Emilia

Who Should Book Emilia

Emilia is the right choice if you want a genuinely satisfying Italian-inflected meal without the formality or price tag of a destination restaurant. It works particularly well for a relaxed date or a low-key celebration where you want interesting food and wine rather than theatre. If you are planning a special occasion and want to feel like you have found somewhere properly considered rather than just a reliable local, Emilia delivers that. It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand in both 2024 and 2025, which is the guide's signal for serious cooking at a price that does not require justification.

The Setting

The room is a former bank in the centre of Ashburton, and the old vault now serves as the wine store. It is a small space with square tables, some arranged for sharing, and counter and window stools that suit those who do not mind perching. The energy is agreeable rather than hushed: this is not a room that asks you to speak quietly or sit still. If noise and close quarters are a problem for your occasion, book early in service when the room has not yet reached full volume. The daily-changing menu is chalked on the vault door, which sets the tone for what kind of restaurant this is: informal, market-led, and genuinely responsive to what is available.

The Menu and Sourcing

Chef Agim Syla runs a kitchen that takes its direction from Emilia-Romagna, the northern Italian region that gives the restaurant its name. Emilia-Romagna is the source of some of Italy's most ingredient-focused cooking traditions, and that ethos is visible in how the menu is constructed: pasta made in-house daily, a standing offal dish that changes with what is available, and small plates built around a small number of well-chosen components rather than elaborate technique. The approach is generous and direct. Dishes from the kitchen have included broad-ribboned pappardelle with ox cheek ragù and black olives, marinated gurnard with golden raisins, almonds and saffron, and hanger steak with roasted Tropea onion, salted ricotta, capers and oregano. These are not dishes that require explanation. The sourcing is the story: seasonal produce, in-house pasta, and a kitchen that works within its own stated limits rather than overreaching.

Appetisers are lighter in ambition than the mains but charcuterie is a reliable entry point. Dessert selection is deliberately minimal, typically two choices, which tends to make the decision harder rather than easier. The blood-orange and pistachio tart with crème fraîche and the dark chocolate mousse with ginger and oat crumb represent the kitchen's range: precise, flavour-forward, and not trying to impress beyond what the ingredients can carry.

The Wine

There is a retail wine store behind a curtain, and a select portion of that stock makes it onto the restaurant list. The wines are Italian regional and chosen with clear intent: a Merlot-based Gambellara from the Veneto, skin-contact Sicilian from Grecanico-Inzolia. This is not a list built for recognition, it is built for interest. Aperitifs include a Bellini variation made with rhubarb juice. If wine matters to you, this is a place that will reward conversation with whoever is pouring. If you want a conventional Italian list with familiar names, you may find it narrow.

Practical Details

Emilia sits at ££ on the price range, which for a Bib Gourmand holder in a rural Devon market town represents strong value. The address is 2 East St, Ashburton, Newton Abbot TQ13 7AA. Booking is rated as easy, which is consistent with a small room in a small town rather than a destination with a waiting list. That said, the room is small and the menu changes daily, so confirming a reservation in advance is still the sensible move, particularly for weekends or if you are travelling specifically to eat here. Ashburton is accessible by road from Exeter and Plymouth; for more on what else to do in the area, see our full Ashburton restaurants guide, our Ashburton hotels guide, and our Ashburton bars guide. You can also explore Ashburton wineries and Ashburton experiences if you are planning a longer visit.

Comparison

How It Fits the Wider Picture

If you are comparing Emilia against other serious Italian cooking internationally, the contrast is instructive. 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong and Cenci in Kyoto represent Italian cooking at the formal end of the international spectrum. Emilia occupies the opposite register: osteria-style, ingredient-led, and priced for regular use rather than special-occasion splashing. Among UK destination restaurants that have relocated out of London, CORE by Clare Smyth, The Fat Duck, L'Enclume, and Moor Hall all sit at a fundamentally different price point and level of formality. Emilia's Ducksoup pedigree (founders Clare Lattin and Tom Hill previously ran Ducksoup in Soho) gives it credibility in the casual-but-serious Italian space, but it is not competing with those venues. It is competing with the idea that you cannot eat well in a small Devon market town. On that count, it wins.

For other strong UK regional restaurants worth knowing about in this category, hide and fox in Saltwood, Midsummer House in Cambridge, and Opheem in Birmingham represent comparable ambition at the regional level, though in more formal formats. Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons is the obvious benchmark for the rural-destination category in England, but at a price point and formality level that makes it a different kind of decision.