The Old Bank in North Devon

The food is amazing, service exceptional with a calm and relaxed atmosphere. We had sirloin steaks - cooked as requested, with a mac n cheese two different steak sauces and fries accompanied by a great red wine. Customer ranged from late teens / twenty to couples in there 80s all focused on having an enjoyable experience. From the moment of arriving the staff demonstrated an experience of good dining without being stuffy.

Tucked into the scenic hills of Exmoor, Restaurant Kensington in Lynton offers a refined yet welcoming dining experience that blends modern British cuisine with genuine hospitality. The décor is elegant and contemporary, complementing the natural beauty of its surroundings. The staff are a standout feature—attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, enhancing the relaxed but polished atmosphere. The open kitchen adds a vibrant touch, showcasing the chefs at work. The menu centers around locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, with a particular focus on Exmoor beef. During my visit, I indulged in a 720g T-bone steak—perfectly cooked, rich in flavor, and impressively tender. Sides like the smoked mash and chargrilled hispi cabbage with chipotle butter were equally memorable. Kensington also boasts a fabulous wine selection, carefully curated to pair beautifully with the menu. The team’s recommendations were spot-on, elevating the entire meal - A Patagonian Pino Noir was a treat Awarded Tripadvisor’s Best of the Best in 2023, Restaurant Kensington fully lives up to its reputation. For those seeking exceptional food, top-tier service, and a setting that feels both intimate and stylish, it’s a must-visit on the North Devon coast.

The Restaurant Kensington is a perfect choice for dinner with friends whatever the occasion. We chose from the steak board, the chateaubriand and rib eye steaks which included the sides and a selection of delicious sauces of our choice. We left the cooking of the steak to the chef and it was perfectly cooked (rare). Joshua helped us choose the wine, a beautiful Argentinian red that was a perfect choice. We had a great evening, excellent service, delicious food ( ooh, nearly forgot to mention the scrummy desserts and liqueur coffees) and would highly recommend if you are staying in Lynton or live here!

Great experience! The sharing portions allowed you to try out many different dishes. In addition, the dishes are really tasty and, above all, creative and different from the usual monotony in English restaurants. We had the best meal here on our two-week tour of southern England - and at a very reasonable price too!

From the amuse bouche, then moules in a fantastic spicy sauce, super steak or fish as a main, then a cheese board to share, and ending with an affogato; all accompanied by fine wine and served by an excellent team. My wife and I enjoyed 2 evenings dining here, and along with Highcliffe House are the reasons we will return to Lynton. To dine out well these days, with good wine, is not cheap, but at The Kensington you receive great value for money.

Really special night. Steak was amazing and the service was brilliant. Really accommodating with all our requests. Very special night. Thank you.

Had a great evening. Go eat here! Staff so sweet. The small dishes are all equally tasty. So nice to share and therefore you can taste a lot. I really thought it was a surprise. Price and quality also top! Highly recommended. The mussels were our favorite. It is a small restaurant, which makes it very cozy. They have an eye for detail here.

Excellent food in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

What a gem this place is right in the centre of Lynton! Stylish cosy interior, really attentive service and excellent food. A slightly different concept of food offer with small dish tapas style options as well as larger plates. Each of the dishes we had were delicious. They don't all come at once and you can just add more if you want. We will be back!

Exceptional cooking, service and value. No hesitation in recommending the Old Bank. We will without question be back.

Superb food but even better service.

Wow. This place is a true gem. It was our first time in North Devon (we normally do South) and we were staying in the Blue Ball Inn just outside of Lynton. It was our last night and we wanted to go out with a bit of a bang and we did! This place was a real find. Lovely calm atmosphere with I think 8 tables total? Which leads to quite a personalized feel whilst dining there. The concept is small plates, I LOVE this idea as I never know what to have and normally find multiple choices on a menu (this way I could try them all). Although described as 'small plates' they were extremely generous size a total of 6 plates was more than enough for me and my partner. The food itself was gorgeous. Different, but not pretentious. The service was excellent, if was like going to a friend's for dinner. At one point we had ran out of jug water and before the last drop had left the jug into our glasses, a lovely young lady was there to give us a new, full jug. You just don't get get that level of service anymore and it shows how attentive the staff really are. The value shocked us both. Me and my partner always play the guessing game after a meal out and I guessed it would be around the £100. That's how we rated the food. It came to just over half of that. Although we don't drink so this may have helped a little. But seriously such good value for money for the quality you are getting all round. Another great quality is Although the feel and look of the place is more up market I did t feel out of place in leggings and a hoodie. I had packed light for our get away and I felt at first that we may get turned away or have some noses turned up at what we were wearing, but not at all! This place really is worth a visit. It's such a shame we are not locals. But I can say for certain we will be back!!

Fantastic food and fabulous service. Lovely atmosphere. We shall certainly be returning. Thank you Liam and all the team, it's just what we needed after a rather hectic week.

Such a gem in a wonderful Victorian seaside venue. Quality local meat wonderful ambience great staff a tribute to what’s possible with vision and local ambition. Highly recommend the wine list is balanced and reasonable good quality decent price but the heat is exceptional and I have eaten in some of the best meat houses in the world!

Wow, just WOW! A truly fabulous experience from beginning to end. We have just had a superb lunch here. The service was fabulous, attentive but relaxed and we were unhurried (our waiter was utterly charming!). Although we were there for lunch, the full menu was available along with a fabulous “Spring Special” sharing menu. We opted for this as it sounded wonderful and seemed great value. Only when it arrived did we realise just what value it was! There was a starter of port croquettes with a wonderful Katsu sauce along a homemade sourdough mini boule with marmite butter - amazing! We opted for the porterhouse sharing steak and it was exceptional both in the quality of the meat but also the cooking - one would hope this would be the case in a specialist steak restaurant but we were not disappointed. What was really lovely was to see the care and attention given to all of the side dishes which were so flavoursome that they would stand up to any scrutiny as stand along dishes. Added to that, the special menu included a bottle of wine (a choice of red or white) per couple. Going back to the service for a moment, mindful of it being a lunchtime and considering one of the two of us would be likely to be driving, our waiter volunteered the fact that the bottles are intentionally screw cap so if you are not able to drink it all, the expectation is for you to take it home - a lovely touch. Add to all of the above that the place has beautiful aesthetics and is spotlessly clean (including the kitchen which is open to one side of the restaurant) and Restaurant Kensington really is faultless. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Lovely people, amazing atmosphere and wonderful food! I can’t wait to come back here and try all these different amazing dishes 😁 I don’t have any pictures to show because I loved being there and enjoying the delicious food. So, no time for smartphones!

Fabulous place They couldn’t do enough for us The food was amazing and the wine The service was fabulous Go there for a great experience we loved it !!!

This restaurant is faultless. Great service from jolly owner and staff and excellent interesting food. We can't wait to visit again!!

A special Thursday lunch. The decor was dark in this old hotel but very sensitive to its origins. Friendly waiter served us an English sparkling wine and explained the tantalising menu. Beef steaks are in vogue here but favourable vegetarian option looked interesting. Everywhere spotlessly clean. Pleasant walk though the village afterwards.

The best dining out experience you can have. Food fabulous, whatever you choose. Sunday lunch is so good, you need a big appetite. Liam and his team give an excellent service. Definitely the best restaurant in North Devon.

We are lucky enough to live locally to Restaurant Kensington and have been on a number of occasions for dinner and Sunday lunch. I cannot fault it in any way whatsoever, the staff are helpful and friendly without being intrusive. The food is consistently superb. Thank you Liam and everyone at the restaurant.

Have been to Kensington several times now and every time the greeting, service and cuisine have been exceptional. Liam has put together an amazing team who deliver 5 stars service every time.

Hands down the best restaurant in Devon, service and food quality is second to none. Have been multiple times and will be back again!

WeI had an amazing dining experience at this steak restaurant - some of the best steaks we’ve ever eaten.! The service was exceptional, especially thanks to Josh, who went above and beyond to ensure we felt welcomed and well taken care of. The atmosphere was lovely, creating the perfect backdrop for a great meal. I couldn't fault a single aspect of the experience and will definitely be returning. Thank you for a wonderful evening.

Dropped in for lunch on a day trip whilst staying in the area. We were not disappointed! Lovely food, a very interesting menu. Different flavours, with a real twist. Lovely attentive staff. Thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful.

Wow! Excellent place to eat. Superbly cooked & presented t bone steak with the meat cut into slices ready to eat then simply replaced around the bone. Absolutely done to perfection. Great service here too. Comfortable enough but not over stated. 2 starters, shared main, 2 coffee with a bottle of wine came to just over £150 so not too cheap but really great food so happy to pay that.

We recently visited for lunch before a trip to the cinema. This place goes from strength to strength. It was definitely the right decision to relocate the restaurant from it's previous home (The Old Bank) because this place is bigger and better. There is a very reasonably priced set menu and an A la carte menu. The food is delicious, the service is excellent and the decor is tasteful. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a visit if you're in the area. We will be back, especially as we are very fortunate to live nearby!

Formerly the Old Bank, this place goes from strength to strength. Everything is excellent from food, service, wait staff and wine. Love it. Meat selection is superlative. The local venison was excellent. A couple of new additions to dessert menu for us: notably the salted Horlicks ice cream. I'm not a fan of ice cream but this was tasty.

Our Daughter has been following you guys for a while now, so I suggested we pay the restaurant a visit! We weren’t disappointed, absolutely fantastic Sunday lunch, friendly and attentive floor crew, wonderfully presented dishes and perfectly cooked beef with a lovely bottle of Rioja. Will definitely be back with some friends,

Lovely restaurant with great personal service and a great choice of well cooked steaks. ( Along with a couple of non steak options. Excellent fat chips and sauces to accompany the steaks.

Fantastic setting with lovely staff. Nothing was too much trouble for them. All food was simply delicious. Perfectly cooked and big portions. My only little grumble was that one has to pay for sides of chips. The truffle and Parmesan fries were worth it though. Lush cocktails

Booked last minute whilst staying in Lynton. Great friendly service along with beautiful food and good wine. Shared a Chateaubriand on recommendation of Liam (I think that was his name) owner :-) superb meal had, our compliments went back to the chef ! Really friendly team , had long chat with Liam after our meal which was fab ! Good luck to you all for the future, keep doing what you are doing :-)

A notable cut above the rest of Lyntons restaurants. Very good entrees set the stage for outstanding locally sourced steaks with delicious creative vegetable side dishes. A very well chosen wine list and attentive service. Highly recommended.

We visited three times during our stay in Lynton. I think that speaks for itself excellent food, ambience and the staff are provide a brilliant service.

Wow! One of the best meals we have ever had! Excellent service, great value for money and food to die for! Loved it 🩷

Beautiful food and service, the choices of drinks were excellent and our server gave great wine recommendations for our meals. My mum and I thoroughly enjoyed the roast chicken which was extremely juicy, the corn ribs were very flavourful. The crab arancini was excellent, we also had the beef shin doughnut which just melted on the tongue. The lamb three ways had a wonderful combination of flavours and the steak was perfectly cooked. The desserts were also wonderfully rich and creamy. Highly recommend this restaurant

Visited the new version of The Old Bank, Restaurant Kensington, today for lunch and the food was absolutely epic (Restaurant Kensington doesn’t seem to be listed on Google yet hence the review here). The steaks were superbly cooked as was my son’s Crab pasta, nibbles and my starter (Crab Arancini) were also top quality and the service was really friendly. Would definitely return next time we’re in Lynton

Excellent food and service here. Were able to squeeze us in before a table arrived and I was so glad they did the food was delicious! Defiantly will return when back this way.

Now the Kensington. So refreshing to find a restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere, great staff and top notch food. We shared a porterhouse, which was cooked perfectly. The desserts were all freshly made - not just grabbed out the freezer. We'd love to go back one day.

Exceptional food and general experience. A real treat. Thanks

Went for our anniversary meal….relaxed atmosphere, service attentive and know how to treat customers….food 10/10 - we both had the crab Arancini which was delicious…. We had steaks as very renowned for them and it didn’t disappoint…cooked to perfection and the sides were fantastic (I recommend the Roasted Beetroot with blue cheese and shallot dressing)… We shared the Pineapple and Banana Fritter with rice pudding for dessert - again flavours were amazing… All in all was a great meal - cost was what you would expect to pay for a restaurant of this quality with most ingredients locally sourced… Highly Recommended ! Simon & Julia

As always, this was a 10/10 meal! Our favourite place in Lynton and we always come back. The food is delicious, the staff are SO lovely and go above and beyond to make you feel welcome and at home. Everything was perfect, thank you so much for making it such a special occasion! See you soon!

Managed to book a table and was not disappointed. The staff were welcoming and very professional. The food was outstanding enjoyed by us all. Definitely one place to go back to on our next visit.

Feines, kleines Lokal mit übersichtlicher, aber qualitativ guter Karte und gutem Fleisch. Sehr freundliche, diskrete und aufmerksame Bedienung. Wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt und äusserst gut gegessen.

Great place, highly recommended for food and drink.

Supervriendelijke bediening! De beste steak die we ooit aten ! Heel lekkere sides en de pepersaus was top ! Alles opgediend op mooie en warme borden. Helemaal top !

I cannot remember having a better dining experience. Amazing. Cannot wait to come back. Thank you

Fantastic meal! Do not miss out if your in the area. Staff so accommodating to sit us, very professional. Food was delicious, whilst we maybe order little too much we didn’t leave a bite!

An amazing meal at a fantastic restaurant. My wife started with the crab Kiev which she said was incredible. I had the breads. For mains we each had a steak - me the ribeye and my wife the filet. Both were cooked to perfection and were melt in the mouth. One of the best steaks I have ever eaten. The meat was so succulent and tasty. For dessert it was a chocolate praline fondant. I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough - the staff were so friendly and welcoming. Hands down the best restaurant in Lynton and Lynmouth

Amazing food! The complementary soup was delicious and such a nice touch.

Best restaurant in Devon by a mile

Great food .. on the pricey side. A steak place with v limited veggie/ seafood options. You are gonna need to book !

We have just had the most amazing meal again. Our family came down from London and said it’s one of the best meals they’ve had in a long while.

Wow! What a little gem this restaurant is. It came highly recommended by a friend and The Old Bank certainly didn’t disappoint. Fabulous food, fabulous service, fabulous evening out. A must visit for anyone local to North Devon or visiting. Definitely going back.

Brilliant little find, great food, great service.

Had a great dinner here in May, great food, service and ambience. A great local restaurant, with good locally sourced food. Highly recommend!

We had a wonderful meal at the old bank. Specialising in Steak we had two Sirloin and two Ribeye’s that were all very well cooked and presented with a selection of side dishes which really complimented the Steak. Great service by very nice people. Atmosphere also very good. Want good steak then eat here. Thoroughly recommend 😁🥩

Thank you all for a wonderful evening of divine food , excellent service and a little bit of cheek from Liam . We had a great night !

We just got in to town on holiday and were quickly looking for a place for food. Accidentally picked an amazing spot! Absolutely delicious food. Starters, mains, sides, and dessert, all delicious. Thank you, we’ll be coming again during our trip!

Great food and great service. We especially loved the corn ribs. Looking forward to returning next time we are in Lynton.

One of the highlights of our trip to Lynton, delicious food, we had the crab arancini, chateaubriand with hispi cabbage and mushroom sauce and fondant to finish - all superb. Highly recommend.

Fantastic place! A celebration of flavors, delicious food. Professional service. We had a nice time with friends. It's worth it!

We had a fantastic meal this evening ! Thank you so much everything was delicious 🤩😍

Whilst on holiday near to Lynton, we treated ourselves to what turned out to be a fabulous meal at The Old Bank. We had steak and chicken respectively and my steak was so delicious and perfectly cooked, I would say it's the best I've had to be honest. The range of 'extra' side dishes were so exquisite and were very well presented. The staff can't do enough to make your visit a memorable one too. So pleased we found this place and would recommend to everyone. As it's a small cosy restaurant, make sure you book.

We had a great experience at The Old Bank, from the atmosphere and friendly staff to outstanding produce and great value! A must visit restaurant to anyone in the area.

Having eaten many steaks over the years we can honestly say the old banks were the best we’ve ever had. The whole team made us so welcome from the moment we arrived which made for a very special family get together. We will definitely return when in Lynton again.

Well what can I say....we found a little gem. The service was incredible, really knew their stuff. A lady Sarah helped serve us, it was her first day and she was just fab! The food was just incredible. We shared a T-Bone with the Mac and cheese along with the fat chips.....it was all out of this world. 100% recommend this wonderful restaurant to anyone, it finished our little break off wonderfully. Ps it's also one of few places in the area that has cheese and biscuits as an after dinner option.

Probably up there as one of the best rump steaks I have ever had in my life. The atmosphere, the service and the food was all such outstanding quality. I highly recommend going and cannot believe the value for money considering the insanely high quality everything is!

The Old Bank is our absolute favourite restaurant in the area, guaranteed truly amazing food, exceptional service and a lovely atmosphere. We feel very grateful and lucky to be so local to it and have enjoyed many special occasions here, always such a treat!

We had a fantastic meal tonight. Ambience, wine, food and service all top notch. Visiting this beautiful place for the first time and will definitely come back. And when we do, we’ll eat here for sure. Do it.

Great food , staff and ambiance. What more do you want .

Tremendous beef perfectly cooked.

The best steak we’ve ever eaten in our lives. Went to the Old Bank as we were staying in the area. It was a special birthday and my goodness, we knew it would be amazing due to the reviews but definitely exceeded our high expectations (if that’s even possible!). We ate 610g of beautiful chateaubriand and went to culinary heaven. Melt in mouth lean goodness. Excellent service, amazing atmosphere and a beautifully designed restaurant. We booked months in advance and with only 6 tables it’s a must. Liam the owner has created a gem in Devon! Would highly recommend to everyone.

This is a fantastic gem in the heart of Lynton. The food is outstanding and the service very friendly and professional. Highly recommend the crab arancini, and the side dishes are amazing (smoked mash and roasted beetroot). Come hungry as the portions are very generous.

Fantastic little restaurant in the middle of Lyton. Great atmosphere, really good and friendly service and fantastic food! Would not be out of place in London or anywhere else. Steaks were superb, but other options looked great as well. Will definitely be back if I'm in Lynton again. HIGHLY recommended, loved it!

An absolutely fantastic steak restaurant. Went with pretty high expectations given rating, but certainly exceeded these. It's tucked away in Lynton, but would lead the way anywhere we've been. Service was impeccable, starters and steak (chateaubriand - shared between two) were absolutely top notch. Will be back 100%.

Wonderful food so tasty .... WOW comes to mind and the staff are brilliant . .

Tucked away under an art gallery this little restaurant is superb. The steaks are perfect, tender and tasty they were cooked exactly as we requested. There is an interesting selection of “sides and sauces” to accompany the steak. They offer a small menu, but all of the dishes are cooked to order and the chef certainly knows what he is doing. The staff were all charming and very efficient (the reading glasses available for loan are a fab touch). Prices are competitive and we paid more for less in other places whilst staying in Lynton. Booking is essential and I thoroughly recommend.

The positive reviews for this place are very much deserved, but as well as amazingly cooked steak there are also very interesting and well thought out sides. Really enjoyable evening, would book this again if I'm down this way. Quite small, I would definitely book

An excellent meal - wonderful to see such local produce and the steak was just incredible! Would highly recommend.

What a fabulous restaurant! We had the most delicious meal yesterday with family, to remember my late father. Liam was very accommodating when I rang to say that we were going to be a little late. The service was warm and friendly, and the quality and presentation of the food exceptional, showcasing local produce at its best. Unfortunately, we were too full to sample the desserts on offer but will be back soon!!

The best meal we’ve ever had by far. Beautiful restaurant, fantastic service and the food is incredible. A meal here will be booked at the same time as our holidays from now on.

An absolute fantastic place to eat. Liam fantastic front of house with Matt providing excellent food dishes

The best Stake I have had and the food is amazing.

Nice location, friendly atmosphere, and well cooked steaks with tasty side dishes.

What an amazing place. The atmosphere in this small restaurant was chilled and friendly due to the welcome and excellent service from the staff, under the lead of the owner, Liam. The food was exceptional. We had the garlic king prawns and hummus to start, followed by a 500g Chateaubriand with two sides and peppercorn sauce. It was perfectly cooked and just melted in the mouth. We shall definitely visit again next time we're down this part of the country.

This is our go to restaurant when staying in Lynton and it retains its excellence and the friendly, helpful team headed by Liam. The monkfish is superb, cooked to perfection and fresh, light whilst taking on well the lightly spiced curried sauce. Carrots with anise and cumin are so tasty and such an inspiring offering. Salad was crisp and a good size. There are additions to the starters with the gambas deserving of special mention, succulent, fresh and cooked to perfection. Highly recommended.

We were visiting family and had driven 6hrs to arrive in lynton. I enjoy a good restaurant and good steak so my expectations were high. They did not disappoint in the slightest! To start we had sausage, prawns, ham and calamari. The sausage had no flavour to me mainly tasting of the onions it was covered in but apart from that the starters were top tier. For mains we had two steaks, the market fish and a burger. Sides we had truffle fries, fries, cabbage, and two rounds of the Mac n cheese. All of the mains were perfect! The steaks were perfect cuts, cooked and seasoned to perfection. The Mac n cheese is by far the best I’ve ever had. I joked I would have to make the weekly trip just to eat here, but in all honesty I now won’t visit without booking a table here. Couldn’t recommend more.

Just had the best steak I have ever eaten. Thank you, cooked to perfection and the spinach gratin was superb too. Highly recommended, but very small, so you need to book.

One of the best meals we've had. Steak was incredible! Smoked mashed potato out of this world, and the carrots too. Was in food heaven! Service was great, very friendly and attentive. Lovely little restaurant and highly recommend if in the area.

Excellent service and excellent food. A small cosy restaurant with good atmosphere. Liam made us very welcome and we can see why they are so highly rated. Well done.

Fabulous food and service. Best choice and standard of steak ever. Not to be missed if you like your beef.

The food was excellent as was the service, but and it is a very big but, as we were waiting to order coffee we were informed the table was only for 2hrs and therefor having a coffee wasn't really an option as the table was required for another customer, we hadn't been informed of this when we sat down to order, as we had spent around £70+ on the meal I felt very disappointed about the whole experience.

Love this place. Delighted to see that the sides have grown in size since the last visit. Love the process of choosing the piece of meat they are going to cook for you.

We were lucky enough to get in without booking as it’s not in season probably, the food was amazing and the guy serving us was excellent and extremely helpful, prices where very good for the standard of food ,would definitely book to avoid disappointment if we came here again on holiday, we had one of the best days out in this lovely village, thank you 🙏

The food was truly outstanding and very good service. Would recommend, especially for the steaks.

Six of us called in on the off chance for lunch. So glad we did … what a wonderful meal we enjoyed. All perfectly cooked with delicious flavours and attentive service. They really couldn’t do enough for us. We wholeheartedly recommend a visit.

The food and service here was amazing we couldn't fault it. The steak was one of the nicest we have had cooked to perfection and everything else was cooked well and so full of flavour.

FANTASTIC!! I can see why it is always booked up. Fabulous quality meat and brilliant menu. LOVED it.

What a fantastic steak restaurant! We booked a table for six and the whole experience could not have been better. Great service, superb steak and side dishes and delicious sweets all finished off with a nice Espresso Martini. Would love to have this place close to us, we would be there on a regular basis.