Harden's says
Closed mid December-mid Feb.
Harden's survey result
Summary
Nina & Jamie MacLean’s “very busy” no-bookings seafood bar is “an astonishing find” that elicited strong all-round feedback this year. The “superb” small plates menu “is a triumph” and, unusually, “half the fun of eating at this tiny roadside brasserie is queuing to get in” (“it’s great chatting with prospective fellow diners”). Such is its success that, in 2023, they launched an extension, ‘The Shack’, two doors down, which offers the same menu and is also walk-in only.
Summary
“Jump on the sleeper to Penzance and make a B-line for this gem”, to feast on “the freshest catch of the day delivered from Newlyn harbour opposite”, at this “tiny seafood bistro” with “reasonable prices for the best and freshest seafood”. Founders Nina & Jamie MacLean used to run the Mackerel Sky restaurant in Penzance, before moving to start a family. The no-bookings seafood bar has been so successful they decided to open a seafood shack two doors down for the 2023 season. Top Tip – “crab nachos are absolutely divine”.
Summary
“Tucked away down a side street, wedged between a busy road and a stream, a stone's throw from the harbour”, this “tiny little café by enthusiastic foodies” offers some “exceptional” small plates – not least “incredibly fresh fish, cooked with flair and ambition” (plus “oh so crispy chips”). Top Tip – “no bookings taken, just turn up and be prepared to wait, not too long”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Mackerel Sky?
New Road, Newlyn, TR18 5PZ
Restaurant details
New Road, Newlyn, TR18 5PZ
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10 pm |
