British, Modern Restaurants in Honiton
1. Lympstone Manor
British, Modern restaurant in Exmouth
Courtlands Lane - EX8
“Michael Caines continues to deliver an exquisite dining experience, wherein locally sourced produce is transformed into joy on a plate in a gloriously beautiful location”, according to practically all feedback on this Georgian mansion, set amidst its own vineyards and overlooking the Exe estuary. “The dining space is split across three rooms” (Berry Head has the best views) and the cuisine is “outstanding: in particular the Estuary Tasting menu is a triumph of fish cooking”. “Also his own wines are very good”. Minority concerns include the odd incident of “disengaged service” or a “slightly sterile” atmosphere. More common though is applause for the “stunning setting and views”, “efficient” approach and “exceptional” overall standards. “Why only 1 star? It’s right up there with the big guns!”
2. The Holt
British, Modern restaurant in Honiton
178 High Street - EX14
2021 Review: “A friendly, well-run pub” that's “owned by the Otter brewery, so the beer is always well kept”. On the food front, it “maintains a steady standard” (“tapas in the downstairs bar are always interesting and the full menu is served upstairs in a non-fancy environment”).
3. The Pig at Combe
British, Modern restaurant in Honiton
Combe House, Gittisham - EX14
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”.
4. Glebe House
British, Modern restaurant in Southleigh
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.
5. Masons Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Branscombe
Main St - EX12
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).
6. The Five Bells Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Clyst Hydon
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!”.
7. The Jack in the Green Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Rockbeare
London Road - EX5
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”.
8. Tytherleigh Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Tytherleigh
A “great and reliable gastropub in an area that’s not blessed with super eating venues”, this sixteenth-century coaching inn, on the Devon/Dorset border, was a hit with all reporters this year; “prices are a bit high”, but given that the “lovely food” (modern British with a Euro slant) “keeps getting better”, no one seems to care too much.
9. Tom’s Lyme Regis
British, Modern restaurant in Lyme Regis
Marine Parade - DT7
Try to nab a window seat – or in fine weather a place on the terrace – if you visit this brilliantly well-situated venue. All reports rate its “good fresh fish” from “rather a short menu” (which also features local beef as an alternative to the seafood). One supporter also muses that it’s “quite expensive – is it trading on its excellent position”?
10. Lilac
British, Modern restaurant in Lyme Regis
Cellar 57-58 Broad Street - DT7
“What an unexpectedly good find!” – a 400-year-old cellar housing a “wine bar doing small plates of very good”, “fresh and locally sourced food”, alongside “enjoyable cocktails, mocktails”, “and a decent wine list described as ‘low intervention’”. “Service is efficient and unobtrusive”, “staff charming”, and “everyone is obviously enjoying themselves”. Owner Harriet Mansell also operated her stellar restaurant Robin Wylde near here until September 2023, at which time it closed as its lease expired. Harriet is currently looking for a new site, but may offer special evenings here in the meantime.
11. The Salutation Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Topsham
68 Fore Street - EX3
“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.
12. The Candlelight Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Chard
Bishopswood - TA20
As the name suggests, “a great, intimate atmosphere” is found at this seventeenth-century village inn, which is “a cut above the usual for style and service”. Charlotte Vincent was crowned ‘pub chef of the year’ in the 2023 Great British Pub Awards – she sends out “a varied range of dishes, nearly all locally sourced and precisely cooked”, such as a bar snack of roasted marrow bone and Porlock Bay oyster with garlic butter and sourdough bread.
13. Dom's Table
British, Modern restaurant in Lyme Regis
Galley Cafe, 14 Broad Street - DT7
2022 Review: Former River Cottage chef Dom Moldenhauer is now “cooking whatever he can source that day” and serving it in “very different” four-course evening set menus at this new venture, following on from a pop-up during the first lockdown. The venue is open Wed-Sat, and by all accounts the “food is superb!”.
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