Located at the mouth of the Dart estuary, the sleepy fishing town of Dartmouth is the perfect place to spend a lazy summer week. Rolling hills, chocolate box fishing villages and endless sunshine have made it an established tourist destination.
Less well known is its food paradise status. With a growing number of vineyards (yes, English wine is doing really well) and fish brought in fresh by boat every day, the Dart estuary has become home to a growing number of the country’s most exciting restaurants.
For people looking to escape city life, it doesn’t get any better than this. It’s a bonus that the train journey from London is spectacular – one of the best in the country, winding through lush greenery and along the coast (tickets can be booked at www.biletler.com) gwr.com and trains leave from Paddington) – and the food is amazing.
Here’s our guide to where you should go to get the best of Dartmouth’s wine scene and top-down cuisine.
Best place for quality food
Not only is The Angel located right on the water, overlooking Dartmouth Harbour, but it also hosts a truly spectacular tasting menu (from £95 per person). The brainchild of former Masterchef finalist Elly Wentworth, this is the place to go for expertly prepared morsels that change with the seasons; Does anyone want fried salmon in a fragrant crayfish biscuit or the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth lamb? And it’s even better if the super-attentive staff puts a glass of champagne in your hand as you walk in.
2 S Embankment, Dartmouth, TQ6 9BH. theangeldartmouth.co.uk
Best place for seafood
Seahorse has a lovely old-school Italian vibe: Step inside and you’re transported back to 1960s Rome. Framed menus prepared by guest chefs adorn the walls, the artwork is gorgeous, and the service is excellent. Start your day with a drink at Aladdin’s Cave-esque Joe’s Bar, then head inside to enjoy some of the best fish the area has to offer. A meal will cost around £90 per person, but the Menu del Giorno, open until 2.45pm, offers a three-course meal for £30.
We recommend the garlic scallops (the restaurant’s signature dish), but the main courses deserve some love too: The cod flakes with the touch of a fork, while the catch of the day will be brought to your table fresh from the grill beforehand. expertly carved by a waiter. Tasty.
5S Infill, Dartmouth, TQ6 9BH. seahorserestaurant.co.uk
Best place for wine tasting (and lunch)
Sandridge Barton seems like a hidden gem at the moment – but that’s about to change, thanks to its interesting wines and excellent food at Circa, the waste-free on-site restaurant.
The site operates as a vineyard and offers wine tasting for curious tourists. Worth the £22 fee, your session will cover the range from smooth whites to surprisingly experimental small-batch wines named after Dartmoor landmarks (we expect these to pop up in a few Hackney restaurants soon).
Don’t forget to visit Circa, which serves truly out-of-this-world cuisine. It has an ever-changing menu that does weird and wonderful things with spruce tips, yuzu, squid, and nettle (among other things). But rest assured, whatever is on the menu is always delicious. Wines start at £12 per glass, with larger plates costing £19 to share.
Lower Well Farm, Waddeton Rd., Stoke Gabriel, Totnes TQ9 6RL. sandridgebarton.com
The best place to have breakfast
Embankment is as cute as it gets for brunch spots. Once a Victorian ferry terminal, it’s now been transformed into a sweet little bistro right next to Dartmouth’s harbor, offering plenty of brunch options for those in need of a morning pick-me-up (the avocado on toast with tahini and red pepper salsa is a surprise success and meals from £4.50). In the evening, pop in to sample the clearly suggestive collection of gins on the back wall – and if you’re in the mood to walk away from last night’s dinner, these guys make sure to go too.
South Embankment, Dartmouth, TQ6 9BH. find more Here
The best place for London chic
What do you get when you combine the brains behind Soho’s Ducksoup and Hackney’s Little Duck? As it turned out, it was Emilia who was imbued with the coolness of London, despite being hundreds of kilometers away from the capital.
Emilia serves dishes from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, but done to perfection: think silky-smooth pasta strips, prosciutto slow-cooked in red wine, and mozzarella served with braised fennel, asparagus, and wild garlic pesto. Take a seat at the counter and watch the chefs on the other side prepare each dish fresh as you sip your negroni (meal for two plus drinks costs around £150). Then head down the street to sister bar 14 for a nightcap.
2 East Street, Ashburton, TQ13 7AA. emiliaashburton.co.uk
Best place for fish and chips
What trip to the English coast would be complete without copious amounts of fish and chips? To that end, Rockfish does the work and then some. Located a few streets back from the harbour, this restaurant, run by renowned chef Mitch Tonks, offers a different twist on the classic takeaway (around £20 a portion) that can be enjoyed with a sea view. They also offer higher-end dishes such as seafood platters (£37.50 per person for two) and pearl oysters with pepper sauce (£18.95 for six). The restaurant itself has won award after award for its food, which is all caught locally. He’s not someone to be missed.
8 South Embankment, Dartmouth, TQ6 9BH. embankmentbistro.co.uk
The best place to let food come to you
Can’t decide what to taste first? Dittisham Hideaway has you covered: it has recently launched a delicious weekend experience. Tucked away in the rolling hills above the scenic village of Dittisham, a 10-minute drive from Dartmouth, this package promises visitors a stay in one of the distinctive treehouse properties, which is nothing short of a return to basics, with luxury features such as wood-fired hot tubs. bathtubs and huge balconies where you can soak up the sun.
Combine this with a range of dinners, afternoon teas and wine tasting experiences (all lined up pre-arrival by the Dittisham team) and the result is the fuss-free dining weekend of your dreams.
Don’t like driving? They’ve got that covered, too: a phone call will summon a chef from Dittisham’s sister property on Dartmoor to prepare a meal in the treehouse. Sit back and get in.
Dittisham, TQ6 0JB.Devon Artisan Food Weekend package for two starts from £795 (for a 2-night stay at Shepherds Hut) or £1,495 (for a 3-night stay at the Treehouse). dittishamhideaway.co.uk