Welcome to
Wine Bar & Restaurant
Wine Bar & Restaurant
Nestled in Exeter’s leafy Southernhay Quarter, our independent venue offers discerning wine drinkers and food lovers a distinctive experience.
Monday to Saturday – 12 noon – 11pm
The kitchen opens
Monday to Saturday – 12 – 2pm and 6 – 9pm
Wine Bar Opening Hours
12 noon – 11pm
The kitchen opens
12 – 2pm and 6 – 9pm
Christmas Hours
Closed – 24 December –1 January
Reopen – 2 Jan 5pm.
The Ideal Spot for Dining, Meetings, and Unwinding
Rendezvous is perfect for any occasion, from quick lunches to leisurely dinners. Our friendly team ensures a warm welcome, complementing our menu of fresh, locally-sourced West Country dishes and a diverse wine and spirits selection.
Led by Chef Tim Andrews, we’re committed to homemade quality. Explore over 60 global wines, enjoy our extensive spirits range, or simply relax in our cosy wine bar or sunny gardens. Rendezvous is more than just a wine bar—it’s an experience.
Our Menu
Fresh, Local & Seasonal
We boast an ever-evolving menu of fresh West Country cuisine, complemented by a vast and captivating wine selection, celebrated champagnes, draught lagers, and regional ales. Under the guidance of our skilled chefs, led by Tim Andrews, we prioritise sourcing our ingredients locally, ensuring that almost everything served is crafted in-house.
Our commitment to freshness means daily deliveries from local suppliers like Wright Brothers of Brixham, Fordmore Farm in Cullompton, Forest Produce in Uffculme, Goosemoor Foodservice in Clyst St Mary, and Richard’s Greengrocer in Topsham. We strive to source all our meat, fish, and dairy from West Country farms and producers, contributing to a menu that’s as dynamic as it is delicious.
Exciting Wines & Spirits from Around the World
Wine is our passion and our life blood here at Rendezvous and our knowledgeable team are more than happy to talk wine any day! We have an extensive selection of over eighty wines on our list from all over the world, with something to tempt every palate and new things arriving regularly. We source our wines from several suppliers in our quest for fun, interesting things to try, as well as brilliant examples of more mainstream grape varieties. We also love English wines and are very proud of what is being produced in the local area and so we have a number available by the glass on the bar. Keep an eye on our wines of the month and also new things that are finding their way on to the list.
LATEST UPDATES
WINE OF THE MONTH
New for October is a rather yummy and exciting field blend called ‘Laissez Faire’ by Larry Cherubino from Pemberton, Western Australia. It’s a blend of Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, and Pinot Grigio with a little bit of maturation in old French oak barriques. An extraordinary blend which makes for a rather moreish and aromatic dry white! Try it while we have a few cases left!
NEW WINES TO TRY
Just as the seasons are changing, so too are a few things on the wine list! Notably, Sharphams has now rebranded to align with the Sandridge Barton name some years after the whole operation moved across the river from Sharpham Estate to Sandridge Barton near Stoke Gabriel. Still the same delicious Dart Valley Reserve on our list though! Some rather exciting things to highlight on the autumn list now… a really yummy Godello from El Bierzo, Leon, an often overlooked and unfamiliar grape variety from NW Spain which make a fabulous aromatic white wine with a stone fruit and minerally character. A new Soave from Le Preare, zesty, minerally and fresh. A really interesting and unusual Arinto from long-standing family-run winery Stanton & Killeen in Rutherglen, Australia – this grape which originally hails from Portugal, is a little like a Maconnais Chardonnay showing stone fruit, melon and floral notes, but with a citrussy character and a slightly waxy texture. Delicious! On the reds, don’t miss the fabulous Immortelle from Cotes du Roussillon by British wine maker Liam Stevenson MW. Big bold and spicy – an absolute delight! Also on the premium list, a delicious Valpolicella Ripasso from excellent wine producer Ca’Rugate. And now to pudding… On the dessert wine list we have something really truly special! Gaia’s ‘8year Vinsanto’ made predominantly from Assyrtiko grapes on Santorini both sun-dried and shade dried to balance acidity and concentrate the juice. This is one of the world’s rarest and best sweet wines, with only 80-100L of grape juice yielded from each acre of vineyard! This undergoes a very slow fermentation in old oak barrels and is then left to mature in those barrels for 8-10 years producing a deep honey colour and complex aromatic character. It’s literally then simply bottled, without treatment or
Latest News
THE WINE & BEER GARDEN IS OPEN
The sun is shining and our wine & beer garden is open! Whether you’re joining us for a laid-back lunch or a relaxed dinner, our alfresco space is the perfect spot to soak up the sunshine. Enjoy great food, chilled drinks, and a welcoming atmosphere – right in the heart of Exeter.
THE SOFT STUFF
Have you tried these delicious non-alcoholic aperitifs from local Weston company ‘Drinks Kitchen’? Choose from Orange Cinchona, Herb Verde, and Spiced Rhubarb… mix with soda or tonic over ice. Yummy! Also new on the softies list also is pure Mangosteen juice (from SE ASia) with a slight lychee character, and we’re also now stocking a few Folkington’s juices/soft drinks.
CASH IS STILL KING! CASH AND CARDS WELCOME…
We love cash! The world has gone mad refusing this as tender in so many shops but we need to keep cash in circulation. As an independent retailer it doesn’t cost us money to take a cash payment but it does for a card transaction… Of course we’re happy to take card payments as usual, apart from American Express. Just letting you know!
About Rendezvous
An award-winning independent wine bar and restaurant in the leafy Southernhay Quarter of Exeter’s city centre, Rendezvous has been satisfying wine-lovers, foodies, and bon-viveurs alike since 2006. With delicious daily menus of local, seasonal produce, and extensive wine lists with suggestions for every palate, a warm welcome from Jemma and the team awaits.
Nestled in the basement of a listed old building, Rendezvous has a tiny entrance and steps leading down to a cosy and inviting bar and restaurant with low beamed ceilings and open brick walls, which make it the perfect hideaway through autumn and winter. Yet in spring and summer, the beautiful hidden gardens to the rear are one of Exeter’s best kept secrets for soaking up the summer sun with a glass of wine or a bite to eat in the alfresco paradise of our lovely walled gardens and escape the real world for a while. You can easily forget you’re in the middle of the city. Filled with pots and baskets brimming with colourful flowers and unusual plants to delight any green-fingered fan, these gorgeous south-facing sunny walled gardens enjoy the sun right through the afternoon until 7pm in the middle of summer!
A wine bar at heart, the food menus were originally designed to compliment the wines but with the talented kitchen team under the guidance of Head Chef Tim Andrews cooking up such amazing dishes each day, we soon gained an enviable reputation for delicious food as well as interesting wines and thus cemented our good name on the food circuit of Exeter, and 18 years on we’re delighted to still be doing so.
Come Enjoy Our
Wine & Beer Garden
Join us behind the restaurant in our two south-facing gardens – the perfect spot to enjoy drinks and local food in the heart of Exeter.
Whether you’re joining us for a glass of wine, a pint of local beer, or something to eat, the garden offers a relaxed escape just a stone’s throw from the city centre. Open throughout the warmer months – come and make the most of it!
Lunch, Done Properly
Step away from the bustle and settle in for a laid-back lunch at Rendezvous. With a daily changing menu and everything made in-house, you’ll find dishes that are full of flavour and made with care. Perfect for a midweek pause, a quiet catch-up, or simply something good to eat.
