Passage House Inn — Restaurant in Teignbridge

Intro: The Passage House Inn, located in the hamlet of Hackney near Newton Abbot, has a rich history dating back to pre-Roman times. The current building was constructed in 1761 on a site that has hosted inns since ancient times. Positioned at a former tidal ford across the River Teign, it served as a key crossing point known as "The Passage House." This ford was commonly used by clergy traveling between Bishopsteignton and Torre Abbey. Early travelers relied on the inn for rest and sustenance while waiting for safe crossing conditions.

Exterior: The location is spectacular! The pub sits right on the river Teign with a number of tables varying in size and all right by the water. I sat sipping an ice cold beer in the sunshine and watched the waterfowl crossing the estuary and wondered, over the years how many people/boats had used the pubs very own jetty poking out into the waters. The location is ideal for long summer nights by the river. I would recommend coming when the traffic on the nearby bridge may have calmed to get the full tranquil experience but this is only a small issue. The photos on the website are of the original pub with all its character and charm. However, the pub is now situated in a building opposite that doesn't hold the same appeal though still welcoming.

Interior: Inside there are a number of tables and chairs in a bar area and a restaurant further inside and is an open plan design. Tables vary is size toncater for different sizes parties and the imposing bar is right ahead and slight raised as you enter the main door. There are a number of beverages from well-known largers, cider and some bottled items as would be expected. There's a number of people outside and in and all tables are cleaned and cleared. One staff member covers as host for the restaurant whilst a couple of waitresses run tables in the bar, outside and the restaurant.

Main: I chose the pie of the day which the waitress informed me was turkey and mushroom without hesitation. This came with vegetables and either chips, mash or new potatoes. I chose the mash. The pie isn't a whole small individual pie but rather a sliced "wedge" of pie as stated on the menu and didn't scrimp on the filling with nice chunks of turkey. It came with a fair sized serving of mash that was delicately and deliciously seasoned as were the vegetables which consisted of carrots, runner beans and something yellow I'm not sure of but tastes really good. The gravy was a little bland and the carrots had a weird unidentifiable taste I couldn't quite put my finger on. Otherwise it was a great meal.

Dessert: I decided on the Sicilian lemon cheesecake to round things off. Wow! The portion was just right and any more would have been a struggle. However, the lemon taste was subtle and delicate and not at all overpowering and the BBB was moist and held well together until it crumbled in my mouth.

Service: At the bar I was greeted immediately by one of the 2 staff behind the bar. Both were well presented and very welcoming. I asked for a menu (I wasn't planning on eating or doing this review!) and the waitress gave me one right away and said she would be back to take my order. Maybe 5 mins later she came back, took my order and then maybe 10 mins later arrived with my food. All the regular checks and upselling opportunities were met with an air of joy and not sullen or miserable as some have mentioned.

Value for money: Main £15.95 Dessert £7.95

Conclusion: I came here because of a lot of bad reviews and I'm always interested to experience places myself and give a more rounded and fair review and I'm glad I did The location is almost perfect and I can see many would come and laze away an afternoon/evening in the summer sun. The history is amazing and when you go in it's easy to imagine the clergymen travelling across the river and receiving a welcome as I did. The service was excellent and the food outstanding and overall the visit was amazing with only a couple of things that didn't spoil things. I would definitely recommend The...

This pub was extremely busy when we walked in and we expected to have to wait. However, the service at this point was very good and our meals arrived in a timely fashion. Having enjoyed the fish platter, we opted for a pudding and ended up wishing we hadn't! By this time, the pub had emptied out considerably and you would think that service would have been quicker. Instead, the reverse happened. Staff seemed more intent on relaying tables, drying cutlery and refilling sauce bottles instead of taking care of their remaining customers; presumably, so they could get off home? As a former waitress myself, there is nothing more important than customers, for without them, there is no business. If management was making them do this, then management is at fault. After a long wait, I managed to finally get someone's attention. Having been given menus, no one then appeared to take our order, bearing in mind that the pub is now 2 thirds empty. Having finally got served, our coffee arrived before the pudding; a big no, no in my view and then we were left waiting ages for the bill, which I eventually left my seat to request. The server at the carvery observed most of this. I have no idea how he could have been so unaware of my growing frustration, but not once did he go over to the girl drying cutlery to give her a nudge. A case of 'not my job,' perhaps? We were not told where to pay, but giving up on table service by this time, we went to the main bar. On being asked if everything had been alright, I replied that it had, except for a total crash in service in the latter half of our visit. The girl lamely replied that they'd been busy and when I suggested that customers were more important than filling sauce bottles, she merely looked away. In short, a good meal was utterly ruined by very poor service in the latter half of our visit. If you must go here, go when it's busy and leave BEFORE it...

A visit a few weeks ago was just such a disappointment. We have visited this pub over many years but found the current manager rude and ungiving. We were just 2 mins too late to order food, but we had been standing waiting to order for several minutes! The manager(ess) heard our expression of frustration and stepped forward to point out , very rudely, the serving time. We decided to just have a drink before moving on and were served by an embarrassed bar staff member who was then deliberately obstructed from giving our change by the same woman who chose to make changes in the till just as the transaction was taking place. She is a liability to your business. Very poor customer relations, surly and downright rude. We have since told everyone we know not to bother to visit this establishment again. We also overheard this woman query why one member of a group had not eaten most of her meal . She was told the salad tasted 'bad', but rather than apologise she chastised the young woman for being 'fussy'!!!! Her family were shocked at...