The wayfarer in North Devon

What a lovely proper pub. Great beer, good staff etc etc Can thoroughly recommend to one and all. Dog friendly too Rooms available also

The staff are very friendly and welcoming. The owner Chris has done a fantastic job making the Wayfarer into the perfect local. Amazing food, great drinks and a lovely community. Has to be one of my favourite pubs in Devon. It’s also a fantastic venue for people who enjoy local live music, with various local talent and open mics on Sunday evenings.

A warm welcome! Dogs more than welcome. We had grilled sea bass fillet, but at £21.95i felt it was overpriced! A few overcooked veggies served on plate!

This was our first visit. Wonderful the food, really tasty and at a good price. Lovely atmosphere and charming and helpful staff.

Had lovely and tasty Sunday lunch in the Wayfarer. Beef dinners and a veggie sunday lunch all devoured. Friendly helpful staff. Would definitely recommend

Fantastic dog friendly pub, Staff were extremely welcoming, it offered great food, well kept beer, fun entertainment and overall a lovely atmosphere with friendly locals, we would definitely recommend and return.

Booked an evening meal with family. Amazing braised lamb, cooked to perfection by Rav and Olly. Presentation and trimmings were excellent and great value for money. In addition there was entertainment, the Moonshine Pickers, totally different, entertaining and informative. Brilliant night out.

Excellent pub tucked away in the corner of Instow. my friend and I ordered a ploughman's each and waited. we were just wondering where it was when the barmaid came over with 2 large boards loaded up with, cheese, thick ham, warm crusty bread etc and an apology. 'Sorry it took a while, as we were out of Quiche so the chef made you one. Enough said with service like that.

Wayfarer is brilliant;we stay in a cottage nearby several times a year and always eat at Wayfarer;food is excellent,staff very friendly and atmosphere friendly snd relaxed; our golden retriever Paddy is also made to feel very welcome;wide range of food and cheaper than the places on the front.Definitely the best place to eat in Instow;

I found my stay wonderful and excellent value for money. The room was comfortable and had all the perks of a hotel. Good selection of teas, scrumptious hot chocolate, coffee and bottled water in the room. An extensive food menu led me astray and I may have over indulged! Excellent food, home cooked feel but wide ranging in variety from traditional to more modern tastes. If I’m being supercritical which would be unfair for the value of the room but if I was it might be worth changing a socket to have a USB/C port Very much enjoyed my stay here and will be returning.

Well what can I say this place is a little gem. We have seen this place lots when walking but never been in. Well yesterday we did due to being let down by another restaurant. If you want a cosy pub with a lovely atmosphere well this is the place, the staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble. There were 3 choices of Sunday roast, we all opted for the beef, well let’s just say there were no clean plates left. It was like having a proper home cooked Sunday lunch, the puddings were just as delicious. We loved the food so much and the ambience of the place we are going back for our friend’s birthday. One place to definitely visit when in Instow. It’s off the beaten track and just tucked down a side street. Definitely worth a visit and you will not be disappointed

We went to this pub with our dog for lunch. As the weather was lovely we sat in the garden. The food choice was amazing. I am vegetarian and had loads of choice. The food was lovely. It was served very hot. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Cannot recommend this place highly enough. Really enjoyed our visit and would highly recommend a visit

We have eaten at this pub several times before and had good meals so we thought we would book for dinner on our anniversary. The staff are friendly and selection of drinks fine. My starter of garlic king prawns was hot and tasty. I ordered the liver and bacon with mash and green beans and husband ordered the steak and ale pie. When the liver arrived, it resembled a cowpat on the plate consisting of congealed black gravy with a couple of pieces of overdone dry liver, I guess the other ingredients were onions and chopped bacon that weren’t identifiable. The mash and green beans had been frozen and microwaved and the the liver had probably received the same treatment. I did try to eat it but it was inedible. My husbands steak and ale pie tasted very peculiar as if a load of mixed dried herbs had been added to the mix and the meat was tough and stringy. His pie chips and peas were covered in gravy and as he doesn’t normally eat gravy, it was off putting. It doesn’t take much effort to serve gravy separately. I was offered a refund for my meal which I refused as that was not my aim, we had gone out to celebrate our anniversary and the main courses were a huge disappointment. I didn’t want to haggle over the bill. We didn’t bother with desserts, paid and left. Not sure why the food was so bad, such a pity because it is a great pub.

This is a lovely pub with friendly staff and a good menu - I could have chosen everything on offer the evening that we were there. There was good, unobtrusive live music on the Saturday night. Really enjoyed our visit.

We had an amazing lunch at the wayfarer. The roast was one of the best we’ve had. The rest of the menu was a great selection and plentiful. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and nothing was too much trouble. Beer garden was a lovely and relaxing. Would highly recommend. Look forward to our next visit

Excellent meal, delicious smoked haddock mornay and other dishes, enjoyed by the whole family. Attentive and friendly service and excellent price/quality ratio. Would highly recommend.

Lovely staff and good service, super friendly and nice vibe but disappointing food. The vegetable lasagne tasted like it was a frozen ready meal and not home made and the fajitas were incredibly salty. The chimichanga was great tho

Had great vacation with my Wife & 2 Dogs despite a wet July. Wayfarer were great hosts including Chris the Manager & Yaz behind the bar. Top marks to the chef as well , a great dinner in the evening & kind warmly welcome from locals to others visiting . A must stop by , we'll return.

Stayed in the Wayfarer whilst on cricket tour in north Devon. Excellent hospitality from Micky and the team who really looked after us!!! Great beers, great music and great shanananaghans!

A group of 8, four adults, four children. We sat outside in the beer garden which was nice. We had to wait about 40 minutes for food, but all meals arrived together and were all very good. With such a pleasant atmosphere, freshly cooked food wasn't a problem waiting. Childrens meals were a very good size portion - big appetite 10 year old and it was ample! Seafood platter looked good, I had seafood linguine - would recommend. Will return for sure.

We booked a reservation for 4pm and, when we arrived, we were greeted by the wayfarer team whom were extremely helpful and accommodating for the duration of the night. I ordered the fish pie with high expectations after having it recommended to me by a friend. It didn’t disappoint; it was absolutely delicious! overall, if your looking for a pub which exerts a relaxed and friendly atmosphere being certain to leave you with a satisfactory evening, the wayfarer is the place to go!

We had a fantastic evening at The Wayfarer on Saturday evening. We booked for dinner and had the bonus of live music to accompany our eating. Although there was a slight wait on food due to the amount of diners, I saw this only as...

You will like this place as it was an absolute joke of an experience Visited on Saturday night with two friends Table booked 7.15, table was ready on arrival, and to be honest the place was fairly but not overly busy, we ordered two starters...

Three of us (and dog) went for dinner after an evening stroll on the beach. We asked at the bar if they could fit us in and it appeared not to be a problem. We sat in the beer garden, very pleasant, and then waited...

Great food and value. Varied menu which is good value. Friendly service and tasty food which was served in a reasonable amount of time. Highly recommended. Worth a stroll up the side street. Lovely pub garden too. Just a bit chilly on the day we...

This is the best pub in Instow, Chris and his team give a lovely warm friendly welcome to all, locals and visitors alike There is a lovely beer garden at the back, dogs are welcome, beer is great and the quality of the food is...

Had a lovely night here on Saturday evening. Highly recommend the food, it is high quality pub food at reasonable prices. Staff are very efficient & friendly, well done to Chris, Tara and the team.

Enjoyed a wonderful meal here . The hake was the best we’ve ever had, steak and ale pie was very tender and the chicken and tagliatelle was amazing. All were cooked to perfection . The staff were helpful and pleasant. Our night was finished off...

Excellent service 👏. Popped in for lunch with our dog. What a hidden gem . All pubs / restaurants on front are busy . This is just down the side and what a find!. The Sand Sole was amazing the caper and butter sauce with...

You want a Sunday roast in Instow , or anywhere in North Devon, this is the place to go. The pub is tucked away up a side street but don't let that put you off the food is great, the staff and the service are...

Fantastic pub/restaurant, great selection of drinks and fresh food beautifully cooked. Staff were very friendly and helpful even organising a taxi for the end of the night. Atmosphere was great and we felt very welcome. There was a live music act later in the evening...

We stayed here recently and had a wonderful experience. The staff were lovely, friendly and welcoming, Lou especially, as she checked us in, answered questions and sorted us out. We decided to have dinner here and the food was great, a lovely menu, specials board...

An absolutely excellent evening was had here on a Saturday night, we had a lovely meal and drinks throughout the evening with nothing being too much trouble. It was busy but staff worked efficiently and nothing was too much trouble. One of our party was...

we were ladies at lunch , menu had plenty of choice plus a great selection of specials on the board , exerllent service , freshly cooked food wirh decent portion size , the valentines chocolate was delicious , made by chef Emily , will defiently...

What a lovely early evening drink tonight, excellent service and great fun. Well done Chris for running a great local pub, keep up the good work looking forward to seeing you and your team soon

This is a brilliant place to stay or dine . The Sunday roast is amazing. We have tried almost all of them in the locality but this is easily the best . Meat cooked to perfection including the beef (always difficult) and a variety of...

Great lunch. We dropped into the Wayfarer after walking the dog on the beach. Good food and friendly staff so we can definitely recommend

Wet Windy and cold day I called In after taking my dog a walk. I was pleased to find they were doing Sunday Lunch It was delicious I had roast beef n Yorkshires the beef melted in my mouth delicious. Lots of fresh vegetables. Definitely...

After decades, it feels at last the Wayferer has arrived! This weekend after eating at most of the other venues in Instow, The wayfarers knocked the others out of the park. Welcoming, cosy, and a Sunday roast with melt in your mouth beef. Happy and...

Would like to thank all the wonderful staff at the wayfarer inn for looking after us, went above and beyond for Sunday lunch and birthday meal 2 days later, we would highly recommend this place, food was fantastic, nothing was to much trouble, got us...

We came from Dorset to Instow for a week to visit family and to spend time on the water paddle boarding, we discovered this great bar after visiting others around the corner with much fussier menus, we ate here three times this week and have...

Lovely meal at the Wayfarer last night, the food was really tasty and good value for money. Great customer service too. We will be back for sure!

Staying in Instow on holiday and have popped in for lunch and also take away. Can not recommend the food highly enough. The Sunday lunch is something else and will not leave you wanting for more. I would highly recommend and will visit again. The...

Myself and my Husband came for Sunday lunch....the food was superb...a delicious selection of Roast Beef,Lamb and Pork...a varied range of vegetables...beautifully cooked Yorkshire Puddings...and plenty for us both......We asked for the name of the chef which i believe was Ben....all staff were so friendly...

The food was delicious, the fish was cooked to perfection. My delightful waitress, Leanne, made our visit very welcoming. They knew the menu almost off by heart actually, very impressed. Defo would come again.

Very warm welcome from the manager and staff, beautiful room in lovely Instow. Will definitely be recommending the Wayfarer to friends and family

Can't thank the lovely ladies at the Wayfarer enough, we booked a very large table last minute for our wedding party and they were very accommodating. We added a few extra people at the very last moment and they didn't mind at all and went...

We visited today and were very unhappy as our meals could not be eaten, three out of four were left. Hard jacket potatoes, unpleasant (cold) chilli and burnt chips! Scampi full of fat and also cold. We were offered a replacement meal but after waiting...

Had a great evening here Monday 23 May. This place is very friendly and we had a great sing a long. We returned on the 24th May for food which was amazing I would definitely recommend this place in Instow.

My husband and I have recently stayed in Instow for a couple of nights and popped in here on our first night for a drink. The staff were very friendly and the menu looked interesting so came in for a meal on our second night....

Not given to writing reviews often but nice bar and more pertinently great staff. Very friendly, food was excellent and atmosphere great. On holiday and made to feel very welcome. Thank you

Staying for a few days with group of friends during Storm Dudley and fortunately discovered an empty pub with the rugby on- so that was the blokes sorted. The ladies found some pub games on a shelf and we all happily lost the afternoon playing...

We have come to Instow every year for over 30 years for a family holiday and have seen the Wayfarer change a lot over the years. I must say hands down if you are local or visiting, this is the place to go to if...

Meal with the Mother in law, and the wife and of course little Maggie. The food was perfect, Jade as always looked after us. And of course a new chef. Well I say new, he has worn just a little bit perhaps. If he isn't...

Very nice pub hidden away from the Main Street. Very friendly staff and dog friendly. Would definitely recommend stopping by for a drink and food

After morning on beach needed to find somewhere off crowded tourist ‘beach’ street, Just behind those we found this pub. Ladened with tiny baby and Pram, three year old and 6 adults they found us a large table in the shade. Well kept Doombar beers,...

I dont understand previous reviews!!!! We visited the Wayfarer several times during our 2 week stay, and it was totally fine. Firstly, there's a national staff shortage in the hospitality industry so have a little patience and empathy for these businesses and their staff working...

Arrived to watch the England vs Czech.R euros 2020 game at 6pm on Tuesday 22nd June. The Wayfarer inn had no internet service or guest wifi for customers to use which was disappointing. Limited 'sports menu' available, the burgers were dry and thin and the...

My family and I decided to try the Wayfarer last night, we were staying a few nights in Instow. 2 of us had the gammon, this was the thinnest piece of gammon I had ever had in a restaurant. More like bacon if anything. Plate...

Lovely staff and vibe but sorry this was pub grub at its worst. We needed to eat and it was the only place we could get in my starter was ok but my husbands potatoe skins were virtually just a baked potato with a cheese...

Second visit this week to the Wayfarer. Great staff who provide excellent service. Nice to feel our business is welcomed. Other restaurants at Instow have given very poor service and not cared when we visited but the Wayfarer provide great food, great value and great...

Basic pub food done well. Good chips, good salad and excellent ploughman's. My daughter was delighted with her jacket potato and my son really enjoyed his veggie burger and chips.

We popped in here for dinner. Family friendly restaurant, good service and the food was fairly priced and well portioned. Great food and an even better Sunday roast. Highly recommended.

We were staying in a cottage opposite this pub and after reading the reviews we gave it a try. It was lovely and clean and made COVID safe. The staff were very friendly and it was dog friendly. The food was nice and reasonably priced....

The safe environment, with screens between tables, got us off to a good start. Ordered fresh homemade pizzas, which were delicious, very filling and good value. Service was friendly and attentive. Would recommend for families or couples.

Firstly, well spaced out tables and friendly staff. (That's always a bonus for us). Food was exceptional. Well presented and reasonably priced. Lovely. In fact we enjoyed our evening meal so much we returned nxt day for lunch, then sat out in the sun trap...

We visited here for lunch today. The menu provided was limited so we went with 2 x burgers and a pizza. We wouldn't recommend the food at all, we found it to be very poor and we were dissapointed. Chips were undercooked, food looked unappetizing and overall it was a disappointing meal. A pizza from a supermarket tastes better than what was served today. We left most of it, the waitress did not ask if we enjoyed the meal. The only up side was that we had the eat out help out scheme so didn't have to pay full price. Shame as used to have a good reputation for quality food and it is a nice pub. Save your money and eat elsewhere.

Popped in here and sat in the beer garden. Lovely service from the barman and ordered 2 bowls of chips to share which came promptly and were generous portions. All clean and overall a lovely place.

I would recommend coming here, it’s such a lovely clean place with wonderful food. The staff were excellent during such a busy time.

Called in for Sunday lunch, menu on the table but was not told at any time they had a Sunday roast on which we would have preferred, menu was small but food was good, distancing was ok ish but some locals sitting and standing at the bar is not part of the rules, enjoyed are food and service was good, would have been good to advise us on the menu

Never thought i would say this but our visit last weekend was like the Wayfarers of old when Royston Vera and their wonderful staff ruled the roost. Lovely meal very competitively priced, friendly helpful staff and a very good selection of beers and real ale. Will be returning very soon.

A lovely clean spacious warm room greeted me after my first very friendly warm greeting at the door. Very accommodating and helpful. Food was delicious good pub food. Bed was comfortable and the whole place was lovely. Right by the sea (estuary) and a sea view from my room.

Helpful staff, large group of us, two course meal for all. Meals all came out together and were more than we expected.The pasta dish was huge, could easily have been a sharing bowl.Nothing was a problem, very accommodating, will be visiting again to try more from the menu

We arranged to meet an old friend here for a meal and catch up, remembering how good it used to be. But we hadn’t realise that it had changed hands. And how disappointing was the meal. Every thing with chips, or burgers. Shan’t next going again!

We stayed here the night before a sailing event. The food in the evening was really good, great pizzas. Staff were lovely and helpful. The room was clean and had everything we needed for the night. Breakfast was great too with a choice of cereals and a cooked breakfast. We loved that our dog was made to feel so welcome in the pub and the room. Can’t fault this place. If it was summer parking may have been an issue but in November we parked on the sea front and the car was within a few feet of the pub front door.

Understand the place has changed hands so popped in while staying up the road, nice beer and friendly staff, have not tried the food or stayed there but looks OK (out of season atm).

I live in Dubai and we visited The Wayfarer with my parents who live locally and recommended it. While the pub was very quiet and didn't have many customers, the food was excellent, there was a wide choice on the menu and the prices were very affordable - much cheaper than other pubs and restaurants in Instow. My husband who is vegetarian said the veggie curry was the best meal he'd had during our 2 week holiday in Devon. Some background music to give the pub ambience would have been great, but we had a lovely evening nevertheless.

its a good place to go.staff very friendly.nice dog to play fetch with.you can take your dog in here.

We went here because we had seen a sign off the tarka trail saying it was family friendly. I so wish we hadn't bothered, we were 'greeted' by a man on the phone who seemed surprised we had walked in, I asked if they were open and he said yes but seemed confused. I asked the lady behind the bar for a pint of one of there handpulls and she told me she didn't have her drip trays and she hadn't cleared up the dog muck in the beer garden! I managed to shout to my husband to pick up our son, as they had headed out to the garden area. She went to pick up the muck whilst I was served by someone else. Beer was ok, that's the best I can say. The fire escape gate was locked from the inside, which wasn't a great sign. Definitely wouldn't recommend and wouldn't ever go back.

Came to watch the Champions League final and the 3 real ales were finished, so was the keg IPA. Had a Guinness and then asked what else they had. It was bottled Doom Bar and bottled or keg lagers. WiFi password is 'the best pub'! You've got to be joking!!!!!

What a difference! The last time we went to the Wayfarer the atmosphere was excellent and the food superb. I understand that it has changed ownership and boy, does it show. .It was the only place that we could make a booking and from that we should have known. On walking in there were no diners but there was a small crowd stood at the bar. A lady came from behind the bar waved at us,pointed to a table and then disappeared. Twenty minutes later a young girl came to take our orders for drinks. We asked for a menu to be able to choose our meal and she said that there wasn’t one and pointed to a blackboard. There was plenty of choices on it. She then disappeared and ten minutes later she appeared with our drinks order. In the meantime some other people came in with their dogs and two of them let them off the leads so they were cavorting all over the place. After another long wait our meals arrived and they were not worth waiting for. I had ordered a simple ham, egg and chips. It arrived laid out on a huge plate with the chips in a small saucepan, the peas in a large thimble and a slice of ham, which I would guess had come out of a tin, laid out with two over cooked eggs on top. Not at all appetising looking nor brilliant in taste. All the time there was a dog sat under it’s owners chair at an adjacent table watching my every mouthful and looking at me with the most soulful expression. All in all a not very enjoyable evening especially as we had a friend over to visit us from Florida. This is the worse review I have ever written on tripadvisor.

Went with my elderly parents for a meal on a saturday evening. The staff were great- friendly and very willing to accommodate my parents' needs.

The Wayfarer is a friendly,welcoming pub which serves good food with generous portions. Dogs are made very welcome. Wednesday quiz night is great fun.

We went for a day out on bikes along the Tarka Trail, cycling from Braunton to Barnstaple and then on to Fremington where we hoped to stop for a bite. Luckily for us it was completely packed full so we decided to move on into Instow. The Wayfarer was well signposted from the Tarka Trail. Loads of bike parking in the racks outside the pub.

Our favourite local in instow! A hidden gem! A real local atmosphere is backed up by a brilliant local chef who creates some brilliant dishes! Proper pub grub at a luxury dining standard. Best place in Instow by far.

Nice local pub, very welcoming to visitors, Good food but shouldn't try and compete with upmarket restaurants. Fish and chips (really nice chips) should be on a plate not a board with peas and tartare sauce on the plate not in twee little dishes.

Lovely pub/restaurant very friendly staff and great food, excellent location just off of the Tarka trail cycle path.

Booked a table for two and arrived 20 minutes early, a member of staff said they would clear a table. I intended asking for a drink whilst we waited, and stood at the bar only to be completely ignored by three staff, two of whom said 'excuse me' twice as they went past me! Eventually we were pointed not taken to our table so went and sat down. Waited 10 minutes in vain for someone to come and deliver menus/ take a drinks order before giving up and going to the bar to ask for menus and thus time was able to order drinks. When the drinks arrived placed our food order and were advised there might be 'a delay' as they had a party of seven in (not seventeen, just seven). We sat back, sipped drinks and waited...and waited....and waited. Some 50 minutes later I went to the bar and complained, that being diabetic I would not have booked if I had known it was such a problem . Promised ' 3 minutes' so 6 to 7 minutes later the food arrived with the briefest of apologies. My wife pointed out that her Stilton sauce was missing 'oh it's on the way', I also requested some mayonnaise, and, surprise it did not appear so asked again, and it finally arrived as did a plate with one rasher of bacon and 3 onion rings which had been 'forgotten' from my wife's meal. Ate the food which was good, and decided to get the bill, as yes, you guessed,they brought over a dessert menu then did not return to ascertain if we were ordering.Paid the bill and unsurprisingly I left no tip. It will be a long, long time if ever before we set foot in here, Oh forgot to mention the owners dog was allowed to wander loose, pausing to sniff at each table as it passed before stretching out in front of the Fire, it was not a small dog, but a greyhound so was pretty intrusive to the experience. Buck your ideas up Wayfarer!

I spent two nights here with my family. We booked a family room, double and bunkbed. The room was clean and toiletries were provided. We ate in the pub on the first night as we arrived fairly late. The food was nice, typical pub food. The staff were friendly and helpful. The breakfast was excellent and very generous. Hotel is situated right opposite the beach. I would stay here again.

We are hear one evening and hadn't booked, however despite having a large group booked in the lady behind the bar showed me a table. The food was ok but not really anything to write home about, my husband had the blanchbait but it was dry with no mayo or even lemon to squeeze over it. I had the fried brie which was nice. My husband had the fillet steak which he enjoyed and I had haddock which was supposed to be on a bed of crushed new potatoes but appeared to be on mashed lumpy potatoes. It is average price so was ok.

Simply wanted a drink after a longish walk along the Tarka Trail.

A truly fantastic 5 nights in the Wayfarer. Very comfy beds, great powerful shower, delicious food and a very charming owner! Instow is a good location for anyone to have a weekend away and with the Wayfarer, it is unbeatable. Ill be back for the next few years for sure! Floreat

My family enjoyed a fabulous Sunday afternoon away from the crowds of the regatta here. Great service and food to match. It’s clearly a popular place as the garden was busy throughout with a jovial atmosphere to say the least!

Where to start, what a place! We really were onto a Roll when finding the Wayfarer! Terry put in a Saracen like performance across our week long stay and we’ll be sure to head back next year!

If you are looking to watch the cricket, have a quiet drink and might just want a bit of piece and quiet on a hot summers day or a cold winters night this might just be the place for you. The landlord Terry will look after your 2 legged for 4 legged friends. (Oh and the crisps are the very best in Instow, I know I have had some of them!

Preislich gut, super Service. Wir hatten Steak und Lobster beides perfekt. Ein kaltes Guiness und Cider gibt es auch 😊

The Wayfarer Pub has a fabulous location overlooking the estuary. I has not long changed hands and there has been a great deal of work done here, the room was large and clean, the bead comfortable.

Weekday has slow service, but the food was fantastic, tasty and great value.

New owner seems to have hit the floor running. Top notch food and good beer at cheaper prices than any other establishment in Instow. Lovely beer garden and children and dog frirndly

Good food good service and excellent value.Outside dining to be recommended if the weather permits. Car parking can be a problem.