No. 7 Fish Bistro

Went to number 7 Christmas eve had a wonderful meal and was made to feel very welcome, great way to start your Christmas celebrations

My grandma said: good service, and excellent food.
I can’t argue with that! certainly deserves 5 stars.

Friendly service, great food, just what you want as you start your holiday. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Torquay

I’ve been to Number 7 several times over the last 3 years. Hands down, it’s the best restaurant in all of Devon, and my personal favorite of any restaurant I’ve been to in the UK. If you love fish, get here.
You walk in and you’re overwhelmed with chalk boards full of the daily specials. I’m talking at least 15 entrees, 5 appetizers, and drinks. Plus, even though they have a recommended preparation, they typically offer a secondary recommendation but will also prepare any fish any way you’d like. No questions asked.
When you first sit down, you’ll might question the pickled garlic if it’s your first visit. Grab a toothpick and dive in. It isn’t like eating raw garlic, it’s mild and delicious.
On this visit, as well as a couple previous, I went with the local whole lobster. Normally it comes grilled with butter. I get it grilled with olive oil, lemon, and garlic (the secondary recommendation). It is rich, buttery, and amazing, as lobster should be. I’ve had lobster several places and it’s never this good.
The service is spot on. Never rushed, but at the table exactly how often you’d like. On this visit, I approached a man that had been serving or in the dining room working on all of my visits. I asked If he was the owner. He is. His name is Paul. If you eat here, ask for him and say hello. He’s super friendly and very helpful with menu selection.

Nice enough restaurant, but the Oysters did not suit me. I’d eaten oysters before in Dublin with no issues however following this meal I had to drive all the way back to Birmingham at 5am with my stomach on fire. I guess something wasn’t right with them. All in all ok but did feel like I was dining in some bodies parlour.

With fish restaurants it’s sink or swim, so it’s a feather in the cap of maitre d’ Paul that he’s made this one work, despite the shorts! We go there every year for the Regatta Week fireworks and it never fails to impress. We like it when he comes to the table with a plate of fresh fish and explains what each one is and how it will be cooked. My signature dish of cod, sole and bass tempura was absolutely delicious but I’m sure I would have been equally happy with any of the other denizens of the deep on offer. Pity they’d run out of my favourite dessert Eton Mess by the time we arrived but the mango sorbet was a good alternative. No 7 would be a success in any town where good fish is appreciated. We’ll be back next year.

Seeing ‘Oysters’ on the menu as a starter, I (without thinking) ordered six. Upon eating the first I was almost sick, and found that they were bulging with, a thick dry-​tasting creamy substance which left no trace of the usual delicate taste of a fresh oyster.
This creamy substance is why Oysters are not eaten during the 4 months from May to August which is when they reproduce. The advice to only eat oysters during months containing the letter ‘R’ should be heeded by any looking to enjoy their first.
Surely any decent Fish restaurant should not be offering oysters during these short 4 months?
I asked for the oysters to be taken away since they were inedible, this was done with bad grace. A very disappointing start to the meal. But there was worse to come
Shortly after being seated, and as we looked over the menu, a waiter brought round a tray of very fresh-​looking fish. Encouraged by the promise of eating a fish that looked as though it has been swimming only a few hours ago, we both chose Plaice, and were excited at the prospect of tasting it.
However, the fishes that actually appeared were both over-​cooked, and not fresh. Not disgusting enough to return, (especially after the oysters) but so disappointing.
I’ve caught and eaten fresh Plaice, which is both firm and delicious.
We left with a strong sense that we had needlessly spent £80 on a truly disappointing meal, served by waiters who were rather too pleased with themselves. The saving grace was a decent bottle of wine, and we should have left it at that perhaps.
On receiving the bill we found that a full charge had been made for the oysters. When contested, they declared that most people enjoy eating ‘creamy oysters’ and had never had any rejected. (The fact that these oysters were endured by polite punters may well account for the large number of people that dislike them).
We did not leave a tip, why would anyone after such a disappointing meal?
Overall, with the abundance of fresh produce being very close to Brixham we felt the trip to this restaurant had not been worthwhile and would not recommend it.

Torquay is a bit of a gastronomic wasteland but the No. 7 Fish Bistro is a glorious exception. It specialises in fresh fish — mostly caught in nearby Brixham. It’s not fancy-​dancy Michelin starred food but plain fish done really, really well.
It can be quiet for lunch, especially out of season. A prix-​fixe value lunch menu would be a good idea and it would help keep the prices down and the customers coming in.
But it gets busy in the evenings and the atmosphere is convivial and buzzy without being loud. When it’s really cooking — in every good sense of the word — you won’t get a more enjoyable meal in Torquay and you won’t get fresher, more honest fish dishes anywhere. (And I say that having been to the sublime, three-​star Maisons de Bricourt at one end of the fishy scale and wonderful BBQ beach shacks in Goa at the other.)

In my view this is the best fish restaurant in Torquay and the area. Interior a little spartan (but fish restaurants are better like that), everything else including the food & service is excellent. Most of the fish is caught locally so by the time it hits your plate it is very fresh. Beautifully cooked how you want it. Our hotel guests rave about it too. This is pretty much exclusively fish — they do a couple of token meat/​veggie dishes. If you are coming to Torquay you will need to book at LEAST 3 – 4 days ahead as it is invariably full.

fantastic restaurant, expensive, but an amazing experience, the chef brings your chosen fish raw to the table before he cooks it so you can choose which piece you’d like. A lovely interior and very friendly staff. It is situated on the harbour at torquay and its main rival is the elephant restaurant which is run by a michelin starred chef. It overlooks the harbour and the boats and is a very pleasant dining experience. from cod to red snapper it suits everyones taste buds