The Kitchen at The Donkey Sanctuary in East Devon

We had a great lunch, very well prepared and presented. We came back on two occasions, it was so good. Thanks to the staff who were most efficient.

My family love the Kitchen, staff are friendly and helpful and the food is delicious having 3 children who all like different foods isn't easy but they can all find something to eat and always eat it all. The children's sausage and chips are a particular hit. Great varied menu suitable for everyone and always nutrious. It's a real treat to come here and visit often as the children love the friendly staff, food and great selection of cakes. Its also easy access for disable people too. And the parking is free.

Visited around 4pm and bought a sandwich, cake and a couple of coffees - I was working on my laptop and only took a quick call around 16:40 on headphones as I was the only customer left. A member of staff then came over and said that they didn't encourage customers working in the cafe - which I can understand when it is heaving with customers - but seems a remarkably officious blanket policy when the place is deserted.

We realised that the restaurant would be busy during half term, so timed our trip for 4pm. It definitely was quieter and we were quickly served by friendly and polite staff. However the cleaners were already at work despite the restaurant being occupied. The cleaners were making a racket, banging chairs and tables around. Brooms were out in force very near us patrons. It was nigh on impossible to hold a conversation or enjoy our Devon afternoon tea treats. Cleaners are necessary, but in this instance they were clearly trying to get the work over and done with in customers time and had no concern for privacy or ambience. Can they not put the restaurant to rights after closing? It would be a better atmosphere if they did.

Sadly, this was not a good experience. When you're paying above £50 for 1 kids meal and 2 adults, there's a quality expectation that was not met. The roast was ok, a bit sparse but ok. The kids sausage beans and chips was awful. The 2 sausages had clearly been sat under heat all day as they were rock hard (we made our daughter laugh when we tapped it against the table and dented the table with her sausage). Very disappointed.

A great breakfast It has 5-star quality Good food , lots of parking, plenty of seats, a nice shop[ clean toilets and lots of walks to see donkeys. you can choose to walk inland or to the beach

WOW!! What a delicious vegan breakfast - truly the best I've been served. Tasty vegan sausages; crisp potatoes; moist mushrooms; flavoursome tomatoes; delicious lightly cooked spinach; the best baked beans and fresh crunchy granary toast with vegan spread. Delightful setting with views down the valley to the sea, accompanied by the gently braying and cheerful staff. Thank you and looking forward to my next visit.

Four of us decided to meet at The Cafe to have a lunch and oh what a disappointment it was. We explained to the waitress at the till that we were a table of 4 and we would order and pay seperately which she was fine with. Her attitude could be worked on, especially when asked about the dishes of the day. We all ordered our food, 2 x fish & chips and 2 x festive sandwiches together with pots of tea and a cold drink. We selected our table and waited for our food. First to arrive was 1 x fish and chips and 1 x festive sandwich. After a few minutes they started eating their lunches. Next came 1 x festive sandwich - no signs of the remaining fish & chips. After another 5 minutes we asked a waiter where was the last fish & chips and were advised he would ask the kitchen and let us know - needless to say we never saw him again. After another 5 minutes our friend went to the counter and asked where was his meal and was told by the waitress who had taken our order "if you had all ordered together then all the food would have been served at the sametime"!! Well that is what we had done. Finally the fish & chips arrived - no apology for the delay. The first fish & chips had a green slime (it looked as if mushy peas had been scrapped off the fish) and was not very good. My festive sandwich consisted of a few very thin pieces of turkey, a couple of pieces of stuffing and loads of cranberry sauce, didnt detect any pigs in blanket. The bread was very doughy - such a disappointment. The other festive sandwich was the same. The late arrival of the fish & chips was ok. The cafe was not busy so why was the standard of service and food quality so poor. The price of the food is exceedingly expensive for what you get. We certainly will not return.

Came this morning for breakfast and it was very nice. Food good, service good. Only thing that marred our experience was the price for 1 extra sausage. £3.95 I so wished I'd asked how much extra. We may as well had 3 full English instead . Lesson learned

What a Great Restaurant and Opens at 9am. Stunning selection of breakfasts Vegan, Vegetarian and Standard, all of which come in Small or Large sizes. I had the Small Standard. Wow it was amazing, Sausage, Egg, Bacon, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Beans, Hash Brown and Toast. So glad I didn’t Go Large. Get your table number before you order at the Counter, saves time. Then walk off your Brekkie with a stroll around the Donkey Sanctuary. Highly recommend this place.

When we arrived there was a line snaking down the main entry corridor. It was exactly the same thing at the end of our visit. We had planned to enjoy a light lunch and dessert but given the lines we decided to just grab 3 coffees. Exactly 30 minutes spent standing in a line for just coffees. I highly recommend an automated coffee machine, the type you see in all hotels these days and grab-n-go drinks in fridges with a self check-out as a more efficient way to deal with visitors who want drinks than standing in a long line. In my opinion, the restaurant is trying to do too much with all the flavoured milkshakes and smoothies and this takes up too much time. When it takes 10 minutes to make 2 milkshakes, this is preventing another 6 to 10 customers from being served. And several customers were so annoyed with the wait, they simply left the queue. Why simply just NOT sell these items when the sanctuary is busiest? It doesn't make much financial sense to be a small operation offering all the elaborate items requiring blending and several steps in a process as well as one staff member being taken up making something that doesn't bring profit. I am bemused by anyone who says there are not more volunteers or they weren't prepared for the holiday crowd. Certainly everyone knows the bank holidays and half-term breaks and there should be preparations for such days in advance to cope with the crowds. Why would the lids for the coffees be at the very start of the counter on one end when you are paying for and collecting your coffees on the other end of the room? This is not convenient for guests. There are little things that can be done to make the whole F&B process more efficient. . The sanctuary is busy enough daily to run a cafeteria style system for all items. Put out food, snacks, desserts and drinks in fridges along with a couple self-serve hot drink dispensers. Let folks take a tray and help themselves to what they want and then have 2 cashiers. That would be far better than having 6 staff running ragged when they can be put to better use than preparing each order individually! The lack of restaurant service meant that people were also lining up in droves for ice cream outside. But there wasn't enough seating for families and the elderly to sit and relax and eat.

Great venue , unfortunately the restaurant is a complete rip off, £5.50 for a small pasty costing no more then 50 pence, £4-50 for a small portion of chips, cost no more than 30 pence. so by al means visit the sanctuary but bring your own lunch

The food was amazing, especially the mushroom soup. The macaroni was a bit too cheesy according to my son. It’s the 2nd time we have eaten here and again, excellent!

The cafe is in the Donkey Sanctuary, you do not need to pay to park or to enter the sanctuary. There is an entrance to the cafe off the car park, and also from the visitor centre side. It's a large airy dining room with large windows overlooking the donkey fields and has views to the sea. It was clean and warm when we visited. The vegan options included cake - I had chocolate orange jaffa cake cake, which was awesome, very rich and a decent size slice. There were also menu options for the sunday menu, breakfast and lunches. Service is from the counter, we didn't have to wait and the people working there were happy and smiley and friendly. Despite the setting, the prices were reasonable - it cost us £12 for two cakes and two hot drinks.

A popular place to eat with plenty of parking . Food above average but is its popularity the food or the donkeys

Had a delicious vegan breakfast here today. Great portion size, friendly staff and nice facilities. Highly recommend.

Would have been 5 but margarine instead of butter meant it tasted not very nice. No choice as apparently already made up

I BROUGHT MY ELDERLY FRIEND, TO SEE HER ADOPTED DONKEY “PERCY”. Reception showed him to us on the webcam, but said there was no guarantee of him coming close to us. HOWEVER, PERCY DID NOT DISAPPOINT. He and some friends came right to the fence and my friend could feed him a handful of grass,which delighted her

First time at the Sanctuary this week. Already left a review for the Sanctuary itself but stopped at The Kitchen for lunch on the first day. Had paninis and some great chips. Tea very good too.... Very reasonable prices for excellent food, great atmosphere, views of the donkeys... Staff very helpful and friendly. We like the whole place so much we decided to go back the next day for lunch. Stayed another 3.5 hrs as couldn't go in without seeing the donkeys again. Can't wait to return

Just had the most amazing breakfast here as a birthday treat.....top quality produce and good value for what you get. Nice to have a hot drink included in the breakfast cost, most places don't do this anymore.

Visited last year & enjoyed so back again Not so good this time, poor selection of sandwiches available ( told later that we could have ordered what we wanted as they make them up freshly in the kitchen ) This service was not offered, what you see is what we have ! My wife went for the fruit scone & me the cream tea We asked young man to clean the table before we ate Wiped all the mess & crumbs off the table over my wife's handbag on chair Well, the scones had very little fruit in them, were doughy, dry & tasteless We ate them because we were hungry & as I said there was not much else available I asked to speak with a manager A young lady did talk with us & said she would take on board what we have said She did add that the scones were supplied by a local bakery & are always good Not this time Very disappointed

We visited here whilst visiting the sanctuary, in the past we have had the Devon Pasty which has always been lovely, but decided to try the burger and my wife had the bubble and squeak with the ham and eggs. We were not disappointed, it was freshly cooked and was hot. A trip back to try something else on the menu is in order.

I wouldn't recommend. It is all about expectations but very average vegetables and so little meat for £15.50/person... We had to wait ages for the 3rd person to get served, but no apology. Sunday lunch was part of a special day out, a 12-mile walk, and I had high expectations. I complained but staff not interested, didn't even offer a little extra. We weren't too full to climb the hills back to Sidmouth, that's for sure.

Been to Donkey Sanctuary many times, but came for some food this time, we all had full English breakfast, which is really plentiful, good value and very tasty. Large area to sit inside and a terrace if the weather is good, also dog friendly.

Great cafe - all the profits go to help the support of the Donkeys so don’t just order a tea have a piece of cake too. I went for lemon drizzle which was nice 👌

The cafe / restaurant is a gem. Great food and drink with sensible prices! They use high quality ingredients. I can strongly recommend the BIG breakfast. All I can say is that it is! - Desperate Dan would be full after eating one. Oh, the other food and cakes are great too. Think it will probably be busy during school holidays though

This time there wasnt a queue.Find a table,look at the menu and then queue to order food and drink.Dogs are allowed in the restaurant on leads and under comtrol.We had the baked potato with cheese and beans as my wife has to have Gluten free food.The food arrived before my wife had got the drink and was paying.Everything was tasty.The downside was the noise from screaming children and adults being very loud and noisy.

A huge restaurant- we enjoyed some lovely sandwiches and cannoli and the service was really quick and friendly. Free water available too- great food and all while looking out over the sanctuary! Dogs are also allowed which makes it so much easier!

Vegetarian breakfast and soya flat white was excellent. We had a great view over the donkey fields and could even see the sea! Our dog was very welcome and happily snoozed under the table.

The food was nice, nothing special but nice. Pricing was not clear. I think they charged an extra 50p for a flake on a milkshake - either that or we were overcharged. They missed part of our order, but didn’t charge for it (unless scones...

Very nice breakfast, well cooked, good portion sizes. Quick and efficient service despite being very busy, and once you've finished you can go and see the donkeys.

Good range of hot and cold food and drinks, catering to a wide range of dietary requirements. Lovely new restaurant, clean with plenty of space and a good view over the donkey sanctuary

A fantastic breakfast. Lovely views of donkeys roaming. The full English breakfast is huge! Service was friendly and fast! We had a great morning and can’t wait to return with more members :)

A rare, truly dog friendly location. Tables are well spaced and there is a good selection of very well prepared food. The staff were lovely and the food was delicious with generous helpings.

We ate here on several occasions as the food and cakes were really nice and, the profits go to the donkeys. You can take a table and watch the donkeys while eating too.

Really delicious veggie breakfast. Scrummie scrambled eggs and other ingredients. I was full all day!! Great value as price includes Americans coffee or tea. Really nice surroundings. Can’t wait to go back.

Fantastic full English breakfast. Tables are spaced out and very clean. Service was great, very reasonable cost and the bonus was the money goes to the donkeys. It was so good we went back 2 days later.

Love coming here for breakfast but sadly today of all days was not their usual tip top standard. Scrambled egg was stone cold and bacon was burnt. We were there by 9;30 so not like arrive when busy as we left at 10:40 . Such...

We really enjoyed our visit. I don’t feel like the flatbread we ordered was exactly as described on the menu. It suggested a marinaded chicken, but it wasn’t, it felt like a frozen bought breaded chicken cut in to strips. The new menu says this...

The cafe here is excellent, worth a visit in its own right. Even better, all profits help the donkeys so it’s a double win. Generous portions, very quick given how busy it is, hot and tasty, also very good for vegetarians. Garden burger and sweet...

Had lunch here while visiting the donkeys at the sanctuary. Quite a varied menu for all tastes and dietary requirements. Had soup and a sandwich, generous portion sizes and nicely prepared. Dog friendly. Friendly, chatty staff too - great lunch stop.

visited the Donkey Sanctuary as recently sponsored a donkey and wanted to see her! Just had coffee and a snack in the cafe but saw lots of main meals being brought out and it all looked great!