The town of Dawlish and its surrounding area, as one might expect, has a large number of pubs, cafes and restaurants. We are often asked 'where is it best to eat or have a drink'. We have put together a basic guide to what is on offer in the local area, this is by no means an exhaustive list and the recommendations are of a personal choice. For a town of around 13,000 residents, to have more than one pub per 1,000 head does seem to be a little excessive, however the visitors and seasonal trade seems to keep most in business.

In the main all the pubs in and around Dawlish are of a good quality, none could be described as 'rough' and all visitors to the area will be made welcome, the days of the locals shutting up hen visitors arrive has thankfully gone.

On a personal note if its just a good clean, swearing free atmosphere with what is viewed as the best real ale in town by the locals - you need look no further than the first entry below.

Public Houses in Dawlish

The Laffinn Pig - Located at 1 Commercial Road, this is the website owners 'local', it has a good choice of 'real ale' from local brewery's, has a quiet atmosphere and offers an excellent range of home cooked food. For those looking for a high quality pint of real ale, this is the place for you.

The Railway - Situated in the very narrow Beach Street opposite the station this pub offers a good range of beers and other drinks and does low cost meals of a good quality. Not the quietest pub in town.

Exeter Inn - Also located in Beach Street this very old world pub offers a very comfortable atmosphere for drinkers. In 2007 it was not offering food. Well worth a visit and has the unusual feature of its games room and toilets being on the opposite side of the street.

The Marine Tavern - Located at 2 Marine Parade, this pub offers perfect views of the railway line, recently under new management this pub is of increasing quality and is often favoured by railway enthusiasts who can eat, drink and watch trains at the same time. Good food offered and also has accommodation of a good standard.

The Teignmouth Inn - Located just to the rear of the Marine Tavern on the hill out towards Teignmouth at Brookdale Cottages, the TI as its usually known is very much a 'locals' pub, offers limited real ale and food, the interior might be a little 'bright' for some.

Brunswick Inn - Found mid way up Brunswick Place this is a large town pub offering a wide range of real ale, general drinks and food. The pub also has a large skittles alley to the rear. This pub being right in the town does get very crowded in bust times. A limited amount of open air seating is provided.

The White Hart - Situated towards the back of the towns shopping streets at 6 Albert Street, this pub offers the usual array of food and drinks, usually quiet.

The Hole in the Wall - To be found mid-way along the main shopping street at 28 The Strand, The Hole in the Wall can get very busy and often quite noisy, a popular haunt for young people and usually has the services of doorman at weekends.

The South Devon - Located on the junction of Strand Hill and High Street, this is another 'locals' pub, limited real ale and food. Frequently has theme nights, especially for sporting events.

Landsdown - Run by a very charismatic landlord, this is the 'in location' for the towns younger drinkers, offers an excellent of real ale, provides food and carries all major sporting events on large screens. Has limited outside 'terrace' seating. Very popular location with locals and visitors but can get a little noisy. Located towards the rear of the town at 8 Park Road.

Ferret & Radiator - This is another pub in Park Road, No. 23, it is usually populated by the younger drinkers and has frequent discos and loud music. Limited real ale and food. Very popular with locals.

The Swan Inn - Located at the back of the town on the junction of Old Town Street and Church Street, this is a quiet village style pub, offering good real ale and food, has a nice beer garden which in summer months has occasional music evenings. Popular with locals and visitors.

The Old Brewery - Dawlish Old Brewery in High Street dates back to the early 1800s as the towns original brewery. In more recent years it has been converted into a pub and quality restaurant, good real ale and food, nice location.

Clubs
Towards the back of the town in Park Road, three 'clubs' are located, the Conservative Club, Royal British Legion Club and the RAF club, All are available to members.

Public Houses in the surrounding area to Dawlish
Between Dawlish and Teignmouth is Holcombe, traveling from Dawlish via Teignmouth Hill The Smugglers is to be found at 27 Teignmouth Road, this is a large cliff top pub and quality restaurant with seating for large number of people. This is mainly an eating house, but does have an excellent bar. This is a very busy establishment even in the low season and visitors would need to book to make sure of a table. A little further on the same road the village of Holcombe is found, this village has one pub The Castle, this offers some excellent food and a good bar well stocked with real ale. The pub has a good mix of locals and a number of visitors pay a visit when on holiday.

Heading from Dawlish towards Dawlish Warren, 'The Warren' has four pubs. The largest is The Mount Pleasant Inn, this establishment offers a wide selection of food and drink including some good real ale. It gets very busy in peak periods and offers a superb view over Dawlish Warren including excellent views of the railway. Lees Bar on Mount Pleasant Road offers a good selection of real ale and food, very popular with locals and holiday markers from the surrounding holiday parks. The Welcome Inn also on Mount Pleasant Road offers a wide selection of drinks and can get very busy. On the Warren itself The Boat House is located a newish establishment offers good drink and food and nice views over the water to Exmouth.

For those who visit Cockwood to observe and photograph trains, two excellent pubs exist. The Anchor, right on the harbour side is large, offers good real ales and general drinks and a wide menu, especially sea food. Just around the corner is The Ship at Cockwood, very much a 'locals' pub this establishment offers some fine drinking with a good selection of real ale and excellent food.