8 Best Restaurants in The West Country, England

Locals and visitors alike make a beeline for this gastropub in a 16th-century building with a number of small dining spaces done in spare, contemporary-country style. Elegantly presented dishes might include dry-aged moorland sirloin in a peppercorn sauce, beer-battered haddock, or butternut squash with cauliflower tempura and curry broth. Set-price menus are sometimes available, and there are gluten-free options and a separate vegan menu. If you don't want to go the whole hog at lunchtime, wholesome sandwiches are also served (every day but Sunday). Three spacious guest rooms make it possible to linger.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge at this restaurant, where meat and seafood dishes are cooked over an Argentinian asado, or firepit. Look for onglet, aged rump, fillet steak, sea bass, and monkfish tail, as well as such vegetarian options as roasted cauliflower steak and spicy charred carrots. Fixed-price early evening menus are also available. Sited inside the Avon Gorge Hotel and part of the Hotel du Vin group, the restaurant is named after the two legendary giants whose competition for the hand of the beautiful Avona led to the carving of the gorge. Enjoy pre- or post-prandial drinks on the broad outdoor terrace of the adjacent White Lion bar.

Seafood is the main event in the two small, pink-toned rooms of this restaurant off Market Jew Street. The menu showcases whatever the boats bring, though crab Florentine, grilled on a bed of spinach and topped with Parmesan, and whole Dover Sole with chive butter are usually available. Meat dishes might include guinea fowl with a mushroom and apple stuffing and wrapped in filo pastry. The restaurant is small—just six tables—and the semiformal style is intimate, elegant, and traditional.

Overlooking Swanpool Beach a mile south of Falmouth, this popular eatery has a lively buzz and a menu that showcases the best seafood to be found in Cornish waters. Plump and juicy scallops from Falmouth Bay, mussels served with baked focaccia, wild prawns in 'nduja sauce, lobster with garlic and herb butter, crab and lobster risotto, and plain old fish-and-chips are among the favorite items on the family-friendly menu, while cocktails and mocktails can be ordered at the table or in the adjoining alfresco bar. Staff are young and enthusiastic, and the ambience is relaxed. Book a table on the outdoor terrace for the best experience—Pendennis Castle is visible just across the bay. Swanpool Beach is a stop on the Falmouth Coaster bus route.

Just a 10-minute drive from the hustle and bustle of Padstow, this coastal retreat occupies an opulent old farmhouse surrounded by delightful grounds with glorious sea views. Like other branches of this hipster chain, the menu prioritizes ingredients produced within a 25-mile radius in such dishes as lamb rump with kohlrabi, broad beans, and nasturtium; middle white pork loin with red onions; harrisa-braised leeks with smoked quinoa and almonds; butterflied gurnard; and Newlyn plaice. The restaurant's wood-paneled main dining room, with its fine Jacobean ceiling, is augmented by less formal beamed and flagstoned areas, and there is also the outdoor Lobster Shed (late May to late September) for wood-roasted lobster and chargrilled meats. Round off your visit with a stroll round the kitchen garden, where much of the restaurant's produce is grown. A range of rooms is also available here.

Unbeatable for its location alone—on the broad, golden sands of Porthminster Beach—this sleek, modern eatery prepares imaginative lunches and evening meals that you can savor while you take in the marvelous vista across the bay. The accent is on Mediterranean and Asian seafood dishes, and typical choices include pan-fried skate wing with spider crab, samphire, and a caper and herb butter sauce; lobster tagliatelle with fennel and zucchini; and Indonesian vegetable curry. There's a beach bar and outdoor kitchen, too—a tempting stop in summer for breakfast, a snack lunch, an evening barbecue, or just a drink—and two sister restaurants (Porthminster Kitchen on the harborside and Porthgwidden Beach Café in the Downalong neighborhood) have smaller and cheaper menus that are equally strong on seafood.

A 14th-century inn and a row of thatched cottages make up this pub–restaurant with great harbor views. The kitchen mixes local cuisine with European influences, so expect dishes like rack of Exmoor lamb or spiced pork tenderloin. There's fresh seafood year-round, and a superb game menu in winter. Booking ahead is advisable for the restaurant; otherwise, just show up for the bar menu, which features such snacks as soused mackerel fillet and crab sandwiches. In the attached hotel, corridors and creaking staircases lead to cozy guest rooms decorated in stylish print or solid fabrics.

Part of chef Rick Stein's empire, this French-leaning bistro with contemporary art adorning its walls has a secluded feel. The menu is strong on seafood but also offers tasty vegetarian choices, featuring dishes like porcini linguine with white truffle oil, oven-dried tomato and thyme tart with Blue Vinny, or smoked chicken breast with carrot, ginger, and chili sambal. Look out for the "lunch specials", such as mussels in a cream sauce, and steak sandwich. Children are also well catered for. When the weather's nice, you can dine in the sunny walled garden, while Ruby's Bar next door offers a cozy nook for gins and cocktails. Upstairs are 10 spacious bedrooms individually decorated with stylish modern pieces.