Restaurants in Cornwall
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A
Café Cinnamon Girl
Look no further for lunch than this cute little organic café, locally famous for its bumper-sized sandwiches, homemade soups and trademark roasted veg. The free wi-fi's a bonus.
reviewed
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B
Pandora Inn
Prepare to fall in love with the Pandora, one of Cornwall's oldest and best-loved waterside pubs, ensconced in a heart-melting spot by Restronguet Creek. Foot-thick walls, scuffed-wood tables, ship's lanterns and a huge abandoned anchor outside conjure up the smugglers'-den vibe, and you can sink your drinks on the pontoon to the sound of clanking yacht masts.
Hardy souls can even sample some of the Pandora's fabled smuggler's rum: at 80% proof, though, you might need to arrange for a taxi home. Or an ambulance. The Pandora sits on the edge of Restronguet Creek, about 1km northeast of the village of Mylor Bridge. Heading south on the main A39 road from Truro to Falmouth,…
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C
Abbey Restaurant
This cutting-edge British bistro has been garnering serious praise, not least from the boffins at the AA and Michelin guides. Underpinned by top-quality produce, the Abbey turns out consistently fabulous food in the light-filled dining room, and nibbles, cocktails and aperitifs in the crimson-walled bar downstairs. It's not cheap, but tucking into your roast monkfish or hot chocolate soufflé, you'll feel it's money well spent.
reviewed
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D
St Andrews St Bistro
A hectic heap of North African rugs, objets d'art and oddball furniture covers this fantastic bistro, where the modern British menu is jazzed up by traces of African and Middle Eastern cuisine. Artisan bread, lentil curries, grilled fish and spicy casseroles all feature, and you'll be as chuffed with your choice whether you're a veggie or a carnivore.
reviewed
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E
Lime Tree
With a relaxed town-house setting and cosy front-room atmosphere, dining at the Lime Tree feels like having supper at a friend's house - assuming your friend is a gourmet chef with a passion for global cuisine. Cornish duck breast, sea bass and John Dory fillet for mains, chased down by homemade bread and vanilla crème brûlée.
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F
Hunky Dory
Local seafood takes top billing at this laid-back restaurant, split over two floors of a listed building near the old Customs House. The menu is bang up-to-date, blending European and Asian flavours with top-notch Cornish produce, and the setting is nicely minimal, mixing Mediterranean tones with pale wood and rough whitewashed walls.
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G
Gylly Beach Café
The decked patio over Gyllyngvase is the main draw at this lively beach restaurant. It covers all bases: fry-ups and pancakes for brekkie, platters of antipasti for lunch, quality steak, seafood and pasta after dark. It's open late for drinks, too, but gets very busy.
reviewed
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Porthminster Beach Café
Fresh from scooping top prize in a recent survey to find Britain's top coastal cafe, the Porthminster boasts a sexy Riviera vibe, a suntrap patio and a seasonal menu ranging from Provençal fish soup to pan-fried scallops. The result? Cornwall's top beach cafe, bar none.
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Bistro de la Mer
An old fave with Falmouth foodies, this snug little bistro brings a soupçon of Gallic flair to Arwenack St. The tables are packed in tight and you'll be elbow-to-elbow with your neighbours, but the menu's authentically French and makes good use of fresh Cornish fish and seafood.
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Renaissance Café
Light streams in through floor-to-ceiling windows at this contemporary café, hidden away in the Wharfside Shopping Centre overlooking Mount's Bay. Club sandwiches, ciabattas and salads feature, with more-substantial mains by night and late-night music at weekends.
reviewed
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K
Lewinnick Lodge
Nestled on Pentire Head, this lively gastropub wins the sea-view prize hands down, with a grassy terrace and gloss-wood dining room offering panoramic Atlantic vistas. The food's not bad, either, with mains including rump steak, chargrilled chicken and confit of duck.
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Saffron
It's been around for ages, but this titchy restaurant tucked down a Truro side-street still packs an impressive culinary punch. It's strong on seasonal Cornish produce served with a Mediterranean twist: spider-crab served bisque-style, pollock dished up with saffron mash, mutton with turnip dauphinoise.
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New Harbour Restaurant
Refined dining by the harbourside, with fishy treats from roast cod, crab claws and monkfish medallions to a king-sized fruits de mers. Food is cooked in the outside grill-shack while you sip cold Chablis with a view of bobbing fishing boats. Divine.
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Alba
Split-level sophistication next to the lifeboat house, serving some of the best seafood this side of Padstow. In-the-know locals bag tables 5, 6 or 7 for their gorgeous harbour views.
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Archie Brown's
A cosier wholefood caff you couldn't hope to find. Archie Brown's has been serving Penzance's earth-mothers and artsy crowd for years and shows no signs of flagging, with stocked-up counters full of crispy salads, veggie quiches and carrot cake.
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Chy
Chrome, wood and leather dominate this stylish café-bar with a patio above Towan Beach. Perfect for a gourmet breakfast or lunchtime salad, or pitch up late when the DJs take to the decks, the beers flow and the beautiful people arrive en masse.
reviewed
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Q
Three Mackerel
Not exactly handy for town, but a fine choice for beachside dining if you're down Swanpool way. Sophisticated Med-style dishes and barbecue-grilled tapas are served on the beach-view sundeck in summer, or in the sparkly dining room on inclement days.
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Harris' Restaurant
Penzance's original fine-dining restaurant is still going strong after 30-odd years. Times have moved on but the menu at Harris' is still mostly classic French, serving up local game and fish dishes in the scarlet-tinted. napkin-laced dining room.
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Fistral Blu
Another great sundowner option, in the glass-and-steel retail complex behind Fistral Beach. Thai and Med flavours mix with Cornish ingredients in the upstairs restaurant while the ground-floor cafe turns out fish and chips and Ben & Jerry's.
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Tabb's
Lilac walls, leather chairs and slate floors create a slightly stuffy atmosphere, but there's no arguing with the food - Cornish meats, hand-baked bread and local seafood all feature, and the owner's renowned for his petits fours.
reviewed
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Café Irie
Run by surfers for surfers, this cafe's famous for its coffee and hot chocolate (just the ticket after a morning in the ocean swell) plus veggie wraps, piping-hot jacket spuds and gooey cakes. The decor's cool, too: vintage vinyl on the walls, multi-coloured plates and coffee mugs, chalkboards scrawled with specials.
reviewed
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Blas Burgerworks
This pocket-sized burger joint has a big reputation: sustainable sourcing, eco-friendly packaging and lots of wacky burger variations have earned it a loyal following. Traditionalists go for the 6oz, 100%-beef Blasburger, while veggies might plump for a haloumi stack or a ginger, coriander and chilli tofuburger.
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Boathouse
Groovy gastropub with a ship's galley feel, and a deck overlooking the river to Flushing.
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Alfresco
Watch the world spin by at this wharfside bistro, with just a few tiny wood tables and sliding doors opening onto the harbour. It's especially strong on seafood, with a sideline in Italian-influenced salads and risottos.
reviewed
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Bar Coco's
Bringing a little piece of southern Spain to Chapel St, this popular tapas bar is as good for a morning latte as for a late-night cerveza, and is usually crammed with paid-up members of Penzance's arty crowd.
reviewed