Guildford Restaurant Guide

“Fabulous beach-front location, great fish cookery and good wines” combine to guarantee an “altogether enjoyable lunch or dinner” at this St Ives fixture, led for more than 20 years by Aussie-born chef Mick Smith, who benefits from “not trying too hard to be innovative”.

A “great view of the beach” (particularly from the deck) and across the bay to Godrevy Lighthouse in the distance has long been the major draw to this seaside café; while the food isn’t quite what it once was (breakfast is take-away only these days), it does its job, with dishes like crab linguine and fish ‘n’ chips playing up the local catch. PS – if you’re making a day of it, they also rent out 36 brightly coloured beachside ‘pods’ or shacks, allowing you to store your beach kit and refuel at this restaurant without the hassle of carting your valuables with you.

“The ‘one to beat’ in the surrounding area, despite increasing competition” – this harbourside restaurant with rooms is “a place for a quite special dinner, where the imaginative menus and ingredients continue to reflect Jude Kereama‘s heritage” (a mixture of New Zealand and Asian backgrounds). “The tasting menus remain very good value at a time when such menus are becoming all but prohibitively priced elsewhere”.

In a bracing coastal setting near the Minack theatre, this mustard-yellow dining pub-with-rooms has long been a well-known destination – much like its elder sibling the Felin Fach Griffin, near Hay-on-Wye; and The Old Coastguard, across the moor in Mousehole. The “lovely” bar is generally preferred to the main restaurant, but better yet eat outside “and you can look across the fields and breathe in the sea air” (there’s also a new outside bar, The Cow Shed, open Friday and Saturday from noon until sundown, and serving “great beer” from the Verdant and St Ives breweries).

Right by Newlyn’s sea wall, Ben Tunnicliffe’s beamed 1800s pub with an appealing terrace specialises in “very good fish”, with the chalkboard menu changing to reflect what’s come in on the boats that day. Ratings slipped slightly this year on a couple of less enthusiastic reports (particularly regarding service), and the setting remains “fairly basic”, but for the majority it’s all about the “utterly delicious” catch – “spanking fresh and not fussed with, so the flavours can shine”.

“One to return to for its comfort and lovely views (even in winter)” of St Michael’s Mount and the Lizard – this Cornish seaside hotel with its “buzzy” bar/café is from the same stable as the not-far-distant Gurnard’s Head and the well-known Felin Fach Griffin in Wales. It wins praise for “capable gastropub-quality cooking” and its “buzzy style”. Top Tip – “great Sunday lunch”.

“You could look at the view forever” from this brilliantly situated and cosy ancient pub, right by the Helford estuary and its foot ferry across the river. “While the menu doesn’t vary year on year, they seem to have found a format that works for the varied audience that visits. Food is hearty and tasty, good quality and feels like a safe pair of hands”.

“A new small restaurant serving really good seafood” that opened in late 2023. Feedback is still too limited for a rating but it looks promising – service is “enthusiastic” and the blackboard menu “seems seasonal and changing (had an unusual Hake in Nettle soup which was really very good)”.

“A great find while on holiday” – this cool modern bar from Penryn’s Verdant craft brewery serves tapas-style portions of fresh local seafood to accompany its impressive beer selection. There was limited feedback in our survey this year, but all was positive.