Harbour Inn — Restaurant in East Devon

Review: The Harbour Inn, Axmouth – A Quintessential Devonshire Dining Experience Nestled in the picturesque East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Harbour Inn at Church Street, Axmouth, Seaton EX12 4AF, proved to be a delightful culinary discovery during a recent visit to the Seaton area.

Acting on a local recommendation, we sought out this charming establishment as hunger set in, and were thoroughly impressed.

Upon arrival, the Inn's initial impression was striking. Its quintessential thatched roof and authentic interior décor immediately evoked a sense of traditional English charm. We were promptly greeted by a highly articulate young man who courteously escorted us to a comfortable, available table.

The menu, though concise, presented a selection of appealing dishes, including a tempting carvery, fresh lobster, and classic beer-battered fish and chips. This focused approach ensured quality over quantity, with each offering sounding genuinely inviting.

The interior decor seamlessly integrated with the Inn's character, featuring historical news clippings pertaining to local heritage, which provided an interesting diversion.

The seating, comprising high-quality tables and chairs, offered commendable comfort throughout our visit.

Furthermore, interactions with two distinct members of staff consistently highlighted their polite, professional, and helpful demeanour, truly making them an asset to the Inn.

Our order comprised two regular carveries, one half-lobster, and a child's fish and chips, accompanied by two pints of cola, a pint of cider, and a children's drink.

As an experienced carvery connoisseur, I opted for the turkey, a personal favourite, while my son selected the beef. The vegetable selection was extensive, impeccably fresh, and cooked to perfection. Notably, the roast potatoes, often a point of contention for me, were executed flawlessly and met with my full approval.

In terms of value, the total cost for three adults and one child, including drinks, amounted to £67.00.

This pricing was deemed exceptionally reasonable, particularly when juxtaposed with a recent £62.00 expenditure on a takeaway pizza.

In summary, the Harbour Inn stands out as a first-class dining destination for families exploring the Seaton or Axmouth area.

Its combination of delightful ambiance, quality food, and fair pricing warrants a five-star...

First of all the good... 3 out of our party of 4 ordered the standard Sunday lunch carvery, which was excellent with a good selection of meats and veggies to go with it...

However, my wife decided to order the Lobster as a special treat.

The menu said that there was a salad bar that you could help yourself from to to go with the Lobster, (and the waiter even took her to see the salad bar, which they said hadn't been set up yet)... We were told someone would come and tell us when the lobster was ready so that we could all go and get our food together. This took quite a while and we had to ask twice if it was ready..

When we eventually were told that the lobster was ready, it appeared that the lobster had apparently been ready for a while, (but nobody had actually told us about it).

My wife was handed the half lobster on a plate with no accompanyment whatsoever. She also noticed at this point that the promised salad bar had failed to materialise..

When she asked about this she was told that the salad bar wasn't on today, and that it was a "typo" on the menu.. She explained that she was told specifically that it would be available.. One of the staff then went and brought back a small bowl of very basic side salad to give to my wife. She asked if she could get some potatoes from the main carvery to go with it as her plate was still very empty, and she was given 3 potatoes on her plate (but not allowed to help herself to these, or any of the other vegetables on offer..) This meant that she ended up with a very small plate of food comprising of the half Lobster, 3 potatoes, and a very basic side salad consisting mainly of lettuce leaves...

We mentioned this to the waiter at the end who was very apologetic. However, when he brought the bill instead of there being any deduction for the error, they actually tried to charge us MORE for the lobster than the price on the menu... We pointed this out and the correction was made, but still no deduction for the error made with this meal....

Although the 3 traditional carvery meals were excellent, the lobster incident, and lack of any offer of free drinks or reduction in bill left us feeling very disappointed with the...

My wife and I had a lovely meal at the Harbour last bank holiday weekend and we were looking forward to eating at the Harbour again.

So as we were on holiday, we decided to take my parents out for a meal. Whilst we appreciated that it was a Monday night, the service and food was very poor compared to our previous visits. The menu was also limited.

I ordered a rare rib eye steak, it came out very well done. No one then came and asked if our food was ok and it was not exactly busy. I had to get someone's attention from the bar to tell them that the steak was not acceptable. It is only the second time I've ever had to send a steak back. It then took about 10 minutes for the replacement to come, by which time everyone else had finished their meal, which really ruined the meal. The replacement was not much better, although it was cooked better the steak had a lot of gristle.

Finally the desert menu was handed to us on a scrap of paper. At £5.50 for a desert, this really did not encourage any of us to have a desert, particularly after the fiasco with the main course.

The service and food we had, really fell short of our expectations. The Harbour also ignored our email, when we wrote to them the...