The Blue Ball Inn Restaurant in East Devon

After a Sunday stroll through Sidmouth we decided to visit the Blue Ball for lunch, lovely country style pub, we were seated and our order was taken ... I had the Korean burger which was tasty but the burger is on the small side with a equally small bowl (ramekin) of chips, my wife had mushroom veggie pie which she enjoyed and my mate had the pork roast .. small niggle they both said the vegetables and potatoes had been kept warm for a bit to long ... His wife had the schnitzel which she liked. I can appreciate that there not going throw out veg but maybe replenish it a bit more often, I had the crumble for desert.bit disappointing the crumble was quite claggy..I'm guessing it's not made in the premises. I mean this review in constructive way.

Visited some friends for Christmas and our friends had booked us all in at the Blue Ball for Christmas Dinner... it was excellent , the staff couldn't do enough for us. They were all very friendly and polite, the service was fantastic and the food was even better! Had a lovely time and would highly recommend. Will definitely be going again when we next visit.

Went there for Boxing day lunch.The food was excellent,and the service was great.Can't fault this pub for ambiance,service and quality food. Top marks.

Had dinner with all family to celebrate my birthday. The food was first class as was the service. Will certainly come back again and would highly recommend them.

We passed by on a walk to Sidmouth at Sunday lunchtime. Although they were busy we were squeezed in and served an excellent Sunday lunch. We had the roast chicken and pork belly. Both super tasty, veg plentiful and well cooked. Great opportunistic find!

Had the last two nights here including breakfast and evening meal. I couldn't fault it. Food very good and staff excellent. Sometimes when you travel alone the service you receive drops a little, not here all the staff were attentive and friendly with a great atmosphere fully deserves five stars!

Visited this lovely pub/restaurant a number of times but the last 2 times the same Waiter has got the order wrong. We asked for 2 burgers with no sauce, this arrived however filled with some sort of Chutney ....not on menu. The portions are getting a little bit small especially when it arrives and half the plate is empty. I actually was a bit hungry when I left.

We ate at this lovely pub 3 times. Beautiful food and the young team of staff were so lovely. They looked like they enjoy working there (which is unusual!). The roast dinner is one of the best we've ever had. Will definitely be back. We live 2 hours away, so probably stay over for the weekend. A really great place. Thank you.

We were really disappointed in the lunch time meal today. £12 for meal & a drink, although we paid an extra £3 each for the beef open sandwich. The portions were meagre, the sour dough bread was so hard we couldn't cut it. The beef was only luke warm. The chips were nice. Nobody came to ask us if our meal was ok until the waiter cleared away our plates. I explained to him the above, but he just said sorry about that. He asked if we wanted any desserts, I replied maybe a 'free' one due to our complaints, but no such luck !! I then paid & said how disappointed we were with our meal, a mumbled apology, so hence we probably won't be eating there again. Such a shame as its a lovely pub, & we've eaten there many times in the past.

This is our 3rd visit to the Blue Ball Inn. We were certainly not disappointed. We stayed for 3 nights. Extremely comfortable accommodation. Excellent food, very friendly and welcoming staff. Amazing menu, so much choice. Thank you Vicki, Jason and team. Look forward to seeing you again soon. The Hamiltons.

Delicious food. We found this pub on the way back from Crealy. There was plenty of choice including a wide selection of sides, starters and sides. They also cater for children too. It's so refreshing to get a pub/restaurant that does good quality food and also serves children! I had the steak whilst my husband had the venison sausages and mash. Both meals were well portioned and tasted amazing. The chips are so crisp but fluffy, went down well for our son. Sounded like they had recently done a refurb and the new extension looked stunning. Great place for an occasion

So firstly Sunday lunch and desserts were fabulous. The pub is great, with plenty of space, and as a visitor I really liked it Sadly, the service for drinks was soooo slow, I wouldn’t get drunk. Eventually after being poured they sat on the bar for another 10 minutes. After our fabulous lunch, the dirty plates sat on our table for about 15-20 minutes. The group on the table next to us asked 4 times and must have waited half an hour before their tables was cleared, they were polite but not impressed but like us it didn’t put us off ordering dessert. We ordered another half pint, the young lad serving asked 3 times how long would it be…. Even he couldn’t believe it took so long to pull a half. And no it wasn’t that busy, it was quiet by then. It could be said ‘well they were busy’ but it was towards the end of the lunch service so it was quietening down. There were members of staff going backwards and forwards laying up tables but ignoring the fact our table was full of dirty plates and we wanted to order dessert, next table too. Although the young staff were very polite, the one young girl who served us kept looking at the till and doing very little, perhaps she was hoping someone would do her job and clear the table. Eventually that was the case. Look…. The food was fabulous, staff were very polite and friendly, you just won’t win any awards for the speed of service. That has massively let you down. Would I come again, yes I would.

Stopped for early dinner after day out. Burger was ok. Goats cheese tart had way too much caramelised onion, not enough cheese and dressed new potatoes were fridge cold. To overhear a female member of staff say quite loudly in response to another member asking to change a £10 for another customer for two £5’s “not unless they want to leave it for a tip, we are not a bloody bank” is the main reason for the low score. Staff training needs to be a priority!

Never disappointed. This chef knows how to cook. Steak and Ale pie full of flavour and creamy buttery mash. Love eating here when we visit the area. Just be careful crossing the road from the car park.

Had three visits to the Blue Ball since Victoria and Jason took over, very happy each time. However we are disinclined to go again after several friends have had bad service and very small portions for their money on recent visits. Please V&J, don't let things slide as others have done before you. We locals are rooting for you to succeed. As you see I have scored on my past personal experience.

Stopped by chance, for a great pub meal. Lovely friendly staff. Great pub food. Loved the tapas starters we could all share. Onion soup was very sweet and lacking that beefy kick, bar that it was pretty good. Thank you.

Great food wasn’t a long wait enjoyed the experience with my family. Easy to get to and the waiters were very nice. Overall I would recommend it to people I know

Take a loan out for your drinks. £16.00 for a glass of wine and a cider. Absolutely disgusted. Nothing else to say apart from an ordinary pub.

We wanted a venue where we could meet as a group of 8 for a leisurely, tasty meal, on a Saturday afternoon. We chose the Blue Ball, knowing that they have a round table in a segregated area of the restaurant, where we could all talk around the table. It turned out to be an ideal choice, we had starters of tempura vegetables, followed by either steak pies or shepherds pie and we all enjoyed our meals. The staff were attentive, without fuss, and allowed us to remain in our "bubble" all afternoon. Our server, Matt was pleasant and very helpful. All in all, we had a very pleasant experience and a happy get together of friends and family.

What has happened to the Blue Ball? We were there two months ago and the food was excellent. We went in early July and it was truly terrible. Waited 50 minutes to be served. The trout was overcooked and dry, sauted potatoes burnt and the greens were unpleasant. The other meals were as bad if not worse. We rarely, if ever, complain but charging £19.50 for food I wouldn’t serve at home is not on. In fairness they did not charge us for two of the meals. But it still cost £48 for a ruined night out. Will take persuading to return to a pub we have been visiting for over 20 years.

What a turn around we have not been to The Blue Ball for some time due to its lack of consistency. But decided to give the new owners the benefit of the doubt, we were so glad we did, the whole experience was excellent from the welcome to the food and service, all faultless. We shall certainly be returning and soon.

I was with of group of 11 the food was excellent, service really good bar and restaurant staff were friendly and very efficient 5 star and would go back again , maybe not waring pink rugby shirts

Absolutely spectacular food and service was excellent. Staff are amazing, and if you have a dog then there is not a problem with a large seating area outside. Will definitely be returning.

We have used The Blue Ball many times; once recently since it changed hands. This time it was a treat from a friend. We all chose the roast dinner, first being told that the chicken and the vegetarian roast were unavailable because they had been very busy because it was a Bank Holiday weekend!! Surely they should have planned for that? The meat was no more than OK and the vegetables were almost raw. We did not finish them. Only one portion of cauliflower cheese was available. We had to ask for a serving spoon and one dessert spoon was brought. Our host asked for the table to be wiped before the next course but I still had to wipe up gravy with my serviette. Four spoons were just left on the table, not placed in our places and no clean serviettes brought. I asked for decaffenated coffee but was not sure it was . We were very disappointed.

We have owned a second home in Sidmouth for over 20 years so visit local restaurants with friends on a regular basis at certain times of the year. The Blue Ball used to be a favourite of ours but then a succession of owners steadily drove it down hill until we stopped visiting. This month friends of ours stated it was under new ownership and that they had visited and it had been quite good so we decided to give a try on a Friday evening. We received a nice welcome and were shown to a well positioned table. Young waiter arrived promptly with menus and took our drinks order and all appeared good so far. Ordered a bottle of Ocarina Chilean red wine £23 and some glasses of wine for the four of us. Appetisers arrived in good time consisting of goats cheese salads, and salt & chilli calamari. Salads a bit mean for £10 each and calamari not brilliant either but okay. Mains, two of us had cod & chips with mushy peas at £16.50 each. Batter very sticky inside and cod did not taste like fresh cod so a bit disappointing. Mushrooms on sourdough okay but pan fried trout very good at £18.50. Two of us had desserts of sticky toffee pudding and apple & sultana crumble both of which were fine but probably bought in. Our two young waiters saved the day with their level of service and the humour throughout the evening which kept our spirits up during a pretty average dining experience to be honest. No doubt we will probably give it another try after different friends have let us know how they got on, so let us hope the food improves so that we can return to one of our favourite pubs in the past years. Our bill was £160 including wine for four persons so ones expectations should always be achieved.

Went for Sunday Lunch with friend's and it was terrible, the meal was barely warm the vegetables were the cheapest on the market carrots kale and cabbage (one small plate for four of us) and we would have to pay £4 extra if we wanted cauliflower cheese The roast beef was so thin we think it was from a local Supermarket and what is described on the menu as “Proper Gravy”was in limited supply on the plate to say the least, all four of us agreed we will never go again. Cheap and cheerful it is not, expensive for what you get and terrible it certainly is.

Short walk from the Marriott hotel, and recommended for a group meal. The food and drinks were a really good pub standard, but the service and the continuous request for service let it down somewhat.

A group of 13 of us had dinner here and the food and service were absolutely faultless. It's no mean feat to get so many plates of really good and well-presented food out at the same time. We shall definitely be recommending the blue ball and will definitely be returning!

We’ve eaten here on several occasions with friends and family. The staff are pleasant, the food excellent and the surroundings conducive to a pleasant relaxed atmosphere.

Been going here for five years and food and service has always been excellent. Went there today and staff, apart from person in charge, were great. Ordered drinks when we were seated and 15 mins later had to ask where our drinks were. Response was bar person was very busy, no apology. The food was served and my partners veg was off and cold as were her fish. Partners meal was sent back before being asked if she would like it heated up, really? So I ate my meal, as it was hot, on my own, which negates the point of having a meal together. Anyway, when we paid the bill, the person in charge was listening. At this point the person disappeared and left the young server to once again apologize. We did not and were not expecting a discount, only an apology for the meal that was served to my partner. £102 I would rather have given to charity. Have recommended this place to friends and family but never again, not will be be going back there anytime soon.

I visited this restaurant with a friend. We were promptly seated by a server and given menus. Drink orders were also taken fairly quickly. However after that, we waited 10-15 minutes for the waiter to take our orders and then another 45-50 minutes for the food to arrive. When it did, the server had brought the wrong side dish, so that increased the waiting time. Finally, I ordered another drink and it never came until I prompted them 15 minutes later and they gave me a drink on the house. The food itself was tasty, however I think the service was impacted by the small amount of servers available. Shame, as the reviews are good.

Booked Sunday lunch for our large family group with children and dogs the staff were lovely , excellent food ! we had superb roasts with extra gravy without asking plenty of fresh veg highly recommend

Such a wonderful evening, we were lucky enough to sit outside in the garden for our dinner! The whole building is amazing! The garden is huge and I loved the patches throughout the garden for the bees and wild life! Not too expensive and a lovely family pub! The food was amazing! All the staff were incredibly friendly and polite. The best part for us was it being dog friendly and a lively young man made a point to bring over a bowl or water and even a little treat for our dog! We spoke to some locals and learnt about the history of the pub and found out it’s also a spike friendly pub, they have equipment there to test if any drinks have been spiked which I found amazing! I wish all pubs had this equipment! We will definitely be back!

We booked in for Saturday night dinner and had asked if we could stay in their carpark in our Motorhome for the night. Well we were made to feel so welcome. Yes they were very happy for us to stay in the carpark overnight too. We would highly recommend. Our evening meal was delicious and with great service from happy staff. The restaurant was fully booked for the night too. We found out that the owners Vicky and James had only been there 9 weeks - wow they are doing so well. We also booked in for breakfast - again we were not disappointed - delicious We will be back

Excellent! We went for lunch, 6 of us, it was superb! Food was good and service was great! Very reasonably priced as well. Highly recommended.

Excellent lunch. Reasonably priced and very friendly staff. We took advantage of the food and drink offer of £11 and we thought it was an excellent deal. We will definitely be back. Thanks to all.

Friendly staff, very decent food in a pleasant, spacious inn. Would definitely return if/when in the area. Plenty of parking directly opposite.

Indifferent and overpriced beer. The prices here just seem to go up and up. £12.50 now for 2 pints and a bag of crisps!! Went on in to Sidmouth where exactly the same cost £3 less.

Well, where do I start? I pass this place every week, always meaning to pop in. I called up to Book mothers Day, and I spoke to a really nice man who booked us in with no hassle. Bought my mum and the family brilliant service the man with the limp couldn't do enough for us. Staff were so helpful. It was the best family meal we have had for a long time. Nice atmosphere relaxed will definitely go back.

Not so keen on eating out on Mother’s Day but thought I would venture here as the menu looked nice. Staff were pleasant in seating us and reasonably helpful but then after placing our order from a set menu we had to enquire after 50mins what had happened to our order when visibly people that had arrived much later than ourselves were having theirs delivered too the table. As much as we were offered a complimentary it didn’t make up for the lack of communication and organisation that is obviously missing from this pub that once was held in high esteem by many customers that would visit for a meal. Sad to say it has lost its way somewhere over the last few years. Some of the blame has to lie at the feet of the property owners. I can only finish with we saved ourselves £32 a head on a set menu By leaving before we could review the offering that another group of diners had disclosed to us was not all that good.

ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING!!! Don’t waste your hard earned cash, it’s under new ownership and wow what a shame, this once great eating place is an absolute shambles. Booked for Mother’s Day over a week ago. They were advertising a set menu which they couldn’t fulfil when we visited, 5 out of 6 of us couldn’t have a starter as the choices we wanted they’d run out of and the remainders weren’t suitable due to allergies. We asked for alternatives but were point blank told no!! Great customer service NOT!!!’ We decided to leave and go elsewhere so paid for drinks at which point I complained to owner/manager. This man should not be running a public house, he didn’t care that we had booked this for Mother’s Day, he was rude, obnoxious and absolutely vile and screamed in my partner’s face, I was very annoyed and I let him know this, he banned me!!! Anyway, this new ownership would have ruined Mother’s Day, thankfully The Ship at Axmouth came to our rescue, great food, great atmosphere, great value for money and fantastic service.

What a fantastic place not been here for ages, we normally visit when we stay in sidmouth for a few days. It was nice to bring the family to celebrate mothers Day. The service was fantastic. The new owners are so friendly and the pubs atmosphere has changed so much. It's a must to visit. The only thing that let the meal down was a group of customers swearing at staff on the corner table..

Just been to thw blue ball at sidofrd for a pre-booked mothers day dinner. Unfortunately havent had anything to eat because they had run out of their set menu, refused to offer alternatives so we have paid for our drinks and left. We are now going to the ship at axmouth where we know we can enjoy a meal. Had thought we would give the new owners a chance at the blue ball but if this is their attitude to customer service we wkmt be trying again. This was a booking for seven people made some 10 days ago. As booking was for 5:15, a very early meal one wonders what thwy will do to the customers that have later bookings. The waiter tried his best and tried to get alternatives like a prawn cocktail but they did refuse so there is jothing against the waiter as he gave a lovely service.

New management are absolutely disgusting. They’re rude. We booked a mother day meal for 7 people at 5:15pm. There was a set menu for £32. They were out of most of the starters and had no salmon for the main. Half the party couldn’t eat the rest of the starters and they refused to deviate from the menu. When we went and told the management that it’s ridiculous that they’ve run out of most food already and wouldn’t offer any alternative we were shouted at by the new male owner. Absolutely disgusting. If they run out of something they should offer an alternative and considering we booked over a week ago and it was 5:15pm I’m utterly disgusted. So much for new management

We (four) visited the Blue Ball for an evening meal whilst taking a short break in Devon. A little pretentious and slightly overpriced for the quality of food and the level of service.

Service was great, food was terrible. I think the chef may have had the day off. Meat overcooked, roast potatoes soft and we had to send back two meals. Nice pub so hopefully this was just a one off !!

I didn't want to fuss - six of us for birthday lunch. I had pasta (bought in, not fresh) which arrived floating in water with fried tomatoes...the water had oil mixed with it...hmm? I tasted a couple of tortellini and beside being undercooked, there was an overwhelming greasy taste. I gently complained and was offered a drink for free...I declined in favour of not being charged for the meal. I didn't realise until later as someone else paid the bill for subsequent splitting, that I had been charged!Eveyone else had fish n chips...it was all from a freezer! In total it cost 105 quid!

Lovely hotel, good sized, clean and comfortable room, good breakfast, excellent staff, must mention Will who checked us in on arrival and served us our breakfast on each morning, what a lovely member of staff, a real credit to the hotel. He was professional, polite but very friendly and welcoming. Well done Will

Saw the pub in passing and thought we'd try it out. Left standing in the lobby area for 15 mins before 2 women bothered to come to the restaurant doorway. There were 2 tables occupied and I explained we didn't have a booking but could they fit us in. There was much mumbling between the two of them, then we were told 'no, they were short staffed and couldn't give us a table'. In short the staff were unwelcoming, unfriendly and unhelpful. We were treated as an inconvenience for turning up without booking. I definitely wouldn't recommend it and I wouldn't return. I'm not surprised they're short staffed because given the attitude of the 2 we encountered, I certainly wouldn't want to work there either.

I've been twice for lunch this week, as it was an easy spot for a family lunch get together, so i'll try and give a balanced review for my three dot rating.The pub's a nice place to go, warm and inviting and the monthly jazz is a real treat, with a fair few jazz lovers taking the opportunity to grab lunch before the entertainment begins. The food is of a reasonably good standard, but couldn't be described as being up there with some of the best pubs I would recommend people to go for a nice meal, especially given the cost.On my two visits I had the pulled beef croquettes and lamb shank, then had the fish pie special and sticky toffee pudding. They were all nicely cooked and presented, but then the pub begins to let itself down.My starter, and other starters at our table, were very poor value, consisting of two croquettes with a dip and two small bits of chicken with a dip. For £7.00 I felt this was very poor value and my folks informed me that they used to have three or four bits on a plate. This meant there was far too much dip left and we felt short changed. The same can be described of the mains. The lamb shank was very tasty, but lacking in much else on the plate, almost to the point of an embarrassing amount of space on the plate highlighting how little was on there for some of the dishes. I also ordered extra cauliflower cheese on the side, which should be for two people and there was only enough for me. Today was the fish pie and I skipped the starter, knowing their sizes, and I also ordered a side of chips. What arrived on the plate was a small gratin dish containing a very shallow portion of fish pie with three shell on prawns on top, with a very small potato dish that was formed in a round and no other vegetables in sight, all for £16. The chips were also a small portion and I felt somewhat cheated. That said, it was all cooked nicely and was tasty, so it's just their pricing and portion control that let them down. Looking at their customer base, there are a lot of pensioners going in and they may have found that customers were not finishing their dishes, which then becomes wasteful. If this is the case, then please offer your dishes in pensioner size and normal peoples size and price accordingly. Lastly, and as other's have already mentioned, service is very slow and, on both occasions this week, was lacking in the level of care, attention and professionalism one should expect in a pub of this standard. It is saying something when you see regulars bringing a book to read in order to keep themselves occupied whilst waiting for their food.Would I eat there again? Yes, but only if i'm going to catch the jazz too. There are far better pubs serving great food at similar prices in the area. The Tuckers Arms at Dalwood is a shining example of what the Blue Ball could be and I would suggest the owners try lunch there to see how a little extra attention, effort and generosity of portion control can make a huge difference.

We visited today for lunch with family. The pub was warm.and inviting, the staff were friendly and helpful and the food was delicious. We will definitely return.

We had a fabulous meal at The Blue Ball. I haven’t been there for quite a while as it’s reputation had slumped a bit however its now in good hands. An excellent menu and all the dishes we chose were amazing. The service was very good given that the new staff are young and new to hospitality. Thank you for a great evening

Visited for Sunday lunch, food below average, hardly any veg, parsnips hard, and the meals arrived luke warm, very overpriced for a disappointing Sunday lunch, will not return.

Our initial thoughts were promising! The restaurant was about 40% full with only a few yet to eat! Our table was set for us but they missed off any salt/pepper. After ordering the starters took an age to arrive, Although the main was quick to be delivered to the table. Unfortunately the plate was drowned in gravy so deep you couldn't see the meat underneath, The roast potatoes we just about warm, We sent both plates back and told the staff about the temperature. They scraped the food of our plates, put it under the salamander grill and then push it back onto another plate a few minutes later. The plate that was returned looked a mess and they mixed up who's plate was who's ( I had pepper on mine) Considering the high end prices this should have been a new plate of food. By now the shop bought Yorkshire pudding and stuffing were both soggy, so were the roast potatoes. We had been walking all day so were starving and couldn't be bothered to complain again. Every time someone came to the table it was a different member of staff. While we were there they dropped the plates two tabes away and a number of glasses. Is think that the staff were very young and inexperienced for a restaurant that charges a lot for a Sunday roast. When the plate was returned I asked for more horseradish but it never arrived.The dessert was ok and hot and served quickly. We were never asked if we would like anymore drinks! so they missed an upsell opportunity. There are a lot better places to eat at half the cost.Our 3 courses and 1 drink each cost over £70 (2 people)I'll never return to this restaurant again.

Excellent, good buffet, plenty of food, and reasonably priced. Thanks to all the staff for making it a special day.

Great food and atmosphere ,all of our party enjoyed the food and service .. loved the special pheasant dinner. I would not hesitate to recommend this pub enough .

We went for a family meal and felt thoroughly spoilt all evening, an absolutely delicious meal served by a very polite young man, nice setting, no cramped seating and very relaxing. Would highly recommend the lamb rump if it's on the specials menu.

I rarely write reviews, but after having the vegan roast for the first time last weekend, I felt compelled to show some appreciation. Possibly the best vegan Sunday roast I have experience (in several years of veganism), lovely staff, and service. Couldn’t have been happier.

We had a sharing platter and sweet and sour chicken with rice both were excellent. the staff were on the ball excuse the pun. All in all a nice lunch in a lovely pub

Eaten here many times under several different operators. Don't know if the general so-so standard is due to staffing issues or management. Largely staffed by very inexperienced young people who were mostly as out of their depth as they were on our previous visit four months ago. Despite booking, a long wait for our main meal which almost had us complaining....... Shortage of gravy on the roast main courses had us requesting more gravy which then incurred an additional charge on our bill - not good. The food itself was OK but nothing more. The wine opened and placed on the table but not poured. Price charged a little on the high side at just over £17.00 average for three roasts.The sting in the tail was to find an additional booking charge on my mobile phone bill for confirming my online booking. As there was no option but to book online, it is plain wrong to slap customers with a text charge regardless of how small it might be. Tried to book over the telephone but answering machine only with promise to ring back. Not good enough when you are trying to arrange a family get together.This place now at the bottom of my visit list.

Was asked on arrival had we booked we replied no the waitress replied don’t know if we can fit you in then said oh yes wait we’ve this table here by the kitchen door! The whole of our meal we sat by two empty nearby tables! A hint of what was to come the Camembert starter came with so much bread enough for 3 people, no salad or presentation, the rosemary was overpowering, the burger in two halves/blobs ie not a single round but get was over cooked chewy, greasy, tasteless and again no thought to presentation just plonked on the roll and then on the plate no salad or anything. Just disappointing food not good pub grub. Keep on driving us our advice and find somewhere better for your hard earned money!

On arrival we weren't sure if we'd made a good choice. The staff member who greeted us was somewhat brusk and unhelpful. However once we got to our table, everything changed and we had a very enjoyable night. The staff we very attentive and genuinely friendly. A long and varied menu was complimented by a blackboard of interesting daily specials. Local meat, fish and handmade pies were all tasty and well presented. It was a good night and everyone left feeling full and contented...

We were really looking forward to our visit. The restaurant is well laid out with tables spaced apart. We were shown to our table with no great delay and were welcomed by our waiter Jamie who went above and beyond and turned what could have been a mediocre visit into an enjoyable visit. The food was of an acceptable standard but quite a few items on the menu and wine list were not available. The waiters were very apologetic about this even though it very obviously was not their fault. The pub is well placed with great footfall and nicely decorated with staff to be proud of, but sadly the food is lacking finesse and falls a few levels behind. For the price, it is acceptable, but I expected more. Your staff are a credit to you but the main game needs to step up.

We were staying near Sidmouth for a week and decided to try The Blue Ball Inn as it was so close to where we were staying. As soon as we sat down we were told that there would be a 40 minute wait for our order. We had seen previously there that they were short of chefs so we assumed that was the reason and didn't mind waiting. We didn't want a starter but ordered some olives to nibble on while we waited. As I am on a fairly restricted diet and gluten free I had enquired previously if they could do a plain grilled chicken breast which they assured me they could. Unfortunately it had been overcooked and was tough and dry. The stems of the tenderstem broccoli were so tough and undercooked that I could not even cut through them. My husband had the chicken schnitzel with vegetables instead of the salad and his was tender enough. When the waiter came to ask if everything was alright I told him about the chicken and the broccoli and he said he would tell the chef. We never heard from him again!

Staff couldn't have been more helpful in staging the surprise. Service and food were excellent, with a great choice on the menu. Best dining out experience for a long while. Credit to all the staff.

We stayed here for a short break of 3 nights, lovely room and a very cosy bed. Choice of breakfast was amazing and beautifully cooked. We invited friends to join us for our evening meal on our 2nd night, and we were not disappointed with the food or the service. Abbi the duty manager was very welcoming and all staff looked after us extremely well. I had Salmon with a salad of olives cherry tomatoes potatoes and fine beans delicious. We were all very impressed with our food and would most certainly recommend The Blue Ball Inn for accommodation and food. Thank you room 2

We made a last minute booking on a rainy Monday and hadn’t been here for a while. Thankfully we booked as it was almost full when we arrived. The staff were great, very friendly and we chose to sit in the bar area where the open fire was lit. There was a good choice of specials and lots to choose from the main menu.We had three different meals, Broccoli and Goats cheese quiche from the specials board, steak and ale pie and sausage and mash from the main menu. The quiche came with fries and a salad, my husband swapped out mash with the pie for skin on chips and my MiL had three large pork and apple sausages with mustard mash and onion rings. All were beautifully presented on hot plates - we all agreed that everything tasted great - my husband said the steak in the pie was ‘melt in the mouth’. Thanks for a lovely lunch and hats off to all the staff and particularly the chef. It was great to revisit somewhere post lockdown and not be disappointed, some places have lost their appeal with staff moving on, but I think this has got better.

We had pre-booked the restaurant but still had to wait however despite the haughty head waiter it had a lovely ambience once seated. The service was terrible, we had to get up repeatedly to ask for our wine - starter had already arrived - then water, later for a dessert menu, the table to be cleared etc. The head waiter wasn’t seen again - a couple of female waitresses were more efficient in the end. However the food was absolutely excellent - so the chef saved evening.

We visited for a late lunch and access to the bar was cordoned off stating we needed to have booked. We were the only people there so a pleasant member of staff let us through and we ordered 2 starters and a baked Camembert to share.Food was absolutely delicious, albeit a tad expensive but it’s a nice ambience so worthy of a higher price tag.Disappointingly there was only one half of thin stick baguette per person to go with a lot of cheese and when I mentioned that the Camembert would have been perfect with maybe another half…the staff member said that yes everyone complains there’s not enough bread! Is this feedback not being passed on to chef? Surely they would make a change if lots of customers complain? It is just a bit of extra bread! The bill was £34 for a round of drinks, 2 starters and the cheese and this was an overcharge of £1.50 which when I pointed it out was immediately refunded.I’d definitely return and recommend…just check your bill.

My elderly parents and I had lunch yesterday (Thurs) as we do often when I’m visiting them. I was so impressed with our Waiter. He was professional, discrete, warm and had impeccable manners. He wouldn’t have been out of place working somewhere like Gidleigh Park. All the staff we came into contact with were great though and so smart. The steak and ale pie was beautiful and the atmosphere was great. Thank you .

Excellent food and service. Steak pie was the best I have ever had. Not full when we arrived but full when we left.

We visited this pub on a Friday lunch time with no reservation ,the young lady at the entrance was warm and welcoming and happily found us a table ,the menu was interesting and varied ,the staff were attentive and helpful, all three of us agreed that the food was excellent particularly the Thai vegetable curry ,all in all a really good experience

Lovely looking pub but unfortunately the menu didn’t meet expectation. The starter menu was very ‘lack luster’ the mains were fractionally better. If my wife and I had a restaurant g the he menu would have been easy for us to have delivered.Service was quick and very friendly and this was a positive. Get a great chef and you would really have a wonderful ‘go to’ destination.This said the prices were very reasonable and are good was very fair

Visited this lovely pub for lunch today.The food was excellent,and the young chap serving us wouldn't have been out of place working at the Ritz.I didn't get his name,but he's a credit to the Blue Ball.Well done.

What fantastic food and service.The staff were all so very friendly, efficient and extremely courteous and helpful.The food was absolutely delicious and a good portion size.I had the roast beef, very tasty, roast potatoes were excellent in-fact it was all excellent. My partner had fish and chips and he said his fish was very well cooked with lovely thin batter. We had a crumble to share with extra custard. There would not be enough custard for 2 so I asked them to double up, not a problem! 5 star service and 5 star food and drinks.Thank you for a very enjoyable end to our holiday.

Arrived promptly, waited to be shown to the table at the far end of the pub. It was very full but the building was lovely. Order taken and drinks arrived in reasonable time. Then we waited and waited and waited Two hours in total. We enquired several times how much longer to the waiting staff, who I must say tried their best. Apparently they were short staffed in the kitchen. What on earth was the management doing taking so many bookings?The food was nothing special and my companion had a rather dried up dish of potatoes. However, since we were exceedingly hungry by about 9.30 p.m. we ate the lot and was out the door well before 10.00 p.m. No thought of a pudding needless to say.Such a shame.

We were a golf society that booked the function room last Thursday night. Shelley and her team were excellent. They were friendly,professional and helpful. We ordered three courses from the restaurant menu. The food was very good. Shelley arranged transport for us to and from Woodbury Park. The skittles was great fun. They were very busy on the night but the service was first class. Thank you Shelley we will be back.

I'd read a few of the reviews and they mentioned about the importance of booking. I booked about 30 minutes before hand and there wasn't any problems with that. You book through 'OpenTable'. Its a 3rd party service. The pub itself was warm and inviting. Staff were very friendly and it is clearly a hit with the locals (sign of a good pub). Food took some time to come so I'd recommend some drinking time before. I had the steak and it was lovely and my partner had the pie and spent the next half an hour explaining how great the pie and gravy was.

Nice restaurant, food was good... when it arrived, the service staff were polite and efficient. Menu was varied, something for all.

Six of us had booked dinner for 5.30 pm as we had children in our party. The food was very good and the menu included lamb shank and Thai curry. There was also a children’s menu. Extensive wine menu and good selection of beers. I thought the bill was expensive for a pub meal and we waited ages to pay. The have certain staff doing specific jobs to give the impression that the restaurant is up market which it is not.

The best thing about this place will always be the staff; wonderful , helpful and always with a welcoming smile. The food is delicious, especially the fries, which I always have when I come.Clean, pleasant and so well decorated! Also, it’s such a huge place, and they still manage to give an amazing service in such hard times.Will always recommend.

There was not much about our experience here that wasn't a disaster.The waitress was cheerful and helpful, the drinks were served promptly, the starters arrived on time and were good.The rest of the evening's offerings were truly dreadful.Table booked for 6.30pm and main meals had still not arrived, despite two enquiries by 8.30 pm.The reply to our THIRD enquiry was that they were short staffed and our meals would be with us in 10 minutes.16 minutes later the meals arrived and three out of five meals were cold while the other two fish dishes were dried up. Side dishes of vegetables and chips were also cold.A burger meal was returned to the kitchen and the replacement arrived also cold but with the bacon cremated, the cheese unrecognisable as such and the onion rings cold and soggy.Two mussels dishes were inedible being cold causing concerns that they had never been properly cooked.None of us could even attempt to consume what we had waited so long to be served.To cap a totally unsatisfactory experience the manageress argued with us that her chef had assured her that the food was fine and then she attempted to charge us for food that was inedible.She really didn't want to take any responsibility for the short comings in her restaurant or kitchen.The Blue Ball has now lost customers who were frequently in the habit of taking their visitors out for a meal.AVOID until they have sorted out their staffing problems!

Had a wonderful family lunch. From the warm welcome on arrival and the friendly service throughout, the staff were lovely. The food was excellent and the ambience was relaxed and comfortable. Loads of parking was a real bonus.

We stayed for 2 nights here. The room was clean with good facilities for hot drinks and some tasty cookies when we arrived. The bathroom was clean with a selection of pleasant toiletries. It was quiet staying here, didn't hear the other guests at all and secondary glazing reduced the noise from the road in the morning. Breakfast was really tasty and staff were polite and professional.

We booked a table for 7.45, arrived on time to have a 10 minute wait at the front of house. Numerous members of staff walked by without a care in the world. After 10 minutes we were finally seated. The restaurant didn’t seem particularly busy however we had an hour wait for food. When the food finally arrived one of our meals was cold throughout. Being a pie you would expect to be piping hot… This was far from the case. The staff were rude, not helpful at all & overrun. I was hoping the food would make up for the service, of anything it was worse. AVOID!!!I haven’t been so annoyed at having to pay a bill in over 10years!

such kind people and very generous, waitresses and waiters are helpful and efficient. helpful with taxis and very accessible and accommodating

We were staying at the nearby Salty Monk and decided to visit the Blue Ball on a Monday evening- what a mistake!!!!On arrival we were informed by the pleasant but cocky manager that there would be a 45 min wait for food was that okay ? .We replied that we understood and that after all where else were we going to go - the manager laughed and confirmed that there we’re limited choices in Sidmouth on a Monday night - this just set the tone.When we eventually ordered the waitress was kind enough to explain how busy it was and that we would wait at least 45 mins - to be fair she was rushed off her feet.We ordered what was described as a sharing plate of King Prawns followed by a superfood salad and a Pesto Salmon on a warm Niçoise salad.The starter arrived after 10 mins and was four very small prawns ( just the tails) and some dip - price £8 for us to share.An hour later at 8.50 ( our table was booked for 7.30) the main courses arrived.The waitress was so embarrassed by the size of my salmon salad she immediately asked if she could get me some french fries to go with it !!! I replied we had already ordered some.Given that I had a small piece of salmon on a bed of 12 french beans, 3 cherry tomatoes halved , two new potatoes quartered and some green olives I asked the waitress if she would pay £15 for it ! ( excluding the £3 for the fries)!! She handled the question well but admitted she probably wouldn’t.Later a more senior member of staff came across and asked If everything was okay and I made the same point about my main course.She said she would feed it back- I hope the feedback went well and saves others experiencing this.When paying the bill no mention made of our experience and the young lad politely asked if everything was okay.I replied as above but informed him management were aware and clearly they had decided I had little room for complaint.Just goes to show what you can get away with at a poor pub with complacent management on a Monday night in Sidford - my advice - avoid like the plague!!!!Alastair & Tracy Aitken

Disappointing food. Very dry chicken with minimal salad beneath. Crusted salmon had hardly any crustLong wait for food from order - 45 mins. Arrogance of the manager who suggested that the food was to ‘spec’ from what they were told to serve, and that customers in restaurants in sidmouth were also having to wait. This was not an appropriate response to genuine concerns about the food quality.

We had dinner one evening and an unexpected second visit… Dinner was very good. We had a young waiter who was still learning the ropes but eventually got our order right but we were fine with that. Good, wholesome food for all generations.Our second, unexpected visit, was for Sunday lunch. We had booked into The Bowd for Carvery. See my review of them and you’ll know why we left there without even eating and dashed up the road to TBB. We didn’t expect to get a table as they were full but were told to wait by a lovely waiter, who, joyously, managed to fit us in, but we were only allowed to have the table for an hour and 15 minutes. That was fine by us. We had the most marvellous roast mains, we asked if we still had time for desserts, which thankfully we did, but we had run out of time for coffees. Not a problem. We were so grateful that they fitted us in. The staff were very attentive and considerate to our situation of not having the table for very long but the food and service were incredible and we will definitely be back and recommend to lots of friends who visit the area… Well done TBB ❤️

Been here twice with our small children and also dog and it is really very good. Well trained staff, sometimes a good specials board and great beer. Children’s food is also good. It’s on the main drag and quite large so never had trouble getting a table even though often busy. Highly recommended.

Can’t recommend this place enough the food is out of this world!! came here with my husband & 2 small daughters and our dog , food & service was amazing! Staff are lovely, best pub in the area by far thank you blue bell inn

Somebody in my party ordered the salmon and it was very, very tiny, with a few dots of tomato under it, and that was it. It looked like a starter.The menu print was tiny, I couldn't read it. When asked if we wanted drinks to start with, I asked for a 'basic gin and tonic'. The waiter said he would bring Beefeater gin. When I went to pay the bill, again the print was tiny so I had to ask to see their computer screen. Then I saw I had been charged for Blue Sapphire gin. I didn't want to make an issue as I was paying for my friends' meals and they were in earshot and I just hate these situations, typical Brit etc etc. but really I should have objected.Other than that it was lovely, tasty food.

We stayed here for three nights on a short break. Accommodation is situated well for visiting the local area. We found the room to be comfy and adequate. It is on a busy road so there is traffic noise. However, this didn’t spoil our stay or sleep! The bed was extremely comfortable. The room had hot drink facilities although, you do need to ask for milk. The bathroom was nice enough but when I ran the water for a bath it was not hot. The shower worked much better and had plenty of hot water. We arrived early and had pre-booked the restaurant for lunch. The restaurant were very accommodating and allowed us to bring our booking time forward for lunch. By the time we’d eaten our room was ready. I would advise pre booking the restaurant for dinner as they seemed to be turning people away who hadn’t booked.We ate dinner and breakfast here each day (breakfast was included). All our meals were good. Great selection of hot breakfast options. The restaurant prices are a little pricey and portion sizes not huge but we throughly enjoyed the meals we ordered and found the service good and staff very polite. The lamb shank and their Sunday lunches were very good. Rooms are not automatically cleaned each day. You need to request either a full clean or just a replenish of items at breakfast. This wasn’t an issue for us. There is a nice walk into Sidmouth but be aware that it can be a good 20-30 minutes walk (depending on your fitness levels). We did both ways and enjoyed it but paid the price for it the next few days! Next time I think we’d walk there and get a taxi back! Overall a nice stay and would definitely think of returning another time.

Pretty pub. Ate inside . Management surly and we were made to feel lucky to be eating there. Food average, service average. Meal over priced for what we had.

We waited to visit on the last night of our holiday.It was well worth the wait!Firstly the staff were fantastic really friendly and professional. The menu was fantastic the only issue was deciding what to eat. We had 3 courses and we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. All quite obviously cooked fresh and absolutely perfect.We will visit again no question.

Nice atmosphere in this traditional English Inn. Menu had something for everyone but portions weren’t massive - 3 roast potatoes for a £17 lamb shank roast and small servings pot of mushy peas with fish and chips. We probably could have asked for more but didn’t.

Stopped over here , and we were delighted by the staff ( very professional but human ) good food , wine and and excellent dinner and breakfast. Team adhered to all Covid restrictions . The Blue Ball looked fantastic with a great display of outside flowers.

Lovely stay at the Blue Ball this weekend. Great location, the food was great. The charcuterie board was lovely and made a fantastic light lunch when we arrived and the breakfast menu is fantastic. Friendly and hospitable staff all round. Well worth a visit.

The food was enjoyable but the wait was terrible. Waited nearly an hour for food to arrive. Plenty of staff visible perhaps problem was in the kitchen? Plenty of car parking.

Very disappointing. Myself and my husband decided to visit the Blueball for a couple of drinks today. We sat outside on a lovely sunny evening. We ordered one bitter and a large rose wine. When we arrived most of the tables outside were taken with dinners but we were fitted in and the first drink arrived very promptly. At 2055 we ordered a further drink and waited… we waited 15 minutes and then asked a member of staff to chase up the drinks. We waited a further 10 minutes - nothing. At this point we needed to return home to release our baby sitter. We went into the pub to pay our bill. The unserved drinks were on the bill for us to pay and the joke was that our unserved drinks were on the side of the bar waiting for service (where they had been for some time - the froth on the bitter had disappeared)! Speaking to the duty manager, Abbi, I expressing our surprise in the service and were then further surprised by her response “we are very busy”. Sorry, the pub was not busy, when we ordered our drinks at 2055 hrs most of the tables outside had no one seated at them and there was no one seated inside at all. I appreciate table service is challenging at this time but really 25 minutes + in an unbusy pub is ridiculous. If the staff had been present where their customers were drinking they would have made a lot more money. Unlikely we will return. My recommendation - don’t bother if time is precious.