The Seahorse Restaurant in South Hams

We last ate here about 9 years ago; although the small dining room was quiet, pleasant, and with well spaced tables, we felt the food was 'just ok'. We didn't revisit until this year when prompted by a positive review in the Times. Due to parking problems, we were a bit late, and although we updated the restaurant, we were left in the rather unappealing little bar for quite a while, before being 'led' through to the dining room.... ....which was packed and noisy, with tables jammed really close together. The kitchen was knocking out tableful's of the set menu, and the bar was doing good business. Although the staff were pleasant, 'elegant' this was not. As one of us was driving, we ordered mineral water and a half bottle of white at around £27. This arrived in a carafe, not a half bottle, and was simply put on the table - we weren't shown the bottle or given any further info. Unwisely, we chose off the a la carte. The gnocchi were small and had been made with a heavy hand, resulting in a springy texture not unlike supermarket gnocchi. I asked who made them, thinking they'd been bought in; the answer was 'the chef'. The amount of gnocchi compared to sauce and egg yolk was disproportionately small, and would have been better eaten with a spoon. My main choice was brill cooked al forno - my favourite fish. This was served whole, grey skin up, and warm, not hot. Although the brill was cooked through, there was no sign of any crispness or coloration from the grill at all, and a complete lack of texture. The lack of texture was exacerbated by a sweet, very liquid tomato sauce with small cubes of dull red tomato - and absolutely no acidity - which had been poured over the whole fish. My partner's hake was better, but she commented that it was a very small portion of fish, and plated with the nicely browned side underneath (?). The simple sides were good, but at £6.50-£7, they should be. The people next to us were loudly effusive about their lunch, so perhaps we are not The Seahorse's target market - or maybe we should have stuck to the £35 lunch menu. And for us, there were too many tables in what is a relatively small space. But they make a big deal of their fresh seafood and their 'passion' for Italian cuisine. Sadly, it wasn't demonstrated in the cooking quality or the presentation.

I live in Torquay and I love to bring visitors for lunch at The Seahorse and an afternoon in Dartmouth. It’s reliably excellent. The turbot is just wonderful and the staff are excellent. I LOVE IT HERE!

As usual an amazing meal. Wednesday night with the special locals menu and BYO alcohol. What a bargain. Perfect food and lovely service.

You will not taste fish better than at this restaurant. The food is superb, the service is faultless. We’ve eaten in many one, two and three Michelin starred restaurants around the world and this is up there competing against the best of them. Lovely atmosphere, very friendly staff from booking to paying the very reasonable bill. Will be booking the very next time we stay in Dartmouth. Thank you Guys, you gave us a great and memorable evening.

Our dining plans elsewhere fell through so we turned up here as “walkins”. A warm welcome from the young lad on front of house.Have a drink and we will be able to accommodate you he said. We were attracted by the locals menu a very competitively priced 3 course offering featuringClams,Brill and Rice Pudding. What a delight.The Brill cooked whole was outstanding.A couple of glasses of house white and we were set fair.Brilliant.

Absolutely fantastic meal. Took us both to Italy. Everything was wonderful. Very special flavours. One of the best meals we have had this year. My Ray Wing was exceptional. Will now make this one of our regular restaurants. Only sorry it's taken us so long to go. Service was exceptional and very informative. Added photos from our recent return visit in October. Again another wonderful meal.

Exceptional from start to finish. The staff made our anniversary so special, and the food was so divine. The set lunch has to be the best value meal you will find on the south coast. We didn't get a chance to explore the seriously impressive wine list, but already planning our return to plunder the cellar. A colleague recommended this as the best fish restaurant in the UK and I'd be inclined to agree. Cannot recommend enough... Particularly the John Dory

We had a great lunch, the food was superb

Food was great. Traditional fish and seafood with lots of Italian influences. Great choice of wine from all over the word. Try the house gin and the sgroppino.

Outstanding service, beautiful room and the most delicious food. If you love fish, this is an absolute must. Mitch Tonks and his family/team have a fantastic restaurant in a beautiful setting.

Never disappoints, always spectacular.

I don't want to tell everyone how great the lunch is in case they are fully booked for out next visit. However, the whole experience leaves no room to criticise any aspect.

Busy Wednesday lunchtime. Two of us had the fixed price 3 course menu. Brilliant! The nearest thing I have seen in 20 years to a fine dining bargain. All options were very competently done - risotto mussels ray cheeks and fried fish followed by a lovely amaretto crème and coffee all delivered by cheerful young staff, what a treat

I took a group of 10 business leaders to the Cantina for dinner as part of an overnight meeting. The feedback was unanimously fantastic. Ben Tonks looked after us faultlessly all night. He got us pre-dinner drinks, cooked amazing food, served us, kept our wine topped up, cleared up and did this seamlessly and in a calm, relaxed friendly manner. We had a brilliant night and he even managed the timing of courses to allow us to make speeches and give awards through the evening. I can't recommend Ben and The Cantina enough!

For a Portuguese 🇵🇹 couple that love nice fish and seafood, exceeded my expectations ,the best fish and seafood I tasted in the UK 🇬🇧, the staff ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ all very professional, congratulations to the chef ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Seahorse Restaurant offers an outstanding dining experience that showcases fresh, high-quality ingredients and thoughtful preparation. Whether you're a seafood lover or simply looking for a memorable meal with excellent service, this is the place to go. Highly recommended!

Really special restaurant serving fabulous food, totally recommend!

Over booked and insufficient staffing. Booked for 8 o clock weren’t seated for an hour and our starters arrived at 9.40. Food was poor, it was expensive and quite a few dishes not available. Calves liver was nothing like ever had before, undercooked and tough. Monkfish was good but was filleted on counter, served on cold plate and was Luke warm. One of party had veggie pasta dish which looked like pile of pasta shoved on plate. Very disappointing and over rated.

Absolutely wonderful experience. A glass of rose in Joe’s bar followed by one of the best meals I have ever had. The quality was outstanding and the service was very attentive. The atmosphere in the restaurant was buzzy. As regular visitors to Dartmouth, it has taken us far too long to make it to The Seahorse but we certainly won’t leave it so long to return.

Great ambience, friendly staff and exceptional food. The gambas crudo and the seafood pasta were particularly good. Is it cheap ? No. Is it worth it ? Yes. Very impressed.

We have never visited this restaurant before. We live in East Devon and our daughter was spending a few days in Dartmouth and we were meeting up for dinner. She chose this restaurant for its location and reviews. We had a warm welcome from the young staff and were very impressed by the menu which had a very Italian influence to some of the dishes. For starters I had a dish of baked peaches served with a soft Italian cheese sauce, my husband had calves liver and my daughter and granddaughter had scallops. All delicious. For mains, husband and I had Dover Sole whilst daughter and granddaughter had monkfish. We shared new potatoes and a delicious tomato salad, I thought the sole very good and my daughter thought the monkfish outstanding We all had desserts which was a tad greedy but couldn’t be resisted and were lovely, all with an Italian influence We couldn’t fault the restaurant which altho pricey was an entirely enjoyable experience On leaving the restaurant it was a very nice touch to be met by Mitch Tonks, the owner, who wanted to know if we had enjoyed the evening which we all very much had. Highly recommended

Beautiful fresh seafood right on Dartmouth harbour. Simply cooked - outstanding.

Lovely place for a special dinner; top notch food and service.

The ambience and service was prefect. The turbout is highly recommended, and the Tonnik wine was a great pairing. Lobster rissotto is worth a visit as one dish. World class restaurant.

Wow what a fabulous place. Everything was first class, the food and wine were amazing. Rosie and all the guys were fantastic. We will be back 100%!

We have been staying in Devon now for around 20 years and have eaten in a huge number of Gastro pubs to fine dining restaurants. Cannot believe that this is our first visit to The Seahorse, as it is probably the best food, ambience and service we have experienced. An absolute seafood gem in Dartmouth, cannot wait to visit again.

First time here and absolutely superb. Excellent and knowledgable staff, great surroundings and some of the best seafood we have had.

Food was sensational and service was amazing. Best place to eat in Dartmouth!

Delightful restaurant with super friendly staff and outstanding food.

Superb food beautifully cooked and served. The staff were excellent - knowledgeable and attentive without being too fussy.We have eaten at The Seahorse before and it never fails to impress. Highly recommended.

Perfection. Nothing really else to say. A truly special place to visit

Underwhelming. My friend and I were so looking forward to our meal here but left desperately disappointed and a feeling of being completely underwhelmed. The evening started well with the delightful welcome and service in Joe's bar but then went down hill once we entered the restaurant. On reflection we feel they are missing the presence of an experienced Maitre De. Out table we were about to be lead to we had to wait as it was set as a table of four and not two (not a biggie). The bread delivered to nibble on whilst ordering was so salty you definitely did not need the extra salt provided. The starters we ordered were the Gambas and Scallops.. our fault for not reading the menu correctly but the Gambas was a ceviche.. one prawn by the looks of it sliced very thinly but completely and utterly over powered by such a vast amount of peppercorns that was all you could taste (as well as having to pick out from your teeth).. this small plate was £24!! The fish for main course was perfectly pleasant , however, at £50 for a plate of fish one would expect it to be presented better, and somewhat elevated ... we ordered more wine just as we finished the starters, it had not arrived by the time we had nearly finished our main and we had to ask for it.. Bitterly disappointed as we so looking forward to it. At these prices however we expected a lot better. Left feeling somewhat cheated.

From the moment you walk in the door you enter a world of exceptional service from then on it is just a journey for your taste buds the food was so delicious we must certainly wo return

Great seafood at The Seahorse. The whole experience was excellent and the food was the best seafood we have had in the UK

We had a lovely window sear overlooking the small harbour. Great food and great service

Fabulous dining room. Perfectly cooked fresh seafood. Very professional and helpful waiting on staff who look after you really well. A delightful experience all around!. Thank you we will be back.

I can't remember eating worse or receiving worse service in recent years. There was no bread with the mussels we ordered because, according to the waiter, the bread was out. The main course was fish which was served lukewarm. The fish was filleted and then served on cold plates. The white wine I ordered came with a cork. Dessert was ordered with coffee. the coffee was served long before dessert. A 15% service charge was then charged on the bill... for bad wine...cold fish...and mussels without bread because there was no more bread. We definitely won't be eating here again. The place is totally overrated and the prices are outrageous for what you get for it. We ate much better for less money on our vacation and we're happy to pay more for good food and good service.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest restaurants to eat seafood in. The hospitality and quality of service that you receive as well the incredible food and drink that is served here will always have you leaving this place happy anytime of the year!

The best seafood restaurant I have been to ever ! Excellent service and ambiance too - thanks to all the team.

A gem of a restaurant serving fine food with loads of flavour and specialising in the locally caught fish around Dartmouth.

Fantastic! What a gem in Dartmouth.

A wonderful lunch in every way. Thank you for gorgeous food and superb service! It’s a lovely place!

A must go to when you visit Dartmouth. Predominantly serves fish but also offers meat choices for non-fish lovers. It's superb from start to finish, from the choice of drinks, lovely bread, different courses etc etc. The quality of the food produce and the way it's prepared is fantastic.

Enjoyed a lovely night with my wife at Thursday wine club - BYO wine to accompany a fantastic locals kitchen menu 3 courses for £40 - excellent

Wonderful food Wonderful staff very relaxed atmosphere worth every penny will go again

First-class place - highly recommend.

Wow, what a fabulous meal! 12/10 would recommend. A beautiful restaurant, with a cosy cocktail bar upon entry. The waiting staff were all friendly and helpful, and helped us with their recommendations. Fish was clearly caught fresh, and the daily menu is based on the fish from the market. We started with the scallops, which were sensational. The best I’ve ever had. And we then shared the monkfish - 100% worth the price, the best fish I have ever had, cooked to perfection on the grill. And I would highly recommend the fried zucchini. Unforgettable dinner, thank you!

The Monkfish was sublime..... The staff are quite exceptional...

A marvellous experience. All the dishes were delicious with beautiful aromas and flavours that have depth and character. I particularly enjoyed the scallops and unexpectedly, the chicken lovers presented as a minced dish on crunchy toast was exceptional. Needless to say, the charcoal cooked fish was super. Thank you for a lovely lunch.

Perfect, food and service faultless, many thanks for a wonderful celebration lunch, will definitely return x

Fantastic food, ambiance and staff were exceptional especially Charlie - you made our evening special !

We have now been probably 30 times. The place is sublime. No where better.

Perfect lunch, great food and service

My husband has terminal cancer. We came here for his birthday and he wished to visit again with family. Today we had the most delicious lunch. The staff know our circumstances and could not have been more helpful and kind. The food was sublime and my husband is one very happy man. I can't thank Mitch, Bronte and all the staff enough.....thank you !

We went for my misses 50th birthday didn't disappoint, for the moment we entered Joe's bar the staff were fantastic the barman was fantastic with the cocktails, we arrived early and this wasn't a problem either, the food was amazing I know its a fish restaurant but the beef was unreal, the fish dishes were amazing as well , from start to finish absolute 💯 %

Amazing food and excellent service. Had the crawfish tail special and was blown away by the quality of the meal. Highly recommend for all foodies out there.

Visited on Saturday had a fantasic lunch, staff and food outstanding. Really recommend the catch of the day we had the Red Mullet, was cooked perfect thank you for the recommendation. we will be back when in devon

What a wonderful place!! Food and staff were fantastic. Very much worth a visit.

Food is outstanding really enjoyed my afternoon told the owner i will be back

The food was really impressive, we had fish and seafood and everything was very tasty. The restaurant was busy with a great atmosphere. Service was good but not great for a high end restaurant. Staff were a little cold and lacked attention to detail at times, not a big deal but at £100 per head these things matter. The restaurant is expensive and final bill around a third more than expected due to service fees and tips. Would recommend for a special occasion for seafood lovers but close to London prices.

What a fabulous little restaurant! Service was fabulous with every attention to detail.nothing was too much for the staff. The fish dishes were cooked fresh to order and of fine quality and taste ! Highly recommended to the fish conesuere . Menu changes daily depending on the days catch . Look forward to another visit in the future. Set in Dartmouth which has a lovely harbour and individual shops and art gallery's .

Sea food restaurant offering top notch experience at a top price

Fantastic place , best restaurant I've been too in a long long time , food delicious to say the least highly recommend

We had the good fortune to be staying just yards from the seahorse - fantastic all round. Lovely warm welcome with extremely knowledgeable staff - unlike most places, these guys knew their stuff. After a baked crab dish, we shared a delicious fresh John Dory, with smoked fennel and a bean dish on the side, not your typical chips (none on the menu actually). Finished with a lovely Sgroppino- a new one on me but memorable, with lemon and sambucca. Highly recommended! Most folk seemed to have the TDH Lunch which looked great value and the same quality if you don’t want to indulge…

The ambience/service and food was first class for my wife`s 65th birthday

Phenomenal place, stunning location. Epic design and decor. Absolutely next level food and drinks. Really impressive offering and friendly lovely staff. Recommend ordering the sides and sharing if you're party is open to that. A real treat if you're in the area. Should be a 4.9 as just a few niggles have already fed those back.

We did not eat at the Seahorse, but at the Bistro at The Embankment. The name and photo are misplaced. Bistro was wonderful!

Great service, staff very attentive and helpful with recommendations. Bread at start was delicious, as were the mini doughnuts at the end of tge meal. Highly recommended, although expensive.

Mehhh. What can I say. We came because we watched the programme recently with Fred who went and ate here. Was bang up for the scallops we saw being caught on the show. Listen. They were really tasty. But there was a distinct lack of volume when it comes to portions. The main was the sea bass for 2. Again it was tasty but lacking in substance. For £120 with 1 glass of wine and a Diet Coke I want to feel bowled over. I want to fall in love with the food and the venue. I just didn’t get it. Your Mum/Gran would absolutely love it though if you want to take her out for some expensive food and try and show her you’ve made it.

Food amazing. Staff very friendly. Wine very good

Amazing food….amazing atmosphere…..amazing service……everything AMAZING 🤩

We live locally and visit the Seahorse regularly, it is usually very good. Last night we were being treated by friends to celebrate my husbands birthday, it was the worst meal I think I have ever had. Firstly when ordering they had run out of...

Wonderful food and great service from Brontë and Ben real family atmosphere with fabulous food highly recommended we’ve been everywhere and this would be in our top ten globally

This is honestly an excellent spot for some delectable food. The staff are super friendly, helpful and accommodating of allergens. The quality of this food is top notch. Opt for the lunch special if you’re struggling to figure out what to have. Reservations are practical to make sure you get a table during the lunch/dinner rush.

Return visit to this most amazing restaurant. From the welcome through to knowledge to help ordering this is wonderful. Great dishes made with ultimate experience and care. Another great night, you or we always seem to get to talk to neighbouring table. We did not...

Not the best experience, The service wasn't great,

The set lunch menu was outstanding both in taste and value you really should drop in if you visit. Staff were excellent and there's a comprehensive wine list.

Fairly pretentious restaurant. Good service from staff other than the front of staff who was incredibly miserable. Food presentation very good, however rather bland tasting and certainly not worth premium prices charged

Exquisite food and drink and an excellent personal and attentive service. We had warm fresh focaccia to start with, and this was served alongside a whipped fish and garlic flavoured bagna cauda butter. This was followed by local Oysters which were delicious and creamy. We had crab salad for the Primi, which was light, fresh, crunchy and delicate. For our main course we had an outstanding and generously sized sea bass that was soft, delicate and juicy, just as we had hoped for. We chose a french dry rose wine which was perfect with the entire meal. To finish we decided to go for a rich, opulent and velvety valrhona chocolate mousse coupled with a very boozy Armagnac prune and fresh cream on the side. This happened to be the perfect choice. I highly recommend this place.

Outstanding ,As the wonderful restaurant is mainly a fish restaurant the menu is incredible… The hake was truly an amazing experience, Declan was on hand to help us in our choice. He was a delight as was the restaurant. Outstanding. Love from Andy and Mary...

Never been here before Been to Dartmouth on Holidays at least 15 times over the last 44 years Can honestly say this was the best experience I have had cullenary wise in all that time 👌

Never been here before Been to Dartmouth on Holidays at least 15 times over the last 44 years Can honestly say this was the best experience I have had cullenary wise in all that time 👌

You can find better value and more innovative cooking within 200 yards of this place - and quite possibly in your own kitchen. I can see from these reviews that people love this place, although for us it felt like stepping back in time to...

I can see a lot of 5 star reviews, have these people never travelled ? This is very average, the food is incredibly bland. Please travel to the Mediterranean and you will have better food for less than half the price. There was no ambiance as a group of drunk red necks ruined it all for us. The restaurant should not tolerate such people I am not sitting there dining and paying you 100 quid to listen to pub conversations and loud inconsiderate laughing. Posh heads with a few coins thinking they’re better than everyone else, this is the uk bank holiday for you, never again,

Wow, a definite must try! Service was fantastic and the food topped it!

It is a while since we ate at the Seahorse but it did not disappoint, either in terms of food or ambience. The lady who served us was most attentive and was happy to answer questions. The restaurant was busy but we had a table...

I booked this in January as I knew we were coming in Regatta week and they would be busy. We come to Devon every year and every year I go past this restaurant and, as a vegetation, dismiss it as I think it's not for...

This was a birthday treat evening dinner and it didn’t disappoint. Stunning food, restaurant and staff, a big thank you to the chefs and Declan our waiter for a beautiful evening, from Mary & Andy 10/10

A fantastic lunch, expertly delivered on all fronts. Service was excellent. Food exceptional, a mouth watering culinary experience. The team were attentive from the start, one of my top ten favourite restaurants, well worth the trip down from London at 4.30 am that morning. Thank you xxx

Had an Anniversary dinner there in evening of 7th July with my wife. WE've eaten there a number of times in the past 5 years and it's always a first class food and experience. On this occassion the amazing food was ruined by very poor...

Thank you Seahorse team for another outstanding evening, The food, service and a feeling of having been somewhere special ❤️👍

What can I say? PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT!! The food was of the chart amazing. If you like fish food this place is a must. The staff are so attentive and friendly, but easy going as well. The atmosphere is perfect, it's not to big that it's to loud so it's perfect for a dinner date. I cannot say enough about the quality of product and service here.

Every minute of our experience in this fabulous restaurant was outstanding! Please ignore the negative reviews, which very nearly put me off! I’m so glad we went ahead with our visit, it was a wonderful experience of fine dining and excellent service. The staff at...

Brilliant food, Freindly Staff, And a good atmosphere

Worthy of a Michelin star. Great food and menu choice. The restaurant site right on the quayside with its view of the River Dart and Kingswear, only adds to its charm.

Always sublime. The most gorgeous of dining rooms. Excellent service and food to die for. Always worth it

After being recommended to try this restaurant it was extremely disappointing. My husband's hake was over cooked, my sole was 'tough,'. An expensive mistake on our part.

Went with high expectations but sadly failed to deliver 😞 Spaghetti alle vongole tasted wrong, too much pepper and no clam flavour. Would not go back and expensive

A first class lunch, I don’t think I have ever tasted such beautifully cooked fish anywhere else. The food, staff, ambience are five star. My 10 year old was with our party and was made to feel comfortable and happy. I can’t wait to return....

Fantastic carefully cooked local food .Lovely service . Some of us had the set lunch which has to be the best value in the UK , whilst others had the a la carte . Every dish was perfectly executed and served .Thank you !