The last couple of years have seen an influx of chefs to the south west – several of whom charged out of London amidst lockdowns – and with them the opening of some of the most exciting restaurants in the country. Of course, there are the brilliant stalwarts too. From the best beach shack chowder to an innovative seafood tasting menu, these are the 10 of the best restaurants in Cornwall to have on your radar – all of them prioritising small growers, local farmers, fisherfolk and foragers.
The best restaurants in Cornwall:
Within a few days of its opening in 2023, Gordon Ramsay claimed this whitewashed café overlooking the beach to be a star. Its chef, George Turner, spent years working at his mother’s deli down the road, Fee’s Food, which is the place to go for a fish pie ready to put in the oven at home. His sharing menu defies the humble, but immaculately designed, setting with plates of boquerones and pickled onions, mussels and cavatelli swimming in a wine butter sauce and towers of kohlrabi and brown shrimp salad. This is beautiful food served without any pretence.
Ferry Point, Rock, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 6LD
Named after the 19th-century arsenal kept here to guide boats into harbour during storms, this seafood restaurant is small but mighty. It’s run by two friends, Alex Key, who grew up in Boscastle and whose father is the harbour master, and chef Freddie Woodruff, who previously worked at the Michelin-starred Chez Bruce in London. The combination means first dibs on the lobster and fish coming in on the day boats as well as a serious finesse to the small plates which all have an Asian spin. The daily-changing menu might feature seabass sashimi with soy and apple, stir-fried squid with ginger and chilli or grilled red mullet with traditional Thai nahm jim sauce. Just don’t skip the smoked Cornish potato side.
The Harbour, Boscastle, Cornwall PL35 0HD
This is a wonderful family-run café with serious pedigree in the stables at Trelowarren Estate. Tim Spedding, the former Clove Club head chef has pared things back a bit with this little gem of a spot churning out his Danish partner Louise Rødkjær’s flawless cardamom buns. There’s also a simple sourdough pizza menu with toppings such as cavolo nero, gremolata and fresh mozzarella or wild garlic, potato and anchovy. Everything on the menu uses ingredients from a small network of local producers and the white-washed stone interiors are rustic perfection. Keep an eye on the old botanic garden next door at New Yard, there’s more coming soon.
Trelowarren, Mawgan, Helston, Cornwall TR12 6AF
Ex-Claridge’s chef Dan Cox spent five years restoring the soil at Crocadon Farm in order to produce his own ingredients. It has paid off because his earthy tasting menu of kohlrabi, green tomatoes, lemon peppers and lion’s mane mushrooms was awarded a Michelin Green Star within a couple of months of opening. Next door, his market café, Mamm, is championing the farm’s heritage wheat in the innovative pastry menu that includes the likes of croissant loops with toasted hay cream and damson jam, and nettle cake.
St Mellion, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 6RL
Another Cornish spot with a London link, Fitzroy is from the team behind the beloved North London restaurant trio Primeur, Jolene and Westerns Laundry. It all makes a bit more sense when you discover David Gingell grew up in Falmouth and met his business partner Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim working at Wright Brothers. Their combined love of seafood is clear from the menu of dived scallops with lardo and half lobster served with new potatoes and garlic butter. Set inside a former Victorian bank, the design has the team’s signature shaker-style simplicity and their enthusiasm for natural wines shines through. Although the restaurant closes during winter months, locals know to keep their eyes peeled for the team’s pop up supper club, Grale Frit.
2 Fore St, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1AQ
The plates here are almost too pretty to contemplate; delicate strips of wild bass crudo form a perfect circle with smoked cabbage and quince; spirulina-cured scallops are edged in blue and an all-white hake dish served on a perfect dollop of ajo blanco is a monochrome delight. Surfer and chef Joe Lippman spent time in the kitchen at another local favourite, Prawn on the Lawn, before setting up his own thing with partner (and front of house) Jasmine Caldwell. Think sensational small plates in a relaxed surf shack above Harlyn Bay.
Higher Harlyn Park, St Merryn, Cornwall PL28 8SG
One of Cornwall’s most poorly kept secrets, this little green shack tucked away off the Porscatho coastal path dishes up the dream picnic lunch. There might be a seafood chowder or spiced dahl chalked up on the blackboard alongside golden sausage rolls. For pudding there’s always a pick'n'mix of cakes fresh from the oven as well as handmade clotted cream ice cream or fresh fruit ice lollies. Expect to share a wooden table or bring a blanket and take goodies down to the cove below. On feast nights, a spectacular trestle table is set up along the sand and piled with lobster and saffron paella or spits of rotisserie chickens.
Portscatho, Truro, Cornwall TR2 5EW
Culture brings a grown-up tasting menu to the bucket-and-spades university town of Falmouth. South African owner Hylton Espey is in charge of the little open kitchen, dishing up sail-caught native oysters and Queen scallops with samphire picked on Swanpool Beach that morning, plus fresh batch biltong made from retired dairy cows. There’s an eye on sustainability in all of the seven courses and the restaurant has been awarded a Michelin Green Star as a result. It's a brilliantly priced addition to Falmouth’s burgeoning food scene.
38B Arwenack St, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 3JF
Tom Adams was ahead of his time; back in 2016 he closed London’s barbecue joint Pitt Cue to set up shop in Cornwall. The result is so much more than just a restaurant: it’s a guesthouse, and a working farm with a bakery that supplies all of the best spots in the south west. However, the restaurant is worthy of its own note, with a set menu that illustrates everything that is growing in the surrounding 66-acre plot, plus some things pickled from previous seasons. Start with the chewy signature sourdough and mangalitsa ham from the farm pigs and and never underestimate the vegetarian dishes. The ultimate experience does include an overnight stay so you can get stuck into the sticky buns at breakfast.
Lewannick, Launceston, Cornwall PL15 7QQ
From the expert duo behind the Hidden Hut is a spruced up boozer that Glassette founder Laura Jackson advised on the interiors for. One room is painted entirely in a Colman’s mustard yellow but the charm of flagstone floors and low beams have not been lost. While locals do still come in for a pint, the menu has been seriously elevated to include slow-cooked soy-glazed beef with pickled chilli and charred hispi with a parmesan and buttermilk dressing. The Sunday roasts have also made a name for themselves with a Cornish day-boat catch in the mix alongside slow-roasted cull yaw and rolled pork loin.
Treloan Ln, Gerrans, Portscatho, Truro Cornwall TR2 5EB
