Take Thyme Fish Restaurant in North Devon

Such a lovely host, the food was delicious. Fantastic value for money. Nothing was too much trouble. So pleased we chose here.

Wow! We stayed overnight in Ilfracombe and booked dinner at this fantastic little family run restaurant in the heart of the harbour area. Hosted by Tara, gliding between just ten or so tables, with her son Sean smiling and chatting, and husband John in the kitchen this is just a complete gem, full of atmosphere and bonhomie. The menu is so well designed with specials of the day based on that day’s catch, and is complimented with a very good wine selection. Our food was delicious! You must not miss the wonderful welcome, the freshest fish dishes and the awesome ambience at Thyme Fish Restaurant.

Came down for a couple of nights and looked at this place before hand were very pleased that it was opening in the evening so we booked. The food was lovely to much to choose from wish we could of gone every night. The owner was lovely and friendly very chatty. Wine was nice as well

Had a meal booked for 2 here today at 12.15pm. What can i say ? It was FANTASTIC. Had a scallop starter, and seafood chowder for main. My partner had steak . It was all cooked superbly. Will definitely go back for more, when I’m in ilfracombe again.

Amazing lobster. Hubby had Fish and chips. Hubby had chowder for starters he was very pleased. Really amazing food and servic well worth a visit. Also do cocktails very nice.

Great little find. But do book.

We stumbled across this restaurant when we were exploring the streets around the harbour, and we were very glad we did. We had whitebait, which we were expecting to have more of a rustic traditional coating, rather than breaded, but they were nice. We had half a lobster each which was delicious and well worth the money - a real treat for my partners birthday

Great cafe type atmosphere serving amazing local sea food. Suprised the half lobsrers are served cold not hot

We had a great meal at Take Thyme this year. Went specifically for the lobster and it didn’t disappoint. My girls had fish and chips and they said it was the best they had all holiday. My lobster and wine were perfect and it is a lovely little restaurant with lots of charm and character. Service was great and we would recommend to anyone in Ilfracombe and will be going back next year.

Amazing food, great service. Great price for the quality.

Really delicious seafood, and very friendly service. The chowder was magnificent. Good value too. I will definitely be back!

Beautiful restaurant with food and service to match. We had an amazing lunch inc lobster, squid and crab. There’s a kids menu too. All tasted great and the owner & her son who served us are lovely. Wish more restaurants were like this.

31 July, Walked in family of four, great table and service, amazing Lobster freshly caught, dressed crab, fab whiting fir starters and nice drinks would recommend

Amazing fresh seafood, we walked in got table for four no problems, seated straight away, offered specials. Small friendly efficient service, great G n T, great garlic butter sauce, ordered freshly caught lobster and dressed crab, had whoiting for starter also very fresh, would recommend, great holiday treat

Nice little restaurant, the staff were really friendly and helpful, food was good and the price is good.

Wonderful lobster a real treat!

Lobster is amazing 🦀😋 First place we went to when we arrived earlier today, what a treat....in fact so good we've booked in again for lunchtime tomorrow!! Tara as a host is spot on, great sense of humour, loved chatting to her 🙏 Don't miss this gem of a restaurant

Everything perfect, we really enjoyed our lunch and we will definitely go back when visiting Ilfracombe.

Cozy restaurant, super friendly staff, great food made from fresh ingredients. Would come again.

Fantastic meal for 16 people at this restaurant. The whole party loved their meals. Beautifully cooked and presented. The service was amazing. Thank you again

This restaurant should be renamed to not open any thyme. We were really looking forward to trying this restaurant during our weeks stay in ilfracombe. However they didn't open all week and on trying to phone them to pre book we just got an answer phone on which we left messages but no one bothered to call us back. To our surprise we noticed it was open Saturday night, but this had to be pre booked. I don't know how you can pre book when it's always closed and no one returns your calls.

We spent a couple of days in Ilfracombe recently and lunched here both days. The two ladies running the front of house were charming as was the chef But above all, the food was exquisite: Mediterranean fish stew on day 1 was the best we’ve ever tasted for freshness and flavour; and the Lundy wild lobster, fresh in that morning was incredible. You must come to this place and try it! We will be back for certain

The restaurant's website offers 'Leisurely Lunches', which sounded perfect. We booked and were told they had two large parties - so decided we'd go for our table and check out the noise level before committing to staying. When we arrived, a party of 10 were already in situ and pleasantly eating and chatting, which in a tiny place like this made all the difference. It was only after we ordered that a group of 6 arrived, one shouting 'I hope you weren't expecting a quiet lunch' as he came in - which those of already there no doubt were. That can happen, but the manager whipped them up still more shouting across the restaurant at them, laughing loudly and allowing them to take over and dominate the whole place. We literally couldn't hear ourselves speak. It ruined our whole experience and even the food - which is fine - couldn't compensate for being stuck in this raucous place. So very stupid to let one small group ruin lunch for everyone else. We left without leaving a tip - unprecedented for us. And when the manager asked why, I told her it was not just the noise but said 'You could have calmed them down but you whipped them up' and she shrugged and walked away. Even a small apology and acknowledgement would have been nice, but no.

What a great find. Excellent service, friendly staff , Great food . .. and fantastic Pimms ..

Fab sea food restaurant, a must visit.

What an amazing find! Beautiful food, really tasty, amazing cocktails, the Combe Cooler is a must! The crab was amazing the Mediterranean stew was fab! Staff amazing! The service was second to none! Glad we found you! We'll be back in August for a Woowoo. Don't stop doing what your are doing! Love the Morgan's xx

One of our absolute favourite restaurants, the food is always delicious and the team are so welcoming to everyone and make such an effort with the children. Today’s Lundy Lobster was divine. Can’t wait to come back - thanks Take Thyme!

Thought I’d pop in here for some lunch, while waiting for an MoT to be done, and really glad I did. Take Thyme is a lovely little restaurant, in a great location, with a good atmosphere and amazing food. I went for the Lundy lobster, (which I highly recommend), but to be honest everything on the menu sounded really good. Will definitely be visiting again sometime to try a few more dishes!

Called in based on previous reviews and we love seafood. Everything we expected and more. We both had mussels to start followed by seafood chowder. Both excellent. A delightful little restaurant with welcoming staff. 5 star.

Fantastic food and atmosphere, plus great wine selection, you are not left long between each dish, and food is served lovely and hot. This restaurant is also situated in historic fore street right next to the harbour, a perfect location...

Absolutely love this restaurant. Best fish and chips I’ve had in years and the fish chowder is so yum. All the team are so friendly and welcoming. A really special meal in a lovely place.

We booked a table for lunch even though you don’t always have to, We were kindly shown our table & orders were taken for drinks, I ordered our usual favourite bottle of white wine picpoul de pinett, We then ordered calamari, scallops & mussels for starters,,Followed by Mediterranean fish stew, Every element of the menu was perfectly cooked to perfection &!the scallops were the best I’ve ever had, We ordered more calamari as it’s so delicious, So along with the good wine, wonderful staff that totally execute attention to detail & the most amazing food & great menu, We could eat here every day if that was possible, So thank you again for a wonderful afternoon, & we will be back to see you as soon as we can , Hope the season picks up for you because this place is a real little gem,

On a Road Trip thro Devon and we stumbled on this amazing restaurant! I started with super fresh mussels in a creamy sauce with fresh bread - some of the best I’ve ever had. My friend had the special fresh mackerel starter which he described as ‘excellent’. He moved onto the Mediterranean stew (mussels, prawns, scallops and white fish) which could have easily fed both of us! I had the fresh crab served in the shell - again superb! It came with a dip, coleslaw and slices of fresh bread. Fabulous! I tried the New Zealand Sauvignon blanc with the starter and a recommended wine with the mains (Piquepoul i think). Both excellent! Don’t recall the names of the warm, friendly and helpful ladies: owner (husband the chef) & friend. Made for a great and memorable lunch. Thank you to all, we’ll be back.

Visited this restaurant recently after my best friend and his parents highly recommended it I was very impressed friendly staff and the food was fantastic . They have a nice choice of food not just fish I co run a shop around the corner from the restaurant so unfortunately won’t be able to visit to often as it’s open in the day time But l will definitely be recommending take thyme restaurant to visitors and locals .

Fabulous fish and chips, really fresh & tasty batter. A busy restaurant, so advise booking, very welcoming with a good selection of drinks.

Great little family ran seafood restaurant. Fresh mackerel starter,fish stew mains,both top notch.staff are owners and are lovely people.wish I lived nearby

Everyone at our table rate our food exceptional! Seafood chowder, amazing fish and chips, best ever, mussels really scrumptious

Whitebait as a starter and then seafood chowder and the Mediterranean fish stew. Had to really try hard to eat it slowly as it was so delicious.

Spending a long weekend from Norfolk with friends in Ilfracombe. They booked for a late lunch at Take Thyme and we arrived to a lovely welcome and I must say that the starter the main course and desert were all totally amazing in such a perfect atmosphere. I am lucky enough to have travelled the world and in all countries I am always searching for good creative fish restaurants…….Take Thyme is right there at the top. A chef that knows and understands the preparation and cooking of a mostly delicate food. Can’t wait to return sometime mid summer. Thank you so much to a great husband and wife team.

We went here for lunch today, and was very impressed! I ordered a fish and chips and there was a very nice piece of fish (unlike some places!) the building itself is beautiful and really fitting for a beach café

My wife and I sat outside on a nice autumn early afternoon and were treated to a superb lunch.The mussels my wife had were not only enormous and succulent but clean as a whistle in a top mariniere sauce. I had a fantastic fish stew.The waitress was called Paula I think and was super friendly and helpful and fun.

Fantastic visit, super fun drink and service. A real diamond of a place hidden away. I would recommend a visit at any point in the year

Strolled past this hidden gem then came back and a good job I did. Lovely lady serving, happy and friendly, local seafood and all food home cooked. Local beer too boot. Whitebait was lovely but the seafood chowder was exceptional, full of mussels and local fish. Must visit again.

Lovely little seafood restaurant in the heart of Ilfracombe. All dishes well presented and tasted delicious. The Fowey mussels were amazing. Attentive waitress...couldn't recommend more highly.

Although the restaurant was inundated on the lunchtime we were there, the staff worked hard to fulfill their orders quickly. I had the Mediterranean fish stew and it was delicious. Friendly staff too.

Amazing little place, great food, very friendly team who were great with small people, literally nothing was too much trouble…. Even a fussy child!! Thank you

Customer service intimate, friendly and hospitable, mussels cooked perfectly, great atmosphere, and can't wait to go back! Thank u!

This restaurant was good last year and great this year. Everything was right, from a lovely atmosphere to great fresh seafood really well cooked, and served by really helpful and friendly staff. You get the impression they are having as much fun serving you as you are eating the delicious food. The only problem I had was that I could have happily had every dish on the menu. Shame really, just means I have to come back next year!!!

Best scallops I’ve ever had accompanied by excellent friendly service. Lobster and homemade rhubarb & apple crumble. Gezellig en lekker!

This is only a small restaurant, café sized really, but what fabulous food. The owners are a couple who are apparently the (highly talented) chefs whilst front of house are two lovely, funny and very efficient ladies. We shared a dish of olives and a plate of scallops, then had mussels in a creamy sauce and fish stew. We wanted pudding but the generous helpings made that impossible! Everything was precisely spiced and delicious. All the produce (well, apart from the olives!) is locally sourced, the fish landed yards away earlier that day. It may be on the menu, but if it wasn't caught, it isn't cooked. Oh and a Bellini and a Combe Cooler added a little something to the lunch.

Great food, great service. Couldn't have asked for more. The people working there were so friendly and made our experience very enjoyable

Thanks Tara and team for a wonderful (late) lunch on 1 Aug. 4 of us had scallops, seafood chowder and Mediterranean fish stew for starters followed by mussels and dressed crab for mains. The bread rolls that came along went well to soak up the gravy! Service was attentive and friendly. Highly recommended.

What a beautiful little find! Don't go anywhere near the front for your food, this place is sublime and the quality of the fish and food is second to none. I really wanted fish and chips, simple as and say this place on the way back to the carpark, had to stop and eat and so glad we did. The quality of food was amazing, locally sourced, great presentation and service impeccable. Also stocks local beers/ales in bottle to support local breweries, a total winner.

Awesome lunch, super fresh seafood - lobster 🦞 was great & our teenager son even demolished a bowl of mussels. Staff super welcoming, couldn’t have wished for a better end to our (rainy) holiday! 😉 x

We've visited this fish and sea food restaurant on several occasions whilst on holiday in this area. The food is always fresh and delicious and generous sized portions. I had the whitebait starter and lobster with potatoes and salad for my main. The lobster here is always a good size, fresh and cooked superbly. My wife plumped for the cod and prawn fishcake starter followed by succulent fresh seabass baked in a parcel for her main. It was all delicious. We washed this down with a good Sauvignon blanc chosen from the extensive wine list. The resteraunt has a good "feel" and ambience, great service and you are made to feel welcome. The desserts are all homemade too, the rhubarb and plum crumble with custard is fantastic. 😁

Excellent food & lovley staff! in a great location, I highly recomend this place to all sea food lovers

Great place with amazing service. The food was delicious, especially the chowder. Also extremely accommodating for our baby.

A beautiful day, my last of two in Ilfracombe, so what better than a relaxing two course fish lunch? I had the local Scallops to start and Lobster half (special of the day) as the main course with a nice glass of Zinfandel Rosé. The scallops were perfectly cooked, and the dressed lobster beautifully presented. Having only ever had lobster tails before, my trepidation about how to get the meat out the claws proved unfounded despite being presented with cutlery that made me think I was attempting surgery of some kind! Only open between 12 & 4, this restaurant is a little gem and well worth a visit.

Fantastic food and friendly staff

Trafiliśmy tam przeglądając mapy Googla. Polecam zabookować stolik z wyprzedzeniem. Jedzenie jest przepyszne. Najlepiej przyżądzone małże, jakie jadłam. Jedna opcja vege, ale zdecydowanie warta zainteresowania. Świeta, przyjazna i pomocna obsługa. Jeśli będę miała okazję, wrócę.

We had been looking for a good fish restaurant to go to. I read the reviews for Take Thyme fish restaurant. The restaurant came up to all the wonderful reviews and more. I had half a Lundy Island Lobster best I had, the owner even gave me tips of how to get at every bit of meat, delicious. My husband had the dressed local crab he really enjoyed it. The atmosphere and friendly service made the whole experience very special. Thanks Take Thyme.

So we pleased we got to eat on this restaurant. The staff were lovely and friendly. Food was gorgeous. I had lobster that was caught that morning and came off/out of the shell so easily. I had the frozen st Clement gin which was amazing A thoroughly enjoyable experience

Fantastic food, shame it's not open for longer

A fantastic spot for a delicious lunch. The service was outstanding and the flavours were second to none. Amongst us we had the mussels, dressed crab & Mediterranean stew couldn’t fault a single thing. Would highly recommend.

Me and my husband visited this lovely Lobster and fish restaurant yesterday. We arrived to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary and found this little gem. Both ladies serving us were lovely and couldn't do enough for us. Moved a table into the sunshine for us and we're so friendly and funny. The lobster was out of this world and my husband really enjoyed the fish and chips. The drinks were gorgeous too! We will definitely return when we come back to Devon and I would 1000000% recommend to anyone visiting Ilfracombe.

It's a good place and the food is delicious.

We chose Take Thyme because of it's great reviews and it certainly lived up to our expectations - excellent fresh fish, beautifully cooked and a lovely rose wine to drink with it. If you're paying Ilfracombe a short visit - like we were, sailing on the paddle steamer 'Waverley' - Take Thyme is the perfect place for lunch!

We came over from Wales on the Waverley and had a Wonderfull lunch. Lobster and crab really fresh, superb mussels and sea bass.Perfectly chilled wine.Freindly and efficient service.Also very reasonably priced for the quality. Well worth the trip!

Absolutely 1st class lunchtime experience...from the minute we entered the restaurant we knew it was going to be good...and it turned out to be extremely good !!!! Fabulous friendly service...fresh wonderful seafood ... wonderful from start to finish ...don't miss this fab restaurant if you visit Ilfracombe.....you will love it ......

Amazing service, even better food. Everything was so fresh and caught that day! 10/10 for everything.

Lovely lunch whilst visiting Ilfracombe, we both had lobster then other half had a crumble and I had the sticky toffee pudding. Food delicious, and fab service. Would totally recommend and whilst not ‘cheap’, for fresh fish, in a harbour town with a friendly feel, a pretty responsible price point for a tasty lunch ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A really relaxed restaurant, fabulous fresh local fish served. Great friendly staff. Just a shame it's not open in the evenings, but worth changing your plans to eat here during the day!

Take Thyme is a fantastic place in lovely Ilfracombe. Excellent fresh seafood from the area served competently by Trish, a highly satisfying experience you shouldn't miss.

First time for lunch at this lovely little restaurant specialising in seafood. Very friendly welcome from the ladies there and the food was amazing. We were spoilt for choice, I had the scallops to start & they were just marvellous & seared to perfection. The seafood stew main course was equally as good and the apple & rhubarb crumble to follow …. well !!! All washed with a beautiful bottle of Chenin Blanc. We had one of the best lunches ever and we are so pleased that we found this place. Thank you & we’ll be back.

Really special spot. Not to be missed. Fish and chips are huge. Sea bass also excellent

We booked the restaurant at short notice for A Saturday lunch for eight, having gone past it on an early morning walk. Wonderful welcome when we arrived and wonderful assistance given to the member of our party in a wheel chair. We soon realised as...

Had a lovely lunch. Food excellent and service was amazing. A real treasure of a place and highly recommend

Stopped on a whim on a pleasant but windy day, no reservation and had the dogs so we’re offered a table outside. Staff super pleasant and attentive, advised the table sheltered from the wind. Had a glass of wine, a Mediterranean fish stew and a...

Unfortunately unable to comment on the food as on arrival 5 minutes before our reservation (which they phoned to confirm 2 hours prior) we were told they had given our table to someone else who “desperately wanted a table” and would it be ok if...

The restaurant is only open for lunch now. A slow late lunch suited us perfectly. We had the hake ( a special) and the fish stew follwed by rhubard and pear crumble. The food was simply excellent. Everything had a home cooked feel.. it was...

Amazing food , so fresh and truly inspiring me to eat more fish! Worth travelling for 4 hours to try. Definitely be back.

Great food-amazing fish and chips and fish chowder!

Excellent food and wonderful service. There were two of us for lunch - one in a wheelchair, which was handled very well. This is an unpretentious place serving fabulous locally caught fish in a friendly atmosphere. Highly recommend

Fantastic lunch - locally sourced combined with friendly and efficient service. Highly recommend…….

Myself and my partner had 2 meals on seperate daye as it was amazing. Great food and great service. Would definitely recommend when visiting Ilfracombe

Reminded me of small restaurants in France. Good ingredients, cooked simply and well. Nice, friendly service. I arrived without booking with my two daughters for a very late lunch, had a warm greeting and they squeezed us in. The place was full of people clearly...

Went there with my family to eat last week. We all had different things and tasted each others. Everything tasted delicious. I had the Fowey mussels with bacon and cider, they were divine and cooked to perfection. The waiting staff and very helpful and friendly....

This is a restaurant where the food is the star. The service is good; it's not silver service but the waiting staff are charming and knowledgeable. They clearly take pride in the food they present. My partner and I had grilled sardines with lemon and...

We were really lucky to get a table for lunch especially as we hadn't booked ahead. We found the service really good and the lady who served us was really nice. The food was lovely and if we were in the area longer we would...

Delicious! Great lobster caught that morning and homemade cheesecake

We booked a table whilst on our holiday and what an amazing meal it was!! The food was delicious, the service outstanding and drinks were spot on. if you are on holiday in Ilfracombe and love seafood then you must try and book a table...

Rang early morning to book but couldn't get through so tried to leave a message but lost my signal so gave up. An hour later a pleasant lady called me back because she recieved half a message and assuming I still wanted to book fitted us into a cancelled booking which was the only table available on that day. My wife and I were so glad they did, we had a fantastic meal. I had scollops followed by lobster which were fantastically fresh and delicious and my wife thoroughly enjoyed her cornish megrime sole which was as big as her plate and cooked to perfection. The staff were engaging and fun, the ambience was great and the food was fantastic. We can't wait to get back. 😁

We ate here 2 days running, we ate calamari, fish stew, scallops, lobster, megrim sole and other delicious fish. Good picpoul. Service was outstanding and very friendly. Not cheap but the quality and service made it a very welcome place to find.

Great meal made even better by wonderful staff who were attentive and friendly. They were brilliant with our 3 year old…very kind and helpful, we attended without reservations and the staff rearranged tables outside to seat us, and made us very welcome. The food was...

We had late lunch after a trip out to sea on a Rib and it was the best meal and service we had all week. The restaurant is very clean and tastefully decorated and has a lovely atmosphere. The staff are very friendly and welcoming...

We really enjoyed our lunch here, we both had the Sea Bass which was cooked perfectly, we wanted to find a nice restaurant serving fish as we were visiting a harbour town and this one did not disappoint. Lovely atmosphere and a friendly and efficient...

Good nice food - not cheap but good quality. Service slow & lax. Asked to see dessert menu and 15mins later still waiting. Might just be Devon time cos as we left, commented on ‘why everyone needs to rush’ lol. Anyway would not rush back...

Really enjoyed our lunch here. Both the starters were perfectly done with a very light batter: whitebait and salt and pepper squid, which we shared between four. For the main course, two of our party ordered lobster (you have to do this in advance) and...

Our third tyme here and we've loved it every time we've come. We last came just before we had children, this time we bought them aswell. My daughter was determined she was going to have a lobster...and she did. Staff/owners are lovely people and when you eat there you genuinely feel like other diners are you friends along for the adventure. BOOK AHEAD!!

Fantastyczne doznania smakowe. Bardzo duzy wybor owocow morza, wszystko z codziennych polowow. Bardzo mila atmosfera w lokalu, personel caly czas okazuje zainteresowanie klientem. Dla pewnosci najlepiej zarezerwowac stolik. Polecam.