The best restaurants serving British food in East Devon South West

We often drive by, destination Sidmouth. Featured in the Good Pub Guide so pulled over for a light lunch. Spacious thatched pub, clearly supported by locals. Very good food and a most welcoming, friendly and engaging crew. Doggy friendly. 🇬🇧🇳🇿

Absolutely excellent, welcoming staff, excellent location and setting. The food is excellent and presented very well. Highly recommended. Faultless

Fabulous pub with great garden. We’ve been a couple of times for a drink and something to eat from one of the food trucks (they are not doing food from the kitchen yet!) pub looks great - everyone super friendly - what’s not to like !! Looking forward to seeing what food trucks popping up in September !! Hilary and Chris

We had to try the new Sunday lunch menu and we were not disappointed. Roast beef served with roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, broccoli, cheesy leeks and a proper Yorkshire - not one of those rock hard crispy things restaurants often serve. Followed up with the best freshly cooked Blueberry Bakewell and cream. The staff were friendly and attentive. Thanks very much

Visited for one of the “Great Feast” events at River Cottage HQ Luckily a sunny evening for the downhill walk to River Cottage. It is a beautiful walk in the early evening sunshine (not sure I’d feel the same on a rainy evening 🤔) Quick mention that without a booking you can’t walk down to River Cottage HQ. Once at River Cottage you are free to walk around & explore the gardens, which are beautiful. You are seated on long shared dining tables. Name places are placed along the table so you know where you’re sitting. You are invited into the kitchens throughout your dining experience (which I personally found interesting) The tasting menu is phenomenal. Each course beautifully presented & a delight to the taste buds. It’s not a cheap experience, but I would say worth every penny. Word of advice, when we left it was pitch black so walking uphill on gravel paths was a somewhat “interesting” experience. Again not sure how I’d feel if it was pouring with rain or if I was with someone with mobility issues. We were informed walking to & from was the only option 🤷‍♀️

Have been a couple of times with my in laws and it is honestly the best roast I have had in a country pub. The vegetables are perfectly cooked and so flavourful. I travelled all the way from Somerset for this roast dinner today and plan to do so again.

Crab sandwiches on the beach….loved it. Cash only…….unbelievable how many people clearly dont have enough change for a pot of tea in their pockets these days. Lovely location, everything done properly. Don’t hesitate to walk down. PS Look after his £50 note 🤣

If you’re in the area, please do visit The Fountain Head Inn at Branscombe, an atmospheric and welcoming local. We had a delicious meal here in this friendly pub on the first evening of an Autumn break - in our newly acquired camper van - me, the wife and our elderly spaniel. We returned to our campsite much later that evening (about 1/3rd mile away up the hill), let the dog out for one last widdle, and just like that, he disappeared into the night. We spent the next two hours searching and calling for him to no avail. We had no option other than to go to bed, rise early and re-launch our search. Our first call was to the campsite owners, who told my wife they had received a call from the pub saying that they had our spaniel. It seemed that our dog had decided our old camper van accommodation fell short of his expected standards and had returned down the hill to The Fountain to book himself a room for the night. The publicans had recognised him from earlier and tried to find us on the campsite; having failed, they put him up for the night and gave him breakfast. They would accept no offer of payment so we decided that the best idea was to post this message thanking them for going to so much trouble on our behalf - it’s very much appreciated.

Not open on Monday, disappointing as had been looking forward to lunch here, they really need to update opening hours 😫

Superb food, setting & service. Would definitely recommend & return. Local ingredients, homemade ice creams, sorbet & shortbread.

Beautiful breakfast. I especially enjoyed my veggie brekkie. I'm not a fan of veggie sausages or bacon so this breakfast was perfect. It was hot ( I can't bear cold plates) and lots of tea.

It’s been five years since we last visited this wonderful establishment. Then I had the best poached eggs on toast, this time the best surf n turf baguette ever; served by friendly people in spotless surroundings.

We returned here for the umpteenth year running for the first night of our holiday and will continue to do so as it doesn't disappoint. Our family group now includes two infants under 2, but this doesn't faze the staff who made all of us welcome as always. The Old Alley Restaurant is ideal for families/groups, being spacious and with easy access to facilities. All the meals were greatly enjoyed, as was the draft beer. They also make a great Irish coffee.

Lovely afternoon Devon cream tea! The Cherry Bakewell scone was probably one of the best I’ve ever had, and judging by my waistline, I’ve had a few! Lovely setting, sat in the outside terrace in a warm afternoon! Will definitely make the effort to come here again on a trip to the wet country!

Stopped in Colyton for a lovely lunch at this place. We had a ham sandwich and the quiche. Great size portions for the price. The cheese scones looked amazing, but we were too full, so will have to go back.