St Merryn, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“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.

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.

“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 & 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.

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.