The Wild Swan Brasserie

The Wild Swan Brasserie sits on The Strand in Dawlish, opened by a young local family - Lee and Samantha, with their children Louis and Esme - who set out to give the town a warm, unpretentious place to gather rather than a formal dining room. The kitchen leans on home cooking from local ingredients: Catalonian-style mussels, seasoned steaks including a wagyu option, Japanese katsu chicken and British pies sit alongside lighter sandwiches, so the menu covers a proper sit-down meal or something quicker without much of a gap between them.

Themed afternoon teas run alongside the main menu, and the drinks side is taken just as seriously - the brasserie describes itself as Dawlish's premium wine and cocktail bar, with locally sourced coffee, speciality teas, homemade cakes and smoothies for anyone not drinking. It's available for private hire for groups wanting the room to themselves. Reviewers on Tripadvisor rate it highly and single out the cocktails and the friendly, attentive service in a town not overloaded with restaurants of this standard.