The Smugglers in North Devon

Lovely atmosphere and decor, food good and priced reasonably.

I walked quite a way with my 5 year old daughter, just the two of us to come and try this place. She was really excited as I'd shown her photos and she said it looked like a pirates pub! We arrived, walked in, ample empty tables and seats for us, but the lady wouldn't let us sit down. We just wanted a drink and to experience the atmosphere and we were promptly turned away. They weren't fully booked. I had a very disappointed 5 year old who thought we weren't 'allowed in' because she was a child. Also super embarrassing as its a really small venue. I don't see why we weren't allowed to sit for 15 minutes and both have a drink? Really weird. Don't take children here you won't be welcome!

Definitely has the'70s vibe. Food was good and service good 👍

My wife and I will go here again! But go early; we were there at 6:15 on a Friday and it was already getting busy. They do take dogs but they don't take bookings, but if they haven't got a free table, they text you when they have so you need to go for a wander. We can recommend the garlic mushrooms and the sea bass. To get TWO fillets for £18.50 is great value for money. I had the pineapple fritters, which were too sweet and I'd have the fresh fruit trifle next time. My wife had the fruit cocktail which had too much cream and too little fruit. The service was outstanding, despite them being busy. And they have Sandford cider on draught too!

My husband ordered plaice got cod. I ordered roast beef dinner..bit into roast potato felt I had a mouthful of grease also they added cauliflower cheese I'm allergic to cheese customers being served before us. After 40 years never go back

This has Benn my favourite restaurant since the 80's. Always great service, tasty food, an immaculate . Good value for money Love it!

Great lIlfracombe restaurant. 5 of us ate (with a dog) and we had steaks and sea bass. lovely food, great service and a good price. We eat here every time we visit Ilfracombe and will return again next year. Recommended.

Das Restaurant sieht urig aus aber das Essen ist absolut nicht zu empfehlen. Es ist schon unglaublich, wie man Produkte so verderben kann.keine Empfehlung

Excellent food lovely seafood also good wine Service very good,nice looking restaurant

Great environment and decor , friendly staff, nice food, can’t see how anyone could complain,

Good food with an excellent ambiance, obviously mainly with a sea theme. Friendly service and not too expensive. Probably you need to book in advance or get there before 7.00 pm as it fills up quickly after ten.

Little Gem of a place, very good menu, if you are a sea food lover like me then you won't be disappointed with what's on offer, plenty of other choices too all very well cooked and presented and great quality too, prices are reasonable. Reasons for 4 stars is we found service a bit slow( but worth the wait) and only 1 draft larger on offer and a premium 1 at that ( San Miguel) we did ask why and was politely told because they have very limited space in the small cellar. I would suggest a mid range larger such as Madri, Amstel, Coors, as these would sell to a wider audience. Over all though a very nice experience and will definitely be returning .

What a find. Situated on the harbour. The food is amasing. The staff are really helpful and the decor is fantastic. The only downside for us is they allow children in. So a nice quiet dinner is out of the question.

What a lovely find on Ilfracombe harbour. A fantastic Seafood and British restaurant. I had for starter whitebait with side salad, fresh bread and tartar sauce dip. Main I had Sea bass which was new to me. It was fresh, tasty and two nice fillets with a white wine sauce. Served with chips and peas. My wife had garlic mushrooms followed by a large portion of Scampi served with new potatoes and garden peas. We had a very nice pint of draught stout to go with the meal. We were going to have a boozy coffee to finish but for us the atmosphere was ruined when a couple arrived with toddlers.

The location and look of this place was really appealing and the staff were all lovely but the food really, really let it all down. Alas, a small restaurant with a huge menu, trying to please everyone and none of it was good. Focus on a few dishes and do them brilliantly would be my advice. Frozen fish when you are next to the sea is not acceptable in my book and only 1 vegetarian option amongst the vast current menu. Such a shame. Could be great.

What a little gem! The food is amazing! The menu is full of options, the staff are very friendly and nothing is too much trouble. Situated right on the quay, this is a great place to enjoy your surroundings whilst enjoying some wonderful local food. Would definitely recommend! Photos show: Pate (Starters), Garlic & Butter Prawns with Rice (Children's option), Cod & Chips, Fish Pie, Lobster & Salmon 😋

A wonderful couple of evenings enjoying the hospitality and lovely food and drinks. Usually very busy but the hosts do all they can to accommodate, but probably worth dropping by and requesting a table in advance to avoid waiting.

The service here was really good up until we needed to get the bill, it was a fairly long wait so I had to get up to go to the bar and pay where there was a sign telling me not to stand there oops. Anyway the food for us felt more mediocre than anything and overpriced like other reviews have stated, must say though other customers seemed to be enjoying it i just felt it could have been fresher

Went here for dinner ,lovely quirky place ,food was delicious but was marred by the fact it was quite cold in the restuarent ,we decided to sit right at the far end ,unfortunately the skylight window was open ,so we moved further into the restaurent ,however due to the front door being open it still felt chilly . The food we ordered arrived arrived promptly & as said was delicious ,3 young girls were "front of house" & seemed more interested in chatting & mobile phones than customers . I would visit again as the food was lovely but perhaps the front door needs to be closed on chillier nights ? Personal preference i suppose

Friendly staff, nice decor, clean throughout. Relaxing atmosphere. Give my compliments to the Chef 😉

Shocking that the fish isn’t locally caught as it’s literally on the harbour Food was bang average, overdose on garlic

Great food, lovely fresh seafood went here twice we enjoyed it so much. We will definitely be eating here again the next time we are in Ilfracombe. Staff were really friendly great service. Prices weren’t too high, great value especially for fresh local seafood. Restaurant is really cosy love the decor.

We been trying to get here for.last couple years ,strange way of booking, leave your name and number, and I was informed will be half an hour,half hour later no one got back and noticed was empty so went in and table was ready,unfortunately the starter we chose was not available so we chose scampi which was nice,hubby chose sea bass which was nice and I chose lasagne which too was nice,we had no room for desert.

One of the most beautiful pubs I've ever seen, not very big but the atmosphere is fantastic. The food is great, especially the "garlic lobster" 🦞 . Absolutely wonderful !!! We will be back there every time we will visit Ilfracombe. Highly recommended !

Having walked past this restaurant during the day before, it looked really busy which I guess is always a good sign. With limited places to eat in and around the Ilfracombe harbour area we decided to phone and make a reservation for the following evening. We were told limited tables and could only meet our reservation for 6.15 which is a bit early for us but decided to take the reservation. The pub wasn’t overly busy during the time we were there so can’t understand why we had to have such an early time for dinner. Especially as tables were empty all the time we were there! Extensive and varied menu. Can’t say the staff were particularly friendly. Food was ok can’t stay it was excellent. I would question as to whether it was freshly cooked as the food came out too quickly. White wine was warm no way chilled enough! Wouldn’t eat here again as we since found another restaurant and ate there twice. Definitely nothing special about the place!

eat here after a hotelier's recommendation. had to leave our number because the place was busy. called back within half an hour and we were treated to our best meal in ages. two starters, two mains, a pint of beer and a soft drink all for just under £60

Arrived early as they don’t take bookings we were greeted and told could sit anywhere by fairly disinterested young waitresses who we could hear discussing that she only had 1 1/2 hours shift the next day They took our drinks order and food order quickly, we ordered the steak and Salmon supreme for mains and garlic mushrooms and white bait for starters The starters arrived promptly and were ok, not imaginatively presented and no wow factor but ok The steak was very thin with fat not rendered and overcooked for medium rare and again no imagination or care used in cooking or presentation, the salmon was overcooked with prawns plonked on top and no sauce, edible but extremely disappointing I have to say the interior was tired and desperately in need of a revamp I have never been a fan of Weatherspoons until now, as we ate there the next day, I had the steak as it was on offer with free drink and have to say every aspect was superior to smugglers, service, presentation and above all taste and cooked to perfection, and half the price of Smugglers!

Based on Trip Advisor reviews we ate at The Smugglers on our first night in Ilfracombe. We weren’t disappointed and had very friendly and very efficient service and good standard home cooked food. Nothing too fancy. The crumble we had for dessert was delicious and homely. Would definitely recommend.

Excellent place to eat. Food very good as is the service

Excellent food and service, the lobster was outstanding and great service, not too rushed but not waiting for service either...one of the best places to eat in Ilfracombe.

Looked forward to trying this place during our weeks holiday in ilfracombe, however we were very disappointed. Service was reasonably good but the food was very poor. I ordered salmon supreme topped eith garlic king prawns. The salmon was very dry and overcooked the king prawns were obviously previously frozen, I would have expected fresh from a quay side restaurant, this was served with 3 tiny boiled potatoes and a spoonful of peas. My husband ordered king prawns in garlic butter, again frozen. He ordered garlic bread which was raw and still doughy. It is very unsuitable for disabled people, the toilets are up a very steep staircase with no other access. Definitely would not recommend this restaurant

Loved the food, chicken done to perfection, absolutely succulent. New York cheesecake, Fabulous. Really liked the booth-style seats. Staff courteous and attentive.

Amazing food and quick service, kind and efficient staff. Accommodated for a large group, baby and 2 dogs.

Very quirky inside, felt like I was waiting for Captain Jack Sparrow to appear with his Rum. Food and service were very good, we paid roughly £63 for starters and main for 2, would recommend a visit, but best to book first.

Very good ambience, very good food and very attentive service. Also very clean.

Very attentive and friendly staff, food well prepared and very tasty, very clean and pleasant atmosphere

The atmosphere and decor is dated and felt like a time capsule into 1970s british dining and I think that is reflected in the customers that go there, being older or holiday goers that haven't tried it. The staff were lovely and very attentive but the food wasn't good enough to make up for the strange atmosphere. We had the king prawns to start, plaice and fish pie for main course. You couldn't find the fish in amongst the fish pie and I'm not sure whether the plaice was fresh (I didn't ask). In terms of the wine, I was quite pleased to see that it was sourced from a cornish distillery but unfortunately it didn't taste good (but maybe that can be personal taste). Finally, the bill, two of us, shared a starter and a bottle of wine and had a main course each and it came to £60-£65, I think that is very reasonably priced.

Food was great, i recommend the chicken bacon and leak pie, homemade and tasted great. It was a busy bank holiday but the young staff held it really well and was still very polite even under pressure.. very recommended and will go back again if in the area.

If you like eating like it's the 1980s (or 70s) and aren't vegan or vegetarian then this is the place for you. On the plus side they serve Mena Dhu and the staff are lovely.

Considering the sea is a stones throw from the front door the fish we ordered was awful ! We asked the waitress afterwards was it fresh fish and she admitted it’s frozen fish, but how sad is that when the sea is on your doorstep, I have had fresher fish from my local chippy and I live miles away from the sea in any direction. we personally wouldn’t eat here again, it’s not for us, on a brighter note the place was clean Feeling kind of ripped off !!

Staff very nice and helpful,the place clean and unique,love the decorations.Lovely food and reasonable prices

Quite disappointing meal. Fish pie was literally just mashed potato in a dish. Chicken, leek & bacon pie was a dish with innards topped with a detached pastry lid. Underwhelming & small portion for roast dinner. We paid £15-£16.50 per meal. Staff were nice & attentive. Unique interior. Probably wouldn’t visit again.

We visited the Smugglers on the "off" chance they would be able to fit us in, thankfully they could accommodate! We both had starters and mains, clearing the plates. The food was great, service amazing and the whole vibe/ decor of the restaurant is outstanding. I was in awe. We can't wait to visit Ilfracombe again and come back!

Was there on Sunday, Amazing place, great character/decoor and amazing food. Can't fault it

Exceptionally disappointing Fish Pie, Mainly mash & cheese. When I complained, I was told that it’s how it is, the fish disintegrates. I’m mean really 🤦‍♀️ I was told that something would be taken off the bill. They brought another one, just the same. I ate it because I was hungry, but I’m big really a lover of cheese & potatoe pie I’ve given 3 because my husbands steak & kidney pie was great & the waitresses were lovely & friendly On paying the bill we were given a begrudging £3.00 off of dear To be honest I feel insulted

A really atmospherical place. Nice food and good service. They don't make reservations.

What a find this place is. Lovely small restaurant with top notch food and service We had prawns and whitebait to start and it was cooked perfectly. For mains I had the surf and turf and it was easily one of the best I’ve ever had The misses had fish and chips and they were delicious with a big bit of fish It’s nice to see a restaurant give you a decent amount of sauce so you don’t have to keep asking Drinks were lovely as well We will be returning when we come back down

Popped in with the wife on the off chance of being able to get a table during the bank holiday weekend the friendly staff sat us at the bar and got us a table within 15 mins a very good range of choices on the menu I opted for the sea bass while my wife went for the scampi generous portions very well cooked and presented all in all a very worthwhile visit at a very good price.

I come here everytime I visit woolacombe, amazing place! Definitely worth a visit. Amazing staff, fun decor and brilliant location. Food is always 10/10, recommend the salmon supreme. 💕💕

Fish and chips mains were good but it was let down by a disappointing and low quality Eton mess made with shop bought meringue and that sticky strawberry flavour sauce you used to have at school. I was surprised it still exists. Basically, unless you're after nostalgia, maybe skip dessert. The decor is quirky and kitsch with a lot of shiny surfaces, but it works, and the staff were friendly and helpful.

This place is really atmosphereic with lots of fascinating objects to look at as well as enjoy the food and drink too. I rhightly recomend the steak & kidney pie (not thqt i'm biased or anythingXD)

Everything was as you would expect. Nice hosts nice food and drink and not as expensive as I thought it would be. Couldn't fault it

Great food and service at good prices.

Good restaurant. Vintage feel of 70s seaside eating. Good food, well cooked. Excellent service, very friendly. Interior dark wood, red, glazed brickwork.

If you want a trip back in time then this is the place. Food was fine but reminded me of 70s style. Nothing wrong with it.

Great food & all the waitresses r super friendly & the owners r charming

Nice welcome. Ambience is of a nautical theme.,but the food is tasteless.. frozen food that's been heated. I would not recommend this .

Ate early evening. Fish n chips, seafood platter. Foot reasonably quality, staff friendly. Probably overpriced for what is on offer. You are paying for the harbour side location. Not much quality competition close by so easy money imho

What a place! It's like an explosion in an antiques shop. Everywhere you look there's something unusual displayed on the walls or ceiling. Good strategy for the summer months too, they don't take bookings so you'll see a queue forming when they open at 5pm, thereby creating its own demand. My roast turkey dinner was very nice with a huge portion of meat, we all enjoyed our meals and service, considering they were busy, was pretty prompt. Would recommend, deserves its reputation.

What a place! It's like an explosion in an antiques shop. Everywhere you look there's something unusual displayed on the walls or ceiling. Good strategy for the summer months too, they don't take bookings so you'll see a queue forming when they open at 5pm, thereby creating its own demand. My roast turkey dinner was very nice with a huge portion of meat, we all enjoyed our meals and service, considering they were busy, was pretty prompt. Would recommend, deserves its reputation.

Used to go here a lot with my mum over 20 odd years when on holiday in Ilfracombe, she loved it in here, had a look at the menu outside, quite pricey, but wanted a meal as a kinda nod to mum. Hadn't been able to phone my kids to let them know wed got to Devon OK, as a poor signal/wi fi where we are staying, so asked at the bar if they had WiFi, the barman or owner, I don't know which, turned to me and very loudly said,' No, we expect people coming in here to eat and make conversation' , he then encouraged the couple on the other side of the bar to join in his laughter at my request, we were then asked to sit near the bar and await a table,whilst he continued to pass comments about people on their phones whilst eating out to other customers at the Bar, I came to the very fast conclusion that he was rude, didn't know my circumstances and could stick his food and attitude let's hope when he reads this, he will contemplate why I was there, my simple request and not be so rude. Sorry mum, I tried xx

Avoid the fish pie. There's very little fish, or leek, and a huge mass of mashed potato, accompanied, confusingly by more potato - in the guise of either boiled potatoes, or chips. I'm glad I chose chips, they were good, but chips have no place on a plate with a fish pie!

What a treat! Very "traditional" decor but very recently refreshed. We loved it. The food was absolutely spot on with a wonderful menu. Cracking staff in a *very* quirky dining room. Such a wonderful place.

Place is lovely decorated, cozy and with personality. Stuff was friendly and they gave ua a table literally last minute, which we appreciated as everything else was so full! Food however was very disappointed. Ordered grilled fish but it looked it was just boiled and didn't have much flavour either. We also ordered turf&surf and steak was very chewy. Disappointed as it is not a cheap place so was expecting much more! Wouldn't come back unfortunately :(

I had the lobster and it was amazing, my husband had the steak no fat also great 👍🏻 service was spot on, highly recommend

Poor service, miserable staff, meal okay, no seasoning and very bland. Atmosphere, there wasn’t one. Wouldn’t recommend not worth the money at all.

Quirky little restaurant in the harbour that serves tasty food with friendly service. Worth knowing they don't take reservations and filled up quite quickly after opening in the evening (we were there on a week day in August)

Service adorable et cadre charmant mais les produits sont surgelés (ou semblent l’être tant ils sont insipides). Dommage.

Really nice restaurant a hidden gem! Nice food good selection. Good kids menu too.

This was such a lovely clean, friendly restaurant. The food was lovely and the place was absolutely spotlessly clean

Cena ottima a base di pesce, come starters e piatto principale. Ben cucinato e personale gentile nel trovarci un tavolo nonostante la molta gente. Consigliato.

My family and I had the pleasure of revisiting The Smugglers Restaurant again this evening. As usual, everything was absolutely lovely. Food, staff, atmosphere, everything was spot on. My surf and turf was amazing, juicy prawns and perfectly cooked steak. I've been visiting this Restaurant for over 35 years and it's always been very good. Amazing ambiance.

Beautiful food, great choice and good service

Very busy. Great service and seemed very efficient. However hubby's steak was tough. My fish platter was nothing special. To be honest felt a bit like a food production line which given how busy it was can't be surprising. Real character interior. Maybe we just chose the wrong time of day.

Lovely little restaurant 😍 beautiful food. - Good menu Great prices lovely view out on to the harbour quirky, great place for a meal staff our lovely & there's a lovely atmosphere can get busy but if your happy to wait you can leave your number and you'll always get a seat

Amazing food and our waitress was very pleasant. I can understand why they don't take bookings, you do have to wait a bit but its so worth the wait. We both had surf and turf with a pud, the steak was cooked perfectly. My only grumble would be the waiter behind the bar, he looked absolutely miserable and would just stare out towards customers eating, which made us feel a little uncomfortable but apart from that 5 stars, brilliant restaurant. Will definitely visit again.

Lovely food, lovely staff, great atmosphere, the quirky decor is beautiful, dog friendly too.

They managed to fit us in after walking through the door (they were very busy) Brilliant service and even better food. My steak was ordered rare was spot on. Every one in our family had a brilliant meal.

First time we've tried lobster. Wonderful location too. Very friendly atmosphere. Can get busy but you can't book!

A popular venue with good decor/atmosphere, unfortunately the food was a disappointment. My Sunday "roast turkey" was in fact preformed thin turkey slices, and the stuffing was a single golfball of taste-free rubber. I could go on... (received small discount on the bill). Sorry to be unkind here!

What a find,such a beautiful place with good homely food. We weren't disappointed.

From the minute we walked in we were made to feel welcome. Excellent choice of drinks. Once we were sat at a table the service was superb, very attentive waiting staff. Very friendly relaxed dining experience. The food was outstanding, fresh, hot and super tasty. An absolute gem in Ilfracombe Harbour. Would thoroughly recommend a visit.

Please don’t come here for food! The place fooled me and my friends to look like a nice little, local pub but was the opposite. The food was absolutely woeful and felt like I was in a chain pub. I had a steak and kidney pie which was just a solemn little plate of watery bland pie with bullet like pieces of meat. We waited for the food for 50 minutes and was just disappointed. There was a hair in my chips and the veg was just watery unseasoned mush. The staff were very rude and had poor attitude when I complained about my food and instead of an apology they offered us to have a look at the dessert menu which made no sense as I said I didn’t want to pay for the food. The interior was very dated and dusty. PLEASE DO NOT COME HERE ITS TERRIBLE!!!!

Dog friendly. Lovely service. Many thanks

Lovely dishes cooked superbly a truly delicious in an awesome atmosphere love the decor

Popped in on the off chance with my sons for a fathers day treat and as we were camping in the area. The waitress squeezed us in, which was much appreciated as it was very busy. We loved the decor which has about every single thing known to sea boats and the leather seating and cave like walls are a nice touch. The food was superb. I suggest going for the plaice. Its as fresh as you can get and cooked to perfection. The waitresses were always around asking if everything was OK. So top marks to them. Considering its smack on the harbour,I expected a bigger bill, but it was very reasonable and we all left with full stomachs and smiles.

Tolles Essen in einer super englischen Atmosphäre

Visited restaurant during afternoon to book a table - no bookings taken, so tried our luck. Nonchalant waitress pointed to an empty table as we arrived. She realised after a time that the table had not been cleared or cleaned. Fish pie lacked fish. Roast beef was fine, desserts good.

So many 5 star reviews on here. Crazy to think that for so many people this is the pinnacle of dining experience. Of course, if you come to this nautical themed 1980s restaurant you're not expecting Michelin stars but for the price I would expect some fish in the fish pie and the trout not to be cooked to the point of no flavour. I'd also quite like the glasses not to stick to the table and the waitress to stop rolling her eyes and yawning. Good for a laugh. Less good for the food. For the price you'd expect better.

We found this Restraunt whilst walking down the harbour with a family of 4. We have 2 young children ages 5 and 8. The Children had a good selection of the kids menu and me and my Wife had the roast dinners which were honestly one of the beat we have ever had, the prices were very reasonable aswell and the atmosphere and decor give a real up beat and market style. I would certainly reccomend if you are in the area.

The food mot as good as i remember but still nice. Go here a least once every time i go to North Devon it is a very comfortable place to relax and enjoy a meal. Like the fact you cant book and just turn up and hope you get a table

Delicious food, a bit pricey but 100% worth it. Staff were friendly and food came quickly. Lovely decor, all nautical themed. Definitely worth a stop if you're in Ilfracombe.

Went as a family, and me Mam got the garlic lobster (£32) and it was gorgeous, pulls apart lovely (comes with chips or rice) I got the vegetable curry which comes with a naan bread and rice, no faults for £12.95. Large selection of desserts, the ice cream is about the same price as any ice cream place in the area. Lovely staff and very quick service times. There is also a kids menu

Lovely little place with lots of character. Loved all the barrels, trumpets and stuff hanging from the ceiling. Food was really nice and didn't have to wait long for food at all. Reasonable prices at around £80 for 4 people with drinks. Recommended.

Lovely restaurant in a great setting. Very friendly table service and a lot of maritime decorations to view. Good choice of food and brilliantly prepared. Very tasty meals with a nice dessert selection. Thoroughly enjoyed our meals here and will definitely be returning when back in the area.

Managed to get a table here last minute and we were SO glad that we did! There's a great waiting team here (and a great kitchen team too). We had a three course meal and everything was superb. Well worth a visit!!

It's a very nice restaurant with a great atmosphere, the staff are friendly and the food was great. A must try if your in or around Ilfracombe.

Stayed in Ilfracombe for a few days. Whilst walking around the harbour we saw this place and thought it looked great from the outside. When it was open we called up and asked if we could bring our dog. They said yes as long as it was well behaved. Brilliant, so we booked. When we arrived a couple of days later I said to my wife that this place was tacky as soon as we entered. Felt like I was in 1980! We ordered some wine. When the wine/glasses came they stuck to the table straight away! My wife ordered pate to start, then we ordered Surf and Turf and Seafood platter. As soon as the pate came we thought this was gonna be rubbish. It was very ordinary to say the least. Not long after the mains came. The surf and turf looked average at best, it had absolutely zero flavour. The wife’s seafood platter was worse. No taste whatsoever. I’m an ok cook and I could have made 100 times better than both of these dishes. I love going to places and thinking ‘there is no way I could make that’. Definitely did not think that on this occasion. We told the waitress that we didn’t enjoy it and she gave us the platter half price. Seeing as we were next to a harbour we thought it would be much, much better than the plain/ordinary rubbish we were served. Seems other reviews were good for some reason, maybe we caught them on a bad day but I would definitely not return.

Love the place!!! Always a place to eat when visiting. Great atmosphere Highly recommended Perfect location

We loved the atmosphere and decor of this restaurant. The food was beautifully cooked and great to eat. Parking in nearby car park.