The Black Venus in North Devon

Very welcoming pub, we felt at ease as soon as we walked through the door. The staff were so attentive and helpful, nothing was too much trouble! Will be returning at some point in the future! Highly recommend!!

Food was as good as I remembered it, excellent service and bustling.

Staff very friendly, a warm welcome into a packed pub, always a good sign. Good variety of drinks, 3 Exmoor ales on, an expensive menu, sometimes this can put me off but the food here is superb. We had ribeye and lamb curry. Both excellent, curry without rice but with salad/naan was a welcome change too! Staff could not have been more helpful, very attentive and brought water for our dog. All in all could not recommend black venus enough.

Wonderful friendly pub, great service with excellent food. Mouthwatering flavours. Will definitely be back, thank you 👌

A beautiful old pub, family-run and very friendly. Delicious food and a lovely atmosphere. We have visited The Black Venus several times and it never disappoints. Good portions, freshly cooked and very tasty!

Wow! What great food soo much to choose from Food stayed hot the whole time eating Great friendly staff Warm welcoming environment Will definitely book to go again You will not be disappointed

Stylish pub!! Very nice lady running it

Just incredible! We had a 3 course valentines lunch and could not fault a thing! So full and happy! Absolutely delicious! Thank you so much and will definitely be returning soon!

Recommended the Black Venus by neighbours. Easy parking opposite although, due to the weather, very muddy. Acknowledged as soon as we went in, but waited a while as the one FOH person was busy. All tables sat but a relaxed atmosphere. A very extensive menu, which made choosing a challenge. Our starters of garlic mushrooms, £8 and the prawn & trout tower, £9 were just delicious and beautifully presented. Our main courses, lamb curry, £19 and the 'Exmoor Beast' at £19.50 were equally as good. Great flavours, good portions, nice and hot. It was a pleasant change to enjoy a curry with salad instead of rice, not so filling. Finishing off with a strawberry meringue, clotted cream and ice cream at £8, it made a perfect end to a perfect lunch. A bill of £78.50 which included 3 pints of guest ale, £5 a pint, we thought, was quite reasonable. Looking at the wine list, averaging £7-8 for a glass, would bump a bill up considerably. A friendly farewell as we left. Given the time of year and miserable weather, it's an ideal place to go for great food, roaring fires and cosiness. When the tourists are a plenty, I would imagine it'd be a struggle to park and get a table, so I'd highly recommend booking ahead. Thank you Black Venus, we really enjoyed our visit today 14.02.24.

Once again, a fabulous visit to the Venus. Food is always top notch. Wish we lived closer

Amazing food as always. We visit the area twice yearly and always visit the Venus, as usual it didn't disappoint. Food is always spot on, really can't fault a single thing. Best food ever!! If I'd make one comment, and that's I wish they'd change the menu slightly as it doesn't seem to have changed in the three years we've been coming. Can highly recommend the Duo of Duck 😋

Great food ,very friendly owners will be going again..

Excellent home cooked food. Swift, accurate staff. Busy yet organized, polite Team.

Beautiful old pub. Lovely staff, great ales on tap and fantastic local produce on the menu. Family friendly. Would come again.

Wow! Amazing food, lovely service and cozy pub. I had the duck and I think it’s the best pub food I’ve had. Two boys had the sirloin and again it was cooked to perfection. Thank you!

Absolutely amazing evening here. Great food and service with an acceptable Rioja. 👌

Great food and variety and lovely friendly atmosphere in a good old Exmoor Pub. All staff very welcoming and attentive and food great and at reasonable price.

Amazing food and service, one of the best places to eat in this area, highly reccomended, and dog friendly

Once again a lovely meal, prawn and trout tower, and venison pie superb with good cask ales.

Been here many times so the Venus was an assured go to. Sadly our family birthday lunch of 10, was pretty miserable today. There was a Christmas menu on but no crackers on the table, OK I can get past that even though the menu was pricey and we are 7 days away from Christmas. Music bass was loud and faulty so sounded like a boy racer had rocked up outside. Quite a few patrons looked unimpressed. Staff looked like they didn't want to be there no one was really that attentive. No one came up to ask us if our meals were alright. What I can't do is get over is how shocking our roast meal was. The veg was disgusting. Some of us had roast beef - just a slice and a bit roast beef. The only nice bit was the 2 roast potatoes on my plate. Not a hearty delicious feast we have enjoyed here for many years. A pathetic offering sadly, for which I could also pass by and never return however for £17.00 for a roast beef in comparison to other pub roasts around, we felt ripped off and were pretty annoyed. Thankfully we just ordered a main. As it was a birthday we kept a low profile on this so as not to end on a negative. But you've just lost a few customers for being so greedy.

Great food, great staff, great atmosphere.

Lovely place to go for a fabulous meal

First class food and service. We will be back again ...... and again.

Stopped for light lunch. It was delicious...but had to wait a while. Lovely pub in fantastic setting.

Went for a roast lunch. Delicious food, good service and a lovely location.

Amazing food and so welcoming. We were a large table of 10 and the food was perfect. Love the atmosphere-full of happy locals.

Very very good and obviously popular. We would go again!

Lovely meal out. Soup was delicious as was the steak. Friendly service and atmosphere.

Lovely venue, friendly staff. Prices higher than I like paying, but the food was really nice and good portion sizes.

This place is amazing, we came as a big group whilst on holiday and they took us in their stride. All the food was amazing, beers and ciders were tasty and the server was friendly and never too far away. Couldn't recommend this place enough, a great little cosy pub with a car park over the road. Meant to take a picture of the meals but it was so tasty I only managed an empty plate. There were 15 of us on our booking and every single plate went back empty 👌

What an experience! Lovely cosey country pub. Service was great. Food was just unreal. We had the scallops to start and both had duo of duck for main which was just amazing. For dessert we had baileys cheesecake and the brownie and couldn't fault a thing. Best food we've had in a very very long time! We are local to North Devon and will 100% be back again bringing our family.

Great food. We had excellent starters: scallops and prawn tower. The mains polished it off nicely. The duck duo was as good as duck I’ve had anywhere. Happy to recommend

Very nice, reasonably priced food in a lovely countryside pub. Well stocked bar and friendly staff. Booking for a Friday or Saturday night is essential.

Delicious meal with my family, staff were very friendly, lovely atmosphere. Had a very tasty chicken pie - only improvement could have had more chips! Would recommend.

Absolutely fabulous experience A very busy pub serving excellent food. Great menu, good portions and family & dog friendly. Great atmosphere and friendly staff

Food was really nice, not alot of selection but the food was nice...

We came here as a group of 9 and it was superb. The chips were honestly the best chips we have had! We had a range of dishes and each one was delicious. Some of us had starters and desserts and they were also delicious. Very generous portion sizes and we would definitely return if we were in the are. It really was outstanding.

Booked a table for lunch without knowing anything about the pub. Great decision. Food was outstanding. Drinks were also excellent. Pub was busy but staff were very nice. More expensive than your typical pub but well worth it. Highly recommended.

Absolutely fantastic. We’ve known the Black Venus for many years and the standard and service are as high as they’ve ever been. Will be calling back again, soon. Over 30 guests in for Friday lunch. All well served

I had duck pate and ribeye steak which were absolutely gorgeous! The coffee was delicious too. Staff were friendly and attentive. I will definitely come back.

Outstanding food, lovely staff, beautiful old pub. Soo happy I found it! The home made chicken pie and steak mains were superb, and soo nice to have good wine at a pub too. Who knew chips could be to die for. Will be back to try more, especially the desserts. Thank you

Great friendly service and food. Nice place for a drink or meal out.

A favourite, excellent food, good choice from a varied menu at sensible prices.

Must visit, incredible food, dog friendly, wish we had booked in advance as the menu was terrific we would have gone back every day.

We stayed in the village and The Black Venus was our ‘local’. It catered for our large party complete with dogs. The quality of the food was consistently high and appealed to all ages in the group. We frequented the restaurant a few times…

Staying close by, we booked for Sunday lunch. Glad we did as they could only just fit us in. This small pub is a little gem. Full of character, it was bustling and busy. We were immediately welcomed and shown to our table. The menu has a good range of classics. The roast pork was excellent and very generous portions. Delicious! Highly recommend.

Our Go To pub in this area, it's a must! Very dog friendly.

Superb food and service. Highlight of our holiday

The food & service was fabulous!

A great pub, we booked as last time they were full. Well worth it food was fresh and the ribeye steak I had was so tasty and tender. We had two dogs with us and they were well looked after. A must if you are in the area.

The food here is absolutely incredible! We’ve had two meals here in two days as we just had to come back (unfortunately we discovered this gem at the end of our holiday)! The staff are friendly and attentive, and it’s got that really authentic old English pub vibe. Genuinely some of the best food we’ve ever eaten. Can highly recommend the crab (bruschetta starter and dressed crab main), the mussels, the steak was delicious, and the meringue and crème brûlée were also winners!

Managed to book when passing fabulous menu something for everybody will be back Much enjoyed meal and dog friendly pub

I actually think this is the best dinner out I've ever had, ever! I've eaten at Michelin stared places snd the best reataurant in Barbados, but this beat the lot. I'm I'm love with lioveage sauce. Now I can't come back till next year. How sad am I.

Our visit this evening was too good to not leave a review, just wish we had eaten here sooner!!! We have passed many times and stopped for drinks but tonight we came for food and it was fantastic!! Portions were spot on and the quality of the food was amazing. So well put together and cooked to perfection. Lovely relaxed atmosphere but efficient and very friendly staff. We will definitely be adding this to the top of the list of places to eat. Recommend entirely

Besides the hard to read menu, it was genuinely the best meal we've had.

Absolutely stunning 3 course meal with wine

Great food, good portion size, good value for money.

Went with wife and cousins had 4 lovely meals thank you

Have visited before & menu has changed since last visit which was great, maybe more comprehensive. Terminally ill father had been off his food but cleared his plates here such was the quality. Consistently good & will continue to visit when in the area.

This was our fourth visit to the Black Venus with extended family. On every occasion, everyone has thoroughly enjoyed their meal. The food is carefully prepared and thoughtfully presented. All the staff are very obliging. Great chef! Thank you. Will certainly return!

First time visiting...was recommended by the b&b we stayed at. Turned out to be an absolute gem....best meal of the weekend! Great good, helpful staff and lovely location.

What a wonderful pub. A rare treat to find an untouched, classic village pub with amazing food. The pub will make you feel you’ve wondered into the local, getting a taste for that proper Devon country feel, friendly smiles, local ales and plenty of atmosphere. The menu has your classic pub dishes and well curated dishes celebrating seasonal, local produce. From experience when you see dishes that are more technical you could question what you’ll be served. But wow when the dishes were placed down you would think you were in an upmarket pub in any big city. My husband had the duck and it was plated very well, blushing duck breast and crispy shredded duck, lovely crisp kale and bright juicy cherry’s. I had the mussels which were plump and full, all cooked well and the white wine sauce they were in was perfectly light but creamy and well seasoned. The chips are not to be missed, like crispy roast potatoes in chip format. Last but not least the crème brûlée for dessert was perfect. The burnt sugar creating the crispest cracking top to reveal the smoothest crème only just set. The staff where so lovely and welcoming, very very good with children.

Celebrating my brothers birthday Great meal , lots of choice , big portions , nice and hot Good friendly service

Another amazing meal at The Black Venus. We visit every year, and it never disappoints. Steaks were cooked to perfection. One of the best eateries in Exmoor. Thanks to all the chefs and staff for a wonderful visit. We will see you again on our...

Two visits in two days, once as a couple with dog, and once with adult family (5 of us) and dog...great experience...really friendly, cozy pub, and lots of wows (not just us) when food appeared...looked fantastic and tasted the same...dog friendly...a real gem worth the...

My Duck two ways was great!We all had an enjoyable time and good meals to celebrate my brother’s 60th birthday

We had a fabulous Sunday lunch here whilst we were in Devon. A very busy and popular place and I can see why. A warm and friendly welcome as we arrived. We had mussels to start and they were fabulous. Then we went for the...

Excellent delicious food. Can thoroughly recommend dining here. The food was beautifully cooked & piping hot. The staff were friendly and helpful .. Had a fantastic evening here, will definitely go back 10/10

Lovely atmosphere nice staff all in all a great experience had duck my partner had gammon the duck had a cherry sauce it was probably the best duck I have ever tasted the gammon was great also

Booked table & was so pleased we did. Pleasant pub great decor & pleasant staff. Menu is great lots of choice. Soup & crab for starters really tasty chicken & beef pies for main. Really tasty great portions. Shared spicy peach crumble. Fantastic food great...

A birthday celebration with elderly parents . Was fantastic from the moment we were welcomed at the door . Great menu and choice . We had gone specifically as we had heard it was good for fish . We were not disappointed. The mussels were...

What a stunning Gastro pub The staff were amazing The food was superb - we loved the starter, steak salad and the brownie well just wow Beautiful setting Highly recommend

We are real foodies, whats more, we have 2 x gluten free people. We basically stayed in 2022 in Challacombe and came 2-3 times to The Black Venus last year. Well impressed. This year we returned but we got our priorities right and booked for...

What an amazing place! Sadly I couldn’t eat there as we had driven too far and little one didn’t want to go back in the car, so even though they were crazy busy they still did a takeaway for us. I had the chicken curry...

What a fantastic recommendation this pub was. The Black Venus is a charming pub with a fantastic food service. We came here for lunch accompanied by our 3 dogs. The service was brilliant but the food was out of this world and so much of...

Fantastic food, really good and friendly service. Would definitely recommend the tagliatelle with goats cheese! Will visit again if we’re in the area

Great last minute find (lucky we called ahead to book a table). They were very accommodating to our toddler and 2 dogs. The menu was large and varied and the food was delicious. Would highly recommend!

Great country pub and restaurant. We have been here lots of times, great main courses and deserts. If you have something on the menu you would like with extra, or a change of veg or salad the staff will usually sort it out you. Now...

An amazing meal had the steak it was the best I have ever had. Can't wait to go back and try something else on the menu. The chips were light and fluffy best ever. All staff are very attentive couldn't ask for more.

What a Gem. Friendly welcome and a loveley atmosphere. We had our dog with us we had plenty of room for him. We were there for Sunday Lunch. Fabulous food. Generous portions. Veg cooked perfectly. As a bonus they also serve a good pint. We're...

Great food and service despite us being very late. Many thanks. Lucky locals. Amazingly long menu too.

Visited with a friend for Sunday lunch, had to ring and book a table a few days beforehand as this fabulous pub is always busy. My first time there but it won’t be my last. The staff/hosts were really lovely and the food was superb....

Good food and friendly service. The chips are to die for! All tables were occupied while we were there; you definately need to book well in advance.

Went here as part of a monthly lunch group and this is by far the best meal out we have had this year. All the food was freshly cooked and very well presented. Desserts were to die for with really interesting flavour combinations. Service was...

We went to the black Venus on a local recommendation. The food we found was excellent. Everyone had something different and was delighted with both starters mains and desert. Our experience was slightly let down by very poor service. We waited about 50 minutes for...

Always amazing. The food is absolutely delicious, well presented and amazing value for money. The staff are attentive. Dog friendly too.

We met at the pub as a table of 6 for lunch. The food was fresh, locally produced and cooked to perfection. We also had excellent service.

Fantastic pub off the beaten track but well worth the visit. Make sure to book. Service excellent and very friendly from the ladies. Food was delicious, home made venison Ragu , tasty curry and beef and ale pies. Great wine choice and great value. Best...

We were holidaying in the area and had the pub mentioned by our hosts in passing on day 1. Toward the end of the week, having forgotten to book a meal for our last night, we called to see if they could squeeze us in....

Been twice in 2 weeks as it’s so good. Last night was just amazing. Lovely atmosphere. Rammed! Which makes a change to most of the pubs at the moment. I had the duck. Honestly, was the best thing I’d eaten since the last time I...

It's not very often I leave reviews on pubs in the UK, but the Black Venus is something very special that you don't often find nowadays, a pub that prides itself on great customer service and amazing food. We where staying fairly local to the...

This restaurant is incredible - and it books up early! Friendly, warm, welcoming and delicious. Everything was amazing - all I can say is that we will be back!

Wow what a little gem.... have already booked again. The chips were like little crispy roast spuds chips, the burger and ham chicken leak pie were outstanding.... all at reasonable rates. Can't wait to ho again. You need to book ahead as they are always...

What gem to find, lovely space, a bright welcome and very attentive staff. They couldn’t do enough for us, the chief even tailored my meal to accommodate my allergy requirements. Superb fresh food all at a very reasonable price. We will be back, many times...

Be sure to book early as I didn’t! Luckily we turned up early and managed to get a table in the pool room. Had a fantastic meal, I had duck egg scotch egg in black pudding followed by Mussels and my wife had the gammon.

Food was absolutely delicious, it was very busy, but the food still came out on time and piping hot. Staff were friendly and attentive. Would definitely visit again and don’t know why we haven’t in a long time, it’s well worth the 30/40 minute drive.

We visited here yesterday after it was recommended by friends. Fantastic food, good quality well presented and delicious! Great choice of options, including veggie and vegan options. The staff were really friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The place itself is so lovely and...

A family lunch for five with a two year old. Once again marvellous and restful. The food was really good and the service was 100%. At this pub one is made to feel very welcome and nothing you ask for is too much trouble. We...

What could they do better? Nothing. First rate food, ale, Wine List, ambience and service. Genuinely superb. Deserves 5 stars!

This was a recommendation from a friend of a friend as we were a large family group of 15 people who wanted to get together. The service was out of this world and the food was amazing. The portion size were if anything on the...