Short answer: Captain Jacks is one of very few places open right through the winter. The Jube and The Barn run reduced hours. The beach is the reason to come: three miles of sand with the dog zoning lifted and the car parks empty.
Woolacombe is a summer village and does not pretend otherwise. From October the surf shops cut hours, several beach cafés close entirely, and the streets that are impassable in August are quiet by four in the afternoon.
What does not change is three miles of west-facing sand. In December you will have most of it, the summer dog zoning is lifted, and parking is both easy and often free of the queue that defines a summer visit.
Captain Jacks is the reliable one — reviewers specifically name it as one of only a couple of places in Woolacombe open during the winter season, with a sun-trap garden that works even in January. Dog friendly, small car park at the rear.
The Jube on South Street is the best-rated pub in the village and generally keeps going. The Barn above the beach is the big one and worth checking rather than assuming. The Tides Inn closes some days out of season.
Up on the headland, Town Farmhouse does the cream teas — opening days vary and one reviewer notes that if the listing says closed it is still worth ringing. The Chichester Arms keeps going; the Ship Aground closes Mondays for much of the year.
Mortehoe Museum is free with a donation box and is the obvious indoor half hour when the weather turns.
Wet and windy rather than cold. The Atlantic keeps north Devon mild and takes the edge off frost, but this coast gets properly blown in winter — waterproofs rather than a heavy coat, and check the forecast for wind rather than temperature.
Winter opening is exactly where online listings are least reliable. Ring before you drive — several places in this guide show as closed on Google and answer the phone perfectly happily.
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