The Loft

The Loft is a family-run restaurant up a small flight of stairs between two shops on Sidmouth's High Street, serving British and Mediterranean food built around local sourcing and a proper wine list rather than a generic house selection. It is open seven nights a week, with lunch added on Saturdays, and there is an outdoor terrace for the days the weather allows it. Beyond regular dinner service it also hosts private parties, celebrations and funeral wakes, functioning as one of the more flexible dining spaces in the town rather than a strictly evening-only restaurant.

The menu runs to dishes like sea bass and king prawns for mains, with crème brûlée, panna cotta and ice cream to finish, and a proper run of vegan options on the evening menu rather than a single token dish. Kids can make their own pizzas, which makes it more workable for families than most sit-down restaurants in Sidmouth. It welcomes dogs as well as families, and reviewers consistently rate it among the better restaurants in the town for both food and the warmth of the staff.