Penryn Restaurant Guide

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.

2023 Review: This “glorious spot” by the sea, close to the SW coastal path and with a front-conservatory to take advantage of sea views, was taken over by high-profile chef Michael Caines of Lympstone Manor in 2020. Quell hopes of any culinary fireworks, though – reports here didn’t hit the heights this year, with the experience too often “let down by chaotic service and pedestrian food”.

Stunningly located on the seafront in St Mawes, this staple of design and travel magazines is the flagship of the Polizzi Collection, run by interiors guru Olga Polizzi and her ‘Hotel Inspector’ daughter Alex (who also oversee Hotel Endsleigh near Tavistock and, most recently, The Star in Alfriston, East Sussex). The food, which again elicited solid marks this year, can be taken in the chic dining room or more casual Dog’s Head bar.

“You could look at the view forever” from this brilliantly situated and cosy ancient pub, right by the Helford estuary and its foot ferry across the river. “While the menu doesn’t vary year on year, they seem to have found a format that works for the varied audience that visits. Food is hearty and tasty, good quality and feels like a safe pair of hands”.

2022 Review: “Interesting food in an intimate dining room” makes Nigel Tabb’s former pub a “favourite local fine-dining venue”, making “great use of local Cornish ingredients”. It also helps that there’s a “small but well-constructed wine list which offers exceptional value”. It’s “a little difficult to find, away from the centre of Truro, but worth the effort”.

“Good burgers” – “as good as they get in Cornwall” – from high-welfare grass-fed West Country beef are key to the success of Richard Boon’s small chain, which has grown over 22 years from its original venue in St Ives to 10 branches, as far north as Cardiff and as far east as Portsmouth. There’s “plenty of choice” on the menus, including chicken options and local craft beers.

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”.

“The ‘one to beat’ in the surrounding area, despite increasing competition” – this harbourside restaurant with rooms is “a place for a quite special dinner, where the imaginative menus and ingredients continue to reflect Jude Kereama‘s heritage” (a mixture of New Zealand and Asian backgrounds). “The tasting menus remain very good value at a time when such menus are becoming all but prohibitively priced elsewhere”.

2023 Review: “Great cooking at very reasonable cost” is on offer at this family-run brasserie with deli and ice-cream parlour from Cornish-born chef Stew Eddy (who trained under both Raymond Blanc and Michael Caines) and his wife Anna, in a “lovely former fishing village that’s fast becoming a foodie destination to rival Padstow”. Top Tip – “the memorable Goan fish curry”.

“Amazing ramen” is just one highlight of the “lovely menu” at chef Jude Kereama’s second venue, sister to nearby Kota. There’s plenty of seafood, along with dishes inspired by Jude’s New Zealand and Asian heritage. “Fab views over the harbour just across the road” are another reason to visit.

Tucked away near the high street, this “small plates” venue is the debut restaurant from Cornish-based chefs Harry Cartwright and Nathan Outlaw-trained Jay Brady, with a focus on seasonal local ingredients, and delivers “very good, Cornish-style tapas” in a modern (“acoustically reverberant”) setting. There’s also a six-course tasting menu.

2022 Review: A “fabulous location with stunning views of the Fal Estuary” remains the main draw to this smart quayside brasserie, though its “good, varied menu” is “well presented and precisely cooked” too. Getting a window seat is something of a challenge – as is getting a spot for breakfast and brunch, so think of booking ahead.

“A great find while on holiday” – this cool modern bar from Penryn’s Verdant craft brewery serves tapas-style portions of fresh local seafood to accompany its impressive beer selection. There was limited feedback in our survey this year, but all was positive.

2022 Review: This large harbourside chippy is well-liked locally owing to fish “so fresh it makes me want to go back again and again”. (For the fish-averse they also have a line in burgers, pies and sausages).

“Expert cooking, an interesting menu with a very strong emphasis on provenance and sustainability, all backed by friendly and well-informed service” win a thumbs-up for Hylton & Petronella Espey’s “small and tucked-away” venue on Custom House Quay, which in two short years has become one of the most accoladed venues in Cornwall. The main event in the evening is the ‘Journey’ menu at £80 per person: ‘a story told over seven courses’.

An “excellent location overlooking the sea” at Swanpool Beach and nature reserve elevates a trip to this cliffside outfit with a heated outdoor terrace; its sustainably caught seafood elicited regrettably little feedback this year, but there was praise for some “good fresh fish dishes” (the menu swimming between scallops, squid and shellfish platters).