Bowd Inn in East Devon

We often drive by, destination Sidmouth. Featured in the Good Pub Guide so pulled over for a light lunch. Spacious thatched pub, clearly supported by locals. Very good food and a most welcoming, friendly and engaging crew. Doggy friendly. 🇬🇧🇳🇿

wow what a find, stopped on way to drop parents to The Victoria Hotel for their Diamond anniversary . Staff were friendly welcoming. food was outstanding didn't have the carvery but will def be back to try. Great parking easy to find would recommend and we as a family will definitely be returning to try the famous carvery. Nice to find a good ole pub with friendly happy staff and great food for everyone . Thank you for a lovely start to a couple of special days celebrating

Fantastic experience. Carole helped me plan my wife's surprise Birthday getogether. A space for 30 guests was set aside for the afternoon. The food and service was excellent , the staff very efficient and friendly. Highly recommended.

We celebrated a 70th birthday with a carvery the food was amazing great choice and quality delicious. staff very helpful and friendly couldn’t do enough for us. I would highly recommend the Bowd inn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brilliant service always find the staff welcoming and friendly. Food gorgeous and everyone left sufficiently stuffed for the rest of the day. Will be back again soon

Lovely spot, good food and service. Carvery excellent. I had vegetarian nut roast and gravy with lovely veg and amazing Yorkshire puddings. Very pleasant surroundings and attentive staff.

Lovely pleasant staff good service and great food nice atmosphere we rang late in the day and they rearranged tables to fit us in

Just popped in whilst working in the area. Great welcome by Lawrence and Sue. Lovely lunch. Quickly served. Highly recommend it 😁

Do not just think this is a pub off the main road. I have just had the fish special which was Brixham plaice and it was amazing. A great portion and cooked so well. I will remember this for a long time to come. My husband had a flatbread which he also enjoyed

We were staying nearby and came across this pub. Dined there one evening and very pleased. Lovely menu choices, service good and food was really delicious, staff very welcoming to our puppy too. Highly recommend

Our second recent visit to The Bowd, this time for Morhers’ Day. We haven’t been here until recently for quite a few years as it seemed to be going a bit downhill. However now Carole and her husband are back running the place and it’s back to its ‘good ol’ days’. Three of the four of us visiting today are vegan and the mushroom stack option for the carvery was lovely. For our carnivore the beef was splendid (so he said). The place was really busy as you’d expect in Mothers’ Day but was running like clockwork thanks to the excellent management and staff, our waitresses were super efficient and friendly. Good ambience, good food and drink, great service. Thank you

Visited at 6pm on a Sunday a few weeks ago and was very impressed with carvery, was not expecting the quality to be as good dining later on in the day but was delicious

Although we hadn't booked and the inn was very busy we had a warm welcome. The basic menu was not extensive but there were several interesting "Specials" Our orders were taken quickly.by a cheerful young waitress; mine was the special venison casserole, my friend had the prawn baguette. Both were excellent in quality and quantity.

We came here today and it was absolutely lovely they were very friendly and couldn’t do another for you . Food was great and it was very clean we gave a 5 pound tip because we thought it was well worth it . Well done to the bowd Happy new year

Had a really lovely carvery recently from the Christmas menu, it was hot and tasty with lots of choice of veg, including Yorkshire pud. The gingerbread panna cotta for dessert was especially nice. I would go back just for that!

Food was amazing staff were really kind know owner through family and dad and sister works there would go there again best thing to go In Sidmouth and not that far away in the car bonus

Had lunch there today as part of a largish group. I had the carvery and chose beef, bad mistake! Even when my ordinary knife was replaced by one with a serrated edge it proved to be very difficult to cut my meat. The beef was very rare which I thought would have helped with its tenderness, wrong again! The Bowd was packed. My perception is that there were too many customers for the number of staff which meant that there was little personal attention. I am not a serial complainer but I feel that my unfortunate experiences today should be shared.

Recommended by friends so booked up for a Saturday night. EVERY member of staff we came into contact with were very courteous. Nothing too much trouble. In fact even the owner made herself known and gave us a bit of history about the pub. All four of us had the carvery which was lovely. Hot, tasty and plentiful. Only one of the party had room for dessert and chose the Belgian chocolate cheesecake. This was in her words, the best she had tasted....ever! Would not hesitate to recommend The Bowd Inn to anyone.

We booked the Bowd for our company Christmas lunch following lots of recommendations and they were all spot on! We had lots of different allergies and accessibility requests to contend with but the team made it feel like nothing was too much trouble. The service was seamless, piping plates of hot delicious food presented beautifully. The carvery was nostaligic- reminding us of home made Christmas dinners, everything tasted fantastic, the love they put into their food makes such a difference! The team helped us sith festive games and brought much laughter to the tables. Every person can't wait to attend again as everything was perfect, from amazing food, wonderful staff that wanted to make everything as enjoyable as possible to the wonderfully decorated surroundings. Thank you for giving us a wonderful festive afternoon!

We walked in without a reservation and we’re told they fully booked and then the lady who seemed to be the manager quickly turned around to say they could fit us in! Busy with Christmas parties they went out of their way to give us a table just in time for the carvery which also had a vegetarian option for my mum and a small senior plate for my grandma. Absolutely delicious and impeccable service. Will definitely return.

Had dinner here Wednesday night. Not many there, very quiet. Warm inviting cosy atmosphere, even though it is a big place. Excellent service from - to use their words, the B team 😊!! Faultless in fact. Food was excellent. We had camembert (gorgeous) and mushrooms as our starters, and ham, egg and chips (lovely) and turkey and ham pie for mains. Followed by belgian cheesecake and coffee. Lovely Christmassy atmosphere with the music and decorations. We loved it and look forward to coming back.

Part of a large group from a Sidmouth Charity Shop.Magnificent and friendly welcome from Lawrence.Food great,service great but lasting memory will be of Lawrence making us feel very special.

Helpful management and staff - above and beyond. Lovely food. I recommend the Carvery - it's not 'sloppy' like so many others. Cosy ambience, a real winter, cold weather pub. Dogs welcome - I believe just in the bar area. Handy easy to find main road location but set back from the road and on the edge of countryside and woods. Lots of parking.

We bring our elderly father here regularly. Food is great and good sized portions. Good value carvery and the staff are all very attentive and friendly

We are so pleased that the friendly and efficient couple who ran The Bowd in 2014/2015 are back again. We were locals then and found the pub a friendly and cosy place to be. We popped in for a drink to check it out and we were so pleased to meet the landlord from the good days on the way in. We then enjoyed a carvery and we will be back again.

We visited today, 2 adults and our 4 year old daughter. We hadn't booked and they were fully booked but went above and beyond to find a table for us. The hostess runs things brilliantly and always with a smile. The waiting staff were friendly and attentive. The carvery was gorgeous, meats cooked really well, crackling, mini sausages, stuffing, crispy potatoes, nice big light yorkies, lovely veg including cauli cheese, and fantastic gravy. It was a double thumbs up from our 4 year old, and 3 clean plates. What more could you want?! Thank you Bowd. We'll be back!

After coming for a carvery on Sunday evening, I felt compelled to write a review as I was so impressed with everything. Me and my family were welcomed with smiles and professionalism as we entered the pub. We had a table waiting, and the pub was cosy with a fire lit, and the smell of the carvery was amazing. I felt instantly at home there. My children aren’t very easy when it comes to sitting down quietly for a meal so we thought a carvery was best. Within five minutes of sitting down we were ordering drinks and our carveries, and we were able to go up straight away. The meat was succulent, the sausage meat stuffing was gorgeous, I loved seeing Broccoli being offered as it’s my families favourite, but the star of the show was the gravy. It was thick, flavourful and gorgeous. I will definitely be coming back again. Sometimes it’s the smiles and the happy welcome that makes the world of difference to a meal out, and the bowd surpassed all my expectations.

Lovely friendly pub,the staff were helpful and polite. The food was lovely we had roasted veg linguine and the homemade steak pie😋 We asked to wait for desserts and they didn't disappoint.Would love to try the carvery next time we are this way.

Visited for Sunday lunch.. This pub has amazing amazing carvery.. food is lovely and reasonably priced.. It booked up well in advance for Sundays.. and coulsnt get table indoors.but luckily was a warm sunny day and we sat in the covered outdoor area.. Staff are so lovely... When we're back this way we will def visit again.. Thanks to the team.

Lovely carvery lunch but not so of the roast beef. (It was very tough, for the price I think they could use the forerib joint) Apart from that everything was great even down to the gravy. We will be going back again I’m sure but next time we will stay away from the beef.

My last visit was in 2016 and hoping for same great food. I was not disappointed. Very polite staff and due to a very noisy group on arrival we were seated away from this with out request. We decided on the Bowd Thursday night carvery. This did not disappoint very hot with a choice of three meets and the veg looked freshly cooked! I must congratulate the Bowd staff as they must enjoy there work down to the chef on the carvery for being so polite and appearing genuinely happy. This is how a pub should be run....congratulations to the team!

Popped in with two friends for cavery Great and friendly service, with some banter. Lovely food and overall a positive vote from me

First class service First class food Nothing too much trouble. Fantastic food and delightful staff Will definitely be back

First time here the staff were very friendly and polite.The food was amazing I had a steak pie it was fabulous. They also allow dogs which is a big plus😊

When we finished work we went to the bowd inn for a burger and carvery, and we had a few pints, the food was absolutely horrible, it’s not the way we expected it to be we did mention it to a member of staff, and the beer was flat? We asked for it to be changed, and told me “ we can’t change it “ it was a young waitress we will never go back. Please train your staff to speak respectfully to your customers.

Went to the Bowd yesterday for Sunday lunch with my wife and two daughters. Very friendly staff and the food was impeccable. Looking forward to visiting again and trying the specials on the menu. Great place.

We stopped at the Bowd Inn just on the off chance of getting a table not being happy with the foo where we were staying and how pleased we were. Being just pleased to get a table at what appeared to be an extremely busy pub, with the car park full and what seemed to be a full pub, we elected to try the carvery and what an excellent choice. The food was hot, nicely cooked and could not be faulted. All the staff were curious and very helpful, they really involved them selves with the customers and shared in our humour. In fact we were so impressed with the Bowd Inn that we returned the following day and this time selected from the menu. Two of us had the venison casserole which was perfect, another had Scampi, their only complaint was "too maty chips" we all went for the roulade for dessert which was to die for. Definitely a place to got to, if in that area and one to certainly recommend.

The lady owner was warm, friendly and welcoming when we arrived, she even came to our table twice to ask about our meal. The waitress was attentive too. The portions of meat were plentiful, food was hot and cooked to perfection. £15.00+ was excellent value IMO and I would return and thoroughly recommend this pub. Keep up the sterling work.

Having eaten here regularly was such a shock and disappointment on a Saturday evening at 7ish you would of thought it would be at its best ! Little of everything no parsnips sausage veg all dried up dried up squares of stuffing where has the great chef gone ? I won’t be visiting again don’t get me started the watery cauliflower cheese … cost cutting and terrible even the meats are different just rolled ..shame. I was very disappointed .. sorry to have to say I won’t return

Really lovely pub with very attentive staff and the food was excellent. We visited on Friday 6th October with our dog and sat in a comfortable area of the pub. We both chose one of the chefs specials, Shepherds pie with veg and gravy. So...

A very friendly and welcoming Inn. Meals and service first class. Cosy and nice atmosphere. Have visited previously and will do again. Must mention Nell !

Fantastic Sunday carvery, dog friendly, and VERY WELL ORGANISED. Haven’t been there for a while because perhaps I’m wrong but it went seriously down hill . Now that Louise is back WHAT A DIFFERENCE, thank you. Sorry about my dog barking but we had some...

Visited as a walk-in on a Saturday evening and was lucky to get the last free table. There was still a carvery running but we were looking for a pub meal and opted for fish and chips a prawn pasta which were both tasty and...

It would be fair to say we do like a Sunday lunch and in particular a carvery. Having done some research we decided to go to the Bowd Inn and already it was busy at 12.30, which as far as we are concerned is a...

We called into a the Bowd this evening without a reservation. Despite being busy the staff couldn’t have been more accommodating and friendly. We both had the carvery but there plenty of other choices and the food was lovely. We’ll be back again soon.

Lovely food and very pleasant landlord and staff who were very helpful. Old fashioned pub with nice outside area.

Exemplary service and food. The staff are friendly and inviting. I must mention, Martin, the chef, who served great food consistently over three nights. I would highly recommend Bowd Inn and if I return to this area in the future I will definitely visit again.

Just back from the Bowd inn ,after a Birthday meal ,courtesy of my partner .Really impressed with the pub ,friendly attentive staff , a great carvery, and a nice ambience ,would certainly recommend .

Fully booked inside, but we got a table outside. With some dogs & smokers 😏 Staff were pleasant, but food was just frozen chips, peas and scampi. Soup just ok. The Carvery looked good, which was clearly their focus of the day. Pity.

WELL ! What can I add? The chips were the best I have ever had....HOW DO THEY DO IT? The service was first class...and all the meals we ordered were splendid. The gardens are a delight, for pre- dinner drinks and family chat. The prices,...

Having ate here a year ago and enjoyed the carvery I thought I would have another meal here today . Well what a shock !! Tonight’s carvery was probably one of the worst I have ate … There was no taste to anything on my...

The staff were lovely and welcoming, it is great to see that Customer Service is important. The food was delicious we had a carvery on the Saturday and the Steak special on a Sunday. In the last 6 months we have experienced poor service and...

Excellent food at a reasonable price. Lovely surroundings with a large beer garden and play area for children, and plenty of parking with the overflow car park. Service was outstanding and it was nice to see the landlord out on the shop floor so to...

Amazing food and service definitely worth a visit Will be visiting again soon the staff were all really helpful and couldn’t have done any more to help us

Good food. Excellent service. Very friendly Superb value for money. We had the carvery, the beef was lovely.

Lovely friendly service and the food was excellent which made for a thoroughly lovely evening out. I would highly recommend their carvery.

Amazing lunchtime carvery with a great selection of vegetables all really well cooked. Staff were friendly and restaurant clean and calm even with plenty of people present. Would defo recommend as it is the best carvery we have found in the area this holiday.

Well worth the wait and to see the 2 Kates we know from a previous establishment Booked a table back in May for July as we know this place gets booked up We were a couple with 2 dogs and had a great alcove table...

Arrived to the lovely aroma of carvery. Although the carvery table was nearly closing, they let us go up and it was a nice meal. Roast spuds weren’t the best but everything else was good.

We have just visited The Bowd for dinner. We received a very warm welcome. Being a Sunday, the carvery was still on. It's probably one of the best carvery that we gave gad. The meat was excellent, cooked to perfection, tasty and succulent. Choice of...

The best carvery I’ve had recently. Steak and ale pie was delicious too. Lovely meal and really friendly staff.

We booked a table for 14 of us, the cooked meals off the menu were good, however the carvery was not, 9 of us had carvery and were disappointed, the potatoes were awful, almost like they were microwave ones, tasted very off. The meat was...

Beautiful looking place and great staff. We we're so disappointed with the carvery though. It was all just so bland. Frozen supermarket Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. The meat was poor quality and the vegetables and gravy tasteless. Drinks expensive.

No words needed really.....best pie I've ever eaten! Will definitely be back, a great family & dog friendly pub. ❤️🧔👩🐕

Today we met friends for sunday carvery but sadly we were all very disappointed! The broccoli and cabbage were hardly eatable both tough and not prepared properly and the beef was tough and grisly and the ham was salty the older man serving the meat...

It is so good to see The Bowd back to its original high standard with Carole at the helm and a great team. The Sunday roast is back to how it used to be 3 years ago. I'm so pleased we took a flyer and...

Booked here based on reviews and was not disappointed, got a friendly welcome by nice staff, food was really nice and good sized portions Highly recommend if you’ve got a dog

We stopped off at the Bowd for lunch (on a Monday) on our way home from a weekend away. We had visited a few years ago and enjoyed a lovely carvery so thought we'd try it again. Sadly being a Monday lunchtime the carvery wasn't...

Just called in to the Bowd inn on spec for a quick lunch as we were passing by. We have eaten here a few times and have always been impressed with the place. I’m not one to write many reviews but felt I had to...

First class service. Visited for a family occasion: fastest and most efficient service we have ever known. The carvery was fresh and excellent, the facilities clean and the staff superb. This wonderful old building, with its garden and play equipment MUST be experienced.

Just got back from having a wonderful carvery at the Bowd. What a lovely surprise to see Carol and her family back. This was our first time back to the Bowd in a long while. We stopped going as the carvery really did go down...

Just returned tonight from a beautiful meal at the Bowd, we all had different meals and the food was excellent, service was great so attentive. Thank you for a lovely evening, we will be back soon.

We have just had a delicious carvery at our favourite place, The Bowd Inn. What a treat. The carvery meat is perfectly cooked and the vegetables amazing. We were served by Becky who was a delight and met Carol, the new owner who was really...

Just great the right team are running my local again - we’ve been three times this week already. Carol and Darren welcome back we know you will bring the pub back to its former glory from when you were running it last

Spotted this Inn on the way back from Sidmouth. Found that it was dog friendly inside and the bonus of a daily carvery. Extra bonus of discount for over 60's for the carvery. Greeted with a warm and jolly welcome. Having had other carvery meals...

Back under the old management! Reading the recent reviews this place seems like the pits! But we had an amazing experience here. First class service!

Welcome Back - One of our favourite places to eat. Great Food and Service, nothing too much trouble. Looking forward to the carvery next time.

We are staying in Beer and we had had a long day in Crealy's, with two small children, Bowd Inn was like an oasis in the desert on the way home! They were very accommodating and the food was delicious, I enjoyed the falafel and...

Excellent, most enjoyable Sunday carvery. Fabulous selection of lush vegetables and roast beef that was succulent and full of flavour. Roast potatoes delicious and just like mum used to make. Service impeccable. I would highly recommend The Bowd Inn.

Never have I experienced the most horrendous service on the carvery..and my fish hasn’t been cooked and looked like it was reheated and the chips were freezing cold! However the carvery isn’t worth the price the person who served us was rude.. won’t be here...

Lovely lunch and pudding ! We had the fish, chicken curry and vegetable linguine. Service was lovely; helpful and attentive staff. Food cooked to order and all very tasty. Great choice of pudding ; something for everyone. Thoroughly recommend honeycomb ice cream and sticky toffee...

Great service can recommend thanks nice to have new management at the pub, we were staying at the little Bowd Farm CL caravan club a lovely week holiday

Excellent Carvery, good choice of meats, staff were wonderful, couldn’t fault anything here. Would we come back? Oh yes, you bet 👍

We visited for a carvery and thought for the price of the carvery you wasn't served that much meat and I would of expected a choice of potatoes. Rather then just roast potatoes

The carvery is the finest have eaten. The selection of vegetables excellent and perfectly cooked. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. Will be back soon .

Decided to take a trip to The Bowd Inn for Sunday lunch. The atmosphere was friendly, staff attentive and the food was really great. A good selection for all tastes and the vegetables were nicely hot and varied. Would thoroughly recommend this place for either...

Can honestly say ! Best ever Carvery ! Piping hot ! delicious veg ! Great variety ! Attentive and friendly staff visiting with Friends sadly too far from home to visit on a regular basis

Enjoyed a first class lunch at The Bowd- great service and tasty food with good sized portions. Have been coming here for some years and always a great meal. Easy parking and lots of 'nooks and crannies' including dog friendly area for dining. Many thanks.

We went to the Bowd For dinner it was terrible, the food tasted bland and not the same as it used to be before. I'm sorry but you just lost a customer I won't be returning. sorry for this review but it's my opinion.

Visited Easter Sunday the team were very friendly. Had a good chat with the new manager Jamie who was also very friendly and enthusiastic and the food was fantastic will definitely be returning

Came here on Easter Sunday, we were greeted by the new manager Jamie he was very polite and welcoming ! Great to see passion and organisation again. The team were friendly and efficient too. Food was amazing too. All round great experience. Keep it up...

We booked a table for Easter sunday, we were lucky as only a few tables left. We came into and were greeted warm welcome and smile by the new manager Jamie. He seated us quickly and we were served by Luca efficiently and quickly too....

Came for lunch on Easter Sunday with family. The food was great and the new manager Jamie was very friendly and knowledgeable. Will definitely be returning.

What a gem. So glad we booked inadvance to experience an amazing meal. Eryn was our waitress and was lovely attentive to our needs. The meal was faultless the gammon was so tender it melted in your mouth turkey moist and serving was generous. Self...

The sign on the board said to rate your review on Trip Advisor so I will briefly do so. Dog barking at another dog not good in the dining room. Table lighting so dark I could not see the food properly. Turkey dry and fibrous....

Great atmosphere, jamie was really attentive and helpful, he made us feel at ease and comfortable while we had a drink. Very funny afternoon. Would 10/10 recommend!

The most amazing roast you will ever have in East Devon and we’ve tried a few!! Always come back and not disappointed. The carvery is very tasty with a large selection of veg with the best gravy. Owner is very welcoming and an all round...

We’d heard that the Bowd had re-opened and decided that we had to have a carvery. The lovely staff and Ian (who was carving the meat) were very pleasant and welcoming. Hospitality has been hit hard over the last few years and there are more...

We are so happy that you have reopened. Had lunch yesterday and enjoyed an excellent carvery as usual. The staff are so happy and friendly and the atmosphere is lovely. It may have been blowing a gale outside but it was lovely and sunny inside!...

The Bowd, a family run Pub Restaurant near Sidmouth, has at last reopened following its sudden, and so far unexplained, closure. The Bowd has always been by a long way the Best Carvery in the Area in terms of both Quality & Value for Money....