Cornwall, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: This “hidden gem just outside Truro” from husband-and-wife team Ben & Sam Harmer features “impressive” cooking, “exceptional service” and a “splendid outdoor eating area” for warmer weather. Ben’s classical training took in the kitchens of The Savoy and Le Gavroche – hence “the soufflé is impressive”.

2023 Review: “A gorgeous spot to eat tasty food while watching the sea”, this former Victorian lifeboat station has been transformed under Sam Sixton, who launched his local dining empire at the age of 17, back in 1988 (his son Noah is now part of the team). The “casual” menu runs from “wonderful fresh fish and seafood” to “tasty pizzas with both traditional and unusual toppings”.

“Celebrating their 50th anniversary… so here’s to the next 50!” – TV celeb Rick Stein and his family’s harbourside star is a true culinary “icon” and although we have reported many ups-and-downs in its performance over the years, it’s hitting its half-century with one of the strongest ratings we’ve ever given it; and as one of the more commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll outside London. “There’s now a lot of competition in Padstow and its environs” but all reports this year suggest “the Seafood Restaurant is still a standout, and unlike some of the others it is great value for money”. Typically it’s “absolutely rammed” yet the level of service is high and the consistency of the “fabulous” food from a long and varied menu was impressive this year; and the wines are “excellent value” too. Top Menu Tips – “absolutely magnificent Fruits de Mer”; “particularly good lobster”.

Fifty years since the TV chef opened his first restaurant in Padstow – aka ‘Padstein’ amongst some locals – his local empire includes this bright and airy bistro, offering up “fresh fish off the boat without the hoo-ha”. The menu takes its inspiration from Stein’s travels around Asia (think Pondicherry hake curry), but is also of note for its top breakfasts.

2023 Review: Associated with London foodie hits Primeur and Westerns Laundry, this three-year-old favourite, which occupies a former bank, continues to inspire high ratings for its food. It’s a seasonal operation, which closes each year between late Autumn and mid Spring.

It’s “always fun to see what’s new on the menu in this fishy den” – Rich & Katie Toogood’s tiny, subway-tiled spin-off to a venue in the Big Smoke and specialising in seafood and sharing plates. A loyal army of fans say it’s a “really fun place” and the chow is “just so good” (too good, perhaps?). Just down the street, at number 22A Duke Street, you’ll find their seafood bar and test kitchen ‘Little Prawn’, and they also run Barnaby’s at Trevibban Mill Vineyard, near Padstow.

2022 Review: The “lovely riverside setting” – complete with moorings and showers for passing yachties – is the main attraction at this inn, parts of which are believed to date back 800 years. But the low volume of feedback tells you something given the stunning position – it’s well-rated by reporters but doesn’t have to strive that hard given the place’s other virtues.

“The combination of informality, fantastic location, superb discrete service and excellent food makes this a winner” – Olga Polizzi’s flagship in St Mawes has established it as perhaps the most famous and stylish hotel in Cornwall, although it was a run-down mess when she bought it 27 years ago (she cheered herself up by watching episodes of Fawlty Towers!). The “lovely dining room is well served with top seafood” although it is fair to say the culinary level achieved does not quite match the “exceptional” setting.

“Simple… but the best dining this year” – this “relaxed alternative to New Road” occupies “a quirky seafront building” right on the harbour and “never fails to deliver a fantastic experience”. “It’s a very small venue which means tables are rather on top of each other and there’s some feeling of being cramped, but that does not negate the kind service” and “stunning fish dishes” from a “reassuringly small menu” for £99 per person changing by the daily catch, plus a straightforward, short but well-priced array of wine.

2023 Review: “A quirky hotel and restaurant serving excellent local fish” – this whitewashed, seventeenth-century hotel in a coastal bay is “always outstanding”. Chef James Lean (appointed in 2015) oversees a menu that’s naturally fish-focused. “Friendly service and great Cornish ales” complete the picture.

“Nathan’s stunning mastery of all things fish-related shines through… and there are stunning views too overlooking the vast expanse of Atlantic Ocean” at the famous Cornish chef’s harbourside HQ, which “sets the standard for the cooking of fresh fish and seafood in England”. “The room is a bit sparse but everyone is looking at the water” and the ambience is further buoyed along by the “pretty damned brilliant” service too. “What’s not to like” is the tenor of all reports which suggest “you really couldn’t have a better dining experience” with “dishes that stay in the mind long after they’ve left the palate!” (although if you are the kind of oenophile who likes to celebrate with famous vintages, you may find the relatively curt wine selection “a little offbeat”). The centrepiece of the offering is an eleven-course meal for £195 per person, although a much more affordable visit is possible for the à la carte lunch or at dinner Tuesday-Friday, when a very reasonable three courses for £85 per person is served.

“The food is always tasty and hearty” at this picture-book, 300-year-old inn, named for its situation, just yards from the Helford estuary and its foot ferry across the water. Perhaps “it’s a shame the specials menu doesn’t vary a bit more”, but you do receive “good pub food done well with a formula that seems to work” and it’s “a safe pair of hands for a great meal in a beautiful setting”.

Jude Kereama’s second venue – sister to nearby Kota – occupies the top floor of Celtic House with views across Porthleven harbour from most tables. Its menu is well-rated and mixes ‘Mini Kai’ of smaller bites (such as Duck bao bun or Tempura Porthilly oysters) with main plates of items such as Seafood Laksa or Panko Hake Fillet.

A “great view of the beach” (particularly from the deck) and across the bay to Godrevy Lighthouse in the distance has long been the major draw to this seaside café; while the food isn’t quite what it once was (breakfast is take-away only these days), it does its job, with dishes like crab linguine and fish ‘n’ chips playing up the local catch. PS – if you’re making a day of it, they also rent out 36 brightly coloured beachside ‘pods’ or shacks, allowing you to store your beach kit and refuel at this restaurant without the hassle of carting your valuables with you.

This “lovely café” with “a view you won’t forget” is an “amazing spot for coffee, cakes and lunch” through the day, but “at its best on a sunny evening when the tide is out and the surfers are at play”. The food (from a menu whose inspiration flits from Cornwall to Spain, Mexico, the Middle East, Thailand and Japan) is “much better than at other over-hyped St Ives haunts”.

“Penzance’s best restaurant, with a good use of local produce” – so say fans of Bruce Rennie’s 10-seater where he serves and cooks by himself at a big, 10-seat table where diners eat each night in a single sitting. Fish is the main event, with the meal focused on the best of the catch landed daily in Newlyn. No walk-ins, as the fish is purchased in the morning for the number of reservations.

“Always-wonderful fish” is the lure to Ben Tunnicliffe’s beamed 1800s gastroboozer, right by Newlyn harbour wall and fish market. Some diners feel it’s a tad “expensive”, but otherwise the tenor of all reports is upbeat.

2022 Review: A family-run café whose “terraced garden is in a gorgeous location overlooking the Gannel Estuary and Crantock Beach in Newquay” (you approach via a footbridge at low tide, or a paid ferry at other times). It's “the best place for Cornish crab and lobster sourced the same day from their own fishing boat” and then “eaten on-site at picnic-style tables (best served with a side of chips and cold beer!)”.

“Great fish and seafood” make this conversion of a former Customs & Excise building on the harbourside “a wonderful find” at the tip of the Roseland Peninsula. It’s “very reasonably priced” for a proper sit-down meal, and also does a roaring takeaway trade in classic fish ’n’ chips.