Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Exeter
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Exeter restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 11 restaurants in Exeter and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Exeter restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Exeter Restaurants
2. 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!”
3. Rendezvous Wine Bar
British, Modern restaurant in Exeter
38-40 Southernhay East - EX1
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.
4. 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.
5. The Galley
Fish & seafood restaurant in Topsham
41 Fore Street - EX3
“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.
6. 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”.
7. 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!”.
8. Rockfish Exmouth
Fish & seafood restaurant in Exmouth
Pier Head - EX8
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”.
9. The Ring Of Bells
British, Modern restaurant in Crediton
The Hayes, Cheriton Fitapaine - EX17
“Such a good spot, always developing and always aware of customers’ needs and likes”, say fans of this thatched country pub, which landlady Binka Caven has restored in stages since bringing it back to life 10 years ago. The building was originally five Tudor-era cottages, knocked together into a pub during the 1800s.
10. Goto
Japanese restaurant in Exeter
38 New Bridge Street - EX4
“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”.
11. The Pool House, Lympstone Manor
restaurant in Exmouth
Courtlands Lane - EX8
“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.
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