Ponte Vecchio — Restaurant in Mid Devon

FINALLY!!! A real Italian restaurant in Tiverton. We've had a very long wait for this. And it was worth the wait. Upon entering the restaurant from the street straight away you can tell that they have put some thought in to the decor, lighting and furnishings. It feels comfortable. Good start. Orders were quickly taken once we were seated for drinks and they arrived in no time. The menu will take more than a cursory glance as it's extensive and varied, but I decided upon Pappardelle Cacciatore, a duck and pasta dish that arrived quickly along with everyone else's. Wow. Just delicious, great flavours and the duck was cooked beautifully. Honestly, this is what Tiverton has been waiting for. An excellent venue, with a varied menu and great service. Highly recommended, you will not regret it.

Went back today; Friday 14th April. Again absolutely loved it. If anything, even better. Service is just great, really attentive and fast, even though the whole restaurant was bustling. Seriously busy. I have never seen a restaurant in Tiverton (let alone anywhere else) so busy with such a great vibe. Loads of people arriving as we were seated that we knew; that says a lot that the reputation of this restaurant is getting around. Once again we had another terrific meal for a table of 6 and again, I just can't recommend it enough. Use it or lose it as they say. It's not just another restaurant, it's not just a replacement Italian restaurant. It's a proper Italian restaurant and you leave feeling that you've been somewhere special. You HAVE to go. It really is wonderful.

Oh, and if you live in Tiverton, you can drive home or walk home. Seriously, if you're local, where else can you do that? Love it here. Book soon,...

Edit: Unfortunately, on our third visit, it was less positive, Meatball starter is now much smaller, pan fried mushrooms was placed on bread (not toast) so became soggy. Duck was excellent, salmon was overcooked and salty, highly disappointed for an expensive dish.

Service still fast, noone asked how food was despite it being quieter, awkward expected tip at the end via the card machine.

Not sure we would revisit, or at least not for special occasions.. inconsistent

Old review below: Can't fault it. Fresh, homemade Italian dishes with lots of choice and reasonably priced. Went here for our anniversary, wine selection very good and well priced, meatball & mussels for starters, both lovely. Mains were a Salmon pasta dish & a duck pasta dish, both had lots of duck/salmon, different sauce and different accompanyments, very well thought through dishes. Desert was a tiramisu, very good too.

Service friendly, fast. Chefs...

Recommended this place by my mother and she didn't let me down! We were accommodated on the day for a family of 5 at 6pm. The service was prompt but without being overbearing. The food was all delicious. The children's spaghetti bolognese was a good portion for our 6 year old but the lasagna was not quite big enough for our 9 year old (and if I did have one (tiny) gripe, it would be that the children's lasagna was served in a molten-hit dish). Our 11 year-old hit the adult menu and ordered a calzone and - WOW - IT WAS HUGE!! He absolutely loved it and managed to polish off 70% on his own and then the rest of us were happy to help! I ordered the sea bass and at £23 a dish I was hoping for good things - and I wasn't disappointed. The fish and accompanying prawns and mussels were cooked to perfection and the flavours of the garlic, herb butter were the perfect blend. I too would recommend this place and I will make sure I...