Bovey Tracey Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: 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.

“Simple and small, sited right on back beach” this popular shack is “heaven for seafood lovers!” according to its fans. Too limited feedback for a rating this year, but there were none of last year’s gripes about rising prices: “all you need is a whole crab, truffle fries, some hardware, glass of something cold and an hour, then you forget about the cost!”

The “really imaginative, fresh and creative food served by engaged and enthusiastic staff” in the canteen at this organic veg box company’s HQ is “top, top grub – enough to turn the staunchest of meat-eaters into a temporary veggie!” – although some meat is served, albeit in a supporting role. Long-term admirers, though, regret that “the buffet of puds is no more, so you have to choose just one pud off the menu. I understand why COVID had this impact, but I do hope it isn’t permanent”.

“Wow, what a treat… old world style and service… food all locally supplied, including from the hotel’s own kitchen garden… thoroughly deserving their new Michelin star!” – chef Chris Eden has delivered the goods at Andrew Brownsword’s stalwart destination, which lost its long-held accolade from the tyre men in 2019 and finally won it back in spring 2023. There’s nowhere else quite like this large, comfortable property, whose “lovely country house vibe” isn’t completely of a piece with its Tudorbethan styling, which would not be out of place in Surrey – yet here it is down a winding lane, beautifully situated in gardens on the fringes of Dartmoor. It became famous over 40 years ago under the Hendersons who were pioneers of the boutique hotel format, and has been owned by Brownsword since 2005.

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.

“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.

“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.

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”.

This “amazing organic pub-with-rooms, serving great food with a conscience and really lovely wine list” is “different from the usual”. It’s owned and run by Geetie Singh-Watson, a self-proclaimed feminist and ethical publican who moved to Devon after meeting her husband, Riverford founder Guy Watson, on Soil Association business. She sold her London flat to finance the rescue of the run-down pub, which is “becoming an established favourite for Totnes residents and visitors, so it’s wise to book”.

Decorated TV chef Simon Hulstone’s longstanding home base on the harbour was the first restaurant in Torquay to gain a Michelin star – an honour it has retained ever since; produce is largely sourced from Hulstone’s 100-acre Brixham farm, feeding into a brilliant value set-lunch (it’s thus tipped as a “superb lunchtime meeting place”) and more elaborate tasting menu.

“Divine fish and seafood” from Brixham is the mainstay of the blackboard menu at the Stacey family’s “small, intimate” and “good-value” spot, now in its fourth decade. “Have been going for years and the fantastic fresh fish never disappoints – have taken American friends who vow it’s the best they have ever had!”. There’s also a wine bar upstairs.

“This really was a very pleasant surprise” – a “small but very lively” osteria, set in a former Lloyds bank, that draws its name and inspiration from the Emilia-Romagna region; the “interesting, daily changing menu” is chalked up on the old vault door, and revolves around a “selection of delicious small plates” (including a particularly “stunning” ‘offal of the day’ option).

“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”.

“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.