Seaton:
We nearly gave this a miss, as, frankly, it looked a bit grim.
A lot of that, though, was a side effect of the window film making it look dark inside from out, and, we found, vice versa. In the event, it was better than expected; there was ale, the barmaid was friendly, and it wasn’t too grim at all.
Sidmouth:
Nice pub just round the corner from Duke’s and much more our thing. Traditional, independently-owned pub just back from the seafront in one of the main shopping streets. Great food, staff, and beer and a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Sidmouth:
Some discussion here about whether it’s a restaurant, hotel, or pub, but we’ll go with pub, on the evidence of a dominating bar, a reluctance to serve food after 2:30, and the look and feel as we approached.
The look was “up itself food pub”, and that was borne out when we got in. It would seem Sidmouth is moving upmarket, and Duke’s is going with it. There’s typical modern hotel-pub decor (more green, pastels, and stripped wood!), and a slightly trendy air. Not really our thing, but many would love it. Good beer, outside space, food that looked good.
Seaton:
Odd place this: outside looks like it might be slightly posh, inside it’s an odd-feeling place: first impressions are of an ordinary food-biased pub, after a while, it started to feel like a hotel bar in a hotel with coach parties, but that may have been the clientele- we were the youngest non-staff, despite being soundly middle-aged. Beer was fine though, staff were pleasant, the food looked good, and while there was karaoke on, you could still hold a conversation.
Seaton:
Right on the seafront, and a striking building, this was a disappointment for us, but it seemed popular with the locals. The sign outside states “Bar and Restaurant”, but google has it as a social club, and that’s what it felt like to us, full of locals, with a raffle draw going on, noisily, and the decor was like that. The locals were friend;y enough, and the beer was fine, though.
Colyford, near Seaton:
A mere step from the Seaton Tramway, we broke the journey back here for a swift drink in the sun. Pleasant, traditional pub, nice staff, and a beer garden, and a couple of good real ales.
Colyton:
Proper, traditional village pub. We sat outside in the pleasant beer garden- food, beer both great, staff pleasant. Not the cheapest, but by no means a rip off, it was nice to see a proper free house instead of a pubco identikit pub painted in Farrow & Ball middle-class green. A lovely place for Saturday lunch.
Seaton:
Near to the Eyre Court, this was quite slick, modern food pub looking outside, and inside there was a a bit of Victoriana, and bit of old traditional pub, and a bit of modern food pub that didn’t quite sit right, but the staff were great, the beer was great too, and the food was decent and reasonably priced, so it seems churlish to complain about what was, realistically, a very nice pub.
Seaton:
It’s a hotel, but the bar feels like a pub, so it’s included, especially as this was our favourite Seaton hostelery- it feels more like pub-with-rooms than hotel- and I mean that as a complement- it’s a relaxed drinking environment, with a dining room behind (with excellent food), and an outside terrace. Great beer and staff, and good prices too.
Seaton, Devon:
We called in here a few times as we were staying nearby. It’s a nice place; traditional pub inside, some outside space on the Esplanade. No food, but plenty of places nearby for that. Real ale in good condition, reasonable prices, and friendly staff.