The Who'd Have Thought It Inn — Restaurant in West Devon

Having first visited the “Who’d have thought inn” some 50years ago, I was a 14yr old boy scout at the time. We were camping at Sheep’s Tor, and hiking.

My parents moved to Yelverton in 1985, it was then I returned to this wonderful 16th century inn.

In the 37 years I have been drinking and eating, and now staying in this inn. I have seen many different tenants and or managers come and go. I can honestly say this is the best it has ever been, my wife and I love staying here with our dog. Barney.

The current management headed up by Matt and his excellent lieutenant’s Jo, Trixie and Laura not forgetting Fiona (Matt’s mother-in-law). I can’t remember the Chef’s name but have never been disappointed with the food, first class, loved the Lebanese Lamb.

Jo, Trixie and Laura run the bar and restaurant with such passion, precision and most of all fun and all with great service and a smile. Fiona amongst other things, will make you a breakfast that sets you up for the day plus an extra sausage for Barney, in readiness for the beautiful walks nearby, that Jo suggested the night before. The rooms are always spotless and welcoming. If you are within a twenty-mile radius of Milton Coombe pop in have lunch or phone to reserve a table for the evening. Better still stay for the weekend, if there is an event on such as the “Keg race” Don’t let Jo convince you to be on her team, unless of course you are a serving marine/commando, otherwise you won’t be tough enough. Whatever your reason for visiting the Whod’a, you will not be disappointed and tell them...

I booked in advance, but the table itself was too low to comfortably get your legs under. I asked if we could switch. The waitress gestured vaguely to another room and said there was a table free in there and immediately walked off, leaving me to aimlessly walk around and try and figure out what was available. We did find another table in the end, near the door where people came in and out. It was a bit draughty and the location wasn't as cosy, but it was acceptable, so I haven't dropped stars for that. Mostly, the mediocre review is because of the food. I can't understand the rave reports. We had a 3-course meal and nibbles. My arancini (nibbles) were delicious. Everything else demonstrated too much focus on appearance - they promised a lot, visually - but each meal was inbalanced. Eg the terrine starter was overwhelmingly salty meat with not enough variation in texture or flavour. My chicken main and chocolate dessert were the same. More attention needs to be given to the balance of each dish and mouthful. It's a shame, this review was from our visit in Aug25. We last visited in Dec24 and had a fabulous meal then. Prices are high - equivalent to London prices - so it's a shame to see the food quality...

Having heard an in depth review from our close friends, the Penny’s, whom visited on their recent holiday, my wife and her husband visited this establishment after a long weekend walk.

Despite the less-than-ideal weather (which wasn’t something we thought was well reflected on the reviews we’d seen online, and wasn’t forecasted) we decided to brave the elements and enjoy a hearty lunch.

I ordered a local cask ale, as I thought this would be in-keeping with theme of the establishment. Whilst the service was fantastic, the ale wasn’t fizzy at all. I was going to ask the barman if the gas had run out, but being typically British I decided to just have a quiet grumble to my wife instead.

They had a special of pigeon breast on the menu, which I opted for. It tasted delicious, but wasn’t as big as the chicken breast that my wife had ordered. Again, I didn’t want to say anything at the time.

By the time we left, the rain had stopped, so we were certainly thankful for that. Overall the weather did put a bit of a damper on our otherwise great day out, but my wife said her food was fantastic and insisted I...