Best Restaurants in Sidmouth: Where to Eat in 2026

What are the best restaurants in Sidmouth?

Sidmouth has a small food scene, but it's better than a Regency seaside town has any need to be. Most of the good tables are within a few minutes' walk of each other along the Esplanade and the old lanes behind it. That makes it an easy place to eat with a group: park once, walk the seafront, and choose somewhere once everyone is hungry.

This guide covers places that were trading when we checked in September 2026. We confirmed each one against its Food Standards Agency hygiene record, its own website or CAMRA listing, and recent local news. We haven't eaten a meal at every venue on this list, so we don't pretend to have. Where we give an opinion, we explain the reasoning behind it: what each place does, who it suits and where it fits in a day out.

If you're planning the whole trip and not just dinner, our day out in Sidmouth guide covers the beaches, Connaught Gardens and the coast path walks that will build up your appetite.

Where should you eat on Sidmouth seafront?

Seafront dining is the reason most people come. Five places make the most of the Esplanade.

Rockfish Sidmouth: the new seafood headline

Mitch Tonks' Rockfish opened its eleventh restaurant on 17 March 2026, in the restored Drill Hall at Port Royal at the eastern end of the seafront. The Sidmouth Herald reported the opening. The restaurant seats 88 or more between an indoor dining room and an outdoor terrace. The menu changes daily and uses fish landed at Brixham market.

Our verdict: this is now the most straightforward answer to "where should we eat in Sidmouth?" for a group with mixed tastes. It serves proper fish and chips for the traditionalists and whatever the boats have landed for everyone else. Rockfish also runs a weekday set menu and a children's menu. The terrace gets busy in summer, so book ahead. If you already know the Exeter Quay branch, the approach is the same with a better view.

The Pea Green Boat: coffee and a café menu facing the sea

The Pea Green Boat is a café-bar looking straight onto the promenade. Its own website describes coffee from Clifton Coffee, a curated café menu, and wines and beers to drink overlooking the sea.

Our verdict: treat it as a daytime stop, not a big evening out. It's the place for a coffee or a light lunch with a sea view between walks.

Mocha: a daytime all-rounder

Mocha sits at Prospect Place at the western end of the Esplanade and serves breakfasts, lunches and afternoon teas.

Our verdict: Mocha is a safe daytime choice when you have grandparents and children to feed from one menu at the quieter western end of the seafront.

Dukes: the seaside inn in the middle of it all

Dukes is a free house and inn with rooms on the Esplanade at Market Place. It serves breakfast, lunch and evening meals in the bar, the restaurant and on a sea-facing patio, with breaks between services, so check the times on its site. You can book tables inside, but the outside tables are first come, first served. It's dog friendly and hosts live music and open mic nights.

Our verdict: Dukes is the best choice for a group that hasn't decided whether it wants a drink or a meal. Nobody minds if a pint turns into dinner.

The Marine: pub food on the seafront

The Marine is a pub on the Esplanade. Its own site promises "authentic pub food, done well": British classics alongside modern bistro dishes, using locally sourced food.

Our verdict: The Marine is the easy answer for a casual evening with friends who want a proper pub meal by the sea without the formality of a hotel dining room.

Where is the best fine dining in Sidmouth?

Two places stand out if you want tablecloths and a longer evening.

The Salty Monk, Sidford

The Salty Monk is a restaurant with rooms on Church Street in Sidford, about a mile inland from the seafront. The building was once a 16th-century salt house used by Benedictine monks, which explains the name. The restaurant held two AA Rosettes for 18 years, though the venue says it no longer affiliates with the AA because of the cost. Evening service runs Tuesday to Saturday, and you can order à la carte or pick a four- or eight-course menu. Its FSA hygiene inspection was dated September 2026, so it's very much trading.

Our verdict: this is the one to book for a birthday or anniversary dinner in the Sid Valley. The tasting menus make the evening the main event. Staying over in one of the rooms means nobody has to drive back to Exeter.

The restaurant at Hotel Riviera

Hotel Riviera is on the Esplanade and has an AA Rosette restaurant that's open to non-residents. It serves à la carte and table d'hôte menus. Seafood is a speciality, with fish bought from day boats through the seafood supplier Flying Fish. The Regency Bar next door often has a resident pianist in the evening.

Our verdict: book here for a traditional grand-hotel dinner, particularly with older relatives who'd enjoy the formality. It feels properly old-school, and that's the appeal.

Where can you get a good pub meal in Sidmouth?

Sidmouth's pubs matter more than you might expect. For a group, they're often the best value and the most sociable option.

The Anchor Inn

The Anchor Inn on Old Fore Street is a large, family-owned pub just off the Esplanade. Its kitchen opens at 10am and serves into the evening Tuesday to Saturday, with shorter, daytime-only hours on Sunday and Monday. It has outdoor seating and a rear garden. CAMRA's WhatPub lists several regular ales, plus a guest ale in summer. Booking is recommended.

Our verdict: go here when you want a full menu for a group midweek. It's big enough to take a larger group, which isn't true of many pubs in Sidmouth.

The Swan Inn

The Swan Inn on York Street is a back-street inn dating from around 1770. It has a wood-panelled bar, an open fire and a separate dining area. CAMRA lists it as Cask Marque accredited, with a covered garden. Dogs are welcome inside, but children aren't. Food is served at set lunchtime and evening hours, not all day.

Our verdict: this is the pick for a winter lunch after a walk on Peak Hill, especially for a group of adults. The fire and the absence of children are a big part of the appeal.

The Bedford Hotel's Pyne's Bar

Pyne's is the front bar of the family-run Bedford Hotel on the Esplanade, so look for the hotel, not a separate restaurant. It serves West Country produce, seaside classics and specials, with a Sunday roast.

Our verdict: Pyne's sits between a pub and a hotel dining room. It's a comfortable choice for a sea-view lunch that won't turn into a whole afternoon.

Where can you eat Italian in Sidmouth?

Roma Bistro & Ristorante

Roma is a family-run Italian restaurant at 46 Fore Street. It serves pizza, pasta, risotto, grilled meats and seafood, plus seasonal specials.

Our verdict: Roma is the best choice when the group wants something other than fish. Pasta and pizza on one menu also make it easy to seat everyone together.

What is new in Sidmouth for 2026?

Two newcomers have changed the Port Royal end of the seafront. Rockfish arrived in the Drill Hall in March 2026. Salcombe Brewery has also opened its Sidmouth Tap House next door. It opens daily from 9am and serves coffee and breakfast, then pizza, cocktails and Salcombe beers.

Our verdict: the Tap House and Rockfish are next door to each other, which makes the Port Royal end of the seafront a natural evening plan. Have a pint at the brewery, then go to dinner at the Drill Hall.

Where to get cake and gelato in Sidmouth

Taste of Sidmouth

Taste of Sidmouth on Old Fore Street is a family-run gelateria: Sophie Vicary runs it with her mother Cathy and her brother Thomas. The shop keeps a range of flavours on the counter, including vegan and gluten-free options. Its Pear and Ricotta gelato was named Supreme Champion Product at the Taste of the West awards in 2023, and the Sidmouth Herald covered its recent refurbishment. If you're serious about gelato, see our Devon ice cream and gelato guide.

The Clock Tower in Connaught Gardens

The Clock Tower is a café inside Connaught Gardens, at the top of Jacob's Ladder, serving brunch, lunch and homemade cake.

Our verdict: you can't beat the setting for a mid-walk stop. Get cake here, then eat your main meal on the seafront.

How to plan a group meal in Sidmouth

• Book in summer and during Folk Week. Sidmouth Folk Festival fills the town in early August, and the seafront restaurants book up.
• Use the pubs for bigger groups. The Anchor Inn and Dukes have the most space for a large table.
• Split the day. Have lunch or cake at the western end (the Clock Tower or Mocha), walk the Esplanade, and have dinner at the eastern end (Port Royal).
• Plan for the drive. Sidmouth is roughly 40 minutes from Exeter by car. The Salty Monk and Dukes both have rooms if you'd rather not drive back.

If Sidmouth is one stop on a longer tour, our best day trips from Exeter for groups puts it alongside the rest of the coast. The Beer and Branscombe guide covers the next villages east. For a full seafood crawl, our seafood restaurants in Exeter and Devon guide covers Topsham, Exmouth and the Quay.

Sidmouth restaurants: frequently asked questions

Make it a dinner with friends

The best meal in Sidmouth is usually a long one: a table at the eastern end of the seafront after a walk, with the sea going dark outside and nobody in a hurry to leave. If you'd like more evenings like that closer to home, we host dinners in Exeter where you share a table with people you haven't met yet.