The Imperial (3.9)

Opening hours -
Sun–Thu 9am–midnight; Fri/Sat 9am–1am

Meal -
Jacket Potato with Cheddar Cheese, pint of Brakespear Beer

Generally as a rule of thumb I get very snobby and aloof when anyone mentions a Wetherspoons and I am far above going to such establishments.  OK, so thats a joke, but on the scale that I judge veggie friendly places, ’spoons can be pretty reliable.  The menu that they have is nationwide and although it might vary from place to place, it is generally quite good for veg heads.

The Imperial is very much a student pub.  It is a stones throw away from the uni and can be very busy in the evenings.  Food is served at all times, with no real restrictions apart from very late, although you might want to eat earlier anyway as the standards can slip somewhat (from previous experience).

Out of the 100 or so choices of food and side orders, there are about 30 Veggie choices half of those are square meals as such.  For any pub this is good, it’s not fantastic but given there are places in Exeter that have an equally vast menu and5 veggie options (all bland and uninspiring, review soon!), I think the Imperial can be said to be veggie friendly.

I visited on a Friday afternoon, the sun was out so most people were outside leaving the inside pretty empty.  The Imperial does have a non-smoking area, but most of the areas are smoking which might be a large negative.
As menu’s go the veggie options are quite standard and safe options.  Panini’s, Jacket Potatos and Pasta being dominant with the obligatory veggie burger too, all come with either a generous helping of salad or chips.

A good potato is slightly crispy on the outside and warm and moist on the inside, unfortunatly mine was not amazingly crispy although it was done and it was hot.  The salad did look like salad and the cheese did taste like cheese, but it was average.

My closing thoughts are as follows.

• Don’t take someone you are trying to impress to a Wetherspoons unless you’re cheap.  The food is functional and the choice is good but it is still a pub.  The choice of good, inexpensive, local ales are worth it if anything.
• The surroundings are pleasant although there is a lack of the large comfy chairs that some smaller pubs, the interior is ‘classic’
• Avoid evenings as the cheap beer and students can pack it out easily.
• Ingredients are relatively fresh, although there is no way of telling where they are sourced.  So the ethical ones amongst you might want to air with caution.  All eggs are free range, but I don’t think the salad is organic.

First past the post…

I guess this is a “welcome” to the first entry of veget8, a “blog critique” of restaurants and eating places in Exeter from the vegetarian perspective. Being a veggie is easier now then ever, with lots of products available from supermarkets giving veggies more choice! However, going out can be a gamble with some restaurants being either veggie friendly and providing an inspiring and delicious range, or ‘cheese-sandwich’ establishments, where there is meat in every meal and the alternative is cheese (non veggie) sandwiches with a bit of pathetic salad on the side.

The choice in Exeter itself, is sad. There are two veggie eating places, The Plant (on the Cathedral Green) and Herbies (in North Street). That is it. So the creation of this website stems from this factor, that veggies want to eat out, but not go through the embaressing rigmorole of negotiating with sore face waiting staff, reluctant to cater for ‘fussy eaters’ as some see it.

Feel you want to add something? Have a review? Then email (chris@veget8.co.uk) with a review between 250 – 500 words long (its not that much really!). I reserve the right to edit things, change grammar and that sort of thing.