Best Places To Eat In Salcombe

Let’s be honest: you don’t go to Salcombe just for the seagulls or the aggressive parking. You go to eat. And if you don’t plan your stomach’s itinerary, you’ll end up chewing on overpriced chips while a pigeon judges your life choices. Fear not, I’ve done the very serious research of eating my way through this Devonshire paradise, trousers now slightly tighter, but soul fully fed.

The Crab Shed – Where Your Hands Get More Action Than Your Social Life

Tucked under a hill like a secret maritime speakeasy, The Crab Shed is a tiny takeaway that serves the best dressed crab in the UK. You will queue. You will stand in a light drizzle. And when you finally hold that paper tray of white and brown meat with lemon, you will weep with joy.

Don’t expect a chair; it’s basically a cardboard box and a view of the estuary. You’ll eat perched on a wall like a majestic, slightly greasy gargoyle. Pro tip: bring extra napkins, or just accept that your shirt will smell like the sea for three days.

The Winking Prawn – A Name That Sounds Like a Meme, But Food Like a Michelin Star

Yes, it’s a name that sounds like a rejected pirate joke, but The Winking Prawn is a seafood haven on North Sands beach. They serve a lobster roll so good it should be illegal in at least three countries. It’s buttery, brioche-y, and packed with enough crustacean to make you feel like a tiny king.

They also do a mean fish finger sandwich – for those days when you want to feel fancy but also like a toddler. Eat outside with sand between your toes; it’s the Salcombe way. Surprising fact: they once sold over 500 lobster rolls in one sunny Saturday. The lobsters were not amused.

The Victoria Inn – A Pub That’s Older Than Your Grandparents’ Jokes

Roll up the hill to The Victoria Inn, a 19th-century boozer that hasn’t changed much, thank goodness. The menu changes daily, but you’re here for the steak and ale pie, which is so rich and flaky it could solve a minor family feud. The gravy is basically a dark, savoury hug.

THE 10 BEST Restaurants & Places to Eat in Salcombe 2025

Order a pint of local ale and just stare at the fireplace. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a 1980s murder mystery, but in a good way. Don’t ask for Wi-Fi; they’ll point at the sky and say “that’s the internet.”

Dick & Wills – A Name That Makes You Snigger, But Food That Makes You Serious

I know, I know. “Dick & Wills” sounds like a Victorian plumbing firm or a questionable comedy duo. But ignore the name and focus on the wood-fired pizzas that are the best in Devon. Their nduja and honey pizza is a sweet-spicy symphony that will change your pizza opinions forever.

It’s a bakery-café hybrid, so you also get freshly baked pastries in the morning. The sourdough is naturally fermented which is a fancy way of saying “it tastes like heaven and you don’t feel as guilty.” Warning: the queue at 10am looks like a Black Friday sale at a bakery.

THE 10 BEST Restaurants & Places to Eat in Salcombe 2025

The Ferry Inn – Where You Eat With a Water View, Then Forfeit Your Parking Spot

Right on the water’s edge, The Ferry Inn is the spot for fish and chips that actually taste like fish, not just batter. The batter is crunchy enough to be used as a helmet in an emergency. Eat on the terrace and watch the boats bob like happy, expensive ducks.

But here’s the catch: parking is a nightmare of epic proportions. You will park a mile away and walk, which is fine, because you’ll need the exercise after all the crab rolls. Fun fact: locals believe the car park has a secret gravitational pull that makes visitors’ wallets lighter.

The Final Bite (Literally)

Salcombe will make you fat, happy, and broke. But that’s the price of coastal excellence. Now go forth, eat a prawn, and text your friends a blurry photo of a lobster roll. They’ll hate you. You’re welcome.