Feeling hungry? While we still love a Cornish pasty and ice cream on the beach, Cornwall has stepped up to become a veritable gastronomer’s paradise: Fresh fish flipped from boat to plate. Farm-to-fork restaurants. Nature’s larder dished up beside the waves. Ingredients plucked from land and sea have given rise to a crop of world-class eateries and put Cornwall on the map as one of Britain’s finest foodie destinations.
Always keen to seek out the finest edible bounty to fuel our adventures, here’s our pick of the best places to eat in Cornwall. From beach cafés and food shacks for carefree summer days, to sea-view seafood restaurants and fine dining in the hands of celebrity chefs. Come hungry and fill yourself to the gills.
Dining out in Cornwall isn’t all about seafood, but here’s our top picks for rod-to-pan platters.
Where better to start than Padstow? Home of Stein’s flagship Seafood Restaurant that sparked Cornwall’s foodie revolution back in 1975. Amidst stiff competition, the small but mighty Prawn on the Lawn – which opened a fishmonger-cum-seafood bar as an offshoot of its Islington restaurant – has now expanded to second dining space at Trevibban Mill vineyard. The small, fish-focussed plates are packed with finger-licking fruits de mer delivered daily – if not hourly – by Cornwall’s fishermen.
Where the Cali surfing lifestyle meets Cornwall, Newquay’s wave-lashed beaches are lined with swanky eateries beckoning the hungry, and the well-heeled, after their ocean-going pursuits. And nudging the waves on the UK’s surfing capital of Fistral beach, we’d boldly name The Fish House as the best restaurant in Newquay. Passionate about seafood, surfing and travel, owner and chef Paul Harwood (who trained under Rick Stein) plates up the freshest fish and shellfish landed a pebble’s throw away in Newquay harbour, in a venue where you can practically feel the spray from those famous waves breaking out front.
While Nathan Outlaw is at the helm of a duo of Cornwall’s most eminent seafood restaurants in pretty Port Isaac, where do you go if you haven’t booked a table for his tasting menu dictated by the day’s catch? A little more casual, and just a ten-minute stroll away in the craggy cove of Port Gaverne, awaits Pilchards. Here the sharing plates showcase Cornwall’s fresh fish, alongside fine cuts and kitchen garden ingredients, all served with an East Asian twist, right beside the sea.
Built into a rocky ledge overhanging Swanpool Beach, this is the sort of restaurant where it’s hard to take your eyes off the view, even when a whole Cornish lobster is brought to your table. Every mouthful tells a story of the ocean backdrop, too, with a fish-focussed menu featuring the likes of Falmouth Bay scallops, wild mussels, Newlyn haddock and day boat Cornish catch. Graze on tapas or settle in for a slap-up seafood feast.
While many of Cornwall’s prettier harbours are home to their own small fishing fleets, it’s the port of Newlyn where most of day’s catch is landed, and the region’s fishing heritage is most alive. Testament to this, is the quality of the seafood flipped from boat to table at Argoe, a tiny, unpretentious fish restaurant right beside the working harbour. Whatever comes off the day boats is served in delectable sharing plates, and served with natural wines. Simple as that. If you don’t book a table, on a clement day you might be able to bag a walk-in seat on the terrace.
Flip-flops and sandy locks are welcome at these casual eateries beside the waves.
Home to more Michelin-starred restaurants than white-sand beaches, St Ives’ gastronomic reputation rivals that of its international arts scene. And of its array of dining hotspots, nowhere is better known than the Porthminster Café – a staple of epicureans for over 30 years. However, pad a little further along those pearly beaches, and tucked beside a tiny horseshoe cove you’ll find Porthminster’s sister café – the Porthgwidden Beach Café. By all means, opt for a coffee and cake with your toes in the sand, but we prefer to bag a table in the sea-view dining room, where the same calibre of cocktails, small plates and seafood are served with stunning views across St Ives Bay to Godrevy lighthouse.
Sandy toes, sandy paws and salty locks are all part of the furniture at this swanky beachfront café and restaurant nudging the waves at Watergate Bay. Blessed with two miles of golden sands, emerald rock pools and towering cliffs, Watergate Bay is one of our favourite surfing and dog-walking beaches in Cornwall. And there’s simply nowhere better to watch the waves and fuel up on bistro classics, such as steak frites or moules marinière.
Philleigh Way Cookery School has long been an institution for culinary experiences in Cornwall. So when owner and chef Rupert Cooper took the reins of The Cove Café in Hayle, we were excited to hear rumours of his on-the-fire cooking techniques and Middle-Eastern flavours coming to this rustic beach café with a cracking view over Riviere Towans. Mezze boards are the star of the menu, with a series of feasts planned for the upcoming summer nights.
The secret has long been out about the Hidden Hut’s feast nights on Porthcurnick Beach, where the likes of paella, wood-roasted lamb and River Fal shellfish are cooked over a beachside fire pit. If you want a seat at one its famous foodie evenings, you’ll have to stay updated with the social media updates. Or, just make the pilgrimage along the coast path for a leisurely lunch of grilled seafood with your toes in the sand.
Fine food on the go, when you’ve earned a hearty appetite on outdoor adventures.
Pop on your beret and head to this French bistro-style café on the harbour-side at Porthleven. Named after Mussel Shoals in Alabama, USA (a shallow zone of the Tennessee River where mussels were gathered, that became the site of historic soul, rock and country music), this kiosk-cum-café has become quite a foodie institution for hungry beach goers, coast path walkers, and surfers who’ve been pulling into one the most gnarly reef breaks in the South West. Why the beret? There’s no better way to slip into the laid-back ambience than by taking a seat out on the pontoon, and being Cornwall, you always need a hat once the sun goes down.
The first step to finding Inkies, is to take yourself on an adventure to Golitha Falls – a magical landscape reigned by nature and Cornish piskies. Once you’ve filled your Insta reel with shots of water gushing its way back towards the ocean, back in the car park is another crowd-puller – Inkies. It’s here that the outrageously delicious smoked and barbecued meats lure foodies from far and wide. Even Dawn French and Rick Stein have lined up for the smoky-hot dishes piled high with slaw and trimmings. You might even dare a side order of small-batch moonshine.
Summer beach cookouts are so much easier when someone brings the kitchen to the beach for you. This is just what Kabyn does with its fireside feasts beside the waves. Ditch your surfboard on the sand and fill yourself to the gills with fresh, flavoursome street food from this café on wheels that’s towed daily onto Gwithian Beach. Surfers, dog walkers and beach lovers gather for great local food, cakes and coffee; and there’s even yoga sessions on the beach, too.
You can spot this tiny, no-booking seafood joint beside Falmouth harbour from miles away, by the queue of hungry punters waiting their turn for tapas-style fish dishes flying out of the kitchen faster than the fishermen can deliver. It’s a cosy little place, and if you’re lucky you might get a perch to savour your small plate. However, we think it’s better to waltz on down to the water’s edge and enjoy it with a view. Owned by the Verdant Brewing Co, it goes without saying that you can find a lambic brew to match every dish on the menu.
Fewer places source their entire menu closer to home than these farm-to-table eateries in the Cornish countryside.
Crocadon is a dream come true for Dan Cox, a former winner of the Roux Scholarship who bought a 120-acre farm in southeast Cornwall. Within a year of serving up his hyper-seasonal menu led by what’s grown and reared on the land, Crocadon was awarded its first Michelin star. Surely that’s enough of a reason to visit this much-forgotten realm of southeast Cornwall, to see what all the fuss is about. And, being a farm, there’s no need to don your Sunday best to experience this zenith of farm-to-fork dining.
Being passionate about local produce is essential these days. But The Pig is fastidious about the roots of its ingredients. The piggies on the menu are reared in the grounds, the veggies are what’s just ripened in the kitchen garden, and the seafood snagged by fishermen in the Atlantic in view. In fact, a whopping 80% of what’s served comes from no more than 25 miles from the doorstep. If you want a more summery setting than the Jacobean manor, ditch the dining room for the more casual under-canvas Lobster Shed, where you simply must sample the signature dish of wood-fired lobster with Camel Valley Brut.
It’s worth the drive to the ends of the earth – or at least to the wilds of Penwith – to reach this bright yellow beacon of a pub on the road between St Ives and Land’s End. Nestled between the rugged coast and ancient moors, in walking country extraordinaire, muddy boots and four-legged friends are welcome. However, you might be surprised with the level of luxury that awaits behind the heavy wooden door. Take a seat beside the crackling log fire for an intricate menu of mouth-watering meals that link the surrounding landscape to your tastebuds, with local, seasonal, and sometimes foraged ingredients, all from the Cornish larder.
Set amongst 66 acres of meadows, woodland and oak-lined streams, Coombeshead Farm offers an immersive culinary experience in rural Cornwall. A European ‘agroturismo’ vibe (basically, a welcoming place with a passion for good produce), resonates in a menu showcasing animals and vegetables grown and raised just footsteps from your dining table, much of which is cooked over the fire. Don’t expect seafood. But you can expect one of the most reasonably-priced set menus of its calibre, filled with tasty treasures of the Cornish seasons.
While no one would bat an eye if you took a seat in many of Cornwall’s best restaurants in a t-shirt and flip-flops, these fine dining restaurants warrant dressing up for the occasion.
Chef Adam Handling has infused the culinary world with his passion for excellent food created with zero food waste. True to his cause, the Ugly Butterfly wraps ingredients sourced from growers, farmers and fishermen across Cornwall, into flavour-packed dishes, served in a glass-walled dining room overlooking Carbis Bay. Michelin-starred, masterful cuisine aside, simply knowing that every trim and off-cut is used to create delicious drinks and bar snacks, makes this a truly stunning place to eat.
A place where you can hear gulls wheeling and yacht rigging tinkling in the sea breeze, there’s no doubt that Fowey is a scenic spot for fine dining in Cornwall. Lucky then, that former head chef at Fifteen Cornwall, Andy Appleton, relocated his Italian-style restaurant to the waterside of this maritime town. Staying true to the Italian proverb, a tavola non si invecchia (at the table one does not become old), the finest Cornish ingredients feature in Italian classics with a contemporary twist, and the vibrant, convivial ambience is one you’ll never grow tired of.
Flaunting a necklace of swanky wine bars and sophisticated restaurants twinkling at the water’s edge, Falmouth is one of our favourite places in Cornwall for a fine-dining dinner date. The best spot in town? We’d say it’s the intimate restaurant MINE, tucked in a cobbled courtyard behind the waterfront. Here, Le Gavroche-trained chef Angus Bell shares his passion for seasonal Cornish produce in playful, affordable dishes, all served in a decadent, dinner-party ambience.
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