The Otter Inn in East Devon - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Very friendly staff and tasty food

Absolutely AWFUL customer service on my birthday! So we got there thinking a lovely atmosphere like the last reviewer. Mandy who served us refused to allow my mum to eat her own sandwich in the pub whilst me and my dad were paying customers with food and drink. My mum has alot of intolerances to food and suffers health anxiety which was explained. Mandy was saying we were trying to black mail her when mentioning the fact my mum had been in hospital a long time. Mandy kept using the words 'it's our policy' and said we can't eat inside and at first not in the pub garden. There are no obvious signs anywhere about this as she said there was. She agreed we could eat out there, we went out there and were invaded with wasps. I then went back in and asked to eat inside after explaining about the wasps and she refused without any understanding, not making an exception as I stated it was also my birthday. She kept only seeing everything only from her point of view and not my mums. She said it's like if she took her food to another pub they wouldn't let her eat her own food. My mum suggested eating in the car on her own and Mandy didn't seem to care we would be eating separately. In the end we requested a refund and we left the food uneaten. Again if I was the owner reading this I would certainly reconsider the attitides towards customers. We went to another pub where we were welcomed and had a lovely experience.

It is a lovely pub, and the food and service are exceptional. I would absolutely recommend it.

A traditional country pud, just off small industrial estate and A303. Offers a good Sunday lunch carvery with a particularly good selection of vegetables. Easy parking and generally friendly staff.

Food wasn't very good the last time I went had the chicken curry and it was very salty and very small portion for the price.

A lovely pub & restaurant with the right balance between the two. The belly pork was divine, lots of good meat, & I couldn’t finish my cheesecake. The service was 10/10, even one little misunderstanding was met with offers to immediately put it right.

This beautifully situated Inn, near the river Otter, offers the next level of Inn / pub food. Very tastefully seasoned and cooked to perfection. The food this Inn offers shows the exceptional expertise the chef and his accompanies have. Chef must be highly motivated and highly experienced to keep the standard high and that shows. An Inn / pub / restaurant is as good as it’s service as they are the living business card of a company. Well, the service matches the standard of the food served. We were served by a very friendly and alert young woman who understands the essence of her profession. And …. No, we don’t have any shares in the company, nor are we family. Just a couple from the Netherlands using Tripadvisor to avoid disappointments.

A charming pub with charming staff and lovely pub food. Our whole experience was so good that we returned again the following day. The food was excellent and the 241 lunch menu had a fantastic amount of options. We will certainly return when we are in the area again.

The 241 menu is fantastic value, and the Steak and Ale pie was the best I’ve had in a long time. Tender steak and a tasty sauce. Hunters Chicken was only average though. Excellent service. Recommend for a good value pub meal.

Nice old pub with low ceilings and good beer. Great play area for kids. Lovely river area, too. Good service.

Lovely location with well priced food and week kept ale.

Twice this weekend we have visited. Meals are proper pub fare. Both visits were without booking and both times staff were polite efficient and seated us. The first time was in the dog friendly section, which they clarified we were happy with, which we were. Staff pay attention to detail, approached us when necessary. We weren't rushed, neither did we have to wait. We had a couple of special requests which the owner was more than happy to deliver. We will definitely be back. The value added bit was we could walk our dog right down and into the river!

A wonderful, really pretty pub with amazing staff and gorgeous food. Highly recommend!

This is a great traditional country pub with hearty pub grub. The staff are friendly and courteous. So nice to visit a pub that hasn't lost it's charm in buildings and people.

Lovely and welcoming pub near the river, will definitely return X

Excellent food and very dog friendly.

A good meal, even better because of their 241 offer. Good service in a nice country pub location.

What a lovely welcoming pub! After a busy day and not being able to find any where to eat we tried our luck here and I’m so pleased we did. The staff went out of their way to find us a table, they said there could be a wait as they had squeezed us in and were busy. The food didn’t take long at all and the food was delicious. The young lad was very helpful as was the girl that took our order. We were checked on and made sure everything was ok. I had the Weston chicken. My husband had belly pork. It was a lovely meal and the service was great. Thank you so much for fitting us in and being so warm, welcoming and just lovely. No pics I’m afraid as we couldn’t get it down fast enough 😂😂😂

Upon arriving at what appeared to be a charming pub, we were initially pleased by its atmosphere. However, our experience quickly took a turn. When we approached a waiter at 3:10 PM, we were curtly informed that the kitchen was closed until 5 PM. There was no attempt to retain us as customers, no offer to stay and have drinks—just a flat refusal. Determined, we waited until 4:50 PM and returned to order food. Strangely, despite the pub being nearly empty, the waiter claimed she needed to check if there was an available table, even though we were already seated. This was baffling, but she miraculously managed to "find" us a table. Once we finally placed our order, we were left waiting for over 35 minutes, even though others—some who ordered after us—received their food well before we did. When I eventually inquired about our order, the waiter brought the food out immediately, as if it had been ready all along. As for the food itself, it was average at best. The chicken breast and chips, as well as the burger, were nothing special—neither particularly good nor bad. The overall experience was deeply disappointing due to the shockingly poor service. Based on this visit, I doubt we'll be returning, and if I were the owner, I'd seriously reconsider the quality of the service being provided.

Food was OK but a carvery is usually a fixed price not dependent on what meat you have ! Very expensive for what it is lovely staff yet management seem to have no clue on customer or staff care !Will never waste my time going again weatherspoons is better at customer services

It's gone right down hill, used to go often a few years ago but not been in ages, thought would be a nice treat for my friend to go have lunch, service was good and polite but the food was not nice, very greasy over cooked batter on the fish, egg cooked in dirty oil as rouge bits on the egg white and chips were awful, scampi was quite nice though to be fair, my dogs we had with us were very happy though as they ate most of our luchesy, to be honest if I walked in Witherspoon's and got that I'd be ok for the price but at those prices it's not good enough. Won't bother going again.

Lovely location, the indoor setting is dated. But the real bottleneck is the long wait for food and the lack of updates from the staff. Food is ok although pricey

After reading good reviews we decided to have dinner at the otter inn. We hadn’t booked because it looked like the weather was going to be nice and we could sit outside. When we arrived the a friendly waiter said they could get us a table, but then the manager seated us in the dog friendly section as we had a tiny dog with us. It took about 20 minutes for someone to take our drinks. Then 10 minutes later the manager came back over and very abruptly asked to see my daughter’s ID (who is 17) which by law is allowed to consume alcohol with her meal. When my daughter produced her ID it was much to her disappointment that she couldn’t throw her weight around and embarrass us anymore. We waited another 20 minutes for the waiter to come over and ask if my daughter would like another soft drink because she wasn’t allowed her drink with her starters it had to be with her main meal!! I asked him if he was joking and he said the manager won’t serve her until she has her main meal! Still by this point we hadn’t received our drinks and 10 minutes later they arrived completely wrong. Finally our drinks arrived when our starters did, and to be honest at this point we just wanted to leave as it made us so uncomfortable. it really was so disappointing, the customer service, managers power trip attitude really spoiled the night. The manager really needs to brush up on the licensing laws and maybe take a customer service training course, or maybe take another career path. Food was very average and not worth the money, so would not return.

Wow. Such a friendly place. The staff were most helpful and cheerful. My brother and I found the food on offer was amazing and great value. I highly recommend The Otter Inn.

Food great value drinks a bit pricey

Lovely pub with great friendly service and a great menu.

Good food, nice environment. Friendly staff. Could perhaps have done with more toilets for ladies - there was a queue.

Absolutely love the food. We have never been disappointed. Very friendly and lovely place

Very cozy and atmospheric restaurant

We were expecting a good experience considering the reviews. Looks nice from the outside, not enough parking. On arrival we were told there was thirty minute wait on food because they were busy which was fine with us. Fourty five minutes later the starters turned up. I had the raw barely cooked calamari and my partner had the stale bread and mushrooms. We complained and these were taken off our bill to be fair. Another fourty five minutes later a pathetic looking burger with six chips turned up with my partners £1 Morrisons savers macaroni. Honestly it was awful. The place where we were staying recommended the Sidmouth Arms so we'll try there the next time we're in the area.

Came for some drinks in the morning, but did not feel very welcome.

Nice pub with brilliant carvery

Been here a few times and always had a great experience. The food is awesome, very dog friendly and is in a great location to sit by the river and enjoy and drink. Totally recommend.

Good food, pleasant atmosphere ,happy staff, good prices and on your door step. What more could you ask , and a small ay area for children 👍👍

Had a delicious Sunday Carvery on 14th July at this excellent gem of a pub situated by the river otter. It has plenty of parking spaces, lovely outdoor seating with umbrellas on spacious lawned areas. As you enter this traditional pub the ambience is lovely and you are greeted by friendly and efficient staff. We were served by Katie and Chris who were personable and helpful, ensuring that we had a very pleasurable dining experience. Thank you. Highly Recommended.

Good food freindly welcoming staff all in all a great place to eat and drink

Friendly welcome. We had no table booked, but they seated us, though they were busy. Excellent service and very good food. Will go again definitely.

An excellent evening meal. The Otter Inn is set in beautiful Devon countryside with the river running nearby. The menu is varied and full of exciting choices and the food cooked to perfection. Well worth visiting.

The staff are very helpful and friendly. The way very good and very quickly served, the are very reasonable. We would recommend this place to pour friends and family. We will return in the future.

An idyllic setting beside the River Otter. Beautiful alfresco dining areas and excellent excellent food 👌

Ate here last Sunday evening. Service and staff good and friendly. Food was top notch so would certainly use this pub if in the area again.

Service was a bit slow but it was very busy and staff were extremely busy and courteous so we used our time to socialise which was good

Prompted to write a review as the experience here was so poor. Two family members popped in on separate occasions for drinks. Unwelcoming staff, quite frankly rude and clearly did not particularly want to welcome people to their establishment just for drinks. We are a local family who enjoy drinks and eating out, where possible, supporting local business. Based on this experience we would not return for a meal or otherwise. There are other local establishments with a warmer welcome, who will value your custom, whatever the purpose of your visit, and understand the importance that patrons should want to return and give you their business. You are in the business of “Hospitality” the clues in the name!

Great food a lot of home made food which is delicious. We went once now go every night for dinner. Really friendly smiley staff, pretty location. Buy one get one free meals are great value and tasty unlike your brewers fayres type pubs. Highly recommended

Delicious food... i had the chicken ...highly recommended .. husband had the liver which was a special and he loved it. All freshly cooked and piping hot. The service was excellent

Great food, fantastic service, and a lovely atmosphere!

Pros Lovely location by the river Staff were friendly and helpful Cons Slow service - were waiting 15+ minutes for drink orders and it wasn't even that busy Food is poor and overpriced - almost everyone in our large party was left disappointed by their food. We were paying £15 for pizzas that were no better than cheap supermarket ones and the burger below was extremely disappointing. Priced at £14.95 on the 2 for 1 menu. Even for £7.50 it was poor. Would not return. Fine for a drink but would avoid if looking for somewhere with good food.

The food was delicious and the service was good we visited on a Monday afternoon

Use to come here allot a few years ago always loved the place. The garden is now looking very run down with rotten tables and a swing that really needs some WD40. Still it’s beautiful by the river after settling down on our table with my £4 coke to look at the plastic sheet menu that I had been grunted at to bring back asap as they only had one. I chose my food which was brought to our table very nicely by a member of staff who told us they needed the tray back as only had one tray. Ok so the food is of an average standard couldn’t complain but just average allot better else where and in my view over priced. Overall rating is OK

It fascinates me, that within my nearly 37 years of professional experience in five countries (France, Germany, Scotland, England, USA) in Commerce/Retail/Hospitality trades/Communication/Private Service/Public Service I am pleasantly surprised to find great places still, to be looked after superbly, outing wise, in a catered environment. Good food, lovely staff, charming spot: yes, "made in England" tender loving care service is well alive there! A thousand thanks!

Nice food, especially chips and pizza.

Been here twice in last two months and both times food has been good but, the service is very slow on both occasions. Will think twice before returning simply because of the service time.

Lovely setting by river, pub focused on food let down by dining room being treated as children’s playground.food was average at best. Staff provided prompt service.

A pretty old pub and restaurant. Plenty of car parking and lovely grounds by the side of the river. Dog friendly, food good.

Country pub by the river Otter, beautifully situated. A large number of bench tables in the grounds, which are largely peaceful apart from when dogs and children are playing in the river. Food nice, carvery wonderful, staff brilliant! Can't fault them, friendly, funny and bend over backwards to help. Great selection of beers on tap, good selection of spirits, limited amount of 0% beers available sadly. An enjoyable afternoon or evening can be had here however, if you're driving, and a fantastic one if you're not!

Lovely food, excellent service, caring staff

I've heard it's nice, but haven't got there yet!

Great food. Very friendly and helpful staff

It's a half hearted place with almost standing room only and mediocre service, the beer is limited and overall a bit lame

Travelled to Cornwall from Bournemouth over the Easter holidays with my husband and children. 2 hours into our drive and we stopped off for lunch at The Otter Inn. We were warmly greeted by the staff and they made sure we got a table with our two dogs as well. Young lad found us a nice table by the window, our waitress was very charming and the bubble lady behind the bar was a good. Really surprised how lovely the food was. All homemade and so delicious. The kids loved the pizza! Recommend for a lunch if you’re in the area and need something to fill your hungry bellies!

We always look at the special board. The fish pie is what we picked today and I would Recommend this a try . I would definitely order this again

Very pleasant atmosphere.. staff were very attentive, helpful and kind . We chose from the special board .. The fish pie was very delicious….creamy , cheesy and full of fish . It all came out very hot . The side of vegetables were buttery , hot and delicious. I must say that the fish pie was the best I have tried in along time . Well done to the chef and the team at the otter . Looking forward to coming out again to eat soon . Thank you .. ❤️

Great place and food, good choice of home style and fine dining specials Very accommodating and friendly service. Appears to get busy so probably worth booking a table if definitely wanting something to eat. Recommended.

Went for lunch with friends,very pleasant. Good food and very good value. Not the fastest,but for a Monday they were very busy! At least we knew it was freshly cooked. 😋

Nice pub, with lovely garden with river views (too rainy to enjoy unfortunately). Decor a bit tired and dated but food was good and staff were helpful.

Had a fantastic carvery Sunday lunch, food was delicious and so many vegetables to choose from. Relaxed and friendly pub. Would recommend

Really good pub. Friendly staff and the 2 for 1 offer on all mains makes it good value. They were really patient with our noisey toddler. Was busy for 5pm on a Thursday.

Lovely traditional pub in a beautiful setting with friendly atmosphere and great food - lots of gluten-free and dairy-free options too.

Very friendly and welcoming even though we had 4 dogs with us

Staff brilliant , Lasagna wonderful, lovely carvery

I’ve visited The Otter Inn a handful of times when visiting relatives who frequent this pub for food at least twice monthly. The staff, atmosphere, and food are all fantastic. I would consider the nearly 2 hour drive just for a carvery.

Nice clean traditional pub, friendly staff and good menu. The 241 mains are very good value and the food was fresh and tasty! I had the steak and ale pie with chips and my husband had the hunters chicken with some cheesy garlic bread on the side. Portions were brilliant and both main dishes are on the 241 menu. Very dog friendly and staff very welcoming. A pleasure to visit!

Visiting family we ate here twice....friendly staff and lovely atmosphere Sunday carvery was lush we thoroughly enjoyed it We returned on Tuesday.... steak and kidney pudding, steak and ale pie, fish and chips ..again thoroughly enjoyed ♥️

Came here for lunch with my extended family. We had pre-ordered the food and it was served quickly and promptly at the agreed time. The food was lovely and really good value with their 2for1 offer on main meals. It's a pity we don't leave near here as I would definitely return. Would not hesitate to recommend. The venue was clean and tidy and the staff were very friendly and welcoming. There were vegetarian and vegan options available on the menu. It is both child and dog friendly.

I was impressed by the staff, the food was great, our waiter was great. Hot sauce was brilliant.

A very relaxing evening with great food and good service . No need to say anymore

Lovely Country Pub. 2 for 1 menu great. Easy Parking. Service slightly slow. Dogs love the River on the grounds........

We had a ham and a cheddar baguette with chips on the side and they didn't disappoint! The baguette was very fresh and tasty and so was the filling! The chips were really good too, as was the atmosphere and service. Would definitely recommend!

Good food and service. Comprehensive menus.

Delicious food with excellent service.

We had a table for 6 and we were accompanied by 2 spaniels. We took advantage of the 2 for 1 offer and had curry, burgers and scampi. The staff were attentive and service was reasonably prompt. There was a selection of real ales and I enjoyed a pint of Eddystone. There was ample parking. The prices were reasonable.

Completely disgusting! We are visiting the area from London, the food was just gross and the whole place had a smell of alcohol. Was not a good choice for dinner and would not revisit. - Answer to question - Yes it was the correct otter inn and we had the nachos which were terrible! My father said the pork belly (specifically recommended by staff) was “ the worst meal I’ve had in 10 years”

Stopped by off the main road for lunch on the off chance - lucky because it is very popular. Good carvery, especially good selection of vegetables.

Lovely amd warm entry. 9 of us in group. Mostly had different meals from menu. Wide variety plenty to chose from. Food arrived piping hot, very tasty. Unfortunately no pics. Lovely vibes, staff were great. Thankyou will certainly go again.

Sunday lunch was 10/10 The best food. The best staff and the nicest pub. Will be back

Went for Sunday roast. It was amazing. Great choice of meat and vegetables, very friendly chef, thoroughly enjoyed it. The children had other things off the menu which they really enjoyed too. The standard was 5 star

Lovely Sunday carvery and friendly staff

We had Christmas lunch it was fantastic we started with the smoked salmon and prawn really good we moved onto the turkey it was very tasty not dry at all as some turkey can be the roast potatoes were really really good as was the veg and plenty of it all in all it was 10/10 moving on to the pudding some had Christmas pudding that was really very nice and followed by coffee not everyone wanted coffee the mints were only for the people with coffee so we had to share them if only you gave to everyone it would have been a great finish but all in all fantastic great staff wonderful service booking next year 100% fabulous

Superb Baguettes and Cappuncinos. Thanks Josh. The Otter Inn is large and was very busy with an enticing menu but we only had time for Baguettes which were superb : Fish and Ham. Very lovely people there, too.

We went for Christmas Day lunch. The starter was delicious but unfortunately we were waiting for over 3 hours for our main course which unfortunately was not very nice by the time we finally got it. Three members of the party had Venison which unfortunately was so tough it was inedible and their meals had to be changed. We couldn't wait for dessert as we had been there so long. We appreciate that they were only operating with 2 chefs but feel this was really inexcusable for Christmas Day, despite the hard work of the waiters. There should have been a back up plan in place especially as everyone had to prebook and they knew the restaurant would be full. We were given a big discount (and dessert to take home with us) which was appreciated but all the same we were very disappointed as it was Christmas Day and members of our party had travelled over 400 miles to be with us. It was also my mums 80th birthday and made the day seem very short. This was the first time we had been out for Christmas Day lunch and we were all really looking forward to it.

Lucky to have our Christmas Day lunch here yesterday and it was fabulous. Mandy and here team were wonderful, attentive and looked after us all day. The food was great, well cooked, seasoned and all 3 courses were great, especially the desserts which were unreal. Overall fantastic Christmas Lunch and we didn't have to do any dishes! :)

Decent sized pub by the river. Apart from the hum of the nearby A30 the garden is a lovely place to be in the sun. A good selection of drinks, including Otter ales. The food seems to have recently stepped up and is now interesting and very tasty. Update: was there for Christmas lunch. On a very very busy lunch serving the staff did amazingly, and the food was excellent.

Great Christmas eve carvery, would highly recommend this place for lunch or dinner.

We turned up out of the blue hadn't booked but they were lovely and found us a table, lovely food, good value and staff very attentive. highly recommended

Had our work Xmas Party there. It was a Sunday night, and yet it was still busy. This did not affect the service in any way.

First time not our last lovely pub no fuss fantastic staff food great .thankyou all 👍 merry Christmas 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Just had lunch with four friends and the food,service was excellent. I will definitely be going again.

We were a big party of 20 people and the lady I spoke to on phone went out of her way to get us all in. On our way in my dad who is generally very poorly and has dementia fell in the car park, the staff were absolutely amazing with him and had a brilliant amount of first aid equipment and helped in every way possible, one young lad from the kitchen went out to his car to find extra tape for bandages, so very kind. The staff were also so patient with us as it all got a bit chaotic, they went around to everyone individually to ask for food orders, the food was really great, clean plates all round, all had carvery, Thankyou so much to everyone for your kindness and great service on the day….. we will definitely be back!!

Came here as part of a large group for a friend's birthday, despite there being more than 20 of us food was ready very quickly, and was very nice. Especially good value if you select off the 2 for 1 selection!

Friendly pub, lovely location by the River Otter. Great to sit outdoors on a sunny day. Met up with 16 others for a meal. Good choice of food & drinks & they do a 2-4-1 main meal menu. Always friendly service from the staff & fresh hot food with good portion sizes. We have eaten here multiple times & will return again soon.