Wadebridge Restaurant Guide

“Don’t underestimate the quality of the food” at this “no-fuss, cosy” spot, serving “perfectly executed” home cooking from southern Thailand (with fiery Malaysian and Sri Lankan influences) – chef ‘Bpuu’ (a nickname meaning ‘crab’) and her partner Paul started out in Wadebridge 10 years ago serving takeaways from a trailer, moving into permanent premises two years later.

This “atmospheric” 15th-century pub in a “lovely village setting”, with a sprawling garden flanked by the local church, is well known for its “dependable, honest cooking” – some of which is not the usual gastropub fare. Top Menu Tip – “mouthwateringly-great smoked sirloin steak”.

About to enter its 15th year of operation, Fred & Donna Beedles’s well-established venue is a favourite for some diners and “always delivers quality and exceptional value”. It’s a low-key place, in a parade of shops off the road down into the harbour.

Paul & Emma Ainsworth continue to extend their group, with the January 2025 acquisition of this well-known 100-year-old hotel, with fine views of the Camel Estuary (over to Padstow, and their original flagship No. 6). With its fine position and culinary history – for example as a former stepping stone in building Nathan Outlaw’s empire – it’s an exciting proposition, although that remains somewhat in the future for the time being – former exec chef Guy Owen moved on in May 2025 and for the time being the main dining room has lost its ‘Karrek’ name and is operating in an upmarket but unambitious brasserie mould (with main plates such as Smash Burger, Piri Piri chicken schnitzel and Cornish Carbonara). If the Ainsworths’ July 2025 plans are accepted, though, to create a new garden room restaurant, a leap up in ambition can be expected.

2022 Review: “Well worth a visit if in the Padstein area” when you're in the market for “great fish ’n’ chips”; “other Rick Stein eateries are available but this one has views over the estuary” – although they come with the caveat that your reveries “can be interrupted by tourists peering through the window to see what is on your plate!”

“Celebrating their 50th anniversary… so here’s to the next 50!” – TV celeb Rick Stein and his family’s harbourside star is a true culinary “icon” and although we have reported many ups-and-downs in its performance over the years, it’s hitting its half-century with one of the strongest ratings we’ve ever given it; and as one of the more commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll outside London. “There’s now a lot of competition in Padstow and its environs” but all reports this year suggest “the Seafood Restaurant is still a standout, and unlike some of the others it is great value for money”. Typically it’s “absolutely rammed” yet the level of service is high and the consistency of the “fabulous” food from a long and varied menu was impressive this year; and the wines are “excellent value” too. Top Menu Tips – “absolutely magnificent Fruits de Mer”; “particularly good lobster”.

“Reliably good food with some interesting touches” is on the menu at this hotel bistro in an old stone building in the heart of the town from the Rick Stein group, with what is perhaps a surprisingly large proportion of non-fish dishes. It’s also generally “good value”.

Paul Ainsworth’s casual and reliably buzzy venture is still “great” by most accounts, turning out small plates, heftier fare plus popular Neapolitan-style pizzas as part of its homage to the Mediterranean. For the odd sceptic still not convinced by its 2020 bistro reinvention, however, there’s a sense that these days it’s rather “trading on a name”.

It’s “always fun to see what’s new on the menu in this fishy den” – Rich & Katie Toogood’s tiny, subway-tiled spin-off to a venue in the Big Smoke and specialising in seafood and sharing plates. A loyal army of fans say it’s a “really fun place” and the chow is “just so good” (too good, perhaps?). Just down the street, at number 22A Duke Street, you’ll find their seafood bar and test kitchen ‘Little Prawn’, and they also run Barnaby’s at Trevibban Mill Vineyard, near Padstow.

Paul Ainsworth’s Georgian townhouse near the harbour has established itself as a fine-dining “go-to” for many foodies visiting the north Cornwall coast, and is celebrating its twentieth year in operation in 2026. Typically reviews are just a full-on rave for a “truly exceptional experience”: “from the moment you walk in, first rate service makes you feel you are the most important customer in the place and the food is some of the most memorable and exciting ever – so so so good!”. (“We visit Paul Ainsworth’s restaurant each year – a long drive along busy roads – but the reward is truly five-star: the food is unbelievably delicious, the wine selection excellent, the sommelier gives excellent advice irrespective of the price, and the staff are efficient and extremely pleasant. Even his bread and butter are superb!”). The eight-course (plus treats) tasting menu is £195 per person, but you don’t have to go mad: the two-course à la carte is £85 per person.

Fifty years since the TV chef opened his first restaurant in Padstow – aka ‘Padstein’ amongst some locals – his local empire includes this bright and airy bistro, offering up “fresh fish off the boat without the hoo-ha”. The menu takes its inspiration from Stein’s travels around Asia (think Pondicherry hake curry), but is also of note for its top breakfasts.

“Simple… but the best dining this year” – this “relaxed alternative to New Road” occupies “a quirky seafront building” right on the harbour and “never fails to deliver a fantastic experience”. “It’s a very small venue which means tables are rather on top of each other and there’s some feeling of being cramped, but that does not negate the kind service” and “stunning fish dishes” from a “reassuringly small menu” for £99 per person changing by the daily catch, plus a straightforward, short but well-priced array of wine.

2023 Review: “A quirky hotel and restaurant serving excellent local fish” – this whitewashed, seventeenth-century hotel in a coastal bay is “always outstanding”. Chef James Lean (appointed in 2015) oversees a menu that’s naturally fish-focused. “Friendly service and great Cornish ales” complete the picture.

“Nathan’s stunning mastery of all things fish-related shines through… and there are stunning views too overlooking the vast expanse of Atlantic Ocean” at the famous Cornish chef’s harbourside HQ, which “sets the standard for the cooking of fresh fish and seafood in England”. “The room is a bit sparse but everyone is looking at the water” and the ambience is further buoyed along by the “pretty damned brilliant” service too. “What’s not to like” is the tenor of all reports which suggest “you really couldn’t have a better dining experience” with “dishes that stay in the mind long after they’ve left the palate!” (although if you are the kind of oenophile who likes to celebrate with famous vintages, you may find the relatively curt wine selection “a little offbeat”). The centrepiece of the offering is an eleven-course meal for £195 per person, although a much more affordable visit is possible for the à la carte lunch or at dinner Tuesday-Friday, when a very reasonable three courses for £85 per person is served.

“Another Rick Stein group outpost near to its base in Padstow” – this time a rangy boozer whose “good pub food” continues to tick the boxes (even if “the number of dogs can be an issue”) and which is most profitably enjoyed in the garden come summer. They now have fancified shepherds’ huts for overnighting, and the first meal of the day is “a real highlight” if you do (“never have I enjoyed a hotel breakfast like it”).

2024 Review: The “stunning location” of a 15th-century manor house near Padstow ensures this Cornwall venue is among the most popular in Robin Hutson’s shabby-chic Pig hotel group, helped by its “wood-paneled dining room oozing history, with friendly and helpful staff and great food” – including vegetables grown in the 200-year-old kitchen garden along with fish and seafood sourced nearby. There’s also the ‘Lobster Hut’, a “slick indoor/outdoor restaurant”, serving “reliable food” under canvas.

2023 Review: This “modern spa hotel with views out to sea” from its clifftop vantage point is fully geared-up for the eco tourist, with a solidly rated kitchen serving up sustainable meals from breakfast via lunch and afternoon tea to dinner, when there is a choice of tasting menus including vegetarian and vegan. Non-residents are now welcome to book, but it remains child-free.

Following Emily Scott’s departure and well after the conclusion of our annual diners’ poll, Chris Eden (the first Cornishman to win a Michelin star in Cornwall, apparently) has – since October 2024 – taken over the stoves at this famous hotel, which enjoys fine coastal views from the dining room.

“Delightful small restaurant opposite the church, serving delicious food and a carefully curated, fairly priced range of wines” – for fifteen years, Graham & Sally Cuthbertson’s elegant dining room has provided a “really outstanding all-round experience” (“we’ll definitely be back”).