Terra Madre at Broomhill Art Hotel, near Barnstaple

Perched atop a winding driveway via an enchanted forest, this hidden gem will delight hungry art-lovers. Fifteen years ago a pair of Dutch art dealers and bakers moved to north Devon and combined their passions for sculpture and slow food. On your walk up to the restaurant, you will encounter a diverse range of sculptures. There is a cutesy pair of plump, neon birds in the woodland just around the corner from a disturbing installation by Mike Roles on a dilapidated tennis court and then the surprise of a giant red stiletto in front of the late Victorian hotel. The restaurant is as appealing as the location, offering a great value hot Mediterranean buffet for £10 a head (including free ticket to the sculpture garden) for groups of 12 or more. And there are coffees, bar meals and cream teas served daily.

The whisky cured salmon with fennel salad and sourdough bread is good value at £7.95. Other specials on my visit were slow-cooked red ruby beef casserole, and the bulgur salad with goat's cheese looked fresh and delicious (both £7.95). The bread is baked here in a wood-fired oven and served with olive oil (£1.75). You can also pop in for elevenses and enjoy a coffee and homemade cake of the day for £4.75.
• Tea and cake from £4.25, bar lunches from £4.35-£8.25. Bar lunches seven days a week, restaurant lunch Wednesday-Sunday, restaurant dinner Wednesday-Saturday. Muddiford Road, 01271 850262, broomhillart.co.uk

Lilico's Tapas Lounge and Bar, Barnstaple

Lilico's is situated bang opposite the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon and near the River Taw. Green hills are visible in the distance but the busy road outside the pavement cafe is about as hectic as Devon gets. Slightly off the beaten track, Lilico's is a place for Devon folk seeking urban thrills. By night the brightly coloured bar is heaving (live music on Thursdays), when it does a roaring trade with its tapas offer (any six tapas dishes plus a bottle of Portuguese wine or four bottles of Estrella Damm beer for £30).

At lunchtime there are young families and ladies-who-lunch on the sunny terrace tucking into tapas, fishcakes and salads. The soft, boned sardines with spring onions (£4.75) are served on two slices of griddled poppy seed bloomer. The small bowl of chilli beef nachos (£5.50) would satisfy most people's appetites and comes with salad.
• Tapas £2.50-£5.25. Tapas menu available Monday-Thursday 11am-2.30pm and 5.30-9.30pm, all day Friday and Saturday. Bridge Buildings, The Square, 01271 372933, lilicos.co.uk

Fremington Quay Cafe, Barnstaple

Paul and Charlotte live on site and run this cafe with unbridled enthusiasm. Their stunning view extends over the River Taw to Braunton Burrows. It's a former railway station with a replica look-out tower and is located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the 30-mile long Tarka Cycle Trail. The food is hearty fare to feed the cyclists, walkers and birders: enormous breakfasts, baked potatoes from £4.45 and gourmet baguettes. The Great Western baguette (£6.95) is a filling combo of Instow mature cheddar, homecooked ham, apple and plum tomato slices, with a Devon cider chutney; a baguette filled with local crab is £7.95.

There's a wild flower meadow in front of the terrace where the kids can play after eating from the Healthy Kids menu (£3.95). Nature enthusiasts will relish the chance to spot kingfishers and curlews. On Mondays in winter Paul leads RSPB tours from the cafe.
• Light lunches and breakfasts £3.95-£8.55. Open all year, 9.30am-5.30pm daily. Fremington Quay, 01271 268720, fremingtonquay.co.uk

Sandleigh Tea Room and Garden, Croyde

Tucked away at the quieter end of Croyde, near the stunning Baggy Point headland, is a community allotment project with cafe. Inside the old stone building (leased from the National Trust) the decor could be described a chichi cupcake: polka dots and bunting in pastel shades – we are at the seaside after all. Milkshakes (£2.40) contain real fruit and ice-cream. Salad crops for the crab salad (£9.95) and award-winning pasty platter (£5.75) are grown yards from the tables in the walled garden.

The cafe tables are directly alongside twelve plots where members of the community grow a huge variety of fruit and veg in the beachside allotments. Surplus produce is either on sale or donated to the tea room to use in their dishes.
• Cookies and cakes from £1.20, lunches from £4.20. Open every day 9.30am-6pm in summer peak season, 10am-5pm rest of year. Moor Lane, 01271 890930, sandleigh.info

GJs Dutch Pancake House, Woolacombe

In five years, this tiny, lurid purple takeaway has become an institution with many holidaymakers. The basic lemon and sugar, maple syrup, jam or Nutella versions are well priced at £2.50, as are "mid-range" options such as apple and cinnamon or fresh strawberries for £3 (prices haven't gone up in four years). For the ultimate blowout, try the all-singing, all-dancing Dutch Glory, resplendent with layers of strawberries, topped with ice-cream, whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate sauce and a chocolate biscuit – plus a Dutch flag on the top (GJ is from the Netherlands) at £4.50. At the height of the season this place serves 300 customers a day.

This is a great re-fuelling stop either pre- or post-surfing. There are just a couple of benches and one table outside but it doesn't take long to wolf down a banana and peanut butter pancake – or two.
• Savoury and sweet pancakes from £2.50. Open Easter to 31 October, seven days a week from 11am. South Street, 01271 870992, gjpancakes.co.uk

Graylings, Fremington and North Tawton

A grayling may well be a fish in the salmon family, but this fish and chip takeaway is named after the owners, Lee and Sarah Grayling, winners of the Best Fish and Chips in the North Devon Food and Drink Awards. Part of their secret lies in making their own chips from fresh potatoes delivered by a local supplier. Both takeaways are sparklingly clean, with attractive blue mosaic tiles and the uniformed staff are brisk yet professional.

There's often a chance of getting some locally landed fish such as hake, rock or skate from the specials board. Prices start at £2.85 for kids' meals, £5.35 for standard cod and chips, and go up to a still reasonable £7.55 for the large cod with large chips. There are 10 seats and, for no extra charge, customers can eat in.
• Fish and chips £5.35-£7.55. Monday-Saturday 12-2pm and 5-10pm. 2 Higher Road, Fremington, Barnstaple, and 8 High Street, North Tawton, 01271 346661, graylingstogo.co.uk

Yarde Orchard Cafe, East Yarde

The easiest way to get here is by bike and that's what the owners hope you will do, as they promote food and a lifestyle that is sustainable and green. There is some parking nearby but most customers arrive via the Tarka Cycle Trail or on foot. Little more than a prefabricated shack, the cafe building has been upcycled from its previous incarnations as a sailors' dormitory in Plymouth and a chicken shack. It's full of character inside – wood clad with bunting strung about and an open kitchen. The cyclist's breakfast (£6.50) is terrific value: a full English breakfast made with local ingredients, plus cereal, juice and tea or coffee.

The wood-fired clay oven gets fired up at weekends and the chorizo and sun-dried tomato pizzas with homegrown rocket (£7.50) are delicious. Plenty of decent veggie options too such as homemade spinach, feta and filo pie. Unusually for such a small place, there is IBA award-winning cask ale on the bar to cater for the live music events that are often hosted here at weekends.
• Meals from £6.50. Open 10.30-3 weekdays during term, until 5pm at weekends and during school holidays. Sometimes opens earlier at 8.30-9.30 for breakfasts – ring to check. 01805 601778, yarde-orchard.co.uk

Docton Mill Tea Gardens, Lymebridge

If you're after a traditional Devon cream tea in the real Devon countryside and an escape from the 21st century, this place is for you. The Hartland peninsula is about as far away from the M5 as you can get in Devon and feels remote and wild. John and Lena welcome visitors to their home, an ancient mill set in a deep valley and surrounded by beautiful gardens (entrance ticket: £4.50 adults, under-17s free).

After meandering along the riverside, you can enjoy a plate of Brixham crab sandwiches (£5.50) and warm scones served as part of a cream tea (£4.50.) Salads are a speciality as the leaves are grown here (£7 to £9.75). Docton Mill's signature dessert is its rich chocolate pudding, an unusual but tasty combination of dark chocolate, cherries and rolled oats, served with clotted cream.
• Light lunches from £5.50. Open 1 March to 31 October, 10am to 5pm, customers are welcome to visit the tea rooms without going to the gardens. 01237 441369, doctonmill.co.uk

Tea on the Green, Westward Ho!

The decor is retro 50s with black and white Hollywood framed photos and posters on the walls, period music is playing and there are enormous pots of tea with polka dot cups and saucers. Helpings are on the (extremely) generous side and regulars often share a lunch, such as the cheese and bacon grill with side salad (£5.25 / £6.70) so they don't have to forego a cake. All cakes are made by the owner, Alison, and she is proud to serve them all as enormous wedges. The chocolate cake has four layers and is filled with chocolate cream and decorated with Maltesers (£2.80); the Victoria sponge contains whipped cream and pieces of fresh fruit, which makes a nice change from butter cream. The outdoor seating has views over the green and out to Lundy Island. Every second Tuesday of the month (except August) there is a pudding club – a light main supper followed by six desserts.
• Cakes from £2.80, lunches from £3.95-£8.55. Wednesday-Sunday 11am-5pm, summer holidays open seven days a week. Golf Links Road, 01237 429406, teaonthegreen.net

Grassroots Cafe, Ilfracombe

There is a dearth of vegetarian eateries in north Devon. Ilfracombe is blessed with many places offering a fry-up or fish and chips, but not so much in the way of home-cooked, wholesome food. Grassroots's menu is 100% vegetarian and approximately 25% vegan, and owner Sarah cooks virtually all the food on site. Her watercress, asparagus and gorgonzola quiche with leaves and chutney is an absolute bargain at £3.45. The elderflower cheesecake is summery, delicious, and difficult to turn down at £2 a slice. On Fridays and Saturdays there is a three-course meal (£12) with a BYO policy (corkage £1 a person). It is in a high street setting with a small courtyard garden at the rear. The cafe is a bit of a community hub: there are toys, books and colouring-in for the little ones and two book clubs for the local literati. Gluten, dairy and wheat-free diets also catered for.
• Lunches from £3.45. Open for coffees, teas and lunches from 10-4pm Monday-Friday and 10.30-4.30pm Saturday; Friday and Saturday evening from 7pm. High Street, 01271 867574, no website

Katy Hanley blogs about Devon and Cornwall at grazingkate.blogspot.co.uk

Know any great cheap eats in the area? Add your recommendation in the comments below