The 10 best restaurants in Cornwall

Dinner at the Tresanton exudes effortless quality: everything from the cut-above waiting staff to the thick, starched napkins, smart decor, and elevated prices is a statement of gastronomic intent. The food delivers: choose from a daily-changing Modern European menu of fresh fish dishes, classic meat selections or imaginative vegetarian fare (pappardelle with wild mushrooms and truffle oil, for example), executed with flair and precision. Summer brings cocktails and dinner on the terrace, with views over the St Anthony lighthouse and Fal Estuary. For food and service of this quality in the area, the Tresanton has few peers. If your budget won’t stretch to dinner, call by for a light lunch or a cream tea on the terrace. 

The Hidden Hut’s beach kitchen is less secret and well, hidden, these days, but that doesn’t make it any worse. Tucked above Portscatho beach, this shack is beloved by locals and tourists for serving up fresh, seasonal homestyle cooking, which is wolfed down on outdoor benches overlooking the cove. Think cosy soups, fresh grilled fish and hearty dhals. And don’t miss out on their feast days, when a long dining table is set up right along the beach. 

With the desolate Penwith moorland on one side and the foaming sea on the other, this coastal inn – named after the rocky outcrop a few fields away, shaped like a gurnard’s head – boasts a splendidly isolated setting. Although the gastronomically astute menu, confident service and rustic chic decor place the Gurnard’s well out of the pub grub bracket, the atmosphere is buoyant and informal, the prices fair and the food fuss-free. This is hearty British comfort food of the highest order: pork belly with mash, cabbage, cider and thyme, or rabbit and partridge terrine. Also the owners of the celebrated Felin Fach Griffin in Wales, the Inkins are firm believers in ‘the simple things in life done well’. And so now are hundreds of hungry hikers, urban refugees and locals getting together for a family roast – so bookings are essential in high season. One of Cornwall’s best eats. There are also seven rooms available if you want to stay over.

The name understates its case: far from being your average beach-side caff, the Porthminster Beach Café is a serious restaurant in the body of a laid-back beach house – albeit a very classy one. Australian chef Michael Smith’s sun-kissed menu sets the perfect tone for holiday dining, with the emphasis on Mediterranean flavours and fresh seafood, as well as posh fish and chips (with white balsamic vinegar, naturally). Friendly, slick service, fresh decor, and dreamy views over the white sands of Porthminster Beach make this the ideal perch from which to contemplate the light dancing in the bay with a glass of local bubbly (try the Polgoon Aval or Camel Valley Bacchus). Porthminster is not only one of St Ives’ best kitchens but is quickly making inroads into the upper echelons of Cornwall’s burgeoning restaurant scene. Booking recommended.

Created by the same people behind the Islington restaurant, Prawn on the Lawn Padstow is perfect for feasting on plates piled high with shellfish, asian-inspired seafood small plates and whole fishes cooked with your choice of seasoning. With a fish counter inside and casual seating, this place has a chill, neighbourhood vibe. But don’t be fooled, in the chi-chi Padstow a meal here will set you back, but it will be worth it. 

The impressive choice of fish varieties at Stein’s blows your average fish and chip shop out of the water. The pebbled counters, shell-framed mirrors and clean interior create a comfortable beachy atmosphere – although it is all too easily packed out by the hordes of families clamouring to sample the Stein reputation. Ultimately, it is the food that matters, and the quality of the fish is impeccable. Expect generous portions of plump, juicy fillets encased in a perfect golden batter (or grilled if you prefer), served with steaming hot, crisp-shelled chips and a slice of fresh lemon – to eat in (inboxes) or take away. It is worth the wait.

Such is the beauty of this riverside country estate, we’d settle for any excuse to visit Trelowarren – so the fact that its chic, airy restaurant is also the best place to dine on the Lizard is a happy bonus. In the evening, prices dictate that New Yard, converted from the old carriage house, is somewhere for a Nice Meal Out rather than a casual bite, but thankfully it’s not a tense, cutlery-scraping kind of place – the warm, friendly service and deep country setting keep things relaxed. There are half a dozen outdoor tables in the pretty courtyard.

Craft beer aficionados will want to pull up a pew in the tiny Verdant Seafood Bar in Falmouth. As well as sampling Verdant’s exceptional crafties, it’s a great place to wolf down seafood and small plates. From fish tacos, to a whole plaice on a platter, the eats here are just as good as the beers. Get stuck in. 

Kota is Maori for shellfish and, taking full advantage of its fishing village location, chef Jude Kereama – half Maori, quarter Chinese, quarter Malaysian – oversees a menu of super-fresh Cornish seafood crafted into Asian-accented cuisine. Monkfish green Thai curry is spicy and complex, and tempura Falmouth oyster appetisers with wasabi tartare (and a lettuce leaf for a spoon) are essential nibbling at £2 a pop. We’d be happy to declare this the best Asian food in Cornwall, but the distinct lack of competitors renders it a rather hollow statement; instead, we'll just say that Kota is quietly superb. This being an old mill, the decor is rustic and beamed, with big old wooden sideboards. Service is of rare efficiency, and prices are where they should be for food of this quality. You can also pop down the street to its excellent sister bar and kitchen, Kota Kai. 

Keeping Stein’s Seafood Restaurant well and truly on its toes, Paul Ainsworth’s No. 6 holds Padstow’s only Michelin star. Bedecked in a glamorous, contemporary style (nautical trimmings blessedly absent) with black and white checked floors, cool crockery and suited waiters, the restaurant is as well dressed as the food. Sweet chilli and spiced avocado accompany perfectly seared carpaccio of tuna, and Launceston lamb is made daringly complex courtesy of sweetbreads, liver and kidneys. Every dish is beautifully presented and bursting with innovative flavour. A sorbet palate cleanser, for example, comes with popping candy, and a dessert of caramelised banana is served with peanut butter ice cream. For a more casual, more affordable outpost of the Ainsworth empire, try his family-orientated Caffè Rojano.