Selena Young shares her cheat sheet on the coolest finds in Devon’s capital
Like many cities, Exeter’s high street is chocka with chains. However, you know the drill for finding one‑of‑a‑kind shops, restaurants, cafes, bakeries and bars: skirt the main drag and head to the indie-laden edges.
We’ve done exactly that, saving you the work of sniffing out Exeter’s best spots, so you can hit the ground running as soon as you arrive.
Wine and dine
First to bask in the spotlight of our Exeter hit list is Stage. The restaurant on Magdalen Road enjoys notable acclaim in the city, partly as a result of a glowing review by Jay Rayner in The Observer and an inclusion in the Michelin Guide.
Head chef Felix Craft and team – known as the Taco Boys from a previous venture – keep the tasting menus tastily priced at four courses for £30 or six for £55.
What the chefs cook depends on what’s in season, is currently growing in their market garden, is available from the smokehouse, or can be sourced from local farms and fishermen. The team also brew their own beer and kombucha.
Highlights from our recent visit included moreish house‑cured meats; cold-smoked pastrami with dill, pickled beets and kohlrabi slaw; and a confit duck‑leg taco with garden salad and wholegrain mustard.
Other good dining finds on Magdalen Road include pint‑size Spanish small-plates restaurant Calvo Loco Tapas Bar – take a group and a keep‑’em‑coming attitude. For further casual feasting, the bubbling slices at Portal Pizza are *chef’s kiss.
Harry’s is another special find in the city. Chef‑owner Samantha Pounds and her daughters run the restaurant, which has been in their family for a few generations. Great date‑night territory, it delivers an authentic and delicious dining experience.
Dishes are beautifully crafted yet crowd‑pleasing – think the gooiest cheese soufflé or the simple pleasures of pork milanese with fried egg, rocket and parmesan salad and lemon and caper butter. Arrive in enough time to savour one of the knockout cocktails before dinner – the French 75 is a good call.
Down at Exeter Quayside, Rockfish offers further opportunities to feast on fresh fruits de mer – or just good old fashioned fish and chips. Crave, meanwhile, is an upbeat dining hotspot with let‑your‑hair‑down energy, an all‑day menu and quaffable cocktails.
Post‑feast, sink a nightcap at contemporary bottleshop and bar Pullo, which specialises in natural wines and artisan ciders from small producers. More quality sips can be imbibed at wine bar Rendezvous and the moodily lit Crocketts, which deals in craft spirits and smart cocktails.
Brews and bites
Exeter has become a fun playground for adventures in speciality coffee.
Anyone alighting from Exeter Central train station will want to take a sharp right for a flat white and pastries at Exploding Bakery. Its range of signature traybakes are rustled up at the HQ across town.
A little further along, cafe and lifestyle store Hyde & Seek is a find for gift‑worthy prints and homewares, as well as crema‑rich espresso and bittersweet matcha. The bright satsuma frontage of Devon Coffee is just a minute’s stroll away and also delivers on the caffeine front.
Carry on riding the flavour train at Magdalen Road, where The Common Beaver baristas craft dam‑good filter brews and homemade bagels.
Down at the quayside, discover coffee kicks waxed in surf culture at Sundays. Beans are sourced from The Roasting Room in Newquay and the vibe is lazy seaside.
The Boatyard Bakery, across the water, delivers ASMR thrills. The aroma of fresh espresso mingles with the waft of sourdough baking in the open‑plan kitchen. Enjoy visuals of the water to one side and bakers kneading dough on the other, all while nibbling killer carby confections.
Lilac Bakery, on the fringes of the city centre, is worth a detour for pimped‑up pastries that reflect the season. Pair a syrupy apricot bostock with a sparklingly clean V60, then make good use of the resulting sugar and caffeine rush by stomping to community‑centric Fore Street.
After all that caffeine, decent food will be in order. Sacred Grounds, in the atrium of McCoys Arcade, delivers big‑time. The vibrant cafe‑restaurant is known for its creative plant‑based brunches and speciality coffee. Veg‑packed sarnies, sweet or savoury buckwheat waffles, salad bowls and innovative vegan spins on egg‑based faves are all menu stalwarts. Seasonal specials include the likes of black-forest tiramisu french toast (a combo of banana french toast, sweet dark cherries, vegan “mascarpone”, chocolate and decaf espresso), best paired with a Triple Co Roast espresso lavished with creamy oat milk.
Check out Sacred’s swoony retail curation and plan a return trip for one of its regular events. These include candlelit supper clubs and seasonal soirees such as the Winter Fayre, which takes place on December 11.
For further refreshment, freshly blitzed lemonades and iced teas accompany the caramel‑esque Bristol‑roasted coffee at The Press House.
Closer to the centre, there’s always a great tune spinning on the turntable, juicy batch brew flowing and a curation of vinyl records to flick through at lively 12 Bar Music & Social.
Brews of the alcoholic variety can be swigged at new Otter Brewery pub The Holt, which overlooks the cathedral, quayside at Topsham Brewery or locals’ hangout Turk’s Head on the High Street.
Shopping and sightseeing
Gandy Street is a treasure trove of indie finds, including cocoa utopia Chococo and eclectic craft and gift shop Maker Mart.
Back on Magdalen Road, Maker Maker is home to all sorts of gorgeous items that tug at the heart [read: purse] strings, such as cutesy decorations, knitted socks, children’s toys and acoustic guitars.
The road also runs the gamut of gourmet shopping opportunities. Go wild for posh picky bits at Bon Goût Deli, sample stinky blues and bries at Magdalen Cheese & Provisions and stuff your totes with organic produce at Ben’s Farm Shop.
Flit back to Fore Street to shop girly prints, spiritual treasures and gifts tapping into meme culture at Helen of Troy, or throw some clay about at The Jolly Pottery.
At McCoys Arcade, bookworms can scan the shelves of Bookbag, hopheads can judge beers by their funky designs and flavour notes at Hops + Crafts, while those with a penchant for vintage clothing will enjoy having a rummage at The Real McCoy.
Further vintage shop‑till‑you‑drop opportunities await at Roundel Clothing, which delivers a blast of subcultures past. Neighbouring shop Frocks in Swing Time features retro clothing and classic accessories for glamour pusses. More voguish browsing can be achieved at recently opened lifestyle store Folk Interiors on Cathedral Close.
For entertainment, check out the cultural thrills and performances at multi-arts venue Exeter Phoenix, or take an informative snoop around the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery.
