Kings Arms Inn

I stayed for two nights while attending the Women's Rugby World Cup in Exeter and would definitely come back. It’s a brilliant place, with welcoming, friendly staff, good food, and great beer. The room was clean and the bed comfortable. Nothing was a straight line in the room, which I loved, and it had proper old world charm.

The room had a lovely rustic feel, though you can see its age in places. It did what we needed. We were lucky they had one free at short notice, but the warning about noise was accurate: while the pub was open, we could hear every word through the thin walls. Once it closed, things got quiet and pleasant. We had a really nice meal too. My vegetable wellington was delicious, and the pub has cute decor. Our waiter was a lovely young guy who made us feel welcome. The woman behind the bar was an angel and lent me her charger. There’s a car park right beside the place.

We’d seen this place pop up on Facebook a few times. We were passing Exeter on our way home just after 1 pm, and since my partner was hungry, we decided to try it. The big car park made parking easy, and there was enough room for me to get out comfortably as someone with limited mobility. I didn’t spot any marked disabled spaces, though. The outside looked a bit tired but clean, with plenty of outdoor seating. The staff made a strong impression. A young lad who served us, maybe Robbie, was cheerful, funny and much better at engaging with customers than plenty of older people in hospitality. The young woman behind the bar on 13*9*25 was efficient and polite, even with the local fayre bringing in more people and making a busy day harder. There’s a good range of West Country ales at the long bar, along with the usual spirits and bottled drinks. Our food was nicely cooked, good quality and generous enough, with a reasonable range of options at prices a little above a chain pub. The kitchen handled multiple orders well. The chips were spot on, as were the desserts, and the beer came at the right temperature in clean glasses. Some details could use attention: several light fittings were missing bulbs or didn’t work, the cutlery was mismatched and still had dishwasher marks, and the car park signs looked worn. The soft two-seater by our table was so low that I had to stack both cushions to sit high enough to eat comfortably. The men’s toilets were clean, but smaller than expected, had no grab rails and were awkward for me to use. I didn’t see an accessible toilet, though I may have missed it. I can’t comment on the rooms as we didn’t stay. We’d eat here again. It’s a 40-minute drive for us, but supporting an independent pub matters, and pubs are important hubs for villages.

That steak cost me £30, and it was the worst dining experience I’ve ever had. Half the meat was inedible, the fries tasted like they’d been cooked in engine oil, and an ounce of peppercorn sauce cost £4. It was full of actual peppercorns that I had to pick out. London prices in a tiny village, for food you’d get much better at a Wetherspoons.