Sidmouth, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

It’s now part of the portfolio of the SW England-based St Austell Brewery group, but this thatched 14th-century inn has kept its charms (log fire, beamed ceilings) despite chain-ification. The pub classics on offer elicit solid ratings if muted commentary, with more unusual suspects like ‘crabby fries’ served alongside the usual burgers and steaks. A good choice for a staycation with your pooch, it’s an easy stroll to the equally dog-friendly Branscombe beach.

It’s “well worth the journey along narrow Devon lanes” to this English-style agriturismo in a “stunning” setting (a Georgian vicarage overlooking the Coly Valley); co-owner Hugo Guest grew up on the property back when his parents ran it as a B&B and took over with wife Olivia in 2020, transforming it into a foodie haunt. Expect “original, inventive, wholesome” food (Italian-ish, but not just), with “Sunday lunch very good value, but better still stay the night and enjoy the full evening set menu” (overnight guests can also opt for more casual ‘Kitchen Suppers’); either way “you almost feel like you are a member of the family popping in for a bite to eat”.

A “fabulous setting” in an Elizabethan mansion adds to the joys of this “always fun” and “friendly” Otter Valley piglet – part of a now ten-strong litter, whose most recent branch, in the Cotswolds, was born in September 2024. As per their wider MO, this venue starts with a “lovely country-house hotel”, then adds a dose of cool via a spa and trendy albeit expensive food. Also as per the rest of the chain, and continuing a recent trend of average reports, the “expensive” victuals here can disappoint, but “at its best it’s good” and “original” too.

2021 Review: “A friendly, well-run pub” that's “owned by the Otter brewery, so the beer is always well kept”. On the food front, it “maintains a steady standard” (“tapas in the downstairs bar are always interesting and the full menu is served upstairs in a non-fancy environment”).

It’s all change at this well-known Exeter pub and restaurant (handy for the M5) where, in April 2024, longtime owner Paul Parnell, who ran the venture with his wife Judy for over three decades, handed over the keys to young couple Craig & Miranda Griffin. Easing the transition, Craig was head chef under the former regime for several years (his wife serving as pub manager) so we’ve retained the venue’s rating despite the change of ownership. According to the new website, “pub grub classics are given a delicious kick up the backside”, and there’s also a £65 per person tasting menu.

“Good-quality food at reasonable prices”, including “brilliant local seafood”, is the attraction at this restored Georgian inn from locally born chef-patron Tom Williams-Hawkes (ex-Gordon Ramsay and Gidleigh Park) and his wife Amelia. In summer 2024 they rejigged the venue to operate as a café by day and a restaurant by night, with a new bar area.

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!”.

“There‘s a dearth of good restaurants in Exeter, so Rendezvous stands out” – a “lovely little place tucked away downstairs” and fusing a “charming” and “calm” restaurant and wine bar. “High-quality locally sourced ingredients are cooked carefully and imaginatively” and abetted by an “interesting wine list with a good selection by the glass”.

Try to nab a window seat – or in fine weather a place on the terrace – if you visit this brilliantly well-situated venue. All reports rate its “good fresh fish” from “rather a short menu” (which also features local beef as an alternative to the seafood). One supporter also muses that it’s “quite expensive – is it trading on its excellent position”?

This wine bar in a 400-year-old cellar provides a “relaxed ambience” for chef Harriet Mansell’s “truly original and special local food”, much of it based around foraged ingredients, with which she made her name at the much lamented Robin Wylde before it closed in 2023. She offers her full gastronomic experience at seasonal ‘Garden Table’ dinners.

2022 Review: Former River Cottage chef Dom Moldenhauer is now “cooking whatever he can source that day” and serving it in “very different” four-course evening set menus at this new venture, following on from a pop-up during the first lockdown. The venue is open Wed-Sat, and by all accounts the “food is superb!”.