Exeter's food scene has quietly got good. The Quayside is now the city's de facto dining quarter, Gandy Street hides some of the best cheap eats, and there's a Michelin Guide restaurant and an award-winning independent scene for when someone else is paying.
It's also compact enough that everything below is walkable from the centre.
Here's where to eat at every price point, and where your student discount actually works.
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The Quayside
On a summer evening this is one of the best places to eat outdoors in Devon, and several of the city's best restaurants cluster along the water.
Crave
The one students consistently rate. Small plates, seasonal, locally sourced, in a stylish room on the historic Quayside. It won Devon's Best Independent Restaurant at the Muddy Stilettos Awards two years running.
Good vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options that don't feel like afterthoughts, and the sharing format works well for a group or a date. Elevated without being pretentious, and the prices are reasonable for what you get.
On The Waterfront
In a converted 19th-century warehouse, doing pizza, tapas and burgers with a heated terrace that extends the season well past summer. Not cutting-edge and not trying to be — it's the reliable one for a big group.
Gandy Street And The Centre
Gandy Street is the cobbled lane off the High Street, and it punches well above its size.
Bill's
All-day dining on Gandy Street, and a solid default for mixed groups. Brunch is the strong suit — the Big Brunch, buttermilk pancakes, eggs Royale — and there's plenty for vegetarians and vegans. Central enough to be a meeting point between lectures.
@billsrestaurantuk 3-5pm at Bill’s everyone 👏 #pancakes #fyp #bottomlessbrunch #foryoupage #food #foodie #pancake #restaurant #restaurantlife #love #fallinginlove ♬ original sound - Bill’s Restaurants
Cork & Tile
A small, busy Portuguese wine and tapas bar on Gandy Street. Genuinely different from anything else in the city.
The Flat
On Fore Street, and the best vegetarian and vegan food in Exeter. Pizza and pasta done well enough that nobody at the table feels short-changed. Try the folded sfilatino.
Oh My Kimchi
On Blackboy Road, and Exeter's first dedicated Korean restaurant. Bibimbap, bulgogi, fried chicken and stews at competitive prices, with a self-service ordering system that keeps the cost down. Well-considered vegan and gluten-free options.
Cheap Eats
Red Panda, Gandy Street — tiny Asian street food takeaway, affordable and customisable, and the go-to for a twenty-minute lunch between lectures. Open Tuesday to Saturday.
The Flat, Fore Street — veggie and vegan pizza at sensible prices
Oh My Kimchi, Blackboy Road — self-service keeps it cheap
Sidwell Street — the highest concentration of pizza places, kebab shops and Chinese takeaways, and where the late-night options are
Franco Manca — sourdough pizza, and with the student discount the best-value sit-down meal in the city
Where Your Student Discount Works
Three brands with confirmed Exeter branches:
Franco Manca — 20% off food and drinks
20% off the total bill, Sunday to Thursday, minimum spend £12, eat in only. Note that it's off the whole bill rather than food only, which is unusual and makes it the best value here.
Toby Carvery — 20% off mains
Monday to Friday only, one voucher per 6 guests. Excludes drinks, takeaway, breakfast, brunch, kids' meals, set menus, buffets and sharing boards, and all food has to be ordered at the same time.
Little Dessert Shop — 20% off
There's a branch at 142 Sidwell Street, EX4 6RT — walkable from the centre and right by the late-night strip.
Worth checking
Miller & Carter has an Exeter Business Park branch, but read the offer properly: it's £20 off when you refer a friend and 9% off gift cards, not a straight percentage off your meal. Useful, but not money off at the till.
Browse the full food and drink student discounts list for what else is live.
One rule worth knowing: most restaurant discounts exclude weekends or restrict them heavily. Franco Manca is Sunday to Thursday, Toby Carvery Monday to Friday. Eat out midweek.
Pubs Worth Knowing
The Double Locks — along the Ship Canal from the Quayside, red-brick, enormous beer garden, and worth the walk or cycle. One of the biggest fireworks displays in the area on bonfire night.
The Turk's Head — 700 years old, next to the Guildhall, and once a haunt of Charles Dickens, who reportedly based his 'Fat Boy' character in the Pickwick Papers on a pub employee.
Top Tips
Franco Manca at 20% off the whole bill is the best-value sit-down meal in Exeter.
Eat out midweek. Both the main discounts exclude the weekend.
Gandy Street for lunch. Red Panda for speed, Bill's for a sit-down.
The Quayside in summer. Crave for the food, On The Waterfront for a group.
Sidwell Street after a night out. It's where things stay open.
Walk to the Double Locks along the canal. It's the best pub trip in the city.
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