Coombe Cellars

Absolutely fantastic location with fabulous views,but alas too expensive for the locals to patronise. It has changed beyond recognition over the years and I personally like the decor and it is light and airey.Due to the high price of food I tend to just meet up with friends/relatives for a drink there and enjoy the view of the Teign estuary.

This pub/restaurant is in a beautiful location, with wonderful views from the balconies and picture windows. The decor is interesting, although not quite to my taste as they have imposed an assortment of antique and modern fixtures and fittings, and overall the feel is of 'fine dining in the city by the sea', which some people may like. I cannot comment on the food as I did not eat there, but the coffee was awful. What really let this place down for me, however, was  poor service.

On the whole we enjoyed our visit to Coombe Cellars and will be returning. The food was excellent, the only real complaints being the lack of seasoning in my otherwise really nice starter and some items being unavailable without notice. The choice of cask conditioned ales was small but faultless in delivery. The prices I would describe as a slightly high average for the type of place it was. The service was friendly and efficient. Needless to say, the setting right on the edge of the River Teign was nigh on perfect.
Only a few negative points that I came ascross –
- the piped music was a bit intrusive and dire (i.e. lowest common denominator easy listening) althought the later selection was a bit more to my taste
- the car park has some suspension-knackering potholes that really do need urgent attention
- the decor was a bit odd and ersatz. Not a real problem but it might affect some visitors’ aesthetic sense.

Fantastic location but didnt feel welcome when my wife and i wanted to pop in for a drink. Quite rude staff. If you want to go here dont be dressed casually.

Fantastic location. Average food. Good wine selection. Very good deserts. Quite pricey for what it is! Probably worth one visit to see the place.

PREMISE PERFECT, EXECUTION POOR

Our bellies are full, but our pockets feel just a little too empty… this is the feeling we are left with after just having visited The Coombe Cellars in Stokeinteignhead.

It’s not that the dishes were overly expensive, it’s just that the promises made by the super location and stunning interior were not met by the actual delivery.

The Coombe Cellars used to be a dreary Brewers Fayre, but thankfully this is no longer the case. It is far more upmarket now and the mix of textures and colours interspersed with natural stones and driftwood is by far the best décor around. Perhaps coupled with the beautiful setting this heightened our expectations too much?

Anyway, at first the menu spoils you for choice but on closer inspection some of the meat dishes seem a bit similar. We opted for the “Fish Mezze” to start topped up with the “Dublin-bay prawns“ sautéed with spinach, in a spicy tomato & garlic sauce”.

The Mezze was under generous, something that really irritates me! A mezze plate is to share and you should just want to dive in enjoy yourself without worry of there being enough to go around. The whitebait was plentiful, but apart form that it was skimpy.

The Dublin-bay prawns should have been fantastic, but they were bland and watery like tinned tomatoes.

Whilst the starters were arriving, the glass of wine I ordered had to be changed because it was corked.

Not a good start, but just gazing out the window at a stunning sunset over the Teign estuary still made me happy to be there.

Main courses arrived and the presentation and quality of the ingredients really could not be faulted. It was just a shame the plates were not very hot and the divine venison and jus soon became cold.

We all like our vegetables al dente, right? I do. I cannot stand over cooked mush, but The Coombe Cellars had taken al dente to the extreme today - the veg was practically raw but curiously hotter than the food on the plate.

My companion was drawn to the roast pork on off the specials board and she is not normally a fan of pork, but was lured by the promise of pork crackling. Perfect for a cold winter afternoon. Just a shame when the dish arrived the crackling was so minuscule she instantly wished she hadn’t bothered.

Our waitress was another let down - apathy in every robotic breath.

On to desserts, surely they would redeem things for us? The Sticky Toffee Pudding and Custard absolutely did! It was moist and light, absolutely fantastic. The Chocolate Brownie was equally as good, but the Homemade Raspberry Trifle unfortunately was a sloppy mess.

I hope we were just a little unlucky today, but my gut feeling is bad luck had nothing to do with it.

Really enjoyed a early evening drink here, sat outside enjoying the view of the Teign.
The food looked very good. It has a lovely large car park, plenty of tables next to the windows.
The down side is the approach road. It is very narrow and windy. Take great care

The setting, surround and building is great and we’ve come back time and time again. There’s a great view of the river Teign from the large glass windows that overlook it.

The reviews above seem to be quite mixed but we’ve never had a problem with the service, which has generally been prompt and courteous. Certainly nothing to complain about.

Coombe Cellars is really a gastro-pub and the food is of a fairly good quality. Having started eating there since October 2007, we always seemed to have some issue with the food. Either it wasn’t piping hot when served or a green salad arrived with tomatoes. However after a couple of talks with the managers, things have improved and the food is better. And talking food, it does all appear to be freshly prepared and not as one reviewer here wrote “portion-controlled unedifying easily-masticated boil-in-a-bag meals”.

It maybe a little pricey (hence the gastro-pub moniker), however the overall experience of setting, service and food sets it above most places around the Torbay area.

It is disappointing to hear that others have not had a good time at the Coombe Cellars as it really is a little gem in a sea of cheaper chain pubs.

Coombe cellars has changed hands alot in recent months and is now a very upmarket restaurant on the river, People cannot afford £11 for a pie so they need to lower their prices. This restaurant is situated right on the estuary and in the summer is packed with people sitting outside, you can even dip your feet in the water whilst having a pint!! Lovely situation just shame about the prices and the windy narrow lanes.

It’s a lovely spot and nice furnishings and I really enjoyed going there when it was refurbished (I think?) in 2007.

The last few visits, the service has been patchy - a couple of occaisions I have waited to order and have been waiting for 15 / 20 minutes for someone to come-over (or even come near so I can call them over!).

The food is pretty good - particularly the fish specials, but generally over-priced for what it is (especially the drinks). Given the price doesn’t justify itself I don’t go here very often anymore, which is a shame as it was very nice when I started going there last year.

A great place to go and eat,lovely views of the estuary and the sea,beautiful surroundings.local boat club nearby.

Now here is a truly pleasant surprise; for quite some time Coombe Cellars, nestling on the South Side of the Teign Estuary, had become the epitome of a naff large-scale eaterie (“Have you been to a Harvester before??”) with portion-controlled unedifying easily-masticated boil-in-a-bag meals being served in “traditional pub surroundings!”. Roughly translated; the kind of place you would take elderly parents or friends with young children. What a delight then, on a recent visit to discover that someone with a modicum of sense, style and enterprise has brought this monster of a bar blinking into the light of the 21st Century.

The internal fittings and design would make Kevin McCloud beam with pleasure: think “21st Century Barn Conversion” and you’re pretty damn close. The food is now produced by human beings, and most probably a chef or two who take pride in their endeavours. The staff are also bouncing around like liberated factory-farm animals, and take pride in their new surroundings. The bar area itself glitters not only with technology, but a splendid choice of carefully chosen wines, and beer so damn COLD that the beer pumps would scare the Titanic! The menu, instead of being on a laminated sheet, is now printed on fine cartridge paper. It’s no longer cheap, but it’s much, MUCH better. On my visit, I was pleased to see that the clientele had chosen to dress up to visit in definitive “smart casual”. In itself this speaks volumes for the venue’s rebirth. As I was indeed at the time with the AGED PARENT, I didn’t have time to delve into the more exotic meals, but I certainly saw, smelled and admired them. Even the burger I chose for ease of consumption had been hand crafted, and in all likelihood never seen the inside of a freezer. I shall now choose more carefully the friends I take there… eating while admiring the spectacular Teign Estuary, and indulging myself in the more expensive items and, yes a bottle of excellent wine!!