5 Best Restaurants in Exeter, The West Country

Exeter-born master chef Michael Caines has breathed new life into this elegant Georgian mansion overlooking the Exe estuary 5 miles south of Exeter, where he has created a Michelin-starred showcase for his sophisticated and highly original recipes. The wow-factor starts the moment you arrive, with unforgettable estuary views—a fitting prelude to seasonal three- or four-course lunches (£85–£110), à la carte fixed-price dinners (£185), and multicourse tasting menus (£230 and £240) that might feature shellfish mousseline with langoustine bisque; steamed Cornish cod with Jerusalem artichoke and mussels; or chicken and smoked ham hock terrine with duck liver, pistachio, and truffle mayonnaise. The separate vegetarian and vegan menu has choices like roasted leek terrine with pickled mushrooms, hazelnut, and black garlic, while typical desserts include rhubarb soufflé with vanilla sorbet, and coffee parfait with candied almonds and white chocolate ice cream. For less formal dining and more modestly priced menus (£48 and £60), try the Pool House Restaurant and Bar, where tables overlook the outdoor pool. Luxurious accommodations are also available on site.

Opposite the cathedral, this child-friendly tearoom and restaurant spread over two floors is ideal for lunch, coffee, or snacks. You can also sample one of Devon's famous cream teas, served with jam, scones, and clotted cream, or show up earlier for eggs Benedict or a cooked English breakfast. For lunch, try the Mediterranean-style couscous salad (with spring onions, tomato, red peppers, and focaccia), a "Devon fire burger," or just a sandwich. There's a good range of vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options, plus West Country beers and ciders. Tables are available outside in Cathedral Close in fine weather.

This friendly bistro with wooden floors and simple tables has been at the heart of Exeter's vegetarian and vegan scene for more than 30 years. It's an ideal spot for unwinding over leisurely conversation and enjoying such dishes as roasted pepper and red lentil lasagna; a jackfruit, beet, and bean burger; kari sayur (a Malaysian-style curry with split peas, butternut squash, peppers, and sugar snaps); or carrot and cashew nutloaf with a wild mushroom sauce. Leave room for such scrumptious desserts as "Heaven in Devon" (fudge ice cream with a chocolate brownie and a vanilla sauce). All the wines are organic or "natural" (unadulterated), too.

At this pub you can contemplate the quayside comings and goings over a pint of real ale and a sandwich, a pie, or a pasty, or a full meal of steak or seafood. The nautical theme comes through in pictures and the ship's wheel hanging from the ceiling. There are tables outside on the quay.

In a narrow alley off Cathedral Close, you can lift a tankard of bitter in the very rooms where Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh enjoyed their ale. The pub dishes out casual bar fare, from sandwiches and grills to steak-and-ale pies, either in the bar or in the beamed and paneled upstairs restaurant. Drake, in fact, once wrote, "Next to mine own shippe, I do most love that old ‘Shippe' in Exon."