Arlington Restaurant in North Devon

Excellent food. Very friendly, professional service and a great value set lunch option. The price includes tea or coffee which you can have in the lounge after your meal which is a bonus! It's a very comfortable setting with lots interesting historical artefacts on display throughout the ground floor area.

0 stars; extremely poor quality food and service. One of the most shocking meals that I have had in years! Staff poorly trained inc. unable to open a bottle of wine. Poor quality glassware. No option to change preset wine glass for a burgundy glass. Glassware also dirty. Tables dirty. Host arrogant and became rather abrupt when dealing with change of table. Food bland and very poor quality. Partridge very poor with no seasoning or flavour. Lamb well over cooked and sides weren’t fresh or hot. Beef gravy for steak was freezing cold. Once poured over, waiter confirmed it was cold and didn’t offer to replace dish. Overall, a very poor experience indeed. On telling management that we weren’t happy; we were ignored and had to go up to the head waiter to pay. Avoid.

Went to the Arlington for dinner for my partners birthday, honestly I was disappointed. The starters where good but the main course let it down for me. I had the dressed crab which looked like it had come straight from the fishmongers and put on the plate, it was 75% brown meat and for the level of work that went into the dish the price was over the top. My partner had fillet steak, now this was cooked perfectly, I couldn't fault it, but the chunky chip they served with it tasted like shop bought frozen chips, its not hard to do good chips and I would over expected more from an aa rosette restaurant, and certainly one charging premium prices

Went to the Allington in the imperial hotel for my wife’s birthday lunch, we had a fantastic meal with exceptionally attentive staff. The food was well presented and the sweets were “lush”, a big thank you from us for a lovely day

We took advantage of the Spring Lunch offer and it was excellent. The menu choices were very good for the two courses. The staff were efficient and friendly. The food couldn’t be faulted. Overall a great experience.

We met our friends from Braunton at this restaurant which they had recommended. Two of our friends had mobility issues, and we also had a baby with us. The staff was superb. They changed chairs for one with arms for one of our friends so that he could move more easily. The roast pork, salmon, and onion tart were excellent and beautifully presented and served piping hot. I loved the steamed orange cake, and the berry trifle looked amazing. I failed to get the name of our server, but we were there at 12 noon on 23 September, and our server was great!

We were not staying at the Imperial but we had made a booking in the restaurant before travelling to Barnstaple.Our reservation was for 1930 on thursday 16th June.As soon as we walked into the hotel we could see the quality and we were greeted by a smiling lady who was probably the Maitre"D" who took us to our ta our table.The restaurant looked elegant.the food and the service were excellent and the staff were attentative and seemed to have been very well trained.My wife and myself would highly recommend this restaurant.

We are regular guests at The Imperial over many years. I previously reviewed the restaurant in 2021 and was highly critical of the food. However I am delighted that on our recent visit there was a significant improvement, the starters and desserts being particularly outstanding. Service as always was first class. Just one criticism, the breakfast and after dinner coffee is weak and tasteless. Highly recommended.

The food cannot be faulted. The staff are very friendly and very fast service even when they are busy.

We have eaten at the Arlington restaurant many times over the years when a resident of the hotel. We have seen a big drop in the quality of the main course in particular, gone is the nice selection of various side dishes, now you get a small dish of plain boiled vegetables being a few bits of carrot, 4 or 5 mange tout, piece of cauliflower, a small boiled potatoes or two, and if you were unlucky like us two small hard, dry roasted potatoes warmed up from lunchtime! Seems that this side dish is served frequently, if not every night with the main course. My elderly wife’s beef was just plonked on the plate sliced all on top of one another, covered in a thick salty gravy, and topped with a Yorkshire pudding the size of a saucer. Hardly fine dining, more roadside cafe. When we dine out, we expect much better than this. My fish dish wasn’t much better, and came with the same boring, cheap, side dish. Arlington hasn’t just slipped, more crashed! Staff friendly and efficient as always, shame about the food.

Really adore this place, it's a fine institution and we always come here when we visit family in Devon. First class service, excellent food and there is always a good choice of local options. Unhurried, great wine list and option to take coffee in lounge. Poor staff have to wear those masks - at least better than Scotland where the customers are forced to muzzle too! - but they still kept their high stands, warm welcome, and were attentive. Remains a firm favourite, lovely to be back.

Came here for lunch on Sunday as we were driving through - had the 'Sunday bar & lounge lunch menu' which had sandwhiches and salads etc. I had the Classic Ceasar Salad which supposedly came with 'Cos Lettuce, Parmesan, Anchovies, Caesar Dressing' - there was one single leaf of Cos in mine, the rest of it was slices of slightly brown salad leaves. The Parmesan tasted of nothing, must have been really bad quality. Anchovies must have just been pulled out of a tin, bad quality. Worst of all was the 'Caesar Dressing' which was literally just a squirt of plain mayonnaise!! The whole point of a Caesar salad is the dressing, it's not that hard to make, and this place literally just used plain mayonnaise as the dressing so this tasted nothing like a Caesar Salad. I know this all seems a bit petty but this place is pricey (the salad was £10), you just expect better than that. The rest of my family got equally awful meals but I won't go into it. I've had a look at the dinner menus for the restaurant and all the food sounds really nice, so I'm intrigued to know if it's just overpriced food that sounds fancy but is actually cooked badly with low quality ingredients, just like our lunch. Table service was good and the waiters were nice, but I'm so shocked about the quality of the food, especially for that price, would not recommend!

Quality food, beautifully served in attractive surroundings. There is background music but it is very unobtrusive and pleasing on the ear.

My husband and I visited here for my birthday. The room was delightful, the service was excellent and the food delicious. I had the smoked salmon and fresh crab starter which was divine. We both had the scallop and cauliflower second course which was really rich and creamy. My main was sea bream and my husband had the beef. Every course was cooked to perfection and the bottle of Rioja was delicious. Can highly recommend this restaurant

One of the best restaurants we have encountered and the food gets better each time we visit. The presentation is amazing and the choice of menu. The Imperial has a wonderful chef and the service was excellent and the Staff so friendly in these difficult times. We will be back!!

Let's get the good things out of the way: service is excellent, the dining room is grand if a little dated, and the Malbec was delicious. Which brings us to the food. Overall, it was average. The starters were good: scallops for my wife and smoked salmon for me; but starters should always be at least good. The problem was the main course. We both opted for the roasted leg of lamb. I don't know when it was roasted, but it wasn't on that day. It was thinly sliced, very dry, brown and smothered in a sauce. My wife rightly said it reminded her of eating those processed, thinly sliced roasts back in her school days. I agree. What a shame. The lamb was either brought in pre-cooked and heated up, or this was an old leg of lamb they cooked a few days before and then reheated. Unacceptable either way, especially when they boast about their rosette. I'm roasting a leg of lamb tonight, and it will be ten times better. We won't be back.

Quality, delicious food, presented beautifully and served with efficiency by knowledgable and friendly staff. A meal at The Arlington is always a treat.

We staying at The Park hotel but ate here on our last evening. In our experience dinner was far nicer than at The Park. Far superior in our opinion.

As usual the dining experience at the Imperial was excellent. The vafriety and quality of food is exceptional and the service cannt be faulted.

Hier zit je geweldig. Echte ouderwetse Engelse chique. Personeel loopt geruisloos in de bar om je heen om drankjes en hapjes te brengen. Geduldig wordt de menukaart uitgelegd. de keuze is enorm. voor elk wat wils. Ook dit hotel/restaurant behoort tot de Brend Hotel keten, die garant staat voor kwaliteit. De wijnkaart lijkt op die van het Park Hotel, maar dat is helemaal geen straf. Uitstekende wijnen tegen betaalbare prijzen. We konden met onze groep in een aparte zaal eten, zodat we ongestoord onze speeches konden houden. Het eten zelf was uitstekend en was mooi opgediend. De aansluitende koffie met een drankje konden we heerlijk buiten op het terras hebben.

This was some of the best food we have been served for many years. The food was good the service was good and In a pleasant atmosphere. I would highly rate this place.

Such wonderful memories of delicious breakfasts and romantic dinners. Wonderful service from professional waiting and drink staff. We were spoiled by the talented chefs who surprised us with variety and choice of menus. Lovely nostalgic songs from in-house singer on Saturday evening. Looking forward to seeing everyone again next time!

We were at The Imperial Hotel for my mother's birthday weekend, and one of the reasons it is her favourite hotel is that she loves the Arlington Restaurant. Therefore all four of us booked Half-Board and had the inclusive dinner menus (which change daily and which my mother has always recommended).The food seems to be uniformly excellent every evening (and this is a good enough reason for me to stay at this hotel again).The service, care and attention for my mother's birthday dinner was superb. Though we all ate from the inclusive menu (eg as part of the fixed price half-board booking) the restaurant was still superb in accommodating our allergies & dietary requirements (eg allergies to eggs, peppers, chillies & honey - gluten & lactose intolerant - diabetic - strong dislike of celery). I had no need to pay extra for the options (eg for a large steak) and had soup, salmon, lamb with vegetables, and then shared ice cream and the cheese board with a family member.The restaurant also has a corkage fee policy if you want to bring a bottle of something special.Strongly recommend. I will be returning.

Meals were cooked to perfection and the staff service also very sharp and attentive. The house red (Shiraz) was excellent and a large glass for just over £7 represents good value.

Fantastic lunches all year round and the most friendly, professional staff you will come across. Superb

We really enjoy the food here as it is well cooked, with enough of a touch of fine dining to make it an experience but not so much that you think of it being all style and no substance. I am not quite sure what the technical difference is between Starters and Intermediate. Admittedly the Intermediate did give you the option of having a sorbet, but if you have the alternative it is really like having another starter.The dishes come as described and if some ingredients arrive as just a smear or blob on the plate you do get a dish of seasonal vegetables as well.The breakfast is what is expected, with cereals and juices being buffet style, and the cooked element being prepared to order. I was a bit disappointed to realise that the continental breakfast had to be ordered, so I couldn't just pick up a small Danish pastry to finish off the breakfast - probably just as well for my waistline!The staff were very friendly, attentive and catered to my wife's dietary requirement.

Traditional experience - good waiters, very attentive. Food mixed, starters excellent, same with the intermediate, mains a bit ordinary. Good experience though restaurant has a nice atmosphere.

Each day we had meals that we'd look forward to, tasty, filling; helpful staff guided us their wine-list.

Having been abroad for work for my wedding anniversary this year, my wife and I were determined to make up for it and decided to have a short break with a special dinner in Barnstaple to celebrate 12 years since we started dating.

Restaurant very old school but lovely, staff great and friendly and air conditioning very much welcome! Food lovely and not all small portions!

Fantastic meal and great party atmosphere for my mother’s 87th birthday party. Nothing was to much trouble soup made to order and food allergies catered for. 11 happy and satisfied customers. Not the first time a family party here would come again.

Beautifully presented food in quality, traditional surroundings. Attentive and professional staff ensure a relishable meal.

Dinner on three nights, breakfast on three mornings. The restaurant is a lovely venue, if a little crowded. The food was always well presented and tasted excellent, a really good example of a large fine dining restaurant. Plenty of choice to suit all tastes. The staff were outstanding, very professional, friendly and helpful.

Well I didn't expect to be writing this review. I can only say that the Arlington Restaurant was beyond my expectations!. The restaurant is in the impressive Imperial Hotel in the centre of Barnstaple and although I had been there for coffee in the past I had not ventured into the restaurant. What an absolute surprise and delight.We went on a Monday night, not the busiest evening normally but the restaurant was at least 70% full.Now I know why.Firstly I have to say the decor although immaculate was a little dated, long drapes over the windows and traditional style furnishings, but the staff and the food well what can I say. The staff were very attentive, smartly turned out and from the 'old school' of service a nice change from the casual service you receive today in many places. I can't remember the last time I had my table 'de-crumbed' or had covers over the main course that were removed with a quiet flourish. Maybe I just don't do enough fine dining these days!. Now we come to the food. It was as good as I have tasted in any restaurant in any major city anywhere, and I used to entertain business clients alot in the past. It is not cheap but this place is a classic example of 'you get what you pay for'. I shan't go into everything but well worth an extra mention is the cannon of lamb, just wonderful,served with really well cooked, tasty vegetables. The portions were generous as well. Oh my goodness why have I not found this place before. O.K. I could not afford to eat there every week but for a special, slightly more formal occasion this is now top of my list. Well done.

Wonderful choice of menu. The food is always piping hot and fresh. I could not fault anything. They excel in large parties and the service is second to none.

stayed for 5 night on h/b,and had breakfast and dinner each day.dinning at this restaurant is an experience not to be missed.the decor is beautiful,the mood is quite and relaxing.the food is actually delightful with a choice of two menues.the staff are magnificent.very pleasant experience.

Amazing staff and fabulous food. The service is second to none and the staff are constantly making sure everything is in order.

We visited Barnstaple in a wet week. We stayed in the Park Hotel, part of the same group as the Imperial and decided to try the Imperial for dinner on our second day.

Comimos en el restaurante las dos noches de nuestra estancia y realmente disfrutamos de nuestra comida. La comida es de una calidad muy alta y el tamaño de las porciones son generosas. La lista de vinos es más que suficiente. Los camareros son atentos pero no entrometido, servicial y educado. El menú es variado y table d'hote opciones para cambiar cada día. Si tienes espacio, los postres son excelentes. En general, las comidas muy agradable - felicitaciones a los chefs!

Resident singer playing in the restaurant a very pleasant atmosphere not intrusive restaurant full food really good wine list excellent staff efficient and polite

We have eaten here a number of times and have always enjoyed it. Service is friendly and efficient. The table d'hote menu changes daily, with ample choice. There is an a la carte menu at a supplement.Some may find this restaurant a bit formal and old fashioned, but that is how we like it. We like to eat in a calm and relaxing atmosphere. If you like busy, noisy, modern restaurants, then this is not the place for you. Go elsewhere. This restaurant is so much better than the many dreadful places that insist you should eat surrounded with noise and chaos.The food portions are well cooked, nicely presented, and the home made desserts are superb. We have eaten in many hotel restaurants all over Europe, and this is one of our favourites.Give it a try!If you are staying at the hotel, take the half board option, it is worth it.

Superb restaurant with lovely food that's well presented and importantly hot. The staff are a great bunch who clearly enjoy what they are doing. Breakfasts are to die for but too many of their full English's may just do you in :-).

Beautiful surroundings, beautiful food and super service. The breakfasts are to die for too. Can't praise highly enough.

Beautiful restaurant with even better food and service. North Devons finest? Has to be based on our experience. Well done.

The food was of a good standard but regrettably the restaurant is outdated, lacks ambience and the maitre'd does not enhance the overall experience. The restaurant looks to be more out of the 70's era and has a dress standard to match. I strongly suspect that this regrettably deters many of the younger generation from dining. Whilst my wife and I are not young, we were clearly the youngest diners (at just over 60) and this reflects the outdated approach to the restaurant. With a modernisation, given the food standard I believe that this restaurant could attract a "new" dining profile and make it a far better culinary experience. The "greenery" dividers need to go as they detract from the overall ambience as does the "stuffy" service proivided

The restaurant staff were most attentive and very pleasant the food was very well prepared and presented.

Beautiful presentation, good portion sizes, lovely flavours, interesting dishes. We mostly ate from the Table d'hote menu and never disappointed. Good value!

We were at The Imperial Hotel for two nights and had breakfast and dinner at the restaurant. I have to say that the service was second to none. All staff were friendly and looked happy. I love the Edwardian style setting and dinner was even more enjoyable as we listen to slow songs sung by a live singer.The lamb dish I ordered was well presented, cooked to my liking and there is a good selection of wine on the list. (We had RivaLeone)Breakfast was also good although I would have loved to see more on the hot food menu.Overall, I enjoyed my meals and would go back again!

Fantastic varied menu every day, great wine list, great service and beautiful restaurant. If you want superb un-poncey food but great quality and value for money then look no further.

Popped in for breakfast as in meetings in Cornwall Very traditional with lots of attentive staff£15 which was well worth it Obviously been updated as felt fresh and Loos were brand new

4course table d'hote menu,with excellent sourced meats ,kitchen produced pate,and soups that really excel. Vegetables are fresh and sauces of great taste. Puds are imaginative and well presented,and the cheeseboard is locally derived.Perhaps they could include my favourite Wyke Farms "Old Smokey " from Somerset.

Where else would you be offered sea bass with sauteed banana? It probably seemed like a good idea until the banana hit the pan. In addition to a table d'hote menu which changes daily (price determined by the number of courses you eat), there's an a la carte menu which includes Dover Sole (at a supplementary price, of course). Of the deserts, ice cream served in a glass dish resembling a hollowed-out block of ice seems popular.If there's a coach party in then it's "all hands to the pumps" with various managers acting as waiters, but this means you're served by lots of different people which complicates decisions on gratuities. There's a facility to donate to a central fund, shared out between staff at Christmas, but we only found out by asking at reception - it's not mentioned in the Room Guide. Residents have a table allocated to them for the length of their stay, but diners used to this on cruise lines will be surprised by the absence of the Maitre d' function - we never did meet the Restaurant Manager, so couldn't make any comments to him.

The Arlington Restaurant at the Imperial Hotel Barnstaple, provides an excellent caring service with an extensive and flavoursome menu in a comfortable ambience of quiet lluxoury. Whether it is Breakfast, lunch or dinner it is served with careful presentation and your every wish is catered for!

Excellent food, beautifully presented and service second to none. Do not miss this treat to enjoy tasty and delicious fare.

Stayed at The Imperial and decided to "eat in" at their Arlington Restaurant. The food was amazing and the service impeccable.Breakfast the following morning was also superb. Highly recommended.

Very disappointed in the food. Breakfast very average, bacon & sausages lacked flavour. We ate one night in Bistro & one night in Arlington, chose to eat out other night as so disappointed. The fish was good but on both occasions is did not come as described on menu. The sea bass was supposed to have a garlic cream sauce, it came with butter & herbs & Dover sole supposed to have beurre Noisette with caper again came only with butter & herbs. The dessert menu had meringe, when I asked what that would be I was told it was a Meringue. That just sums up the restaurant. Wait staff were adequate some had bad attitude particularly to children. The small manager in the restaurant was very good. Would not eat in restaurant again

Dishes of high quality and a flourish are consistently delivered at this hotel. There is good variety of main courses (some of which is locally produced eg Crediton Chicken) on the menu which are well presented and an intermediary course is available also. The meals my family and I have eaten have been served by pleasant and helpful staff who will do their best to meet your requirements. You will never be made to feel uncomfortable if your meal takes a while to 'complete' either! Overall, we truly enjoy the meals, the attention to detail and helpfulness of staff which makes a visit to the Arlington Restaurant a real pleasure.

Edwardian feeling and stunning service! Food quality and choice certainly not edwardian just amazing and of such high quality! We have eaten here on many occasions and have never been less than totally satisfied on all counts. Serving and waiting staff are most attentive but not intrusive - so friendly and yet really efficient! We'll done everyone - we will be back!

For a quick brunch after a long walk to sit down and relax with something small and a cold drink ......it was pleasant and relaxing!

Very good food - good choice, well cooked and very suitable for the type of guests that frequent the hotel. Breakfast particularly good and cooked to order - no matter how busy the hotel can be. Service is excellent and the staff team brilliant!!

Just ate lunch at the Arlington Restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. It was our first visit. The decor was just right. The restaurant was very clean. The background music was quiet and relaxing. Beautiful crisp white linen table-cloths and napkins. Very attentive staff. Glassware spotless. Cutlery spotless. The food was lovely and very well priced.Overall a great experience.Just a couple of points. The young waiter who served us wore black trousers that were covered in stains. Nothing worse than being served by people in dirty clothes - in any restaurant. Secondly, they could have brushed the breadcrumbs off the table before serving dessert. Would only have taken a few seconds.However don't let this put you off. It was a lovely lunch and we will be going back soon.

As always, excellent food, service and ambience. The menu was extensive. Had lobster one day - fantastic.

Superb 4 course dinner with talented keyboard player on Saturday evening. Excellent and friendly waiting staff. Can't wait to eat there again.

food consistently good and real value for money. Breakfast always cooked to order. plates hot and excellent choice. Service exceptional.

Excellent service in the proper formal (but friendly) style, and superb food, giving a great sense of occasion.

Great service, the waiters are always so polite and friendly. The food is always excellent, we have never been disappointed and the chef was very good at catering for our dietary requirements.

Really felt like a good traditional Sunday Roast and although we live locally had not tried the Arlington Restaurant for several years - the meal was excellent, the service attentive and yes it is a formal ambience but also warm and profesional. It really hit the spot - we will be back

Excellent food and a good, tempting choice, beautifully presented and professionally served. Shirt and tie is required so keeps the tone classy.

Superb, excellent choice and wonderful staff. We both love good food and this is one of the main attractions.

I stayed at the Imperial Hotel when on business. The hotel was booked for me but my colleague so I didn't realise a jacket and tie would be needed for the restaurant. We didn't want to go out so agreed to eat the restaurant food in the bar. The service was pretty poor, had to ask for cutlery, bread roll, butter, no salt and pepper etc. paper napkin etc. The food was ok but nothing special, not sure if the rushed service/presentation was because we were in the bar. It would have been nice to have a luxury relaxing meal in the restaurant rather than squashed on a bar table. We got charged the same £32 for 3 courses but without the service. I know they are trying to maintain a 'standard' in the restaurant but this seems to attract/satisfy the oap/retired cliental rather than the business traveller like me. Doubt I'd return to the hotel due to that.

Book, as also busy with hotel guests. Superb service with wide choice of excellent dishes. Impressive dining area with intimate bar adjacent and comfortable lounges for coffee after the meal.

Fantastic service from Magda and the team. Beautifully presented and cooked food. Excellent sized portions and value for money

We visited for evening dinner. It was very busy with what seemed to be a full complement of guests though we 40-60 year olds felt very young amongst them! Well done Hotel on successful marketing!The menu was £25 for two courses or £35 for 4 and the table d'hote was quite good though restrictive to appear to encourage you to select from the other list adjoining. However, almost without exception, each other choice had a supplement which seemed to start at £5.50 for Scallops or 'just' Calves' Liver, as examples and then your meal would cost £50. I wonder if residents liked that idea or felt it was trying to extract more money from them when the cheap headline accommodation rates are used as really, supplements should be avoided or only in rare instances like for lobster or fillet steak perhapsThere were a few little 'things' which could have been better - such as when the rather uncrisp and springy ice-cream basket was mentioned to the waiter, not really to make a fuss but as an observation as to why not consumed there was no follow-up or subsequent comment or apology yet the chef must have known they were inedible whilst preparing the dish.I have had much better there and was a tad disappointed and had the meal been £50 I should have felt it was very over-priced for where we were and what it was. I think that as a Four Star Hotel it should have been better all round and those little touches 'right' of which quite a few were not so .I do think that others in our group had a better experience and am pleased to report thus though I suspect we shan't venture back again but shall frequent other establishments for an evening meal in the area.