On The Waterfront — Restaurant in Exeter

24.4 out of 40 or 2.5 out of 5

Four of us went for the last night of our Holiday in Devon. We got their early (20mins) as it was raining and I popped in to see if we could get our table early. After a few moments of checks I was told “no” and that the restaurant was fully booked.

We were not offered anywhere to wait or have a drink. We did understand this though as they have a reduced capacity due to COVID-19.

I would suggest the owners create a small area outside under cover for people early or waiting (it would be a good idea). Maybe a place to have a drink or 2 while you wait.

We returned at 8:30pm for our reservation. We were shown to our table, there was good social distancing and space.

We ordered a bottle of red wine and some table Water. All arrived quickly. The red wine was the Australian and was an easy 7 out of 10. So far so good.

The menu was extensive with lots of choices. We settled on 3 pizzas and 1 salad.

After a 40min wait our food arrived. The pizzas were ok (unfortunately not pizza express standard as an example) and quite big. The crust wasn’t as crisp as I would have expected, but toppings all seemed fresh.

The salad was a good size but only came with a small ramekin of Caesar dressing. The crispy chicken pieces that were the addition with the salad really let it down. The best way I can explain them is “kids reformed chicken nuggets”. Cheap and cheerful and definitely not restaurant quality.

During our meal no one popped over and asked if we wanted anything else (more drinks etc).

We finished our meal and waited for someone to clear our table, no one came. No offer of coffee or Dessert. In the end we asked for the bill, paid and left.

After much promise I would mark The Waterfront...

We had heard great things about this restaurant, particularly the "dustbin lid pizzas" and were very excited to finally be going.

For us, we were very disappointed. The size of the pizzas weren't as large as a dustbin lid and the pizzas itself lacked cheese, arrived somewhat burnt on top and just felt thin and quite tasteless.

Other members of our party had different meals and these looked very appealing and apparently tasted nice e. The children's meals are very well priced, with quite good portion sizes and I can confirm, my daughter's pasta was very tasty!

In terms of service, our initial server was very attentive but then disappeared and we didn't see them for the rest of our visit, having to ask other members of staff for the bill who asked us what table number we were, which we didn't know as there was no physical table number on the table.

We were also told there would be a 40 minute wait on the food due to how busy they were, whilst surrounded by about four or five empty tables....

One child's plate was knocked when being placed and some of their chips fell on the floor and she was immediately given an extra bowl without us asking or suggesting, which was very nice.

However, some staff members were not willing to help us, telling us to ask someone else. We were also not offered their Mother's Day Cocktails (free cocktail) and happened to see this advertised by the toilets and had to ask for this multiple times before they arrived.

Overall, if you're looking for a phenomenal pizza, I think this is not the place for you. Very overpriced in my opinion and they're not very generous with the cheese...

Decor and location is nice, if...

Waterfront, Lovely view, Very clean and tidy, Staff attentive and happy. Can get very busy, Especially on a sunny day. The building itself creates a lovely vibe, and each table feels snug. Quite family friendly as some large tables to keep kids in. As an Exeter lad, have spent many a night on the waterfront.

Party of Five for lunch @1pm

Promptly seated at a table on arrival, Offred drinks and water.

Food, I will say before i start I dont eat cheese so didn't try anything but my food. Eleven year old kid had the Mac n cheese from the kids selection. Wasn't keen on it, other daughters' tried it said was OK. Two eldest shared a dustbin lid Hawaiian pizza. £30 Both enjoyed it and manged to finish it without any problems.. I was expecting a much bigger size to be honest. The eldest's boyfriend had Large 'Dustbin Lid' Cheesy Garlic Bread. £13.45. Enjoyed, most eaten. A lot of oil on the pad it was served on, but again enjoyed by a fussy eater so...

I had Steak Ciabatta. hold the garlic mushrooms. £16.95. Not going to lie, One word, Terrible. Must say the chips and salad, lovely. Cant go wrong with frozen chips and a bag of salad, but nice dressing. Stake slices placed in a bun. Its was the smallest, driest piece of meat made worse by placing in a dry over crispy roll. Others might like it, but i think it was massively over priced and not appealing at all.

All in all.. Lovely place to meet up in a larger group and share food before a good night out. I think a bit overpriced for what it is, but i think that's just the economy and cant blame prices going up on them.. Not the worst pub grub ive had but not the best.

I'd recommend a visit to anyone...