Royal Seven Stars Hotel, Totnes

During a recent midweek evening visit there was lots of hotel stuff going on up the right hand side of the imposing Royal Seven Stars Hotel so I slipped straight into the left hand bar. In here seating runs across the front windows adjacent to an exposed stone fireplace on the left-hand wall/ A copper topped L-shaped serving counter runs up the left while facing seating to the right. At the rear is a step up to a dining area. Premium and craft keg were available and the four hand pumps were drawing St Austell’s Tribute, Proper Job and Friday Beer alongside Bath Ales’ Gem. Yes it’s a hotel bar, but it’s worth a punt if looking for somewhere to take stock mid crawl.

This is an imposing former coaching inn originally built around 1660, although small parts at the rear of the building date from the 14th century. It is now a privately owned hotel and free house with two public bars either side of the impressive central porch which originally led to a courtyard that had a roof with sky lights added around 1800. The public bar on the left of the building is fairly traditional with an L shaped brass top bar counter in the centre of the left hand wall, exposed stone walls across the front and left of the room, in the left stone wall is a red brick surround fire place and cast grate with a large brass plate above, red fabric bench seating and stools dotted around. Hanging from the beams are long brass hunting horns and there are various old paintings and mirrors on the walls. The back of the room is more of a dining area with a massive mirror on the back wall. As Steve mentions in the review below, the right hand bar is styled as a modern cafe wine bar sort of place, although it does retain an old central double sided fire place with log burning stove and some genuine old beams. This room is smaller with a short black and brushed steel bar counter in the back right corner, slate floor, modern furniture, black leather sofas and two large flat screen TV’s, one on either side of the room. There are several metal garden tables and chairs at the front of the building on either side of the main entrance. Regular ales are currently Dartmoor Legend in the right wine bar and in the left traditional bar were Sharp’s Doom Bar, Courage Best Bitter, and Dartmoor Jail Ale with a single changing guest beer which was St Austell Tribute on this visit. I tried the Jail Ale and the Legend, both were kept in good condition in my opinion. A superb historic building and a decent place for a drink, we decided to eat here and the food was posh nosh and a bit pricey. The two rooms have different menus to suit their contrasting styles, fairly traditional pub meals in the left hand bar and more contemporary continental dishes in the right hand bar. I liked the traditional room which is more my style and the beer choice had enough to keep me interested, therefore I would return.