Exeter Phoenix — Restaurant in Exeter

Wow, what a gem! I wish we had known about Exeter Phoenix sooner.

My young child is autistic, we rarely get to go places where they’re sat for an extended period. However, they were keen to see the Minecraft movie. I selected the family accessible showing- reassured that they could make noise/talk/move around if needs be. We arrived, and I had the parental dread on realising I‘d forgotten their ear defenders. Thankfully, the lovely staff saved the day.. With handy accessibility packs ready and we were able to borrow theirs.

Within the theatre it was clean, tidy and didn’t smell at all. The view was good from all positions. My only complaint would be the seats are the traditional flip seats, which attempted to eat my youngest twice. This will be easily remedied with a large cushion next time.

The video and sound was of good quality, and thank goodness- my kid could do their „thing“, by educating everyone in the audience about who is who in the movie, and other children would respond. Likewise other kids would call things out, and we would chuckle or respond. It was such a fantastic atmosphere, and an unforgettable experience. Later on the staff member who originally helped us, stepped in to give us the thumbs up and make sure we were okay!

Our kids have begged us to see more films, so they really enjoyed it too. Genuinely, it’s such a great place that we finally felt a part of and ‚safe.‘ I would absolutely recommend it to young families or those with additional needs.

Thank you so much to the staff and venue, we felt so welcome. Such a fantastic experiences we will be seeing you...

The Phoenix is fast becoming one of my favourite places in Exeter.

Obviously there’s a busy calendar of music and other live performances here but it’s also got exhibitions (often free) and a wide range of creative activities happening, plus a great bar!

I saw ‘This is The Kit’ here in March, and it was a great gig too - but I was actually prompted to write this review after a visit on a quiet Tuesday!

My friend and I wanted somewhere to grab a drink after a birthday lunch at Sacred Grounds. We headed to the Phoenix and were welcomed so warmly by the bar staff we felt like we were mistaken for regulars!

The service we got was very fast and friendly and we made ourselves at home firstly outside in the sheltered seating area and then inside on some comfy sofas and enjoyed the playlist of background music - mostly Arcade Fire. Great choice! The decor is bright and colourful - with tonnes of bunting and rainbow flags (YASSS)!

Unfortunately I unexpectedly had to go onto a work zoom on my phone, and I asked one of the staff if there was anywhere quieter than the bar. Not only did they help me find a spot, but they moved a table and chair closer to a power outlet in case I needed it!

10/10 Phoenix - thank you for making that work call super easy and making us feel...

I went for a Vintage Valentine's Ball and on the whole - the venue was good. The bar was nicely laid out and had good drinks, a good set up for the cloakroom, and there were plenty of spaces outside of the main room to sit and relax. In the main room they had two very good jazz bands sandwiching an unforgettable and rather uncomfortable 'cabaret' put on by one woman with a poor imitation of a German accent for most of her act until she revealed at the end that she was in fact from Essex... It was at this point my partner and I decided to investigate the bar! Strangely, they had decided to set up the sound and tech boards right in the middle of the main room which made life difficult - especially for dancers. It also had the result of dividing the room, a front third for anyone who wanted to dance, a middle third for people standing and watching, and a few stragglers at the back. I also objected to the bathrooms which smelt like a dirty rabbit hutches. They were clean and seemed well looked after, they were just hard to find and smelt bad. Despite all of this, if there's another dance or similar being held there, I wouldn't...