People can't believe there's a Devon restaurant HERE

There’s no road access, no footpath, no bridge to reach this restaurant. You’ll need to take a 25-minute boat ride across the Exe Estuary.

The River Exe Café sits on a permanently moored barge in the middle of the water with 360° views of the estuary.

The café opens seasonally from April to the end of September, and it’s weather-dependent — if the wind picks up or a storm rolls in, you might get rescheduled. But when conditions are good, it’s one of the most memorable meals you can have in Devon!

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Booking the River Exe Cafe

Bookings open around 18 months in advance and believe me when I say it gets busy. Book as soon as you know your dates!

However, they do also have plenty of cancellations, so if you want to book for a particular day and see it sold out, keep an eye on the website – you may well find more time slots become available.

You do need to pay a deposit, but this ensures that people do actually cancel, so it’s a win-win.

How to get there and what to expect

The water taxi departs from Exmouth Marina. There’s a dedicated pontoon for café guests and parking nearby at Pier Head or Camperdown Terrace (click through for Google Maps locations).

The boat runs regularly but only for people with a confirmed reservation, so booking is essential. You’ll receive details of which boat to be on in your confirmation email.

Once on board, you’re seated in a covered area with open sides. Service is timed around the water taxi schedule so you won’t miss your ride back!

What’s on the menu

The menu changes slightly through the season but always features mussels, oysters and a range of other seafood.

There’s always at least one vegan main and starter – for 2025, they’re as follows:

Goats curd with roasted beetroot, pickled peach, toasted hazelnuts and sesame sponge
Mixed bean ragout with chilli, spinach, tomato, sourdough
Miso roasted aubergine with spiced peanut sauce, fried curry leaves, toasted peanuts, pickled red onion

There are also a few meat options, such as burgers and sirloin.

And there’s a full dessert menu!

See the menu here.

Getting to the River Exe Cafe independently

One thing that’s not advertised as much is that you can access the River Exe Cafe independently.

You’ll need your own paddleboard or boat (I wouldn’t recommend swimming), or you can rent paddleboards from EDGE watersports by the beach.

Set off from the Imperial Recreation Ground (Google Maps location) and time it around the tides – you’ll want to set off before high tide and be returning not long after (otherwise you’ll need to walk!).

It’s around 45 minutes to get to the River Exe Cafe. If you’re paddleboarding, I’d also recommend checking the Surfers Against Sewage app (SAS) for any pollution alerts, which are sadly too common in this part of Devon!

When you arrive at the barge, you can sit in the “boaters” area, have a drink and order from a limited menu (with options like burgers and fries). This is all outside and can’t be reserved – the tables are first come first served and on busy days you might have to wait.