Cornwall, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

This “hidden gem just outside Truro” from husband-and-wife team Ben & Sam Harmer features “impressive” cooking, “exceptional service” and a “splendid outdoor eating area” for warmer weather. Ben’s classical training took in the kitchens of The Savoy and Le Gavroche – hence “the soufflé is impressive”.

“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”.

“Still amazing and it is over 25 years since we have last been!” – the harbourside HQ of the Stein family’s national group was opened in 1975 by Jill and Rick Stein and remains one of the most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll. “It may be 47 years old, but the food is still amazing – the ‘Fruits De Mer’ is such a dreamy treat” and “so scrummy lobster” is another much-mentioned option amongst “the amazing fish choices that are so delicious and so fresh”. There are quibbles – “some tables are exceptionally close!” – and “service can struggle to attend to everyone”. Still, “the busy-ness creates a buzz, somehow the venue still delivers a memorable occasion and a trip feels like a right of passage that everyone should experience at least once!”.

“Great fresh seafood” is the draw you would hope for, according to fans of this casual joint run by the TV chef and his family – one of their four venues in Padstow. Overall ratings in our annual diners’ poll are middling, though – it can just seem “overpriced”.

Associated with London foodie hits Primeur and Westerns Laundry, this three-year-old favourite, which occupies a former bank, continues to inspire high ratings for its food. It’s a seasonal operation, which closes each year between late Autumn and mid Spring.

Rick and Katie Toogood’s sibling to their London operation is a “miniscule café” (“can you even call it a restaurant?”) down near the harbour, which moved to this famous Cornish town from Islington in 2015. It’s “very basic” and attracted much less attention in our survey compared to their summer pop-up, Prawn on the Farm, which occupies a big marquee on Trerethern farm a short drive outside Padstow, with fine views over the countryside to the sea. It “has real soul to it, shown by the young, enthusiastic service. The small fish plate menu is generally great and it’s good fun as a concept”. On the downside, “you need to go easy on the number of plates” and one or two reporters found results “insanely good, but incredibly salty and rich”. The most common verdicts, though… “exceptional…”, “incredible…”, “superb…”

The last word in calm elegance on Cornwall’s south coast, Olga Polizzi’s famous former yacht club is “consistently classy”, with “good food, fantastic service” – and, inevitably, “prices to match”. The restaurant is open to non-residents but you need to book in the evening, while the Dogs’ bar and Beach Club offer more casual eating options.

“The little brother… but one which doesn’t have to worry about its other sibling as it stands up as a very good restaurant in its own right” – Nathan Outlaw’s small No 2. venue on the quayside of this picturebook Cornish fishing harbour provides “a wonderful experience from start to finish”. “Decor is quirky” and there’s “a delicious selection of small fish dishes”, consistently rated as “outstanding”.

“A view over the beach on one side and into the kitchen the other helps make for a wonderful atmosphere” at Nathan Outlaw’s harbourside HQ, a short step from Outlaw’s Guest House, which now allows his diners to stay and eat with a variety of accommodation and dinner deals. It’s a case of ‘Back to the Future’ here – perhaps it should be called ‘Outlaw’s Old Road’ – because, having renamed it from ‘Restaurant Nathan Outlaw’ and simplified the menu in mid-2020 in response to Covid (doing away with the previous posher format which won him two Michelin stars) he did a 180° U-turn in September 2022, reducing the number of covers to 28 and now offering the sole option of a £175 per head, seven-course tasting menu. According to the press release ‘it’s a natural progression… to use a better array of luxurious seafood’ yada, yada, yada, but it looks for all the world like a reinstatement of a posher business as usual after the upheavals of the pandemic. We have maintained the (excellent) ratings of the previous regime, on the basis that they changed precious little after the first reformatting anyway.

“Nice views over Helford estuary” from this atmospheric 300-year-old inn and some decent food makes it “well worth trying to get a parking space” for a meal here. The menu may be “limited, but there’s something for everyone”, ranging from a “huge chicken schnitzel” to “seafood chowder with a great depth of flavour” and “top fish ’n’ chips”.

“The more informal, café-style, sister to Kota” – the local star from chef Jude Kereama – “this place overlooking the harbour just hits the spot for a holiday lunch, with on-point sharing plates that have fantastic flavours”, thanks to Jude’s New Zealand and Asian heritage. “The menu is imaginative, innovative and a cut above the norm”, and the “great-value food” comes in “generous portions”.

Bruce Rennie provides the one-man kitchen team at his very personal 14-seater, where you must book in advance, and a reservation is – according to his website – like “booking a ticket at a (very small and personal) theatre with a supper club vibe”. All who comment “love the whole concept of this place”: “Bruce is a wizard with fish which is landed just down the road in Newlyn – lots of Asian flavours make for really imaginative tasting menu offerings”.

“Unrivalled access to the day’s catch” – (“it is Newlyn after all”) – is the secret to the “consistently amazing food” at chef-owner Ben Tunnicliffe’s unspoilt 300-year-old pub by the sea wall. It’s “perfect for alfresco dining on a summer’s day” – and not so shabby whatever the weather.

“Great food, great beer, great staff – what’s not to like?” – Penryn-based Verdant craft brewery opened this tiny taproom just off the Falmouth seafront four years ago, matching their brews with a small-plates menu of French, Italian and more locally inspired seafood, ranging from fish balls and fish-finger butties to pan-fried gurnard with mussels and crab sauce.

“Great shellfish”, eaten at a “nice location on the edge of the cliff” with views over Swanpool beach and nature reserve, makes this comfortable spot an attractive option in all seasons. There’s a strong sustainability ethos, and the cooking is accurate. Worst comment? – The “brilliant scallops were slightly overpowered by the equally delicious sauce”.

“The food is not only picture perfect but tastebud-wateringly delicious” at this “small and lively” owner-operated venue, which “has it all, not just for Instagram but for the discerning diner from age 4 to 100” (down to the “wonderful crockery, glassware and cutlery”). It serves an “excellent fish-based tasting menu” of “amazing quality and innovation, with pedigree and traceability on all food sourcing”.