Wadebridge, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

About to enter its 15th year of operation, Fred & Donna Beedles’s well-established venue is a favourite for some diners and “always delivers quality and exceptional value”. It’s a low-key place, in a parade of shops off the road down into the harbour.

Paul & Emma Ainsworth continue to extend their group, with the January 2025 acquisition of this well-known 100-year-old hotel, with fine views of the Camel Estuary (over to Padstow, and their original flagship No. 6). With its fine position and culinary history – for example as a former stepping stone in building Nathan Outlaw’s empire – it’s an exciting proposition, although that remains somewhat in the future for the time being – former exec chef Guy Owen moved on in May 2025 and for the time being the main dining room has lost its ‘Karrek’ name and is operating in an upmarket but unambitious brasserie mould (with main plates such as Smash Burger, Piri Piri chicken schnitzel and Cornish Carbonara). If the Ainsworths’ July 2025 plans are accepted, though, to create a new garden room restaurant, a leap up in ambition can be expected.

“Reliably good food with some interesting touches” is on the menu at this hotel bistro in an old stone building in the heart of the town from the Rick Stein group, with what is perhaps a surprisingly large proportion of non-fish dishes. It’s also generally “good value”.

Paul Ainsworth’s Georgian townhouse near the harbour has established itself as a fine-dining “go-to” for many foodies visiting the north Cornwall coast, and is celebrating its twentieth year in operation in 2026. Typically reviews are just a full-on rave for a “truly exceptional experience”: “from the moment you walk in, first rate service makes you feel you are the most important customer in the place and the food is some of the most memorable and exciting ever – so so so good!”. (“We visit Paul Ainsworth’s restaurant each year – a long drive along busy roads – but the reward is truly five-star: the food is unbelievably delicious, the wine selection excellent, the sommelier gives excellent advice irrespective of the price, and the staff are efficient and extremely pleasant. Even his bread and butter are superb!”). The eight-course (plus treats) tasting menu is £195 per person, but you don’t have to go mad: the two-course à la carte is £85 per person.

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.

“Another Rick Stein group outpost near to its base in Padstow” – this time a rangy boozer whose “good pub food” continues to tick the boxes (even if “the number of dogs can be an issue”) and which is most profitably enjoyed in the garden come summer. They now have fancified shepherds’ huts for overnighting, and the first meal of the day is “a real highlight” if you do (“never have I enjoyed a hotel breakfast like it”).

2024 Review: The “stunning location” of a 15th-century manor house near Padstow ensures this Cornwall venue is among the most popular in Robin Hutson’s shabby-chic Pig hotel group, helped by its “wood-paneled dining room oozing history, with friendly and helpful staff and great food” – including vegetables grown in the 200-year-old kitchen garden along with fish and seafood sourced nearby. There’s also the ‘Lobster Hut’, a “slick indoor/outdoor restaurant”, serving “reliable food” under canvas.

Following Emily Scott’s departure and well after the conclusion of our annual diners’ poll, Chris Eden (the first Cornishman to win a Michelin star in Cornwall, apparently) has – since October 2024 – taken over the stoves at this famous hotel, which enjoys fine coastal views from the dining room.

“Delightful small restaurant opposite the church, serving delicious food and a carefully curated, fairly priced range of wines” – for fifteen years, Graham & Sally Cuthbertson’s elegant dining room has provided a “really outstanding all-round experience” (“we’ll definitely be back”).

Adam Handling has upped sticks from Carbis Bay and in July 2025 (after our annual diners’ poll had concluded) relocated his mega-ambitious Cornish operation to this monumental hotel: a vast clifftop landmark (built in 1897) with 86 rooms in a commanding coastal position, overlooking Fistral Beach. The newly created space seats 50 covers inside, 20 on the terrace, and 30 in the bar (separate menu) and is supported by a 500-bin cellar. A three-course menu is £100 per person or there’s also a nine-course tasting menu for £175 per person (and afternoon tea for £50 per person). At his former location practically all reports acknowledged the “exceptional” cuisine although occasionally the trade-off was thought to be “ridiculous prices”, not helped by the blandness of the Carbis Bay setting: reports please!

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”.

“Excellent food, great service, and good value for money” wins attention for this super, small bistro – a bright, casual modern space with open kitchen. Top Menu Tip – “The soufflé for dessert is amazing!”

2024 Review: Costing £3 million and aiming to provide a ‘world class experience’, the new flagship destination at this landmark five-star hotel – a gigantic Victorian pile overlooking Fistral beach – opened in May 2023, too late for any feedback in our annual diners’ poll. The Headland offers tremendous sea views, and the new menu aims to showcase the best of Cornish fish and farm produce (RenMor means ’restaurant by the sea’ in Cornish). Maybe scope it out with a visit to one of the adjoining lounges for sarnies and cakes first – “afternoon tea looking out to sea couldn’t be more perfect”.