Best restaurants in Cornwall

The 300-year-old Ferry Boat Inn’s riverside location, tucked in a secluded cove, means you can take in the view of the Helford Estuary as you dine. Stop by for a cosy Sunday lunch or hard-to-beat fish and chips and feel yourself unwind with every bite. 

A picturesque, brightly-decorated pub with a short but very sweet menu of seasonally-rotating plates of regional meat, fish and greenery. Keep your eye out for the eponymous gurnard with tomato, anchovy, olive and samphire. It's beautiful in summer, and in winter you'll find cosy log fires roaring away inside. 

Another Paul Ainsworth property, stylish, Art Deco Rojano’s in the Square is one of Cornwall’s best Italian restaurants; ideal if you’ve got a hankering for sourdough pizza or pasta, rather than the locally-favoured seafood. Be sure to save room for the signature ‘Whoopsey Splunker’ dessert. 

Padstow’s restaurant is the second branch of Prawn on the Lawn, and follows the same philosophy of being both a fishmonger and an eatery. Menus change on a regular basis depending on the catch of the day, but the cooking is outstanding, and you can leave with something for yourself afterwards. 

Set in the heart of St Ives, Ardor is the brainchild of chef Dorian Janmaat, blending Mediterranean flair with fresh, Cornish produce. Expect colourful plates of tapas, pintxos, with plenty of dishes coming straight from the Josper grill, all served in a stylish, laid-back space.

Easy-going but ambitious, North Street Kitchen is exactly what we want from a Cornish seafood restaurant. Set in a converted boatshed by the waters of the Fowey estuary, the cooking here is relaxed and confident, reflecting the best catch from local dayboats in simple, delicious dishes. 

A fairly new gastropub, the St Tudy Inn sits prettily in a little pocked of northern Cornwall's countryside. Here you'll find classic comfort food dishes with a spin - think risotto topped with a crispy quail's egg, deep fried zucchini keftedes with spiced yoghurt, or Cornish scallops paired with smoked bacon and maple syrup.

It may reside in a quaint 15th century fisherman’s cottage, but inside Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen is a modern vision of warm woods and cosy cushion-lined benches. Expect a collection of tasty seafood sharing plates like ginger cured mackerel and tandoori monkfish, all made with the freshest catch for local dayboat fishermen. 

Nourish showcases hearty, inventive British cooking at St Michael's Resory, showing off great Cornish ingredients like grilled Cornish red mullet with sauce vierge, and crab on sourdough toast. There are healthy salads too, as well as homemade pizzas. 

This relaxed, bistro style restaurant is set right on the beach in Padstow, overlooking the Camel Estuary where ferries drift gently between Padstow and Rock. Dishes are focused around great seafood - mussels with cream and saffron, pan-fried sea bream with asparagus and crayfish, aand lots more. The Sunday roast is great too. 

Owned by the same Paul Ainsworth of No.6 fame, dog-friendly Mariners has only been open since May 2019 but has already developed a reputation for excellence. Sunday lunch is particularly well reviewed, as are the sweet and savoury cream teas. Prepare your stretchy pants for indulgent pub grub.

This Michelin-starred townhouse is the ultimate destination for contemporary British cuisine with, of course, a Cornish twist, particularly if you’re marking a special occasion. Arrive for your reservation early and enjoy an aperitif in the adjacent Cici’s Bar, then get ready for some of the most delicious, inventive cooking in the country.

The seven-course tasting menu at Driftwood is a whistlestop tour through sumptuous delights from grilled Cornish monkfish with gnocchi to barbecued short rib atop celeriac and smoked bone marrow. There’s also a vegetarian version that’s equally thoughtfully devised, making this an excellent choice for those with dietaries.

Alongside the excellent Culture, MINE has really put Falmouth on the map as an exciting place for food. Expect British classics, elevated by outstanding Cornish produce in a homely dining room, made all the more welcoming by brilliant, knowledgeable staff. MINE's menu changes from week to week, so you can always expect something different with each visit. 

Zacry’s brasserie makes the most of the outstanding ingredients found on its doorstep, from starters of Cornish crab with pickled cucumber and seaweed mayo to local plaice served with sauté potatoes and lobster butter. Light, bright, brasserie-style interiors make this a restaurant for all occasions. 

Nature dictates the menu at Culture in Falmouth, which has received a Michelin Green Star for it's wild food-leaning menus. Lunch and dinner take place in a single tasting menu, with courses designed to shine a light on specific producers and seasonal ingredients. 

Cornwall’s renowned eco-hotel and spa also houses The Scarlet Restaurant, which works with organic, sustainable suppliers from the area to create modern European cuisine. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all excellent, or book the showstopping Champagne afternoon tea. Worth a stay for the excellent spa. 

Scottish chef Adam Handling has a thing for Cornwall, and all his restaurants in the south west are excellent. We have a soft spot for The Tartan Fox, where Handling turns his hand to outstanding gastropub classics, albeit with a bit of extra oomph. Don't miss black pudding bon bons, and hash browns with truffle cream and caviar. 

Newquay gets two great restaurants in one with Counter Culture. On one side is a 16-seat restaurant, which serves superb, more contemporary British cooking - think Cornish rarebit with braised oxtail, and duck with black garlic and gooseberry. If you can't get a table, fear not - the pintxos bar is walk-in only and serves a Basque-inspired menu of Spanish bites. 

St Mawes’ hotel and restaurant The Idle Rocks has an award-winning seafood-heavy menu, with head chef Guy Owen taking inspiration from both France and Asia for his dishes. Enjoy the sight of the harbour as you sample delicate lobster raviolo or curried Newlyn hake.

Tucked away amidst 66 acres of meadows, whether you stay in the five-bed guesthouse on Coombeshead Farm or simply stop in, you won’t be disappointed. The airy converted barn serves up sustainable tasting menus and lighter bites that change with the seasons. 

Adam Handling's Ugly Butterfly offers guests spectacular views of Fistral Beach from it's new location at The Headland Hotel, while they dine on its low-waste tasting menus, which showcase local produce. What's more, any part of the ingredients that don't get used on the food menu are utilised in clever cocktails. 

The residents of Looe are mighty fortunate to have a restaurant like The Sardine Factory on the doorstep, which serves a large a la carte of elevated seafood and fish cookery. Alongside excellent classics you'll find some more adventurous cooking too, like Cornish cod tacos with harissa mayo, and St Austell Bay mussels in a Thai broth.

Jude Kereama boundary-defying restaurant is one of Cornwall's most loved, as the Kiwi chef breaks the fine-dining mould, incorporating a huge range of influences in his menus. The restaurant has a few rooms available too, and this is a perfect place to stop and enjoy a bit of Cornish seafront bliss. Sister restaurant Kota Kai is excellent too.

The welcoming dining room gives you a choice of two menu styles: a more informal selection of small plates, or a set menu with bigger dishes such as sirloin of beef or salt baked celeriac. All created with produce from its very own walled garden.

Carnivores, seafood lovers, vegetarians and even vegans alike are brilliantly catered for at the Porthminster Beach Café in St Ives, which serves seafood dishes with freewheeling global influence. Ask for a window table for a shoreline panorama that’s stunning regardless of the weather. 

Head Chef and owner of The Shore, Bruce Rennie, prizes produce above everything and so cooks with a seasonal focus, meaning no two days' menus are the same. With a petite dining toom, this has an almost supper-club-like feel - tables are hard to book but the planning is worth it. 

The clue is in the name: The Seafood Restaurant was opened by Rick and Jill Stein back in 1975, and has been a popular staple ever since. Options range from the classic – fish and chips, lemon sole – to the ultra-creative like Singapore chilli crab.

Set in the heart of Newlyn harbour, Argoe champions Cornish produce and aims to bring fresh fish straight from the boat onto diners’ plates. This sustainable waterside restaurant is the brainchild of ex-Rochelle Canteen chef Ben Coombs and local fishmonger, Richard Adams.