In short
The best restaurants in Exmouth right now are Saveur on Tower Street for a special-occasion dinner, Rockfish at the marina and the floating River Exe Café (April to September only) for seafood, Calvo Loco and El Olivo on The Strand for tapas, Ristorante Sapori for Italian, and Heydays at Sideshore for relaxed all-day eating with a sea view.
Contents10 sections
What are the best restaurants in Exmouth?
Exmouth punches above its weight for a town of its size. It has a two-rosette restaurant tucked down a pedestrian street, a seafood restaurant on the marina, a restaurant that floats in the middle of the estuary, and a row of independents on The Strand that has quietly become the town's restaurant quarter.
What it does not have is a reliable list. Exmouth's food scene turns over quickly, and several places that still appear in online round-ups have closed, changed hands or reopened in a different form. So before writing this guide we checked every venue below against the Food Standards Agency register, the venue's own website or booking page, and recent local news. Everything listed here was trading when we checked in September 2026.
A note on how to read this: we have not eaten at every restaurant below, and we won't pretend otherwise. Where we give a verdict, it's based on what the venue actually offers, who it suits and how it fits into a day or evening in Exmouth, not on dishes we're claiming to have tried.
If you're planning the whole day rather than just the meal, our Exmouth day out guide covers the beaches, the estuary trail and watersports.
Where should you eat in Exmouth for a special occasion?
Saveur, Tower Street
Our pick for a birthday, anniversary or proper grown-up dinner.
Saveur sits on Tower Street, a quiet pedestrianised street just off the town centre, and it is the most serious restaurant in Exmouth. Its own website says it has held two AA Rosettes for eight consecutive years, and it's listed in the Trencherman's Guide, which describes chef-patron Nigel Wright working alone in the kitchen. It's a small restaurant, and the cooking is modern European with a clear focus on local seafood and seasonal produce.
According to its website, the kitchen is open on Tuesday evenings and for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Saturday. It's closed Sunday and Monday, which catches people out on a bank holiday weekend.
Verdict: If you only book one proper dinner in Exmouth, make it this one. A single chef in the kitchen means a small room and limited covers, so book ahead rather than turning up.
Saveur's lunch service is the cheaper way in. Saveur's own website lists a lunchtime prix-fixe menu on the days it opens at midday, which makes it a good choice for a long, unhurried lunch with a friend you haven't seen in a while.
Where is the best seafood in Exmouth?
Rockfish, Pier Head
Our pick for a reliable seafood lunch by the water.
Rockfish is Mitch Tonks' small group of seafood restaurants, and the Exmouth branch sits at Pier Head on the marina, looking out across the Exe Estuary towards Dawlish Warren. The menu is built around simply cooked fish and seafood. Check its own page for current opening hours before you go.
Verdict: This is the safe bet in the best sense. It's open seven days, it's consistent because it runs to a group standard, and the estuary view does a lot of the work. It's also good for a mixed group where not everyone wants to spend Saveur money.
The River Exe Café, on the estuary
Our pick for an occasion you'll still be talking about next year.
The River Exe Café is a restaurant built on a barge moored out in the estuary, and the only way to get there is by water taxi from Exmouth (or your own boat). Its website confirms it is taking bookings for the 2026 season, which runs from 1 April to 30 September, Tuesday to Sunday, from midday until late. The menu is built around fresh seafood.
There are two practical things to know. You have to book for your whole group, children and babies included, because that's how they allocate places on the water taxi. And guests after 6pm must be over 14.
Verdict: It's less a restaurant booking and more a small expedition, which is exactly why it works for groups. If you're reading this in late September, the season is nearly over, so pencil it in for next spring.
The River Exe Café is seasonal and closed on Mondays. If you're visiting Exmouth between October and March, plan on Rockfish or Saveur for seafood instead.
For more coastal seafood across the county, see our guide to the best fish and seafood restaurants in Exeter and Devon.
Where can you get tapas in Exmouth?
The Strand, the tree-lined square at the heart of the town, is where Exmouth's independent restaurants cluster, and in 2026 it's become the town's go-to for sharing plates.
Calvo Loco, The Strand
The newest opening on this list.
Calvo Loco, the Exeter tapas bar, opened a second site on The Strand in Exmouth this summer. The Food Standards Agency inspected the new restaurant in early September 2026 and gave it a top rating of 5. Bookings are taken through its own website.
Verdict: New openings are always a bit of a gamble, but this one comes with a track record. If you already know the Exeter original, the seaside version is worth trying. If you don't, it's an easy place for a group to order a table full of plates and share.
El Olivo, The Strand
Our pick for a smaller, more intimate tapas evening.
A few doors along, El Olivo is a smaller meze and tapas restaurant, holding a top Food Standards Agency rating of 5. Opening hours are posted on its social channels rather than a full website, so message ahead, and book at weekends because it's small.
Verdict: Calvo Loco is the buzzier, newer choice. El Olivo is the quieter one, better for a table of four than a table of twelve.
Where to eat Italian in Exmouth
Ristorante Sapori, Victoria Road
Ristorante Sapori is an independent Italian restaurant at 8 Victoria Road, a short walk from The Strand. Its FSA record shows a top hygiene rating from its May 2026 inspection, and it takes bookings directly by phone and email through its own website.
Verdict: Independent Italians are the backbone of any group dinner, and a proper one is more useful than a chain when you've got a table of eight with mixed tastes and budgets. Exmouth also has a Prezzo on The Strand if you want something more predictable.
Where can you eat on Exmouth seafront?
Heydays, Sideshore
Our pick for breakfast-to-sunset eating with a sea view.
Heydays is the main restaurant at Sideshore, the eco-built complex on Queens Drive at the eastern end of the seafront. It describes itself as a relaxed coastal restaurant and café bar, open every day from 9am to 10pm, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with drinks all day. Walk-ins and dogs are welcome, and tables can be booked through SevenRooms. It's also started hosting supper club nights.
Verdict: This is the most flexible table in Exmouth. It works for a coffee after a beach walk, a long lunch after paddleboarding or a sundowner that turns into dinner. The trade-off is that it's busy in summer, so book if your group is larger than a handful.
Hangtime Café, Sideshore
Next door, Hangtime is the more casual option: coffee, snacks and a laid-back beach feel, with a top FSA rating from a September 2026 inspection. It's better for a quick stop than a sit-down meal.
The Grove, Esplanade
The Grove is a big seafront pub on the Esplanade with sea views, a large beer garden and a terrace and a seasonal pub menu. It isn't a destination restaurant, but for a group of friends who want a pub lunch near the beach, it's the most obvious choice. It's also dog- and family-friendly.
Where are the best fish and chips in Exmouth?
Krispies
Krispies has been Exmouth's best-known chippy for years and now trades from two sites: 57 Exeter Road in town and 41 Pines Road. Both hold top FSA hygiene ratings. It's a takeaway, so the plan is simple: order and walk down to the seafront.
Verdict: For a group on a budget, fish and chips on the sea wall is still one of the best meals in Devon. For a wider list of chippies, see our guide to the best fish and chips in Exeter and Devon.
Which Exmouth restaurants are good for groups?
If you're organising a meal for six or more, the main issue in Exmouth is size, not quality. Several of the best places are small.
- Big group, relaxed: Heydays and The Grove handle larger numbers best and suit a mix of ages.
- Big group, sharing plates: Calvo Loco. Tapas takes the stress out of splitting the bill because everyone orders into the middle.
- Small group, special evening: Saveur or El Olivo. Book early.
- An adventure: the River Exe Café in season, which needs one booking for the whole party because of the water taxi.
- Budget: Krispies and a seat on the sea wall.
Exmouth's restaurant scene changes quickly, and older round-ups can lag behind. If a list you're reading recommends somewhere not in this guide, check the venue's own website or social channels for recent posts before you set off.
How do you combine dinner with a day out in Exmouth?
Exmouth is 11 miles from Exeter. The easiest way to plan a day around a meal is to take the Avocet Line train from Exeter (around half an hour along the estuary), or cycle the Exe Estuary Trail and stop in Topsham on the way. Our Topsham food guide covers the stops en route. If you want to keep exploring the coast, Budleigh Salterton is a short hop east.
A good day might look like this: a morning on the beach or the water, lunch at Rockfish or the River Exe Café, an afternoon walk out to Orcombe Point and the start of the Jurassic Coast, then dinner on The Strand before the train home. It's one of the easier day trips from Exeter for a group of friends, because nobody needs to drive.
Why eating out in a new town is better with company
A new restaurant in a town you don't know well is exactly where a shared table pays off. You get to order more of the menu, you have a ready-made conversation starter, and the rest of the day (the train, the walk, the post-dinner pint) all becomes part of the plan.
If your usual group is hard to pin down, that's what we're here for. Dinners With Friends puts strangers round a table at good local restaurants, so the booking, the headcount and the awkward first message are all handled for you.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best restaurant in Exmouth?
- For a special occasion, Saveur on Tower Street is Exmouth's standout restaurant. Its website says it has held two AA Rosettes for eight consecutive years. For seafood with a view, Rockfish at Pier Head overlooks the estuary, and the floating River Exe Café is an experience in its own right between April and September.
- Where can I eat on Exmouth seafront?
- Heydays at Sideshore on Queens Drive is open every day from 9am to 10pm, with sea views and all-day food. Hangtime Café next door is the casual option, and The Grove on the Esplanade is a seafront pub with a big beer garden. Rockfish, at the marina end of the seafront, looks out over the estuary.
- Is there a floating restaurant in Exmouth?
- Yes. The River Exe Café is moored out in the Exe Estuary and is reached by water taxi from Exmouth. For 2026 it opens from 1 April to 30 September, Tuesday to Sunday, from midday. You need to book for your whole group, children included, so they can allocate water taxi places. Guests after 6pm must be over 14.
- Are there good tapas restaurants in Exmouth?
- Yes. Calvo Loco, the Exeter tapas bar, opened a second restaurant on The Strand in summer 2026, and El Olivo, also on The Strand, is a smaller, more intimate meze and tapas restaurant. Both are good for sharing, and Calvo Loco suits larger groups best.
- Is Exmouth worth visiting for food from Exeter?
- Yes. It's around 30 minutes by train on the Avocet Line or a flat cycle along the Exe Estuary Trail, and it has a two-rosette restaurant, a floating seafood restaurant, a cluster of independents on The Strand, and a beach to walk off lunch. It works well as a day out with dinner before the train home.
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