Double Locks Pub in Exeter

Have been frequenting the Double Locks since it was a one room bar in the eighties ... Still a magical place with a super team and great food.

The surroundings of the pub are lovely but the que for the bar is massive and the food is awful. Bar staff lack any training and any ability to be polite.

Arrived at the very picturesque area having negotiated narrow and hazardous bridges and roads. The venue looked very attractive and welcoming, however…. Upon ordering food from an over keen waitress who had hardly given us time to sit down, we were informed that many of the menu items were unavailable making it difficult to choose an appropriate meal to meet our varying needs - vegetarian (1option). Non meat eater, no fish available. 3 children - no children’s menu available. Having ordered food, it was served in good time but my goodness!! A plate of food with meat, teaspoon size portion of cabbage that tasted vile, a speckle of gravy and a very crispy overcooked Yorkshire pudding that was cold. A small platter then arrived containing roast potatoes, parsnip slithers and carrot slithers. This was then shared among our group and resulted in each of us receiving 1 slither of carrot, a slither of parsnip and roast potatoes that were inedible due to clearly having been left under heat. The potatoes were impossible to cut, dry and rubbery and would have made excellent balls for Wimbledon. The waitress enquired if everything was ok and we raised our concerns to which she said there was nothing she could do. We asked for more vegetables explaining that we literally had next to nothing to eat. She returned after making enquiries and stated that no more vegetables were available! We also asked for extra gravy as there was next to none on our plates. The food was awful and inedible. As we finished what we could eat without breaking our jaws on the overcooked food, the waitress appeared with 2 jugs of steaming hot dripping gravy that she held over the head of an 11- month old baby seated in a highchair. She was alerted to the danger of this and I held my hand over the baby’s head in an attempt to avoid any gravy dripping on her. Instead of moving away from the child, the waitress then raised the jugs higher above the baby’s head. At this point we had had enough and asked for the bill, settled the bill and then expressed our concerns and disappointment to the manager who stated that there was nothing she could do. The whole experience was diabolical, waiting staff clearly need training and the kitchen staff would do well to go back to college to upgrade their NVQ 1 certificates. I will never return to this venue while the current staff are employed.

We went for roast dinner with the family. I booked a month in advance for 9 chairs and 1 high chair. There was no high chair when we arrived. Also there was no kids menu despite this being advertised! We ordered roast beef and roast pork. When the food arrived there was 1 slither of carrot, 2 slithers of parsnips, very hard roast potatoes and one very crispy yorkshire pudding and a very small splash of gravy. The veg came out in one platter so until we served up we didn't realised it was only one slither of carrot each so we had to pass the carrot around to make sure everyone had one slither. A Waitress came over (a very young lady) to the table to ask if everything was OK to which we said no - we all asked for more veg and gravy. She said of course and went of. She came back moments later saying I can't get you more veg but I can get you more gravy. We said it was bad and she said it's out of her control and she would let her manager know. We said OK we will have more gravy. Gravy arrived 30mins later after we had finished dinner. When she bought over the gravy she held it up over the babies head. We asked her to move the gravy and she just moved it up higher!! To which grandma put her hand over the babies head. And the young waitress was very rude replying well I couldn't get the gravy any sooner! The manager came to give us our bill - seemingly unaware of the issues raised so when she asked is everything ok we let her know whilst we paid for the bill. She said I am so sorry no one told me there was an issue! She said after I had paid full price 'I am sorry there is nothing more I can do for you' we told her about the safety of her staff there were only 3 waitresses on which was not enough. She then accused us of being rude. I said I have paid full price we don't want a discount we are just trying to give some feedback of what was a very poor meal for over £140 (no drinks as bought separately) will not return. Excellent location and they seemingly get buy on this with no customer service, poor food, small portions and poor skills of all the staff.

Would have given 0 stars if possible. No children’s menu available only smaller portions of an adult roast. Not ideal if a child has a dietary restriction. Minimal portions, 2 potatoes and a quarter of a carrot per adult. When asked if we could have more vegetables we were told no and that it was the end of service. Asked for more gravy, gravy was brought to the table after we had finished our meals and the waitress held the two clearly hot and dripping gravy jugs over my babies head, risking burning her. The manager was unhelpful and kept saying “I wish you’d said something” despite multiple members of my party having said something. The only redeeming feature is the canal and that’s not provided by the pub anyway.

Even when it's closed it makes lovely picture. Nice to see a working canal lock.

Great pub in a beautiful setting. Quick service and great food

Great service from Tia & Bex in main bar despite huge number of people a double locks today.

The food was of a good standard & we were all pleased the fire was lit as we were all cold & wet. Atmosphere was good as was the service.

A little more expensive than other pubs, I think, but beautiful setting, great beer and food. Dog friendly too!

Awesome place to visit and have a meal or a party. Enjoyed Apple fig crumble the most.

Great service by Becky and Tia behind the bar Generous portions for the roast. The meat was excellent. Would be 5* food but the Yorkshire's were a little overdone!

Really nice pub. Nice drinks, nice pub,nice staff . 👌👌

Very friendly staff and a lovely location watch out for the very tight bridge lol

As we live within walking distance we frequently pop in for a drink, usually during the day as it’s a lovely walk along the canal. As we had family staying we booked for dinner and it was lovely. The food was delicious and the service fast and friendly. The atmosphere completely changes in the evening but we enjoy any time of day.

Very pleasant experience. A warm and friendly place to meet family for a Sunday lunch. Team very accommodating and our waitress Sam was great. Roasts were fab. Will return.

Very pleasant experience. A warm and friendly place to stop for lovely Sunday Lunch catchup with family. Team very accommodating. Will return for sure

Beautiful pub, delicious roast ! Highly recommended to visit the Douvle locks, either for just a coffe of for foo. You won't be disappointed. Tia who was our waitresse was just brilliant and very friendly and efficient.

Never disappointed at Double Locks ! The food was great (as always), the service super friendly (thank you Tia !) and the atmosphere perfect. Ideal Sunday lunch, basically !

Wow! My boyfriend and I had our first date here over a year and a half ago and decided as we both had the day off to come back and recreate the wonderful time we had here. Well more than pleasantly surprised the lady behind the bar was wonderful so chatty and friendly and couldn't have been more accommodating, you could instantly tell her upbeat and bright personality wasn't just because it was her job but genuinely just enjoying talking to people and that it enhanced her in the job she was in. Definite favourite of the locals you could easily tell, in the bar area. We were instantly told what wasn't available on the menu to save disappointment, and we very happy to choose from the remaining menu which included lots of different dishes to accommodate everyone. Not just the service put the food was lovely previously when we had food we shared a ploughman's this time we had a starter and main and what an absolute treat, definite value for money no complaints here! I myself work in hospitality and know how important it is to receive reviews and definitely wanted to leave one and than kthe front of house and kitchen team - on a personal note thank you to Tia for making our visit so wonderful definitely will be back. *Delicious and high quality food (portion sizes really good value for money) * Friendly and helpful staff * Loads of seated space *Dog friendly * Great selection of drinks * Orders available on app or at the bar * Safe and friendly location with a support of regulars *Highly recommended Thank you - Jazz and Adrian x

Best Pub burger I’ve ever eaten - Absolutely incredible. Thankyou

Great pub lots of great views of camel and area plenty of seating fantastic old pub atmosthere great beer and food not to be missed

It a nice place to eat and drink and chat

We've usually had good experiences here, but yesterday wasn't one of them😟 Firstly we were told there would be a 45 minute wait but only after we'd bought and paid for our food and drinks. When it did arrive - which actually took an hour - the food was very disappointing. I had a battered fish sandwich but the fish was far too small for the sandwich which meant I had more mouthfulls of bread and lettuce than I did of fish! The waiter offered to replace it but not wanting to wait another hour, I declined. I would have been happier if better recompense had been offered, but no. My wife's fish wasn't a whole lot better. It's such a shame because we like the pub and the wonderful location. We might be back but not for quite a while after that experience.

Returned to a pub that has fond memories for me as a student 41 years ago! Fantastic location on the Exe canal adjacent to the locks. Great ale and food, a welcoming place to rest awhile before kayaking, walking or cycling back to Exeter quayside or onwards to the river exe estuary and maybe a cross-river ferry to topsham!

A family and animal friendly pub to eat and chill. It is also a good place to rest and enjoy the riverside view after walking/jogging around Exeter.

Stunning views I. The summer. On tge edge of a great cycle track

A great warm venue to visit right alongside the canal, dog friendly with loads of ground to stroll around. Great meeting point for the quiet relaxing atmosphere

Always a great spot. Regardless of weather.

Lovely Sunday lunch - very good service by Tia backed up by other staff inc Becky.

A great location but very popular because of this and the food and service perhaps suffer a bit as a result. Decent enough but far from noteworthy, still worth a visit though.

We have been coming here for years and are always made to feel welcome. The staff - Tom and Sam are very friendly and helpful.

Great pub, my favourite in Exeter

Lovely lunch first day of they year.the pistachio tart that we were suggested was amazing.definitely we will visit again

Great place to stop for a drink after a lovely walk along the river. Very cosy inside and lots of seating outside by the river.

Had a nice boxing day pint of yellowhammer. Lovely atmosphere and a nice place as usual (been going years)

All round cracking lunch, thanks to our lovely waitress Daniella

Lovely atmosphere and very friendly staff and it’s brilliant that you can take your dog into the pub and they are welcomed just as much as the people absolutely loved our visit

Stumbled across double locks while walking the dogs, we’ve never been here before but it had a delightful ambience and daniella was very attentive.

Came into Double locks for a birthday lunch, and had a delicious burger - Daniella was really helpful and smiley

A lovely traditional pub with a good choice of ales and a nice food menu all backed up by wonderful staff - Daniella was really helpful and enthusiastic.

The hog roast bap was delicious and great value.

Nice food bit pricey but fantastic location. Was too busy when we went but staff did very well just that time of year

Very cosy pub. Friendly and efficient staff. Overall a very happy family meal

Wonderful pub, our server Flo was lovely and helpful. Truffle fries were yummy.

As we walked in and were looking for a table we were greeted by Tom who was really accommodating and found us a lovely table by the fire. He got us some drinks and provided great service throughout our meal. The food was perfect and quick to come out. A lovely birthday lunch.

Had an absolutely splendid roast, had both meats, exquisite is an understatement.

Had Sunday lunch and beers with my family, all around a great pub and experience, lovely location and views, we had a really great day.

Wow just wow , absolutely superb food and service the food was immense and they was so friendly , nothing was to much . The roast dinner was to die for and the pudding was just scrummy . The location was beautiful we had a wonderful walk after dinner and made the most of the large carpark which was free to customers . What a wonderful experience we will recommend and be back lots

Went for a Sunday carvery, opted for the beef! Was by far the best I’ve had in Exeter and my family who travel for said it’s the best they have had. Very nice environment super homely feel about it! Service was great and really accommodating to requested!

Dinner was so TASTY! Best yorkies I’ve ever had! Beef roast top notch defo go again! Friendly warm vibes too, such a lovely venue even in bad weather

Super cutesie cabin feel to the place (open fire n all). Johno (our server) was an absolute treasure!! Grub was great too. Recommend 10/10

Wow wow just wow, what an amazing place, a wonderful experience from start to finish.the food was absolutely exceptional the roast was fabulous and more than enough to fill hungry bellies, after a wonderful walk along the canal making the most of the beauty and free parking in the large customer carpark, we then sat by the wonderful open fire and beautiful Christmas tree for a scrummy pudding , nothing was to much and the my dog was welcome and was given a dog treat and fresh water , I couldn’t have asked for more and we will be recommending and be back a lot .

Nice cosy atmosphere! Went for Sunday carvery had the pork and it was the best one I’ve had in Exeter! Staff was all polite and friendly when above and beyond for my fussy family!

Such a wonderful Sunday roast! Got a roast beef and it was Devine! The yorkies were the best I’ve even had! Cozy friendly and overall a lovely place to eat and relax

Lovely Sunday roast, amazing food and lovely gravy!!! Can’t complain at all

Lovely evening, lovely meal, lovely staff!

Amazing service - a fantastic experience all round. Tia on the bar staff was especially lovely!! :) 10/10 would recommend for a formal dinner!

A group of my friends and I meet up every month to have a catch up from our busy lives and always choose double locks due to its atmosphere and ability to sit next to the river during the summer sunsets (and open fireplace in the winter months!). Today we were served by Sam and Tom who were incredibly helpful in arranging a larger table for our group of 9. They served us all evening and were very friendly and fast with our orders. Would recommend to anyone looking for a cozy, friendly atmosphere to meet with friends.

Amazing place right on the canal

Spent a lovely couple of lunchtime hours in this characterful pub. Lovely ambience for a group of us enjoying a beer and wonderful sandwiches. Tom, the barman was great. Very helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Good value too. Thanks.

Tom was amazing and really sweet. We took my nan for a nice drink and he was amazing service and quick and seems like such a sweet person. Thankyou Tom for an amazing drink and thankyou for being so kind it really cheered us up :)

Friendly, warm and cosy. Tom was super helpful and welcoming. We had hoped the double locks would be open after a long walk and having never been there I was really happy to be in such a welcoming space with such an attentive welcoming staff member. We had soup which was so good, and lovely chunky bread.

Very impressed with the whole experience of lunch with friends today. Our host Tom could not have done more. Very impressed.

Disappointed with fish and chips / batter - looked like the fish had been sat there a while Overpriced and over cooked duck No atmosphere whatsoever

I have been a huge fan of Double Locks in the past but was let down on this occasion. This used to be one of my favourite pubs in Exeter. Having not visited since last summer, I decided to head down on Thursday evening (07/11). The place was quiet, the fire was on and the beer (Ferryman) was well kept. We ordered the fish & chips and the burger, having been informed that the kitchen was just about to close. The chefs in his haste obviously took his eye off the stove, as the burger was cremated and the batter on the fish was pretty much rock solid. Both were clearly over-cooked. Our experience with the food made this a disappointing visit, particularly having gone out of our way to visit this once great pub.

Lovely pub, very clean and well decorated. The food was very good and the pub has a very good drinks selection including several local ciders as well as the usual fair. The toilets were clean and the pub is dog friendly. It is located right next to the canal which offers some lovely walks. The drive to the pub involves some narrow roads and a narrow single track bridge, but it's possible easily with some careful manoeuvring!

It's a wonderfully cosy pub with a lovely crackling fire and friendly staff. Enjoyed visiting!

My daughter suggested this place as it accepts dogs. Luckily, her dogs behaved, unlike the German Shepherd near to us. This dog was a massive distraction. That aside, the food was good but overpriced imo. Staff were courteous but I probably wouldn't go back.

Dropped in for a light supper and drink while on a dog walk. Roaring fire, delightful staff, especially the very attentive and careing kitchen staff and great food.

This has been a favourite destination for 40 years and has changed radically in that time. On a sunny day expect it to be very busy. In the summer they have outdoor bars to complement the small indoor bar in the main pub, but in October everyone is using the same bar inside which can mean long queues for a drink. We ate outside and ordered two camembert sharing plates as starters, which were unfortunately delivered at the same time as our main courses which was a major disappointment as the cheese was going solid again by the time we got to eat the last of it.

Friendly staff, you need to download the app to order food. I was too hot inside, it wasn’t a cold day so a little too cosy for me. I think you can tell the standard of a place by the toilets and these weren’t good. The toilet doors do not fit and once I’d slammed it shut I struggled to get it open. Wasn’t really clean and smelt a bit in the corridor. Food itself was ok but £11 for a BLT I thought was expensive - it came with vegetable crisps but apart from that was just a sandwich. The fish sandwich was bigger and a pound cheaper.

Virkelig hyggeligt sted med fantastisk atmosfære. Vi kom bare for at få en drink. Der var ikke noget drinkskort og der var flere ting, som vi ikke kunne få. Det var skuffende. Tror det vil være et godt sted til frokost. Mulighed for at sidde ude. Ville være fantastisk i godt vejr

Stunning location, only stopped for a drink while exploring the area, food did look delicious tho! And what a great location, it was so lovely to sit outside by the river and the locks, lots of outside space! They even had a doggy bar. Bar staff were lovely an helpful, really nice vibe of the whole place

Ordered hot drinks and light food at lunch time - both did not arrive. Asked for refund at the till.

Fantastic location, lovely pub with great surroundings, been many a times for a drink or just passing by walking or riding my bicycle. However, first time ordering food today, been absolutely fair the food is pub standard but on the expensive side (understable due to location and beauty of the area). However, it took more than an hour to receive the meals after ordering (checked twice with the staff and confirmed more than one hour on the bank app (from payment to receipt of food) -Potentially, requires more staff to help around if the delay was due to many orders but I don’t know the reason or it was not disclosed to us by the time, we did receive an apology from one of the waiters which is fair enough. Unfortunately, based on my experience today. I cannot recommend the pub.

Did not eat but had a drink by the river and it was beautiful go here very often

We were welcomed by Tia when we arrived at the double locks with a lovely smile. Tia was extremely helpful and very chatty and friendly, she has a lovely way of making you feel special. It was an absolute pleasure to visit the pub and we had a delicious lunch of fish and chips. One of the best fish and chip lunches we have had over many years of touring our beautiful country. Perfectly situated by the lock for a restful lunch and a sit in the sunshine after lunch. Yes it’s a little tricky to find your way there but stick to what the satnav says and you will be pleased you were brave enough to venture that far down the tow path. Well done

We had a business get together and decided we wanted to do a sort of BBQ (because it was late in the year we had burgers cooked inside) we had a selection of chicken and beef burgers. They were amazing, the chips were crispy and the coleslaw was amazing (just a shame i couldn't eat more of it) The correspondence i had with Tim was spot on and was very reassuring, they took control of everything. Will definitely be back but in the summer next year.

Good food good selection of beers and of course being in Devon a fantastic cider range food is locally sourced and beautiful. I would say it’s a nice little walk from marsh Barton train station across the bridge and down the canal definitely recommend the staff are friendly and happy to help where needed. All pet friendly and the vast beer garden is great also

Great pub in a beautiful setting - can't wait to return in the Summer.

Food is good, and service OK also good views. Not the easiest to get, too.

A wonderfully pretty restaurant situated on the local canal. Plenty of seats, indoors or outdoors along the canal, were available at 19:00 on a Saturday, although booking was easy and recommended. We ordered online through the app, which provided options for dietary restrictions. Our meals arrived within 20-30 mins which was just enough time to enjoy the view and sunset. The food itself was incredible. The sausages would have made a butcher smile, and the chips we ordered were tasty and of great quantity. All aspects of our respective meals (Cumberland sausages and chips, burger and chips, and a starter of olives) were amazing and we’d happily return again soon. My only concern was that the menu had lots of greyed-out items on an already short-ish menu and so there weren’t too many options. This was not an issue as it turned out since what we ordered exceeded all expectation. Final note: Big cars might find it difficult to enter from the north as there is a small, almost walking-sized bridge, for cars to cross only minutes from the restaurant.

On our way home from a day in Exeter, we decided to walk to this pub by the canal for a pint. It is a favourite for bikers and walkers with the cycle path in close proximity. I don't think it has changed since my last visit, probably 8 years ago, having cycled here with the kids in tow. Nice pint of Ferrymans real ale and very tranquil sitting alongside the canal with the numerous birds close by. It could do with some TLC both inside and out....and for a lovely late afternoon, it was strangely quiet and deserted.

Had a nice time here, great food and great people. I recommend it highly .

Excellent beautiful spot- Old world & delicious

Lovely place with very scenic views. Especially worth visiting if you kayak up the canal. The food is nice enough and average drinks range but more than made up for with the very polite and friendly staff. However it's the location that's the main attraction. Just stunning.

We've been coming to this pub for years, such a lovely location so near to the city. Came for lunch on a Monday. Staff were friendly. However, there was a long wait in the drinks queue at the bar, then to discover they were out of draft beer (2 people in the queue decided to leave as they couldn't wait any longer). Again long wait to order food, but it did arrive fairly quickly and was tasty and nicely cooked. We had children with us and were really disappointed that there is now no play area. Also, I'm a dog lover but dogs were barking in the bar area which made it quite difficult to place any orders and to relax. We decided to sit outside on the raised decking by the canal and on returning to our seats found that a dog had pooped on the decking by our chairs, so had to move. You can't blame the pub for this, it's down to the owners, but it was unpleasant. Even so, had a nice time in the sunshine and will be returning.

It's just poorly managed with, what seems to me, poor staff attitude being behind the demise. The last time we went it was a beautiful sunny bank holiday weekend. The type of day where they should be looking to thrive, but no food, beer off, dirty plates, bad service. Staff meandering around chatting whilst tables were full of empty plates and glasses. We went back a couple of times over the summer, each time really hoping that the previous bad experience was a one off... but no. Every time greeted with staff who were at times out right rude, with an attitude I have come to expect from trendy bars in London, not family friendly pubs in Exeter. I Used to go to the Double Locks a lot when I lived in the are. And it was so good that it became a centre piece of Exeter tourism, featuring as a great waypoint for boat, bike and canoe trips, from the harbour. So disappointing.

We had a birthday party at Double Locks - the service, organisation and atmosphere was brilliant. There isnt a better location in Exeter. Tom the manager was super helpful and credit to him for organising a private BBQ for our event! 5 STARS

We had a birthday party at Double Locks - the service, organisation and atmosphere was brilliant. There isnt a better location in Exeter. Tom the manager was super helpful and credit to him for organising a private BBQ for our event! 5 STARS

We stopped by during our kayak trip as recommended by the locals but upon arrival found the prices were a rip off. Pint of beer for £8.95? No thanks.

The food was georgeous, the staff & atmos relaxed & friendly. Can't recommend enough! The steak is totally worth the price! Plus the rose paired well with it 😁

Always lovely, super helpful staff, perfect food.

Loved this little spot on the river. Had a lovely time but the Sunday roast left more to be desired. Would recommend this place to anyone though!

A lovely little pub in a beautiful setting. We ordered a few drinks and some fries. The fries were super expensive for the amount given, we would not order again. The garden and decking is lovely. The service was friendly and swift.

Superb food, service really quick, amazing location. Trying to find a menu a nightmare then you try online and due to volume again couldnt access due to volume of people. So picked from what i saw but wadnt disappointed the fish and chips was the best i'd had in 3 weeks in Devon

Lovely place to sit and have a drink and let the dog have a rest

Another of our Exeter favourites. A lovely place for a drink and food after a walk along the canal.

Has to be one of the best beer gardens anywhere, right beside the Exeter canal. Plenty of seating and tables. They were very busy when we visited, but service was still prompt and polite. Could've sat in the garden for hours. Will definitely be returning.