Sawmills Free House
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Quick info
About Sawmills Free House
Sawmills Free House is a pub on Watermouth Valley in Ilfracombe, with a menu spanning 75 dishes. Starters include the Classic Prawn Cocktail, Potted Devonshire Crab, and Charred Octopus, alongside Rosemary & Lemon Marinated Olives and a Soup of the Day. On Sundays the kitchen offers a roast with a choice of beef, pork, or lamb. Dogs are welcome both inside the pub and in the outdoor areas. The pub operates on a walk-in basis, with no reservations taken.
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Menu & Prices
75 dishes · mains £3–218- Classic Prawn Cocktail£10.75
- Potted Devonshire Crab£11.00
- Charred Octopus£12.00
- Sun Blushed Tomato & Mozzarella Arancini£9.50
- Rosemary & Lemon Marinated Olives£7.20
- Soup Of The Day£7.00
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention dog-friendly seating and rooms, sunday roast, potted crab and prawns and gluten free meals.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention dog-friendly seating and rooms, sunday roast, potted crab and prawns and gluten free meals.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often praise the friendly, helpful staff. One walker who stopped for a pint ended up with a full lunch after staff and the chef discussed gluten free beers, and a special meal was made with extra care to be coeliac safe. Close behind is the food, with shell on prawns and potted crab called well presented and tasty, and a Sunday lunch one reviewer found brilliant. Dog owners mention a shaded outdoor area and staff who were kind to their dog. The criticism centres on value and freshness. One Sunday roast diner found the roast potatoes seemed reheated, the plate only warm, portions small, and the sticky toffee pudding and chocolate brownie with custard nothing special for the price. Another found the menu generic, and one overnight guest noted a dirty floor in the room. Even so, a group of twelve at breakfast had every order cooked perfectly and served together.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often praise the friendly, helpful staff. One walker who stopped for a pint ended up with a full lunch after staff and the chef discussed gluten free beers, and a special meal was made with extra care to be coeliac safe. Close behind is the food, with shell on prawns and potted crab called well presented and tasty, and a Sunday lunch one reviewer found brilliant. Dog owners mention a shaded outdoor area and staff who were kind to their dog. The criticism centres on value and freshness. One Sunday roast diner found the roast potatoes seemed reheated, the plate only warm, portions small, and the sticky toffee pudding and chocolate brownie with custard nothing special for the price. Another found the menu generic, and one overnight guest noted a dirty floor in the room. Even so, a group of twelve at breakfast had every order cooked perfectly and served together.
Featured reviews
- Sara Rouse-Heales
“We had a lovely stay at Sawmills. Manager Ryan was extremely friendly and welcoming, which made us feel comfortable straight away. The accommodation is very dog-friendly, which was perfect for us, and the room was warm, inviting, and had …”
- Philip Ohagan
“we made a booking for dinner around 7pm. this was a lovely setting and a welcoming environment. We then had our drinks and a copy of the menu. I was quite disappointed in the on what was on offer..its the same old generic offerings that you …”
- DAVID LAWRENCE
“Fabulous pub in a nice location. Good range of drinks and the food choices were good and very tasty. The room was nice to stay in apart from the dirty floor throughout which had …”
- Andy Lee
“Returned three nights on the trot. This places can get really busy but still offer a great vibe with indoor and outdoor seating. A great selection of drinks at the bar and a solid menu with the classic on all the food we tried was well cooked and presented well.”
- Jano sandell
“Lovely pub but I felt that £22 for a Sunday roast was a bit pricey… food came out within 5 minutes of ordering and wasn’t fresh. We went at around 6pm and the roast potatoes were either reheated or had just been kept on a hot plate as certainly weren’t fresh and the rest of the dinner was only just warm & not hot & nothing special. The options were either beef, pork or lamb & all 3 options were £22. Portion sizes were also small. Was still starving after it! Desserts were also quite expensive! I had a sticky toffee pudding with custard & my other half had chocolate brownie with custard… both were £10 each and nothing special at all. I felt like it was a £5 dessert that they were charging £10 for. It’s a shame as it’s a lovely pub but they’re charging too much for what you get! Unlikely we’ll be back purely as it’s overpriced.”
Location
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