Rafikis in Teignbridge

Food, amazing! Atmosphere, super.

This is a real treasure, great vegan and vegetarian food, worth a journey nevermind a detour from the Devon Expressway

Delightful place, we had the sabiche which true to description was incredibly moreish and delicious! Fresh herbs and a lovely tahini sauce that meant gluten free bread (which is usually dry and inedible) was actually really tasty! Really friendly service, we hope to be back soon.

We accidentally found rafikis and we liked it so much we can't back twice! The atmosphere is fantastic, the food is incredible and the coffee was amazing! I'd rate rafikis 6 stars if we could. All ratings aside my partner is vegetarian and myself somewhere in between, we often find ourselves feeling like one of us has "missed out" but this isn't the case here. The dishes are smaller sort of tapas style which gives you the ability to eat several things from the menu, which is great because there's so many good options. Every element of their dishes feel like they've been curated and refined; every bite full is an expirence from the beginning to the end. We're glad we found rafikis and we can't wait to come back again!

Always a great vibe in this quirky, music loving cafe.

Omg! Absolutely lush food! Beautiful atmosphere too.

Delicious, local and seasonal food. Friendly service and atmosphere. Definitely coming back again!

Very unique place with delicious food and a cool atmosphere. Love that the ingredients are locally sourced and dishes are internationally inspired.

I've been meaning to go to Fafikis for ages and finally had lunch there today. What a fantastic place. The food was delicious, and there was a great chilled atmosphere. Despite being a very busy Saturday lunchtime, we found a table, and the service was swift. It's great to not only find good vegetarian & vegan food but variety too.

The restaurant itself was a hub of activity, when we arrived at lunchtime on a Sunday. The staff were attentive and friendly. Many of the dishes are vegan as standard, with all the rest potentially able to be made so.

SMOKING out back on the patio. I love this restaurant but in 2024 I am not okay with my fresh being air taken away and poisoned by tobacco smoke. The Thali is very good. My sister said it is like the cook learnt to cook in an Indian home. India home cooking is very different from restaurant food. Lovely place with an open air patio. Their desserts are awesome. It has a cosy atmosphere.

Despite having no booking they fitted us in plus our dog! Very dog friendly. Inside and outside eating with a lovely atmosphere. The food was spectacularly good with a genuinely different menu. We will definitely try this again.

Disappointed. Visited last year with a friend and came back this year. Found egg shell in my lunch and told the waitress who’s response was akin to me saying the weather is not ideal today! Won’t return.

Great vegetarian food Nice atmosphere Friendly staff Good value Would recommend to everyone even meat lovers

Wonderful as ever: our absolute favourite restaurant. The menu was one of the tastiest this year. Thanks for giving us such fresh, interesting and tasty veggie / vegan food in fabulous setting and atmosphere.

This cafe is a gem. Relaxed chilled ambiance. Good prompt service. Good value. Last not least nice tasty food goid size portions.

such a gorgeous place with lovely staff. lots of seating including seating outside! a perfect morning with beautiful food and coffee

What a great place - fabulous vibe, and lovely food. A hidden gem, you wouldnt realise from the front but once in, it opens out to a really interesting space - the courtyard outside looks great too, but was a bit cold for that when we visited.

Relaxed and friendly atmosphere, great decor and ambience, very good food, and pretty good service. The only thing that i felt could be improved is thst the portions could be a little bigger for the price...that said, i know good quality ingredients are not cheap, and the ingredients are good ! I live just down the road and eat here regularly.....always a fun evening and well recmmended.

A total gem of a place. Great atmosphere, superb service. We got plates to share and it was as delicious as it was filling. The dog loved it, too. Our new favourite ❤️

It was a while ago that I ate here, but I'd been meaning to write a review because the experience was fantastic. This is a place run by passionate people who pour love in to everything they are doing. Everything we ate and drank was delicious. I don't live nearby, but hope to return again one day.

Love Rafikis- first stop when in Ashburton :)

A pretty unique offering. Interesting venue, good food, pleasant staff. If you enjoy something quirky you'll love this place.

Really loved it. A very Community oriented feel to the place. Lovely staff and great food. Will be back!

My husband should take credit for this amazing discovery. We hadn't previously visited Ashburton before today but would return just to eat here again. Delicious veggie food and I enjoyed my first tumeric latte. I opted for the Sri Lankan eggs with my husband going for the Vietnamese baguette. Children went for the cheese on toast. Loved the decor and vibe, and from the outside, you don't realise the size. Very highly recommended.

One of the best Brunches we had in ages. The Kimchi Pancakes & Srilankan Baked Eggs were outstanding 😎🔥🥳

This place is very popular so we had a brief wait for a table. The staff were lovely and there's a very chilled atmosphere. Excellent coffee, including fresh decaff. And truly delicious food... I had Mexican baked eggs followed by pancakes, yum! Will definitely return if we're in the area

What a treasure of a fund! Staff are amazing, great atmosphere and love the whole decor vibe. Food is absolutely outstanding and dogs are welcome, what more can you ask for! We have recommended and will definitely return one day when we are next in that neck of the woods !!

Love this place - great food and ambience!

Fabulously groovy place and unbeatable playlist!

Popped in for another lovely coffee and cake stop. The welcome we got on Saturday lunchtime from the chap doing front of house was exceptional. I had a blind dog in a buggy and they were really making sure we were in a place that worked for our group. We always meet smiley customers here, the team working are all exceptional and now we have discovered the incredible almond and orange cake I will be making more Devon trips to keep on scoffing that cake! Thank you:)

Delicious food at a good price. Relaxed atmosphere and friendly service.

We had not been to Rafikis since it has been in its newest venue and it feels just great that they now have all this space! The food was delicious - I had the Bahn Mi which I've been thinking of since we first went to their tiny place on West Street when they first opened. My husband had it then and I always wished I'd had it too, it looked so good! I wasn't disappointed, it was a taste sensation! I also had the Rose Latte which was delicious, I was completely enchanted by it. The combination of the two made for a really interesting lunch which frankly, can be hard to find! We found the service slow - we were seated for 20 minutes before being served which felt too long, hence only 4 stars x

Fantastic place to visit . Highly recommended

Rafiki’s is a total gem which we go out of our way to visit whenever we’re in Ashburton. Every meal we’ve had has been totally amazing - so flavoursome, it’s like each mouthful is a party in your mouth! I often order things when I don’t even recognise all the ingredients, safe in the knowledge that it’s going to be totally delish. Very friendly and attentive service, even on the busiest of days. Great atmosphere, vibes and decor. Keep up the good work guys :-)

As always, Rafikis was amazing. Our group chose one of each dish on the menu to share and all were wonderful, tasty & colourful. Inventive ways with seasonal produce. Staff are helpful and friendly and there's a great buzz to the place. Love it here and we will be back again very soon. Highly recommended

I only dropped in for a coffee but the cheese scones looked amazing.... They were the best I've had in a very long time. Dropped 1 star because there was food and cutlery on the floor where I was seated. Despite that I would definitely return agsjn.

Such a wonderful place! The atmosphere is relaxed and the food is amazing!!

A great find. Recommend by a local the staff were friendly and helpful, the food great, the wine reasonable. What’s not to like

What a great find, tucked away behind an almost nondescript door, it opens up into a rather magical place. The service was excellent, the food even better. We had Socanoff, The Big Bahn Mi & Roast Baby Spuds and loved every mouthful. Decent sized portions & most dishes can be made Vegan too. We will definitely be back and will recommend to anyone who likes great food!

What a lovely cafe, great local products and tasty coffees. Glad it was open and what a treat. Great service and choice of vegetarian food. A gem!

7.75 out of 10. Think they were having a bad day. I'll try it again another time.

The food was amazing, so fresh and tasty. The menu 😋 was on point, service was great and I definitely recommend

What a cracking little gem, you walk in and your nose is caressed by scents of food surprises to come, and saliva glands switch to overdrive. Nice little wine list. The food is enough that this hardened carnivore is seriously considering vegetarianism. Utterly delicious cannot wait to return.

What a cracking little gem, you walk in and your nose is caressed by scents of food surprises to come, and saliva glands switch to overdrive. Nice little wine list. The food is enough that this hardened carnivore is seriously considering vegetarianism. Utterly delicious cannot wait to return.

If more stars were available this place would receive an entire constellation from me. It's ambience is at once homely, and welcoming, whilst also oozing a vibrant life affirming, buzz. The Passion and care shines through in every way. Food is consistently excellent, flavoursome, organic and locally sourced....I can fault nothing....would love it to be open everyday, as I am always recommending folk to go there.

Ok so I went there today and the service took really long. It took like 40 minutes for our drinks to come and they came to us and said our drinks hadn’t even started being made. The food looked nice but we didn’t want to eat in due to the terrible service which is a great shame.

Great find. Great atmosphere. Cool vibe. Also none of the fussy attitude of the old school rural town - they just sat us down with grace despite our tardiness. I hope this canny business does well! Ps also a nice break from tradition food wise.

Very Ashburton, chilled , hippy vibe! Popped in for breakfast, very healthy eating!

Excellent food, lovely warming drinks and a very friendly welcome. Thank you.

This is the most unique, fabulous place! You MUST go!!!

We've eaten at Rafikis many times and I can't fault their food and service, however, we popped in for breakfast today and were very disappointed. I ordered fruit toast. When it arrived it was clearly burnt, we're talking charcoal around the edges! I politely asked for a fresh piece, but not so well done, the front-of-house staff were very accommodating and kindly brought some fresh toast. It looked perfect but unfortunately tasted burnt, upon turning the toast over it was burnt on the other side. I'm a great believer in sharing my good and bad experiences, provided you're polite and fair it gives a genuine opportunity for business owners to improve their products and services. Someone had clearly burnt it for a second time and tried to get away with it by turning both pieces over so that the burnt side wasn't visible. I wasn't asked if everything was okay while at the table or at the till when paying.

What an absolute gem of a place; warm, infighting and a beating heart of the community. There is so much energy here; from the music, staff and eclectic clientel. The authenticity of this place should be applauded and the food ....well just wonderful, Imaginative and vibrant. Thank you so much for opening this place and allowing us to have a great place to meet.

The food here is all vegetarian. The bahnmi is really nice, drinks are nice and foos is decent. The wrongs any menu so you have to take a photo of the written menu at the front of the restaurant. Service here can be sporadic at times. It is usually very busy at lunchtime so it can take a long time to be served and you may be waiting a little while for your table. I have had queue for about half an hour before to get seated.

Great café, awesome food and a lovely relaxing atmosphere

Cool vibe cafe with a great atmosphere and intriguing menu. Vietnamese veggie peanut satay baguette was amazing, and the soup with cheese scone good too. Staff seemed friendly and helpful despite it being a really busy Sunday. Will definitely be returning since as Totnesians, we quite like dogs, coloured hair and old hippies. Our new favourite Ashburton cafe !

We recently had a shortbreak in the Dartmoor area, including time in a rather sleepy Ashburton. Searching for somewhere to have a coffee, we saw an advertisement board for Rafikis. That will do we thought, expecting just another cafe but far from it. The place was buzzing, great music, waitresses dashing about in an extraordinary and a tremendous atmosphere. Coffee was great and Rafikis is strongly recommended. I wish I had taken my camera!

Travelled a bit out of the way considering other reviews - found the Vietnamese baguette to be a bit bland - tasted nothingy. Okay but nothing special which was disappointing. Even the tofu in it was not marinated or fried in something - just plain. Won't be back or recommending 🤷 also £10 for a baguette was quite a lot.

Delicious, healthy and unique. Popped in our way heading back up north from the coast and wanted something other than a bacon cob or services and found this gem! Had two takeaway baguettes one vegan, both were delicious and packed full of yummy fillings, lovely vibe wish we could have stayed for a dine in, next time!

The food at Rafikis was exceptional, the staff were friendly and attentive, and the vibe of the actual restaurant itself was warm and welcoming. It was lovely to share the selection of small plates between us and try all the different dishes. The baby roasted potatoes were amazing as well as the chickpea and courgette dish. I am allergic to nuts and the staff were able to accomodate well and make changes to dishes where necessary. We did end up ordering slightly too much, I would say that 2-3 plates per person is plenty. It is also well worth travelling for, we came from Teignmouth (about 30 mins away). I already can't wait to visit again!

Fantastic, friendly atmosphere, delicious food and amazing staff. A complete gem in the heart of Ashburton with a lovely garden.

Best sandwich I’ve ever put in my mouth (the banh mi) and best brew I’ve ever had (the chai)! Absolutely lovely atmosphere, great food and service. Thank you so much!

Rafiki’s was recommended to me by the owner of my guest house and it was exactly what I was looking for. Relaxed, stylish and incredible food. I felt very comfortable eating alone. I had 3 plates of food, which was more than enough, and each one was delicious. It was so good that I went back for lunch and am trying to build up an appetite so I can go back again for dinner!

Absolutely delicious food, vegan and gluten free friendly. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. The queue out the door for a table is well deserved and more than worth the wait! Love eating outside and also enjoy the communal feel of the longer tables when sharing with other diners. Always a perfect dining experience! Heartily recommended every time!! 👌🏻

After a lovely walk around the countryside surrounding the village, really enjoyed the brunch. Mushrooms had run out but Canadian pancakes a great alternative. Very filling and the almonds were a great addition. We will be back.

Sunday brunch with adult son, vegetarian and vegan menu, cool vibe, interest pots for Arabic coffee and various teas. Arabic coffee though was weaker than we thought usual for full flavour. A thriving local concern deservedly surviving tough trading times.

Visited for the first time today but we will definitely return. Came across this place by chance. I was instantly impressed with the whole vibe - the decor and the atmosphere were great. Service with a smile too. Just stopped in for coffee and cake with the Kids. All very nice. In fact the lemon cake was Exceptionally good. The other food coming out for other visitors looked good enough to make me want to come back and try more. Great little place and I would recommend trying it.

We were in th a antique shop and about to get lunch in the old bank,but the lady reccomended Rafikis,so off we went.What a lovely place buzzing with atmosphere,and full of love and peace.We ordered a pot of tea and two Kimchi pancakes.When it arrived there was only one so my wife started eating hers mine arrived 5 minutes later.I thought it was very plain and bland but most importantly my pancake was burnt all around the edge and the egg on top was,nt runny but solid and had been cooked long before my meal.So I left the solid egg and all the burnt trimmings of the pancake on the plate?I find it odd the waiters collecting the plates did,nt ask us if everything was ok,,,obviously it was,nt,and when we played once again no one asked was everything ok.Big dissapointment in the food ,I,m sorry to say we will not return,,,,,,,should,v gone to the bank

Very tempting small plates in a beautiful setting

my kind of place! Independent, a bit shabby, playing good music and with friendly staff.

My stay in Devon was complimented by numerous visits to Rifikis. Many cheese scones and coffees consumed and even returned for and evening meal. One day the sun even shone on us in the courtyard garden!

Nice family cafe tasty food ,creative, fun atmosphere friendly staff loved the whole vibe affordable prices 👌

Imaginative menu, pleasant helpful service and an unrushed vibe to the place.

Very friendly service, excellent food, nice atmosphere, in all excellent

I travel to London and eat out a fair bit and I’m always so grateful this is on my doorstep. The delicious food, the interior, (and garden) and the atmosphere, all done with such integrity. Locally and ethically sourced food and supplies and not just done to be ‘on trend’ or laden with buzz word marketing. This is all from the heart. Perfect with friends or on my own for a quick coffee or breakfast treat. Warning …try the Bahn mi’s at lunch and you’ll be hooked!

Heard good things about this place so decided to take my partner for a birthday evening meal. Rang ahead to book but was told they don't take bookings. Fair enough. Drove half an hour to get there from home. However upon arrival the only seating offered to us was a perch on the end of a very long table with a large group of people. We were told the people sat there probably wouldn't mind but we didnt feel comfortable with that. We waited for 20 minutes and eventually got sat on a sofa in the corner with a small drinks table that wasnt big enough to fit our meal. Its ashame they don't have more smaller tables for couples or smaller groups of people. Positives-Lovely atmosphere, very friendly staff and a feel good vibe and loved the rustic decor. Negatives-. Food was very expensive even for organic. Very small portions compared to other similar style places we have eaten at. We were told to take a photo of the menu on the wall for ordering. No physical menus to take to the table. There were only 6 tapas style options available to eat (excluding pudding). Spent £60 (including 1 drink each because they were so expensive) and had to eat when we got home because we were so hungry still. There was no dairy free ice cream available with the pudding either which I thought was strange for a vegan friendly place. There is only 1 unisex toilet for the entire place (that i could find)which for a place of this size is unusual and meant there were large queues. The tap handles to the sink were loose and fell off in my hand. I think in hindsight we should have gone for breakfast or lunch but not for an evening meal. I do appreciate it is classed as a cafe. I'd love to go back and give it another go but unfortunately my partner has refused after our experience and I can't say I blame her. Not sure what I was expecting but a bit gutted, more so for my partner on her birthday. I will reiterate how friendly the staff were! I can see why people like this place but unfortunately our first experience here wasn't great. I hope the owner doesn't get upset with my review but I would want to know how i could improve if it was my business.

If you want excellent quality then Go Go Go! Susie and the team are just incredible! We had a dinner party this evening and every single dish was a delight. The Gratin, the beetroot hummus, the flat breads, the wedges, roasted tahini cauliflower, delicious rainbow chard and broad beans. The list is endless. The venue, the interior is all just exquisite and so tasteful. The atmosphere is electric but also chilled at the same time. I love the open kitchen with all the fresh vegetables on display. This place is above and beyond ! The cocktails, the coffee are all to die for! Thank you to the amazing team!

We were recommended to get coffee here by a local family member (good shout - they were amazing - real pride taken in making them) and loved the vibes, the fact that it was dog friendly and the look of the menu so much that we came back for lunch a couple of hours later. We had the 2 Vietnamese dishes off the brunch menu; both were amazing and really different to anything we’d had before. Local beer was delicious and the staff were welcoming. Would highly recommend!

Been here a few times now and what a lovely little gem it is, the food is absolutely spot on, the flavours are mouth watering, great service and a very clean place, theres inside and outside seating available, and its wheelchair friendly, very easy to find and get to, highly recommend this place

Lively, but relaxed atmosphere; best vegetarian eating out experience for ages. All the family delighted with their menu choices. Impressed by the attentiveness and friendliness of staff from the youngest to the most senior! Definitely worth a waterbag journey to find such a gem.

Such a warm and friendly atmosphere. Dog friendly and incredible food and drinks.

We had a lovely meal in Rafikis on a Saturday evening in June. There was a good menu, with lots of fresh veggie choices and a good wine selection. Every course came out as it was ready and was shared between us. It was all fresh and cooked to order. Really enjoyable meal!

Love this place, delicious coffee and tasty healthy food. The cakes are also divine. It's also a very friendly place to bring kids as they have a toy box and lots of books and are generally very relaxed.

Great Saturday lunch, trendy, interesting!

Absolutely brilliant vegetarian and vegan cafe/restaurant. The menu options are really interesting (inspired by the owners' travels across the world) and the specials vary from week to week. The restaurant sources local fresh ingredients and works wonders with them. There is a nice courtyard to the rear if you visit on a sunny day. Highly recommended.

The vegan cake was delicious. The café's ambiance and decor create a relaxing atmosphere that adds to the overall experience. The staff's warm and friendly nature further enhances the inviting vibe. Highly recommend this place and only regret not having had more time to taste their lunch options.

An impromptu visit. Even from the outside you could tell it was offering something special. It didn't disappoint. Had my Swahili been up to scratch then I would have know. Friendly is in the name.

Dropped in fairly randomly for a quick bite today. Had no idea what to expect. Quirky decor, which is a little old hat in my opinion, but each to their own. Didn't really get much in the way of service so just sat ourselves. We were told to take a picture of the menu on a chalk board and order using that. Which on a bright, sunny day wasn't very user friendly. No orange juice, so ordered water. But, the food was lovely. All 3 is is enjoyed it. Having looked up their website I see what they are about. I love Eastern med type food, and it certainly hit the spot. A pity they don't do meat, but as I realised later they are a veggy eatery. 4 stars. I'd definitely go back.

Adult food was superb. Atmosphere is lovely, being from Totnes this was right up our street. Unfortunately though the kids menu was expensive and sparse, £5 for 1 small slice of cheese on toast is punching. Our other child ordered the cucumber and houmous wrap but unfortunately veg sticks and houmous came out, we said that we’d ordered the wrap and it was taken away, a wrap came back but literally veg sticks and houmous put in a wrap, a stick of celery and raw carrots in a wrap is quite odd 😆 great cafe but wouldn’t recommend for kids.

Gorgeous place. Shady courtyard on a hot afternoon. A warm welcome, delicious Arabic cardamom coffee, and a massive slice of yummy vegan walnut cake.

Now this is a place worth visiting if only to try interesting meals that you've never ventured to have before. Unusual and quirky and exciting at the same time. As a bonus both inside and outside seating is available. All staff were welcoming, friendly, helpful and there was a varied menu of meals from various continents. As you can see we really enjoyed our visit and am sure you will too. Try it!

Wonderful vibe, lovely music playing through our lunch. Food was fantastic. Friendly staff.

Such a special place, it's decorated beautifully and the vegan and vegetarian food is gorgeous! I had a mocha and the Rosti and was stuffed for the rest of the day, great value for money too!

A great environment and quirky interior design. Sadly, the service received was disappointing and we didn't think the food served was good value for money. We ordered two of the same meals and only one arrived, when we mentioned this to the waitress she looked embarrassed and rushed off (we thought to get the missing meal). After 20 minutes, the missing meal had still not arrived and another waiter informed us the order hadn't been put through. There was no apology. When it did eventually arrive, no one came to ask how our food was, or if we wanted anything else. At the end, we were rushed out of the restaurant by someone who announced they were closing - no courtesy around this or instructions about where we should pay. Disappointing - and a real shame as the interior is special and it would have been somewhere I would liked to have come back to. Unusual menu but we both left hungry and did not consider it to be good value for money.

Very friendly, great service. These cheese on toast with kimchi was lush.

This was a great brunch after 1,5 hours of yoga and was amazing! Food was very fresh and tasty! This is a very busy place with the menu changes all the time as it was put on the black board rather then on the fixed menu. Great selection of teas and coffees! They serve cakes or breakfast as well! Very industrial look with long tables which you could share with the other guest. It’s vegetarian place with a twist … very tasty veggies and fruits … will be visiting soon next time I visit Ashburton. This is a dogs friendly restaurant… with a great atmosphere and staff.. worth visiting for healthy meal

Me and my friend came to this gorgeous, homely cafe for an afternoon coffee, we were greeted by a lovely member of staff. I ordered a cappuccino that was delicious and refreshing! i recommend coming here and i will be back :)

Amazing find! A true gem! We ordered the whole menu and every plate, every bite was a delight on the senses! Not to be missed…. Can’t wait to go back, in fact I wish was still there so I could order pudding!!

Shakshouka was bland and a travesty of the original recipe without tomato. The pancakes were decent but generally did not enjoy the food and the atmosphere was a bit hectic with loads of dogs and the table was not clean.

Always good food service and atmosphere. I love the creativity and authenticity of rafikis