Restaurant in Ilfracombe, United Kingdom
Set menu, local produce, no fuss.
The Antidote is Ilfracombe's most accomplished restaurant: a Michelin Plate-recognised, owner-run set menu in a converted glass-fronted shop, built around local North Devon produce. At ££ with a 4.7 Google rating, it delivers serious Modern British cooking at an accessible price. Book three to four weeks ahead for summer weekends.
Picture this: you've spent the afternoon walking Ilfracombe's harbour, watched the light drop over Hillsborough, and now you're looking for somewhere that justifies the drive out to North Devon. The Antidote is that place. Housed in a converted glass-fronted shop on St James Place, it runs a Michelin Plate-recognised set menu built around local produce, served at brown-paper-covered tables in a room that feels genuinely considered rather than try-hard coastal. The verdict: yes, book it — and do so well in advance if you're coming in summer.
This is a small, owner-run restaurant with a set menu that changes regularly to reflect what's available locally. The format is tight and deliberate: a friendly couple runs the operation, which means the experience is personal in a way that larger restaurants in this price bracket rarely manage. At ££, it sits in the accessible end of the serious-food spectrum — this is not a blowout occasion restaurant, but it is a meal worth planning around.
The converted shop space sets a tone that works: the glass frontage brings in natural light during early sittings, while the brown-paper tables signal informality without sacrificing intent. The atmosphere lands somewhere between neighbourhood bistro and destination dining room , quiet enough for conversation, engaged enough that you feel the kitchen cares. For a food-focused trip to North Devon, this is the room you want.
The Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms that the cooking here is consistent and seriously considered, even if it hasn't crossed into star territory. In the context of Ilfracombe's dining options, that credential matters: it positions The Antidote as the most technically accomplished kitchen in town. Google reviewers back this up with a 4.7 rating across 87 reviews, which for a small restaurant in a seasonal coastal town is a meaningful signal of reliable quality.
Set menu format is worth understanding before you book. You are not choosing from a long à la carte list , the kitchen decides, the menu rotates, and the dishes are modern British in construction with a clear emphasis on local sourcing. For diners who want to direct every element of their meal, this format can feel limiting. For everyone else, it removes the friction of choosing and lets the kitchen show what it can do with what's available.
North Devon's larder is genuinely strong , the coastline produces good seafood, and the surrounding farmland supports quality meat and vegetables. A kitchen committed to local produce in this part of England has real material to work with, and the Michelin recognition suggests The Antidote is doing that sourcing justice. If you're the kind of traveller who reads menus as a document of place, this is a restaurant that rewards that instinct.
Specific wine list details are not available in our current data for The Antidote, so we won't speculate on particular bottles or producers. What the profile of the restaurant suggests , owner-run, produce-led, set menu format, Michelin Plate level , is a wine list that is likely curated rather than extensive, chosen to support the food rather than to perform independently. At ££ pricing, expect a list that is approachable in price and focused in scope. If wine pairing matters to you, it is worth contacting the restaurant directly before your visit to ask what's available and whether a paired option exists alongside the set menu. For the kind of explorer who treats the wine list as part of the experience, that conversation is worth having ahead of time.
For context on what a wine program at this level can look like in comparable UK regional restaurants, hide and fox in Saltwood and Moor Hall in Aughton both offer strong regional pairings at their respective price points , useful reference points if you're calibrating expectations for what an owner-run, produce-focused kitchen typically invests in its list.
The Antidote also offers bedrooms, with at least one room featuring a small private terrace. If you're travelling to Ilfracombe specifically for the food , or want to combine dinner with a night on the North Devon coast , staying here removes any logistical pressure around driving or finding accommodation elsewhere. This is a practical advantage worth factoring into your planning, particularly in peak summer months when accommodation in the area books out quickly. See our full Ilfracombe hotels guide for alternatives if the rooms here are taken.
Ilfracombe is a seasonal town. The summer window , roughly late June through early September , is when demand peaks and when a small restaurant like The Antidote will fill its limited covers fastest. Book at least three to four weeks ahead for a summer weekend table; mid-week in high season and shoulder-season visits (May, early June, October) are easier to secure but still warrant early planning. The Booking Difficulty rating for The Antidote is Easy in relative terms, which means you are unlikely to face the months-long waits of London destination restaurants, but leaving it to the week before during August is a risk not worth taking.
For broader trip planning around Ilfracombe, see our full Ilfracombe restaurants guide, bars guide, and experiences guide.
If you're building a food-focused itinerary around the South West and want to understand where The Antidote sits, Gidleigh Park in Chagford is the region's most formal option , two Michelin stars, significantly higher price point, and a very different register. The Antidote is the better choice if you want accomplished Modern British cooking without the ceremony or the spend. For a broader sense of what owner-run, produce-led kitchens are achieving outside London, L'Enclume in Cartmel and Ynyshir Hall in Machynlleth represent the ceiling of the category , useful reference points even if they are operating at a very different scale and ambition from The Antidote.
Within the context of what Ilfracombe actually offers, The Antidote is the clearest answer to the question of where to eat well. See our Ilfracombe wineries guide if you want to extend the drinks focus of your visit.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Antidote | Modern British | ££ | Easy |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | ££££ | Unknown |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | ££££ | Unknown |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Unknown |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | ££££ | Unknown |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | ££££ | Unknown |
How The Antidote stacks up against the competition.
The kitchen runs a set menu that changes with local produce availability, so dietary flexibility is worth confirming directly before you book. A changing menu means the kitchen is not locked into fixed dishes, which can work in your favour — but a small owner-run operation may have limits on how much it can adapt on the night.
The Antidote is a converted shop with brown paper-covered tables and a relaxed, modish feel — there is no indication of a formal dress code. Neat, comfortable clothes are appropriate. This is not a white-tablecloth room, so dress accordingly.
Yes, at ££ pricing with a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, The Antidote delivers well above its price point for a set menu restaurant. The format — thoughtfully prepared dishes built around local produce — is exactly what that recognition rewards. For the money, few restaurants in North Devon offer this level of kitchen consistency.
It works well for a low-key special occasion: an intimate, owner-run room with a changing set menu and Michelin recognition. The glass-fronted shop conversion and brown paper tables keep the atmosphere relaxed rather than formal, so if you want grand ceremony, this is not that. If you want a meal that feels considered without a stiff room around it, book here.
Bar seating is not referenced in available venue information for The Antidote. Given the small, conversion-space format and set menu structure, this is unlikely to be an option — check the venue's official channels at 20 St James Pl, Ilfracombe EX34 9BJ to confirm seating arrangements before visiting.
The set menu is the only format The Antidote offers, so the question is really whether the format suits you. If you are comfortable letting the kitchen decide based on what is available locally, and you trust a Michelin Plate kitchen to deliver, the answer is yes. If you need full menu control or have significant dietary restrictions, contact the restaurant before booking.
Ilfracombe does not have a deep bench of comparable restaurants at this level, which is part of what makes The Antidote notable in the area. For a broader North Devon food itinerary, Gidleigh Park in Chagford is the regional reference point for formal fine dining, though it sits in a different price bracket entirely. If The Antidote is fully booked, widen your search to the broader South West rather than expecting a direct local substitute.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
