The original owner of the restaurant, had another establishment and whilst extending the terrace of the boutique hotel they came across a lady’s ceramic smoking pipe which was in the shape of an Elephant. Subsequently it was put on display in the foyer of the hotel and over the years guests & staff would bring effigies of Elephants to the hotel and to this day there are Elephants Dotted around the Hotel.
The hotel established a name for itself for good food in the southwest and at this point an Elephant had even made its way into the hotel’s logo. When he decided to open a second venue, he wanted one place to be associated with the other therefore we were named the Elephant.
The original owner sold the hotel in 2008 but held onto the Elephant for a few more years before Simon Hulstone, the chef that won the Michelin Star in 2006 and has maintained it ever since, became full owner with his wife Katy.
We do not have a dress code at The Elephant, most of our guests come in smart casualwear but being a stones throw away from the sea we often have guests in shorts & t-shirts.
We pride ourselves in delivering fine food with attentive but not obtrusive service in a relaxed environment.
Yes children of all ages are allowed in the restaurant however the Children’s menu is only available at lunchtime for children aged ten and under.
We do our best to accommodate Dietary requirements but some are harder than others to facilitate so please notify us when making the reservation.
Due to the style of cooking we utilise lots of butter & cream in our cooking therefore do not have dairy free options.
For parties of six or more a deposit of £20 per person is required at lunch & £50 in the evening which can be paid over the phone by calling us on 01803 200044.
For tables of eight or more
When dining at lunch all clients must have two courses as minimum & if dining from the main A la Carte a pre-order is required one week before the reservation however if dining off the set lunch menu this may be ordered on the day.
When dining in the evening the entire table is required to have the tasting menu with only the matching wine being optional to each individual.
Reservations that exceed fourteen people will have to be on multiple tables due to the layout of the room.
If you wish to have Private hire of the entire venue a deposit of £3000 would be required and please bear in mind we often have reservations months in advance so an exclusive use event may not always be possible.
We do not have a cancellation policy for reservations that do not require a deposit however we appreciate any advance notice that can be given.
for parties that do require a deposit, the full terms & condition will be sent via email.
It doesn’t matter how tips are left whether it is the discretionary 10% service charge or anything separate cash or card it all goes in a pot and shared out fairly according to the amount of hours each staff member has worked. Sadly this does mean the Tax man gets his cut but does ensure our team doesn’t get in trouble with HMRC as it a declarable income.
Depending on the type of meal depends on how long people stay, on average people at lunch stay for about 2 hours and in the evening 2.5 hours unless indulging in the tasting menu which usually takes 3 to 3.5 hours.
Sadly we do not have parking however there are a few pay and display car parks near by but depending on the time of year they can be quite busy. The taxi firms in the area are competitive and efficient and would take the stress out of trying to find somewhere to park.
The firm we recommend is Torbay Taxis on 01803 292292.
