The Starter Bar in North Devon

We have just had a brilliant family dinner at The Starter Bar. The staff were really friendly and welcoming and nothing was too much trouble! Our boys both have ADHD, which can make dinners out stressful, but the staff went out of their way to ensure the boys were happy and that we all felt welcome. Staff gave the boys colouring books, sharpened their pencils, chatted about dinosaurs and generally did anything to make them smile. We were relaxed enough to stay for desert, which never happens! All the food was delicious, varied and served piping hot. We definitely recommend the brownie sundae for pudding. The meal and drinks were good value and very tasty. Thank you to the two lovely ladies for giving us a really special evening to remember. Highly recommended.

Highly recommend the starter bar, first class service, great food, lunch is amazing, sandwich was huge and mozzarella sticks were gorgeous, had water and desert, it is was five star food, service and seating outside and inside, open 11am to 11pm, go there you won't be disappointed, cheers to Nell and her team, met her today and really nice person, service with a smile.

Visited Starter Bar in Ilfracombe while on holiday in North Devon - came across it by chance tucked away on a corner between the harbour and the main street - A great idea , starters and deserts but no mains !! - A sort of multi - national Tapas bar !! Lovely little place and good service - A good mixed menu and great choice - generous portions too , and good value for money . Great deserts ( we had a pancake and a sundae ) and cocktails too !!!

Lovely little restaurant. They managed to give us a table even thought ha d not booked. They are short staffed so things were a little slower which was fine with us as we were prewarned. Food was great. Gluten free menu was available, heaven for me. The food was piping hot and great. Reasonable cost as well. Wish we had tried this place sooner. Would probably be worth booking to ensure you can get a table.

A great friendly welcome, fantastic service. Tapas with a difference, build your own meal of fantastic starters. Highly recommend this establishment...no relative

6 of us booked, 3 children and 3 adults. We arrived 15 minutes late for our table which they kindly held once we called to give them our ETA. We stood for a few minutes before anyone came to seat us, despite being in the view of 3 attendees. Menus were distributed promptly and then we waited…..for about 15 minutes until I went up to the counter to ask if we were right in thinking the dishes were starter sizes, as it said on the tin. They were, apart from the children’s which were considered as small meals. The waitress said if I could ‘give her a minute’ she’ll come and explain what were the larger dishes as we ordered. She arrived about 5 minutes later and said that she’d take drinks orders then come back to take the food order to give the kitchen 10 minutes - by this time we had been seated almost 1/2 hour, to give the kitchen 10 minutes in addition didn’t feel acceptable but we kept quiet. The cans of Diet Coke, 1 beer and jug of water arrived 10 minutes after, our food order was taken at that point, followed by a Mojito jug a few minutes after that. Quite a long time to wait for some basic drinks, understand the mojito may take longer. The mojito was watery with a few mint leaves and a couple of cubes of ice floating on top so no where chilled enough. We tried to embrace it, but honestly it was not drinkable and so I returned to the counter with it, was told that there were 4 shots of rum in it - the size of the jug to me seemed more would be required but it wasn’t the lack of alcohol it was the overall flat taste that was the problem. They said it was because it was made with soda water and they could make it with lemonade, I didn’t want a jug of warm lemonade either, and I’m not sure that was the issue, it lacked all the flavours of a mojito - the sugar lime and mint crushed together. They kindly agreed to swap for a bottle of wine, I asked if it was chilled, the waitress responded ‘it’s in there’ pointing to the fridge and so I said great and the wine arrived a few minutes later, barely chilled, no ice bucket. We asked for some ice in a glass and an ice bucket was then offered which we gladly accepted. We continued to wait for the food, it started to come out around 10 minutes after all of the above. The children meals were great - they looked good and they were happy. The tapas style dishes we received were mediocre. Patata Bravas were slices of potatoes which felt like tin tomatoes on top and some spice added. Prawn and Apple cocktail not enough prawns, plenty of apple. None of the items seemed fresh or made on site, we think most were bought in frozen but could be wrong. It wasn’t great, particularly after the lengthy wait. On arrival we had seen a couple eating desserts, which looked amazing, and I had decided there and then I was having cheesecake, but by the time we had finished our main course we unfortunately had experienced enough. Maybe it’s a place to go for a pudding and coffee, they certainly looked more appealing. Such a shame as the concept excited us but we were made to feel they were doing us a favour by having us!! If you can give me a minute and give the kitchen 10 minutes after already a length wait with no apology and an attitude that actually had us laughing out loud possibly made the food taste even worse. We understand the pandemic has been tough for this industry and those who work in it and we appreciate it may still be impacting staff numbers and although the above may suggest differently, we are sympathetic, but the overall attitude and air of the service we received felt like a school situation where we needed to wait and do as we were told. It’s laughable but disappointing.

We were pleased to find a table here after every where else we looked at was full. The menu choices were huge, almost too many to choose from. I had a pina colada which was one of the worst I’ve ever had. Our food was average, very clearly microwaved. Would not bother returning im afraid.

Very accommodating squeezing us in at 9:15pm before last food orders at 9:30pm. Fab food and lovely friendly staff.

Had an excellent meal on Wednesday evening garlic prawns,white wine mussels and garlic mushrooms ! Top notch so good we booked for the next evening , our wedding anniversary! Unfortunately because our hotel had a major power cut we had to come home early so walked down to cancel our booking . The lovely staff had already sorted out a card and a bottle of prosecco for our anniversary. The fantastic staff fantastic food like I’ve said a hidden gem .Brought a tear to my wife’s eyes fantastic place.

We hadn't booked a table for our first night in Ilfracombe and although inside the restaurant was fully booked, we sat outside with our dog. We loved being able to order many many different dished to share, everything was delicious! Service was friendly and food came out fast.

Fabulous find, we only intended to pop in en route to another restaurant but ended up staying to eat & enjoy a bottle of good red wine. Large blackboards around the restaurant displaying the huge range of tapas dishes, desserts & cocktails available. We shared the fisherman's basket, olives & whitebait, all served quickly by knowledgeable friendly staff. A chilled bottle of tap water too. We finished with the Treacle sponge pudding with custard & the Toffee popcorn sundae, highly recommended! We had a 10% voucher and had enjoyed an ample feed for around £30 including wine. Family run business, friendly staff with a can do attitude! We've been back twice more to sample the sangria & afternoon teas! They've covered all the bases here. Well worth a visit!

Just fancied a dessert on way home but as the choices were fairly standard, we decided to have a shared jug of cocktail instead. Went for Mojito ... how hard can it be? Well it turned out to be the worst cocktail we've ever had (by a long way). Very little alcohol with no ice. Basically just a big jug of lemonade with shredded greenery that left you desperately needing some kind of strainer.

Arrived in Ilfracombe earlier this week, Freedom Day as it was, the town and area had a lot of Covid cases and this I believe was their first day of reopening - bearing in mind the whole town was heaving we walked up and down the town a few times with our 2 dogs abs were delighted when a couple also with a dog offered us their table as they were leaving, they left a modest tip which we made sure the staff got when they came out to clean our tables. It took a while to get a drink but the staff were working hard to serve everyone - our food arrived eventually was okay but again took a while, it didn’t help with one of the staff getting upset and leaving - the manager was apologetic for the wait and she was doing her level best considering the circumstances. Would visit again if the town was quieter.

Fabulous find. This bar is relaxed, friendly and the food is amazing. Tapas style portions with the most amazing desserts. Couldn’t stop eating

The food was not cooked fresh or homemade. It looked like it was frozen or reheated from the supermarket. The bottles of beer were not cold and were from a multi pack and overpriced (the bottle even says not for resale) the prices were overpriced for the quality of food. We were very disappointed and will not be returning. I would not recommend and I would Avoid and queue for some fresh fish and chips!

Booked last minute for a family meal. The food was “ok” although as other reviews have said I suspect some of this was frozen supermarket food rather than homemade. I ordered duck spring rolls and hummus which were ok but not the homemade food I was hoping for. Nice clean restaurant with good service.

My partner and I were struggling to find anywhere to eat on Bank Holiday Monday as everywhere was pre fully booked. The starter bar was open and boy I'm glad it was! We had an excellent experience and the food was awesome. Duck rolls, garlic prawns, calamari, chorizo and bacon rostis, honey and mustard sausages, fishcakes and a rather delicious sundae. My mouth is watering as I'm writing this. Stop wondering where to eat and go here.

All frozen food that had I think been bought from Aldi? (I recognised the par baked baguettes) which was edible but really expensive for what it was Menus were dirty- caked with food and sticky Waitress was really nice and friendly

Noticed very mixed reviews, we visited for pot of tea for two and a couple of other drinks, the four of us sat at a table outside we were served by a friendly waitress and the tea was good.

I have read all the bad review and to be honest it's better to have your own opinion. Went with my partner after a very long walk on the afternoon. This little restaurant offer a large selection of dishes and desserts (sundaes).I would recommend to order few dishes and share with friends or partner. The Starter Bar is surprisingly delightful. You will have an enjoyable meal as i find the flavour are well balanced in each dishes. Do not got if you plan to eat quickly, it's a place to relax and enjoy your time not a fast food to rush. I would however recommend to try the sundaes, they are great ice-cream and even if some ingredients are not available the staff can replace then (just ask).

This has probably been the worst cafe experience I have ever had. We were in Ilfracombe for only a few hours and decided a nice Devon cream tea would do the trick on a cooler, damp day. The main shops were fully booked, so went off the beaten path a few roads over and found the only available table inside at Starter Bar.They may advertise cream teas, but don'serve them as they lost their scones! I decided on a bowl of soup and my partner ordered a tuna melt baguette. I had a coffee and he had a coke. We waited 40 minutes for our food! By this time we were getting pretty fed up as there are only 6 tables to serve! Our drinks were finished and not once did they come by to apologise or offer us any other drinks, Just to be clear, there were 3 of them to serve and no one eating outside. The food was mediocre, the servers were grumpy and I highly recommend avoiding this place at all costs.

Having seen The Starter Bar while walking around the harbour at the weekend both my wife and thought what a great idea !!!!This evening we had a chance of a last minute diner date and proceeded to find somewhere for a meal after a short walk it was clear everything was booked but The starter bar had a spare couple of tables and we thought it was worth a try.Upon entering we were greeted and asked to leave our contact details and told to sit on a spare table unfortunately the music coming from the fire place drowned out any conversation from my wife which was a good start the waitress noticed this and asked if we would like the volume down so a good start ,we proceeded to order our drinks and food this is the point where the wine arrived well I’m assuming it was wine as it was more like white wine vinegar and once again the nice waitress changed it for us which was great the one thing not so great was some of the food ordered.The fisherman basket in the starter bars special batter !!! Their mum obviously does go to Iceland and like all frozen seafood selections very disappointing,this was only compounded by the salad which was a shocker but that needs it’s own explanation!Then came the sausages in a sticky sauce with sesame seeds looking forward to some nice slices of sausage I was deflated to see the remains of a child’s tea party cover in a sticky sauce although it tasted pretty good at nearly £7 I’d rather not eat a party sausage,then my favourite selection of hummus freshly made I’d assumed as it’s so easy would it be a nice pesto ,lemon or any of the other thousand alternatives unfortunately Tesco’s only had plain and what I’m assuming was red pepper I can’t help thinking has anything actually been made here !!Finally the potato bravas really nice except for the fact the potato’s were reheated and the sauce just dumped on top and I guess this is the problem rather than mix it up to make it look like some care has been taken it just hasn’t and this is the main problem hot sea food on cold slate plates readymade dips and salad !!!!!! If your serving a side salad on a poor dish don’t get a £1 bag of Tesco iceberg which has been hacked at with a blunt axe cut two baby tomatoes in half and a whole half a slice of cucumber on the plate it’s shocking !!!but purchase a £1 bag of Tesco rocket salad of baby leaf salad some oil balsamic vinegar and dress it put it nicely on the plate as I don’t want my salad at a “restaurant” to look like it’s been done by a five year old. On the positive side four members of staff for three tables great !! Except from the fact no one seems to be in charge and seeing all four behind the bar while there was old plates left on a table for a good 20minutes after the table had left made me question if we would ever get offered anything else but after what seemed an eternity the table was cleared slowly very slowly in-fact you could say almost a snail like approach to the task was followed only 6 trips for six plates amazing .Finally we were tended to and got our bill not daring to haves coffee or desert as it’s good to get home on the same day you went out during the week ! It was a shame as they hadHOMEMADE CHEESE CAKE My wife then pointed out this suggests that’s all that’s homemade , I dismissed this slander and defendedThe Starter Bar when I noticed two of the staff in a chest freezer by the front door I thought that must be heavy ice-cream but no just Massive bags of frozen garlic bread and boxes of frozen seafood selections Apart from the above great idea but reduce the menus and make the food a few more nice beers and I think this could be great but definitely needs I shake up I’d actually like to go again to a starter bar but unfortunately not this one

Visited last week with 3 friends, started off with a few cocktails that were lovely and ordered a few different dishes ... my favourite had to be the mussels, the sauce was amazing and we all really enjoyed the nachos so much we ordered more! All the food we had was really good and came out quickly and nice and hot with great service! After eating we enjoyed a night cap and a lovely chat with the staff who were all very friendly, they obviously work very hard especially at this time of the year when it’s so busy! Will definitely be returning.

The food was not very good I'm afraid, it didn't seem seem like it was made by people who really appreciate food.The Dahl and chickpeas was pretty ' studenty' without any zing or cumin flavour , The stuffed peppers were filled with what seemed like instant savoury rice from a supermarket.The chips were great, however.The staff were OK but not very knowledgable about the menu,

Friendly staff but disappointing food. We were impressed with the menu choices however feel like too much was on offer for the quality of food we received. The Eat Out to Help Out scheme enabled us to get half price off this meal or else I wouldn’t have been very pleased to pay full price.

Wouldn't waste your Time! Worst place in ilfracombe.. rude,self-righteous staff and very unfriendly. Would rather go to spoons and get a microwave meal

5 adults and dog visited this restaurant during busy afternoon. The Tapas style food served by very sweet and friendly waitresses was delicious. Between us we polished off spaggheti cabononara, mussels, garlick prawns, Thai fish cakes, tuna mayonnaise salad, ordering doubles as all the food was delicious and freshly made.Although it took some time for the food to arrive, the taste of food and the lovely waiting staff made up for it. Even the dog was treated well.

Came here late where everywhere else was fully booked, the lovely, super friendly server managed to squeeze us in just before the kitchen closed. Really happy with the tasty food and found it a lovely place to eat out. :)

We waited over an hour for inedible food. Food was presented to us with a grumpy, “is this your food?”. Had to get up and ask for cutlery and condiments. The experience left a sour taste in my mouth for the rest of the day (metaphorically).

I don't leave many reviews and I'm often accused of being a grumpy old man... however this hidden gem is superb.The food is excellent. Treat it as Tapas style and you won't go far wrong. Highly recommended, great food, relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff. 5*

Me and my daughter visited the starter bar for a spot of lunch yesterday. We liked the idea of being able to choose a selection of starters to share. Was told we could sit at a table by one of the waitresses that needed to be cleared. After waiting 5 mins for the table to be cleared we was then told we couldn't sit at it. We sat at another table. Had to go and get a menu as they can't be bothered to bring us one. After choosing the dishes we wanted to order I had to go in to place our order as again they couldn't be bothered to come to us. Our drinks arrived 10 mins later. My daughter was presented with her milkshake which mainly consisted of tinned squirty cream. My gin and tonic was served warm with ice. Had to ask for ice which took another 10 mins to arrive. We waited an hour for our food to arrive. We had the seafood platter which came out swimming in oil from being deep fried, breaded mushrooms again swimming in oil both of which were cooked from frozen. We also had the mussels in white and garlic sauce served with half a cold doughy baguette. These were barely warm and had no flavour we didn't eat them. All in all we left very disappointed and will not return. Wish we had read the previous reviews before going here.

Was told to visit The Starter Bar by my Brother & Wife.Was 5th July after Lock Down was eased so not many places were open, but glad this place was.Mussels were to die for & we had another 4 dishes to share. Perfect for a snack or large meal with lots to choose from.We were looking for a fish restaurant, but Thyme was still closed, their loss & recommend The Starter Bar which suits all ages & tastes.

shocking food! Avoid , please just avoid! To be fair the staff were pleasant but the food was awful,straight out the freezer, I felt robbed!

Really disappointing. First of all we were told to sit at a free table and ignored. Eventually we helped ourselves to menus which definitely were not wiped between customers. Then we paid £35 for 2 lots of calamari and chips and a mac and cheese and chips and 3 soft drinks then waited over 45 minutes for tiny portions of Calamari and a bigger but tasteless portion of macaroni cheese. I appreciate the place serves 'starters' but for main meal prices,and nearly an hours wait, we expected more than 5 or 6 sticks of obviously frozen fish sticks. I am a bit covid anxious so wiped the table myself with some of my own wipes and the wipe came away very grubby. The toilet and sink were really dirty which is unacceptable at the best of times, let alone during a pandemic and the staff were, shall we say, less than dynamic or communicative. Very poor. The chips were nice, but that's, sadly, the only positive from our experience.

We visited this restaurant on our first night. The menu was suited to our party of 4, 2 of us being vegetarians. We enjoyed the food very much as it was very homely. My husband 2 things that weren't available but was very satisfied with his 3rd and 4th choices of mussles and ribs. My son, enjoyed his chicken wings and calamari very much. We wish we had gone there the second night as well.

Contrary to the other recent reviews my family and I thought the food was delicious. We went on one of the days we here you have to pay full price so it’s wasn’t too busy. Two of the starters weren’t available which was the only downside to our visit as the food was amazing, well cooked and flavourful. The wait staff were nice also. I would definitely recommend

This is a great place to dine in and eat some lovely food. I really like the starter concept, there was a plethora of dishes. The food arrived in good time, all cooked accordingly. There was nothing to complain about at all, would highly recommend to visit if in the area.

I ordered the soup of vegetarian menu was told it was carrot and coriander it was ham and pea!!! My partner also ordered duck spring rolls and got veg spring rolls!! Then he ordered chilli with rice, there was no rice so had to have nachos. We ordered 2 litres of cherry julip that tasted like cheap cherryade with no alcohol then at 9.20 pm wS told we can't order dessert even thought they was meant to be open till 11pm. No tables were cleaned and the staff were rude. No bill was given and then they wouldn't accept a 50pound note for payment. I will never visit this dump ever again. Ruined our night this did!!! I recommend nobody visits this place ever, absolutely shocking

Oh my goodness. This has got to be the first time I have laughed until crying at what has been presented to me in a restaurant! I ordered the five bean salad, amongst other dishes. When it was put in front of me I couldn’t believe the audacity of what they had done - poured hot baked beans over a pile of iceberg lettuce! If it hadn’t been for the 50% off scheme I’d have complained. As it was, I just cried with laughter!

The restaurant looked lovely so we thought we’d give it a try. 45 minutes after ordering the food arrived. Everything was out of the freezer - and then over cooked! Poor shame for a harbour restaurant that they can’t cook fresh seafood. The calamari and fish cakes (again frozen!) were so overcooked we couldn’t eat them, the sizzling king prawns (defrosted!) were opaque and swimming in oil - no sizzling here! Poor show!

I have no words!! Oh yes I do! Wow. What can I say about the Starter Bar that’s good. Well we went on a Tuesday so took advantage of the ‘Help Out to Eat Out’ scheme so didn’t pay full price. Thank goodness. Our first impressions were it’s a great concept with a menu of starters and desserts to choose from. We ordered a selection of macaroni cheese, calamari, bacon and chorizo salad, duck spring rolls and Piri Piri prawns. The calamari was the only thing edible on the menu. The rest... just imagine you call into your Aunty Marys house and she’s just been to Iceland! She pours out half a bag of frozen macaroni cheese and microwaves it in a huge dish (enough for 6 people). Deep fry’s a few duck spring rolls adding a garnish of cucumber iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. Then pours out a few frozen prawns in a litre of oil adding some paprika to the pan. Cooking it for 2 seconds and adding a defrosted uncooked half ripped baguette on the side. They were inedible. The salad consisted of more lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes with some bacon and chorizo stuck on the top. No seasoning or dressing included. Oh and I forgot to mention we waited 45 minutes for this. Well worth the wait. How this restaurant has survived being open a number of years I can’t imagine. I would say save yourself a trip and money and pop down to Iceland instead or your Aunty Marys.

Went in for an early dinner with my young family, food was great and well priced. Staff knew what they were doing

Only went in for a desert and cocktails, dessert 5/10, cocktails 1/10. Really poor luckily the lovely girl behind the bar and the only waitress working was the only redeeming factor of the experience. Mojito tasted like lime cordial mixed with water and the daquiri taster bitter with no addition of simple syrup. Desserts were just microwaved with cold custard, topping a Luke warm experience. Cannot emphasis the waitress somewhat saving the experience.

Popped in here for lunch yesterday..wish we hadn’t.We ordered sandwiches, one each for hubby and me, nothing special and a drink each.15 minutes in and the drinks arrived. Due to Covid, they have only 5 tables. I watched a family leave a table, the waitress halfheartedly wiped the table, leaving half of it not wiped, the seats she didn’t touch. We watched as the couple next to us, who had ordered drinks before us, went to the counter to ask where their drinks were. After 25 mins, their food arrived, after 25mins and 15 seconds the couple complained about it. Apparently cold and tasteless.I considered that we had waited long enough by this point and tried to catch the attention of the lady at the counter but she duly ignored me. The sandwiches turned up ten minutes later. They were on baguettes, the type that you get in the freezer shop that are pale and soggy, yummy (NOT) and with a spoonful of filling in. The tortilla chips were tasteless and the salad wilting. To think we waited all that time for it and with absolutely no apology for keeping us waiting. To top that, I then had to pay, which felt like daylight robbery.If you are passing this restaurant, doJust that, pass it....you’ll be glad you did!

Lots of starters and puddings to choose from. Cocktails galore at night. Very busy place with seats inside and out. Safety measures in place. The garlic mushrooms, macaroni cheese and fish cakes are fab.Homemade cheese cake.Make sure you make time for a visit.

We decided to eat here as a little girl gave us a 10% off voucher as we walked past, we didn't realise she actually worked there as she looked far too young! Once seated it took FOREVER for someone to take our food order, and once they did the waitress came back a few minutes later to say they had run out of what we ordered. Surely the waiting staff should know when something isnt available on the menu! When the food came it looked disgusting. Layers of oil and grease on all the sauces and everything just slopped in some bowls.It tastes just how it looks, awful.The food is definitely frozen, pre made, microwaved rubbish which they shouldn't be able to charge the public to eat! AVOID

Loved the idea of a starter restaurant so we decided to go for lunch.The service was absolutely terrible! We ordered food and then a few minutes later a very very young waitress came back and said "no fish, what do you want instead!" We then ordered ribs and potatas bravas. After a short time the food came and it looked absolutely terrible! I don't think they have ever heard of 'food presentation before'. We got 3 ribs on a very very watery and lumpy bbq sauce with a thick layer of oil on top and the patatas bravas was some undercooked potatoes with tinned tomatoes slopped on top. The chips where hard in the middles and not crispy, luckily the young waitress took our plates away from us before we had finished eating as i dont think i could cope with another mouthful of bland, watery, greasy microwaved food! They need to get some proper staff and a proper chef before anyone would consider eating here!

We found this Lovely little cafe in the side streets of Ilfracombe harbour and enjoyed some smashingly yummy desserts! Loved it :) would come again.

The idea of a starters bar is a very good idea , however cheap frozen foods microwaved or deep fried is not , went for pate starter , was probably the cheapest supermarket pate , 5 miniature crisp breads a lettuce leaf and half a cherry tomato is not worth the money , chips were so salty they could not be eaten , deep fried mushrooms and onion rings were full of oil from the frier Terrible service , told waitress but she did nothing

Not a very good atmosphere and food very frozen! Apple pie was two Mr Kipling pies on a plate.. Disappointing.

Staying on holiday in Ilfracombe and wandered out for dinner on a Sunday night. Came across this restaurant and decided to try it as it was dog friendly and looked a bit different. Decided to go for mussels in a creamy white wine sauce with a side of chips whilst my mum chose the special of steak and mushroom pie with mash and peas. Food was piping hot and very tasty. I note that people are complaining that wine is from Lidls. Well so what if it is as Lidls sell good wines at a cheaper price and I would expect there to be a mark up in a restaurant. We are just disappointed that they are not open during the week now the school holidays are over.

We knew we shouldn't have booked our table when we where the only ones seated... everything is bulk frozen... everything. Lidl wine- I wouldn't mind but Lidl wines price is cheaper so I think that should be reflected? Food luke warm, cheap stringy cheese... just a huge disappointment. Shouldn't have paid full price but the staff barely coped sending our order our let alone refunding.

Real sense of being family run. Great range of food on "Starters" menu boards. Child-friendly, also when a grown up broke a glass staff came out immediately to clear up the mess with no fuss. Not the fastest service but we weren't in a hurry and it was worth the wait for freshly prepared salads.

We enjoyed our visit here. Lots of selection of starters to combine to make a delicious meal. Special recommendation of the pancakes - strawberry and chocolate. Large, generous and delicious :)

Fantastic choice of starters and everyone cooked to perfection We had Garlic Prawns, Mussels, Fish plate Love the seaside decor too

As a family of 4 we thought the concept of The Starter Bar was great. And it is a great concept but it's execution leaves a lot to be desired. I'm sure the macaroni cheese ordered by my children was from a tin, however one ate it, one left the entire meal as it 'tasted strange'. My partner and I ordered patatas bravaswith chorizo and a special of sausages with maple syrup. The sauce for the first dish was like eating tinned tomatoes with potato. The chorizo was ok. The onion in the sauce was possibly cooked separately as it wasn't cooked into the sauce. The sausages I'd suggest were microwaved with a good pour of maple syrup so not sticky sausages really as they weren't cooked in an oven (hazarding a guess). My partner and I ordered 'cocktails' long island iced tea and a black Russian. I wish we hadn't. They simply tasted of flat coke and too much ice. Why didn't we complain? I wish we had but our children would have felt uncomfortable and we were on holiday. Our bill was the best part of £50 too much. This cafe serves food more appropriate from your mates university kitchen and you'd be telling them to get a good cook book or buying them cookery lessons for a gift!!! Unless these guys up their game, which they should because it is a good concept, they will loose customer. We won't be returning but there are two places we ate in Ilfracombe where we would make an effort to book....also which I will review. We couldn't bring ourselves to have desert and opted instead for a walk and ice cream cone.

Our initial intention was to stop here for lunch. The place wasn't even busy and it took over twenty minutes to get our mediocre cup of tea. It was a friendly place hence the extra star but it was so slow and bad tea so we left.

We really liked this place we weren’t really hungry but loved the idea of having starters from around the world! We got 4 dishes to share and it was the perfect amount.The food was very nice with a huge selection and the service was great. Our experience was really great!

It was an ok meal but frankly I was still hungry at the end. I ordered the fish cakes and half share of the seafood special - sorry nothing special or amazing about it, I presume the long sticks were calamari as they were on the list. All heavily covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried; a real shame when within a stones throw of the sea! My partner had the ribs and said they seemed like a half portion of the microwave variety with a very vinegary sauce. For desert one had the nutty sundae and enjoyed it and I selected the chick pea and lentil - at least it was hot. The wine served was Lidl Merlot in the bottle not even disguised by serving in a carafe! Not a problem as the wine is nice I buy it myself in Lidl for £5 but is it really worth £15.95 for two glasses! If you don’t want to provide a ‘ non traceable label’ why not go bring your own? Generally a disappointing meal but the young ( very young) waitress tried her best.

Great food great service probably over ordered on the dishes, didn’t stop me finishing them though 😊

Bizarre menu which is all ultimately taken from the freezer and either microwaved or fried.

We decided to try this place for our family evening meal. The place da a lovely attractive to it and despite being empty at the time we arrived we still went in.

We were 4 adults, only one other table was occupied.

Found this little place whilst looking for somewhere for lunch. None of us are big eaters so the idea of having a starter and dessert seemed ideal. Plenty to choose from and the desserts were amazing, including some classic desserts such as treacle pudding and spotted dick. Portion sizes were perfect and the staff very friendly.

The poor waitress really was not happy, and that was really obvious from the moment we sat down. Whilst waiting for the last member of our party to arrive we ordered a bottle of rose. When it arrived, it was not cold, and was not the wine listed on the menu, but a bottle from a local supermarket that was made in the UK from imported grape juice... not the white Zinfandel listed. The food was equally bad. It was unpleasant to be polite about it. I cannot advise a visit. I would honestly rather be hungry.

We ate here last night and loved it. There were so many dishes to choose from, all of which sounded amazing. As someone who much prefers starters or tapas to one main, this was ideal for me. Everything was delicious and the crepe to finish was just perfect!

It started with a grumpy waitress...

Menu looked varied and inviting. However, food really quite poor and below standard. Felt that ingredients used were possibly lower budget. Eggs looked grey, rather than yellow. Sausages pale and fatty. Bread from sliced loaf.

Popped in as really liked the idea but boy was it badly done.

Awful. The best thing about this place was leaving it. Really sad place and most stuff seemed to have come out of the freezer and into the fryer/microwave

Love the concept of ordering starters for main courses. Excellent service from everyone and dog welcoming. Tasty food, made with real care. Mussels were fab. Thanks!

Amazing staff and amazing food. Very fresh, cooked to order. Tried the Calamari (batter was light and crispy), garlic prawns (highly recommend) and mussels (big meaty and tasty). Home made garlic mayo with the breaded mushrooms . Best of all the manager and her assistant were super dog friendly (gravy bones on tap ). Great little find for quality food, excellent service and great prices.

From the outside, this place looks like any other cafe but the food was delicious! We stumbled across this place the night we arrived in Ilfracombe. It's a cosy, homely cafe and there are so many options on the menu, you're bound to find something you will like. We couldn't decide what we fancied so this was a perfect solution! We had a mixture of calamari, chicken wings, spaghetti carbonara, cheesy garlic bread and

I visited the Starter Bar twice in August during a visit to ilfracombe. The first time for lunch with my husband and daughter, there are a good selection on the menu and the food was fresh, hot and tasty.

Delicious food, had the king prawns pil pil, anchovies and roll mop.....all amazing!! So many other things to choose from but this was just a sneaky snack and it was really worth it!! Other food being brought out all looked fantastic, only wish I had time to sample more!!

We came in, warm welcome from the lad behind the bar. Took about 15 minutes for a menu which we had to ask for.

I think this is the first time I've reviewed any restaurant but I felt so disappointed by our recent experience I was compelled to write this.

Visited the starter bar with my children. What a lovely idea this restaurant has!

So, we recently ate here and I just don’t know what to say really... they were really nice to accommodate us late, but the overall feeling left by this place was very uncomfortable.

Saw the Starter bar while walking through Ilfracombe. Called in 6 adults 3 children really enjoyed the food and very reasonably priced. Kids milkshakes are a thing of beauty. The staff really work hard . A lovely little find thank you.

We popped in for lunch - 3 adults and 3 children- and ordered soup, chilli, chicken wings, deep fried cheese, and tuna sandwiches, plus fries and garlic bread. The food was nice, seemed fresh and was tasty. However, it took around 40 minutes to come out, and no one else was in the restaurant, so really no excuse. The portions were very small, which for £7 a head / item seemed a little over priced. Although the staff were very friendly, we won’t be rushing back. Might be a better choice for ice creams or drinks.

We’ve spent the last week in Ilfracombe & have eaten out all week. This has been our fav place to eat & we’v come back several times. All our mains were piping hot & the staff were very friendly. Puddings were huge! Deffo recommend

One young girl with black hair wasn’t very attentive towards serving us, no eye contact was given and was very blunt.

Have to say the food was really good, however it took about a year for our food to arrive and for our plates to be taken away, which was annoying. Not only that the maroon 5 V album played on repeat constantly which made me want to pull my ears out.

Walked into The Starter Bar and was greeted by a very young girl. She seemed to be running the place at one point and had no other adult supervision. I ordered a mojito, which was made by the very young girl. She had obviously no training in making cocktails and didn't seem to have anyone to ask for help. My drink wasn't good and I asked for a refund. Food was OK, at best... Unfortunately with no adult to talk about our concerns we left feeling very deflated with our experience. We loved the idea of starters and desserts, but clearly was not managed appropriately.

After a long walk door by door, with all the restaurant fully booked only by chance we ended up at the starter bar.

what nice people! So very welcoming and nice Tea and what a varied huge menu and nothing too much trouble. Shared the location and great food with some people in the car park by Verity too :)

This is a very frustrating review as it should be wholly positive. First the good stuff - the concept is great, tapas starters, just the right size portions for groups. Food was excellent, interesting dishes, nice flavours. Now the not so good - we waited for over half an hour for service, we asked twice for service, offered to give the order at the bar, told to sit down and would be seen to, asked again, now 45 minute wait to be served and because of it getting late other places stopped serving so no option to walk. No explanation as to why there was a delay and no apology. Worst service I have ever had and it was not even that busy.

What a great concept......tapas but a bit larger......food was delicious, the staff were very friendly and chatty and the restaurant was clean and tidy. Children and dogs are welcome and there is outside dining. Definitely recommend

I had the stuffed pepper and cheese cake my daughter had mac n cheese and a brownie Sunday the food portion was quite big it was some of the best food I’ve had in a long time nice friendly bubble service due to the fact it’s now under new management since March very polite and friendly staff very clean much enjoyed meal always happy to help as I have a slight walking issue always happy to accommodate my needs will defineatly be going back for more and recommend this restaurant to others

The staff are rude, I ordered and got it then when I went to pay they told me its not usually on the menu so can't order it again. It took ages to get the drinks were served first and my tea was gone before food arrived and very over priced. Stay away!

was definitely home made, served with warm crusty bread and a smile. Surprised to read other reviews stating food not home made as advertised. Myself and dog made welcome complete with dog biscuit. Prices alongside the menu would have been helpful'

Had a full works baileys hot chocolate in here today. Was lovely, with squirty cream and marshmallows.

We enjoyed our lunch so much we went back the next day for breakfast. A great idea for a cafe and very well executed, with such a wide ranging menu we didn't expect too much but the food was fabulous with excellent service and great value.

Great food, great service in a good venue could not recommend it more. If you are in Ilfracombe make sure you visit for a meal.

My friends 9 year old said can you review this place because I would give it 10/10. The roast was perfect. So much extra veg.

Popped in today at lunchtime hoping for a breakfast. Was welcomed and breakfast at lunch time was not a problem. Very clean and comfortable. Full English breakfast was scrum. £5 for standard size or £5.95 for large. Fried bread too! Really delicious and friendly. Will definitely visit again.

Decided to try the Sunday roast lunch, it was really tasty with dishes of veg making it like a carvery on your own table.

Food was cooked from frozen and staff knew this I know it’s close season but don’t serve crap keep your standards up

Good food and friendly staff. The Starter Bar has a long list of starters and desserts for you to mix as you will. On Sunday there is a sunday lunch menu available all day!