When we got the keys for Seacroft holiday home we wanted to go out celebrating. I asked on the local Facebook group where was good for a celebratory drink and the almost unanimous answer was the quay restaurant and bar in the popular Harbour area in Ilfracombe.
We duly sought it out and were delighted to grab a coveted street table. Now we both have different drinks: Kieran likes red wine and Eleanor prefers white wine so we needed some advice on what to order.
Stacey – the co-owner welcomed us to the town and gave us a great rundown of the wine on offer including a number of samples so we could choose what we liked.
She told us how she hadn’t been opened very long but had a great reception by locals and tourists alike.
The location is top notch: overlooking the small but delightful harbour, with plenty of sunshine all day. The wide doors open up the interior so even if you don’t get a street table, you can easily see outside and the place is flooded with light.
Stacey told us the building used to be Damien Hirst’s gallery (when he owned it) and that he has spent a lot of time and money lovingly restoring the features and bringing it to a really high quality. The huge windows definitely give it a gallery quality.
It is a wine bar yes but they were very happy for a family to sit in with their kids and bent over backwards to make sure every customer had what they needed.
Needless to say the wine was absolutely delicious, and served in massive glasses which was just what we were looking for.
Sadly we were a bit late and she was shutting up shop (but waited until we were finished with no hurry to make us leave) and made us feel really welcome both to the bar and also the town.
It’s now a regular watering hole and doubles up as a wonderful spot to people watch in the harbour!
We shamelessly stole these photos from their Instagram – go check them out.
