Exton Restaurant Guide

Near the quayside of this beautiful Devon estuary town, a rustic bistro (“small, but that only adds to its charm”) which makes a “great place for a celebration dinner” based around “wonderful” locally sourced fish and shellfish. As of 2023, Jack Harvey, who learnt his craft alongside Marcus Wareing, is at the pass, having stepped in for former MasterChef: The Professionals finalist James Checkley.

“Good-quality food at reasonable prices”, including “brilliant local seafood”, is the attraction at this restored Georgian inn from locally born chef-patron Tom Williams-Hawkes (ex-Gordon Ramsay and Gidleigh Park) and his wife Amelia. In summer 2024 they rejigged the venue to operate as a café by day and a restaurant by night, with a new bar area.

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”.

“High levels are set in this restaurant in the grounds of Lympstone Manor” – Michael Caines’s sleek venue overlooks the outdoor heated pool of his glamorous hotel and provides a contemporary and laid-back alternative to the more formal style of the main property. Given the fixed-price nature of the menu, there are cheaper places for a burger, pasta or Caesar salad, but overall feedback suggests that it stacks up for a taste of affordable luxury.