Knighton Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: A “perennial favourite local relaxed foodie joint”, this ex-pub turned “bistro-cum-cafe-cum-restaurant” goes from strength to strength as a showcase for the “inventive food” of chef-owner Dave Jenkins, whose dishes “always delight, with lovely little touches and innovations that make total sense once you’ve tasted them”. They serve “great breakfasts, good-value lunches”, and “the best Sunday roast in town”.

Having been born on the same site that hosted an oyster farm over three decades ago, molluscs (with hot or cold toppings) remain central to the joys of this shack – no exaggeration – where you can dine indoors by the fire or at plastic tables and chairs below a makeshift awning. Also on the menu: quality fish, ranging from monkfish to hake and sole.

2022 Review: This “lovely beach hut” (park up at Milton or Thurlestone Sands) with a blackboard menu offers “atmospheric outdoor dining with a good range of fresh seafood”, and “the views are beautiful too”. Top Tip: “dirty chips were so good we had to order extra portions”.

“Culinary innovation intertwines seamlessly with environmental stewardship, plus with unparalleled service and flavour” at Dan Cox’s February 2023 newcomer: part of an 120-acre farm with bakery and restaurant that “embraces traditional preservation techniques and locally sourced ingredients” with “a dedication to low-intervention, regenerative farming not only eschewing artificial fertilisers and pesticides but also reintroducing heritage crops, long forgotten by commercial channels”. All reports on it are outstanding, including numerous best meals of the year, and the upshot is “a lovely ethos and amazing quality” in the 25-cover restaurant, where the main offering is a nine-course tasting menu for £105 per person. Converts say: “It stands as a beacon of excellence, inspiring others to follow suit in preserving and enhancing the very environment that nurtures their creations”. Top Menu Tip – “Venison sourced from the local estate fulfils a dual purpose, ensuring habitat preservation while providing exquisite flavours on the plate. Similarly, matured sheep, aged six years, grace the menu, their meat meticulously dry-aged on-site in a DIY ageing room. Even the bones, once depleted of flavour, find new life as part of the crockery glaze”.

“A lovely spot by the waterfront for super-fresh seafood” – this wood-built café perched on the harbour is celebrating its tenth year in 2024. It serves a variety of uncomplicated fish and seafood dishes, with the headline event being Whole Salcombe Cracked Crab.

“A wine bar with amazing character and great food” – Zoe Brodie & Fitz Spencer’s wine shop/deli overlooking Sutton Harbour offers some “fantastic small plates and sharing boards” – including ‘Fitzy’s Fat Boy Board’, which comprises pretty well the whole menu for £130.

“What a fantastic new restaurant in Plymouth!” Chef Lee Calver made his November 2023 debut as patron alongside partner Chloe Lillicrap in the venue formerly occupied by well-known Rock Salt Cafe and Brasserie (RIP). The former Navy chef is aiming to provide ‘relaxed fine dining’ with an affordable brasserie-style menu. Fans say they “should be very proud of what they’re doing: the food is excellent, obviously a lot of thought goes into their menu and attention to detail is wonderful”. Top Tip – “Sunday lunches are outstanding value and delicious”.

2023 Review: “Worth a detour. Have been coming since they opened under new ownership in 2019 and it’s only grown in strength despite the pandemic. Absolute gem!” – limited but very enthusiastic feedback on this 14-bedroom hotel on the South West Coast path, with commanding views of the sea and looking over Hope Cove beach (which is yards away). The food is brasserie-style fare (sirloin, red mullet, confit duck…) and good value.