Crediton Restaurant Guide

“Such a good spot, always developing and always aware of customers’ needs and likes”, say fans of this thatched country pub, which landlady Binka Caven has restored in stages since bringing it back to life 10 years ago. The building was originally five Tudor-era cottages, knocked together into a pub during the 1800s.

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.

“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.

“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.

2021 Review: One of the better pubs in the Exeter area – this well-known gastropub near J29 of the M5 has been in the same hands for over 25 years, and wins praise for its “very reliable cooking” and “a great choice of local beers and ciders”.

2023 Review: 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!”.

“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.

“Located in a charming chocolate box north Devon village”, this “quintessential country pub” in a thirteenth-century cottage is “well worth the outing” by all accounts. Chef Mark Dodson, formerly of the famed Waterside Inn, is in charge of the seasonal food, which a couple of reports note is still “worthy of its Michelin star”. “If the cuisine isn’t wow wow in its originality, the whole package is what you want from a place like this”: an “all-round special experience” that spans everything from the “warm welcome” to the “fabric of the building itself” to “a great selection of dishes, all lovely”.

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.

“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”.

This informal, wood-fired restaurant set in a ‘feasting barn’ with a terrace garden and beautiful views of the rolling hills of mid-Devon was started by a couple who used to run events across Somerset and Devon. “It can get very busy, but it’s worth the journey down the lanes” from Tiverton for its sourdough pizzas and what Telegraph critic William Sitwell, in an admiring March 2023 review, called its “enveloping, welcome-to-our-cave spirit” and “exotic menu” (“more Shoreditch than Devon”).

“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.