Looe Restaurant Guide

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.

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”.

2023 Review: “A small and intimate restaurant” – opposite an old church in Cornwall’s antiques capital – Graham Cuthbertson’s wood-panelled spot “serves great modern European and local dishes and the dining room is really comfortable”. “I went there with all my family and they were really accommodating with young children”.

“Culinary innovation intertwines seamlessly with environmental stewardship, plus with unparalleled service and flavour” at Dan Cox’s February 2023 newcomer: part of an 120-acre farm with bakery and restaurant that “embraces traditional preservation techniques and locally sourced ingredients” with “a dedication to low-intervention, regenerative farming not only eschewing artificial fertilisers and pesticides but also reintroducing heritage crops, long forgotten by commercial channels”. All reports on it are outstanding, including numerous best meals of the year, and the upshot is “a lovely ethos and amazing quality” in the 25-cover restaurant, where the main offering is a nine-course tasting menu for £105 per person. Converts say: “It stands as a beacon of excellence, inspiring others to follow suit in preserving and enhancing the very environment that nurtures their creations”. Top Menu Tip – “Venison sourced from the local estate fulfils a dual purpose, ensuring habitat preservation while providing exquisite flavours on the plate. Similarly, matured sheep, aged six years, grace the menu, their meat meticulously dry-aged on-site in a DIY ageing room. Even the bones, once depleted of flavour, find new life as part of the crockery glaze”.

2021 Review: A “perennial favourite local relaxed foodie joint”, this ex-pub turned “bistro-cum-cafe-cum-restaurant” goes from strength to strength as a showcase for the “inventive food” of chef-owner Dave Jenkins, whose dishes “always delight, with lovely little touches and innovations that make total sense once you’ve tasted them”. They serve “great breakfasts, good-value lunches”, and “the best Sunday roast in town”.

“High-quality cooking, a buzzy atmosphere and reasonable prices” characterise locally born chef Benjamin Palmer’s six-year-old outfit “right by the harbourside”. Fresh fish and seafood dominate the menu, but there are beef and veggie options to satisfy fish phobes.

2023 Review: Down by the quayside, this cute pub is tipped for “fish that’s obviously as fresh as you can get, and an excellent seafood platter” from amongst its other more typically pub grub offerings.

“What a fantastic new restaurant in Plymouth!” Chef Lee Calver made his November 2023 debut as patron alongside partner Chloe Lillicrap in the venue formerly occupied by well-known Rock Salt Cafe and Brasserie (RIP). The former Navy chef is aiming to provide ‘relaxed fine dining’ with an affordable brasserie-style menu. Fans say they “should be very proud of what they’re doing: the food is excellent, obviously a lot of thought goes into their menu and attention to detail is wonderful”. Top Tip – “Sunday lunches are outstanding value and delicious”.

“A wine bar with amazing character and great food” – Zoe Brodie & Fitz Spencer’s wine shop/deli overlooking Sutton Harbour offers some “fantastic small plates and sharing boards” – including ‘Fitzy’s Fat Boy Board’, which comprises pretty well the whole menu for £130.