The Crabshell Inn in South Hams

Wonderful lunch in the Crabshell Inn with the extended family. Ambience was spot on with the doors open to the sunshine and the quayside. Food was fabulous, service was wonderful and Millie was very attentive.

Your staff were very friendly. You made us feel very welcome from the moment we arrived and our pizzas were delicious. Our grandsons loved it, thank you.

We always love coming to the Crabshell- it’s the best part of our holiday. The staff are amazing and the food is delicious. Maddie was especially lovely and helpful - and even took our old dog for a quick walk. Would recommend!

So disappointed with our visit to the Crabshell Inn last night. Having been on quite a few occasions over the years we greatly appreciated the wonderful food, hospitality and ambiance we’d experienced previously. Unfortunately we’ve never felt more unwelcome in any other restaurant, I wanted to leave and should’ve… We were sat near a large open door upstairs in the restaurant near the kitchen, we could feel the gusts of cold wind around our legs immediately and asked if we could relocate to any available table. I was told rudely by the first waitress none were available and the lack of customer care was evident. My husband wanted to stay and we asked the next waitress if it was possible to relocate to a table downstairs, she was much more approachable and understanding and offered to ask her manager and get her to discuss with us… Manager didn’t appear and our food order was being taken, so I re asked about a table out of the wind, she apologised and went off to get the manager again. A man appeared and confirmed that they was no table available but he’d put the heat on and would keep the door closed in between obviously needing to use it… it was at this point I realised it was empty words and zero customer care / respect, as the manager then proceeded to go out of the door, empty handed and leave the door wide open! (You couldn’t make it up! It told us…. Abysmal service and care from what used to be an amazing restaurant) We ate and left watching numerous wait staff leave the door wide open with empty hands. Such a shame as the food was a high standard, everything tasted as good as we’d experienced in years previously. It was clear to us it’s a restaurant for local people. There should be some indication the only table left is going to experience cold gusts of wind and be extremely fresh! We would’ve chosen a different restaurant to enjoy food and relax in. So choose your table wisely if you wish to eat in the Crabshell, the manager had no intention of making our experience and evening with them comfortable. No blanket was offered and numerous encounters with either rude or unfriendly, unhelpful manager.

It's a nice place. Right on the estuary, but that's about it. The menu doesn't sparkle and the prices are high. I'd seen the plates on the way in so opted to pay ten quid for two pieces of bland fish in a plain white bun, complete with one piece of lettuce. And as for the chips, I've got thicker shoe laces. A mile and a half east is a farm shop (Springfield) that sells great produce. To the west is another (the Valley View) which serves cream teas that you can't finish. So why is it so difficult for a place like this to provide a reasonable meal, at a reasonable price?

Lovely. Great food and lovely staff. Fantastic views.

What a fantastic evening. Food was delicious. Atmosphere was just right and the service from Milly and all the team was exceptional. Highly recommend!

Just had a hot drink outside and ordered it on my phones, service was impeccable! The menu looks yummy, not a lot of choice but quality stuff at a reasonable price! 😁 Lovely setting right by the estuary waterfront.

Delightful cuisine, superb location, particularly ideal during the summer season for patrons to dine al fresco and appreciate the picturesque scenery.

Amazing food, polite and attentive staff and beautiful views from the restaurant.

Fantastic service from Maddie; she was so attentive and looked after our family really well! The food is fantastic and the atmosphere in the restaurant is fab. Will definitely return

Excellent food and exceptional service from Maddie - would definitely recommend!

We have been here three times now while on holiday nearby Twice for lunch, even our dog loved the gorgeous fish fingers and once for our 20th anniversary Food is amazing and a reasonable price, service is top level and to make everything perfect it’s dog friendly with a huge choice of gluten free alternatives I would highly recommend this for any occasion

Ok so Atmosphere is hard to judge based on a mid week in September meal, I am sure in the Summer the place is alive out of season it was Peaceful so take that as you will, service was brilliant it feels like currently in the UK we really are delivering on good service and this was no exception now on to the Food.... So I had a Pizza and it was a Pizza I ate it it was ok I guess but hand stretched Hoi sin Duck Pizza sounded so promising and was like a flat bread with a bit of dry duck thrown on it and randomly half slices of cucumber everywhere I get the whole duck and cucumber but I kind of expected it to be presented in a much more eye pleasing fashion, so my colleague had the Spanish Chicken and I couldn't stop looking for Food envy on the menu it didn't catch my eye seemd a little something and nothing but as soon at it hit the table I knew I f*cked up with my order! He didn't take long to see it off so I can only assume it tasted as good as it looked! Beers were not over priced which is always a bonus and to be fair the food was pretty decently priced! I wouldnt suggest a pizza here but anything else off the menu should be a winner

We had high hopes for this place however the experience was just average for us considering the cost - fish overcooked & batter very thick & greasy. It didn't help that our first impressions were tainted by having to walk through a cloud of cigarette smoke with our new baby & toddler to get to the door. I mentioned to the host & she simply told me that outside was for smoking so they were well within their rights to be there. I think a more appropriate response would have been to apologise & ask them to move away from the entrance - especially as there were no ashtrays there. I will point out as well that this was a very quiet Monday afternoon, not a busy weekend - the outside benches were deserted & had ashtrays on them. I can only presume she was a smoker herself & offended by my disgust. Either way, it gave a very bad first impression to incoming guests & we won't be returning based on this & the poor quality of the food. Our serving waitress however, was lovely.

Fantastic experience all round. Food was incredible. We had a crab linguine and roasted butternut squash, so full of flavour and texture. The service was exceptional, people were very welcoming and went above and beyond. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. Will go back any or every time I am in Kingsbridge.

Delicious mussels and very good pizzas

Sat at waters edge with crab sandwiches and an excellent alcohol free cold beer. Bar staff were friendly and food delivered with speed and a smile. Really enjoyable.

Pizzas are still good but unfortunately I ordered the Hake. Overcooked, but with raw skin! on heap of tasteless crushed potato surrounded by glutinous packet sauce. Very poorly cooked and unpleasant to eat. As with any StAustell pub so much depends on how the chef copes with the menu. Here, unfortunately, the answer is not well😔

Good food, nice atmosphere but really overpriced

A very cute place in a very nice location. Had food options for many dietary needs and did a lovely cup of coffee, tea and scones. Would definitely recommend

I love it here abd the views are amazing

Delicious pizzas, friendly helpful staff. Second visit. Will definitely eat here again.

Lovely pub, right on the riverside, very friendly staff, and food was AMAZING!! I would definitely recommend

Lovely place, didn’t eat but food looked great. The Proper Job was superb!!

Great service, pizza was really good!

Great restaurant, particularly the crabby fries

S is for shell in the crab sandwich. Ironic for somewhere called the Crabshell, maybe I should have expected that. That’s on me. C is for cold chips. Cold is unfair, less than room temperature. Very apologetic staff, we were brought replacements “fresh out of the frier”. I think the frier temperature may have been missing a zero as these were hardly an improvement. N is for No Bread! The menu promised sliced baguette with the dressed crab. Again this was brought after asking for it, but unsliced. Thankfully I am capable of tearing up bread myself. F is for forgotten dish. My 6 year old was bereft of his salt and pepper squid, whilst he watched on at his young cousins devouring their lunch, with a desperate gaze. It eventually came after being asked twice. B is for blood. We brought our drinks back to the table, picked up a glass to have a sip “oops, there’s a smudge of ketchup on this carafe of water. And this glass” we said. Reader, this was not ketchup, as we discovered when returning the drinks to the bar and seeing the turmoil as the barman was bleeding from the thumb and his once white shirt adorned with his haemoglobin. Replacements were given. U is for upfront. All of this but because it’s paid for before you even see a drop of beer out of the tap or a cold chip infront of your mouth, nothing can be done about the bill to say sorry. Not even an offer of money off your next visit (if you hadn’t guessed, I don’t think I’ll return again. Or leave it longer than the 6 years since I last came here). Pint of Anthem was nice though, but not nice enough to soften the blow of the rest.

We are regular local visitors and always receive a warm welcome - the staff are the friendliest and smiliest of any pub I've been to! We are creatures of habit so can definitely recommend pizzas and the crabbie fries. A good range of wine and decent beer. The setting is spectacular, especially on a sunny evening but also cozy when we've visited in winter. Special thanks to Maddie, Erin, Vicki and Ishy for their excellent customer service.

2nd visit & not as good as the first. Service was pleasant & food was nice.

Food was ok, pub grub with a price tag. Basically chips with whatever. The crab cakes had a chilli kick. Caprese salad was nice. Truffle chips just tasted like chips with mayo and cheese. A bit light on the truffles. Kids ate your standard chips with fish or chicken. I don’t think it was worth the money which is why it’s only 3 stars.

We’ve been coming to the Crabshell for about 4 years every summer and we love it. We booked a table for our first night in Devon this year and I’m very sad to say it has changed. The menu is much more of a generic pub menu than it used to be. Not nearly so much seafood (ironically enough). They’ve ditched the delicatessen and had a DJ blasting out tunes at 6 in the evening. Fine for later but it was mainly young families. Appreciate that some might like that, but not what it used to be. We found out since that it has been sold to a pub chain, so I guess that explains it. Very sad.

First time visiting this restaurant this bank holiday weekend. Had lunch on Saturday with my Husband, not that impressed with the staff felt as though they were not interested in taking our order too busy chatting to each other! Ordered the crab sandwich which came very quickly and makes me think it is pre made and the bread was slightly hard again as though it had been made earlier. Husband’s baguette was mediocre salad was gritty so obviously not properly washed. Drinks were London prices good selection of wines & beers. Lovely location on the river. Would I go again possibly give it one more try.

Been here a few times and generally good .. nice bar staff coping well with busy times. The food is mostly good but we were there last night and the salad leaves had not been rinsed and it was very gritty and perhaps I should have asked a waitress to sort it but then it was late so didn’t. Wasn’t just my salad another person’s was the same .. shame as it doesn’t take much to wash a salad!

We were on holiday for the week in Kingsbridge, staying in a small cottage. In order to cut down on costs, we took packed lunches on days out and cooked our own meals in the evening. However, we decided that we would 'push the boat out' and eat out on the last evening. After lots of research, we settled on the Crabshell Inn. It definitely looked like the loveliest place to go and crab would certainly be on the menu for both of us. We struggled to get a booking (which made us think that it must be a very good restaurant to be so popular) there was only 8.45pm left. We arrived at 8.30pm and were pleased to be able to sit at the table and order straight away. The food was mediocre. To be fair, we had had much better meals cooked by ourselves in the self catering cottage. The chips were cold. The crab linguine was lacking in flavour or excitement. I would love to know how much is cooked from fresh ingredients? We had our starter and main but then, as soon as the plates were taken away, we were presented with the bill. We didn't ask for it, no one asked whether we would like a dessert or not. We overheard another customer ask for a dessert and they were told that the kitchen was closed. If that's the case, then why accept bookings at that time?? We spent over £80 on a meal for two that promised so much and delivered so little. What a disappointing 'special' meal for the end of our lovely holiday. Just to add context, this is the first time I've ever written a bad review for anywhere. Come on Crabshell - you've got such a lovely location and lovely building - but you need to make people feel special, not like they're an inconvenience and you want to get off home.

We’ve visited the crab shell numerous times for the past 10 odd years, mainly because it has a GF option for my son. Since we came last year, it’s gone downhill. The restaurant itself is lovely. The staff are pleasant and friendly but the food has definitely gone downhill….. the pizza I ordered was that thin that as soon as it started cooling down was like a large crisp. My sons child’s fish and chips tasted like salt and not much else and my other sons child’s pasta meal tasted like it had just been mixed with passata, no flavour whatsoever. I feel like we’ll go elsewhere from now on.

Food was deliciuos it just we were expecting more seafood to choose from the meniu we just got 3 varieties of fish to choose off no prawns crabs or other seafood we did not see on the meniu. Overall nice cosy place to eat.

We had a brilliant lunch at the Crabshell. I booked in advance and sent a message to say we were coming with our three autistic and ADHD boys and it would be great if we could sit somewhere a bit quieter as they can be quite lively. Once we arrived we had a great table in the corner with a lovely view over the river. The staff were fast and friendly and the food was really good. It was my wife's birthday too and we don't go out to eat often as the boys find it a bit overwhelming. But this was a total success. There is parking but it fills up quick, but there are spaces a short walk away closer to town.

We popped in after visiting Garage rock beach. Would highly recommend a visit. Setting and the food lovely . Staff were very good and friendly too. Thanks 👍

Very tasty pizzas, great vibe by the water, cool staff, nice place to eat out, grab a drink and have a smiling time

Sadly an underwhelming experience. Overpriced, slow service, small portions and the food when it arrived was poor. Had to send back some elements.

Absolutely stunning pub. Very peaceful and calming. Well worth a visit when you're in Kingsbridge.

Lunch for four in the sun, next to the Kingsbridge estuary. Coronation chicken, prawn baguette and crab sandwich all went down very nicely. Slightly on the pricey side but you get what you pay for 😎

Nice location beside the estuary particularly at high tide. Has a sun terrace. Reasonable food and the usual selection at the bar. A little pricey but decent food.

Called in for a couple of drinks with my husband beautiful outdoor views on a sunny day friendly staff

Lovely birthday lunch for our granddaughter

Lively pub on the riverside, loads of space, people arriving on boats, covers band were playing on a Friday night, good pizzas and beers!

Delicious food awesome staff great views.

Great restaurant on the estuary. The staff were welcoming and friendly, and the menu is divine with options to suit any food mood! The kids' menu was especially 👌 with meals to satisfy even the most fussy eaters. The bar staff were excellent in recommending the best of local tipples. Great atmosphere for a relaxed family lunch.

Super position and lovely atmosphere.

Delicious food and very kind and welcoming staff. There were lots of noisy kids around but all round a great experience

Breathtaking views of the Kingsbridge Quay, it’s the perfect spot to unwind and soak in the natural beauty. The outdoor seating area is spacious and offers a lively ambiance that’s hard to beat. The drinks are reasonably priced, making it an excellent spot for both locals and tourists. The pizza is a standout—delicious and freshly made, as were the prawn starter and the squid starter. The staff are exceptionally friendly and knowledgable, adding to the welcoming atmosphere. We went when there was a live DJ set up outside, which made the outside very lively and sociable - but only added to the atmosphere. Plenty of space for families to get away from the busyness upstairs. Overall, a great place with great views, tasty food, and a fun atmosphere, The Crabshell Inn delivers on all fronts.

Insta vs reality moment for us sadly! Our last night in the area and I was after some pasta, we saw it was a special at the Crabshell from their Instagram so settled on here for dinner. After a 55 minute wait it arrived and was massively underwhelming. Can't complain about the staff who were willing to help, the setting is also lovely especially at sundown! Table next to us got pizzas and these looked great, plus came out after 15 minutes! Would recommend coming for drinks, pizza and atmosphere, maybe we just got unlucky with our choice this time

Excellent staff, very helpful and friendly, the food is to die for, as are the views, highly recommend

Lovely setting overlooking the estuary. We really enjoyed our lunch here yesterday. The band of waitresses were very attentive & helpful. We stopped off on our walk back from town for a drink & ordered a takeaway.

Very busy but under control...food tasty but not amazing...staff ok

I only came down for a drink, but food smelt exceptional and looked amazing, when I arrived to the bar I was greeted by a very nice blokes, I believe there names were jack joe and Luke they were very helpful in my drink choice and I couldn’t choose between one of there cocktails and they helped me choose a really nice one think it was called I <3 NY was very nice and looked amazing and tasted great ! Will definitely be making another appearance to the crabshell Yours sincerely sam pedrick

Very busy pub with excellent food. The service is excellent and very friendly

Great spot, atmosphere. Food was good. Staff super friendly. Get yourself there.

I had a really really good pizza and the service is sooo nice here and it is such a nice view and atmosphere and over all amazing.

On our first visit, the food was excellent so thought we'd return today, but what a mistake that was! Starters were great, however we then waited over an hour for our mains, which after we asked where they were, told it would be 5 mins... 25 mins later they finally arrived. Mushroom wellington didn't mention onions on the menu description, however onion was the main ingredient. Roasts looked good, however veg was hard, potatoes were leathery and only lukewarm and cauli cheese tasted like double cream, not a bit of cheese in sight. My main was refunded as I couldn't eat any of it, and then was offered a dessert on the house which I gratefully accepted... only for the rest of the party to receive their desserts and mine turned up when they'd finished. I understand it was busy, but to forget our mains (which I wish they had) then forget my comped dessert is just shocking. Sorry to say we will NOT be back.

Food is huge portions! Chips and dough from pizza is good. Fish tastes fresh. However use too much batter for the fish and the mushy peas tasted dry. Service was friendly but not readily available. Parking site is a good size.

Wonderfully positioned pub towards the top of the estuary with outside seating on the water. Food looked good and the place had a good vibe. Idyllic really and makes you feel at one with the world.

First time visiting The Crabshell Inn. Friendly, welcoming staff. We chose to eat outside, as it was a beautiful sunny day. The inside is just as nice. You order your food and drinks at the bar. Food came out quickly and was delicious. Will definitely return.

Very nice pub pleasant surroundings down by the river well worth popping in for food an drink most definitely will return if we're back in the area 😋

Definitely the best location for a drink whilst in Kingsbridge with fantastic views over the estuary.Great food and friendly service. Highly Recommend

Lovely place but cold ☕️ coffee

This pub has upped standards since bought by St Austell brewery. Food is excellent. Good range of beers. Serving staff need to be more sociable. Be prepared to have a good sized wallet!

Lovely views for a quick coffee stop

Great birthday meal. Good food and friendly staff. Definetely worth it.

Lack of service, leaves a lot to be desired. Such a shame 😕

We sat outside with a view over the estuary. My prawn sandwich was a bit tasteless but the others loved the food particularly the chorizo bites.

Food disappointing. Fish and chips were just ok but not worth the money. Soup starter …bland. Had a lot better and cheaper. .

Beautiful place, lovely staff, fantastic drinks selection, outstanding view. A must if you're nearby...

Great place overlooking the estuary. Good choice of food which was great value for money. Staff were very friendly and knowledgeable and provided excellent service. Car park is not huge and spaces can be a bit tight.

Great setting, great atmosphere, great staff.

Good food on a lively atmosphere. Staff very helpful

We had a beautiful lunch with family. Great views and amazing food. The staff couldn't do enough for us.

Inn on main road out of Kingsbridge, views of the estuary,small car park, had to park quite a walk away, food not bad,good quantity, nothing out of the ordinary pub food.

I'm not reviewing the rooms just the pub. It's gone really downhill. We have been coming for years and since being taken over it is rubbish. Talk about resting on your laurels! Yes the location is fabulous but that's not down to them, that's nature. Service is non existent. You have to do everything yourself - get a menu, get cutlery, order at the bar. Well on a fairly quiet Monday I still had to queue at the bar with 5 people in front and wait 10 minutes to order a drink (rather than enjoying said location). The prices they charge are top end and for that I would expect some service. The food was just average to poor. My wife had the driest burger ever. £19.50. Overpriced and under delivered. Shame. This used to be a regular spot for us either on the way to, or from, the beach, but sadly we will find an alternative.

A wonderful location, unfortunately ruined by a complete lack of service. We ordered our food, the starter came out after 15 minutes, then despite tables around us having their tables cleared and food delivered, no-one came to our table, our plates sat there for 45 minutes. I went to ask when our main course would arrive and could someone please clear the table..15 minutes later..nothing..went back in and was told the kitchen had a lot of tickets...our table was then cleared but no food arrived..went back in and was told the manager was coming to talk to us..he never arrived..went back in 15 minutes later to be told it was being plated up...10 minutes later nothing had arrived..so we decided to leave...we got a refund (reluctantly given) and no apology. Its such a shame as it could have been a great experience, unfortunately there seems to be a complete lack of training and a General Manager lacking any sort of empathy when things go wrong. Great place for a drink but unless you have time to kill avoid the food. Also why have barcodes on every table linking to an app that you should be able to order through yet when you try and use it it doesn't list any of the tables you're sat at?

Lovely food and wine in great location

Lovely coffee, pefect relaxisng spot, great staff, no longer doing cake.

Lovely spot, great staff. One of my fav places 🥰😍🫠

Lovely dinner with the mrs, pints bleedy gorgeous fresh from the tap and the young chap Marcel I think was his name provided impeccable service to us both thanks again for making it such a special evening for our 25 year anniversary

Enjoyable meal and drink with a da tasting outlook over the inlet

May 2024 Sunday lunch - absolutely lovely. Moist veggie option. Succulent with a rich gravy. Dessert was sticky toffee pudding and ice cream. Sponge was light and not overly sugary - spot on. Plenty of seating on the terrace, inside and out by the river. Parking directly outside. Our service hosts were really good - polite, prompt and knowledgeable. Thank you Ollie for looking after us 😊

We came to celebrate our son’s birthday. We were only shown the adult menu and were not aware of a Childrens menu. We had a long wait of 1 hr in a midweek quiet evening. My son was so hungry at this point. Pizza bases were excellent but hardly any topping. I had a meat feast with hardly any meat on it priced at over £20. A mid week pizza meal cost over £80. The whole meal was pricey for what it was with slow service. Setting however was excellent .

The food was delicious and the views over the river were amazing. There was an issue with one of our meals however the staff swiftly resolved the issue and offered us a refund to apologise. Excellent service despite being busy, would highly recommend!

The seafood sharing platter was the best we have had out of the three we have had so far on holiday. Would definitely recommend.

Friendly and comfortable. The fish and chips is excellent. Good choice of beer and nice atmosphere.

Lovely lunch at the crabshell. Fish and chips very nice. Didn't realise that it was under new ownership, so unfortunately no scampi on the new menu. Staff very friendly and helpful. Will visit again.

Amazing food. Great location. Service not bad.

Thank you so much for hosting our group of 16! We all felt wholly welcomed, looked after and the food was delicious!

Have always loved visiting The Crabshell, great food and staff. Keep up the good work.

Lovely family meal at Crabshell. Second time visiting. Seafood platter was tasty (more lobster butter fries please) and the kids were happy with their burgers and pizzas. Easily accessible and easy to park. Nice location by the water. Some reasonable white wines by the glass. More IPA options on tap please. We’ll be back.

Perfect location - only eatery in the area with evening sun. Good food, good service and reasonable prices

Great views, good location for visiting the area - nice flat above the pub/restaurant but you can hear the hubbub coming from underneath you (and the cleaners/deliveries in the morning)

ordered at the bar for two people they left one order out steak baguette and crab sandwich the steak came out and they didn't put my partners crab through so by the time it came out my steak was cold. plus £19 for a crab sandwich complete rib off!! considering they get a whole tub for around £15 or less

Fantastic pub. Great selection of drinks. The food is delicious.