Devon's Best Fine Dining Restaurants
Devon is a foodie’s paradise, with dozens of fabulous fine dining restaurants. We choose our favourites.
Bovey Castle, North Bovey
The silver-service Great Western restaurant at Bovey Castle is dazzlingly glamorous – think glittery flock wallpaper, chandeliers and swirly carpets. The food wows too: estate venison, seat trout, duck – all come beautifully presented, with well thought-out accompaniments. As a member, you have 15% off food and drink.
Gidleigh Park, Chagford
With its Michelin standard restaurant, this imposing Tudor style house, overlooking 107 acres of private woodlands, has impeccable culinary credentials. Refined and formal, Gidleigh Park offers old-school charm and tip-top service. Gidleigh’s kitchen has been unsettled since the 2015 departure of long-standing head chef Michael Caines who, in his 21 years of service, won the restaurant two Michelin stars. Since then two chefs have come and gone, taking with them Gidleigh’s coveted Michelin stars, but the food is still excellent - a traditional, pared-down British menu that focuses on seasonal, locally sourced produce. Think Cornish turbot served with leeks, purple spouting broccoli and caviar hollandaise, and beef fillet with potato terrine and cauliflower purée. There’s a whopping wine list, with more than 9,000 choices which the charismatic sommelier has an encyclopaedic knowledge of.
The Horse, Moretonhampstead
Heralded as a ‘genuine slice of foodie heaven’ by the Michelin guide, the Horse is one of our best local restaurants. Brixham crab, lobster, scallops and wild Cornish sea bass are favourites, as is Moreton lamb, Devon Ruby beef and locally reared rare breed pork. The pizzas are the best we’ve ever tasted. and their summer brunches, served from 10am in the summer, are to die for, with classics such as Eggs Florentine, and Churros, Mediterrean Frittatas. It’s all served up in a lovely contemporary setting, and there’s a pretty walled courtyard for dining al fresco on long summer evenings.
The Seahorse, Dartmouth
A smart restaurant in a lovely spot on the embankment; sit outside looking over the estuary or inside beside the glass-walled kitchen. Seafood-orientated menus at The Seahorse have a Mediterranean bias, with Josper-grilled whole fish and fresh pastas the favourites. Start with a cocktail in the lovely Joe's Bar.
Mason’s Arms, Knowstone
The gridlock outside this remote 13th-century thatched pub in the foothills of Exmoor speaks volumes for the Michelin-starred pub food served within. Sloping floors and precariously low doorways in the Mason’s cosy restaurant – which seats just 30 – mean pillows have to be strapped to door-frames to protect patrons’ heads.
The Elephant, Torquay
The bucket-and-spade town of Torquay seems an unlikely setting for a Michelin-starred restaurant. The Room, on the first floor, is decked with framed menus from the travels of Simon Hulstone, the chef, and has the best view in town. Expect novelty desserts, such as pop rock candy, which pops and fizzes in your mouth. Downstairs, the non-starred brasserie offers more casual dining.
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