The Diggers Rest in East Devon

Have been a couple of times with my in laws and it is honestly the best roast I have had in a country pub. The vegetables are perfectly cooked and so flavourful. I travelled all the way from Somerset for this roast dinner today and plan to do so again.

A fantastic first time at this pub. We were given a warm welcome and throughly enjoyed our roasts. The hosts were perfect and were very attentive. The sticky toffee pudding in particular was fantastic! Will definitely be returning

Staggered by some of the positive reviews on here! Entire experience was awful. No welcome on arrival, waited at bar for some time before being served for drinks. Asked for menus, told they only serve plated roasts. Food was poor, cold vegetables, greasy potatoes, the beef was tough. The vegetarian option, a veggie wellington was inedible, mostly pastry and undercooked. When asked about dessert was told there was only ice cream.

Lovely local pub. Went in Sunday for a roast dinner. You have a choice of 3 meats but no white meat Option as it had been taken off the menu and won’t return until Christmas. Food was lovely and tasty but could have been hotter. Don’t rely on brown signs on main road to get to it as they disappear when you start going down very narrow lanes. Overall a very good atmosphere. Worth a visit when in the area.

Simply the best Sunday lunch,read reviews of this place and decided to try on the way back from Cornwall Nicky is front of house and provides a very warm and friendly welcome to both ourselves and dogs,Simon her partner is the chef,the roast and numerous vegetables was fantastic particularly the roasties and Simon’s delicious gravy,this pub and the couple running it should be multiple award winners and I forgot to mention the delicious home made desserts,the brewery who own the pub should realise what a great hardworking couple they have.

Highly recommended Sunday Roast, Tender beef and roast potatoes carrot parsnips creamy mash huge yorkshire pudding gravy, separate broccoli and cauliflower cheese and a medley of buttered greens. Gluten Free version available minus Yorkshire pudding and cauliflower cheese. Excellent. Friendly staff, comfortable traditional pub with easy listening music. Best Roast dinner, selection of dessert including Gluten Free option. Great value too.

My husband and I spent another fabulous evening and motorhome stopover (Britstop) at this wonderful village pub on our way from Bournemouth to Cornwall. A warm welcome awaited us, and the food, service and hospitality was exceptional. This family run pub has the perfect set up with different zones to eat, drink, and watch sports as you please. Hosting regular events such as live music and bingo it really has something for everyone! Thanks to Simon/Nikki and the team for another wonderful night!

One of the best meals I have had since moving to Devon two years ago. The food was amazing, hot and a good price. Although I never have a desert, I saw other peoples and decided I would have one. I am looking forward to going there again this weekend. The owners are very friendly too and made us feel very welcome. Honestly worth checking out.

Really lovely meals at the Diggers Rest this evening. We had the homemade fishcakes and the salmon dishes, which had a delicious sauce.

We had a fantastic evening at this pub having stopped for the night at Browns Campsite up the road. The food was delicious and the staff incredibly friendly. Thank you so much.

Stayed last night - campervan stop over, large level car park, excellent food and very friendly helpful landlady and staff x

Historic English pub oozing charm and character. The welcome was very friendly. (from both staff and other customers) and felt very genuine. The food was delicious. It felt like choice ingredients were used skilfully by someone who cooks with love and care. I hope that doesn’t patronising. It was simply a model of how I would want a local to be.

I've been to the Diggers Rest before, but this time I've been there on Easter day with my kids. The Sunday roast was amazing, my kids loved it as well. Our dessert was chocolate fudge cake with ice cream and again, it was amazing. Staff was friendly as before. Chef Gus even comes out to make sure that the customers are enjoying the food and that everything is good. Highly recommended!!!

Really lovely evening with friends. There was a warm friendly atmosphere in the busy pub. The food was very good and the service too. There was entertainment from 9pm, as an added bonus.

Nice , quiet ,secluded atmosphere and the food was incredible! A truly hidden gem 👌🏽 I visited the city with my son and decided to go for a drive and discover the beautiful countryside of Exeter. We stumbled upon this picturesque local pub. Definitely to try again.

Wanted to visit with my friend, mum and auntie. Filled out the online form and left a FB message and heard nothing. So popped in at 1830 this evening. 2 tables were reserved out of about 30 and some other tables were eating or ordered. They asked if I’d booked and then there was much sucking through teeth. I was told I had to wait to order after the 7pm table had been served which was bonkers as I was ready to order at 1830. Said I’d save them the bother and leave as they were so unwelcoming to which I got a sarcastic “so sorry”. Madness. And such a shame.

Amazing pub. We couldn't fault it. Fab food 😊. Very friendly and welcoming. Went out there way to fit us in for food as they were very busy. Large selection of drinks. Dog friendly. Also sold Cheddar Valley Cider. Very nice. We will be back I am sure. Thank you from the Bridgwater Cider drinkers.

Lovely quiet place to enjoy a nice lunch. Took a friend with me and he couldn't believe how nice the food was. He was over the moon specifically with the Portuguese flaming chorizo. Everything was amazing. Landlords and chef Gus are very welcoming. 5 stars Thank you very much!!!

Wonderful meal,good value great welcome and friendly staff, Thatched pub with a lovely atmosphere.recommend to all x

Brilliant pub, staff made us and our GSD incredibly welcome, he felt so relaxed it was a pleasure to spend the evening there.

Lovely lunch. Warm service and good beer. Very welcoming pub with bar lady, manager/owner and chef giving great service. Good menu with nice mixture of starters, mains and deserts. Trying the Sunday Lunch next - I hear it’s very good.

Fantastic food and welcoming hosts. 6 of us had an evening meal on Valentine's day. The owners had made great efforts to decorate for the theme. We all had different choices of good. Each dish was excellent and very tasty ! The service was very good too. Just had a great night.... Thank you

Firstly I just want to say it's a beautiful little pub/restaurant in a lovely little area and the food was lovely. The lady who bought over our food was amazing we did ask for a few things and she was more than happy to get what we needed. The only down side to our first visit was hearing the chef have a go at the lovely lady who served us, thought this could have been done in a more appropriate place and in a more respectful manner rather than where customers are sat trying to have a drink and enjoy their food. As I said This was our first visit and unfortunately because of what we heard made it less enjoyable for us. To the lady who served us, you are amazing, you are doing an incredible job so keep it up!!

What a Great evening. It was Valentine’s Day and the 3 course dinner was Excellent. We went with two other couples and had a lovely evening. We had different starters mains and desserts, yet All agreed it was great food, well prepared and served. The service was also very good.

We had the most delicious meal on Valentines Day evening…three courses which was just amazing! We couldn’t fault it and the portions were very generous…well done to Gus the chef! The service was brilliant and the pub was decorated beautifully! A big thankyou to Simon and Nikki for all your hard work… it’s great to have a friendly village pub to go to!

Best roast we can remember having ever had. Puddings were delicious too. Both lemon and stick toffee pudding were so moist. Very impressed

Came here a year ago it was great, second visit was even better. Electric hookup for camper, live music Friday night Chris Bandaras was excellent, full coverage of six nations rugby on Saturday. Food was excellent, compliments to the chef. Main menu and specials board was brilliant. Between us we had scampi, fish, steak burger and steak and kidney pie from the main menu, soup of the day (parsnip), lamb tagine, pork belly with douphinous potatoes and curry from the specials, without exception they all delivered on portion size and flavour. Landlord and Lady were very friendly as were the staff.

One of the best steaks I've ever had! 3 out of the 4 of us had the ribeye steak and we all said how nice they were. Came with lovely chunky chips and I had salad. Puddings were huge as well so me and my...

Stopped up the road in local campsite and walked to the pub with our dogs. Wow what a warm welcome and fabulous food, cannot recommend highly enough

Another amazing gluten free fish and chips Fantastic warm welcome in a great village pub that is not only offering GFO, dog friendly but allows you to stay overnight in your campervan/ motorhome (just phone to check space) We will be back

Called on Friday night looking for dog friendly pub Talking to barmaid whose mum was ill in brixham asked about Motorhome over night parking they allowed us to stay over night no charge,friendly pub friendly people .local dog Dip stick made a good evening. Hope...

Relaxed atmosphere and very friendly welcome. Lovely decor, fabulous food on our 2 visits. Highly recommend.

This was our first visit to the Diggers rest , we were greeted to a warm welcome , as soon as we arrived .We enjoyed a lovely Sunday roast , which was absolutely amazing , nothing was too much trouble , even when we asked...

Went for an impromptu Christmas meal with neighbours and friends. Food was delicious and the baileys cheesecake... well words don't describe how good that was ! Owners and staff are so friendly. A great place to have a great time

Great evening. Brilliant Christmas meals with neighbours. The food was so so good. Lovely company. We’ll be back. Great to have a local you can rely on and be proud of.

We walked in at lunchtime and despite us being the only customers , the pub was cosy and warm and beautifully decorated for Christmas. A lovely greeting too. As there were no sandwich menu - we didn’t want a full meal - we had to...

Have been to the diggers rest several times now and can’t fault it. The Sunday roast is gorgeous and you can have all 3 meats at no extra cost like other places. Such good value. Asked for more gravy which was bought out almost immediately....

Awful we got there for 7.30pm we ordered a starter this took an hour to come out the starter was nice though Then had to wait another hour for our main We ordered 3 steaks all cooked medium rare but what came out was nothing...

Thank you for a lovely Sunday lunch. The nut cutlet was really tasty and the vegetables cooked to perfection. Asked for more gravy and staff brought out promptly. Lovely, friendly atmosphere.

Best Pub ever !!! Sunday Lunch is Stunning and the staff were amazing with good service . Plenty of Parking

Visited this pub many times in the past but hadn't been for a while. We phoned and booked for Sunday lunchtime and the earliest they could accommodate us was 2.30. This was OK by us However we waited for almost an hour for our food...

We had a lovely lunch, very nicely served, no waiting around and very hospitable staff with smiles. Was kid very much recommend

I stayed overnight in my little van, prior to an early meeting in Exeter. Greeted by a very pleasant lass behind the bar. I had a really nice, well cooked and sensibly priced meal in the evening and I enjoyed a couple of well cooked...

We enjoyed an overnight stopover here in our motorhome (BritStops). We could not have wished for a better experience. A lovely traditional pub with friendly staff who welcomed us to join bingo night which is held on the last Sunday of every month (the day...

We stayed here overnight in our motorhome (Britstops) and had a great time. We enjoyed a couple of pints in the beer garden then had a meal in the bar. The food and service were excellent and we were made to feel very welcome. The...

We went for a meal tonight… I have to say everything was lovely - food, service and atmosphere, cost was good too. Food was tasty, home cooked and the best chips ever. Good choice of ales too.. Only point I’d like to make is -...

We visited the pub twice while staying at the caravan site down the road. We were made to feel very welcome even though the first evening we arrived as they were mid way through a quiz night! The second time we had food there which...

A great pub to visit, we stayed over in our campervan and was a great experience, nikki and Simon the owners were very welcoming and friendly, I had an issue with my electricity and Simon came to our rescue with an extension lead and hook...

Amazing. Just so friendly and great food at very reasonable prices. Welcoming atmosphere. We'll be back as soon as we can be.

A short walk from the campsite we were staying on so thought we would visit for coffee and check out the menu. What a welcoming atmosphere as soon as we walked in. It was not busy but it’s mid week and it did not detract...

It's not often you go to a pub/restaurant and immediately feel welcomed and wanted. Self, wife and dog were catered for superbly. Lovely food Steak/Hunters chicken and so relaxing....oh and proper chips too!

Lovely pub, good atmosphere, played darts and had a lovely time. The beer was good and not expensive, the food was lovely too!

We had an amazing meal, the desert was HUGE and both courses were exceptional. Our dog was also welcomed and spoilt rotten, we'll definitely be going back.

Saw this place in The Good Pub Guide. We were touring the area so rang them and explained my wife is disabled but they could not have been more helpful. Great real ales on tap and the food was excellent pub food. It was the...

Visited the Diggers for a Sunday lunch, and for the rest of the week for a drink, whilst staying in the village of Woodbury Salterton. so glad to see the pub open again, the new landlords seem to be doing a very good job, with...

Congratulations Simon and Nikki for a fantastic reopening night , the decorations added to a great atmosphere ! It was wonderful to see so many people . Good luck in your new venture . It’s a beautiful thatched country pub in a lovely village ....

We haven't been to the area of Diggers for almost a year and were far from disappointed when we returned. Popped in for a drink one evening and two nights later for drinks and food. We both had Chicken in a basket and I have...

Hadn't booked but were made welcome. Staff had just the right amount of attentiveness. Great meal - Souvlaki chicken which was tender, juicy and full of flavour, tabbouleh cooked just right and again full of flavour. My husband had the Thai green curry and again...

I felt the need to write after reading the ‘poor’ reviews. Wife & I visited tonight, and it was just a lovely evening- food excellent, the staff were just lovely ( how anyone has criticised previously I am not sure ) and when the bill...

Great service and great food. Not to mention a lovely pint, or 2, of Jail Ale and a good choice of ciders. We booked for Saturday evening to eat and arrived slightly early. We were made to feel very welcome and treated as if we...

Went to this lovely looking pub for a lunch whilst on holiday. The landlady is dam right rude. When I asked if she could get me another pint when she had finished what she was doing she rolled her eyes and then after that pulled...

Visited on more than one occasion whilst staying at a nearby campsite. We were welcomed each time by a very friendly Australian lady who was very efficient and was a central figure each time we visited. We shared a delicious chicken club sandwich with triple...

We called in here for lunch, ordered our drinks and looked at the lunch menu for a sandwich. As pescaterians/vegetation, the choices were extremely limited but there was crab in a brioche bun. I asked the surly barman if I could have it in a...

I seldom ever write reviews but feel it necessary to indicate the shortcomings of this restaurant. First impressions are all important especially when providing a culinary service. Hygiene is also paramount. My wife and I were on holiday at Woodbury Salterton and considered having an...

Table was booked for dinner, shown to the table, and there we waited. A large group arrived from a nearby site, they were all served drinks, food ordered, whilst we were still waiting. The issue was raised but service did not improve.

We had booked a table at 12.00 and were the first diners. It was a family meal with the grandchildren. The two children's meals were very poor with leathery sausages and overcooked fish goujons - hard, greasy and dark brown in colour. The 3 adult's...

We were all impressed with the menu and service at what was the best diner in Woodbury. My friend and I had the Buddha bowl salad which was very imaginative and tasty. The food was all served in a timely manner.

Very friendly pub with Great food, attentive service and welcoming atmosphere. Easy walking distance from Castle Brake caravan park making a great evening out.

Can't fault this gorgeous pub in any way, the food was sensational and really well priced. We will definitely be back again to squeeze in a pudding, as they look SOOOO good!

We visited with my 4 year old daughter and found The Diggers to be really child friendly and welcoming. It’s the small things that make a difference like having childrens cutlery and a little play area with books/toys and puzzles. It can be a stressful...

Its a traditional pub. Staff are extremely helpful and friendly. Dogs are welcome. The food is excellent. In addition to great food and service, all food is locally sourced. On the last page of the menu they have information all about where there ingredients come...

Enjoyed a really nice meal here over the Easter Weekend. Short-staffed and busy, the landlady/manager and her one front of house waitress worked really hard and kept everything on track with regular updates on service to manage expectations. Delicious South African pinotage wine. We finished...

Visited for lunch and had the all day breakfast special on offer for Easter weekend only. Great quality meat, my daughter had the avocado sourdough toast and said it was delicious. Shared a desert and the Death by chocolate was the best brownie I’ve had...

We visited this pub whilst staying locally and found the staff to be welcoming, pub cosy and food absolutely delicious. Couldn't fault it. Husband loved the pie, kids enjoyed their meals and my death by chocolate was to die for!! They had a little shop...

We had a great evening at The Diggers Rest on Monday evening, We did not have a table booked, but arrived at 7pm and we were greeted with a very warm welcome on entering the pub. This place has a very friendly atmosphere with lots...

Wow! What a find! My birthday plans had to change due to some unforeseen circumstances and I wanted to find somewhere fairly local to meet with a friend for my birthday lunch. The Diggers Rest came up trumps. What’s not to like? A beautiful spacious,...

We were stopping at Ladram Bay and have been trying different places locally. In nice area, not too far to drive, plenty of parking and enough choice on menu for adults and kids.... Food and service was great - kids and wife loves sticky toffee...

We visited for a family meal on a Friday evening. The staff were friendly and the food was nice. The only observation we had was that there didn't seem to be much "management" of the pub, and as we were seated in a little area...

The couple that we had lunch today recommended the Diggers Rest as they have eat here a couple of times and they were very impressed. The staff were lovely and friendly and they made you feel welcome. I had Lamb Chop with Minted New Potatoes...

Went with parents for dinner. Sat in the main bar area. Cosy and warm with a cheerful welcome and good service from all working. All enjoyed the meals too.

We visited this afternoon for a carvery and it was absolutely superb! As a gluten free vegetarian it’s very hard to find places I can go, but the gluten free choice at Diggers Rest is exceptional. Everything is clearly marked and the carvery itself was...

We went on Friday lunchtime, as a party of six, we were shown to our table, gave our drinks order and looked through the menu. We ordered our choices, the food came. All six of us enjoyed what we ate, mains and desserts. Would definitely...

Ok but not somewhere we’d hurry back to. Little bit of a wait for food but acceptable. When food arrived it looked good, well presented and a decent amount. Unfortunately that’s where it all goes wrong, my dish was good but others not so much....

In the depths of Devon, down narrow country lanes, this jewel of a pub is obviously well-known by lucky locals. The food is extraordinarily good, fresh, beautifully cooked and presented. We could have eaten everything on the menu and tried our hardest to, visiting three...

I happened to notice the Diggers Rest menu on Facebook last week, and upon seeing that the roast could be done fully gluten free, I messaged to confirm and we swiftly booked a table for 3 plus our dog. We've just come back from our...

A group of 15 of us met up for our first gathering in over 20 months. We all had various starter, main and desserts and all were excellent. Super tasty, hot and served with a smile, what more could you ask for in these strange...

We went here 17th Oct 2021 for Sunday lunch, the service was so slow we took two hours just to get 2 courses and waited another 3/4 hr to be served dessert which didn’t happen. We then waited to pay and had to use all...

Although the staff were all young and didn’t seem to have any authority figure they were all polite although they were all a little slow. The drinks and snacks were fine but the starters came and they were cold and tasteless. When the mains eventually arrived after a long delay they felt as though they had been left to come to room temperature and then bought out to us. DO NOT VISIT

Amazing food! Can’t recommend this place enough, staff are so wonderful, the atmosphere is beautiful and dogs are treated like family, love the local produce and the gluten free options available are unbelievable. My partner got the gluten free version of his dinner so I could try it and was amazed! We loved it so much we came back the next night

Our first visit while on holiday. A beautiful pub, the food was outstanding, fresh, tasty, clearly all homemade & plentiful. The sticky toffee pudding was the best I’ve tasted. We were able to take the dog - an added bonus, (they have a separate dog friendly part of the pub) We will be back!

Enjoyed a delicious meal two nights in a row at the diggers rest whilst staying at crealy meadows resort. Only a short drive away. Friendly welcome. Delicious food. Plenty of choice. Nice little beer garden at the back and plenty of parking spaces. Good selection of non alcoholic beverages for us drivers. Also good vegetarian options. Highly recommended!!

What a great find after our day at Crealy. Lovely home cooked food with plenty of choice. All the staff were friendly and attentive. We shall be back if we are ever in the area again.

We loved this place - beautiful decor, loads of parking, stunning window boxes full of gorgeous flowers. We couldn’t have felt more welcome, great service and we had a fantastic meal - the steak pie was a highlight, as well as a very yummy sticky toffee pudding - well worth a visit.

We found this pub as we were on a short break with our puppy snd needed somewhere dog friendly. Loved our choice! Meal was great and service very good! Made us feel very welcome and even packed up our dessert to enjoy at home. A true country pub with good food and great hospitality would visit again if we are in the area.

We went on a Sunday and only pizza is available not the full menu on Sunday. The pizza was delicious and very light, not heavy or stodgy. The full desert menu was available so we took full advantage of that. I had a cheese platter which had alot of cheese and accompanying chutney. The lady running the pub was very friendly and we felt very welcome. Highly recommended!!

We were so happy that we found this on a visit to my daughter in Exeter. A lovely welcome, superb efficient staff, great beer and wine and lovely food. Highly recommended.

I wrote a review a while back mentioning the outside needed a tidy up ...... well it's had more than a tidy, it looks absolutely fantastic. Hanging baskets and pots all look amazing - loved your scarecrows :-) We've only been for a drink so far and sat in the garden with our two slightly nervous rescue dogs. We're back in the area next week and definitely booking in to eat. We recommend the Diggers to everyone when we're staying in the area. I totally agree with John A's review - the Diggers deserves to go from strength to strength

We have eaten here a couple of times now and each occasion its been a delight. Being a meat eater, I naturally gravitate to the meat dishes, but I think I am drawn to the more interesting sounding dishes like the Buddha Bowl or the Vegetarian Wellington, in itself almost a contradiction, but both dishes were delicious. The waitress was really good with the kids, they really wanted some garlic bread, even though it wasn't on the menu, she made it happen. It was so good, we ordered more. I'm sorry, I didn't get her name to give her a thanks on Trip Advisor, but this is the kind of service I look for, attentive, easy going, knowledgeable and good for the pub as increasing sales! We need more people to use their heads rather than spouting some corporate nonsense.. We visited 23rd July whilst staying at Crealy Meadows - see separate review for their "food"This is one of those pubs I would happy travel 40-50 miles to visit, which is a good thing living 45 miles away.

My wife and I were having lots of problems finding somewhere to eat.We rang a number of pubs and restaurants and all were closed on Mondays (to be honest these businesses deserve to fail - you would think after Covid they would just be happy to serve anybody).Eventually I found The Diggers Rest - who were open and happy to help.We booked a table for later in the evening as they said they were busy.We arrived at our time - were shown politely to our table and even though it was getting late they proceeded to provide us with a very fine meal, and top quality Real Ale.Everything was just so - with perfect service.They even had a little pop up shop on the way out in which we bought some snacks.This is the sort of pub that deserves to succeed - it provides a fantastic service, high quality fare and seems very well managed.Thank you to all at The Diggers Rest - I hope all of the other lazy buggers go bust.

Just had a wonderful lunch at the Diggers Rest an old favourite & dog friendly in certain areas. They’ve certainly been busy in lock all new painted outdoors & cool signage. Hanging basket pubs to are always quite clearly a higher standard. Gorgeous village, decorated in fashionable up to date Farrow & Ball type colour pallet so very on trend. Sparkling lights in beam just lovely. I’m very pleased to see so much effort as ex landlord. Menus , lunch & full menu. We opted for a club sandwich & ciabatta mozzarella & tomato & basil with a bottle of wine. Perfect!Great garden too.lots of tables & lots of effort if the pubs busy I’d take my hounds into the very well planted gardens.Pubs like this aren’t by accident they’ve worked damned hard as I knew the old pub pre Covid. Great staff chatted about local photos, dogs & refurb. Just what Devon needs. Thank you Andy & Shaun Otto & Edie