Puffing Billy in East Devon

Gorgeous spot for a delicious roast, cracking crackling aplenty.

Dropped in after a walk into Exmouth from Exton and then a great train ride back to Exton. The Puffing Billy enjoys a great location just down from the train station and the riverside. Drinks were easy and the beer is excellent. We decided to eat and opted for the two courses for £22. The whitebait was good but the portion was very small. The Cajun battered chicken burger was however another dimension. It was incredibly oily, completely tasteless and had no reason to be served as food. There was no Cajun element to the meal and it was just oily and nasty. Should have stayed with the good beer and not eaten.

In our experience in East Devon - one of the best, and especially the most consistently good Sunday Lunch. The roast beef actually tastes like beef, like butter to cut. The roast spuds are also to die for! Great service, with a smile and a chuckle. If there's one minor down side .. it's busy. But we know why ..

Average food, good size portions. Staff friendly but insanely slow! We arrived at 12.30 and walked out at 3pm still waiting for our dessert order to be taken!

A warm welcome, smiley team, delicious food and great service, all in a beautiful location by the River Exe. We enjoyed a really good well-cooked and reasonably priced weekday lunch!

Came here for our valentines meal as we had been bought vouchers for Christmas. Lovely cosy pub with friendly staff. Our soup starter was lovely, pate was average. Unfortunately my steak was overdone and tough which was disappointing for a steak priced at £30. The staff were too busy running orders out to come and check on us, and we didn't manage to flag anyone down so I didn't have the chance to order anything else instead. We were given a refund for the steak and the staff member was understanding, but I think you could of done with having more waiting staff to minimise this as I did leave hungry sadly.

The Puffing Billy has been ‘ on my radar’ as a place to experience for many years. I had the opportunity to experience it for Sunday lunch so booked a table. I wasn’t sure what to expect,there appears to have been quite a few changes to the place over the years. Adding to the experience, we did a section of the estuary walk to get there which had the benefit of there also being some sunshine for a change! Suffice to say, the place appears to be ‘in keeping’ with the surrounding properties. We has a drink outside in the pleasant patio area to the side. Once we went in for lunch, service was efficient, friendly staff and a pleasant dining area. We both went for roast beef with a side of cauliflower cheese to share. Bottle of water provided for the table was a nice touch. The food arrived within minutes of ordering and staff checked later to make sure everything was okay. Tasty food, good size portions. It’s a tough market at the moment but the Puffing Billy is right up there in terms of quality, service and popularity. I have however given 4 rather than 5 for a couple of reasons only. Being so busy and sharing the space with dogs and several children, we weren’t mindful to hang around as it wasn’t a particularly ‘relaxed’ experience. As the sun was still shining, an onwards walk to Topsham was a nice way to continue the day. Cost, £50 for 2 roast dinners and shared cauliflower cheese is a bit on the pricey side.

We had a lovely family birthday lunch during the week. The food was excellent, we had sandwiches and a meal from the light lunch menu. The ham sandwich was filled with lots of lean ham, a side of chips and salad, as was the sausage sandwich and a small gammon, egg, chips and peas. All was presented beautifully with hot chunky chips. We didn’t have room for dessert, I even took some of my ham sandwich home. We had brought a cake with candles which was brought to the table with our coffee afterwards. Thank you so much to Theo for looking after us so brilliantly. I have been to The Puffing Billy for many years and it has always been great. Thanks again!

Happy to find The Puffing Billy one of very few places open on a Monday evening for food in February, thank goodness the rest are closed! We had a beautiful dinner, great service, and wonderful surroundings, visited many times before daytime for a drink whilst walking or cycling the estuary cycle path, the evening was perfect, will be back!

My husband took me here for my birthday. The staff were very friendly and attentive. They seated us straight away and brought us ice cold water over to the table. This had been in the fridge which was lovely as it was ice cold. We chose to eat off the three course special menu. This was fantastic value priced at £26. There was a lot to choose from and the portions were really good. Very good value indeed. You could tell that the chef takes pride in their food and cares about good quality and quantities. Our compliments go out to them. Even on a week day the pub was very busy so I would advise booking. Even though, the service was extremely good and we didn’t have to wait long for food at all. I would definitely recommend this pub and would definitely return. The pub has a fairly small car park so may become busy and full if pub is busy. The pub is within walking distance of the train station. All in all I’d give it five stars.

Went here for a special birthday meal. The starters were good and the roast dinner was fantastic and tasty and it was nice to have a choice of a large or small place (the small plate was plenty big enough). Recommend the cauliflower cheese! Attentive staff and lovely ambience. Good drink quality. So happy with our visit as perfect in every way.

Really lovely welcome, service, food and all round experience at the Puffing Billy for Christmas Day 3 course lunch. All staff were super friendly and helpful, great relaxed atmosphere, no rush, just a brilliant experience all round. Our party of four had a varied selection from the menu and all of the food was really delicious. Would definitely visit again at another time of the year but also were thinking 'same again' for Christmas 2025! Thanks to Jamie and all of the staff. Highly recommended.

Had Christmas Day dinner here, everything about it was excellent, food beautifully cooked and presented, service also excellent, staff were smiling, helpful, and everything came out on time, the pub was decorated tastefully and it was lovely and warm in there. Our party of three went home happy. We would definitely go there again for Christmas, well done to everyone

A lot of the menu had sold out at 6:00. Not great. But the food we did have was very nice.

Sunday lunch was great. The place was clean and welcoming, Service was fast and friendly.

We had a nice roast dinner today with tender meat and lots of vegetables, however the Yorkshire puddings were disappointing.

Excellent stout 👍, The 2 log burners don't half push out the heat, we sat outside 🤣

Great roast and good that they had a smaller portion size option. Only one vegan option but it was delicious. Very friendly staff but slow service. For the price of the meal it needed to be better. £9.50 for a pudding is stretching it a bit for pub food.

Lovely pub. Didn't have food hence no rating

Interesting menu with plenty of choice and some unusual dishes. The homemade soup was tasty but rather thick. I had the whitebait which were slightly overcooked. Friendly and efficient service.

We have visited the puffing Billy neumerous times over the last 20 years, it was a quaint charming village pub that had a lovely atmosphere, unfortuneately that is no longer the case. We booked for a romantic aniversary meal on Saturday night ....what a disappointment.The bar is now dominated by a massive tv that had the Red Bull TV channel playing all night, no one was watching it and no staff member had the forethought to turn the thing off, I don't know what they were thinking!! The resturant was half empty and I'm not surprised, the service and food were okay but the ambiance was that of a Witherspoons. I will not be returning....

Very good well a visit and an amazing view

Me and Partner walked here from Exmouth to share a drink and some chips. We enjoyed 3 sides, 1 of roast baby potatoes, cheesy chips and some garlic bread. All very tasty, with the option to add cheese to the garlic bread for 1.50 extra more. Good selection of food options however we cannot comment on these.

We drove quite a bit as the website claimed they serve gluten free food and 2 of our group are severely gluten intolerant. The positive 1st, the pub looks lovely and seemed quite busy, it stops there. We had problems parking, despite having made reservations, they did not have a table for us and squeezed us as another table, far too small for our group, the dishes from the previous guests remained on the table for a good half an hour, we repeatedly asked if we could order and were ignored, when we finally could order, it seemed we bothered the server with our questions. The food itself was mixed up (wrong sides with the wrong dishes) and quite overcooked and bland, the waiting time was tremendous. Our 2 friends that are diagnosed celiacs had terrible cramps, I can only suspect that somehow cross contamination happened. While not overly expensive, it is not a cheap place, but I don't think the prices are justified for the quality and service. It might have been a very busy day and new inexperienced staff, I don't know, but frankly I am not in a hurry to return anytime soon.

Excellent roast, both beef and pork were delicious! Lovely service from Jamie the handsome barman. Nice crisp pinot and a cold cider. Perfect sunday lunch x

Having been to the pub several times, today was not the best! The main course was good, but the service was not. We were left waiting for everything, being charged extra for cauliflower cheese was not very acceptable either, and we had to go to the bar to get a sweet menu, then the order was not taken and three sorbets took longer than the main course. They were also not sorbets either! We asked for the bill, but again we had to go to the bar to pay in the end. As an ex-publican I think a bit of time needs to be spent training the restaurant staff to keep an eye on the tables, as you claim to be a gastro pub, you need to give gastro service. First time I have had to complain, sorry but you need to know!

We had a fantastic birthday dinner here, the food was absolutely delicious, amazing! Service warm and wonderful! and of course the location is perfect! loved having to 'hail' the train on the way back to Exmouth! Top night! Thank you Puffing Billy team!

Very nice Gastro pub. We had a lovely lunch here. The food was very nice,

Our first time dining at this village gastro pub and came well recommended and didn't disappoint. Just a two min walk from Exton 'request stop' railway station, this friendly pub has a part dog friendly restaurant however the carpeted extension is not dog friendly and is situated away from the bar. The staff were very welcoming and friendly, we were given water at the table before our meal, which was very tasty and well presented. There is a beer garden and outside seating. A pleasant surprise and is right on the cycle / walking route from Exmouth to Exeter.

Lovely stylish village pub, modern but cosy. I didn't eat at this visit but the food being served looked amazing. Virtually on the banks of the river Ex, so great for starting or finishing a walk.

Might just be the best Sunday roast in the exeter area! Very rarely have a roast where everything is done well meat, veg, roasters, greens and loads of gravy . Ordered a cauliflower cheese, which was an extra but well worth it.

Called in for dinner as I'd read some reviews and wasn't disappointed. A little expensive (but that's selective I know). Had a burger and it was huge and really tasty . Didn't have room for a desert. The place was clean no complaints

We stayed in Lympstone travelling around east Devon and this was the best meal we had. We were a family of 4 and everyone was happy with their meal. Really nice staff too. Definitely worth a visit

Lovely pub in a fantastic location, staff were super friendly and even though the weather wasn't great there was a brilliant young fella on guitar in the beer garden playing songs for the duration we were there. Food wasn't too bad, I had the fish, chips and peas and it was nice, cooked well, chips were obviously frozen but edible, fish seemed fresh. My partner had the pasta and butternut squash, it was plain, very ordinary, pasta was a little overcooked (didn't seem like fresh pasta) , dish was under seasoned. These 2 dishes with a glass of wine and a pint of lager came in at £60, this is gastro pub prices but the food was just very simple pub grub. Inside was getting busy as we left and it is really nice inside. I think what this pub has is it has great staff, pretty interior and is generally a very nice pub. I do think its prices are a little on the high side. You can kind of get away with it in the Summer but I think out of season there is so much better food available for less money locally and I worry they may struggle.

Amazing food! Lovely fish with a decent range of good, non-standard beers. Very happy with attentive service and chatty service who deserve much praise.

It has a good menu, with a good selection of quality options. The presentation is excellent. Both dishes for myself and my wife were very tasty. Both starters and main course. The service was both attentive and friendly, nice atmosphere. The food was fresh and obviously made with a puffing billy special taste.

Disappointed to have a special occasion with friends ruined by poor overpriced food and poor service. From the time we were seated we were ignored by the waiting staff and had to ask for menus and to have our order taken. Stunned to be told that burger buns had run out on ‘burger and a pint ‘ night with slices of bread or gluten free offered as an alternative. The other meals didn’t fare much better as the sausages and mash were presented floating in gravy, more of a soup. When it became obvious we weren’t going to be offered a dessert or coffee we asked for the bill. After requesting the attention of the manager/cook we did get the bill discounted. Unfortunately our experience didn’t match the promise of your lovely website.

We ate here on our last night in Devon. It did not disappoint. The food was absolutely delicious! There were 7 of us and everyone absolutely loved their food! Personally speaking, the Tuna was amazing! Highly recommend eating here.

It was ok! Service could be better. Food was a bit greasy!

Prebooked for Sunday lunch, large menu, we chose roast pork, v tasty esp the meat and cauliflower cheese, v large portions with huge piece of meat, but the roast potatoes and Yorkshire pud were not crunchy (under cooked?) Efficient and friendly staff and bustling atmosphere. Overall very good and will revisit.

Such a shame- we go out of our way to come here and are sad to now say that we won’t be back! £19 for a thin, tasteless and overcooked gammon with chips that need the cooking fat changed, eggs that are clearly cash & carry and not local, then rounded off with the most awful cheap vinegary ketchup! My husband had a chicken burger with two tiny tenders in it that was also £19 left us feeling like we were short changed. The staff were lovely and we cannot fault the atmosphere/environment. The managers need to look at where they are cutting corners as the locals that make up the return trade are the ones they will miss when the holiday season is over!

We dropped in mid week for a table for three for dinner, having been turned away by nearby venues for not booking in advance. Team very exceptionally accommodating, food great, lovely atmosphere. Would highly recommend

Great food, great service and clean

Cracking pub....Great and knowledgeable staff

The extended bouts of effing and swearing coming through into the dining area from the kitchen was so bad one of the waiting staff had to come over and apologise. £100 poorly spent

Just a coffee stop while doing the estuary walk.But we have had meals here in the past very nice.

Great place shame the food wasn’t and the barmen wasn’t helpful at all .

A group of 35 of us came for a university reunion. We were treated like royalty. The food was fabulous, huge portions and beautifully cooked. There was wine on the table, with more than we could drink (!) of both an excellent full-bodied red and a lovely crisp white. The service was immaculate, attentive, friendly and polite and very prompt. Overall, brilliant. We couldn't have asked for more and would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for an excellent pub meal at a reasonable price.

Excellent food and service today . This place gets it all right first time every time . Well done and thank you

Popped in for a drink while out on a walk, lovely pub, food looked very nice, served in beautiful surroundings, perfect place to stop for a bite to eat or drink while enjoying the scenery!

£6 a pint for red cider, pity because I could of stopped every time I passed for a pint through out the week but that one pint finished to never enter again, Thatchers gold was just as good but cheaper and they removed it the barmaid said well they removed a good affordable cider for a more expensive one and that's backfired. 👍

Lovely food, although it was a Sunday and we were served a little after all the Sunday roasts came out because we chose something different. Great pub, surprisingly spacious on the inside and superbly kept facilities. Service almost perfect, and I will be visiting again.

The mussels were to die for and the burger 🍔 was tremendous, a great range of beverages and very attentive servers.

Friendly staff, decent food and reasonable prices makes the Puffing Billy a nice lunch venue!!

early delivery suited us fine so no problem with that. the food arrived at a perfect temperature. we had one beefburger and one mushroom and goats cheese. They were both fabulous and served with salad and lovely crispy chips. excellent. recommended.

We stopped here for lunch on a cycling trip down the X good food. Excellent service. Would stop again

Excellent food, friendly staff and very well located. We have had a raft of shocking quality and tiny meat portions, and quite frankly have been eating at home because it has been so bad. We met up with family here as it was halfway, and seemed to have some good reviews. We got there at 12.30 and it was quiet, it didn’t stay quiet for long… fortunately we ordered before it got really busy and the food came quickly. The portions are huge and excellent quality, we had starters and could barely finish the mains. The roast dinners are very generous and the pork we had was excellent. We are going to use this now as our meeting place, lots to see and do and great food too! We also had dogs, and they are very dog friendly,

This is situated just off main road between Exeter and Exmouth. Really lovely place. Plenty of seating inside and outside. They do food which looked really good and they were busy inside and outside for food. Staff were nice and friendly and welcoming. This place is dog friendly. Found to be reasonably priced. Parking at the back of pub or front of pub. We will definitely go again. With outside garden seating there is heaters for the chilly evenings and a summer house to sit in. Lovely place

Five of us came for Sunday lunch. Delay to be served after ordering was more than half an hour. Three of the meals were fine, the roast beef was inedible. The serving staff were helpful, but nobody from management came to the table to address the concern. Maybe it was that they were too busy - overall not a good experience at all.

Totally recommend eating here, service was good and food was beautiful, a perfect ending to a great day.

Special wasn't great or fresh, came out very quick so obviously been pinged in the microwave, but staff really nice.

We'd not been to the Puffing Billy for a couple of years, so we were pleased to discover that it was as good as ever. Food, service, and atmosphere were excellent . Dog and kid friendly as which was helpful for us. It's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Only 1 staff on tonight but he made it seem like 5. At tentative to everyone's need all night from service start until last order's.

OK food. Nice to stop for lunch while on a long walk.

We were very disappointed in our experience here. We arrived for a booked table for a surprise birthday to find our table wasn't ready and had people eating on it. The waitress got our food order wrong and had to ask us 3x what we ordered to then come back 10 mins later to say one of the dishes wasn't available. The food came out cold and most plates had to be reheated for one of them to come back out cold again where they forgot to heat one. And the veg took so long to come out that the rest of one of the meals was pretty much finished. The extra carrots on the side were so salty we couldn't eat them, and the sauces we asked for to the table got forgotten. It's such a shame. This pub was amazing back in the day. Doesn't seem like they can handle a busy pub. Don't get me wrong. Being busy does add pressure, but if you can't handle it, don't take more bookings. For the price you paid for the food, it was a total rip-off. Won't be going back and won't be recommending to others.

Sub par as best really. Came for a meal tonight with a couple of friends. Having previously been here, I knew it was good and it's normally locally talked about as a rather good pub, but it massively fell short today. Fish and chips is what I ordered but you got the option of having it grilled or battered. I asked for grilled and shockingly it came out battered. Friend ordered blue cheese sauce and got peppercorn sauce instead yet the receipt said blue cheese sauce. We both would of complained but we waited I would say 30-40 minutes on food and it really didn't look that busy. Just seemed like there were a lot of short cuts made in our meal. The food wasn't anything special for the price paid. 18£ for fish and chips in my opinion is quite steep and the batter looked a bit burnt as it should be more if a golden colour. Don't think I'll go back unless it's for drinks passing through

Food was good quality and staff very Good

Lovely friendly welcome. Airy and comfortable. Very decent food and good wines.

Beautiful meal with family. A little expensive but was lively food

Second time here. Lovely place but wouldn’t recommend. Always takes more than 1 hour to get served. We asked for some olive oil and bread as a starter. I can tell you now - i’m Portuguese - that was not olive oil… not even sure what oil it was but the taste was awful. Also, I ordered battered haddock with chips, but after 1h30 waiting it finally came with skin on and full of bones. Not very pleasant. My sister in law was giving her 9 months baby some fish… i quickly alerted her to remove all the fish as could choke.

Really good Xmas lunch, staff fab, only comment re food, portions over generous

We just our office Christmas Lunch here. The staff were accommodating and professional and the food was very good, even though we were 46 people. We’ll be back!

We have visited a few times recently and my reviews have said it's been fantastic, this time however we were slightly disappointed with the Christmas dinner. 4 of the tiniest potatoes, no sprouts or carrots and stuffing the size of a small marble and thin gravy. For £22 it was very underwhelming, the service and welcome was fantastic as ever, as was the dessert, it won't put me off returning but it was surprisingly disappointing for a very easy meal, a roast dinner with a pig in blanket!

So friendly and inviting as a single lady to sit and have a drink and eat with my dog. They go out of their way to look after you. Delish food! I had the Turkey pie 🥧 with stuffing and cranberry with mash and gravy it was divine. Highly recommended Thank you Niam🙏🏼 & team

Been here loads for lunch, and also a roast. Really great food

Lovely place, service great but was only us in here for a while as a Tues lunchtime! We had festive menu and the cherry and chocolate tart for dessert was divine!! 3 stars though as veg choice very bland. Turnip, swede, peas, very few carrots. Would have loved more green (broccoli, sprouts cabbage) and gravy less watery. Would go again though tbf :)

Excelent service and attendance by barman on duty Niam....friendly manner...helpful....food was excelent...dogs more than welcome

We didn't book a table (Sunday lunch time) but staff were helpful and managed to sit us. Good portions of roast pork, amazing crispy yet fluffy roast potatoes. Definitely go again

A nice place to spend an hour or two with good food and drinks.

We had dinner last night at the Puffing Billy. The staff were excellent and hats off to them for the great service they gave. Great menu with lots of choice. We both had burgers and really enjoyed them. Will be back again.

Following the signs from the main road we found this delightful pub for lunch. On holiday on the Devon coast we were hoping for a break from seafood meals, wanting a "proper dinner". We weren't disappointed - venison casserole and liver. Both accompanied with mash and a pile of real vegetables. It was delicious. The interior was spacious and comfortable, the service warm and friendly, good beer. What's not to like?

Nice little pub. More of a restaurant but we just sat and had a pint at the bar end which was lovely.

Had a lovely roast there today. Staff were all great but a special mention to Maddie. Such a lovely young woman. So polite helpful. Friendly and chatty. A breath of fresh air. Dann. & Ann

Great restaurant. Lovely man on bar and serving. Food delicious. Very busy. Parking easy.

We were really looking forward to eating here on Sunday. We saw lovely reviews on the web. The beetroot Wellington was fantastic, as was the roast pork, Yorkshires and gravy. If the potatoes had been fully roasted and the side vegetables were more interesting, then it would have been a better review. Boiled parsnips, swede etc with minimal cabbage, no seasoning or butter etc was not a great side. Cabbage, carrots and sprouts would have added colour and flavour to the dish. We were not asked if we wanted a pudding or coffee. Had to work hard to get attention just to pay the bill. It felt a little slap dash and complacent all round Really could do better.

We loved the food S had cheesy pasta ate the whole thing I had fish goujons ate the whole thing. M had game pie amazing D had casserole delicious and filling All four meals excellent quality I guess the staff could be more friendly, they weren’t not friendly though. Great selection dog chews! Dog friendly. The best banoffee pie ever

Really good food - arrived quickly especially for a Saturday night.

On a cycle ride and came across this pub. Originally stopped for a drink but seeing the menu decided to have a light lunch. We had the trout and crayfish cocktail which was absolutely delicious plus chunky chips. Sat outside because the weather was too good to sit inside, therefore didn't experience the atmosphere. I would recommend.

Didn't like dogs in main restaurant area

Very nice good friendly service 👌

Amazing pork Sunday roast! Crackling was delicious 🤤. Yummy!

Brilliant spot for a pint in Exton, I ask for walking spots, perfect people behin d front of house. Niam thanks.

Came the other day had gammon n eggs oh my stunning, staff member was so helpful well manner ,couldn't do enough lovely pub 😊

Went with friends for Sunday Lunch. The portion were large and we had additional vegetables turn up also. Meat was very tender, I had the Turkey other had the Beef all were cooked well. Staff were friendly and helpful. On a Sunday it best to sit in the first part of the restaurant area as the other end is where the children are seated. Can get noisy as we found out and asked to be moved. Overall a very good experience, will return in the future.

Good place for an early evening meeting. If you like your burgers deep fried and chunky chips too then ideal. The menu looked good, beer quality was good and the service was prompt and friendly.

Had a very good Sunday roast. One of had pork and the other had the Stilton and Walnut pie. Both dishes we deli ious with plenty of vegetables. Good service and atmosphere.

We are on holiday and arranged to meet friends for Sunday lunch at the pub . How disappointed we were after good recommendations . Our roast beef was tough and the veg bland . We were first to be served and it tasted as if it had been under the warming plate for a good while . Our waitress chewed gum and we had to repeat our order several times . We ordered coffee and I had to get up and chase twice . We wil not be returning

Had an absolutely super lunch today - the duck breast was sublime! Great, friendly service and lovely pub.

My wife and I , plus our family on other occasions have been here a few times now and are always very impressed. The food is excellent, the setting very pleasant and the staff are always very polite and helpful. Also, in most eating places now, it seems vegetables are served very sparingly, which always amazes me given its probably the cheapest cost wise part of the meal. However this venue serves a superb selection of vegetables and plenty of them, excellent. I would highly recommend this place and if you want to get the train, the station is very close indeed.

I don’t like posting negative reviews because it’s a difficult job to keep everyone happy in the catering and hospitality trade. The Positives. A very nice Pub in a great Devon setting, we had an outdoor table which was extremely pleasant. The service was very efficient and quick. The Negatives. My Pork and Yorkshire pudding was fairly forgettable with shared nondescript vegetables. Marginally above Wetherspoons standard and at £20 well overpriced. Seafood Lasagne was another dish ordered and priced at £24 ( you are having a laugh, as they say in Bristol.) I just feel rightly or wrongly that this is a ‘let’s charge the Tourist top rate during the Season Pub.’