The Eastgate Café & Brasserie is in new hands, with an experienced chef at the helm.

Award-winning chef Mike Palmer bought the Tavistock business at the start of May.

Mike is well-known in the area for his tenure at the Two Bridges Hotel on Dartmoor, where he worked his magic with locally sourced ingredients. The chef has won various awards including Chef of the Year 2023-2024 at the Food Drink Devon Awards.

As a result, the Eastgate Café & Brasserie on Market Road is revamping its menu. The riverside restaurant is adding to its repertoire of full English breakfasts, cream teas and lunches by opening on Fridays and Saturdays for dinner reservations. This will be offered from July 5 onwards.

Highlights of the new dinner menu include locally sourced rump steak from Moorland Meats, with Café de Paris butter and chimichurri, as well as a fish stew with local seafood from Kingfisher of Brixham.

When asked about his new job, chef Mike said: “It’s always been a dream of mine to create a true community-led kitchen, staffed by local culinary talent, serving seasonal local food and drinks to our wonderful community here in Tavistock and the many visitors we welcome to our beautiful region every year.”

 Mike believes locally-sourced ingredients are the key to success. 

“We rushed to open the doors of this local gem after its sudden closure, and it has been heartwarming to see all the support for our new venture,” he says.

Born and raised in Princetown, Mike was just 14 years old when he started working in the catering industry. "I started I was on £65 a week,” he says.

He has been in love with food ever since. “Nothing excites me quite like it,” he says.

Mike feels a strong connection to the local area, and wants to make sourcing local ingredients a primary focus of this new endeavour.

“It’s nice to see places in Tavistock opening and not closing,” he says. "We’re very invested in the community. The food is local, the art on the walls is local, the wine is local, we even have a deal with the Stannary Brewery Company so the lagers are local.”

“Over my career I’ve been lucky enough to build strong relationships with the best suppliers in the region – and they are really the jewel in the crown of the Eastgate’s new menu.”

“With their help, we're hoping to fill the gap in Tavistock’s dining scene between fine dining and hearty, seasonal, down-to-earth meals that everyone can enjoy. My team and I can’t wait to welcome you to our riverside patio this summer.”

Mike believes that keeping the café casual and accessible are the keys to success, but he wants to bring a bit of class to the dinner menu.

The Eastgate Café & Brasserie is also available for private hire.

To reserve your table visit eastgatetavistock.comor phone 01822 762020.