Restaurants in Southwest England
-
A
Cap'n Jaspers
Unique, quirky and slightly insane, this cabin-kiosk has been delighting bikers, tourists, locals and fishermen for decades with its motorised gadgets and teaspoons attached by chains. The menu is of the burger and bacon butty school – trying to eat a 'half a yard of hot dog' is a Plymouth rite of passage. Try the local crab rolls – the filling could have been caught by the bloke sitting next to you.
reviewed
-
B
Riverstation
The city's original, award-winning riverside restaurant, still renowned for its super-sophisticated modern British cooking. The downstairs cafe rustles up light lunches, coffee and feather-light pastries, while up on the 1st floor it's all effortless elegance and European cuisine.
reviewed
-
C
Budokan
Pan-Asian food is cooked up at this exciting fusion restaurant, where diners sit at communal tables and indulge in handmade sushi, ho-fun noodles and Malaysian curries. Particularly good is the 'Rapid Refuel' menu available pre-19:00: sushi, side-dish and main, all for a paltry sum.
reviewed
-
D
Primrose Café
The classic Clifton cafe, as popular for coffee with the Sunday papers as for an evening meal with chums. Pavement tables are dotted around Parisian-style, while the dining room is a cosy grotto of fairy-lights, white linen and church candles. British food with a French accent. A 2-/3-course menu (£15.95/18.95) is available.
reviewed
-
E
-
F
Yukisan
Super-fresh sushi, light tempura and noodles worth mastering chopsticks for.
reviewed
-
G
Onefishtwofish
Pescatarians would do well to plump for this super seafooderie, with cute little tables crammed in under a barrel-brick roof dotted with twinkly lights. Seafood is shipped in daily: there's always a poisson du jour, but you'll have to order bouillabaisse ahead.
reviewed
-
H
Café Retro
This place is a poke in the eye for the corporate coffee chains. The paint job's scruffy, the crockery's ancient and none of the furniture matches, but that's all part of the charm: this is a cafe from the old school, and there's nowhere better for a hearty burger, a crumbly cake or a good old mug of tea. Takeaways are on offer from Retro to Go next door.
reviewed
-
I
Papadeli
Everything from goat's-cheese tart and Serrano ham to damson jam and poppy-seed cake is stocked at this gorgeous deli, where the shelves are filled with more cheeses and charcuterie than a Provençal street market.
reviewed
-
J
Herbies
Cosy and gently groovy, Herbies has been cheerfully feeding Exeter's vegetarians for more than 20 years. It's the place in town to tuck into delicious butterbean and vegetable pie, Moroccan tagine or cashew nut loaf. They're strong on vegan dishes, too.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Rocotillo's
American-style diner serving gourmet burgers, crispy fries and the best milkshakes in town.
reviewed
-
L
Café Cinnamon Girl
Look no further for lunch than this cute little organic café, locally famous for its bumper-sized sandwiches, homemade soups and trademark roasted veg. The free wi-fi's a bonus.
reviewed
-
M
Pandora Inn
Prepare to fall in love with the Pandora, one of Cornwall's oldest and best-loved waterside pubs, ensconced in a heart-melting spot by Restronguet Creek. Foot-thick walls, scuffed-wood tables, ship's lanterns and a huge abandoned anchor outside conjure up the smugglers'-den vibe, and you can sink your drinks on the pontoon to the sound of clanking yacht masts.
Hardy souls can even sample some of the Pandora's fabled smuggler's rum: at 80% proof, though, you might need to arrange for a taxi home. Or an ambulance. The Pandora sits on the edge of Restronguet Creek, about 1km northeast of the village of Mylor Bridge. Heading south on the main A39 road from Truro to Falmouth, …
reviewed
-
N
Bordeaux Quay
Top-class dining with sustainable credentials, in a fabulous converted dock warehouse overlooking the harbour. It has multiple guises: a restaurant, brasserie, bar, deli, bakery and even a cookery school if you feel like brushing up your kitchen skills. The same industrial-chic decor and continental-style food runs throughout, but it's a hot ticket: reservations recommended.
reviewed
-
O
Broad Street
A refreshingly innovative restaurant. Décor is rough meets smooth: whitewashed walls and exposed stone; crisp white linen and beige Hessian. Seating is on old chapel chairs - complete with the slots for hymn sheets on the backs. The food also has flair; confit of duck, roast tomato and beetroot puree sits alongside pot-roast pollack with spinach and leeks. Impeccably sourced ingredients, their local credentials are outlined on the menu, include wild garlic gathered from the woods.
Booking essential.
reviewed
-
P
Abbey Restaurant
This cutting-edge British bistro has been garnering serious praise, not least from the boffins at the AA and Michelin guides. Underpinned by top-quality produce, the Abbey turns out consistently fabulous food in the light-filled dining room, and nibbles, cocktails and aperitifs in the crimson-walled bar downstairs. It's not cheap, but tucking into your roast monkfish or hot chocolate soufflé, you'll feel it's money well spent.
reviewed
-
Q
West Beach
A firm favourite with Bournemouth's foodie crowd, this buzzy eatery delivers both top-notch dishes and the best views in town. Try monkfish medallions with Parma ham or a seafood platter crammed with crab claws, lobster, razor clams and crevettes – best enjoyed on a decked dining terrace that juts out over the sand.
reviewed
-
R
Perry's
Effortlessly stylish, but also relaxed, this Georgian town house is a study of snowy white tablecloths and flashes of pink. The local seafood is irresistible: seabass with crushed saffron potatoes, and spiced tian of Portland crab. The cognoscenti book the 1st-floor window table (complete with fabulous harbour view) for a two-course lunch – a bargain at £15.
reviewed
-
S
Marrakech
This great little restaurant is the nearest you'll get to North Africa in Wiltshire, serving tangy tagines and bona fide Moroccan couscous in a terracotta-coloured dining room full of earthenware pots and tiled tables. There's even a small souk where you can buy Moroccan handicrafts, and with luck you might even get a spot of Middle Eastern dancing thrown in for free.
reviewed
-
T
St Andrews St Bistro
A hectic heap of North African rugs, objets d'art and oddball furniture covers this fantastic bistro, where the modern British menu is jazzed up by traces of African and Middle Eastern cuisine. Artisan bread, lentil curries, grilled fish and spicy casseroles all feature, and you'll be as chuffed with your choice whether you're a veggie or a carnivore.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
U
Lime Tree
With a relaxed town-house setting and cosy front-room atmosphere, dining at the Lime Tree feels like having supper at a friend's house - assuming your friend is a gourmet chef with a passion for global cuisine. Cornish duck breast, sea bass and John Dory fillet for mains, chased down by homemade bread and vanilla crème brûlée.
reviewed
-
V
Custom House
Harbourside terrace, funky eatery and fine-dining venue all rolled into one.
reviewed
-
W
Michael Caines
Housed in the Royal Clarence and run by a double Michelin-starred chef, the food here is a complex blend of Westcountry ingredients and full-bodied French flavours. Try the cauliflower and truffle soup with roasted scallops, or the slow-roast beef with celeriac purée and Madeira sauce. The set lunches are a bargain (per 2/3 courses £15/20), while the seven-course tasting menu (£65) really is one to linger over.
reviewed
-
X
Al-beb
Take a virtual trip to north Africa courtesy of this brightly tiled Moroccan eatery crammed with woven fabrics and bright ceramics. It dishes up first-rate meze, tagine and couscous. Don't be surprised if a bit of belly dancing kicks-off too. If it's full, try the excellent Indian restaurant, Maha Bharat, at No 52, which is also open for dinner.
reviewed
-
Y
Barbican Kitchen
In this bistro-style baby sister of Tanners Restaurant, the stone interior fizzes with bursts of shocking pink and lime. The food is attention grabbing, too – try the calves' liver with horseradish mash or the honey, goat's cheese and apple crostini. Their Devon beefburger, with a slab of stilton, is divine.
reviewed
