What a great little find! Cute place! Lovely service. Beautiful gardens. Clean bathrooms, and most…read moreimportantly, fabulous food. I wasn't expecting much, but left delighted.

From the owner: Quaint and traditional 16th century pub and restaurant on the edge of Dartmoor, offering great…read moreales, Ciders. Only 10 miles from Exeter and 15 miles from Okehampton. Only 1 minute off the A30 Devon to Cornwall road.

we were on a walking trip and had dinner at this restaurant. it was pouring rain and we walked a…read moremile to it. totally worth it! excellent food and service in a charming place, also their house wine was great. very reasonable. the owner heard us saying that we needed to finish our food quickly as we didn't want it to get too dark to walk back to where we were staying. she very kindly left her restaurant at a very busy time and gave us a lift back, saving us a walk in the dark and rain! a big thank you!

Having been to the UK 2x before, I was still waiting to be wowed by any of the food. So this 3rd…read moretrip was a holiday in Devon with my lady. Our cottage in Chulmleigh had a brief paragraph about the Masons Arms and mentioned it was Michelin's 2010 Pub of the Year. Off we went. Stopped by in the afternoon to make reservations for that evening. Enjoyed a nice Cotleigh Tawny bitter while we perused the menu ahead of time. We were delighted with our options from starter to dessert. Couldn't wait for the evening! We arrived for dinner and ordered a drink at the bar. The place is very cozy and staff professional - smiles all around. They are all happy to be there and it really makes the place enjoyable. The Masons Arms was one of my favorite dinner experiences ever. We were brought into a comfy side room with our drinks and handed the menus to review while we munched on complimentary olives, etc. A few minutes later we placed our orders and were left to conversation - which was essentially wondering what would be happening next. The waitress came back and brought us to our little table along the window - where our wine and starter were brought almost as soon as we sat down. Interesting and effective way to do things. Is that common over in the UK? Who cares! Starters: I had the smoked haddock leek and potato soup and she had the chicken liver parfait with chili jam and brioche toast. Both were just sooo astonishingly good. Main: I had the John Dory with clams, butter beans and chive ravioli. Delicious but I think I liked her prosciutto-wrapped monkfish loin with creamed potato in an orange/balsamic sauce. We couldn't stop talking about how good they were. Dessert: We ordered the roasted pineapple pannacotta and the special - chocolate ganache with lime jelly. Both were good and a great end to a great meal. I am not big on sweets but a good dark chocolate hits the spot every time - and the special was really nice. The triangles of lime jelly were a pleasant and delicious surprise, as I didn't think I would care for them. Overall - great meal. Great meal worth every penny - on the high side but well worth it. Of course, we might have gone overboard but it was our holiday! Service was excellent - not one of those places where staff comes by so often it's annoying. They were attentive at just the right times. I will certainly be back should I ever venture anywhere near the Masons Arms again. Great job Mark, Sarah and staff!

This place is a little gem, well worth the detour from Tiverton if you are passing through Devon or…read moreSomerset. The staff were really friendly and welcoming when we arrived and encouraged us to try some locally sourced ciders and gin. There were three menu options - a la carte, an extensive specials menu and a set three course weekend lunch. The food has a fine dining feel in a relaxed, casual setting. The duck two ways was a real highlight.

The UK is literally littered with country pubs, and in many cases it's sad to say, but…read moreappropriately phrased perhaps, that what they serve up as food is pretty rubbish. The phrase 'home cooked' seems to have been superceded my the concept of 'van delivered' all too often. Thankfully that's not the case at the Five Bells in Clyst Hydon. It's one of the very first places I visited when I moved to Devon many years ago, as a friend recommended it, and I've been returning ever since. It's the kind of place you turn to where you just know you won't be disappointed, a foodies rock in an otherwise tempestuous chain pub ocean. The pub's one many awards over the years, so I won't go on about how tasty the food is, but I will say that one of the nice things I've always liked about it is that they are still experimenting. Sure you can get your english staples there like steak & kidney pudding, game pate, treacle pudding, etc., but also other treats such as mediterranean tarts. The chef here is one of those increasingly rare beasts, someone who really knows what to buy and how to cook it. It's not some kind of reinvented gastro pub either - it's just a good pub with good food - why is that so hard to manage anymore? I should say they also stock a fine range of drinks, including the Otter beers, once of Devon's best breweries. Then there's the location and the pub itself. Buried deep in the heart of Devon, near some great woods (with some interesting mushrooms to hunt), wonderful gardens outside and an interior that just seems to keep on going, full of nooks and crannies, games to play, old books to read and much more. I once took a friend and his (very small) three girls for lunch there and the owners and staff didn't blink an eye. Sure they made sure we were tucked around the corner a bit but the girls didn't mind and all loved the food! If that isn't enough to tempt you then how about the fact that Clyst Hydon itself has it's very own lido just round the corner from the pub? Just check the Google map and you'll see it just next door. All in all this place is a gem. A little hard to find perhaps but if you can find it, then you deserve it. P.S. There's a two course lunch menu at £7.95 available from Monday - Thursday and Saturday. This is my favourite as I never know what I'm getting till I turn up at the pub.

I just stayed here for a wedding. Decent sized parking area with a very nice garden. Beautiful…read moreplace. It was very welcoming and clean with all new bathrooms with cozy robes, complimentary beer, fizzy water, biscuits, and we enjoyed some great food. Breakfast was included. Also very dog friendly! They provided a dog bed for the family dog. Oh and very lovely beer brewed on side! Will be back for sure!

An absolute gem of a pub in one of Devon's prettiest, most tucked away coastal villages. The…read moreMason's Arms is, quite simply, a fantastic place in every sense of the word. I've stopped off for a snack or a quick drink a couple of times, and it's always really impressed me, and the lunch my parents and I had recently ranks as one of the best pub dinners the Andrews family can remember. Their crab sandwiches were fresh, as were the fish in their delicious creamy leek fish stew, while the ploughmans was huge. Desserts of chocolate and pecan brownie and banana fritters with toffee sauce were gobbled up. Ok, it's not cheap for a Devon pub, but the food is worth every penny - there was hardly anything on the menu I didn't want to scoff down. The pub itself is a charming sprawl of wooden rooms, and a small seating area out the front. It's homely and although the staff run a slick operation, they're still friendly and helpful. The pub was recently taken over by St Austell Brewery, so there's a good range of their beers, plus a couple of guest ales. This includes one local beer brewed in Branscombe. It's quaint, delicious, comfy and sits in one of the most stunning areas of the Devon coast. It is, quite simply, a perfect pub.

This is a pub i have been going to on and off for the 15 years. It has seen good times and bad…read more Went with friends a few weeks ago - the food was great Venison Risotto - all very friendly. Met with a friend for a few pints before and the beer and crisps were as you expect from a good Devon pub. Only comment on the negative - if you order something like gammon and chips that is what you will get... You will also need to book...

Went to this pub as we were driving along the A35 looking for somewhere to take an 80 year old…read moremother for lunch. IThe staff were very welcoming. There was a black board with about 10 specials plus a regular bar menu. It is a 16th century thatched pub. We sat in front of a lovely log fire. The meals appeared to be homemade. My husband had liver and bacon which he couldn't fault with separate vegetables. We think that was £9.99. I had a jacket potato covered in prawns and they were happy for Mum to have a children's meal as she only has a tiny appetite. It serves locally sourced food and drinks. Hope to go back in the Summer and try th beer garden

Had several cream teas here in the garden with our dog. What a lovely way to drink your tea or eat…read moreyour dinner. It makes you really chill as if on holiday...

This is a pub type pub - that may seem to say nothing, but actually its worth saying that this is…read morefor drinking, chatting and relaxing, not for fine dining or entertainment. Without being 'spit and sawdust' the Vine is a down to earth pub, with Otter Ale served from a barrel rather than through the taps, and the usual range of lagers and keg beers, spirits etc too. I am always amused by the way the landlord serves soft drinks out of big bottles rather than from a tap, but it adds to the charm rather than distracts. A good place to go for a drink and conversation. During the day there is a tea room adjacent to the main bar, very good home made cakes, sandwiches and tea and coffee, with the option of sitting outside in good weather, worth a visit.

Went Last night it is under new managment and it is a fantasic little pub with the warmest of…read morewelcomes. Fantastic staff intimate little garden area. This place reaks of history old and new if that makes any sense. The locals were colourful and diverse and I am looking forward to my next visit. I stayed the night in a very cosy little room overlooking the main street but it was suprisingly quiet and had everything I needed.Love to you all thanks for a great evening I look forward to comming back. Sue K

Good honest food and good ale. Pie portions could be better but I certainly didnt leave hungryread more

Always had a good meal and highly recommend it, I personally love the older side of the pub, it…read moredepends what you like, we book and meet friends for a long dog walk up east hill strips then have lunch carvery, what's not too like, give it a visit, out of peak times is best. Good feel about the place.

I have one word to say about this pub. Carvery. It is renowned for it throughout the valley and is…read morea must visit. They do it every day and for a set price you have a choice of meat of vegetarian option. The selection of things to put on your plate is immense, and I can guarantee your plate won't be big enough to have it all. My grandma likes it as she can take as little as she wants, and not feel bad about leaving it! The atmosphere is lovely although it can get very busy. I would advise booking a table.

The food was great, I had the salmon which was cooked to perfection and the trio of desserts were…read moreamazing. The atmosphere in this pub was great, a real community feel and so well decorated. The staff were all really friendly and made you feel like you could ask anything. In conclusion I will definately be going there again!!!

The Lamb and Flag in Ottery was host to the BADAF convention we had our convertion meal on the…read moresaturday night and it was lovley. The hosts are carring out extensive re furbishment of the building and were only too helpfull with any request asked of them im looking forward too going back for a stay next year. nice friendley place in a loveley part of the world.