17 Best Restaurants in The West Country, England

Seafood fans can indulge their passion at this unpretentious, convivial spot, where a location near the harbor, as well as wooden floors, colorful wall tiles, and maritime knickknacks, all set the mood. Fresh, locally caught fish is brought to your table for inspection before being simply but imaginatively prepared. The extensive menu offers dishes ranging from humble—but abundant and beautifully cooked—fish-and-chips to lobster and crab grilled with garlic and brandy. There's a wine bar upstairs for a pre- or postprandial drink.

Occupying a former police station, this modern, clean-lined restaurant affords serene views over the passing swans and boats. Upstairs, the more formal restaurant serves delicately cooked dishes like Brixham plaice with 'nduja butter, clams, and samphire, or local asparagus, pea, and fava risotto, while the lip-smacking desserts include passion fruit syllabub with marshmallow and macerated strawberries or ricotta mousse cheesecake with almonds. On the river level, the Pontoon Bar has a more rough-and-ready menu that includes mussels, pan-fried peppers, and burgers, and with its terrace seating, it also makes a great spot for a weekend brunch, afternoon coffee, or evening drinks.

Within view of Mousehole's tiny harbor, you can dine on some of the area's freshest seafood in this popular bistro. The seasonal, Mediterranean-inspired menu takes in everything from crab soup with rouille (a sauce with breadcrumbs and garlic) and Parmesan toast to Thai monkfish curry with mussels. Meat eaters and vegetarians are both well catered to with dishes like venison ragu and a crispy aubergine burger with Monterey Jack and Korean barbecue sauce. The bright, white-walled dining room has a fresh, modern feel, and there are tables in the sheltered courtyard garden. The restaurant also offers delicious breakfasts and and operates a deli around the corner (No.1 Millpool Deli/Store) for takeout fresh picnic ingredients, pastries, and coffees. Self-catering accommodation is available, too.

One of Cornwall's most famous inns, the 17th-century Admiral Benbow was once an illegal smugglers' drinking den—look for the figure of a smuggler on the roof, and (if it's not too busy) ask to see the tunnel used for contraband. In the family-friendly dining room, crammed with seafaring memorabilia, you can enjoy pizzas, seafood, steaks, and vegetarian dishes, and the bar offers a good selection of West Country ales and, appropriately, rums from around the world. Figureheads, model ships, and even a brass cannon also fill the main bar and the Lady Hamilton lounge. 

Housed within the historic Plymouth Gin Distillery in the heart of the Barbican, this restaurant owned by a distinguished local culinary duo blends a leisurely, cheerful atmosphere with high-quality dishes that favor local produce. The menu might include monkfish with mussels and potato terrine; pea and lemon risotto with ricotta cheese; and steak from the charcoal grill. To finish, try one of the toothsome desserts, perhaps the lemon posset with strawberries or the white chocolate parfait. There are good set-price menus at lunchtime and early evening, and you can sample gin cocktails in the Refectory Cocktail Lounge on the same premises, made with the Plymouth Gin distilled on site.

This tiny backstreet joint with limited seating consistently draws enthusiastic crowds for its delicious burgers made of pure Cornish beef or vegan and vegetarian ingredients. The lightly toasted buns are baked with sesame seeds (there are gluten-free alternatives), toppings include field mushrooms and wilted spinach, and the skin-on fries are hand-cut. Wines, local beers and ciders, and soft drinks are also available, some of them organic. There's normally a line outside, and phoning or emailing ahead with your order is highly recommended, whether to eat in or carry out. One option is to enjoy takeout at nearby Porthminster Beach—watching out for the marauding gulls.

The finest of a slew of restaurants and cafés in Bristol's trendy, newly developed Wapping Wharf harborside district, this compact venue might be squeezed into a pair of shipping containers, but punches way above what its diminutive dimensions might suggest. The seasonally changing menu is also on the small side, and most dishes are tapas-size, but every one is startlingly original, and each is a winner. Smoked trout with golden beetroot, buttermilk, and horseradish, for example, is an excellent start to such mains as rump of lamb, cannellini beans, and rainbow chard. Desserts are also fabulous, and you can watch it all taking shape in the open kitchen. Dishes on the seven-course tasting menu (£55; request when booking) are unspecified—it may surprise but will not disappoint. The restaurant is steps away from the Floating Harbour and M Shed, and there are tables outside on the deck for warm days.

As the name implies, this casual eatery in the heart of Clifton village specializes in pork products, with special attention given to the humble British "banger." Sausages range from the traditional Gloucester Old Spot to Cotswold lamb, mint, and apricot; pork, leek, and stilton; and beef and ale, and all come with plain mashed potato or "champ" (mashed potato with spring onions). The menu also includes a tender slow-roast pork belly with plenty of crackling; wild mushroom and tarragon risotto; and a fish special featuring whatever seafood has been brought in from Cornish ports. The bright, modern restaurant is furnished with solid wooden benches and tables and has outdoor seating, too. Local beers are served, and you can get dishes to go.

Slightly off the tourist track but only a few minutes from the cathedral, this classic gastropub offers a winning combination of traditional decor lightened with tasteful modern touches and great, locally sourced food. The eclectic menu includes such standout dishes as Madras chicken and butternut curry, Halloumi burger, and beer-battered haddock. It may appear small at first sight, but there's a second dining area with a similarly cozy feel upstairs. Good local ales are served at the bar.

For views and location, this breezy beachside eatery with a crisp, modern interior and deck seating can't be beat. On the menu you'll find hearty breakfasts and a judicious balance of meat, seafood, and vegetarian dishes for lunch and dinner, from salads, sandwiches, and burgers to fish risotto and sweet potato and chickpea red Thai curry. There's also a beach bar for drinks, ice creams, and other snacks, barbecues at weekends in summer (roughly Easter–Oct.), and live music on Sunday evenings.

This thatched pub on a creek 4 miles north of Falmouth is a great retreat, with both a patio and a moored pontoon for summer dining. The menu features standard pub grub—for example, sandwiches and baguettes, fish pie, mushroom and red wine pie, and garlic and lemon pork loin with lyonnaise potatoes—but you may be satisfied with just a local ale or a West Country organic wine by the waterside. Maritime memorabilia and fresh flowers provide decoration, and there's a blazing fire in winter. You can sit in the flagstone bar, in the oak-beamed room upstairs, or outside.

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 the heart of Plymouth's harbor, right next to the National Marine Aquarium, and with plenty of outdoor seating, this is the perfect spot to watch the boats go by and the antics of gulls while you refuel. It's part of a small local chain launched by Devon chef Mitch Tonks, and although fish and chips is the staple, there are plenty of variations on the theme, including chargrilled mackerel or sardines, as well as king scallops, fish tacos, fritto misto, and lobster. Almost everything on the menu can be made gluten-free, and there's a good selection of children's meals (as well as free fish and chips for under-11s). Takeout service is also available.

Fresh, seasonal, creative dishes are served at this smart but relaxed restaurant in the heart of Wells. Small and sharing plates predominate on the menu, which is mostly oriented toward such vegetarian dishes as grilled zucchini with whipped tofu and basil pesto, beetroot Waldorf with celery, grape, walnut, and apple, or sweet-and-sour eggplant with pickled cabbage. Some excellent meat and fish options do make an appearance, however, perhaps sea bream ceviche with orange and stem ginger dressing or braised lamb rump with carrots and salsa verde. Most dishes are around £10, and there's an enticing set-price lunch menu (£18 or £21). Try and book a table at the back, for partial views of the cathedral's west front.

This small and buzzing bistro has a nostalgic 1950s flavor, thanks to walls adorned with posters of past music and movie icons. Diners squeeze onto benches and into booths to savor dishes made with local seafood—including a majestic bouillabaisse—or menu items like the "Sam Burger" or "Super Salads." Without a booking, you might have to wait for a table.

One of Cornwall's oldest pubs serves simple lunches as well as evening meals in wood-beam rooms that display the work of local artists. The traditional menu includes fish pie, salads, and burgers, as well as Cornish crab linguine. There's also a separate, quieter restaurant upstairs, and you can eat at the tables outside at the front or on a rooftop terrace for excellent harbor views.

Seasonality and local provenance are the guiding principles of this mellow, minimally decorated café–restaurant tucked up a side street between the harbor and Porthmeor Beach. You're encouraged to share the tapas-style dishes, which include St. Austell Bay mussels with shallots, garlic, white wine, and cream; hand-dived Dorset scallops, with cauliflower and hazelnuts; or turbot with anchovies, tarragon butter, and cider. The menu also includes some choice vegetarian options, and booking ahead will enable you to enjoy the restaurant's famed fixed-price "Sunday feast" lunches (£38; not served during peak summer months).