Photo credit: main image courtesy of the Hidden Hut
Beaches and food have put Cornwall on the map. With our stunning wave-lashed shores being home to a bountiful supply of delectable ingredients, there’s no need to wrench your toes from the sand when your tummy starts rumbling. You don’t need to go far to find some of the finger-licking fare that’s made the county famous. You just need to know where to look. So, here’s our top ten hidden beach cafés a pebble’s throw from the shoreline.
Tucked away on the remote shores of the bucolic Roseland Peninsula, The Hidden Hut rose from Cornwall’s best-kept secret to a foodie phenomenon overnight. While many make the pilgrimage along the coast path for alfresco dining on the best pick of local ingredients, it’s still a sublime lunch spot for the likes of grilled seafood, homemade cakes and warming chowders (all straight from the outdoor stove and bakery oven). However, if you want to bag a seat for one its famous summer feast nights (think lobster and chips, paella and wood-roasted lamb), you’ve got to be quick and stay updated with it’s not-so-secret social media updates.
Once a kiss-me-quick seaside resort, these days Bude’s become better known for its surfy vibe, historic sea pool and swanky cocktail bars beside the waves. A profusion of beachside eateries vie for attention in the centre of town, but follow the rugged shores a couple of miles north to Sandymouth, and you’ll stumble across a traditional beach café tucked between the bay and the National Trust car park. Full English, big burgers or homemade cakes – it’s all fresh from the sea, fields and oven, and served with a large helping of seascape in the background.
Eliminating the need to leave the shoreline when you want to fill yourself to the gills with fresh, flavoursome food, Kabyn has brought the café experience directly onto the surf-lashed Gwithian beach. This café on wheels is towed daily onto Gwithian Beach to feed hungry surfers, dog walkers and beach lovers with great local food, cakes and coffee. There’s even yoga sessions on the beach, too.
Fresh Cornish crab from local fishermen and artisan bread from local bakers – what more does a seaside specialty pop-up need than some of the finest ingredients the North Cornish coast provides? Chase down the roving Got Crabs on its travels between St Merryn’s seven bays and events in Rock, Newquay and Falmouth, and you’ve got simple, sustainable seafood all wrapped up this summer. Check out their latest locations on Insta so you don’t miss out and get crabby.
If you’d rather not chase Cornwall’s best crab sandwich along the coast, hop on the foot ferry from Crantock’s golden sands, or pad along the banks of the glistening Gannel estuary, to seek out the Fern Pit Café. Family-run since 1910, it’s not obvious how to make your way to the sun-drenched terrace flaunting sublime sea views, but when you get there you can guarantee the finest crab and lobster plucked from local waters, alongside cream teas, ice cream and simple sandwiches. Just make sure the seagulls don’t get your food before you do.
Little sister to this seaside town’s famous Porthminster Café, the Porthgwidden Beach Café is a more relaxed and intimate affair that deserves seeking out in the nook of the ‘Island’. Not so much a café these days as a swanky seaside dining venue, serving up stunning views across St Ives Bay to Godrevy lighthouse. You can still bag a beachside bench for takeaway coffee and cake, but it’s all about the upper deck for classy cocktails, small plates and seafood.
With access via a single-track lane or along the South West Coast Path, there are few cafés that sing Cornwall more than this tiny unit hunkered in a picture-postcard cove where granite boulders tumble to the edge of the sea. Outdoor tables butt up against the sea wall, so you can tuck into cream teas, homemade cakes and classic Cornish pasties to the rumble of the ocean, or shelter inside. A popular pitstop for coast path walkers, the counter is stacked with delectable homemade goodies fit to feed an army of hikers as they pass by.
Café by day, bistro dining by night. The Cabin Beach Café beckons walkers and surfers for brunch baps, hot soups, salad bowls and specials – whether you’re salty-locked and fresh out the sea, or simply want to soak up the sublime sea views overlooking Perranuthnoe. Bask in the sunny garden or hunker inside for a post-surf hot chocolate. Your choice. Come evening the Tipsy Crab Bistro adds a lick of sophistication to the setting and menu, with local seafood dominating the menu and Friday pizza nights beside the beach.
Bang on the sandy sweep of Poldhu Cove, this buzzing little beach café serves breakfast baps, finger-licking lunches and Poldhu-tastic hot chocolates 363 days of the year. Whether you’ve been riding the waves with the surf school next door, hunting for treasure on nearby Dollar Cove or creating sand sculptures, it’s the perfect pit stop to grab food that’s ready for the beach.
Any trip to the ‘forgotten corner’ of Cornwall warrants a low-tide wander along the dramatic Whitsand Bay that stretches for five miles between the rugged Rame Head and the smuggler’s haunt of Portwrinkle. Tucked beneath Tregonhawke Cliff you’ll come across the characterful Eddystone Beach Cafe. Bedecked in nautical paraphernalia, driftwood, artworks and beachcombers’ treasure, it’s an atmospheric location and a much-needed stop for a brew on your beach wanders.
