Rising Sun Hotel

The restaurant has a series of wall-mounted plates from the AA proudly displaying their one red rosette and latterly two red rosette status, Alarmingly there was NO plate for 2022-23 and presumably we experienced why this was the case. To start with, the service was weak. Things took a long time to materialize, even something as simple as a missing water glass that had to be asked for twice before it appeared. However, despite the wait, the food was not improved. After a decent ‘lamb scrumpet’ (rissolle) starter, things went badly downhill. My partner’s beefburger (medium rare ordered) was charred on one side and the rest cooked through as if well done, but at least his chips were nice. My sea trout fillet was minuscule, although this proved a blessing as it was totally dessicated. The accompanying mashed potatoes were so overdone as to resemble ‘smash’ (and approached the quality of the potatoes I last had for school dinners all those years ago) and the accompanying courgettes were ridiculously over-salted. A total disaster of a meal and the waitress insisted on knowing why so much had been left on the plate. So I explained. Reduction on bill? I don’t think so! There are plenty of vastly better options in Lynmouth, so go to them instead.

Went for lunch here with my partner to celebrate his birthday, and we travelled just over an hour to do so. Online it looks like fine dining is their speciality, and that's why we chose it, for a treat! On arrival, we were asked if we wanted to eat in the bar instead of the restaurant (we booked a table in advance, in the resturant). We sat in the bar with drinks and waited to be told when our table was ready. 35 mins later, we had to ask for a menu so we could decide what to have. The menu online states its a sample menu, and subject to change .... literally everything was different. The 3 specials were all fish dishes , and only 1 dish on the mains wasn't a fish dish. We were disappointed but found dishes we wanted, and ordered at the bar (not necessarily a fine dinning experience so far). Eventually we were seated. Food came quickly, but we were the only people eating so there wasn't a backlog of orders anyway. I had a pork, apple, and stuffing bap, which was fine. Nothing special, but fine. The chips were really nice ! My partner had the half lobster dish, and it was so over cooked that it resembled rubber. Like, couldn't even chew it enough, and it definitely would have bounced if you threw it. The couple areas that weren't over cooked, were full of fine shards of shell. They have their AA rosettes proudly on show in the restaurant, and have achieved them for 20 years, so that looks great on first glance. Until you realise they haven't got the most recent one... then it makes more sense. Overall, the food is highly priced for poor execution, and we were left feeling disappointed by the misleading website. The chef was working solo (overheard the waitress saying to other guest that appeared when we were eating) , so can sympathise that it's a difficult job to do on his own, I'm sure he tried his best. The man behind the bar was polite enough, all be it that he did seem to forget we were waiting for him to seat us, like he said he would. Also, when he got us the menus, he licked his fingers to separate the specials pile of menus, which is an ick! But overall he was pleasant enough. There was a loud older man that kept appearing, talking very abrasively about how he "wasn't paid enough to travel to his other workplace" and other comments that were just not for patrons ears really. Not professional at all. The waitress was polite enough. Oh, also, My partner was given his drink and the glass had lipstick on it!! Gross. Won't be visiting again, and wouldn't recommend. Really disappointed

We stayed at The Rising Sun for one night to celebrate a birthday and anniversary. We received a warm welcome and our room was clean and comfortable. We booked for dinner in the evening. The food was high quality and delicious! The staff were friendly and there was a good atmosphere. One small criticism - there was a cheeseboard on the menu, which I was delighted about. However, they were not serving this, as they couldn't procure the correct crackers. Nobody really cares about the crackers! Please serve the cheese!!

A wonderful family stay! Everyone was so helpful and accommodating for our party of eight. Nothing was too much trouble. Food was very good but some staples - chicken, salmon, lamb would be good additions. Shelly’s Cottage was an excellent home from home with all the amenities of the Sun on our doorstep. We will be back!!

What a fantastic night away! The room was amazing, the bath was the biggest I have ever seen, the food was fantastic and staff so friendly and accommodating even on a busy Easter Sunday! Everything from start to finish was great! We will be back.

We had a fantastic week. Very friendly and great food. A very interesting and quirky 14th century pub and hotel. A really good location for walking and exploring the area. Thank you everyone we won't hesitate to stay again when in the area. Peter and Natasha

Room was nice. The restaurant is overpriced and food was mediocre at best. I ordered pork which was fatty. Chips were huge chunks cooked in old oil and arrived half way through meal. Cost of food was extraordinary and I spend a lot of time in London

Visited Lynton and Lynmouth today and had a really lovely time. The cliff railway is just brilliant fun with some spectacular views, even when the weather isn't that great. Decided to have lunch in the Rising Sun and I'm really glad we did. Had a most enjoyable chat with the barman about music, it would seem his taste and mine certainly have some crossover points. It's always nice to meet someone who's musical interests stretch a little beyond the mediocre, although this is a rare thing! To eat, we just had the fish and chips but it was lovely. The fish was haddock if I remember correctly and tasted very fresh and I can't fault the chips. Loved this pub and the town in general. Hope to come back here again sometime.

Interesting and very nice, but not quite as luxurious as some of the photos and website might suggest. Still well worth a visit though.