Crab And Hammer in Torbay

Lovely relaxed restaurant with friendly attentive staff, who were quick to serve us drinks even though it was almost full. I've not had scallops in ages and was glad to order them for my main - yum! Lovely local white wine too - I recommend you try.

What a find! Between this and Harbour Lights over the way, we’ve eaten extremely well during our Paignton trip. Highly recommend the tandoori monkfish, crab salad and creme brûlée. Service is wonderfully warm and welcoming. Toilets are top notch! For cooking geeks like me, a seat near the kitchen is a must. I’ve never seen such calm and collected work under pressure, these guys are great. Our massive compliments to the whole team, you’ve created something really lovely here and we’ll be back!

We visited after reading the Trip Advisor reviews and were very glad we did. Delicious food that was a little more individual than the usual pub grub, and a free glass of wine included. We sat overlooking the harbour. Friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere. We were surprised it wasn't busier on a Friday evening, but guess that is because it is a short walk away from the main sea front restaurants. Well worth a visit.

Loved the food, the team was also very friendly and we would definitely return. Yes - seeing other reviews - it is ‘find’ your own table & menu, plus order at the counter. Our young lad also thought #PinkJoe was funny. Enjoyed it. Last meal before we went home. Plan to go back.

Was so excited after reading the reviews and seeing all the pictures of the food, but upon arrival just went from bad to worse, firstly not even greeted when when walked in no hello nothing, so found our own table after 10 minutes had to ask someone for a menu, and for a restaurant to be called CRAB and hammer to not have any full crabs was insane, then after ordering at the bar no table service for a restaurant that’s not cheap I find that very strange also had to pay first, and the card machine asks for a service tip which I did at 10% so was over £10, starters where ok not amazing but I ordered the special hot shellfish bowl came out like a soup menu said it had mussels no mussels in the dish the sauce was not very nice and no flavour to the seafood from pictures I’ve seen I was expecting a plate of shellfish with chips on the side not a soup, and chips in an extra bowl just a very weird dish for a SPECIAL at £45 and when I spoke to the waitress she said it was wrong and that they will make sure it’s changed for the next customers and that was it and walked off not even a sorry or a refund for not getting the dish that was on the website as a special - and that’s why restaurants should not be asking for a service tip before any service was given as the service was not very good no one came to ask us if the meal was ok just poor poor service will not be going again.

Great menu and location with lovely views across the harbour

Good place to while away a few hours while viewing the workings of a harbour.

Have just returned from @Cantina who are trading from the Crab & Hammer restaurant for the summer season of 2024. The food was prepared and cooked to a very high standard. We chose a variety of the small plates (tapas) which were each sufficient to share between two. Absolutely delicious.

Great went there on the open day brilliant friendly staff great setting loved it . The food was so tasty loved the crab starter and the turbot main dish really good well worth a visit so glad we went there you don’t have to book either just walk in they do great cocktails to to finish the meal off it was spot on

Excellent really enjoyed everything we had

Lovely pub. Gr8 food. Has extra parking up a steep slope at the back. They very kindly escorted me to my carcto make sure I was safe. Thanks to Tiarny.

Fabulous fresh fishy lunch. Family of four with kids of 9 and 10 went for lunch on Friday. Delicious anchovies and whitebait as starters (had to fight the kids off!) then monkfish burger, mussels/scallops/crevettes in cream and Chardonnay. Kids had chicken/ fish with a crispy light batter. Great smiley service from the young staff. Perfectly chilled glass of Pinot. I felt like we had stumbled across a little gem! Cannot recommend highly enough.

Starters were good, although the anchovy portion was a bit small compared to the whitebait. Two of us ordered the whole crab off the menu (£25) and we were very surprised when we received Spider crab!! It was ok, but it wasn’t a brown crab (as I’ve always received on previous visits) and I wouldn’t have ordered it if I’d known it was to be a spider crab! Small crab salad was a bit boring and uninspiring too. Service was sparse and having waited over 10 minutes for crab crackers, we had to ask for some in the end. It appeared that there was a shortage waiting staff. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this visit as much as previous visits, so we won’t be rushing back.

Had our anniversary lunch today and what a meal !! Fantastic food, fantastic service,the guys where great 😃 would highly recommend this place and will be back on a regular basis 🙂🙂🙂

Lovely food well presented and service was good and informative. Nice surroundings and pleasant vibe. Definitely recommend and will be back when next in the area.

Lovely find right on the harbour. Had 2 fish and chips and a mussels, prawn and scallop bowl. It was all amazing, really fresh and not overcooked. Staff were really pleasant. Will definitely return here.

This place came highly recommended and it did not dissapoint. We loved the food and the staff were friendly and just an excellent service. Definitely recommend and we cannot wait to visit again.

Food was very nice. Staff were very friendly and welcoming.

Great food, service and staff. Loved it defiantly recommend and definitely going back.

Very tasty but make sure you aren’t scared of spending money 😀

Stopped here for lunch. Yummy crab sandwich. Loved the decor, atmosphere and setting. Would definitely return.

Stunning restaurant, amazing staff possibly the best seafood in the UK its really that good topped off with brilliant staff front of house and a top team in the kitchen my fave place to eat

First time trying crab, the staff were excellent and very helpful. The food was delicious. We will definitely come back next time we visit Paignton.

Great staff, amazing food. Platter was amazing

Amazing food, great service, totally recommend 👍

Fantastic place. Very professional from service & amazing food 👏🏻 a must visit if you're in Paignton 👍🏼

Excellent crab sandwich . It had a decent amount of white crabmeat and came with fries and a small salad plus slaw. We also had a crab salad which had good amounts of separated white and brown crabmeat and was well priced. ..updated from 5 stars to 4 as we visited the following day and the white bread was dry and certainly one or two days old or cut and left for some hours.

Chilli and Garlic Seafood platter. No muscles unfortunately, Finn the waiter informed us, said it would be swapped out for monkfish and hake. Very happy with that Sub. The view of the harbour, the pink hazy sky, the waiting staff's friendliness and the kitchen staff's cheffing ability made this meal one of the best me and my Dad have ate this year. Not a word was said until we got to the brown crab, after devouring its other freinds of the sea in their garlic chilli broth. "Bloody good" my father and I grinned and nodded at each other, followed by a few moments of silence and reflection upon the glourious feast we had consumed. Some people find unearthly, holy experiences through heading into Mecca, others the Jerusalem, others still head to Lourdes. The time in the Crab and Hammer and eating this delicious meal was one of those experiences for my Pop and I. Thank you.

Absolute gem of a place nice menu to choose from, staff are helpful , lovely views of harbour while dining. Toilets are spotless what more could you ask for, always visit here when I visit paignton 🥰

Not enough variety massive quality and price gap between evening and lunch menus

Delicious food, really fresh, tasty and large portions. Great ambience and service. We went with the dogs and our baby and the whole team was accommodating and kind. Absolutely recommend

We arrived at opening time (11am) on a Sunday, as I was heading back to the midlands later that day. The restaurant was empty, but had many reserved signs on the tables, giving me confidence that I was about to have something special. My partner, my 2 children (11 and 1) and I were seated next to the folding windows overlooking the picturesque harbour. A high chair was provided for the baby with some small cutlery which was a nice touch. A few minutes were given to look over the menu, then drinks orders were taken, noting that the waiter would be right back to take our food order, to which he was. My partner and eldest chose Paninis. Safe options, no surprises with either. My youngest had had the children's fish goujons which were fantastic. Succulent pieces of fish in very light, crispy batter of which I polished off once I'd finished my own... Dressed Crab Salad. A few moments of bliss were had. I miss living by the sea for the fresh seafood! The only thing I'd suggest is maybe some fresh bread as there were a few bits of shell which can be left in. Thank you for some wonderful food and a happy ending to a great weekend in Paignton!

Great seafood and great service.

Predominantly seafood restaurant located at Paignton Harbour. Wonderfully enthusiastic young staff who appear to care greatly about the food they serve and the customer dining experience. I have tasted several arancini combinations in recent years, but the crab arancini starter was a new experience for me, and one that I would recommend to anyone.

Wonderful food, service and setting. Ate outside with my wife at the Crab and Hammer last night. We ordered the Sea Food Sharing Platter, it was delicious. Great service from Toby and such a lovely setting right by the Harbour. Highly recommended…

Staff were all lovely to start with. However me and my partner both came away feeling very Ill. I was sick in their toilets from their food and continued to be sick at home aswell as my partner who became sick at home

The fish was amazing. Great food and excellent service. highly recommended

Went for bank holiday Monday drinks and food. The seafood is so fresh. The staff are happy to help with anything. It’s really well decorated, and the facilities are clean. Disabled access, and a kids menu.

Simply the best seafood I've ever had!

Booked for my husbands birthday, having checked the website. Tempted by oysters, seafood platters and daily fresh fish, I booked. When we arrived the menu was very different from that of the website. The server said that the restaurant had changed hands 4 weeks earlier, and the website had not been updated. Very disappointing. We left without eating there.

Lovely seafood, friendly staff and well priced for what you get

Stopped for a sunny weekday lunch (2 adults +baby). Sat outside - pretty sheltered from a blustery wind so it was a good find on a sunny day! Lovely crab and prawn sandwiches and whitebait side. Recommend for the food, but drinks selection slightly limited

Good attentive service. The starters were amazing. The mains of fresh fish were ok but we felt vegetables should be included in the price and the fish fillet portion size was adequate not generous. The roulade desserts were great. Wine good quality. Price point £118 for 2 with three course, 1 small glass of wine each and Olive nibbles. Parking available in a car park not far away using Ringo app. Lovely location near quay.

We visited without a reservation and they were very helpful in getting a wheelchair friendly table for us. The drinks menu had something for everyone good local beer and cider and a selection of cocktails. The starters were beautiful we all had scallops which were well cooked. The mains were big portions and we all struggled to finish them. We were to full for dessert. Next time we are in paignton we will be sure to visit again.

Divine 5 stars could've done with some Lemon Water to wash hands and some fresh slices of chilli as sauce wasn't spicy but food tasted Beautiful!

Wow, a beautiful rustic but elegant restaurant, the food was to die for and on another note the loos are fantastic.

Disposing experience, ordeed mussels that were not cleaned up properly full of seaweed. And the crab dish was cold. When spoken to the staff they assured me that the mussels were soaked in water but unfortunately that didn't explain why were they full of seaweed. Would not recommend

I walked in with my partner behind a couple, waited in line(I let the couple go first as we met at the door). Even though they saw us in line. They took the couple before, sat them. Then came back and said no more as the kitchen was going on a break. Awful! It's frustrating, as a local it would have probably been a place that I would eat out in regularly. In reply: they did not have a booking, they were walk-ins like us (they asked if there was a table). As mentioned, we were behind them. Seeing to one couple whilst another is line behind them, making us wait and then saying directly to a member of staff no more walk-ins, instead of speaking directly to us in the line, who walked in at the same time (seeing the fact that she also saw us waiting), then making us wait. It was really unfair.

Attentive and happy staff with lots of fabulous recommendations. The restaurant was fully booked on a Thursday night which gave it a wonderful atmosphere and the food was fabulous!

We walked in with another couple. We both waited. We were told the kitchen is closed now and they served the couple who walked with us.

The setting was beautiful, the food was amazing and reasonably priced considering how fresh everything was and the staff were so friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend this place is you are a lover of seafood. I will be back

Fantastic food at a very reasonable price. The platters are absolutely amazing. Danielle, Megan and Marcus were wonderful this evening and I couldn't fault the service, owners please provide them with pints. Thanks for a lovely evening!

Fabulous food, service and location. Recently opened by passionate, kind people- absolutely worth a look in. (And the walk to the restaurant

Walked in at 8pm asked for a table for 4, Restaurant was about half full, told kitchen was now closed what absolute joke probably done me a favour as food did not look great and well over priced

Came here for my son's birthday meal. It was nice of the restaurant to put a Birthday banner up which was a nice surprise. The decor is lovely and staff very friendly. Lager drinks were very reasonable in price but I thought £30 for a Prosecco was a bit high. The food we ate was Oyster and a Calamari Starter, 2 x Warm platters, 1 x cold and a Fish and chips. The Oysters, Calamari and seafood platters were fantastic and were good value for money. The fish and chips was very disappointing. For the price there was no slice of lemon on the fish and no mushy peas. The batter was very sodden and brown and inside was the thinnest piece of cod. Our expectation would have been golden batter with flaky white chunks of cod. My wife couldn't eat it and to be fair when we said we were not prepared to pay for it they didn't quibble and did ask if she wanted something else but unfortunately the moment had gone. It was very disappointing on otherwise an excellent meal and I would definitely be back for the platter but won't risk the Fish & Chips again.

Our experience was mixed but overall we wouldn't return. Upon arriving we were quickly seated. The atmosphere was good and it looked really classy inside. It took 15-20 minutes before somebody came to take our drinks order. We were ready to order our mains but was told we couldnt yet, but the waitress would be back in just a moment. Nobody came back. We asked again if we could order, only to be told no. Finally somebody came and the starters came out. I had oysters, they were delicious but served room temperature. My partner had bread and olive oil/balsamic vinegar. There was that much olive oil in the pot you couldnt get to the vinegar at the bottom. We asked for more balsamic, only to be brought another pot that was again overly saturated in olive oil. The mains came, i had the king prawns and they were hands down the best prawns i had ever tasted. My partner had the crab gratin. It was nice at first but as you ate down from the top it became swimming in water to the point it was like goo. She could only eat half and although i love crab, i wouldnt have eaten it. To summarise: a great looking place let down by poor service. The food appears to be hit and miss.

A had meal in here on Thursday night I started off with a nibbles of mixed olives for my main I had mussels in Singapore sauce which were fantastic in a big saucepan with a side order of bread and a small bowl of chips the service was very good and the meal was absolutely beautiful I would recommend this place to anyone exceptly people who are a lover of seafood like myself

We had a great dinner. The products were so fresh, as if they had just come out of the sea. It is a restaurant that we will definitely stop by every time we come. I definitely recommend everyone to try it.

Lovely food, great service, stunning location

A lovely seafood restaurant. We sat outside overlooking the Harbour. Staff are very friendly and attentive. Food was delicious. Restaurant is very nice and toilet facilities are very clean

Lovely location and food was fantastic. Really friendly staff. However, l'm not sure if they had a system glitch when we visited, but many items were "lost" off the system. We only had a round of drinks and desserts lost, better than the couple opposite who had to chase every course. If that issue is fixed, an easy 5 star review.

Third and last time I will try here. First time was OK but food was given to another table. Second time a little better. Third and final time, ordered a pint and a burger to be told they were not serving food! It was a Sunday lunchtime and lots of people inside were eating. Great location but owners need a course in customer service.

Turned up to an empty restaurant and told really busy and fully booked! After pointing out there was no one there told “every table” is booked for arrival in 20 mins lol. After reading other reviews I think we got lucky and I’ll gladly take my money else where.

Didn't rate it three of us had dressed crab not very good won't be returning

Disappointed. Lovely menu but let down with poor execution. Service slow and several things needed repeating, even then without full success. Crab salad spoilt by lots of shell, fish of the day was really mediocre.

What a wonderful place, we had an amazing experience with you. There were a lot of us and on a busy Saturday night we were made to feel so welcome. The food was absolutely delicious, our waiter was so helpful and could not do enough for us... Thank you! And the location is just perfect 😊

Brilliant, just Brilliant will always recommend this place and the original staff superb food outstanding , book early to avoid disappointment.

Was really nice food all the chef's cooked really well. And the waiters and waitresses were really good as well. All in all a really good experience. Thank you

Lovely seafood platter. Nice venue. Good and efficient staff.

Breaking the crab was a new experience and I had a lot of fun. The prices were fair, the staff was very nice and the atmosphere was brilliant.

Wow what a place 😁the food is out of this world,the service is excellent with a great atmosphere. This is a restaurant you must visit if in Paignton, you will not be disappointed. Thank you guys 😁👍

Amazing food and friendly staff.Highly recommended.We went two evening in a row.Thank you for the good food

Was not impressed with the dress crab it had pieces of shell in it with not much flavour. My daughter had lobster which also had crunchy bits in it, however the creamy sauce flavour was good. I will not return to the crab and hammer for food

I had the crab platter which was stunning, sitting outside on a hot summers day. All my favourites on one plate. My brother had the crab gratin which was also good. So with drinks and a dessert I think it was good value too.

Awesome visit. Waiting staff were great. Food was very good and great value too. Recommend

Had burger, very bland. Overpriced in my opinion. Fellow diners had crab and enjoyed. Lacking atmosphere and standard service.

This was a lovely outing and quite experience with the crab hammer! Great food and service. Plus a lovely spot to sit and chill if outside. I will def go again.

Nice food, great service! Ordered a range of food - whitebait, crab, specials etc and all of them were great. Had some bit of food that had tasted a little off - got another fresh one straight away. All in all a good experience and a nice meal.

Nice restaurant with good surroundings. Went for my birthday but is good value, Good menu and good drinks selection I had a fish plater for one. V good as usually have to get for 2. My partner is veg and there was choice for her. Would go again. Also dog friendly...

Beautiful food, service and atmosphere. 100% recommended. I had the white wine mussels and my partner had the whole crab and what a treat it was, definitely some of the freshest seafood we've eaten. We will be going back as soon as we're in the area again.

Good food and good service. Enjoyed our visit.

Great location, great food and great service. We had a lovely night!

Food unbelievable, fresh,tasty will be going again soon 🙏 👌

Very very delicious food and generous portion, definitely one of the best restaurant I've been to in Torbay!

Great service, amazing seafood for both adults and kids- we had the mixed platter and scallops. It’s a lovely spot outside the hustle of Paignton (yet walking distance), with a perfect view over the marina. Highly recommend.

Came here for dinner, the service was great and the staff were super Friendly. Rosie & Angela we’re both amazing. Would recommend.

Fantastic place, excellent food and service

We stopped in looking for somewhere to get some fresh local seafood before heading home and Crab and Hammer ticked all the boxes. They have a very wide menu offering lots for those visiting. My wife had the Crab linguine and I went for the Seafood platter for one and both were exactly what we were after. Service was pleasant and quick and lived up to what we had seen online.

Possibly the nicest & most professional waitress I've met in a long time, with attractive premises & a promising menu, BUT the food didn't live up to expectations sadly. Half a crab turned out to be a halved miniscule juvenile crab with barely any white meat on it at all (3 small mouthfuls at most) accompanied by a dish of red crab meat that didn't match the meagre portion of white meat. Starter was fine, cocktail drink was lovely, sharing bread also fine. Everything seemed extravagantly over-salted, even the fries. A small discount was given for the disappointing crab & my dinner companion had a replacement meal for her inedibly over-salted meal. Our other 2 companions were satisfied with their meals. I would not return, but again, the service was faultless. Chef & owner need to work on the over-seasoning & the crab sizes.

Absolutely amazing food. Delightful service and really friendly. Will definitely definitely make this our favourite fish restaurant. Thank you guys amazing night out.

Excellent food and friendly, welcoming service. All done at a reasonable price. We would definitely come again and highly recommend.

Gorgeous pan fried hake with a cauliflower and caper sauce. Who know that these things worked together sooo well?! Beautifully cooked. Nice atmosphere, great view and immaculately clean loos. Hard to beat combination.

Walked in for a table of four, was told is fully booked. Went onto the website and managed to book a table 10 minutes later. Ridiculous.

Absolutely loved this restaurant, superb food, the baked crab and fish gratin was amazing. The staff and service was first class. Highly recommend.

lovely food and really nice service

Great food made even better by superb service.

Great food great experience. Loved it. Worth a try. Will be going again.

Visited today to celebrate our 47th wedding anniversary and you did not disappoint 👍 The service was over and beyond brilliant and Mary and Angela had pulled out all the stops to make it special for us. Beautiful food and lovely venue, we will certainly be visiting again👏👏👏👏

Lovely fresh food beautifully presented. Relaxed atmosphere.

Interesting new restaurant, very friendly and welcoming staff. The food is ok, nothing stand out among the other excellent seafood restaurants in the local area. They go out of their way to try to educate you on the history of the company behind it, to the point it is far too much. Might be interesting to someone else though. The price point is very high for the portion size.