Locanda on the Weir

In a tiny coastal village, with the sea in front and Exmoor behind, this eclectic restaurant-with-rooms oozes personality, style and Italian foodie flair. ‘A little gem that takes you on a cultural voyage,’ say readers. Co-owner and chef Pio Catemario di Quadri conjures memorable and ‘outstanding’ meals from foraging, the kitchen garden and local produce: perhaps burrata with aged tomatoes followed by smoked lamb cutlets with fennel, and lemon tart with a pine-nut crust. Breakfast is ‘equally delicious’. The dining room, as elsewhere, is crammed with art, the style throughout – courtesy of co-owner Cindy Siu – a ‘classy’ mix of Italian and English antiques and contemporary finds. Books, a fire in the sitting room, plants and fresh flowers keep things homely with ‘something to look at everywhere and nothing that feels out of place’. Bedrooms, up a tapestry-hung staircase, have sea views, and are more calmly furnished in country house or breezy seaside style. All but one is shower-only, sometimes quite small. The owners ‘are always on hand’, ‘still happily chatting to guests in the dining room after dinner’. (Mr and Mrs Sachak-Patwa)