Restaurant in Knowstone, United Kingdom
Michelin cooking in a working village pub.
Masons Arms holds a Michelin star and a 4.8 Google rating — serious credentials for a thatched Devon pub. The Classic French cooking is technically accomplished and priced at £££, well below comparable London addresses. Book six to eight weeks out minimum: four operating days a week and strong demand make this harder to secure than its rural location suggests.
Masons Arms holds a Michelin star and a 4.8 Google rating across 347 reviews — numbers that carry real weight when you consider the venue is a thatched pub in a Devon village most people have never heard of. If you are already a fan and wondering whether to return, the answer is yes, provided you plan ahead: this is a hard-to-book restaurant with limited operating days and a loyal local following. Book at least six to eight weeks out for a weekend table, longer during summer when Exmoor draws visitors from further afield.
Masons Arms sits in Knowstone, a small village in the Exmoor foothills near South Molton. The setting — a traditional thatched pub with views over rolling Devon hills , is working hard in a direction that most pubs never attempt. Run by Mark and Sarah Dodson, the kitchen delivers Classic French cooking anchored in British seasonal produce, presented on a concise menu that changes with the seasons. This is not a pub that does decent food. It is a Michelin-starred kitchen operating inside a pub shell, and the distinction matters when you are deciding whether to make the journey.
The cooking is technically accomplished without being showy. Michelin's own description points to pronounced, assured flavours and attractively presented dishes rooted in British and French classics. The raspberry soufflé is cited specifically , a dish that signals real classical technique, since soufflés at this level require precise timing and a confident kitchen. If you ate here on your first visit and ordered safely, consider going back and letting the kitchen set the pace. The seasonal menu format rewards repeat visits: what you ate last time is unlikely to be exactly what is on the menu now.
Service, managed by Sarah Dodson, is described as charming and attentive, and in this category of restaurant that matters more than it sounds. At a small, owner-operated venue, front-of-house sets the entire register of the evening. The pairing of technically serious cooking with genuinely warm, human service is harder to find than the Michelin star count at similar-tier venues in London would suggest.
Masons Arms is a small village pub, which means group bookings require direct contact and early planning. No dedicated private dining room is listed in the available data, so parties should call or email well in advance to discuss options. For a group wanting a special occasion meal in this tier , Michelin one star, Classic French, rural Devon , the room itself is part of the experience, and a larger group should confirm whether the whole room or a section can be reserved. Groups of four to six are likely the most practical size for a comfortable visit without requiring a private hire arrangement. Larger parties planning a celebratory dinner should make contact at least three months ahead and confirm the venue's capacity to accommodate before making travel plans, particularly if guests are travelling from outside Devon.
For reference: comparable rural Michelin venues such as Hand and Flowers in Marlow and Gidleigh Park in Chagford both handle group bookings, but they have substantially more physical infrastructure. Masons Arms is more intimate, which is either a reason to book it or a reason to look elsewhere depending on your group's needs.
Masons Arms is closed Monday, Sunday, and Tuesday. Service runs Wednesday through Saturday for both lunch (12–3 PM) and dinner (6–10 PM). That is a tight operating window , four days a week , which concentrates demand and makes booking significantly harder than the rural location might imply. If you are travelling specifically to eat here, midweek lunch on a Wednesday or Thursday offers the leading chance of availability at shorter notice than a Saturday evening. Lunch also allows you to appreciate the Exmoor views in daylight, which is worth considering if this is your first visit back after an initial dinner.
Pricing sits at £££ on Pearl's scale, which positions it below the ££££ tier of London Michelin addresses but meaningfully above a standard country pub. For Devon, this is among the higher price points available, but the Michelin star and quality of cooking justify the positioning. Given travel costs if you are coming from outside the Southwest, factor accommodation into the total spend , the area around South Molton and the Exmoor edge has several options, and a single overnight makes the trip considerably more manageable.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Days Open (Lunch/Dinner) | Setting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masons Arms | £££ | Hard | Wed–Sat (both services) | Village pub, Devon |
| Hand and Flowers, Marlow | £££ | Hard | Limited (lunch & dinner) | Pub, Buckinghamshire |
| Gidleigh Park, Chagford | ££££ | Moderate | Daily | Country house hotel, Devon |
| L'Enclume, Cartmel | ££££ | Very Hard | Limited | Village restaurant, Cumbria |
See the full comparison section below.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Masons Arms | £££ | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | ££££ | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | ££££ | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | ££££ | — |
| The Ledbury | ££££ | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | ££££ | — |
Comparing your options in Knowstone for this tier.
Book at least four to six weeks ahead, particularly for weekends. Masons Arms is only open Wednesday through Saturday, which compresses demand into a narrow window. A Michelin star in a small village pub with limited covers means tables go quickly. If you have a specific date in mind, book as soon as plans are confirmed.
Small groups are possible, but this is a compact thatched village pub with no dedicated private dining room listed. check the venue's official channels and plan well ahead. Parties of more than four or five should confirm capacity and any minimum spend requirements before committing travel plans to a remote Exmoor location.
It works for solo diners willing to travel to a rural village for a considered meal. The atmosphere is a traditional pub, so you won't feel out of place eating alone. That said, the limited opening hours — Wednesday to Saturday only — mean a special trip is required, which is a harder case to make for solo visits than for pairs or small groups.
Lunch is the stronger practical case. The Exmoor setting reads better in daylight, the drive in and out of a rural South Molton village is easier, and you avoid the pressure of an evening finish on country roads. Both services run the same menu format, so the food quality is consistent across sittings.
The menu at Masons Arms is described as concise and seasonal, rooted in British and French classics — not a long multi-course tasting format. Michelin's own notes cite pronounced, assured flavours using local produce. At £££ pricing in a pub setting, the value case rests on that cooking quality relative to the format, not on tasting-menu theatre. If you want an extended tasting experience, compare against The Ledbury or Dinner by Heston in London.
Yes, for what it is. A Michelin-starred meal at £££ in a thatched Devon pub is a different proposition from paying comparable prices in London. The cooking runs to French and British classics with a seasonal, local-produce focus. Factor in travel to a remote Exmoor village — this is a destination meal, not a casual dinner, and the effort needs to be part of your calculation.
Yes, provided the occasion suits an intimate rural setting rather than a city dining room. Michelin-recognised cooking, attentive service, and a thatched pub overlooking Exmoor hills make for a memorable combination. Book well ahead, arrange accommodation nearby if you're travelling far, and treat it as a half-day or full-day trip rather than a quick dinner out.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
