Dinosaur Cafe

The Dinosaur Cafe sits by Exeter's clock tower on New North Road and has been trading since 2000, a rare example of a genuinely Turkish cafe in the city rather than a Mediterranean-leaning approximation. Everything on the menu is home cooked, and the restaurant is fully licensed, running a small but proper selection of Turkish and French wines alongside the food.

The menu bridges two worlds deliberately - a full English breakfast sits next to Turkish specialities, Mediterranean mezze-style dishes and other home-style cooking, which makes it as comfortable for a plain fry-up as for something more adventurous. It's known locally for a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and a menu that keeps younger, pickier eaters happy alongside adults after something more distinctive. Over two decades of continuous trading in the same spot near the clock tower has made it something of a fixture for Exeter regulars rather than a passing trend.