Village Inn in South Hams

We had two lovely lunches here while staying in the area this week. The staff were welcoming, helpful and incredibly friendly on both occasions. Food was delicious and great quality. Sea food platter was definitely a hit as well as the fish goujon roll. We arrived on one of the days as the kitchen was about to close but the staff were happy to accommodate us for lunch but didn’t rush us at all. Would love to visit again next time we’re in Thurlestone.

What the hell has happened to meat on the Sunday Roast ..usually the centre piece of the meal it resembled the meat from a cheap supermarket ready meal ..Has the supplier changed ?

Some items on the menu have gone up by around 80% in a year! The staff seem stressed or unfriendly. It’s quite snobby, the food is average and unreliable and it just feels like a bit of a tourist trap. Sad as it used to be so lovely.

Such a disappointment the last few times we have been. We have visited frequently over many years, and what was a favourite dinner spot for us is now very overpriced and poor quality. A real shame!

Nice pub good atmosphere good service. Slightly shocked the £28 seafood linguine came the size of a starter portion!

That’s a place which was absolutely brilliant service and food was excellent. We broughtour 2 dogs and they been very welcome as well. More places should be like that. Above the average and that’s why we recommend to book as they get very busy.

Wonderful - the food, the service, the ambience, all perfect and we can't fault a thing. We will be back, thank you so much for a great dining experience

Another visit to the Village Inn and again fantastic experience. The staff are amazing and friendly. Top notch food As always a lovely place to visit.

Great service! Tuesday evening some friends and I came to the Village Inn for a meal. Service was exceptional, especially for a pub! We were served by a young lady, brunette and tall, but we couldn’t quite catch her name but she did mention it was her last shift which is a shame as we would’ve loved to be served by her again! The other waiting staff were also very attentive and the food was great! Will be visiting again.

Whilst staying at The Thurlestone Hotel we dined twice at The Village Inn. It was excellent and the service provided by Sam and Isabel was superb. Make sure you book before going!

Friendly and effusive welcome. Dog friendly. Great pizza and crab ciabatta. Fresh and generous portions. Clean , quick and efficient. Reasonable price.

Basically wonderful, the atmosphere, the food, the service and the drinks.

Has developed excellent table service and the muscles are the best I've had. Make sure you go when you're hungry.... It's popular though so be sure to book!

Cracking spot for food or a drink, dog friendly, Jack is a saint made to feel like a regular from walking in the doors

Came for our wedding anniversary and were very pleased with the quality of the food and the service.

I have had so many years of visiting here and it basically depends on who is working..you either get lucky or you don't...owned by the Hotel attached so...Popped in on a Saturday lunch.... could not have been happier... lovely friendly service from everyone and we had a little steak and chips with drinks...bang on all round...Oliwilia was really great and prices were really fair.. just a perfect lunch without a Salcombe idiot in sight thankfully

This is a good pub (mid summer), all the tables are laid up for dining, drinkers are directed outside, however when it rained for us staff were happy to let us sit at an unbooked table. Beer selection is local and well kept, very pleasant but a little expensive £5+ a pint. I didn't eat there, but the food looked good. However prices are high - £19 for a burger. There are no sea views, the location is beside the central road in the quaint village of Thurlstone, pleasant, but not stunning.

We always come here when in the area. The service is good; friendly and quick. The food is good. We tend to sit outside overlooking the road. My wife loves the seafood platter. I had the burger which was a good one.

Very cozy and friendly place, tasty food and drinks, friendly and nice service

A super meal!! Lovely fish and chips and an Irish Coffee wow!!

We used to go to The Village Inn frequently and now we have a policy of not eating there. We feel it doesn’t do Devon food justice anymore- there are many fantastic local places to eat so we avoid it. Periodically, we go back to check if it improves but so far since COVID we are always underwhelmed and the service is far from consistent. However, it serves a purpose for hotel guests but not locals/ second home owners familiar with the area.

Should be so much better - and once was. Such a shame. Food is very overpriced for what really is just uninspiring basic fare. Drinks similarly premium prices but sadly only option in the village. Staff turnover seems very high so often inexperienced and flustered. Shame

It is unusual for me to take time to write reviews on a local business but feel the the appalling food and service we received from the new management deserved my time. Singularly the worst fish and chips I have ever had. It is quite something when the tiny piece of minusculy thin fish was so over cooked you couldn't cut it. Dreadful. I'd be interested in hearing if the new management has anything excuse. Birds Eye do it better.

Ummm, not that great. Used to be really good, always busy but not tonight. Service was really slow considering they were not that busy. Waiter was very attentive but the food was lacklustre. Will not be going back anytime soon. Overall I would say it was disappointing.

We ate here tonight. The seafood platter was outstanding, as were our burgers. Lovely friendly staff with good service. I would recommend this place to relax away a good few hours. Thank you.

Staff friendly and lovely pub BUT the food very disappointing. Chicken curry wasn’t homemade at all but from a mass produced food service supplier. tasteless sauce and plastic chicken. Priced £22 a ripoff. Will be back for drinks only

This place is lovely! We were put off by recent reviews but tried it, unfortunately on the last day of our holiday... would have gone several times in our week's holiday as food was wonderful, would loved to have tried the other dishes on the menu. The manager Jack was excellent, so enthusiastic, friendly and professional and all the staff were great. Seafood platter was delicious and a huge helping, also had seafood linguini which was brilliant too. A village pub with lovely atmosphere and great food... we will be back!

Fathers Day lunch - Brilliant , Great staff, and wonderful food. I have eaten in quite a few places and this place is hard to beat !!. The sunday roast beef was sooo tender , melt in your mouth, best we have ever had, We are still talking about it. Fish and chips was lovely with beautiful fresh fish and super crispy batter. Nothing was too much trouble. The staff were amazing. Keep being brilliant. Thank you for making my fathers day a great one.

We had a wonderful lunch, great service and food thoroughly enjoyed our relaxing time would strongly recommend visiting

Very nice village pub serving local beer ,cider 🍺 well worth a visite

Called for drinks while out for a walk. Good choice of drinks and a pleasant atmosphere. We were served quickly and dogs are welcome too.

Expensive for what it is. Frozen food served. Service was poor - taking plates away before the whole table had finished eating. Drinks ordered and arrived after food arrived, as we had to remind them about the drinks waiting at the bar. £17 for ham egg and chips which was a very small portion £6 for frozen garlic bread, 3 small slices Overall a rather disappointing experience Round of drinks for 6 beers and 2 soft drinks £50 Would come back for a drink but that’s it Would not return for food It’s a nice pub, but how disappointing

The pub was busy but the service was quick and friendly. I had the steak pie, which was full of gristle and the oven chips dry and hollow. I told the waiter and he said he would tell the chef. Let's see if the next batch improves.

Came in over the weekend, our meals were delicious, so much so we ended up coming back for lunch the next day. Staff were brilliant and looked after us really well. Great choice of beers. Looking forward to coming back!

Came in over the weekend, our meals were delicious, so much so we ended up coming back for lunch the next day. Staff were brilliant and looked after us really well. Great choice of beers. Looking forward to coming back!

Very poor food. Expected so much more due to price point and the general look of the place. Fish pie was tiny and very little fish, baguette was so dry it scratched the inside of my mouth and the crab was artificial orange colour. ‘Skin on fries’ were oven cooked rubbish. Such a shame - amazing location, could be so good. Didn’t complain as couldn’t face it - will not return.

I’m sorry to say very disappointed in the food. I had the fish and chips and the batter was very insipid and not fresh fish. It was more like a frozen fish . The chips were like frozen oven ready chips. I’m very sorry to say very disappointed!

I wish I’d read the reviews before we went! We have dined in The Village Inn on various occasions in the past, which was very pleasant. The staff were attentive and cheerful. I ordered the so called ‘fish pie’ which should have been called a carrot & celery slop pie! 3 small pieces of fish , the celery was so overpowering you would wouldn’t recognise it as a fish pie. The vegetables were hardly cooked, the tender stem broccoli was half yellow. My husband ordered the steak and kidney pudding, which was 3/4 kidney and cheap meat. I ate half of mine hoping to find more fish, when I complained I was told they haven’t had any other complaints about the fish pie which I find hard to believe. Won’t be returning until they up their game!

Below average food - which is absolutely fine for a pub, but this place charges premium prices

We've been visiting this place for several years now and have always been more than happy with both the service and the food, This year, however, things were sadly different. The staff were (and still are) exceptionally welcoming and courteous - it's the food that has changed - and not for the better. We booked three evening meals but, after the first two, cancelled the third. The food we ordered and were presented with was well below standard both in quality and for the price. The fish pie was an almost tasteless slop and the vegetables accompanying it weren't properly cooked. The suet steak and kidney pudding was filled with what could best be described as tasteless odds and ends of various meats - there was no discernible kidney. In summary two very disappointing meals. We are staying in Thurlestone for another week later this year but I doubt we'll visit the Village Inn.

On the face of it a beautiful pub in a lovely setting , super friendly staff. We were there in a family party of 10 for my mums 85th birthday . Sadly the food which at very inflated prices was extremely disappointing the fish and chips were cold but also so overcooked and dry one of the portions was brown inside , 2 Caesar salads were a slimy mess mine was topped with cold halloumi and when I asked about it was told that’s the way it should be ! Rest of the food was average . I did quietly speak to the manager (I never complain) he was very apologetic and kindly made a reduction on the final bill , not really the point though . But here’s the best bit as we left he shouted out miss you already to my elderly parents . Really shocked and disappointed by that .

Have enjoyed this pub for 50 years. Recently food and service have been excellent Sadly something has changed. Last night the fish pie was a cheesy mush. I identified one piece of fish and an awful lot of carrot. 3 of us had the fish pie and we were all surprised by the quality at £ 22 My fellow diners had very ordinary meals. The puds were better but the sticky toffee pudding was served cold! The staff were attentive and helpful. We did raise the matter at the time and they did offer to amend the bill , an offer we declined on principle . I am concerned since I have often recommended this pub to visitors to the area.

Not been for a while, so stopped for a light lunch. Service was okay. We had baguettes. One crab and one with ham with pickle.. Baguettes were rather day. Needed butter. Ham was a little sparse and not very tasty. Crab meat was mushy. .

Excellent meal, good service, great atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Expensive food that is average at best. We visited for a Sunday roast and it didn't impress us, roasts costing £18+ with very little quality on the plate, meager portions, poorly presented and lacking some of the elements you would expect. We were told the Yorkshire puddings weren't available because they didn't meet their standards, nothing else they served met my standards so who knows how bad they were. I had the pork and I would expect crackling, some sort of apple sauce variant on the plate, some stuffing and more than 2 slices. Also the roast potatoes were anemic and the veg lacking in seasoning. Dessert wise I thought the flavours were nice but portions were tiny for the circa £9 a dish. I thought the staff were great, I enjoyed the beer and I liked the look of the place. I think if the food is brought up to standard then it'll be a great visit.

Went for Sunday lunch and both had beef Neighbouring table said don’t have the lamb!! Very disappointing beef,obviously pre sliced and cooked ,and no Yorkshire pudddin Have been going for years,and worst beef ever had Normally cut off joint,and slightly pink Not today Why serve it?? Very disappointed

Pub is perfectly pleasant but I have to say the food is very overpriced and the kitchen lacks ambition.

This pub is connected to Thurlestone Hotel, so provided an alternative place to eat if you are staying (which we were.) The interior is nicely done and comfortable. The food was good without being outstanding - perfectly reasonable pub food. This is a relaxing pub for walkers, dogs, friends. It's not the place for Sky Sports, darts, pool etc.

The lunch food was awful, having eaten here several times, this was a huge disappointment. The Caesar Salad had the ends of the lettuce in, the chicken was clearly shop bought straight from a packet, a tiny amount of dressing, for £25! Another diner had a crab sandwich, the baguette was limp, and clearly there was a shortage of crab in the kitchen, and there was further cost saving in a lack of butter or any flavour. The chips were inedible, just small pieces of grease, and completely flavourless. The staff were completely inexperienced as well, which didn’t help. Sadly we won’t be returning for lunch any time soon, when there are far better options locally.

Friendly staff and a good blend of local and tourist clientele. Food is OK pub grub trying to be Gastro

Family restaurant pub with plenty if parking and good seating areas! We had roasts. Beef roast portion was reasonable altho' chicken breast might have been larger. Good, lively atmosphere and service was friendly and efficient. 3 starters, 3 roasts, 3 drinks, just over £120. Try it.

We come to the south west coast every year for a week to recharge and relax. We like to find places that feel like a home from home, that make us feel welcome and where we can completely relax - this place did this and more! One of the most welcoming environments we’ve ever had, the staff were amazing, always making sure we were ok but also leaving us to enjoy the food. The food was by far some of the best we’ve had, always feeling freshly made to order and piping hot! I think we tried most of the items on the menu whilst we were there, but the fish and chips was fantastic and the rib eye so well cooked - massive props to the chef who never let us down. Every waitress made us feel like they wanted us to be there and that nothing was too much trouble, getting drinks quickly which is always a bonus! We didn’t get all the names so really sorry but you hopefully know who you are that looked after us, and more importantly our dog Daisy, she was smitten so thank you!! The manager was absolutely lovely, have seen some horrible reviews on here calling her out which I just don’t see how you could think that. Attentive and knowledgeable she was on top of everything and made sure the service we got was second to none. It’s rare that you can have a chat with a manager so informally in a busy pub so it’s refreshing to have someone take the time to stop and talk if you want to. The final staff member I want to call out was Jack, from the very first night we walked in after a long drive from Kent he made us feel completely welcome with a warm and relaxed personality. He again chatted to us throughout the night whilst he was running the bar and even after just one night already remembered our names when we came back in the next day - he didn’t need to, but he just did and that speaks volumes for this amazing find. Thank you again for looking after us and our 2 dogs, apologies for the slightly grumpy one that sat at the back, we were really sad to go and wish we could stay for longer. We will definitely be back at this great pub - Daisy (our golden retriever) would never forgive me if we didn’t!!

Went for lunch with 3 friends. 3 of us chose calves liver. One of those meals was acceptable but the other 2 were not. Liver was poor quality and undercooked. No seasoning and the accompanying vegetables were lukewarm warm. Inedible! Service was poor! Wouldn’t return there nor recommend

Great place for a bite and a good range of beers and larger. A choice of mang different wines as well. Certainly a drinkers local, with good food options. It's open to non hotel residents as well, so the ideal spot. Some of the latest non-alcoholic beers could be added as this was something noticabley missing.

Another great meal at The VI. Helen and her team are so welcoming. Fabulous food… if I had to mention one thing, the portions were too big!!! Thanks for the doggie bag girls. See you tomorrow.

Just arrived this Sunday afternoon to stay in area. Nearest pub and serving food in evening. We were warmly welcomed by Jack as soon as we walked in and looked after so well by him and the other lovely staff and also by the Manager. Roast dinners of pork and beef were excellent and so was the excellent Otter ale from Devon brewery. Many thanks

Love Thurlestone..... The Village Inn makes it special 👍

Lovely friendly service and great food. Open on a monday. We struggled to find somewhere but this was worth the short drive

Fantastic traditional village Inn great food ales and staff 5 star all the way

A lovely little pub with great quality food and excellent service. The two young girls who handled our table were very attentive and friendly.

Very disappointed. We ordered the seafood platter,well what let down. Vastly overpriced for what we had.one slice of smoked salmon,half a spoon of crab,a few small prawns and crayfish,and 4 small crevettes plus 1 slice of bread and a small side of fries. £29 plus overpriced drinks =£40..no wonder people are staying away from pubs.

Without doubt the best ploughmans I have ever tasted. Fast friendly service and they have Guinness. Loads of food too. Don’t need a dessert at all now!

Christmas day lunch. It was OK but not outstanding. Had to ask for arrival fizz. Canapés very nice, very tiny, 3 would have been nice. Turkey good, veg OK, carrot huge, potatoes not crispy. No bread sauce, pugs in blankets under cooked. Dessert very nice. Had to request coffee told it would be additional cost however when we went to pay it was not charged. Would I go again for Christmas day, mmm, jury still out. Found the noise in the restaurant with drinkers annoying.

Xmas day meal here , great food and location. Plenty of staff too

Unwilling to lay tables Really inhospitable and unfriendly. Not just one unhelpful member of staff but several. Really surprised by the lack of friendliness. Worst ever reception been a customer several times a year for seven years.

AGGRESSIVE-MANAGER- Arrived and table was 20 mins late. Food was very average. Lovely waitress but very aggressive manager who argued with us about when we booked despite the fact we had email confirmation. Not a family friendly pub; all about turnover. Table was for 8 of us who have been going to the pub for many years and all agreed we would never go back. If you can’t look after the customers, don’t accept that many tables.

Great pub and restaurant in the village of Thurlston. Book early if you want a table. Good choice of Ales & Wines.

Nice pub. Good food. Friendly staff.

Lovely Rib Eye Steak and Desert for my 50th Birthday meal

Would highly recommend. The food and service was fantastic. Friendly atmosphere. Good portions and presented well.

Prices and service have ruined a good pub and eating experience. Consequently it is not busy and lacks atmosphere.

Very clean, great facilities for children. Had a small lunch but didnt feel rushed, hardly a wait for food and very good portions

A nice pub with friendly staff. The interior is well decorated and cozy. The main menu didn't have loads of options but there were 4 mains on the specials menu. There was nothing wrong with our visit but it wasn't anything super special. It's a reliable place and easy to book online.

Great atmosphere and good food (when it finally arrived). But unfortunately the service at this pub was really patchy- we had to repeat our order because it 'got lost', and correct it several times when wrong drinks arrived. We then waited over an hour with no explanation, for just one course of the meal for 4. The manager was apologetic eventually, but for the prices they are charging it felt like a pretty disappointing evening.

Lovely pub, food and service. And a great dog friendly pub too.

We had dinner here 3 times during our 7 day holiday in the lovely village of Thurlestone. Ticks all the boxes in terms of choice of venue, range of beers, atmosphere with outstanding customer service, which sadly is in short supply these days. Helen was extremely welcoming and an asset to this very popular venue. 😀

Fabulous burgers. Reasonably priced. Friendly waitresses and dog friendly!

What a great night we all had and the Meet the new manager was a fantastic idea, Helen was amazing, very attentive and spent time talking with everyone. Milo was great and we need more of this as the atmosphere was brilliant. met some new people who Helen introduced us to as well. Great team and great night.

Looking forward to a roast beef Sunday lunch When it arrived it was cold Informed the waitress . I can't Finnish this review to much wrong , Won't be returning

Dinner at the Village Inn this evening was a mixed bag of good and bad. Good - lovely decor, tasty starters of goats cheese and red onion tart and whitebait, my husband’s main of gammon was a generous portion, delicious and well cooked. Now the bad or not so good - five waitresses stood at the bar in front of our table chatting for most of our visit, main of gnocchi seemed a pretty confused dish that they’d just thrown whatever they could think of on the plate. Overall won’t be in any rush to return 😢

Dinner at the Village Inn this evening was a mixed bag of good and bad. Good - lovely decor, tasty starters of goats cheese and red onion tart and whitebait, my husband’s main of gammon was a generous portion, delicious and well cooked. Now the bad or not so good - five waitresses stood at the bar in front of our table chatting for most of our visit, main of gnocchi seemed a pretty confused dish that they’d just thrown whatever they could think of on the plate. Overall won’t be in any rush to return 😢

Soulless village pub basically a restaurant annex for the hotel, when we went the entire place was laid up for eating with a couple of stools at the bar and some sofas in another room being all the seating available for "just a drink" if that's what you're after then I wouldn't bother with this place as there are plenty of decent pubs around the area.

I’ve been coming to thurlestone for over 35 years and to this pub which has seen good and bad years. Been visiting for the last 10 days and wow what a difference, the food has dramatically improved, the beer lines are better kept, the service was exceptional and to top it off with Becca finding us a table at late notice more than once as they were so busy. The Sunday roast is a bargain at £17 for the quality and size - delicious Dartmoor beef. Really worth a visit and fair prices in this market. Thanks so much to all the staff for looking us so well. Much appreciated. X

I’ve been coming to thurlestone for over 35 years and to this pub which has seen good and bad years. Been visiting for the last 10 days and wow what a difference, the food has dramatically improved, the beer lines are better kept, the service was exceptional and to top it off with Becca finding us a table at late notice more than once as they were so busy. The Sunday roast is a bargain at £17 for the quality and size - delicious Dartmoor beef. Really worth a visit and fair prices in this market. Thanks so much to all the staff for looking us so well. Much appreciated. X

I have been coming here for 50 years and it is sad to say anything negative about a place that I have had so many happy times in, but it’s not heading in the right direction. The beer remains well kept but the food is now hugely overpriced. The fish ‘platter’ used to be just that. Some crayfish tails, 2 prawns, 2 slices of smoked salmon, a small roll mop and 2 slices of bread for £21? The burgers are now nudging £20 and, whilst good, they’re not THAT good! The questionable decor in the big back room remains meaning that the place still can’t decide whether it’s a pub or an extension of the hotel. The Inn has vied with the Sloop at Bantham for business and, over a typical week, we’d expect to eat twice at each. Not at the moment I’m afraid. Sad.

My husband and I visited the Village Inn for Sunday lunch today, and would highly recommend a visit! From the moment we entered the Inn, where we were greeted very warmly by the Manager, to the friendly, efficient staff members that looked after us, alongside an absolutely delicious Sunday roast lunch, we had the lamb and beef, both beautifully cooked 👍🏻 Sadly we didn’t have enough room for a pudding, but we will certainly return and sample those next time!! Overall just a lovely place to call in and have either a drink or a meal.

Lovely pub. Loads of space and friendly people.

We were an enormous group of 19 (including 9 children) and the staff went above and beyond to accommodate us all in their gorgeous, beautifully decorated dining room! The atmosphere was heavenly. The food was outstanding and we were never kept waiting. The mussels were...

We went for Sunday roast. All well cooked but only like warm to us. The Inn was very busy though so may give them another try when next around there for a holiday.

Very good service , very good few and a good vibe to be in . The waitresses are all very lovely and friendly and I enjoyed my time there.

Lovely food but limited menu and the fish was unavailable when we visited. The meals we did have were tasty.

Booked a table for 7.30pm on Bank Holiday Monday, some menu items no longer available, very overpriced for the quality of food. Staff seem to be bothered to serve you. No where near as good as this used to be.

We went to the Village Inn whilst on holiday with our extended family. We have been holidaying in Thurlestone for over 30 years, and have visited the Village Inn on lots of occasions over those years. Last night, we left feeling extremely disappointed, probably never...

The inflated prices didn’t deliver the expected level of service or food

Overpriced very small portions for Sunday lunch-1 small piece of carrot 2 small roast potatoes 1 Yorkshire (non for my husband) will never come back or recommend

Classy, atmospheric interior, warm and attentive service, expensive but delicious food. Well worth it - would highly recommend.

We went for a family birthday. We couldn’t get at table until 8.30pm. We arrived and were told immediately that the kitchen was closing and had to order in 5 minutes. We were then continually hassled about ordering drinks, desserts whilst the waiting staff cleared...

We have visited The Village Inn whilst visiting the area over many years. It is now a large comfortable traditional style pub, with some modern and stylish areas. The staff are friendly and the food is generally good. Of course, like everywhere else, since Brexit,...

A warm welcome from attentive staff in a truly traditional village inn was very welcome on a stormy August day. Add to that a varied menu which easily catered for the vegetarian in our group, one who fancied a light bite and others who enjoyed...

Went here last night for a family meal. Food and service were excellent. This is our third time here over a period of a few years, and the level of excellence has been consistent. Price came in at £130 for two adults having three courses...