Conservatory Restaurant - Exeter in Exeter

OH WHAT A TRAGEDY! THIS WAS A FAVOURITE GO TO RESTAURANT AND WE HAD SPECIAL OCCASIONS HERE TOO. SUPERB FOOD, ATMOSPHERE AND SO ON, AM VERY SAD IT IS NO LONGER. CAN SOMEONE TAKE IT OVER PLEASE AND BRING IT BACK?

Id heard good things about this place & WOWZERS, one was left walking on air after the delicious banquet Mr Barry had cooked up. The meat fell off the bone, the dessert was Devine & the furnishings made you feel like you were in Paris. A special shout to Michael Barry for helping my wife down the stairs in her wheelchair. I'll be coming back again.

We often visit the conservatory when in Exeter, this year we eat for three nights! The food is superb, the staff really friendly. What’s best is the price and quality of food served cannot fault it #Amazing

Another excellent meal here. The set meal gives some great choices but it was a special occasion so I paid for supplements, scallops and pork belly stunning, as was the whole meal which everyone enjoyed

Used to be my favorite restaurant Not sure are they changed the chefs or what The food doesn't taste as good as they did before. I got stomach pains and went to toilet immediately after the meal. Such a shame The chicken extremely dry....Scallops didn't clean enough as I ate got a tiny rock....Jesus can't believe my favorite restaurant become like that.

Excellent. Unassuming entrance made me nervous but what a delightful experience. Three adults and each of us can’t wait to go back. Each course was delicious. Truly tasty, great service. Best meal I’ve had in years and we eat out a lot!

So refreshing to enjoy such a delicious meal in the center of town. I recently went as part of a group of six. I had the three course meal which was beautifully prepared and full of flavour. I paid a supplement for scallops which was well worth it. Service was excellent too. Bravo!

This is definitely the nicest place in exeter to eat!! Wish they opened on Sundays

Excellent food and dining experience. It is a quirky place inside and don’t expect a white linen experience but the food/service are well worth a visit. On of my top 3 restaurants in Exeter. Highly recommended.

Food was outstanding. Exceptional value for money. Wouldn’t hesitate to return or recommend to friends. Each of the 3 courses was excellent. Very friendly and helpful service.

So disappointed! Had been looking forward to going here for months but it was a total let down. We were the only table downstairs next to the toilets, cold and no music, absolutely no atmosphere at all. Food was also cold and bland. I had the tofu, tasted like a smoked tofu block that had just been sliced up. My friends said similar about their dishes, they had meat, disappointing and smelt like bisto gravy. Will not be going back, it is pretty cheap though, but I guess you get what you pay for!

Great meal, great service, great value. Will definitely return.

Having been here before we came back to celebrate a birthday and was not disappointed- the service is amazing and the food is out of this world! Our plates were clean after every course and yes we had 3! You can always be sure that a meal here is always absolutely fantastic and we will be back soon!

My mum and I dined here while staying over in Exeter and were thoroughly impressed with the quality of the food for the price, really good value for money! We originally planned to go to The Ivy but weren't overly impressed with the menu choice and gluten-free options for my mum who is coeliac - so glad we came here instead! The menu was unique and interesting and the food was just delicious and perfectly cooked and presented. The shabby-chic style décor of the restaurant had a lovely, casual charm and loved the fish tank. We would definitely come back if we are ever in Exeter again!

Excellent little restaurant. Came here to celebrate Mother’s Day. Food was superb (and I mean the sticky toffee pudding was the best I have ever had), price was very reasonable and the staff were inviting and friendly. Would 100% recommend to anyone.

Lovely 3 course lunch, really can’t fault the food or the service, amazing value too. Only negative I would say is that the furniture and decor is quite tired which could put some people off.

Amazing food with exceptional service. The Conservatory never disappoints . Everything was right ; unhurried service with plenty of time to select dishes with sourdough bread to nibble along with a great house red. Reminder to self : Don’t wait too long before visiting again!

The best restaurant in Exeter, we have been coming here for years and the cooking is a consistently high standard. It's classic food done very well at an incredible price. There aren't any other restaurants of this calibre where a bottle of wine is under £20 either. The staff are always friendly and if you only have one meal in Exeter - visit here!

Top tier food, great service and an affordable price. Easily one of the best places to eat in Exeter. Don't book that generic, soulless chain restaurant you're considering, go here instead and never look back. Genuinely some of the best food I've ever tasted (been multiple times)

Food was good. Staff were friendly but the restaurant was really cold. It took the edge off our first visit and was so easy to remedy. A bit disappointed that all the reviews I had seen did not match the reality

Not eaten here before but pleased with every aspect of this visit as a group of half a dozen. Convenient to centre of town, friendly, hospitable and well organised. Enticing menu , tasty food and realistically and affordably priced with two and three course options. No hesitation in recommending to everyone.

Walked tentatively into the restaurant through the two sets of stairs, but only took a few minutes to have a warm greeting from a member of the team and shown to our table. The menu was excellent and so was the wine selection. We chose our food and a lovely Portuguese Red, our favourite. Everything was excellent and the service was a perfect balance of attentive but not in your face. Loved every course. Will definitely be revisiting.

Fabulous food with friends. We had a three course meal and wine and it was really delicious varied food and very reasonable. Would definitely go again.

This small restaurant off the main high street is a hidden gem,my friend and I had a fabulous dinner with great service,such friendly staff! The price was amazing for the food that we had and the wine was not over priced, definitely worth a visit!!

A fantastic lunchtime meal, bursting with flavour. Plenty of choice of food and drinks. Prices very reasonable together with great service.

We had the three course lunch here and was not disappointed. We had been once before of an evening and always wanted to try it for lunch. The food is amazing and so tasty and really good value for the quality of the food. Can’t wait to return soon!

Went for a "girlie" get together, ended up there for 3.5 hours as the relaxed atmosphere was SO nice! The food was exquisite (my scallops were to die for!) the ambience wonderful and the staff were really friendly and helpful. Special shout out to Louis the chef!!

Great good great service Mike and his staff very tentative nothing to much trouble for them. We had the lunchtime menu which was great value.

Food was amazing, service was great, just the right amount of attention and the prices for lunch were very good.

Food was excellent definitely recommend this restaurant

Delicious and well presented. Tremendous value. Go!

Highly recommended restaurant food ,staff and the historical walls of the restaurant make for an excellent atmosphere

Great meal with good choice to choose from. Good value and staff friendly and attentive. Would definitely return when next in Exeter

Wonderful discovery! Delicious food, friendly welcome and service. Very good value for money. Will definitely visit again. Have already booked next visit!

Great value for money, and a fantastic discovery hidden in plain sight down a side road. Wasn't sure what to expect but the tudor (?) lined wall matched up as a lovely surprise with really well cooked food. Mackerel tacos were super fresh, pork belly was unctuous and the desserts looked amazing. Obviously popular with some regular diners, the word needs to get out there to the rest of Exeter Only downside is that it might not be the easiest of venues to access for those with limited mobility and the acoustics meant that we heard a lot of other peoples conversations (although they may just have been very loud).

Lovely venue and nice staff but unfortunately the vegetarian food was very disappointing. I left feeling hungry after 2 courses!

Visiting from the US. Had an excellent dinner. Quiet atmosphere. Attentive service. Risotto was amazing. Would absolutely recommend.

Wow! The most memorable meal on our 3 week trip to England was here. I'm glad I'd read the reviews to understand that the outside looks like nothing and when you walk in you must walk up the stairs. I was excited to see the Medieval wall painting and we were seated right next to it. Our meal was top notch, great wine, reasonable prices, and great service. A delightful memory for our trip. Thank you Conservatory!

What a gem! Fantastic food and service. Made very welcome by the staff. Great setting with a cosy atmosphere. All our party enjoyed the meal. Thanks to The Conservatory. We will visit again. Highly recommended.

Beautiful place to eat. From the outside it doesn't look much but inside it's very quaint. The food was seriously tasty to. We had the brie , steak and eton mess.

Plutôt raffiné. Bon et recherché. Personnel aimable. Salle vieillissante. Le produit de nettoyage rend la table collante.

Excellent service ,by lovely staff excellent food and a great atmosphere A 5 star restaurant at very reasonable prices We go there for special celebrations and have never been less that completely pleased Highly recommended

Fantastic meal and staff service. Unpretentious and the best meal out in Exeter. Looking forward to our return.

I have always enjoyed the food at the conservatory.. The lunch at £12 to £15 for 2 or 3 courses was really amazing value. Decent starter (Brie and chilli jam in a tartlet, and steak main (£3extra) and some amazing French style potatoes (really incredible). My wife loved her haddock main. Overall well worth a visit for lunch.

Blimey! Let me tell you about this place, The Conservatory, my dear chums. It's a real gem, it is! I went there with my son-in-law, who's quite the expert, having worked at Rick Steins, you know. Well, he had those scallops, and let me tell you, he declared them as "excellent!" And coming from him, that's saying something! The prices, my word, they're reasonable! Two evening courses for just £25, can you believe it? And the other dishes were just as splendid, I must say. The wine list, ah yes, well-priced and just the thing to complement the meal. Now, the service, I must say, was relaxed and unstuffy, which is exactly how I like it. The atmosphere might be a tad lacking, but who cares when the food is this good? We'll be making a return visit, mark my words. The Conservatory, a place worth a visit, indeed!

Leuke ambiance, sympathieke gastvrouw, heerlijk eten tegen een zeer aantrekkelijke prijs. Voor £ 30,- een perfect 3 gangen menu. Aanrader!!

Very tasty food and loved the atmosphere.

Very tasty meals at competitive prices. Sensible size portions. Friendly staff. Pleasant surroundings

We had this restaurant recommended to us , so e booked and that is essential as they do get very busy, for lunch, It is easy to find in North street and from the outside looks rather out of keeping. When you go inside, there are steps down and up to the restaurant itself, which may put some off. The service was excellent and choice of food and wine is enough to meet anyone's taste. If you are into a Merlot, check the Chilean Red

Highly recommend, excellent food, service and £30 for 3 courses is outstanding value for money.

What can you say about this place . First class friendly service . Unbelievable value .£30 for 3 course includes bread . We had slow cooked pork belly & I can honestly say it’s the best we’ve ever had . Good sized portions to payed more for less locally . Would highly recommend this restaurant. 2 nd time we been & will be back for sure .

Excellent food and service first class

As a disabled person I cannot praise the staff highly enough for their care and consideration. To get me seated safely and without fuss staff went above and beyond. The food is superb wine also good and well selected. The toilet is downstairs which was a disadvantage. Can i specifically thank the person on front of house who made me feel welcome.

Excellent food and great service. Highly recommended.

Lovely. Nice place. Really good food, from whipped salted quenelle of butter with sourdough at the start to poached & coulis of rhubarb at the end & everything in between.

This place is amazing! The food is soooo good and the service is lovely too. Make sure you have dessert, the chocolate fondant is to die for!

Superb food lovely unpretenious service, cool place to be!

Always an amazing experience at the conservatory, local, simple and bloody delicious.

Really nice place great food lovely service

Great place. Delicious food choices, friendly welcome and good choice of wine. Look forward to returning soon.

Lovely meal with great service

Food is amazing. Such great tasting food. Great price for a lunch of three courses for £13

Been here three times in the past two weeks because of how incredible this place is. The food is stunning and always perfectly cooked. The items on the menu's, both lunch and dinner are varied and are composed of very beautiful flavour combinations. A real treat of a place. I wouldn't bat an eye if this place was expensive as it's worth it 100%. And that's the thing, it's not expensive. It's actually cheap, especially for lunch. 3 courses at lunch = £13. And 3 at dinner is £30. Best restaurant gem in Exeter. You must go!

Really enjoyed our delicious dinner here, following a rugby match at Sandy Park. Good service and atmosphere.

Delicious meal, with a good range of choice of both of wine and food as well as friendly service

Very good food, well cooked and good value

My wife and I have eaten in most of Exeter's restaurants, but we only made it here in December. We both agreed it was probably the best meal we have had in Exeter. The food is of an exceptional standard and good value for the quality on offer. The service was punctual and friendly, and the quirky building made for a lovely atmosphere. We'll most certainly be back.

Came in with my friend today and had a great glass of wine after doing some Christmas shopping...I saw they where doing tiramisu and look beautiful and tasted out of this world ...so fresh 10/10

I went here for the first time with some friends. We had the lunchtime menu which was had a very limited choice but was a set menu.Service was friendly.Whilst I don't expect huge portions for the price, or at lunchtime, the fish was miniscule. I would rather have paid more to have a portion size that would stop me feeling hungry when finished! I also feel vegetables should be part of a meal and not be classed as a side, even if it costs a little more for the main.Despite what I have said, the food was delicious albeit the fish was slightly overcooked.I think they might have had a tricky morning as EHO inspectors were there. Hopefully for positive reasons! I would like to go again in the evening to see if there was a better choice if food and to compare portion sizes, price ect.

In an age where chains are churning out mediocre food and average (at best) service, what a refreshing change to see a delightful menu full of things you wouldn't necessarily eat at home. Our waitress was polite and knowledgable yet discreet and personable. Basically food as good as it always was, and service that you can't fault. Love it, will be coming back again, and not as long this time. Ps lovely to see a gentleman in a motorised scooter being catered for with so much care by the staff via the side door.

Really nice place, shabby chic, lovely food, but please give a bigger portion of fish, I went away hungry! Also I think charging £3 extra for a few vegetables is a bit much. Have been a few times now when visiting Exeter and have always enjoyed it.

My wife and I were in Exeter for a show at the cathedral and decided to make a day of it. We booked before we left home. If you blink you will miss the entrance but once inside you find a clean and calming dining room.We were met by a charming and delightful young lady and made us feel at ease.We had the 3 course fixed price menu and can only describe the food as perfect. I can be critical if things are clearly not right but there are no worries about this restaurant. All in all a very good experience and it was a shame we could not stay a while longer but our show at the Cathedral was calling. We will most certainly return when visiting Exeter in the future.

On a short stay in Exeter we had dinner at The Conservatory and what a lovely evening it tuned out to be! Very warmly welcomed by Charlotte who gave us a choice of where to sit. We went for the 2 course meal, with lovely fresh sourdough also included. The portion sizes were excellent value for money and the food was superb - piping hot, tasty and beautifully cooked. A really lovely evening and thanks to all.

Such a great restaurant. Thank you for a lovely lunch.

Fantastic food with a very unassuming exterior. Definitely somewhere to go for an excellent meal.

I visited this restaurant for the first time on Friday, it's a lovely little restaurant with a nice chilled atmosphere, which is down a quiet side street. The food was incredible, I had the scallops to start, followed by Chicken Supreme, which was all cooked amazingly. The main course came with a nice selection of vegetables and the portions were good size, so much so we didn't have room for dessert. The service was friendly. I would highly recommend, and we will visit again.

Truly amazing food. Very original and exceptionally delicious. A stunning treat and incredible value. The room is wonderful too, with its Tudor wall, and the service was impeccable. Go.

Had a delicious lunch in lovely surroundings.

My wife and I visited this restaurant for the first time in a few years and we were just amazed at the quality of the food, service and the value. It is undoubtedly the best value that you will get. The food is delicious and cooked to order. My wife had the monkfish which was simply delicious and I had the best Duck breast that I have had in a long, long time We were so impressed that we immediately re-booked for our upcoming wedding anniversary.

The conservatory is still my favorite restaurant in Exeter. The value is unbelievable for the quality of the food. Every dish is fresh, presented beautifully & each flavour is delicate but perfectly represented. Excellent as always. Well done team!!

One of my favourite restaurants in the Southwest. Visited here numerous occasions this year and the experiences have all been amazing. Food and service are always outstanding and I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Exeter.

Not having ever been to Exeter, we randomly chose this restaurant. Are we glad we did! Seldom have we, a group of five picky women, enjoyed a meal as much as this. We commented that we would all have been happy with anything on the menu and I don't think this has ever happened! The food was absolutely wonderful and beautifully presented. We all agreed that it was the best meal we have had for a very long time. The staff were excellent and Charlotte was particularly helpful. We would come back to Exeter just to eat here again!!

This is our favourite restaurant in Exeter which we have visited many times when seeing our daughter who was at the university. On our latest visit the food was again excellent, the scallops a particular joy and service was very good as well. We will be back

We were visiting Exeter and decided to eat in The Conservatory one evening. We had pre-booked. As it was a very wet Tuesday evening we wondered if we would be the sole diners - but, no! The restaurant seemed pretty full - so a promsiing sign. We had three coures each and were very happy with our respective meals. Good choice of wines and great service. Would recommend.

Don't be put off by the fact that most of North Street looks seedy. The Conservatory produces a very good meal. The layout, ambience and service promised well and the standard of cooking was high. If we returned to Exeter we would definitely eat there again.

Introduced more friends to the conservatory, the service was excellentbut our four friends who had never eaten there before ( much travelled) all agreed simply fantastic, the Scallops heavenly and the price! £25 for two courses! The Lamb was cooked to perfection. We will all be back thank you

Simple menu with superb food at reasonable prices. Service was very friendly and attentative, also knowledgeable about the menu. The house red wine was also very good and reasonably priced. Would thoroughly recommend this restaurant

Great food and very helpful and friendly staff. One person in our group was gluten free and vegetarian and the staff were very accommodating at all times. Would definitely go back here.

We found this restaurant via recommendations on the internet and were certainly not disappointed. This is only a small restaurant but this gives it a nice atmosphere.The staff were friendly and attentive, service was not rushed. We were given some nice bread to nibble on with our champagne, but we did not have to wait long for our first course. We both had fish for our main course and it was superb, washed down with a nice rose. We managed to squeeze in a dessert because they all sounded delicious!We were pleasantly surprised by the size of the bill, this was top quality food but at very reasonable prices. Thank you.

While the entrance was unassuming I was quite surprised by what’s inside…a well-lit trendy dining area with good service and excellent food. My waitress was friendly and helpful with her suggestions and the food was REALLY good. The Prosecco with elderflower was surprisingly refreshing and the cider and mustard glazed pig cheek was tasty and well prepared. The real standout, however was the Cornish Cod Fillet on a bed of smoked bacon and sweet corn chowder with chives…YUMMY. If you’re ever in Exeter for dinner you should definitely reserve a table at the Conservatory. Good value for an upscale meal!

Great food, lovely restaurant, kind waitress 😀🤩😋

This is my first less than glowing review of one of my favourite restaurants. Read on and find out why...There were only two things wrong with my lunch a couple of weeks ago. 1. The galette starter was burnt on top (the pastry) but otherwise very nice. 2. The portion size of the fish (I'll come back to that).The rest of the meal - i.e. the main course flavours, and especially the new dessert (Gk yogurt mousse with berries and white chocolate sauce) - were up to their usual standard. The service as ever, was excellent.But oh my. They used to serve hake for every lunch menu, done in different ways, and always wonderful. Now it's haddock - which I do like - but being a more expensive fish, the portion size is tiny, perhaps half what the hake used to be. This is where I wonder if Brexit has affected things? Perhaps hake is not easily available now and they must "make do" with haddock instead? So here's my plea to the Conservatory: your fixed price lunch menu is ridiculously cheap, £10 for two courses. I'd pay more (£12+) for a decent size portion of fish. One of your competitors quite nearby charges £15+ for two courses, but you get a decent size portion of fish whether its sea bass with salad or Tuna Nicoise. Please Conservatory - put your prices up a little and give us more than a tiny piece of fish!!

Despite this restaurant looking slightly underwhelming from the outside we decided to take a chance and went in. Once inside the atmosphere was great and the staff welcoming. We were quickly shown to a table and provided with really fantastic menus. We both had the scallops which were perfectly cooked, followed by one pork and one lamb main. The service throughout was excellent, really friendly and attentive and the desserts were beautiful. The chef/owner should be proud of the food that was served and the team serving.

Wow, simply wow! Very lucky to have booked a table for two for my wife’s birthday. The small details of dressing the table, personally wishing her happy birthday and being genuinely interested in our conversation went along way, so thank you! We each had a three course meal and each course was presented to perfection and bursting full of quality flavours. Sheer class and real credit to the chef and team. Exceptional waitressing and would highly recommend! Can’t wait to return!

Excellent dinner. Delicious food, pork and cod, and the chocolate dessert was fabulous. I'd like to return soon.

Absolutely delicious food and warm, inviting atmosphere. A hidden gem in the middle of Exeter, would wholeheartedly recommend to any food fans!

I have to say, the wife and I were wholeheartedly impressed by the quality and taste of the food served here. Everything was done to perfection. The service was also very good. Very relaxed atmosphere.Unfortunately, I've had to drop two stars... One for the drinks. The prosecco and lager served was not really cold enough. I paid £3.50 for half a pint of cool Peroni.The other star, was due to my wife waking up at 2am being violently sick. I must stress, and am fully aware that I can not claim with 100% certainty that this was caused by the chicken that she ate. However, I am 90% sure that it was food poisoning, and the only thing she ate that evening, was from The Conservatory. When we left the restaurant, we were both sure that we would be happy to return there very soon, and would certainly recommend it. After last night, not so sure. Sorry

Myself & 4 friends had a lovely lunch food was absolutely gorgeous nice atmosphere lovely waitress 10/10 all round this restaurant never disappoints excellent food & such reasonable prices will definitely be back & are hoping to book for a xmas meal well done everyone👍

Ignore the fact its just two doors down from the bingo this place is really the cats jim jams The meal we ordered and devoured was absolutely delish Enjoyed every morsel We left feeling full, a bit tipsy and definitely happy Cant wait to go back x

Friendly staff fitted us in at short notice and served a great 3 course meal. Duck and dauphinoise was particularly nice and all food was to a very high standard.