Daytime favourites
☕ Cafés
Café
Café Mylor
📍 Mylor Yacht Harbour
Right on the harbour at Mylor, this beloved daytime café serves excellent breakfast, brunch and lunch with views over the estuary. On Friday evenings they host 'Caught at Café Mylor' — a fresh seafood supper well worth booking in advance.
Outdoor Beach Café
The Hidden Hut
📍 Porthcurnick Beach, Portscatho
Cornwall's most talked-about café — a wooden hut perched on the coast path above Porthcurnick beach. Sensational soups, pasties and grilled seafood eaten outdoors whatever the weather. On summer evenings they host legendary feast nights (tickets sell out on the 1st of each month).
Beachside Café
Gylly Beach Café
📍 Gyllyngvase Beach, Falmouth
Set right on Falmouth's most popular beach, Gylly Beach Café is a great spot for breakfast, lunch or a sundowner. The terrace has wonderful sea views and the food is consistently good — excellent coffee and fresh fish dishes.
Food Barn / Deli Café
The Food Barn at Tregew
📍 Between Mylor and Flushing
A wonderful local food hub packed with produce from Cornish makers. Hot food, cakes, coffee and a brilliant selection of local meat, fish and vegetables. Perfect for stocking up the kitchen or grabbing a casual lunch.
Local watering holes
🍺 Pubs
Historic Thatched Pub
The Pandora Inn
📍 Restronguet Passage
One of Cornwall's most beautiful pubs — a 13th century thatched inn sitting directly on the water at Restronguet Creek. Arrive by boat if you can (there's a pontoon), or drive and arrive early for a table on the floating terrace. Excellent food and a great range of Cornish ales.
Thatched Riverside Pub
The Shipwright Arms
📍 Helford Village
A beautifully renovated thatched pub right on the Helford River, accessible via the South West Coast Path. Exceptional position and excellent food — many locals make the trip by boat from St Mawes. A real hidden gem.
Harbourside Pub
The Chain Locker
📍 Custom House Quay, Falmouth
The best-known pub in Falmouth, sitting right on Custom House Quay with views over the harbour. A proper local atmosphere, great Tribute ales on tap, and a sunny quayside terrace. Perfect after a walk around Pendennis Point.
Gastro Pub
The Victory Inn
📍 St Mawes
A classic Cornish pub in the heart of St Mawes village, popular with sailors and locals alike. Great pub food, friendly staff and a warm atmosphere. Combine with a stroll down to the harbour and a look at St Mawes Castle.
Fine and fresh dining
🦞 Restaurants
Wine Bar & Seasonal Seafood
Castaways
📍 Mylor Harbour
Secluded on the Carrick Roads estuary at Mylor Harbour, Castaways is a hideaway you'll never forget. A dynamic seasonal menu of quality seafood and locally sourced produce, with draught beers, great wine and stunning estuary views. Your nearest excellent dinner.
Michelin Recommended
Restaurant Mine
📍 Falmouth Town Centre
Tucked in a courtyard off Falmouth's high street, Mine has earned a Michelin guide listing for its focus on seasonal Cornish ingredients. A fine dining feel in a relaxed setting, with genuinely exceptional cooking. Book well in advance.
Hotel Restaurant
The Idle Rocks — Reef Knot
📍 St Mawes Harbour
The Reef Knot Restaurant at The Idle Rocks is the jewel in St Mawes' dining crown. Sea-to-table Cornish cuisine with fish landed daily by St Mawes fishermen, served alongside finest seasonal produce. Stunning views across the Fal estuary from the south-facing terrace.
Taproom & Seafood Bar
Verdant Seafood Bar
📍 Falmouth
Part of Verdant Brewing Co., this walk-in-only spot serves exceptional fresh fish dishes alongside their celebrated craft beers. Imaginative, beautifully executed plates in a brilliant atmosphere with an old school hip hop soundtrack. Walk-ins only, so arrive early.
Riverside Restaurant
The Ferryboat Inn
📍 Helford Passage
Right on the edge of the Helford River, the Ferryboat Inn has a wonderful terrace where you can watch the river traffic drift past. Great pub food and a brilliant location — combine with a walk on the north Helford coastal path or a trip on the hand-pulled ferry to Helford Village.
Neighbourhood Seafood
Hevva!
📍 Falmouth Old High Street
Tucked away on Falmouth's old high street, Hevva is an intimate neighbourhood restaurant serving freshly caught seafood listed daily on a blackboard. A proper local gem with a lovely wine list and friendly staff. One of the most characterful restaurants in Cornwall.