The Vanilla Pod in North Devon

My sister and I stumbled upon The Vanilla Pod in Lynton, on our one night stay in November 2024. To say we were delighted with all aspects of our supper at The Vanilla Pod, is an understatement. We were absolutely thrilled with the service that we received, and most importantly the DELICIOUS (and well-presented) array of mezze dishes that we ordered. The ambience was nice, and the owner/chef was incredibly accommodating. Thank you so much. Would highly recommend!

Great little cafe, had delicious cream teas on the way back from the Valley of the Rocks

Popped in for light lunch but didn't expect it to be that light. Small roll in place of a sandwich and dry salad side. Seemed a lot to pay for very little. It was nicely made and tasted fine, but was left feeling short changed. Two teas, two roles and small side salad £23+

I thought that the price was high but might be just that every food place in Lynton is expensive. Food was really well presented and looked like effort had been taken to prepare it. I found some of the combinations a bit awkward though, fish with turmeric for example. Would have preferred some more traditional tastes, hence the 4stars. 5star otherwise, and people serving really nice.

Good food but very small portions especially for starters and dessert. £10.95 for 4 prawns and £7.95 for very small piece of baklava with espresso shot!

Food was good( salt cod croquettes tasty as was mackerel main) and young serving staff great. However owner? Older chap behind bar not v welcoming+ does he want to be there? Needs more atmosphere to match the food!

We had not booked but they managed to fit us in and we were glad they did as the food was superb. All the starters were excellent, for my main I had the belly pork, which just melted in the mouth, two others had the hake and one other had gnocchi. We all left highly satisfied and would recommend it to one and all.

Nice quiet place to enjoy a meal and drinks. Friendly staff. Reasonable prices

Constant BBC Radio One chattering in the background spoils the otherwise pleasant ambience. Need to sort out much better music system, or silence.

Can strongly recommend this place, the food tastes just amazing, portions quite big and the best part is that almost all the food and drinks are produced in Devon. Must try tomato soup and falafel with tahini, loved it!

We arrived and waited 15 min to be served, however nobody was behind the counter. When someone finally did arrive, we were ignored and people who arrived after us were immediately served. Would review the food however we never got the chance.

The mezze breakfast was the best of its kind I've had... anywhere in the world!

We enjoyed an excellent meal with great service. Staff were friendly and helpful and they coped well with my husband’s allergies. He had several choices for his main course and they adapted a dessert. It was so good that we went back on our last night in the area. Highly recommend.

A disappointment. Initially I was disappointed because we were only stopping for a drink and cake and I’d seen the food on trip advisor and really wanted a full meal. I’m so glad we only had coffee and cake. I wish we hadn’t even had that tbh. Staff were super friendly but utterly useless. Taking orders but not actually serving any. Then suddenly serving new orders (literally just for drinks) whilst we’re sat down waiting for our drinks. An apology followed… they’d forgotten. £2.95 for a can of Fanta! Wow! Flat white had lots of coffee grinds at the bottom and a dog hair on the top. We finish the drinks.. still no cakes which are literally a few foot from us at the bar. Another apology. They’d forgotten again. She then disappears, does something else and the. Serves our cake. Guess what, when we wanted some water she forgot that too! Cakes were average at best. The chocolate shortbread had nuts in the base and was not shortbread. Son couldn’t finish it. Portuguese tart was pleasant. Orange and almond cake looked lovely but taking depth of flavour and sweetness. Milkshake was rubbish. We unfortunately were sat near the toilet for which there was a constant queue. But on the plus side, when you’re stood outside waiting your turn you can see how dirty the fridge is where they keep the ice cream. Oh and where they keep the spare toilet roll they also keep a kids toilet seat. Great they have one but I’d really rather it wasn’t kept next to the TP

Delicious food, prompt service, friendly people. I had roasted aubergine with whipped feta then belly pork. So good!! My husband had belly pork as a starter followed by the seafood stew. He was very happy too!

Cake looked good but was rather bland.

We had a meal here last night 6th August, friendly staff ,place was immaculate, we had 2 steaks and the chicken shwarma sharing plate,we couldn't fault it ,very impressed

The crab and lemon mayonnaise sandwich didn't taste of crab it looked like and tasted like it came from a jar definitely not worth the money

Nice place. Fab coffee. Good service.

We visited The Vanilla Pod for brunch while enjoying a weekend away in the area. The Vanilla Pod is dog friendly & has a very nice atmosphere. The vegan breakfast & lumberjack cake were delicious. Great coffee. Service was responsive & friendly. Great location on a pretty little street in the centre of the town, close to the cliff railway and an array of lovely little shops & galleries.

Unremarkable lobster bisque linguine with prawns, squid (a rubbery slab thereof) and salsa verde. Overpriced at £24.95. Ditto partner's dressed crab salad with new potatoes, samphire and lemon mayo, also £24.95. Service was good, however.

We called in four times during our week in Lynton & we enjoyed it every time. I can recommend the crab sandwiches, along with everything else we ate, but the biggest draw was their ice cream. It was probably the best we’ve had in years. The staff were very friendly & helpful & the prices excellent.

Excellent food and coffee/tea and,in contrast to our experience in lynmouth, excellent service. A little gem and worth a visit if you are in the area. Middle Eastern dishes are a speciality.

Very thoughtful and creative cooking. Most enjoyable. 10/10

Food was nice, but the staff didn't make you feel hugely welcome at the at the start.

Probably the best scones I have ever had

Interesting combination of ingredients, tasted excellent. Portions could be a little larger. The highlight was the dessert: baklava, for once not drowned in sugar, as is unfortunately usually the case elsewhere, with a mocha. The owner is a bit grumpy and short, but the other staff are very accommodating. The ambience was okay, but there was always music from the same singer and it got a bit annoying after a while.

Beautiful food , appearance of the place looks okay and the surprise is the food it’s high class and wonderful, service a little slow but worth the wait all courses excellent

The crab sandwich was lovely as was the ploughman's all fresh and very nice indeed. The drinks were quality and hot. The staff were very pleasant quiet and efficient. The cafe was clean and tidy. Would go back .

Attentive service, friendly member of staff, lovely seating outside and nicely shaded for lunchtime. Great food. Falafels were exactly how they should be crispy outside and flavoursome and delicious salad. Lovely coffee and drink. Very pleased we visited during our stay in the area.

Expecting 'cafe' food, however the quality of the mezze was outstanding. The coffee was also high quality.

Good place to have a break at Lynton with nice cream tea or snack. They also have a sounds delicious dining menu for dinner. The staff are very kind and friendly and the venue is casual, cozy and clean. We would like to try dinner next time.

Excellent and refined food in a very welcoming place. Medium-high prices but correct for the quality offered

Delicious soup and also tried the fried halloumi with flatbread. The child sandwich was enough with a milkshake for the kids. Sat outside in the sun, very pleasant hour.

Really nice place, menu had a nice selection, lots of nice Mezze things as well as your standard fare.

This is a lovely cafe. Food, ambience and service are excellent. I visited for coffee in the morning and came back for lunch. The ploughmans I had was very tasty.

Very small portions! Had to go to another place cuz we were still hungry!

Delicious meal, the food was fresh and very tasty! Lovely family-owned venue with a diverse menu, all made with beautiful fresh ingredients.

We booked online but didn't receive confirmation so we visited the restaurant during the day to check they had the reservation, only to find it closed. We bumped into Dasha outside and he said he had not seen the reservation and had intended to stay closed for the day but he was willing to open just for us. Wow, are we glad he opened for us! The food was wonderful, so tasty and the service was great - you would never have guessed he'd missed out on a night off. Thank you so much, Dasha, we WILL be back next time we visit Lynton! Show less

Lovely menu with enough choices that we went 2 nights running. Friendly service, and decent freshly made cocktails. Would definitely go back again

We enjoyed a lovely lunch prepared with very fresh ingredients. The crab sandwich was delicious. Friendly owner, worth a visit.

A quiet Friday afternoon, walked into the cafe and straight away asked what did I want! Just a drink and scone please, I was then told the kitchen was closed because of a large order and the lady had to collect her child from school!! Not sure why I needed to be told that and highly doubt they were cooking the scones from scratch. Really rude lady, went up the road to a lovely welcoming cafe, you could learn alot from.

Lovely atmosphere. Spaciously set out dining area which gave the extra intimacy. I hate restaurants which cram customers in ! The meal was unhurried. All the orders came in on time and similarly drinks also. We ate different meals but both arrived together with all the components. I’d eat there most weekends if I lived locally. Highly recommended ! You won’t be disappointed cпасибо

Glad we booked an early table as we got meals in reasonable time, but could see delays building as everything seems freshly cooked. Was hard to see a menu online so emailed & was sent current menu (needed before booking as friends have allergies). Some customers walked in without bookings. Did not seem to be open as long/often as Trip Advisor says: busy Friday evening, but not some other times. I enjoyed the Dressed Crab special, other 3 ordered steaks - but waiter gave rare steak to customer who requested medium. He hated it, all gristle; so complained and waited for replacement, which was excellent. Husband enjoyed the potato cakes. Wine Shiraz by the glass got mixed views from our table; rose was ok.

Cosy place with a nice layout and atmosphere. Cool decor with a helpful cinema poster. Quiet staff. Beautiful flat white!

Lovely find, went out of their way to accomodate us, the most delicious food. Will definitely be returning, thank you.

Cozy restaurant, food was good. Went with family and the waitress was friendly with our 3yr old. Celeriac starter was a bit unusual, duck dish would have been amazing with some potatoes. Dishes were expensive at £8-£9 for starters and £14-£23 for mains . Would recommend eating there and would eat there again myself as a treat.

Very fresh, delicious food, great ingredients, very nice hospitality. Highly Recommended

Highly recommended Friendly staff and the food was excellent. I can recommend the steak sandwich

Order the mezze for 2 - it’s a feast. Freshly cooked and absolutely delicious. Staff very friendly and accommodating . A good stop in Lynton.

I called up hoping to get a table within 10 mins of wanting to arrive on Saturday afternoon. The guy (husband) behind the bar went above and beyond to accommodate my partner, myself, a child and our two dogs. All the staff were very friendly and the food was truly fantastic. If I’m the area again, we will 100% be coming back. Please do take the time to visit.

Today we stopped in Lynton to wait for the rain to go away so we can visit The Valley of Rocks. We randomly saw this little place and saw they had some spaces left so we thought, why not to try it! Menu was large to choose from. We chose to eat Meze which we love from the Greek Islands and I must say they didn't disappoint. The food was delicious, full of flavour and filled us up until the following day! The bartender/waitress was lovely, quick to serve us even though it had been busy. Mocha was absolutely delicious as well - not many places can make it how it should be made so I was over the moon. My partner had a salted caramel milkshake and it was one of the best milkshakes he had. Full of flavour and it actually tasted like salted caramel!! Apple juice was amazing too. Thanks again. Would highly recommend! And I noticed it is a dog-friendly place!

First time in here nice and Airy friendly and welcoming anyone is welcome (I don’t know about dogs best check before walking in. But other wise best cafe we’ve been in would come again with my two boys

Firstly the plus points... very good quality food and wine... and a nice intimate atmosphere. Secondly, the not so good points... we waited almost an hour before our meal actually arrived and then, after paying £32.00 for a mezze starter for 2-persons, we were somewhat dismayed to be charged an extra £3.50 for some extra bread (a quartered ciabatta roll) given there wasn't a great deal of bread supplied in the first place. Without the two reservations above we would probably have gone to 5 stars.

Forget the cream tea's and try their middle Eastern food we were blown away by it. Absolutely delicious food and the service was excellent.

We had a lovely lunch in here yesterday. Good food and sevice. Perfect.

Wonderful lunch at this delightful eaterie in Lynton. Very helpful and friendly waitress. The food was served quickly, and was very tasty, and just as described. If only we lived closer ...

I would like to thank the staff for a wonderful evening. Food was excellent five star rating. Will be back next year.thanks Robin and marie

Nice place for eats and drinks of the main drag. Excellent food

Highly recommend it, the food tastes amazing, happy time.

Whilst most people seem to eat in Lynmouth, we ventured back up- away from the cafes & chippys to Lynton & were so pleased that we did! We enjoyed the mixed Middle Eastern meze which was fabulous! This place was not busy on our visit but deserves to be buzzing.

Pleasant surprise. Tasty food and great atmosphere.

Amazing!! We rolled in Lynton at 2:30p so most things were closed. We were thrilled to find this place. The food was amazing and had gf/df options! Great tea! I highly recommend!

Our Third time having cream tea here. Always lovely.

We chose the lunchtime mezze selection. The roasted aubergine was outstanding, as was the courgette dish but all the dishes were delicious. We’ve visited in previous years and also enjoyed the food. Really do recommend if you enjoy beautifully blended spiced food which isn’t hot.

Houmous and warm flat breads and pickles. Delicious if a little pricey..

We went here on a whim and what a happy accident. Absolutely delicious food and lovely service too. We had some mezze dishes and they were all incredible, although special mention to the courgette dish. There was a lovely lady running the place and we also got some yummy cake to take away. They also do more traditional cafe lunch foods (sandwiches, soups etc) if you would prefer. Really lovely place - far more interesting menu than you would expect from the outside.

Food was beautifully prepared, quite a wait but understandable for such quality. Friendly service.... A lovely evening.

Had a fabulous all day breakfast.

Nice coffee. Cake was more like a tray bake and obviously microwaved from frozen. Cake was wet and had hot and frozen spots. Let staff member know- no apology but did say she would let kitchen know. Expensive for what it was.

We went here one day for lunch as we struggled to find anywhere nearby open early in the week. It was busy inside and out but the service was fine and the food excellent (I had the Sabich, which was delicious). Had a good choice...

Very long wait for meal even though Not many customers. Ordered confit of duck, but served chicken. Being an experienced caterer I know the difference. Pale meat thick bone light in colour & of course, the flavour. After being challenged they lied & insisted it...

Absolutely fantastic confit duck, dauphinoise potatoes and vege, with an incredible jus! I loved the wine too! Thankyou

As others have commented, the staff here treat their customers as something to be endured, rather than engaging with them. The service is appallingly slow - our main course finally arrived an hour and a quarter after ordering. Another ten minutes, and we'd just have...

A range of middle Eastern inspired dishes cooked very well in cafe style surroundings. Recommended!

Great food and excellent service.

The rudest, most vicious owner / manager i have ever come across! Was in town for two days and was warned by locals about this chap, but i always like to make up my own mind. Didn’t even make it to ordering, you walk in...

Great little café, nice coffee and good cookies!

Such a shame a lovely food, but one of the most miserable people (owner) I’ve come across in a restaurant. Poor delivery driver got told off too. Zero customer service when ordering. Most unwelcoming.

The Vanilla Pod menu is refreshingly unusual in this area being deliciously Middle Eastern. They also cater well for those who need gluten-free or dairy free food. We had a lovely dinner of mushroom soup and Cornish hake for me with excellent baba ganoush and...

The menu was varied and interesting. Our meals were excellent and the overall service admirable, even more so considering the chef, because of unexpected staff shortages on the night, was also assiting in serving meals and clearing tables. A great effort. Would recommend.

Considering the owner was having to serve loads of covers on his own due to the 2022 nemesis of finding staff in a coastal town we had an excellent meal made up of a Meze and main course of lamb shank and Pan Fried Hake....

I ate here alone on a Saturday night and really enjoyed the food! Service was a bit weird, I didn't get the warmest welcome and I almost felt like they were being a bit hostile towards me? It was strange as I could see they were being friendly to other customers which made me wonder what exactly I had done wrong ha! I waited for 10 minutes until anyone came to my table, it would have been brilliant to at least been given some water when I sat down so you don't just feel like you've been forgotten about.

We loved it so much we went back the next night. Best food we’ve had in a long time. Very accommodating and our dog was allowed in too. Highly recommend this fabulous restaurant

We had a very delightful meal on Monday(28th October) the food was very thoughtfully prepared, presentation was elegant, could have been in Michelin starred restaurant in London, the service was excellent, the owner was very helpful in getting us a table, his daughter served us efficiently and was a delight, the food is prepared by the wife of the owner, for a family business and in North Devon this was fantastic, we returned the next day and equally happy with a superb meal. My wife being Coeliac our gluten free experience was totally positive, well done and hope to visit again

The food was great and drinks amazing, a great cafe / bistro! I would highly recommended if in the area or driving through! Local car park is not highly priced and is conveniently nearby!

Only stayed for a coffee. But lovely venue and setting. Friendly staff too

Delightful and delicious. So good we’ve booked another evening meal this week! We had sea bass and lamb, both perfect. The puddings were an indulgence not to be regretted.

Very nice place with a selection of more traditional and mediterranean-flavoured dishes. The service was good, and we didn't even have to wait for long although the place was full! Can heartily recommend.

Previous reviews are either favourable overall or highly critical of the attitude of the staff. My wife and I are very much in the latter camp. The staff have no idea how to make guests feel welcome and give the impression that having customers on...

Very friendly and helpful staff and very knowledgeable about food intolerances including little known ones, e.g. nightshade family. We were so impressed, we returned the next night and again, were not disappointed. Food was EXCELLENT.

We really enjoyed our evening meal at the Vanilla Pod. A great restaurant in Lynton. Highly recommend

Really good food. We had 2 starters each and a dessert. Everything was great and full of flavours. Prawns, courgettes and lamb dumplings were all excellent. Highly recommended. Edit: We enjoyed it so much that we came back again the next day for dinner!

Having read reviews we were looking forward to dining here. So disappointing. The restaurant is more like a cafe. We were sat by the door although had booked a few weeks in advance. Just after we had ordered a couple turned up with a huge...

I had the cornish hake with chickpea & herb masabacha, smoky baba ghanoush, confit cherry tomato and burnt onion. It was delicious. The flavours were interesting and spot on. The service was efficient. I can highly recommend the Vanilla Pod.

Went for brunch as a group of 4, felt like an inconvenience the whole time we were there. Very unfriendly and unwelcoming, seems as though they don’t even want the custom. Food wasn’t great either, felt more like a cheap cafe. Not quite sure how...

Fantastic food and service in a great little cafe highly recommended for all ages. Lamb was great as was the full breakfast

Excellent food……..the steak that I had was very tender……and the mezzo starter (to share) was very good and to everyone’s liking.

Absolutely gorgeous food. Staff were very courteous and welcoming.

Malgré une devanture peu attirante la cuisine méditerranéenne proposée est excellente et généreuse.