The Hare and Hounds in East Devon

Good once you’re seated and the carvery was very nice, but entry and the initial seating process is chaos. We walked in to find approximately 25 people all standing right in front of the door, all seemingly having booked. But instead of seating people, staff insisted on doing each party’s drink order before they could access a table, resulting in everyone waiting a long time in a small area. I eventually had to jump the queue simply to ask for our table number - I made clear I wasn’t after drinks and we would find the table ourselves, but a member of our party was a disabled and partially sighted 87 year old lady who was not capable of standing long, let alone in that scrum. I was met with anger and huffing from two members of staff and I then got a barrage of aggression from another customer who objected to my question. The behaviour of a customer is not the pub’s problem, but it was absolutely caused by their poor management upon entry. Numerous people were complaining about the wait. When it’s busy, seat people and ask them to return to the bar to order or take their order at the table. And when you have severely disabled customers, behave as you would want someone to treat you in that situation.

Just had our first visit dropping in on a whim, we have a large dog so tend to be nervous when visiting new places, what a little treasure this place is and can’t believe it’s taken so long to drop in.the carvery was very tasty with plenty to choose from and definitely lived up to expectations. Our Dog was treated like a king, first he was given a nice cosy blanket and a bowl of water followed by a large handful of fresh cooked meat and lots of fuss, needless to say we all left feeling well fed and happy, we will definitely be back soon. 5 🌟 for all the staff who were extremely helpful and full of friendly smiles.

I’d to sum up my trip to the hairy hounds in a few words. See below. A little background into me. 67. OAP. Husband. Parrot whisperer. Dementia. 67. I was walking from sidmouth to honiton to keep the joints active with family friends. We will call the relevant ones to this review Auntie A and Auntie B. 7°. High winds. Joint pain. Auntie B says to Subject A, “want to go to the H&H?”. “Most humbly”, returned Auntie A. So we took a short break from our endeavours and entered the facility. We each ordered a standard Calvary. My favourite auntie paying for mine of course. The time came where we rose from our seats to fill our plates. This is when the Martin moment hit me. This. Is. The. LIFE. We returned to our tables and began munching and crunching. Pint in one hand, roastie in the other. It was as good as my aunties mystery casserole. Overall, I would say that if you needed a replenishment in times of need. The hairy hounds will thirst your quench! All from mart x

Excellent carvery mist days. This is my 7th visit before I decided to review it. Great service and food. Obviously a well run premises !

Sunday Perfection!! Best carvery I’ve ver had…easily, the beef was perfect, so much choice, worth every penny 🥰 lovely, friendly staff, great atmosphere, all round amazing pub! Well done guys x

We booked a table for 3 at 2pm on a Sunday Now I know it’s probably the busiest day of the week and didn’t expect it to be quiet. However this place does not care in the slightest for its customers . It’s seems they want to cram as many people in as possible at the detriment of the customers comfort. Firstly the car park was horrendously busy and took an ages to find a space. The layout and state of it need addressing by a business that is clearly making lots of money. Then we entered the pub which was like a mad house with what appeared to be a changeovers of shift between the 12pm and 2pm sittings. You could hardest move around the bar and it was total chaos. Then we ordered drinks and paid for our meal. We were served by a really surly slim female blonde middle aged bar staff member who clearly wasn’t wanting to be there. She made us feel so unwelcome. Then we were shown to table 58. Which is right next to the smaller of the 2 carvery areas. This has to be the worst table I have ever had the displeasure to eat a meal at. Situated right next to the carvery, it had a constant queue of people stood right next to us, the place was so busy and overcrowded that the people queuing may have well been sat on my lap they were so close! The meal itself was a run of the mill carvery. I have had better and had worse. Not once during the meal did any staff member check to see if everything was ok. After a meal which was totally spoilt by the terrible experience of sitting right next to the crowded carvery area we couldn’t wait to leave. Due to proximity of the carvery to where we sat we smelt as if we had cooked the meal our selves our clothes smelt so badly. On the way out I highlighted our poor experience to a staff member and asked if a manager was around. She seemed very dismissive and seemed to not care in the slightest. In a nutshell it was one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had in my life We will never be returning and I would recommend you spend your money somewhere much better like the Sidmouth Arns or The Greyhound which are much better at a similar price .

No issue with the pub / food but parking on a Sunday for the 2pm slot is chaos in the back carpark! No lines people park anywhere up on the grass verge, took over 15 mins to park, a lot of space in between cars could easy fit more if had painted lines ! Just a thought

Great carvery, served very efficiently.

Fantastic carvery. Quality of all food is great. Highly recommend. Current staff all very friendly. Lovely people. Only 2 minor gripes: Desserts are sometimes a bit small for £8. It bugs us sometimes because we know the cost to buy several of them. No OAP meal-deals on Friday evenings is a bit mean, because you unbecome an OAP on Fridays, but understand busier then. Hope that helps, 5 stars overall, because it's absolutely wonderful

What a disappointment, we came here before they had a refurb and the food was gorgeous, a let down as no option to have a big or small roast, no peas the beef was very rare (not to my taste) the turkey, pork and gammon was cut too thick to enjoy and the choice of veg was poor, all in all a disappointing meal, will probably not visit again, sorry.

Booked for a group Christmas lunch. We'd pre-booked our selections, including allergy requirements, and booked for 1 o'clock. Those of us who'd chosen the carvery had to wait until 2.15 for our main course, as they hadn't cooked what the vegetarian had pre-ordered and we weren't allowed up to the carvery until the "kitchen food" had been served. The dairy and gluten allergy requirements had been mislaid somehow so several dishes had to be returned and replaced. We're not being faddy, these were genuine health issues that could have put my friends in hospital for Christmas. It made them very nervous about trusting what was being served. Sadly we did not have a good experience here and would not come as a group again.

Great carvery plus a varied additional menu. The desserts are amazing.

We had an exceptional outing here to celebrate dual birthdays and the atmosphere alone was perfectly catered to being both comfortable and welcoming. The food choices were exceptional with many variations on offerings and food that was well suited for all tastes. The food was also cooked extremely well and everything was fresh alongside quick and friendly service. Hare and Hounds is certainly a place we enjoyed very much and are looking forward to visiting again. Highly recommended!

I really like this place, it’s huge and plenty of seating inside as well as outside. The daily roast dinner are delicious and not to be missed. On this occasion I decided to go for their Devon beef burger. I was a little disappointed with what came out as it was all quite basic. I’ll keep to the roast dinners here from now on as they are really good and plenty of meat is served unlike a Toby carvery… The staff are all really helpful and the place attracts a diverse of customers. There are plenty of tables in the bar area so your pets are welcome to sit with you while you eat. There is a cool children’s play area outside and popular for a beer in the sunshine while your kids play. Good to see a nice variety of soft drinks for the kids as well as alcoholic beverages for the adults. The deserts are tasty and the kids ice cream portions are plentiful. There are 2 carparks and plenty of spaces.

Really busy but enjoyable and well looked after

The carvery was so good. Meat and veg fresh. Portion size was really good, I had small and that was really filling.

Cracking meal here mid afternoon when in the area. Very friendly locals also dining so a very good sign of lovely food. Varied menu, difficult to choose. Dogs welcome & spoilt except restaurant end. Very worth a visit

Unfortunately, they have set a standard for us, which means other places can not match!!! Had a Christmas meal elsewhere in Devon and it wasn't as good as the Hare and Hounds every day carvery. We always look forward to visiting. Great for dog walking as well.

Fabulous food and excellent service

This is a large popular pub. The speciality is a daily carvery. Vegetarians can enjoy a large selection of vegetables as a cheaper option. Usually very busy but plenty of car parking front and rear. Large outdoor play area. The food is of a good quality and value for money.

To the floor manager who seemed visibly annoyed when I politely asked them to check again to find the person who had blocked me in an hour away from my home and in the middle of nowhere. Good news we found them. Next time lease make more of an effort.

We had a family gathering for lunch today. We are a large family, 35 of us in number. We had a brilliant carvery and the staff went out of their way to accommodate us. So many thanks to everyone involved and Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to you all.

We called in for a meal around 3pm on a week day. It wasn't very busy. We waited forever for our food to arrive. When it finally did we were very disappointed. My husbands "deluxe Ploughman's" was literally green leaves & pepper's thrown on a plate with a pot of coleslaw/ Branston pickle/ bread roll and a small amount of meat and cheese. Other ingredients that were on the menu were missing. The cost of £19.50 was far to expensive for what was on the plate. My meal a small lasagne was very very small for the price of £11.00. Again a few lettuce leaves with pepper's and half a bread roll. One more criticism, the staff were extremely miserable the whole experience was a total let down as we had driven a long way to eat there.

Attended with NHS work Colleague for evening Christmas dinner 04/12/2024. Poor table service and attitude from staff- slow service. Colleagues all paid individually for drinks and food. Yet at the end of the evening 5 staff out of 20 colleagues were approached , informed by the manager that there was an outstanding tab to be paid. No evidence was offered, only a verbal requested. we suggested that we would be back at work in the morning to find out further information and get back to them. This was vehemently, aggressively declined from the manager insisting we pay £6.55 ! ,when we stated we will not pay until we establish the facts , we were threatened that they will contact the police. The overall experience was not only disappointing, unprofessional way of conducting a business , and accusing customers of stealing alcohol without substantial evidence. Not only this , the pub make contact with the colleague who organised the event the following morning threatening her with the police also. Left colleagues feeling humiliated, and embarrassed by the conduct of the pub representatives. To the point where it has left us to take this experience further.

Great food and big portions. Desert choices were amazing! This is what happens when it’s ‘help yourself’ carvery 🫢😂

Excellent service, great food, hospitable staff, eaasy parking and great surroundings. What else would you want! Cannot wait to go back.

Allways a great meal, full menu + carvery.

Very popular with plus 60's and they know it, so literally EVERYTHING is about 40% more expensive than everywhere else. First place in Devon I've paid 6.50 per pint of Madri

Excellent food great staff and very clean

Excellent carvery, good service, very enjoyable indeed. The staff went well beyond helpfulness when 6 of them helped push our van out of the back field. Really appreciated their good humour and helpfulness! Highly recommended.

I really want like the place as it's local and accessible but I was so disappointed. The waitresses were fine - no problem, the lad my husband placed the order with was indifferent and mumbled a number at him which he then realised was the price....no niceties or 'that will be £69 please' just 69.... The food was nothing special - perhaps it would have been better if we ate meat. My large pinot grigio (£9.50) was warm........... Just need to up their game a bit for customers who are not there for the carvery.

Allways busy and allway nice a must visit if your over that way or even travel if ur in Exeter like I do also the sister pub in newtonabot is nice but this one definitely the best 10/10 2 different carvery set ups with wide selection

Great food, came here for a family party the day after our wedding.

Went on a Sunday. You have to book. The beef was excellent . Would I go back ? Probably not. Very very busy.

Went with my sister very disappointed.felt atmosphere was flat staff seemed very stressed I had a nut roast didn't even bother to complain just ate the potatoes and veggies and left the nutroast after one bite.dont particularly like giving negative reviews as life's hard as it is but I have to be honest.for me I'll somewhere else next time

Excellent carvery hot and plenty of choice . Super service we hadn't booked and arrived after 2pm on a Wednesday. Pub was busy, warm and comfortable easy parking.

Enjoyed our meal had the carvery. Generous portions for main and dessert. We went on a Monday the place was full. Have recommended it to friends

We ate off the menu, big mistake, not great. But the carvery looked good, bit pricey though for 1 course.

Stunning food, fairly priced with helpful and friendly staff

Excellent Carvery, the meats melt in your mouth, Proper gravy made with meat juices, highly recommend this pub.

Great food - 5 different carvery meats and all delicious - I was visiting friends in the area and will defintely be back soon so will try and visit again !

Perfect country pub with wide range of ales, beer, wine and spirits. One of the best carveries we have been to across Devon, Somerset and Dorset!

What a gem food was great but you need to book as very busy

Excellent food and very friendly and obliging staff.

Came here for the carvery. The selection of food was brilliant with excellent quality ingredients. The meat was cooked to perfection and the dessert cabinet may well be emptied prior to our leaving. Thank you for a fab birthday lunch x

Very good food and nice to bring your dog

Wow I've not had a carvery this good in a long time. Was really nice, will be looking forward to next time.

First time trying the Hare on Hounds and definitely won't be the last! Friendly service, great Carvery and atmosphere.

A great roast lunch. Friendly service and very comfortable environment. Just add roast Parsnips and it would be the finishing touch

The most dog friendly pub ever with the best carvery absolute pleasure palace

Great atmosphere.Very welcoming.Helpful staff.

Carvery wasn’t up to usual standard, good meal but the vegetables were almost cold Disappointed

A stones throw from our camp site this is a gorgeous cosy place to visit. We only had a small bite to eat but the roasties and gravy were great value, quite unique on a menu and bloody tasty! The staff were very friendly and welcoming. The lady was also very welcoming of our Peggy the whippet who was greeted with a treat and a fuss. Well worth a visit, the carvery looked good, maybe next time. We highly recommend a visit if you’re passing.

Busy place. Good atmosphere. But young barmaid kept throwing empty bottles in the bin, which was loud and annoyed people. Did the same next time we visited.

A fantastic Pub with first class food and service They love your four legged friends and they treated ours with roast chicken and very thankful were the 2 Wheaties & golden doodle. The portion size , quality & choice of the food was fantastic. Highly recommend to all. We had suckulent roast beef chiabata with roast potatoes and gravy & turkey bacon cheese & tomato toasties with a portion of fries and onion rings which were of very generous size, and fairly priced. Thanks to all the staff

Have visited Hare and Hounds many times, when on holiday in the area. Consistently excellent!

Great food great staff will recommend it to friends who come down on holiday

Great food, quick service and friendly staff.

Good food , carvery, served nice and hot.

Found this by chance lovely pub that serves home made food .

Lovely pub Sunday Roast was gorgeous would highly recommend.

100% you get what you pay for! A great roast dinner.

Unable to find our booking that we made last August for a celebration meal. Booking could not be found so had to re-book. On the day after the meal asked for the bill, which after paying was not a complete amount. Reservation times put on table which you feel the you had to be gone by the times stated. Long wait to clear table for dessert. Not a very welcoming experience.

Tried to book by phone, unsuccessful on three attempts, so emailed a request this was acknowledged very quickly. However when we arrived, no booking, until I queried, then informed "oh yes it's there" Told the table number but no indication as to where the table was. Table not reserved or cutlery in situ. Very poor staff interaction from behind the bar. Generally a lack of information regarding the carvery and the menu. It was extremely busy and obviously very busy. The chef on the carvery was very pleasant to all his customers myself included. The food was very good and a good variety to choose from. Over all the experience was disappointing.

Best roast we've had in a long time 😋 We will be back 😁

A dog-friendly, warmly light cozy establishment. I was not left wanting at the portion sizing, the food arrived: well presented, warm but not scolding, and in a timely manner. Staff were on it. Sole complaint is that the table had been mildly sticky on one side - which was quickly rectified by asking for a cloth to wipe it with - and the ambience felt a bit bustling (very normal for ANY food service establishment, the decor and ambience was merely something I subjectively didn't click with *e.g. a sign jokingly listing prices for which staff can 'lie to your wife about'if she comes looking for you at the bar - but this is culterally quite normalised*).

A great location with views looking south towards Sidmouth on a clear day, which on our visit was nice and sunny. We were glad to have booked a table as although an ordinary Monday the place was soon full of happy eaters. The carvery was 1st class on both the meats and choice of fresh Vegatables.

Terrible. By far the worst customer service I've ever experienced. The tall, weathered-faced angry looking woman who seemed to be in charge served me at the bar, already looking peeved, yes i then forgot my table number, went to look then came back, man she's huffing and puffing, tapping fingers, a 50 year old acting like a stroppy teenager. Finally transaction went through, she walked off not even offering a receipt, i had to overtly request it, she gave it reluctantly. Then the food, barely adequate, undercooked, overpriced. Very odd atmosphere, also young staff look clueless, all just standing around looking uninterested in working. Lazy staff. Terrible place. Avoid like the plague.

Damn good carvery. Timed it well so didn't have to book.. and good meat choice! Mmm mmmm....

A young lad now carving the meat being a little tight on what he carves and puts on your plate. I am not a massive veg fan so the meat is important. I thought I would give a second chance but same again. Not that cheap anymore so I expect a good cut of meat. Sorry just being honest. Shame I use to love it.

Lovely late lunch , just a light snack

Big and very dog friendly pub restaurant, with good quality pub grub. Orders places at bar.

My family celebrated my parents Golden Wedding here & we were all blown away by the experience. Throughout various issues organising it, the venue helped us & bent over backwards to accommodate our changing wishes. On the day itself, we were amazed at the range & quality of the food arranged for the buffet, we still struggle to believe it was all freshly prepared in the kitchen, because at the price paid we were expecting about half the amount & nothing like the quality. This is NOT a normal pub, if they charged fair prices we’d have been happy paying double for what we got… The venue is clean, tidy, easily accessible for people of limited mobility, plentiful parking spaces & a great out door space for the kids. Next up, you will not find a better carvery dinner anywhere in Europe let alone UK, fact. I’ve looked. It’s amazing. Rounding the experience off are the amazing staff. These folks could easily be running a top hotel. From discussing plans right up to ensuring anyone wanting to take leftovers home had a tidy little box for it at closing time, they were all absolutely first class. Will definitely be returning & already looking forward to it.

We booked for the carvery and we thought we was booked on table 44. But when we got there we was told table 47 which was in a terrible draft. We asked the manager if we could move and was told ' NO ' sorry. So I told him to take us off the list as my wife has been out of hospital for week and half after heart operation. I went up to pay for our drinks and told the young lady behind the bar we was leaving because of the draft and she went out of her way to help us out. More so than the manager. The lady's name I didn't get but she's got 2 butterfly's on her top of her back on her shoulders. She should be praised and given the mangers job as I think he tried to stop her changing our table to the original table 44. Thank you so much to that lady. You made the stay more enjoyable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was our initial visit to the establishment, and we were not let down in the slightest. We each opted for a carvery meal, and the quality of the food was exceptional. It was fresh, hot, and delectable. We will undoubtedly return for another delightful experience.

Staff friendly and always willing to find a table. Food is good.

Service a little slow but food was good. Great play area outside for kids.

Great pub with great pub grub and a cavery, outside area for kids and plenty of space and shelter, inside also has a lot of space but still best to call to book as they fill it quickly. Staff always friendly and a good choice of ales and food 😊 Update, returned to visit parents who live locally and went for some food and a drink this eve, still amazing food and great service :-)

Wow, what a fabulous carvery! All the meats were beautifully cooked and the portions were a perfect size. Highly recommend but go early for dinner as it gets manically crowded

Great food, and the best carvery I've ever had..! Good ale selection, log fire and dog friendly, what's not to like! 👍

Went for a carvery with my parents who are in their 80's. The food was lovely and cooked well. But the system for queueing was chaos. Everyone queueing by the door and people going in and out and people ordering drinks was not a nice process especially for my mum who has difficulty mobility . The staff were very busy and seemed stressed behind the bar. We went here as we had been previously many years ago. The food was good but it has lost its personal touch and the cosy pub it used to be. Such a shame.

Delicious food, very good service

Amazing carvery and not just restricted to a Sunday, nice friendly pub

Carvery fine no complaints. However £8 for a thin slice of tasteless bread and butter pudding is taking the 'mick' To serve that must have been an embarrassment for the waiter and more fool me for not sending it back to the smug kitchen that sent it out as a serving. C'mon give value for money - I will not order a desert here again neither will members of my party. A loss of £32 to H&H and smaller bill for us.

Fabulous food, with a great choice of plate sizes. No tables available inside but plenty outside.

Good country Pub.Service good and staff pleasent. The food was good,and plenty of it. Good varity menu and dogs welcome

2nd visit in a week during our holiday. Carvery is to die for. Very generous with the meat all cooked to perfection. Wide selection of vegetables. Service is 1st class, very friendly and welcoming. Excellent value for money and would highly recommend. We will be back.

Delicious lasagne! Absolutely amazing. Atmosphere is a proper warm pub with a friendly feel. The food comes quickly and it’s a great space

Fantastic carvery, friendly staff and a pleasant environment.

I had worst burger I ever had it was dry over cook half bun I better burgers on road side cafe and I see chef was not wear chef whites, in my day we had we had to wear chef whites Very poor gone down hill it’s like Toby carvery now

Our first time here absolutely loved it We will definitely be back next time we are this way

Exceptional food, staff super friendly, nothing to much trouble and of course doggy friendly and everything thought of x

Very good meal comfortable venue good service

Lovely Carvery. Well worth a visit.

We went here because it was dog friendly and we have always meant to but never have. The staff were all fantastic and the owner came with a bowl of water for our boys and for a fuss and bless even wiped up their mess. We chose to have the carvary beef and turkey which was delicious. Next time we are here it will be more than one visit.

Great carvery, best in the area by far. The standard menu is always good quality too.

Visited the Hare & Hounds today for a meal for the first time. There were 6 of us and we all had the carvery which we all enjoyed. There was a lot of choice of meats and vegetables and it was all good quality. But actually ordering our food was very chaotic and stressful, there was no orderly queue for just food and the bar was very busy and loud and people were just pushing in. If the pub sorted this out, it would be a more pleasant experience for their customers or even introducing an app where you could order and pay from your table! Some of the staff were friendly, but some seemed like they did not want to be there. The man who carved the meat was very friendly and helpful. The car park was full and it seems very popular!

I recently enjoyed some top-notch salmon and dill fishcakes at the Hare and Hounds. 🐟🌿 It was a delightful rendition of a tasty classic done absolutely right. The fishcakes were a standout, showcasing a perfect balance of flavours with the freshness of salmon complemented beautifully by the aromatic dill. Each bite was a testament to the skillful preparation of this classic dish. For those seeking a delicious and well-executed rendition of salmon and dill fishcakes, the Hare and Hounds is a definite recommendation! 🍽️✨

Good location, lots of space to park and the carvery was lovely!

10 out of 10, food, staff, atmosphere, decor, service, value all outstanding. No need to go anywhere else, the Hare and Hounds wins hands down! Fantastic carvery!