Exmouth Restaurant Guide

“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”.

This well-known seafood spot was closed for several months last year but reopened in the autumn under new head chef James Checkley, who received a classical training under Michael Caines. He has quite a rep to live up to and so far he seems to be succeeding: fans hail “the best fish restaurant in an area where there are lots of good ones”.

“An excellent, good value, buzzy and atmospheric choice in this patchy region” – this old coaching inn near the River Exe has “a dedicated glazed restaurant atrium so it doesn’t look or feel like a pub”. A wide variety of menus caters well to just about any eventuality.

“Seafood platters on the back beach” are the big draw to this popular shack. All feedback this year was fundamentally positive, but sometimes with a catch. For example: “can’t help feeling the magic has slipped a bit and prices seem to have gone up”. But “the owners try hard, and it’s still worth a visit when you're in the area, especially on a sunny afternoon”.

“A go-to place for dining in Exeter”, this basement wine bar/restaurant with a walled garden near Cathedral Yard is “one of very few places in town where you can confidently go for a business lunch/dinner – no muzak, well-spaced tables”. “The menu is always filled with interesting things and sourced locally – meat and fish always of the highest quality”.

“Stunning food with excellent service” have earned plaudits for high-profile chef Simon Hulstone’s “faultless” flagship, which he opened 20 years ago – in the town where he grew up, as the son of a chef. He now has a 100-acre farm in Brixham, to guarantee supplies of his favourite produce.

The “best fish”, landed across the harbour at Brixham, is what the Stacey family fixture, now 30 years old, is all about. Upstairs there’s an evening wine (and oyster) bar with panoramic views, and both venues provide ever-changing blackboard menus.

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!”.

Pub classics jostle with more bistro-eseque fare on the menu of this recently refitted St Austell Brewery pub, about 10 minutes walk from Branscombe Beach. It’s well-rated in reports and you get “lovely views over the countryside”.

“Great food, lovely location, a dream of a kitchen garden” is the generally agreed verdict on this Otter Valley outpost of the boho-styled Pig hotel group, in a handsome Elizabethan mansion with a panelled dining room. There’s an “interesting focus on local produce”, including “lots of nicely cooked veg” from the kitchen garden.

Beautifully situated on Dartmoor, this rural pub was consistently well-reviewed this year for its hearty and enjoyable bistro-style menu (it’s not a pub grub kind of place). There are nine bedrooms, too, and – if you stay – there’s the additional option of a lighter early bird supper.

“A wonderful dining experience” – “not Michelin prices and just as good”: this yearling from Hugo Guest (ex-Marksman and Sorella in London) has transformed the Georgian vicarage previously run by his parents as a B&B into a smart restaurant-with-rooms. Dinner (Thu-Sat and Sun lunch) is four no-choice courses with an Italian flavour, showcasing produce sourced locally or from the property’s 15-acre smallholding – “exquisite food served simply and without pretension in a homely atmosphere”. The kitchen also offers a casual supper every night.

A new addition to Michael Caines’s luxurious destination, this relatively relaxed 40-seat operation (with another 60 alfresco) overlooks the hotel’s new outdoor pool and offers a casual menu of salads, seafood and BBQ from brunch time till mid afternoon and then again in the early evening.

“There’s not really much choice for Japanese cuisine in Exeter, but this recent opening (during lockdown) has really good sushi and sashimi as well as other traditional Japanese dishes”. “It’s slightly away from the city centre, but worth the walk down Fore Street” because “the food is authentic and the staff extremely nice”. Top Menu Tips – “some really delicious vegan options – the agedashi tofu was delicious, as was the tempura. The ‘carnists’ enjoyed their sashimi and nigiri and the wine was pretty good too”.