Elephant, The

The Verdict

If you're weighing up a destination dinner on the Devon coast, The Elephant in Torquay delivers a level of cooking that most comparable coastal restaurants in England simply don't match. Chef Simon Hulstone runs a prix-fixe kitchen that punches well above the expectations set by its postcard setting near Torquay Harbour, with OAD Classical in Europe rankings of #237 (2024) and #274 (2025) placing it in a genuinely competitive tier alongside the leading regional Modern British restaurants in the country. Book here when you want serious cooking in a room that doesn't take itself too seriously; low-backed wooden chairs, stone tables, elephant-themed touches keep the atmosphere relaxed while the food does the work.

About The Elephant

The Elephant sits on Beacon Hill, a short walk from the Marina, in a double-fronted space that draws on the historic character of the Elephant hotel building; antique wood panelling, moody coloured walls, a sense of occasion that arrives without starch or formality. It is the kind of place that a food-focused traveller will feel immediately comfortable in, precisely because the room signals intent through the plate rather than through the furniture.

Hulstone's kitchen operates on a prix-fixe format and draws on produce from the restaurant's own 96-acre farm, which gives the menu a grounding in place that menus constructed purely from supplier lists rarely achieve. The cooking style is regional Modern British, classical in its discipline, creative in its combinations. Dishes documented from the kitchen include a gently poached scallop paired with chicken wing in bone-marrow dressing with sea buckthorn, a combination that works precisely because the savoury richness of the bone marrow is cut by the sharp, floral note of the buckthorn. In spring, Wye Valley asparagus has appeared alongside barbecued pineapple, hash brown, macadamias, the kind of pairing that could easily read as chaotic on paper but reflects the kitchen's confidence in knowing where flavour contrast ends and confusion begins. A poached cod with pink grapefruit and carrot in a coconut curry sauce shows the same instinct for balancing acidity and warmth. Traditionalists are not left out: heritage pork with glazed cheek, black pudding, grelot onion, pearl barley is a mainstay that explains why locals return consistently.

The dessert approach leans savoury, apricot parfait with toasted rice and chai foam, or gariguette strawberries with bay leaf flan and peppered caramel. If that sounds unusual, it reads as a deliberate extension of the kitchen's logic rather than a trend being followed for its own sake.

The wine list runs to close to a thousand labels, which is an extraordinary depth for a restaurant of this size in a coastal Devon town. The section headed 'seasonal wines we like' changes regularly and is worth paying attention to, past examples have included a Sardinian Vermentino and a Rhône-style red from Cucugnan in the Aude. For wine-focused diners, this list is a genuine draw rather than an afterthought.

Service style is described consistently as running with serene efficiency, attentive without the formality that sometimes makes tasting-menu restaurants feel like an endurance test. The room looks out over Torquay Harbour, which gives the space a natural connection to its coastal context without leaning on the view as a substitute for substance.

Transition to a prix-fixe format did shift prices upward noticeably. That is worth factoring into a decision, particularly if you are comparing against other regional Modern British options in the South West. For visitors to the wider Devon and South West region, The Elephant is the kind of restaurant that justifies a detour, see our full Torquay restaurants guide for further context on the local scene, or consider combining the visit with stays covered in our Torquay hotels guide.

For regional Modern British cooking at a comparable standard elsewhere in England, Gidleigh Park in Chagford and Moor Hall in Aughton operate in a similar tier, while L'Enclume in Cartmel and Hand and Flowers in Marlow represent the benchmark for farm-to-table intent and relaxed-room delivery respectively. In the South East, hide and fox in Saltwood and 33 The Homend in Ledbury are worth knowing for shorter detours. For London benchmarks in the same Modern British category, CORE by Clare Smyth and The Ritz Restaurant are the natural reference points, while Midsummer House in Cambridge, Opheem in Birmingham, and Restaurant Andrew Fairlie in Auchterarder cover the regional fine-dining map more broadly. For the outer edge of creative Modern British, The Fat Duck in Bray and Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton remain the country-house benchmarks.

Practical Details

The Elephant opens Wednesday to Friday for lunch (12–1:30 PM) and dinner (6:30–8:30 PM), with Saturday adding a slightly later dinner close at 9:30 PM. The restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday. The prix-fixe format means the kitchen operates tight service windows, arriving on time matters. Booking is rated easy, but given the limited covers and the restaurant's OAD standing, booking ahead during peak Devon holiday periods is advisable. The address is 3&4 Beacon Hill, Torquay TQ1 2BH. No dress code is specified in the venue record, consistent with the relaxed atmosphere the room projects. For bars and further exploration of the area, see our Torquay bars guide, Torquay wineries guide, and Torquay experiences guide.

Quick reference: Wed–Sat lunch and dinner; closed Sun–Tue; prix-fixe format; booking easy; 3&4 Beacon Hill, Torquay TQ1 2BH.

Ratings at a Glance

• OAD Classical in Europe: #274 (2025), #237 (2024), Recommended (2023)