The Heavy Tree

The Heavy Tree, on Fore Street in Heavitree just outside Exeter's city centre, runs two different menus depending on the day. Through the week it's a British bistro and café: breakfast and brunch specials, sandwiches, paninis and salads, with a proper full English alongside vegetarian and vegan options. Come the weekend, the kitchen switches over entirely and it becomes an Indian restaurant, which is an unusual enough pivot that it's become the thing regulars mention first.

Bottled beers, wines and spirits are available alongside free WiFi, and there's outdoor seating for anyone who'd rather sit outside than in. It works as well for a quick coffee and a sandwich as it does for a sit-down weekend curry, and it's welcoming to families and dogs either way. Reviewers rate the staff and atmosphere highly, and the split identity - bistro by week, Indian by weekend - is run as one kitchen rather than two separate businesses sharing a room.