Short answer: The Anchor Inn is the best pub in Sidmouth with children — a beer garden with shaded and sunny seating that stays cooler than the seafront. There are no pub play areas here; Connaught Gardens on the clifftop are free and level, and the beach is the rest.
A word on what to expect. Devon coastal pubs very rarely have playgrounds in the way inland family pubs do — the buildings are old, the sites are small and the land is expensive. What they have instead is a beer garden, a beach or a public play area within sight. That is usually enough, but it is worth knowing before you drive somewhere expecting a climbing frame.
In the middle of town and the clear pick. Reviewers describe a lovely dog-friendly pub with plenty of seating both shaded and sunny, and specifically note the beer garden being far cooler than the high street and the beach on a hot day — which with children is worth more than it sounds.
The fish pie and the fishcakes are what to order, portions are generous and prices are fair. It is popular, so book if you can.
On the High Street, dog friendly, and the best breakfast and brunch in town. Steak and eggs, thoughtful vegetarian dishes, and a well-priced cream tea. Reviewers describe it as a quiet, gentle, balanced space — which is a compliment for adults and a warning if your children are neither.
Book at weekends. Level ground, easy with a pushchair.
On the esplanade with seating inside and out facing the sea, and service that comes out to you if you sit outdoors — genuinely useful when a child will not sit still indoors. A set two-course lunch that is good value for the position, and strong on gluten-free.
Connaught Gardens on the clifftop above Jacob's Ladder are free, well kept and on level ground, with the Clock Tower café inside. That is the nearest thing Sidmouth has to a family park, and it has the better view.
The beach is the other half — but time it for a falling tide, because much of it is submerged at high water and the pebbles are large and awkward. Jacob's Ladder has the better rock pools.
The red cliffs here are actively unstable with repeated rock falls and sections fenced off. Keep children away from the cliff base wherever it is signed.
Book if you are more than four, and book for Sunday lunch anywhere on this list. Devon pubs fill and the ones with gardens fill first on a sunny day.
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