The 12 best restaurants in Cornwall

Telegraph

02-05-2025

Cornwall is as well known for its organic beef and pork, artisan cheeses and air-dried charcuterie as it is for fish and seafood. Most restaurants serve a little of both, often garnished with plants and berries foraged from the hedgerows and cliffs: rock samphire, wild garlic, alexanders and wild flower petals.
In a county with a strong conservation ethos and a growing body of organic smallholders, there's plenty of choice for vegetarians and vegans too – both in shops and on restaurant menus. In summer farmers' wives still hang out the cream tea signs: just remember the Cornish way is to put the jam on first.
For further Cornwall inspiration, see our guides to the region's best hotels, pubs, beaches, cream teas, walks, things to do and how to plan the perfect holiday.
West Cornwall
Kota Restaurant with Rooms
New Zealander Jude Kereama has introduced Cornish folk to the spicy, citrusy delights of Pacific Rim cooking in this quayside cottage in Porthleven. Kota Restaurant with Rooms is Maori for shellfish and this is one of the few places that serves a French-style seafood platter, which must be ordered 24 hours ahead. A particular favourite among regulars is the Rockpool, a combination of pan-fried hake, prawn ravioli, mussels and seaweed. For spice lovers, the curried monkfish with red lentil dahl is a winner. And for those that aren't a fan of fish, there's Cornish beef featherblades with tempura short ribs. You can also expect a super choice of European and New Zealand wines.
Tolcarne Inn
For market-fresh fish and seafood, head for this traditional fishermen's pub beside the harbour in Britain's largest fishing port. It's owned by Ben Tunnicliffe who stepped away from his Michelin-starred restaurant in Penzance to indulge his love of unfussy fish cookery. The menu is short and chalked up daily depending on the catch. The fish soup is a particular favourite as is any dish served with Ben's signature risotto. If someone in your party doesn't like fish, phone ahead and the kitchen will prepare an alternative. There are outdoor picnic-style tables for fine days.
The Porthmeor Café
Ask a local where they like to eat in St Ives and the answer will invariably be this simple café with a grandstand view of surfers in action. Eat inside the glasshouse or in a heated open-air booth (once former beach huts). Australian chef Cameron Jennings has turned tapas into food art. The menu changes seasonally but regular favourites include pea and blue cheese arancini, the best crispy squid around, and slow-cooked braised beef with polenta. Finish with delete freshly made churros a slice of its heavenly dark chocolate and olive oil tart.
Blas Burgerworks
These are the best burgers in Cornwall, maybe in Britain. Run by a trio of friends, this tiny restaurant and take-away is tucked away in the Warren at the station end of the harbour. The beef is local and traditionally reared, the chips are genuinely hand-cut, and the ethos is green. As well as a classic bacon-and-Davidstow-cheddar burger there's rotisserie chicken and vegetarian and vegan options.
The Shore
Bruce Rennie adores Japan and this small intimate dining room in the heart of Penzance celebrates his love of its cuisine. He uses the freshest ingredients, sourced from farmers and fishermen who are friends, to create mouthwatering umami dishes, from Izakaya small plates at lunchtimes to a beautifully balanced six-course tasting menu in the evenings. Each course is introduced by Bruce with enthusiastic panache before he dashes back into the kitchen to add the finishing touches. The wine list is superb.
The South Coast
Star & Garter
The historic Star & Garter pub on Falmouth's waterfront has won a slew of awards for its modern British cooking. delete since it opened two years ago. The owner-chefs work with local fishermen to land the best of the catch and butcher, cure and smoke all the meat themselves. delete Monday brisket day sentence. Its Sunday roasts are as good as your mother's: perfectly cooked sirloin of beef, leg of lamb or pork with great crackling and all the trimmings including potatoes roasted in duck fat.
The Hidden Hut
Imaginative meat, fish and seafood dishes, soups, sandwiches and salads, served by local couple Simon and Jemma Stallard from a shack on a quiet beach on the Roseland peninsula. The concept has attracted a huge following especially for its themed delete weekly feast nights (the main course could be spring lamb, spit-roast chicken or River Fal shellfish), which sell out as soon as booking opens. Guests bring their own plates, cutlery and wine to sup at long picnic tables whatever the weather. It's a sociable gathering and you never know who you'll meet.
Culture Restaurant
This new venture on Custom House Quay is a welcome departure from Falmouth's fairly predictable food scene. Hylton Espey is passionate about sourcing locally from niche organic suppliers and foraging among the hedgerows and rockpools. Diners sit down at 7pm for a six-course feast that lifts humble ingredients into flavour bombs. The bread alone, made from a rare local variety of wheat handmilled by Hylton, is worth the journey. A place for true food lovers, this Cornish 'Journey Menu' is well-priced and the wine list has some superb and unusual wines.
Sam's on the Beach
Located in an old lifeboat station beside the beach at Polkerris, near Daphne du Maurier's Menabilly home, this is a lively place for lunch or a sunset dinner in summer. Sit inside or out. There are proper wood-fired stone-baked pizzas (including a delicious garlic and herb flatbread to share) as well as seafood salads, mussels every which way, and proper American-style meatballs with spaghetti and barbecue sauce. In fact there's something for everyone, from small children to adults with allergens, and it's all freshly made with locally sourced ingredients.
Ardor
Owner-chef Dorian Janmatt who spent part of his childhood in Spain and worked for nine years at the Manoir aux Quat'Saisons serves imaginative tapas and mezze plates and shareable mains that capture the flavours and cooking styles of the Mediterranean. Popular tapas include chorizo pillowbread, squid orzo pasta and oysters followed by charcoal grilled dry-aged steaks, proper rotisserie chicken, and succulent pork ribs with quince and rosemary. Leave room for the fresh churros served with a rich chocolate dipping sauce. Already a hit with locals, it's best to book for dinner.
The North Coast
Restaurant Nathan Outlaw
Nathan Outlaw is one of Britain's finest fish chefs whose simple dish descriptions hide flavour sensations that few can equal. Cut this sentence The award of two Michelin stars is richly deserved. The modern dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows that make the most of the sea and cliff views. There's no choice here: dinner comprises an eight-course Seafood Tasting Menu with a matching wine flight. Dietary requirements can be catered for with advance notice. Outlaw also operates the more affordable Outlaw's Fish Kitchen on Port Isaac Harbour. Both restaurants have been awarded one Michelin star for 2023.
The Seafood Restaurant
Even though Rick Stein is now rarely in Padstow, the Seafood Restaurant remains the aspirational place to eat fish and seafood in Cornwall. The exotic, spicy dishes on the menu reflecting Rick's travels are tempting, but stick to the freshly landed fish simply cooked with seasonal vegetables or tackle a whole lobster. No reservations are required to sit at the seafood bar which occupies the centre of the large dining room. Here you can eat Porthilly oysters, sushi and sashimi prepared in front of you or choose from the main menu.
How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller's taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
Gill Charlton is a regular writer in the Telegraph's travel pages. She has lived in Cornwall for 25 years and loves to walk along the coastal path and reward herself with a proper steak pasty and a pint of Betty Stogs ale.