It’s been a mad first week for Torquay Online. Although we are officially only a week old, this has been an ambition of mine for a very long time. I know and love this town and this site is here to make sure the people of Torquay are informed and entertained.
I have recently been surveying people from Torquay, asking them questions about their favourite places to go in the town. I have now hit 1,000 responses, so I am sharing the winners in each category and naming them the Torquay Online Awards 2018.
Do you agree or disagree with these results?
Best Restaurant – the Elephant
This is probably the least surprising result of the whole survey. The Elephant is known throughout the town for its amazing quality and service, and received around 18% of the vote (183 votes). You can find the Elephant on ….
Best Italian – Amici
Having been to Amici many times, I am in full agreement of them being voted the best Italian Restaurant in the town. Every time I’ve been there, it’s been full to the brim and everyone seemed to be happy with their food. The owners also have Bianco’s, which was 2nd place, so it’s fair to say they know their Italian food. Amici received 378 votes, which is almost half of all votes.
Best Steakhouse – On The Rocks
Although we don’t have many places that are definitively steakhouses, we do have a lot of restaurants that sell steak. Out of these, On The Rocks is the clear favourite among Torquay locals, scoring 283 votes out of the 1,000 surveyed.
Best Burger – Meat59
Meat59 on Abbey Road is the most popular place for a burger among our survey participants. I haven’t been there before but being a lover of a good burger, I think I might try it. A quick look at Meat59’s reviews show that it’s extremely popular and the vast majority of people who go there enjoy their experience. Meat59 scored 302 of the votes.
Best Chinese – Yum Sing
This gem of a restaurant on Torwood Street is very popular among the people of Torquay. With 296 of the votes in the competitive Chinese category, it was the clear winner, and having been there on a few occasions myself, I have no complaints about this.
Best Seafood – Rockfish
As a seaside resort, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to our amazing seafood restaurants. The winner of this category is the lovely Rockfish situated on Victoria Parade. Rockfish wins a competitive category with 293 votes out of 1,000.
Best Café – The Bay Tree
Located just across the road from the Model Village car park, the Bay Tree has been giving Torquay locals their first meal of the day for way past a decade now. From personal experience, the food is great, and the service is fast and friendly. 193 people agreed with me and voted the Bay Tree to be the best place for breakfast in Torquay.
Best Place for Lunch – Pier Point
Pier Point has a cracking little location overlooking the entire bay. It’s clearly a very popular choice for lunch for people in the town. What a perfect place to have a little hour to break up the day. Pier Point had 223 of the votes, putting it firmly ahead of the other choices.
Best Bar – Soho
Having grown up in Torquay and being a veteran of the nightlife scene, I’ve seen lots of people take over 1 Palk Street and try to make the place a success. No one has done that quite like Soho. The cocktail bar is always buzzing, and has a lovely outside section for its customers that I think rivals anywhere else in the town. 192 people voted for Soho as Torquay’s best bar.
Best Local Pub – DT’s
Located nicely in Torre just down the road from the Lansdown, DT’s is a great little local that everyone should try out. There’s always something on down there at weekends, and they have all the football channels on. Drinks are very reasonable and the owners are very friendly. DT’s ticks pretty much all boxes required to be a successful local pub. 158 people voted for DT’s.
Best Family Day Out – Kents Cavern
Being fascinated by prehistoric history, I have always been a massive fan of Kents Cavern. Get down there for a look into how people used to live in caves before modern history. I wonder what the equivalent to Torquay Online was back then. Kents Cavern is really popular among Torquay folk, scoring 355 of the 1,00 survey votes.
Best Hair Salon – WO
Although I can’t speak from personal experience as I have never been to a hair salon in my life, I always notice WO’s sparkly sign when I’m down that way. It appears that people are as happy about WO’s quality as I am about the sign, as 173 people consider it Torquay’s best hair salon. This is made more impressive by the fact that we have a lot of hair salons in Torquay.
Beauty Salon – Abbey Heywood
Like hair salons, it looks like people in Torquay are well taken care of when it comes to beauty. Although it was a close race, Abbey Heywood Health and Beauty Salon on Babbacombe Road wins the category with 134 votes.
Favourite Person from Torquay – Moses Peter
Our waving legend wins the illustrious prize of Torquay’s favourite person. Although he no longer waves as us on the seafront, he remains in the hearts of Torquay’s population. With 139 votes, Moses has loved from all over the town.
Best Torquay News Site – Torquay Online
Amazingly, TorquayOnline received 100% of all the votes when people were asked for their favourite news website in the town. We’re so grateful to all of you who voted for us. Just kidding – this wasn’t an option, but we still think we’re the best.
If you wish to market your business in Torquay and be part of Torquay Online’s meteoric rise to prominence, there is no time like the present. Contact me on editor@torquayonline.com to find out what we can do for you.
