The Devon Guide

Your guide to Recommended Restaurants in Devon

If you've stayed or dined at a hotel or restaurant and you think it should be included in this guide, send your comments to info@devon-visitor-guide.co.uk
If you're a restaurateur or hotelier, email suppliers@devon-visitor-guide.co.uk

Bigbury - The Oyster Shack

Well, yes, it does feature rather a lot of oysters, but it also has lobster, crab, fish of all kinds, and salad, soups and pasta. Highly recommended for delicious and filling meals. Open all year round for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Milburn Orchard Farm, Stakes Hill, Bigbury, TQ7 4BE
Phone: 01548 810876   Web: www.oystershack.co.uk

Dartmouth - The New Angel

John Burton-Race balances the use of fine local produce, with simple
quality preparation in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The New Angel has quickly established itself as one of the best restaurants in the South Hams, and promises to give you a dining experience that you won't forget.
South Embankment, Dartmouth, Devon, TQ6 9BH
Phone: 01803 839425
Email: reservations@thenewangel.co.uk Web: www.thenewangel.co.uk

Exeter - Court Barn Country House Hotel

Romantic country hotel, yet close to heritage coast. Awards for restaurant, wines and teas. Many activities. Open for coffee, lunches, teas and dinner (and an astonishing 320 wines in the cellar). Bargain Breaks all year from £30 B&B per person per day (minimum of three days' stay).
Clawton, Hoisworthy, Devon, EX22 6PS
Phone:  01409 271219 Fax: 01409 271309 Email: courtbarnhotel@talk21.com Web: www.hotels-devon.com

Exeter - The Galley Seafood Restaurant

Celebrity Masterchef of Great Britain Paul Da-Costa-Greaves will take you on a culinary journey in this prime fish and shellfish restaurant, offering panoramic river views and unusual nautical accommodation.
Open Mon-Sat, Lunch and Dinner.
41 Fore Street, Topsharn, Exeter, Devon EX3 OHU
Phone: 0845 602 6862 Email: fish@galleyrestaurant.co.uk Web: www.galleyrestaurant.co.uk

Totnes - The Waterside Bistro

This charming bistro in Totnes is ideal for a meal for two, a bigger party or a large get together, whether you choose the friendly bar, the bistro or the comfortable private dining room. There's room for fifty outside on the terrace next to Totnes Bridge, and seating for thirty inside in the bistro. The menu makes a feature of fresh and innovative dishes and there's a great range of regular favourites like delicious stone baked pizzas and local seafood. Fish is key to the menu here, and only local suppliers of high quality are used.
Chef Matt is a local man who has worked as sous chef at Scotts of Mayfair and the Sloan Club; before returning to Totnes he was head chef at Boulevard Brasserie (a brasserie in Covent Garden with an excellent reputation). With such a background it's no surprise that Matt is devoted to serving excellent ingredients superbly cooked, though the surprise may be the very reasonable prices which he charges for his creations!
Matt's partner Delphine is from Angers in the Loire; she has worked at  L'Escargot and Le Gavroche, and while planning the Waterside venture with Matt she was manager of Livebait at Covent Garden, where she met Matt. She offers a friendly welcome to all clients  and supports Matt's passion for good food. Using only local suppliers, and the highest quality produce, the set price menu offers food freshly prepared in the bistro; Matt and Delphine cater for special requirements and vegetarian and vegan options. All in all, Waterside Bistro and Cafe Bar is relaxed and informal, has a great atmosphere and is ideally located on the banks of the river. 
Waterside Bistro, The Plains, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5YS
Phone: 01803 864069

Wilmington, near Honiton - Home Farm Hotel

This romantic Devon hotel and restaurant is only minutes away from the main centres of Axminster and Honiton. Although a hotel with high standards of accommodation, it's the good food, fine wine and friendly service which we focus on here. In this 16th century farmhouse, you'll find a fine dining restaurant with sufficient flexibility to provide for the needs of both visitors and  business travellers.
Head Chef Lee Villiers provides a great British menu in a stylishly refurbished restaurant with friendly and informal service. His excellent bar menu offers the freshest and finest bar food for lunches, while the ever-popular carvery is served on Sundays. And there's an extensive wine list.
Home Farm Hotel, Wilmington, Nr Honiton, Devon, EX14 9JR
Phone: 01404 831278 Fax: 01404 831411

Knowstone - The Masons Arms

Mark Dodson brings over 15 years' experience as head chef alongside Michel Roux at The Waterside Inn to his new venture as chef/proprietor owner at the thirteenth century Mason’s Arms in Knowstone. His wife Sarah is looking after the customer side of the business, and together they show their passion and dedication to the standards which have made this inn so famous. Mark says: “I aim to use the freshest local ingredients, sourced from farmers, growers and suppliers within the area." He knows that the best food is grown locally, and is quite capable of allowing him to meet his objective of offering exquisite English cooking. There's excellent Tawny ale available as you peruse the four daily specials and the à la carte selection of up to twelve options, some of which are pretty exotic: options available when we called in were pan-fried foie gras, fresh crab bound with crème fraiche; a very delicious pork belly with braised red cabbage; Somerset smoked salmon; superb scallops with fennel and orange salad; and a mouth-watering lemon mascarpone mousse.
The dining-room windows offer a view of rolling Devon countryside, though on hot days you can eat on the terrace. The service is informal and friendly, and the atmosphere is relaxed. As you would expect of a chef with three star Michelin training, the standard of food is very high, and the dishes are a harmony of complex flavours rendered into a symphony of taste. For example, a ham terrine shows the quality of ingredients and care in its manufacture, while it is served with a perfect accompaniment of home-made mustard dressing. And the excellent fillet of Devon beef demonstrates how to take good but ordinary ingredients to another level through sheer culinary excellence: the beef is tender although lightly caramelised, and it has a delightfully firm texture which melts in the mouth. Garnished with home-made onion marmalade this is a classic food given a new lease of life! We finished with soft and spicy cinnamon pears decorated with juicy and delicious sultanas - and all of this fantastic food was extremely reasonably priced. You can see the excellence of the produce in the standards of the chicken: richly flavoured, matured and lovingly raised - these qualities all come out in the cooking.
Mark & Sarah Dodson, The Masons Arms, Knowstone, Devon, EX36 4RY
Phone: 01398 341231 Email: dodsonmasonsarms@aol.com

Exeter - The Queens Court Hotel

The Queens Court Hotel, Exeter, has a complex history, the latest phase of which is the extensive refurbishment that has produced a town house hotel with every facility you could wish for, in the elegance of a Grade II listed building. If you want a contemporary feel with personal service, and a professional yet friendly attitude, then this is the place for you. The Olive Tree Restaurant provides a renowned and very highly regarded venue for contemporary fine dining. The talented chefs take local organic ingredients and create superbly fresh and delicious dishes of foods in season. This changing menu is complemented by an extensive wine collection offering both old and new world selections. And if you want a private venue, the Terrace Room is a perfect venue which can accommodate parties of up to 16 people. Menus can be individually prepared for any special dietary need or occasion.
The Queens Court Hotel, Bystock Terrace, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4H
Phone: 01392 272709 Fax: 01392 491390 Email enquiries@queenscourt-hotel.co.uk
Web: www.queenscourt-hotel.co.uk

Plymouth - Langdon Court Hotel

Set in nine acres of historic gardens, this hotel is a comfortable place to stay in the dramatic and wonderful scenery of the South Hams & Devon countryside. Indeed, you can take a short stroll along the direct path to Wembury Cove and its Ancient Church. Built in 1577 (and once the residence of Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of the infamous Henry VIII), this picturesque location with extensive gardens has a wonderful tranquillity which gives the restaurant & bistro bar an unrivalled atmosphere - something like the classic English country house!
The chef uses only the freshest local seafood, local garden produce, and organically reared meat and game. His brigade of talented chefs produce foods for both traditional and modern tastes: the house prides itself it ability to produce a specialty of a fusion of styles which gives the customer a truly memorable eating experience.
Langdon Court Hotel, Wembury, Plymouth, Devon, England,  PL9 0DY
Phone: 01752 862 358  Fax: 01752 863 428 Email:   enquiries@langdoncourt.com

Lifton - The Arundell Arms Hotel

The Arundell Arms exudes an enticing warmth and comfort - not only in the hotel rooms, but also in the bar, the sitting room for dinner guests and the restaurant itself. This is not too surprising as the hotel prides itself on the personal attention and service that guests receive from everyone at the hotel. It's an attitude reflected in the cooking: this must be among the best in England. Chef Steven Pidgeon is a Master Chef of Great Britain, of whom there are in fact only eighty one in the country; the restaurant over which he presides has been awarded top distinction by all the leading guides, not least of them the Good Food Guide. Almost all the produce used in the kitchens is from local suppliers and of known provenance.
The Arundell Arms Hotel, Lifton, Devon, PL16 0AA
Phone: 01566 784666  Fax: 01566 784494 Email: reservations@arundellarms.com

Hemyock - Wallace's

Wallace's restaurant and farmshop is a modern eating and shopping space that's all about provenance - i.e. selling what is being raised just outside its own doors. And it's certainly an idyllic scene - you pass fields of grazing deer and bison before even pulling up in the farmyard car park. Much of the menu features the farm's own produce, and the open kitchen means you can even see it being cooked. The very reasonable prices also seem to reflect the lack of middle-men involved. With mains like rib eye steak with crispy potatoes and chestnut mushrooms for £8.95, and snacks such as venison liver pate served with crusty bread and salad for £4.25 you can certainly stretch to a home-made pud (we'd recommend the rhubarb crumble) for £3.95. Follow the route through the well-stocked farm shop on the way out to pick up some local goodies to cook for dinner at home. The restaurant is open all day until 5 pm serving snacks and lunches.
Wallace's, Hill Farm, Hemyock
Phone: 01823 680307 Web: www.welcometowallaces.co.uk

Umberleigh - Northcote Manor

Set in gorgeous grounds near Umberleigh, Northcote Manor is a country house hotel with all of the comfort, attentive service and high quality food that you'd hope to find. A great place to dine - whether you are staying or not - the hotel also puts on some lovely foodie events which are open to all. Booking essential for all dining.
Northcote Manor Hotel, Burrington, Umberleigh
Phone: 01769 560501 Web: www.northcotemanor.co.uk

Barnstaple - Chambers Brasserie

Good examples of bar-restaurant combinations are hard to find, but Chambers seems to have got it right. Housed in an airy space with lots of character, it's a popular spot for Barnstaple's local professionals to imbibe an after-work glass of wine - and then often stay to eat. A raised area is set aside for diners who can choose from a menu featuring favourites such as scallops flash-fried with spring onions and oyster sauce served as starters or mains, and pan-fried chicken, bacon and leeks in a cream and white wine sauce. The specials board changes daily and usually has plenty of fish dishes - the john dory dusted with polenta, pan-fried and served with green beans, lentils and bacon looked good on the day we visited. Finish off with a slice of Baileys cheesecake - home made, of course!
Chambers Brasserie, The Square, Barnstaple
Phone: 01271 321045

Chagford - 22 Mill Street

Lydford - The Dartmoor Inn

A passion for the best of local British and seasonal produce shines through at this award winning 16th-century coaching inn. Intimate dining in a friendly pub setting. Dining Pub of the Year Award 2004 and Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Award.
Lydford, EX20 4AY Phone: 01822 820221

Lynton - the Fox and Goose

This friendly village pub located beside the River Heddon uses fresh produce from local suppliers to create weil-presented original dishes. The Fox and Goose is renowned for excellent food, full of flavour and a relaxed pub atmosphere.
Parracombe, Lynton, EX31 4PE  Phone: 01598 763239

Newton Abbott - Two Mile Oak

This old coaching inn has a relaxed atmosphere, a beamed lounge, an alcove just for two and a fine winter log fire. The beamed and black panelled bar is traditionally furnished with lots of horse brasses and another good log fire. Daily specials include ostrich with Seville orange sauce or wild boar with apricots. Picnic sets on the terrace and barbecues in summer.
Newton Abbott, TQ12 6DF Phone: 01803 812411

Holbeton - The Dartmoor Union Inn

UK Dining Pub of the Year from Les Routiers 2005. Fabulous Gastro Pub in a stunning village setting with sunny courtyard. Full menu and Lite Bites, wonderful wine at off licence prices. Own brewery and award winning food as well as great local walks which are not to be missed!
Fore Street, Holbeton, PL8 1NE  Phone: 01752 830288

Torquay - The Drum Inn

Cheerfully bustling Vintage Inn in thatched and beamed tavern, designed by Lutyens to match the quaintly touristy Torquay edged medieval village. Dartmoor Bitter and Legend, good choice of wines by the glass, roomy well divided bar with two family eating areas, quick service and decent food. Open ail Day with tables on the terrace and attractive back gardens located by 500 acre park.
Cockington Village, Torquay, TQ2 6XA  Phone: 01803 690264

Great Torrington - The Black Horse

16th Century coaching inn in the old square, with oak beams, log fires, good food, real ales and value for money in the restaurant. 3rd pub in the Recommended Pub Guide 2002.
High Street, Great Torrington, EX38 8HN  Phone:  01805 622121