Exe Restaurant in Exeter

I can not rate this restaurant enough. We were greeted with a warm and friendly welcome. The manager really kindly and unexpectedly treated us to a drink as it was my husbands birthday, which really took us aback. The mixologist made me a delicious amaretto sours, best one I have had. He also recommended a rum and mixer to me, which was delicious. For starters, I had a garlic, spinach, and ricotta gnudi, which was like a foodgasm. It was unbelievably good. My husband had chorizo and prawns, which he enjoyed. We then had pork belly roast, which was equally as delicious. I loved the range of vegetables that came with it, and the sides were also lovely. The portion size was very generous and really good value for money. Unfortunately, we were too full for pudding, but I could see from others that they were also generous portions and looked lovely. The staff were attentive, friendly , and looked super smart. I loved that this restaurant was classy without being pretentious. I would highly recommend Exe Restaurant.

Me and my partner thought we’d come here for a Sunday roast today. Previously him having a poor experience due to the kitchen being overran, we thought to give benefit of the doubt and try again. This was a mistake on our half. We were sat very quickly and starters came around 20 mins after we ordered, which we didn’t think was bad. Starters were amazing and gave us good hope. However, the bar man couldn’t tell the difference between the IPA tap and lager. We didn’t see this as an issue so didn’t mention. We were to order starters and mains together. Our starters were cleared by the waiter so we sat patiently for our main meal. In between I needed to go to the bathroom, these were unhygienic. Offering one big wet blue paper towel roll to dry hands off which spreads bacteria awfully quick when dry. We were then still sat patiently waiting for our main and 40 minutes later we were approached by the waiter again. He assured us our “food was being prepared and will be out in 5 minutes”. He stumbled on his words mentioning ours was still being prepared. Whilst still waiting the manager would continue to look over at us and avoid our table. Our food then came out 10 minutes later. I had the pork and my partner had the beef. The beef was good, my pork was okay. The crackling was floppy and rubbery, and hairs were still on the meat from the pig. Potatoes were reheated as they were rock solid and no crispness anymore. Pigs in blankets were pink on the inside. We did think maybe they had been sat in brine however, it should be stated on the menu to keep customers minds at ease. Our meal was rushed because they had forgotten about us, they did our mains then threw the ticket and only did remember when we started voicing concerns to each other. I’d like to think this isn’t everyone’s experience who goes there but I am very concerned about the lack of bad reviews assuming we aren’t the only people that have had a bad time there. Hopefully, the Exe recovers and actually can serve food appealing to the public.

Exe Restaurant exceeded all expectations at our engagement party! From start to finish, the staff's warmth and professionalism set the tone for an unforgettable evening. Daniel’s attention to detail in planning our event were impeccable, ensuring every aspect was tailored to perfection. Nothing was too much to ask and he went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and happy. The venue was the perfect setting for such special event and the food was absolutely incredible. The entire team went above and beyond to make our celebration truly special, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you, Daniel and the rest of the Exe Restaurant team, for making our engagement party an absolute dream come true!

We had a bottomless brunch for a friends 30th on sat afternoon and it was fantastic from start to finish. Keep up the great work x

Have eaten here a few times and never disappoints. Service was great, food was fantastic and just a beautiful ambiance to enjoy time in with great company! Thanks to Dan and the team for a wonderful night.

I honestly can’t put into how amazing this place is, I booked a bottomless brunch for 14 girls for a 30th birthday and we couldn’t have been anymore looked after by Daniel and his team if they tried. Down to every minor detail! The food was incredible, the drinks kept flowing, the most amazing staff. They absolutely made our day so special and I honestly wouldnt want to go anywhere else now! The best in Exeter by far.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and cocktails last night whilst listening to live jazz. The steak was up with one of the best I’ve eaten, the service was amazing and best of all, we had some lovely live jazz, I wouldn’t hesitate recommending Exe restaurant to anyone :)

Lovely independent restaurant with everything you need for a special night, me & my boyfriend came for valentines dinner and they went all out. Each table with special decorations, live acoustic singer, lovely set menu with complementary Prosecco. Such a hidden gem in Exeter 🩶 perfect for dinner and drinks or just drinks! Will definitively be back!

Brilliant dinner at Exe. Fab food and great service. Tasted lots of delicious red wine and received a complementary engagement pudding! Will see definitely be back

Really good food with a good amount of local fare on offer. The service was brilliant. The wines on offer were all good (we tried most of them). The atmosphere would be 5 stars but as it was a midweek night it wasn't quite as busy as it should have been. Though with the promise of live music we'll be back for cocktails another night.

Had a great meal here last night. Food and service was on point. It would also be good for lunch outside on a nice day

We visited Exe on Sunday for a birthday meal and it is easily the best Sunday roast I've had out for many years. The meat was cooked perfectly (beef) great yorkshire puddings and all of the side dishes and veg were delicious. Not boiled to a mush or just reheated. Recommend the pigs in blankets side as well. Great to find somewhere doing great quality food for a decent price (£26 for 2 courses).

Couldn’t fault Exe Restaurant for putting on a fabulous Christmas bottomless brunch this week for a group of us that simply wanted a good time. It had it all, fab food, cocktails, dance floor and atmosphere… wouldn’t go anywhere else!! Definitely coming here again😉

Had a wonderful evening bottomless brunch and nothing was too much trouble. The food was fantastic, the decor was beautiful, the atmosphere was lovely, the cocktails were delicious and it was all very convenient in central Exeter. Will definitely go back and recommend to people.

What a venue! Fantastic service, amazing food, just brilliant all round! Can't recommend highly enough.

By far the best place to go to for a bottomless brunch. The food was delicious, cocktails fabulous and service first class. Highly recommend! Thank you 😊

A group of us attended the most amazing bottomless brunch here. From the point of organisation the service was impeccable - great communication - nothing was too much! The night was so fun!The food was divine, the atmosphere was great, and the cocktails were lovely too… I even got to choose the names of them! We’re already trying to think when we can return for a repeat. I’d highly recommend this venue for any type of occasion.

I was lucky enough to have surprise 40th Birthday Brunch with a party of girls last month. We all had the best time, the food, cocktails and service was amazing. Lots of fun had by all, the atmosphere was so nice. I will definitely be returning soon :)

Hands down one of the best restaurants in Exeter. Amazing food and great service!!

Had a wonderful meal and overall dining experience at the Exe on Friday 24th Nov which happened to be their Cool Jazz Night. Brilliantly entertained by the Take 3 trio. We shared deep fried Sharpham’s Brie wedges then both had wild sea bass which was cooked to perfection and truly delicious. Puddings were scrumptious and generously portioned. To drink we had lovely winter mule cocktails, complimentary pink fizz and a great bottle of Sharpham’s Dart Valley Reserve, amazing value at £23. The staff where attentive and friendly, even accompanying the musicians on the maracas! Absolutely one of our best dining experiences ever. Thoroughly recommend.

Enjoyed a delightful experience at Exe Restaurant! 👌 Excellent service, tastefully decorated, and top-notch food quality. A must-try in Exeter! 🍽️✨

Couldn’t recommend more! We had such a fun evening at exe, the drinks and food were delicious & everyone was really friendly and welcoming, they did so much to make it a special night!

I booked the Exe Restaurant, for 10 of us for my husband’s 50th birthday, for Sunday lunch. It was our first time at the restaurant and I had booked it after my networking group had hosted many events there before, and it looked lovely! When we arrived, there were lots of balloons on the table, it looked stunning. I can honestly say, the food was delicious, huge portions and cooked to perfection. The 2-course Sunday roast menu was great value for money and as avid foodies, we were impressed. We didn’t have enough room for dessert but as a special touch, they presented us with two birthday cakes! The staff really did go over and above, and I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. Thank you so much for a fabulous time and we will be back, for sure!

Went to a bottomless brunch baby shower at Exe, it was brilliant, vibey and the food was delicious! The service was fast and great, there was plenty of options for drinks and food and the themed brunch was definitely welcome by our massive group of divas! Really great service and proper fun!

I was arranging a Hen Day for my Sister In Law and EXE were amazing. I dealt with Riyan on the build up who gave me all the info on the 00’s Bottomless Brunch. He was absolutely amazing!! 13 of us attended and the cocktails were amazing, food was insane and the staff were outstanding. They honestly couldn’t do enough for us, and everyone at that brunch! The vibes were insane, there wasn’t any pressure to leave after, in fact we stayed for a few hours and had an amazing time. Thanks Riyan and the Team xxx

Excellent service and food, one of the best places we've been in Exeter.

Wow I took my parents and my family to exe for there anniversary’s as a quite get together recommended from a work colleague who went there for an 90s brunch It did not disappoint 👌🏼 the food was amazing all fresh tasted amazing The service team and riyan was so welcoming and friendly wish my parents happy anniversary which was a really nice touch and nothing was to much trouble We can’t wait to go back and take out friends Thank you exe

Saw all the five star reviews and having now been, I had to check if it was the same place. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more confused, unpopular eating place, perhaps ever. The website says fine dining, which it isn't even close to. Nice pub food, yes. Nothing wrong with that, but it's priced closer to fine dining. Choose which one. Not sure I have ever been to a restaurant where literally (as in literally), nobody else came in for the entire evening. Food was averagely cooked at best. Staff whilst pleasant, clearly couldn't wait to leave and I don't blame them. It must be an absolute chore to get through a shift. The decor is nice, it must be said. All in all, the food was ok, not bad enough to send back. It was twice the price it should be and that is reflected by just how empty the place was. If this is still going in 6 months, as is, I would be amazed. You have to be way better than this these days, pick something to excel at and smash it. Don't say you're fine dining and serve pub food, while playing cover pop music, in a 90% empty restaurant and expect to succeed.

Held my sons 40th birthday bash there and it was absolutely perfect

Hosted a birthday party and had a fantastic evening. Georgie made sure everything I requested was in place. Food was exceptional and fantastic value for money, drinks available great and amazing cocktails, music able to be tailored to my request, happy for venue decoration and set up, staff great with guests and kids. Beautiful venue and atmosphere. All guests very impressed. Perfect and thank you so much :)

Had a great Sunday Roast here for Fathers Day, after a recommendation …I went for The Belly Pork was lovely..cooked to perfection and the deserts served a selection of Brownies and cheesecakes,Best I’ve had for a long time Definitely will return soon👍

Our first visit to Exe Restaurant was for their Mamma Mia film night which was, atmospheric with themed food and drink. We loved it so much that when it came to choosing our wedding reception venue, we reached out to the team at Exe Restaurant to see if they would be happy to work with us. From start to finish they have been very responsive, supportive of our ideas and professional! They made our special day even better and made sure everything ran smoothly. We'll be back for more fun times!

A great place to visit for a quiet dinner; impeccable service - the guy was on his own and was so attentive and friendly! Food was also fantastic; I had the pork and was really pleasantly surprised. I think Exe might be a little unsure of what it is, the decor is something akin to TOWIE - and the choice of music was shockingly poor, felt more like a bar/nightclub in that respect. But service was fantastic, it was very quiet when we visited, and the food really impressed us! 5* well earned

Absolutely amazing food! Portions are huge! Deserts great! Just ❤️

Couldn't have picked a better place to go out for my birthday, incredible food and cocktails and such friendly service. Will definitely be back again. There was also lovely presentation before I got over excited and chucked it all on the plate...

Absolutely sensational, Incredible atmosphere, food out of this world, staff were Incredibly attentive and friendly what more can I say I have found my new fave venue 💖

As a vegan, staff were considerate enough to make vegan food available at last moment for me.

Really good tasting food. Great service and friendly.

Had a great roast dinner back in Easter. Seriously tasty and will definitely be going back for more. One of the best (if not the best) roast lunches in Exeter for sure. Also went there separately for cocktails and I think I've tasted the best Mai Thai ever and I've been to Thailand itself and had them - flamin' lovely!... And yes the pun is intentional 😂

I can’t think of many other ways I’d rather spend a Sunday afternoon than getting stuffed by a generous pork portion. Tender meat caressed my tongue and lips as well as sweet, succulent veggies, the perfect combination of fluffy and crispy roast spuds and a gravy so rich I must’ve spilled some all down myself in excitement. But a drip or 2 of gravy on your chest is only the sign of a meal thoroughly enjoyed, right?! A good meal is like a dance between lovers, hot, exciting, naughty, a feast for the senses! Ultimately something that sparks joy, and both courses today did exactly that. Fresh local produce and well balanced flavours brought together by clearly talented chefs in a sophisticated yet sultry environment made for a truly delightful dining experience today. I can’t recommend Exe restaurant enough. You know it’s good when you’re left reminiscing and can’t wait to go back for another fill 😘

Lovely meal here with friends. Great location in town, incredible food (so many amazing dishes it’s hard to choose) and a lovely atmosphere for an evening out with friends or family.

The best Sunday roast ever! Such good quality food, and incredibly generous portion sizes. The staff are super friendly, nothing is to much trouble. We’ll be back again for sure!

Lovely bunch of people highly recommend.

Recommended to try the Sunday roast and certainly enjoyed the venue , service and the Roast Beef .

Delicious food, the sea bass was beautiful! Great service too, will definitely be returning, thank you.

Called up for a booking last Saturday and the man that answered said they could squeeze us in at 1830. When we arrived there was nobody else there, and were the only people for a good 45 mins! We were given the incorrect menu, then the correct menu we were given was different to that online. The cocktails were amazing, although the guy making the drinks was mopping up the flooded bar area the whole time - completely flooded and was off-putting. The toilets looked like they hadn't been cleaned in weeks I'm still having nightmares about them now. Food was average. Really disappointed considering the price and amazing reviews. Considering we eat out a lot, we really won't be heading back here anytime soon.

Went for anniversary dinner last night. Was welcomed warmly and taken to our seat. The waiter then came over and gave us a surprise glass of Prosecco because when I made the booking mentioned it was for our anniversary which was a really nice touch!! We ordered bottle of rose which was nice. We then found out that the menu wasn’t the same as what they have online which was a shame. Ordered the squid to start, unfortunately had to send it back as it was really really over cooked like rubber bands on a plate. We were offered another or to move onto mains, we moved onto mains. I ordered there most expensive dish at £32 (which in my eyes is very high end pricing in a restaurant) the pork belly with scallops. The pork belly was huge some like that but I found it a bit to much, the top of the pork belly was really dry it seems the chef takes the skin off to make the crackling but in doing so had caused the meat to dry out on top when cooking. You then get this rock hard slab of salty crackling which you couldn’t even cut with the cutlery so had to use your hands and bite bits off :/. The scallops were cooked really well but sad to say that was the only good part on the whole dish. It came with mash which was nice but didn’t seem fresh, wasn’t light and fluffy and had a bit of an off colour. Under that was again more mash but carrot and sweed. It just became a mashy mess when you started to eat the dish. It says on the menu comes with a rich devon red gravy. It was thin lacked any flavour and was definitely not home made. I really can’t help but say this was basically a plated roast with scallops at an eye watering price. There are many other restaurants charging less than this dish and are delivering outstanding food. If your charging £32 for a main it really does have to be special. The turkey schnitzel was good, nice crispy coating and the mushroom sauce was tasty! Again portion size was huge but like I said, to some people this is great. £20 for turkey schnitzel though is pushing it on the price. Overall I think this place is ok, I’m sure other dishes are great but based on the one meal I had I feel it just needs a bit more especially when charging what you are. Nice decor inside and the staff seemed great and handled everything fine. It’s not somewhere we are planing to go back to I’m afraid there are to many other restaurants delivering a high standard at a much lower cost.

Had the most amazing Sunday lunch. Such good quality food and great portion servings, all served by friendly staff in a relaxed and beautiful environment. Can't wait to visit again.

Great new restaurant! Had a Sunday roast and one of the best I've had. Lovely decor! A shame to see it fairly empty as it really deserves the custom! Highly recommend!

Great food and really nice service! Would definitely recommend!

Lovely restaurant, amazing food. Well worth a visit, you will not be disappointed!

Delicious Sunday lunch and yummy dessert! Staff were all friendly. Will be coming back again!

Ate here as a family of three on a Saturday night. University student drop off weekend so most restaurants fully booked by time we got round to it, and only managed to secure a 6.30 slot here. New restaurant and not on trip advisor. First impressions from outside were that it looks like a nightclub. But inside is a very nice bar/restaurant decor with an outside area. Service is very friendly from a young staff. Decent shared starter of olives/cured meats/focaccia/cheese. But mains were the highlight. Unusually we all went for fish - hake, Cornish sole and John Dory (a special). Don't often see John Dory on a menu and this was excellent- served with sauté potatoes and a creamy mussels sauce. Desserts also very good - particularly liked my ginger sticky toffee pudding. Short wine list which interestingly has a lot of English wines. Emphasis throughout is on local Devon produce. Overall I thought this was a really good restaurant which deserves to do well and hopefully becomes better known. Only point for improvement is perhaps for a slightly longer gap between courses, but appreciate this is a difficult one to get right. Recommended and we will return on future pick-ups/drop-offs!

Excellent meal at Exe. Great selection, and a number of different options for vegetarians which for a higher end restaurant in Exeter is rare. Great portion sizes and staff. All in all a must visit, I can’t wait to return!

Great experience ... food, wine and fantastic service

First experience at Exe and it won't the last, cool decor fabulous outside space. We had the monkfish tails and crab cake to start, we then had Scallops with pork belly and a venison...it was all beautiful, I love the fact they source so much locally, there Devon long island cocktail is a game changer. So a great nite, lovely food and great server's 10/10 😁😁

Drinks only, so can't comment on the food. But fantastic cocktails and service. Will definitely be back to eat next time.

Not much more to add. Great food, portions, service and atmosphere

Fantastic food and excellent service

Terrific dinner on Saturday. The food is excellent and a great example of local sourcing. Cocktails were very nice too , and excellent service

Myself and my partner went for a fantastic roast here on Sunday. My self being a big eater was fearful of leaving still hungry but I left completely satisfied. The beef was delicious and veg perfect also. Really welcoming place, will be visiting again soon.

Great food and cocktails, attentive service.

Amazing food and really friendly staff

Amazing food, great drinks and lovely welcoming staff! Will definitely be back

Thank you EXE for a fantastic evening with great tasting cocktails and a delicious variety of meals that all our table thoroughly enjoyed. The high-end decor and lighting finishes have created a wonderful atmosphere. I believe this is a place Exeter has been truly missing for a while, excited to return soon and try a new selection of food and drink off the menu.

Had such a lovely evening at Exe Saturday night. The atmosphere was great an restaurant it self is absolutely stunning an the staff were so friendly. Food was gorgeous an cooked perfectly, definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area!! Will definitely be going back😍

Fantastic! Food was incredible, cocktails were awesome and the staff were friendly and attentive…nothing was too much trouble. Love their ethos with locally sourced produce, ethical standards and low waste policies. Cannot recommend highly enough :)

Had the pleasure of visiting for the first time on Saturday night - the food was divine and the variety of cocktails were amazing. Every single member of staff were welcoming and made the whole visit superb. If anyone was thinking about visiting I would completely recommend!

Delicious food, great service and brilliant range of cocktails. Well worth a visit.

Great food and welcoming atmosphere. Recommend to anyone that is in the area!