Ernie Lister - Torbay

We have been patrons of this restaurant for many years whenever we are on holiday. Unfortunately, our last visit will also be our final one. The walls are adorned with TVs, one of which displays tropical fish. Previously, there was only one TV showing vintage music videos, which we, as customers in our 50s and 60s, enjoyed. Additionally, they have replaced the popular FOSTERS beer with Bay's lager, which tastes heavily of hops and is not what we consider to be a traditional lager. The only other option is San Miguel, a pricey beer not suitable for a night of drinking. The bar closed early on a Saturday night due to lack of customers, despite there being only 9 people present before the closing time of 10pm. This led to all the patrons leaving, including us, as there was no way to call a taxi from the restaurant. This experience has led us to decide not to return.

After checking online and discovering that the venue was open until 10pm, we arrived at 8.30pm to find plenty of empty tables at the restaurant. However, our first waitress ignored us and the second waitress confirmed that the kitchen was closing in 20 minutes, despite the advertised closing time of 9.30pm. We were turned away rudely, leaving us wondering why the conflicting closing times were advertised and why we were not accommodated during a difficult economic climate. It appears that unless you book a table well in advance, you may not be able to dine at this restaurant.

Ate here this week while staying in Brixham. Attached to the Quayside Hotel, the bar is essentially a pub serving food. It all looked clean and tidy and the barman was very polite and friendly when we arrived but I sensed something…… If you are familiar with one of our favourite films, “American werewolf in London”, then this could be the “slaughtered lamb”. A recent review mentions a local who hated children. Maybe she was the lady already there when we arrived who basically stared at us walking in, during our stay and again walking out. The menu is short and concise, and each option chosen was OK. Well presented, hot and obviously freshly prepared. We just got that vibe that it wasn’t exactly welcoming, especially if you had a three year old who was just being an average good three year old. All in all OK. We did visit the toilets which were all clean and tidy but on the way up the stairs got that slightly Fawlty Towers feeling.

Nice little pub. Good selection of drinks. Food was nice but not that much choice. Children welcome until 9:30pm. Only criticism was one of the locals made it clear he didn't like children and said they shouldn't be in pubs......good job we've moved on alot since the 1940's and family's now keep these places going especially in a holiday destination.

Cosy and friendly pub which serves lovely fresh food, we tried the catch of the day (Lemon Sole) and also tried the scallops all cooked to perfection all very delicious, well worth a casual walk up the hill from the harbour.