Masons Arms Restaurant in East Devon - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We stayed four nights at The Masons Arms. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. We ate every evening in the restaurant - the food was good.

Fabulous one-nighter with the family, service excellent and food great. All round a winner. Location was just perfect and bedrooms sumptuous with adjoining rooms. Thank you!

We have been visiting Branscombe for over 30 years but had never visited the Masons Arms. We decided to have our anniversary dinner at the Masons and we had a really lovely evening. The staff were very friendly (and didn't mind the dog!) and the food was delicious; my husband said that the steak was the best he had ever had and my linguine dish was very tasty. We will definitely be back.

What a lovely place to stay! The Mason’s Arms really delivered for our recent short break, the setting in Branscombe village is idilic and just a 10 minute traffic free walk to the beach. The cosy double room was well appointed, clean and very quiet. Staff are well trained and very friendly. I recommend booking a table for dinner as the pub does get very busy. We hope to return and would definitely recommend.

big party but good communication on booking, food and service excellent. Parking adequate and dog friendly so hit all our buttons

Excellent meal. Great service. Great location. Will definitly visit again.

We had a lovely 2 night stay fabulous food friendly staff and great location

We traveled from Hampshire to the Masons Arms in Devon for my wife’s birthday lunch. The small seaside village is lovely, and we missed the chance to have lunch there during a recent holiday visit. The food was delicious, and we will definitely visit again. They were very accommodating with our two very large dogs and were really helpful when booking. Unfortunately, we had very young children sitting next to us, which was a shame, but they eventually moved. The staff where lovely.

We stopped here for lunch on our holiday. What a charming 14th century Inn. It seems very popular with the locals. My husband had the battered fish and I had the pea and shallot ravioli. You can have that as a main or a starter. The food was exquisite. The service staff were very attentive. It was a wonderful lunch.

A wonderful town pub worth visiting. Great food and great service

The food was expensive but not worth it really. Crab sandwich was particularly disappointing and I have no idea what the sauce was with it but it was not nice. Probably won't go back unfortunately.

Great pub in a great village. Enjoyed our stay in particular the breakfasts. Room 25 was quite dark but well equipped. Staff were helpful, chatty and competent. Recommend.

Stopped in for a pint during a walk. Really friendly and helpful service. Made to feel really welcome.

Hands down the best pub roast I’ve ever had. Beautiful pub, stunning location and friendly service. Couldn’t ask for more. We will definitely be returning!

A wonderful experience, calm and beautiful place, wonderful food, everything is just perfect. Recommended absolutely.

excellent, large rooms with lounge, excellent dinner and breakfast too

What a pub! Lived up to our expectations, gorgeous thatched pub every bit as beautiful as in the pictures. Staff are great so friendly and good service. Such a lovely friendly feel to it, as tourists (which I think a few were) we felt very welcome. Would highly recommend it

We'd heard about this pub and it's recent renovation, so drove here especially for lunch in June 2024. The prices are high but the food was absolutely amazing. In fact possibly the best pub lunch we can remember having. Staff were all smiles and helpful, with us enjoying the sunny courtyard out front. We didn't stay in the hotel, so this review is just for the wonderful pub. Well done to all the Masons Arms team!

Very busy pub and hotel with excellent accommodation and good food.

Lovely village pub. Great food and fantastic staff/ service. Thanks for looking after us during our short break to Branscome.😊

Great pub in a tiny quaint village and the best fish and chips ive ever had!

Great dinner out, the service from the staff was excellent 👌🏻

We absolutely loved this place! The people, the food, the pub, the village. It was all awesome. If you're looking for a chill hiking holiday near the sea, with some great pubs and food in the area. This is the spot! c

Dinner was excellent, Main course of Crab and chilli linguine, perfect! Service and attention to detail perfect with lots of smiling faces. Highly recommend, Oh and dog friendly 😊

Lovely pub in a great location and great service

Staff were fantastic, very helpful and friendly. Nothing too much. Rooms were spacious and beautifully decorated. We had an amazing stay.

The term 'Gastropub' is often inaccurate when compared with the end result - not the case here. Simply stunning, had two sirloin steaks, cooked to perfection, quite possibly the best I have every experienced in my life! Great service and an all round fabulous experience - highly recommened.

Excellent hideaway totally relaxing

Somewhat disappointing! We wanted a weekend away in Devon, and were recommended the Mason's Arms by an acquaintance. It is in essence at the heart of the village of Branscombe, and a short walk from the beach. The room we had in one of the cottages was very quaint, clean and tidy, although the stairs were a challenge even for the more able! The staff were friendly although the breakfast and evening meal service was at times slow and even chaotic. We were advised to book a table for the Saturday evening, and whilst slow, the food was good solid pub grub. Nothing fancy, somewhat limited choice and rather pricy. As were the drinks too! Having had a respectable meal on the Saturday, we decided to book a table for Sunday evening on leaving the restaurant that evening. Our Sunday evening meal however could not have been more different and was hugely disappointing. Having been seated, we were immediately advised that there was no Yorkshire puddings or cauliflower cheese available as part of either of the two roast options. No alternatives were offered and was greeted with complete silence when I suggested that a reduction should be offered for these two key accompaniments (charged separately as sides at £1 for a Yorkshire pudding and £5.25 for cauliflower cheese if I recall). Despite this, we both decided to order roast dinners. At the same time, we also ordered drinks and a bottle of table water. We sat there patiently waiting for our drinks, and in fact drank a bottle of table water between us before I enquired where were the drinks some 30-mins later. It seems they were forgotten! We continued to sit there patiently and people were being seated around us, ordering drinks, starters and mains. Two immediate tables had starters, mains, drinks and left and we were still waiting for our main course. What was even more galling was their roasts were coming out with Yorkshire puddings. We were very puzzled by this. We were seated by 7:15pm and finally got our main course at 8:40pm, by which time I could not be bothered! We were offered deserts, but promptly refused and got up to pay on the way out. We again challenged the staff member on the till that a discount should be offered for compensation for the missing items. I was totally flabbergasted by the response however. We were told that because we ordered the food knowing that the items were missing, then we accepted the cost of the course as advertised. We also questioned why other diners around us who came in after us had at least Yorkshire puddings and we did not (they probably had cauliflower cheese too), and the response was that they had pre-ordered their meals earlier in the day, and being a busy Sunday, running out of ingredients was not an infrequent occurrence. Why then was pre-ordering not mentioned or advised at the time of booking the table the previous day? Over the course of our three night/four day stay, a trend became apparent that dishes or ingredients were consistently unavailable at both breakfast and evening service. On reflection, I do not think that the entire experience warranted the price tag. Would we visit Devon again? Absolutely yes. Would we stay at the Mason’s Arms? I very much doubt it!

A fantastic place to spend a few days in the area, the staff is super friendly, the rooms very cosy still modern and the pub and restaurants are perfect! Also super dog friendly!

It’s a lovely pub in a great location. Service was very friendly but there were a couple of issues. We went for a family celebration meal and there were 10 of us. We felt we were ignored a bit and had to ask to get our plates cleared, order desserts, more drinks etc. the main issue is that we were very clear about one child’s allergies and assured they would be catered for but when the food arrived, upon inspection, the burger sauce had been added to the burger which he couldn’t eat, so this was disappointing and we were relieved we spotted it. Otherwise the food was lovely and I would recommend it.

A fantastic stay, staff welcoming and helpful. Room delightful bed so very comfy. Supper was delicious. Looking forward to visiting again.

Really nice location, good food and fantastic service. 10/10 would recommend.

Quite possibly the best Sunday lunch I’ve ever had! Food was amazing, Staff attentive without being too much. Can’t wait to return!

Great place for a Sunday roast. The chicken was lovely and I was assured the beef was great as well. Only slight downside was the time it took to be served at the bar. But the food made up for it. Thank you

Great roast and staff were friendly and really attentive, a bit too dark inside as we struggled to read our menus at Lunchtime but we used the lights on our phones!! Great atmosphere and dog friendly which is always a plus, thanks for the roast!

We had the most wonderful stay at the Masons Arms. Everything was fantastic, especially the beautifully decorated bedroom and friendly staff. It was our first break away with our 5 month old son and we were a little worried about him being too noisy/unsettled in the restaurant, but staff put us at ease and were so accommodating; they even paused our main course while we tried to get the little one to sleep. Then we took wine and pudding back to the room! The food was excellent and the service faultless, ditto for breakfast. Special mention to Daisy who was just lovely :) We were in room 17 which was huge and had the most swoonworthy decor! The private outside area was lovely, just a shame it was raining. To top it all off, our son slept really well. He obviously has a taste for luxury!! We look forward to visiting again soon.

Absolutely brilliant! Quick lunch on passing, and we were blown away ! Superb service, lovely food; we had the fish and chips and the burger, Great personalities from the chap in the bar and the waitress, just lovely and how it should be done.

An absolute find! I am unfamiliar with the area and so only realised on arrival how popular Branscombe must be in the Summer. I had the most delicious meal of asparagus and pea ravioli and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. The room was clean and the bed very comfortable. Decor throughout was thoughtful. A real gem and will be definitely stay again in the future. (side note: room 28 the curtain hooks need securing to the wall :))

Fantastic 'backwater' country location, lovely small village, lovely building exterior and interior. Very nice food, lovely staff. Lovely lunch stop.

We had such a lovely lunch here. My food was the best pub food I have had in years. Squid, chicken and cheesecake. All cooked perfectly. Was delicious! The staff team were lovely, so friendly & kind. Dog friendly. Brilliant service, thank you to the team for a beautiful visit ❤️

Real five star experience in this gorgeous pub

Lovely pub, friendly attentive staff, beautiful surroundings, and superb food.

Very beautiful place, great food and close to the trans euro trail. Definitely worth stopping there at least for food and ideally for staying overnight !

What a fantastic place to stay! We were really impressed, the rooms are lovely, the staff are kind and friendly and the village and beach are beautiful. As a comparator we stayed at one of The Pig hotels recently and The Mason’s Arms knocks it into a cocked hat, the rooms are far nicer and it’s a quarter of the price!

Brilliant old inn, down a small country road. I had to look, as it's in a Famous Old Inns booklet that I have. Originally a royal village, passed to the Benedictine Monastery in 925AD. Plenty of seating inside, with a tabled terrace to the front. Good beers and a good menu. Very popular. Friendly staff.

Myself, my partner and our dog Lola have just come home, after a fantastic 2 days at The Masons Arms. The team we met were all so wonderfully kind and helpful. Special shout out to Rachel for a truly wonderful dining experience and Lucy for just being so very welcoming. To David, the lovely ladies who set up our room, the kitchen team and everyone else whose names I didn' get. Thank you. What a wonderful place you have here. We most certainly will be back.

Absolutely gorgeous pub - we went for lunch after just getting engaged and the staff couldn’t have made it any more special. A glass of champagne in front of the fire and a stunning lunch. Perfect day. Thank you to the team xx

Stunning country pub hotel which has been immaculately refurbished. Sinfully luxurious beds (ours was an emperor!), with stunning views over this protected village. Lovely staff. Peaceful sitting areas to have a cuppa and do absolutely nothing but admire the view.

What a wonderful traditional hotel with all the comfort of today. We spent 1 night here in one of their smallest rooms, but even here nothing was lacking in luxury; Nespresso machine, the thickest and heaviest quality towels and even a pillow spray for a good night's sleep! In short; a true pearl in an equally special environment.

Phenomenal hotel and fantastic pub!

Fantastic visit to a favourite pub of ours. The food was brilliant and the service great as always.

I mean…. Come on… Stunning 14th Century Inn. Valley. Wood Fire. Great beer, great wine, great service, comfy bed…. What else do you need in life??

Beautiful pub with lots of character. Had a table for 10 booked for lunch with the whole family to celebrate my father in law’s 80th birthday. The food was superb and The staff was so accommodating. Our server Daisy, worked so hard to make sure everyone was well taken care of. Overall, we all had an amazing day and couldn’t have done that without your amazing staff and beautiful venue. Thank you so much from the Richardson’s family

Sunday lunch was a little disappointing. Only one roast on offer (the menu appears to be the same as the rest of the week?). The roast (chicken) was very salty, too salty. My father’s brisket was too dry for his tastes. The other two enjoyed their meals. More of a restaurant than a pub but very friendly staff, although drinks took a long time to come.

I had the pleasure of staying at the Masons Arms recently and everything from start to finish was incredible. The staff who welcomed us helped us to our room, which itself was immaculate and really in keeping with the whole theme of the pub itself. We had an evening 3 course dinner, pork belly, and lamb shank both of which were superb and a rhubarb crumble to finish. The staff helped us out with a few menu suggestions, were attentive and I'll definitely be looking to come back.

Brilliant atmosphere and enjoyed my stay

Me and my partner had a fantastic meal here last night! Beautiful pub with all its old interior but super chic and clean. Fantastic service, Desi was wonderful! Even managed to be offered a lift back to our campsite by a lovely man due to the hill back being too much to handle after the impressive food.

We stayed in a "cosy" room. The clue is in the description, you get around 18" around 3 sides of a 4' bed. Nice room but small! You get what you pay for I guess Location is great for walkers but there's not a lot else locally, you will need a car. The hotel itself is lively and full of charm. The staff are great particularly Laura and Rachel who made our stay that little bit better Top tip, if you want to eat in the restaurant, book well in advance! The food is OK, perfectly acceptable but not memorable. We'd stay again at the Masons Arms

This was a very special place to stay it was all perfect everything about was good I will definitely be staying there again.

Rather expensive drinks, but given the pub's ambience and locality, it is still worth a visit.

Fantastic Sunday roast. Great service from Rachael. 👍👍👍

Our second visit here, the last one about 4 years ago before the refurbishment. We can't praise the Mason's Arms enough! The rooms are beautifully decorated and furnished, the food served is beautifully cooked and presented and the staff warm, friendly and attentive. Thank you all so much for a lovely mini break 😘

Mid week lunch, beautiful pub & great service. Restaurant quality food & service. Lovely walk to the beach after. Would love to visit again. Thank you .

Perfect location for us - isolated and quiet but a great pub/restaurant and hotel. We loved it

Service wasn't great to be honest. Although it was busy, we had to remind them about our order, and the condiments we requested to go with our food, arrived after we'd all finished.

So glad I picked the Masons Arms for a one night stay with dinner during a recent trip to the South West. It’s great to know that there are some establishments out there doing hospitality so well. I received a warm welcome despite arriving in the midst of a busy dinner service, and was promptly shown to my extremely comfortable room above the pub. All creature comforts present, good size room, extra large bed, and very cosy. I particularly appreciated being given some cold milk to keep in the fridge for my morning coffee. I usually ask for this in hotels but did not need to on this occasion. Dinner in the pretty restaurant was simply excellent, accompanied by swift and friendly service throughout. A spot by the fire in the bar area provided the perfect after dinner retreat and excuse for a nightcap before bed. I’m not usually one for breakfast but the Breakfast Bap was a triumph. Everyone working at the Masons Arms was super friendly and efficient during my stay giving the pub a positive vibe. This place really knows what it’s doing, and has an unobtrusive formula for looking after its guests that is increasingly hard to find. I hope to be back. Highly recommended.

Had coffee and a drink in the morning at the MA and then dinner in the evening. Our first visit. Pub very busy but staff really engaged and good service. I thought the price of a lemonade dash to add to the larger was pricy. The pub is really pretty and in a great location. The evening meal was pretty good although the lamb lacked taste. The staff are very good and worked as a team. I'm told the Sunday roast is amazing so will try that next time.

I loved staying here. The accommodation is spacious and homely. Really comfortable and lovely food and great service. We would definitely stay again.

A hidden gem of a place. The location is very quiet and beautiful. The Branscombe rooms are very beautiful. Thoughtfully presented and due to no mobile coverage or WiFi... Unless you ask for the code...a great romantic place to hide from the kids. Staff go above and beyond to ensure you have a great break. The restaurant is very good and well priced. The food is great and so tasty. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a peaceful scenic getaway.

Every Easter Sunday my family & I visit the Masons and when I say my family - there about 40 of us!! We descended on the Masons team with very little notice. You would imagine this would be very stressful for them but the service was absolutely outstanding especially from Rachel who is an honorary family member now! Great food and drinks all with a smile & a chat in a beautiful setting. Thank you for having us and we’ll see you next year!! :)

Amazing meal on Friday night and great service from all the staff! We’re local and had Never been before so it’s now added to our places to go and we’ll be recommending to everyone!!

Charming pub and hotel in an idyllic location.

Great food and good gluten free selection with a separate menu

Really friendly welcome even though we were later than planned, the rooms were very clean and well kept. Lots of little touches to make you feel welcome. Breakfast had a lot of options from cooked to continental. We wish we had booked for longer than 1 night and manned to explore the local area

We had dinner here at the weekend and it was such a lovely experience. Delicious food, really nice atmosphere and the people working there were all so welcoming, friendly and kind - thank you!

Thank you to the wonderful staff and to the kitchen as the food was absolutely top class Jamel, Mitchell and sorry did not get the other lady’s name the service from start to finish was excellent the entrance was so appealing with the light and the log fire just set the scene our two daughters where very impressed as well the food arrived in perfect timing each course we had was presented well and tasted as equally good We will return again Thank you to all at the Masons Arms you all worked very hard but always with a smile and so polite xxxx

Good food, friendly staff. Menu for food allergies.

Great 2 night break. Staff were a delight. Food is excellent & accommodation is delightful.

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch here. The staff were all super lovely, especially our waiter Jaoao who was so kind and attentive and exceptionally helpful.

What a hidden gem this place is. Staff were sooo helpful and nothing was too much trouble. The bed are amazing I haven't slept so well for years! Great location and some lovely local walks. The breakfast was lovely, such alot of choice! Would definatly stay again.

Fantastically beautifully presented pub, with quality food to match.

Been coming here for years, love it

Very nice food. Great service and also had a gluten free menu. Dog friendly

Always such lovely staff, friendly and professional. Breakfast has a great selection both hit and cold and the food both lunch and dinner is not extensive but very well varied. Rooms are smart and well equipped.

Third stay here. Fab food, fab service and fab rooms. Home from home. Great base for walking and seeing nearby towns/attractions. Will definitely be back.

Excellent food, decent wine - and many restaurants would envy the quality of the service: engaging, attentive and fun. Attitude of table staff is as important as the kitchen team’s creativity and presentation skills of course, along with the whole team’s positive love for the craft and a knowledge of their audience. Staff of the calibre of João make the dining experience entertaining as well as memorable, and it was great to see how infectious that effect was across the table staff generally. I’ve always admired the obviously well-honed training exhibited by the Masons’ staff, and it seems to just keep on delivering. Thanks everyone x

The Mason’s Arms is a complete gem in the most beautiful, relaxing and restorative place. I am torn about leaving such a glowing review, because I want everyone to have the joy of experiencing the beautiful rooms, delicious food and great service, but also wanting to keep it a secret so we get to enjoy it all for ourselves! Dave and the team run an amazing business, from being shown to our totally stunning room and all the thoughtful touches, to the welcome smiles behind the bar. From the inviting open fire to the comforting and delicious food. I would be happy to spend the whole time within the warming embrace of the mason’s arms walls, but it also happens to be in one of the prettiest villages I have ever visited. The pub is positioned perfectly for an easy stroll to the gloriously dramatic beach or a more challenging stomp across the countryside. Thank you Branscombe. We were sorry to leave and can’t wait to come back.

Lovely warm bar with a blazing fire. Good selection of local beers. We had a drink and then ate in the restaurant, which was very good, super food. Overall a very nice meal and I should think its a nice place to stay as well. Unfortunately, towards the end of our meal we were outnumbered by dogs! I can't understand why people feel it necessary to bring dogs to restaurants?

Excellent pub. Great atmosphere and accommodation. All in a idyllic East Devon backwater. If you go for dinner it is definitely worth staying over night...

The Mason Arms is little gem in the countryside. The food is delicious , the staff are friendly and attentive nothing is too much trouble. The rooms are amazing and have been decorated to a very high standard. I would definitely recommend a visit here.

Best pub dining in a long time. Had the squid starter, mussels in lobster sauce, tomato, red pepper and chilli soup, panacotta and affogato. All gorgeous flavours and well presented. Lovely attentive staff especially our Bulgarian waitress (sorry we didn’t ask your name) who couldn’t do enough, and the barman with his cool looking pirate scarf! So great to see happy staff.

Good value for money and friendly staff who attended to all of our wishes and did not push us to get through the meal. Delicious food and well kept beers. Hope to return although the narrow roads to get to the village need care. Easy walk to beach.

Having stayed here before asked for a ground floor cottage room. However was shown by a rather unfriendly member of staff on arrival to a room upstairs. Dinner was excellent and waiting staff very friendly and obliging. Excellent choice of menu wines and beers.

We had another lovely stay at the Masons Arms, this time we had a family room which was just perfect and very cosy. I think the beds are the most comfortable I’ve slept in. The food was great and locally sourced, with great service from the restaurant to the general manager David who was very helpful and accommodating.

This is a fabulous pub nestled in the village of Branscombe. The staff are very welcoming, knowledgeable and friendly. The food was also excellent and the three of us enjoyed a first class Sunday lunch.

I am not in the habit of writing such reviews but in this instance I feel l am totally justified. During a 3 week trip to the east Devon in February my wife and l visited this establishment on numerous occasions for food and drinks. During the final few days we visited the pub for a meal. We sat at an unoccupied table and ordered drinks prior to ordering our meal. At four fifteen in the afternoon we were confronted by a customer who rudely demanded we move from HIS table immediately. To avoiding confrontation we moved to a vacant table to finish our drinks. We were so embarrassed in front of other customers we left without ordering food . The conversation was overheard by another local who verbally criticised the attitude and rudness of the offending customer. I Have complained to the owners of the establishment who have responded with, they feel this mans attitude was justified as he was a customer of 55 years and were prepared to accept this attitude to holidaying customers such as ourselves. I am afraid l am of the opinion the management of this pub should not encourage this type of embarrassing treatment of visiting Tourists. Paul Taylor

We had revisited Beer & Branscombe for a late February tour and had fond memories of The Masons Arms and summer drinks in the busy period 🍻 🍷 We booked for a midday Lunch and were welcomed by the attentive staff and directed to the restaurant, nicely furnished with character on three levels. The Pub, The Restaurant, The Service, The Food & Drinks were all lovely 😋 ☺️ and the premises was in ship shape condition, as our next visit will be a stay over 👍😁

Lovely, old country pub with great food and drinks. Great homely atmosphere. Magnificent old style interior.

Utterly delightful in every way. The hotel is very cosy with extremely comfortable beds, nice bed linen and towels and superb quality soaps, shampoo etc. The food was delicious and we were delighted to find that it wasn’t made up of catering packs but cooked from good quality ingredients, many of which appeared to be local! Curry night on Thursdays are fantastic - the real deal! It’s also clearly popular with the locals. The staff couldn’t have been more helpful and attentive and we were impressed by the attention to detail in all departments. The situation is delightful, close to the beach and an easy drive to a lots of interesting locations. Our only slight beef was the level of lighting in our bedroom but I understand it’s a known ‘problem’ and didn’t spoil our stay. I am really looking forward to returning and visiting other St Austell Brewery pubs with accommodation.