The best pubs and bars in Cornwall

Telegraph

02-05-2025

The Cornish are sniffy about lager. Why would anyone drink something so tasteless when there's such a good choice of proper ales from long-established micro breweries (including Korev's Cornish lager), not to mention the chilled ciders and array of home-grown gins. Thanks to tourism, the county's age-old granite pubs set high on clifftops or tucked away beside estuaries can turn a decent living. Many pubs have upped their food game, buying direct from farmers and fishermen, instead of from a supplier's freezer, and introducing dishes that owe more to Ottolenghi than KFC.
For further Cornwall inspiration, see our guides to the region's best hotels, restaurants, beaches, cream teas, things to do and how to plan the perfect holiday.
West Cornwall
Tinners Arms
The main bar at the Tinners Arms with its roaring fire is little changed from its origin as a dorm for the builders of the medieval church next door. It's a sociable pub, a mix of locals and visitors back from a sunset walk out to the headland (a 30-minute round-trip). There's a slew of real ales – Tinners or Mermaid are the beloved classics – and local handcrafted gins, including one made using rock samphire. The food is tasty farmhouse fare.
Blue Anchor Inn
There has been a working brewery at the Blue Anchor Inn for 600 years. Originally a resthouse for monks, the interior of this thatched, town-centre pub with its flagstone floors is full of character. Its most popular brew, Middle, a traditional sweet bitter, was originally made to welcome home soldiers from the First World War. It even has a skittle alley that hosts live music sessions on Thursdays. At the rear there's a large garden.
Halzephron Inn
Steeping in smuggling history, this medieval freehouse on a remote clifftop on the Lizard has the best sunset view in Cornwall. You can sit outside and bask in the last warm rays of the sun before it sets over Land's End. Inside there's a choice of cosy bars with high-backed chairs as well as separate dining room that serves traditional pub fare. Expect a good choice of Cornish beers on tap, plus local gins and vodkas. A short walk away is Church Cove which featured in the BBC's Poldark.
The Old Success Inn
The perfect place to grab a pint and watch the sun set into the Atlantic after stretching your legs on the clifftop walk to Land's End. Owned by St Austell Breweries, this historic pub has open fires in winter and outdoor seating with panoramic sea views in summer. There are 16 small batch brewed beers to cover all tastes from IPA to lager including a new AI-generated recipe called Hand Brewed by Robots.
The South Coast
The Shipwrights Arms
This lovely old waterside pub nearly closed a few years ago before the local community banded together to buy it. The main bar areas are low-beamed and cosy but the key reason to come here is to drink good beer or a local gin and tonic out on the terrace that is just feet from the water. This is a beautiful stretch of the Helford, one of those places that makes you feel that's all's well in the world. There's a good choice of comfort food too. Check the website for live music nights, usually a folk or jazz band.
Pandora Inn
This thatched pub has a gorgeous waterside setting in a creek off the River Fal with tables set out on a long pontoon jutting out into the water. Inside, there are old ship's timbers, low ceilings and flagstone floors. It's popular with locals and sailors who moor their boats alongside, and there's a good selection of St Austell ales, locally brewed lager and ciders, and a decent wine list with a wide choice of wines by the glass. As for food, picture a traditional pub menu, that's very well executed and based around locally sourced produce. The car park is small; park back up the road on summer evenings.
The Blue Peter Inn
Tucked away in the absurdly photogenic fishing village of Polperro, this is a Grade-I listed free house, rated for its well-kept beers from up-and-coming West Country breweries including the Cornish Crown, Otter, Bays and Fish Key brews. The chatty welcoming staff will also mix you a mean bloody Mary and, in winter, a mulled rum cider. There's live music every Friday and Saturday from March to November, usually local solo performers. It's a 10-minute stroll from the car park as no cars are allowed in the village centre.
The North Coast
Blue Bar, Porthtowan
On summer evenings surfers and families gather at picnic tables on the terrace overlooking this popular surfing beach to watch the sun set into the sea. Parking isn't a problem as there's a large car park nearby. Inside it's a large barn of a place but the friendly efficient crew run a tight ship. Order a pint of Sharp's Doom Bar ale brewed in Rock and a plate of spicy chilli nachos.
The Watering Hole
The Watering Hole claims to be the only bar that is actually on a beach in Britain and often finds itself in the paper after storms when it teeters on the edge of a sand cliff high above the sea. It sits on three-mile Perranporth Beach, which is a great place to watch the sun go down in a blaze of glory into the sea on a summer's evening, and it's one of the liveliest places for a drink on this coast. There's also a wide-ranging programme of regular live music and plenty of space to get up and dance.
The St Kew Inn
This 15th-century inn deep in the countryside near Port Isaac has a wonderful atmosphere, and food and drink to match. Fires crackle on winter days and in summer there is plenty of space in its garden. The ales are from the nearby St Austell Brewery, there's Cornish Rattler cider from Healeys Farm near Newquay and wines are sourced from Camel Valley vineyard down the road. The food has won awards, using local produce where possible and the Sunday roast is legendary.
How we choose
Every bar, venue or experience 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 and styles, from casual pubs to exquisite cocktail bars – to best suit every type of traveller – and consider the service, drinks, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings 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.