-style dining room created by an intriguing glass roof over the former carriage yard”. “Seafood and fish is a speciality”, and post-pandemic they also operate a fishmonger’s.

“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!”

A “lovely” Southernhay restaurant plus basement wine bar that’s handy for Cathedral Yard. The “excellent wine list and menu showcase local producers”, contributing to what is an invariably “reliable” spot.

2021 Review: One of the better pubs in the Exeter area – this well-known gastropub near J29 of the M5 has been in the same hands for over 25 years, and wins praise for its “very reliable cooking” and “a great choice of local beers and ciders”.

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.

2023 Review: Landlord James Garnham took over this lovely thatched pub in his boyhood village with his wife Charlie five years ago, building an excellent reputation for its food and hospitality. “We have now visited 3 times in as many weeks – which says it all!”.

A “pretty setting” in a fourteenth-century thatched inn adds to the charms of this restaurant-with-rooms, which is run by the St Austell Brewery, and an easy walk from Branscombe beach. The pub classics and more ambitious dishes achieve “very high standards” (“the lunch menu is particularly good value”) and the “quirky” spot offers a warm welcome too (also to dogs).

A “great location” – an “interesting renovation” of an Elizabethan mansion – contributes to the atmosphere of this Otter Valley outpost of the trendy Pig empire. Increased reports this year of rather “average” cooking (“unmemorable apart from the price”, ouch), though fans insist that, albeit “slightly hit-and-miss”, it’s “generally hit”.

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.

Hugo Guest (ex-of London haunts Sorella and Marksman) grew up in this hilltop Georgian vicarage, when his parents ran it as a B&B; fast-forward to 2020, and he and wife Olive set out to create an English-style ‘agriturismo’ on this 15-acre smallholding in a “delightful location” overlooking the Coly Valley. The victuals are split between casual kitchen suppers (for guests only) and more formal four-course fixed dinners (for all), and both showcase a “high standard of cooking”; stay on for the night to profit from the “excellent” breakfast.

“An impressive new building (albeit noisy when full due to hard surfaces)” and “incredibly professional service” help win praise for this newish addition to Michael Caines’s luxurious HQ, overlooking the hotel’s recently added outdoor heated pool. The culinary aims here are more straightforward than in the main building with burgers and pasta dishes alongside more substantial brasserie fare, but even so dishes are not priced individually: you need to choose either a two-course (£48 per person) or three-course (£60 per person) meal.

“When it opened, it was pretty straightforward snagging a table – good luck right now!”. Dan & Katie Goto moved their Plymouth business to Exeter a couple of years ago after their lease expired, and its “really good” sushi, sashimi and other traditional Japanese dishes have won it quick popularity locally: “it could thrive in bigger premises”.