Guildford Restaurant Guide

“Excellent food, outstanding views” – the tenor of all reports these days on this well-known local pitstop, buoyed by a “fabulous setting on the beach” just below the Tate; it's “ideal for long lunches” (with your canine if you sit on the terrace) which are often based around fish.

2018 Review: “Facing east, so perfect for breakfast” – this café right on the beach has fine views. For more substantial fare however, it’s not the fave rave it once was.

2018 Review: “Über-fresh fish and shellfish feature large” on the menu of this “small but stylish and tidy” town-centre bistro; “the head chef really knows his ingredients” and “shows them at their best” – though the “clinical” vibe “can’t compete for ambience with the best of St Ives”.

Good news for chef Ben Prior, who has bounced back from his award-winning Ben's Cornish Kitchen, in Marazion, going into voluntary liquidation. He’s now helming the stoves at this harbourside venture known for its “good” food and location (even if the “ambience doesn’t match the sister beach restaurants” – e.g. Porthminster Café and Porthgwidden).

“Great views from the beachside terrace and an interesting fishy menu” have made this tapas-style venture “a definite must-go”, especially when visiting the nearby Tate. (As of 2019, they also run seasonal spin-off West Beach Bakery, on the western side of Porthmeor Beach, and serving up “great pizzas”, deli-style lunches and “even better views” than the original… and it's “less busy” too).

Beautifully placed just off the SW Coast Path near St Michael's Mount, this atmospheric twelfth-century inn (dogs and muddy boots welcome in the bar) offers some “perfectly cooked” and “well-presented” grub (not least Sunday lunch), and seems to be going strong despite the departure of former chef Nik Boyle. Take advantage of the “comfortable” rooms to linger over a “great” pre-hike breakfast come morning.

Ben Prior relocated to St Ives after 10 years in Marazion at the highly rated Ben’s Cornish Kitchen (RIP), and in May 2021 he helped re-open the dining room at this small hotel overlooking Porthminster Beach (at whose cafe he’s now head chef) having installed Grant Nethercote as head chef. Reports please!

A tranquil café on a pretty street that’s beloved by Rick Stein, who featured it in one of his many TV shows. Snack on home-baked cakes and biscuits, enjoy “lots of fish dishes” (including some “unusual options”) for lunch, or – by night – “amazing small plates served up from the small open kitchen” (you can sit at the bar for a particularly “great view” of the chefs at work).