Where to Eat in Ilfracombe: Harbour, High Street, Sunday Lunch

Short answer: Blacksands is the highest-rated food in town and closed Tuesdays. The Thatched Inn above the harbour does the Sunday lunch people drive a long way for. Annie and the Flint has the best coffee by common consent.

The best meal

Blacksands is the highest-rated food in Ilfracombe. Closed Tuesdays, so plan around it.

The Sunday lunch

The Thatched Inn, a thatched pub above the harbour with a flower garden, does the Sunday lunch people drive a long way for. Book.

The best coffee

Annie and the Flint, an independent coffee house at the top of the high street, is the best coffee in Ilfracombe by common consent.

On the quay

• The Pier Tavern — right on the quay with raised seating over the harbour, doing fish and chips with fish landed locally. Reduced menu and earlier closing out of season.
• The Lime Kiln — the best sit-down view in town, open late Tuesday to Sunday.
• Storm in a Teacup at Watermouth harbour — a café built into an old boat, all outdoor seating with covered areas.

With children

Woodpecker Bar and Kitchen, inland from the coast, opens at 7am and has a playhouse outside — useful with an early riser.

Worth the drive

The Harbour Cafe at Combe Martin, ten minutes east, is the highest-rated café on this coast — proper cooked breakfasts around the £9 mark, right by the beach.

Practical

Parking is cheaper in Ilfracombe than the surrounding villages year-round, and the harbour end is level — so park once and walk rather than moving between ends of the town.

Small Devon restaurants have small dining rooms. Book at weekends and always for Sunday lunch, and ring rather than relying on a booking form out of season.