Emilia

Fabulous food. Great service. Lovely atmosphere. We were visiting the area and had a very enjoyable meal here. The restaurant is small, cosy and relaxed. We sat at the bar area overlooking the kitchen and enjoyed watching the food being prepared. It is served tapas-style. We shared bread, orange and ricotta, mutton Ragu and pork steak followed by the apple and hazelnut crostata, oh and a great bottle of wine! All were delicious. Highly recommend a visit!

A "now-not-so-hidden" gem of Italian home cooking in Ashburton that's dog friendly. The restaurant has a big table in the centre, a 4-5 people booth in one corner, and several 2-people seatings dotted around - one of them being on high chairs by the kitchen which is a best spot if you enjoy chef-watching. As a party of four, we ordered the whole menu including the offal of the day (braised pork skin). We loved every dish. Our dog also enjoyed a couple of gravy bones from the staff. We had high expectations before we arrived (Tom and Clare from Ducksoup, Italian cooking, small plates, extensive natural wine list, ticking all our boxes), and we were still pleasantly surprised. The menu seems to be updated quite frequently ~weekly, so I'll be sure to revisit soon!

Newly opened at the end of June, Emilia is the new venue by superstars of simplicity Tom Hill and Clare Lattin. Known for their Soho institution, Duck Soup (an all time favourite of mine). Tom & Clare have left the bustle of Soho so that they can now focus on this new project, bringing their version of simple Italian cooking, hyper-local ingredients and low-intervention wines to the west country, and they've nailed it (obviously). Honestly, Everything we ate was a highlight but I want to give a big nod towards the offal of the day which for us was chicken livers with artichoke and farro and also the crab plate. Go with a group of four and you can comfortably order the whole menu or go by yourself and have a plate or two and a glass. Either way Tom and Clare have you covered. Emilia is a safe bet, and if it's local to you then I hate you with jealousy. 😂