The Countryman — Restaurant in West Devon

This place has potential, however I wouldn’t return here again. My friend and I came for a roast dinner which was okay. But it’s super expensive and the plates are tiny! The staff have no self-awareness at all. We had been there for 30 minutes (maybe 15 minutes into eating our dinner) and then a member of staff came up to us at 4:05pm asking us if we were finished yet because they were ready to go! She was really rude and they definitely weren’t ready to go. If last serving is at 4pm maybe they should stay open later so people can finish off there dinners in peace after paying so much of their hard earned money for an over priced, tiny roast dinner.

She came over a couple of times and this really set a bad taste for us. We then asked if we could have a to go box and we’d take our food away with us to which the waitress replied, I’ll have to charge you for a takeaway box! We were shocked about the comment and said to her that’s is pretty stingy. To which she replied, tell the manager that. Then came back with one take away box for us to share to put our roast dinner in!

This place is a joke and they have no idea what customer service means and how important customers are to their business.

I would never return back to this place and I wouldn’t recommend it either. Terrible service and a terrible experience. Very rude staff, tight owner and the portions are tiny and the food is well over priced. I don’t like to feel taken advantage of and I don’t think it’s right to take advantage of paying customers that keep your establishment open.

I’d rather spend my money where its appreciated and where...

Updated, after our first visit, we booked a table for 7 on a Sunday, to take visiting family members. Upon our arrival they could not locate the booking, which they had confirmed via messenger, they advised we could sit outside and eat as they had no booking for us, it’s October and we don’t want to set outside. They had tables that they could have set us at, but simply offered us to sit outside, no apologies at all, all done as if we had not booked.

Luckily the New Inn managed to cater for us and was a much better experience

Won’t return.

Original five star review: We booked in for our first visit on Sunday for a carvery lunch, when we arrived we were seen to very quickly and seated at our table. Once we had ordered our drinks arrived promptly and we headed up to get our Carvery. There are three options, small, large and extra large. We had several choices of meat and a wide range of vegetables to choose from. The portions were sufficient and the food nice and tasty and piping hot. The service was very good. Several things struck me on our first visit. Firstly while chatting to the proprietor he said that providing a good service to customers was more important than filling tables. Secondly I later overheard the proprietor telling his team that they had done a great job that day and that he was proud of them, Thirdly after they had finished serving, the team all sat and had a carvery dinner together. I think this is a great way to run your business and look after your team, who will then look after your customers. I wish more businesses were...

Over the past year, The Countryman has seen notable improvements, particularly in its exterior, creating a more inviting atmosphere. However, the interior décor is noticeably outdated and could benefit from modernisation to complement the external upgrades.

While the food menu offers a variety of options and imaginative dishes, some fall short in terms of both selection and quality. For instance, the salmon with peach sauce had well-cooked salmon and perfectly prepared crushed potatoes, but the addition of a tinned peach topping didn't meet expectations in terms of presentation or taste.

Although the desserts are reasonably priced, the meringues seem a bit overpriced for what they offer. On a positive note, the steak was well-received by my husband, and the restaurant's dog-friendly policy, along with the cozy open fire, add to its charm.

While the staff are friendly, they can be a bit disorganised at times, although they are always willing to assist, as evidenced by their efforts to accommodate a takeaway request for my son. The Countryman also offers a delightful Sunday carvery and weekend takeaway/delivery options.

Overall, The Countryman is worth a visit, but there's room for improvement to elevate it from being just "nice" to truly "great." One drawback is its cash-only policy, with no nearby cashpoint machine, so it's advisable to...