Alverne in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

An excellent oasis away from the general riff-raff that is Penzance. The menu is pricey, but worth it. Lovely cosy and intimate ambience, and the Romanian girl from Spain is utterly charming in her own staid and sassy way. The other staff are wonderfully bubbly and exuberant and know what they’re doing. Food-wise, I’d recommend the tiger prawns, as they are delightfully chewy and fresh and served piping-hot off a master skillet. I wouldn’t order a vegetarian dish, since chefs these days don’t like cooking vegetarian entrées. So a turf or surf dish would be an ideal choice. The cuisine is casual-gourmet with a nouveau inspiration, though the portions are more generous here than what you’d get at a nouveau venue. One to return to time and time again!

Superb! We came once and liked it so much we came back again. The atmosphere, food, wines and service were all wonderful.

Very good food, prepared and presented wonderfully. The waiter was very knowledgeable and helpful with his explanations and the wine list more than adequate. The atmosphere was a little cold overall but we will certainly be returning.

So good I ate here twice. Service is excellent and the food and drink just right. I had the squid and scallops spaghetti from the specials board followed by a warm chocolate brownie with clotted cream and raspberries….just superb. Highly recommended.

Brilliant vibe, service and food! Feta cheese filo pastry starter was an absolute melody of flavours - a reasonably simple dish turned into something so mouth watering. The salmon risotto was equally stunning - it's been several days and I'm still salivating at the thought. Had the truffle cheese chips side and found a very generous serving of parmesan and truffle dusted throughout and not just a smattering on top, and was not overpowering as those flavours can be. Also in our group, we had a taste of the butternut squash ravioli which despite me not liking butternut squash was still perfectly cooked pasta and sauce. Even the main diner of it didn't expect it to be so flavoursome. Others enjoyed a perfectly cooked steak and a delicious duck. The chocolate cheesecake was the richest experience of my life, and combined with the heavy slab of caramel on top and honeycomb oieces, I had to exercise portion control rapidly as I started to feel off. It was however, really tasty and quite a challenge to resist. Others liked the brioche/bread pudding, and the joyously stinky cheese board - upon recovery front hedge brief overeating of caramel, I wolfed down some of the tastiest blue cheese over ever eaten. All this was washed down with a Jungle Juice mocktail which may have had an entire bush of mint in it, which was a bit much and was improved by quickly removing. The staff were so professional, courteous and swiftly righted a small mistake with the drinks order. The quiet music, the lighting, the decor all added to a really nice vibe about the place. Food presented as in the photos online, and further demonstrates professional talent. At nearly £250 for four (albeit the few wines, steak, cheese board take that cost up over the average dish/drink), this isn't a cheap place to dine out but it excels in everything it does and was definitely worth it. I will be heading here on night one next time I'm in Penzance.

Ordered light lunch. Crab on sourdough bread. Sourdough was very thinly sliced and only 1 small slice of bread. Crab was plenty and food presented well. Overpriced for the size. Dissapointing.

Brilliant place and they catered for my allergies

What a great restaurant! It is more a fine dining with an exzellent cooking. The service was friendly and we really enjoyed our evening there! Eine absolute Empfehlung! Eine eher kleine Speisekarte, die trotzdem sehr abwechslungsreich ist, inklusive veganer/vegetarischer Speisen. Frisch zubereitete Speisen auf einem sehr hohen Niveau.

Delicious home made food... local fish all cooked to perfection. Glad we paid a visit.

Arrivés sans réservation à midi, nous avons pu nous installer. Mention spéciale pour les tagliatelles aux boulettes de viande et le sponge pudding. Nous avons très bien mangé et un grand parking se trouve à proximité.

Highly recommended, very good quality food in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere with attentive and knowledgeable staff. No problem with gluten free options.

Decided to give this restaurant a visit with my partner and I definitely made the right choice. The 2 Gents who served us were both very professional. 1 made an off menu cocktail for myself and he nailed it perfectly! The food was outstanding. My duck was cooked brilliantly and my partners steak was seasoned to perfection (I just had to try some). Overall a perfect evening. The only quibble (and it is just a quibble); when serving a bottle of wine, open it at the table. Not at the bar where I can't see it! Trust me it goes a long way. That said we will be back to see you again. Regards Danny + Sav

As regular visitors to the Penzance area this was a restaurant that was new to us. In the heart of the town (parking close by) it is in a lovely old stone Cornish building. We were made very welcome by the friendly and helpful staff. Lots of choice & specials too. We opted for the hake and duck respectively. Both meals were delicious, well cooked and presented. The chef seems to concentrate on showcasing the good ingredients rather than smothering everything with too many flavours. Sadly too full for pudding! Highly recommended, we’ll visit again I’m sure.

Rarely have I been treated so incredibly rudely in a restaurant. Plus a loud and uncomfortable place. The vegan risotto consisted almost entirely of peas, which was a disgrace for the price of 18 pounds. All in all, an experience I wish I could have done without.

A really wonderful meal. Excellent cooking and friendly serving staff. We chose from the specials menu and everything was super tasty and delicious.

Wonderful food (steak and mackerel) and very good wine.

Soooo good! Every time I go to Penzance, I must eat here. Really love tbe food, especially the specialties. I can feel the chef's love of food, ans his imagination of the combination of different flavours. Great!

Our mains were delicious! Good portion sizes for the mains. The starters were a little small and the dessert was nice. Only 4 stars as it was very expensive.

We booked a table to eat at the restaurant yesterday. I am a seafood lover and hoped by the reviews that I read about the restaurant to be impressed. Because I wanted a selection of seafood I ordered the Langoustines and shrimp dish. The Langoustines were serve with brocolli and a lemon and dill dressing but unfortunately it lacked seasoning. The shrimps with garlic, ginger and Asian salad was better but again not seasoned enough. The peppermint tea that I ordered leaked all over the table and the waitress almost burned herself because the handle of the teapot fell of. The service was good, waiting staff was friendly and polite. The atmosphere in the restaurant was really nice with some good music.

It's really nice, so much so we are taking friends there this evening.

Nice restaurant ambient, fair waiting time; lovely starters but the menu is a bit confusing (lemonade - 3 types: none homemade, all sparkling but not mentioned - bottles brought open at the table; the smoked duck arancini is more rizotto than duck, from what we experienced). I would work a degree at the hospitality; also, when asked whether all was good, you're expecting them to also be welcoming suggestions, not to startingly cut you off

Very expensive for what you get. Disappointed

Excellent fish, cleverly prepared. Can only recommend the restaurant

Lovely first experience of The Alverne, slightly pricey for families, but nice treat if you are of a certain age.

The seasoned staff look after the place really well. It’s definitely a more upscale venue for Penzance standards, which suits me perfectly. The ambience is relaxed and cosy, and the décor is aesthetically pleasing. Ideal for mid-morning coffee and fresh buns outside in the (sometimes) sunny enclosed terrace, but don’t mind the hustle and bustle of Penzance activity. Also, the food is really good. It’s a bit pricey, but it successfully keeps the riff-raff out for the most part I daresay. It’s a bespoke and flavoursome menu.

one of the best restaurants I've ever visited! the food is excellent the staff very nice and friendly I always go when I'm back to Penzance top of the list!

We came in as a family. We all tried different foods and loved them. I’d especially recommend to try any of the fish, cooked very well

Consistently great food, great service. We have been many times and given their vouchers as presents. That’s all there is to say, just try it.

We had a super tasty lunch today, the food was excellent, I had good vegan options, they staff were lovely and friendly and the restaurant had a nice laid back atmosphere….was perfect for a chilly January afternoon.

Works party what a lovely place and great staff

Looking forward to the set Roast menu for Christmas. Although a good amount of turkey, only crunchy sprouts served as greens - no bowls of peas etc. Gravy was minimal so asked for a jug and got a half filled small cream jug given to me. It was "OK" but thought I would get a better standard Christmas Turkey Dinner - lots of pubs in the area serving a far superior meal. Weird that cranberry sauce was already on the plates but not on mine - I had a separate serving of stuffing?? Dessert was lovely - brioche pudding. Staff were pleasant but looked bored. Unfortunately, not impressed enough to return.

Absolutely outstanding! The olives and the beef fillet were the best I have ever had, incredible taste and presentation, I would absolutely recommend this place - it's a real gem. 10/10.

Best fish dish i've had. We stayed in Penzance for a weekend and found this place by chance and managed to book a table. It was an excellent choice. Would definitely go again

We ate here twice this week. We had salmon risotto, filet, the best chicken dish I’ve ever had plus sea bass. It was all delicious. Every dish was just delicious. Including the spanish salad we had both nights. The orange sponge with honey and clotted cream…I will dream of for a very long time. Absolutely delicious. Very very good food.

Great restaurant, lovely food, lots of choice and ate with a vegan friend who was given their own menu which was really nice.

Lovely place, my first time but won't be the last. Almond croissant was superb.

This was my Aunts and Uncles favourite restaurant and I hadn't been for years. It is still amazing. The service is excellent, friendly and welcoming. The food was excellent and they could accommodate for my sisters gluten intolerance too. The restaurant is clean, cosy and had a lovely ambience too. Looking forward to coming back to Penzance so we can try more of the menu!.

It was my first time eating at Alverne, and I was really impressed. I had the lemon sole with skinny fries, minted mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce. It was perfect. A great portion, very well cooked and seasoned. I didn't have to add anything to it, and I can be quite fussy with my seasonings. It's a lovely room with a nice atmosphere, the service was friendly, not invasive, and very efficient. I will return!

Very attentive staff, but the starters were very average. A chorizo dish which sounded good, but was simply one piece of sausage cut into 4 with some fried potato. The belly pork main had no crispiness at all. The wine - a bottle of Lopez de Haro Crianza at £38 was ridiculously expensive. Wouldn't revisit.

Delicious food best i have had in a long time.

Went to a group function. Pre-ordered food. Had a brilliant evening in great company. The patron looked after us well.

Excellent quality of food with delicious options for vegetarian and gluten free alike. We enjoyed the cocktail options as aperitifs and most of us opted for starters and mains. The mains were so filling that it was a struggle to fit in desserts as well - this is only a problem for those with a sweet tooth! Cosy welcoming atmosphere and attentive waiting team. Would highly recommend.

Food brilliant well cooked a delicious delicious staff friendly and work very hard to ensure you are catered for brilliant place indeed

Sehr gutes Essen und nicht nur das übliche Angebot. Der Service ist sehr gut und das Ambiente sehr angenehm. Wir haben hier einen tollen Tagesabschluss verlebt.

Service was good but food was average and surely overpriced.Had a beef burger and it was obviously shop bought and not even one of the best brand...Not coming back

Lovely food. Great cocktails. Welcoming staff.

Didn't like paying extra for oat milk ,can't help being lactose intolerant

We went for my mothers birthday . And have to say the food was excellent. Only grumble my mum was really wanting a steak Diana off there website menu. But not on the restaurant menu. She had the steak though a loved everything about it. The fish dishes and belly pork and my chicken, was cooked to perfection. My birthday next week and look to be going back.

We sometimes choose Alverne restaurant on special occasions, pricey, but varied and tasty.

I ate here twice during my stay in Penzance and it was by far the best two meals of my stay. In both cases I had a main from the daily specials and the fish was perfectly cooked and delicious. I tried their Pimms which was refreshing and packed full of mint and stawberries, and for dessert the chocolate crema was superb. Service is efficient, knowledgeable and friendly and as a lone customer I just felt comfortable and relaxed. Totally recommended.

We went for an early evening family meal on a Thursday. The dining room is cosy but light & airy and the service was welcoming and helpful. The food was delicious and very skilfully cooked. We ate two fish specials (whole plaice with kale & roast hake loin with cauliflower) which were excellent dishes with subtle flavours. Our 11 year old son had a cheeseburger from the kids menu. The white wine (Les Terrasses Blanc - I think Grenache / Sauvignon) was excellent value. We had a lovely evening and will return if back in Penzance.

The food was excellent, the service could have been a little more attentive, but overall an excellent meal.

Visited here with friends for a cream tea. Unfortunately the scones were possibly the worst I've ever had. The jam and cream were good though, generous portions and the drinks were fine.

We decided to dine here, whilst visiting Penzance with our friends after reading some of the reviews on TripAdvisor. There were four of us, who all had starters and mains, sadly, the starters were disappointing, and the mains, even more so. It’s a limited menu, so three of us had burgers, however, one of the guess being gluten-free had to have the burger without a BAP! For the cost of a burger, this seems very poor that there was not an option for a gluten-free BAP so I need it basically to just eat a beef burger with the toppings! On that note, the burgers were thick, however quite bland and very underseasoned, and were overcooked Making them quite chewy. The sole fish main was the best of all the dishes and was tasty and cooked well. The fact that the burgers do not come with chips or fries are standard is a rip-off because you then have to pay £5 for a little bucket of chips (skinny fries) and there is no way that these are worth £5 per portion! If you were taking children into this restaurant, they would be underwhelmed and it would be very expensive to do so needing to add all these extras to actually just get what is quite a bog, standard burger and chips with bacon and cheese. Perhaps we visited on a day when the chef was having an off day, but her experience is what it is, and sadly we can’t give it any more writing than what we have. the service was pleasant and the food arrived quickly, however, we did get the feeling that the gentleman (potential owner) who was helping to serve, was hovering around, waiting for us to finish our starters, so he could rush the mains out to us. This left us feeling a little uncomfortable and needing to rush out food. Not quite sure how this restaurant right so highly in Penzance, based on our experience. Unfortunate, we couldn’t recommend this due to the cost of the sides for a standard meal, and the lack of choices on the menu.

Ausgezeichnetes Essen, sehr freundliche Bedienung, faire Preise. Ohne Reservierung am Samstag Abend einen Tisch bekommen. Tagesgericht Fisch und veggie hervorragend.

We all had different fish meals which were very tasty, just the right quantity and well presented. They were a bit pricey though. The house red wine was lovely too.

Small family run restaurant. Welcome and service was impeccable. We started with tapas to share which was excellent and I had delicious and beautifully cooked Cornish sole. Definitely worth a visit.

Our family of four - two adults, two teens - had a lovely lunch here. The food was very good (the specials in particular were excellent) and the service was friendly and efficient.

Cosy little restaurant. Visited there as famiky-2 adults, 2 teenagers and one child. Delicious food. Bit long time waiting and quite expensive- £190 for mains and puddings, but lovely fresh food. Local ingredients and fresh fishes. Worth to try.

Cosy little restaurant. Visited there as famiky-2 adults, 2 teenagers and one child. Delicious food. Bit long time waiting and quite expensive- £190 for mains and puddings, but lovely fresh food. Local ingredients and fresh fishes. Worth to try.

点了烤鳕鱼和黑虎虾，鳕鱼非常新鲜，在英国很少能吃到肉质这么细嫩而且没有过度冷藏的鳕鱼。大虾的调味也非常棒，酸辣口味，很好吃。不过这个烤布丁我有点接受不了，旁边那一块cream 是糊嘴的口感，很奇妙。

We weren’t overly hungry, so decided on the tapas menu. Hispi cabbage, cauliflower soup, potato and chorizo, humus. Finished with an affagarto. The hispi was outstanding, in fact all were pretty good and we couldn’t fault. The staff were outstanding and nothing to much. I...

Nice restaurant in the middle of Penzance. Good menu with specials daily and well executed. A little dark but I imagine a cool haven on a hot day. Visited on a weekday lunchtime - not much atmosphere but lovely food you can't fault.

Had a great dinner here. Food was lovely, service quick and staff very friendly. Overall a positive experience.

Beautifully cooked fish. Quick and efficient service with a very pleasant atmosphere.

Stopped for a latte which was half coffee and half froth. No biscuit on the side either.

Great food, local ingredients, and friendly staff. I really recommend.

Just had drinks but menu looked awesome

Food was lovely, staff were friendly, drinks were good but could have offered more on draught, service was good.

A bit noisy when I went. There was a table of 15 people. I asked to be moved. The staff were very accommodating! A very friendly service. The food came very quick once ordered. A good choice of food & on the specials board. Not too keen on the restaurant doors being left open because you can smell the smokers outside

Really really great vegan dishes available, very helpful staff and great beers.

We came to this fabulous restaurant last night with a party of 16. And we came back tonight because everything was so amazing. Both nights the service was attentive, food was well proportioned, beautifully served and reasonably priced. Tonight, We both had the specials (crab...

It's sometimes hard to find imaginative vegetarian food in Penzance so we were delighted to have had a very good tapas here. The hispi cabbage was amazing and highly recommended.

5/5 Overall 5/5 for service: welcoming and friendly. Let us order some drinks and check on the menu while we wait. 5/5 for food: great combinations for meat and vegetables, on the dishes. Great decorations to. Coffee was not bad. Highly recommend the cod. 4/5 for ambience and cleanness. But the organisation here can be improved. The bar and the back kitchen’s position might be the reason why staffs getting too busy. Good restaurant.

Fantastic food for very reasonable pricing - strongly recommended!

Have had lunch here on many occasions, always super friendly and lovely food.. Thank you ❤️

Really good food here. Really enjoyed our steak pies, the veggies were perfect. Good size portions. Cafe style restaurant for lunch. Friendly efficient service. Crab risotto was £27 which I thought rather expensive but think next time I will try it

Popped in to have a coffee, been meaning to try this place out gor ages.The food look so good we ended up having a light lunch. We will definitely return for a meal , lovely restaurant, would recommend to try.

Early supper of Hake with creamed potato and celeriac, greens and a red wine jus. Spot on. Absolutely delicious. Fish cooked to perfection. Balance excellent. How wonderful. Highly recommend. Thank you.

Yet another really good meal. Somewhere you have been able to rely on for 20yrs,never had a bad meal.

Was super happy about the choice today, food was great and tasty

A great choice of food, and the dishes we ordered were both excellent well cooked and present. Staff were friendly.

We went for our Christmas staff meal and the food was superb. The staff were friendly and attentive. We'll be booking up again!

Despite it being a quiet night so missing some atmosphere we had a really enjoyable evening. The menu was varied, food really good (the breaded sole was particularly delicious) and the staff were attentive. Definitely worth a visit!

The restaurant is tucked away but a lovely find. The service was just as you want it and the food was also excellent.

We visited on a very wet afternoon after being unsuccessful finding somewhere that was open for food. We had an amazing lunch and the staff were very friendly. Highly recommended.

Slow service, unwelcoming staff who were disinterested in basic menu questions. Waiting staff slow and dressed for tv night in at home, rather than to greet and serve valued restaurant customers where a chewy steak is £32 ! We waited 20 minutes after dessert menu...

This is my favourite restaurant when staying in Penzance as the food is just so fresh, tasty and well thought out. The crab with potatas bravas and mixed salad from the specials was amazing, normally a salad can be very dull but here it is...

Siamo stati in questo piccolo gioiello nascosto in occasione del tour in Cornovaglia, abbiamo prenotato telefonicamente nella stessa giornata ed...

Me and my husband came for a lovely cooked breakfast. Gorgeous quality meat. Really enjoyed ourselves and will definitely be back. Definitely recommend!

Ci siamo state due sere di seguito per quanto c’era piaciuto! La prima sera abbiamo preso un’insalata di granchio. Veramente...

Pietanze davvero buone, servizio molto gentile. Risotto con salmone e rombo cucinato deliziosamente. Prezzi nella norma. Lo consiglio.

Visited this place for a coffee. The coffee was lovely and the atmosphere was lovely. The coffee was very tasty and better then what you get at larger chains. Would visit again if I was in the area. The staff was also helpful and friendly

Wandered in at random but had a great meal. Really delicious piece of hake perfectly cooked (beating a lot of much fancier places in my book). But also great crab salad - and in fact everything. Efficiently served - but also friendly. Only problem was...

Qualität, Arrangement, Menge:sehr gut! Unaufdringliche Freundlichkeit, Lokal ansprechend. Frankreich schon lange deklassiert! Heute(Wochentag) sogar ohne Reservierung Tisch bekommen, obwohl 2Drittel-Belegung....

Gutes Essen. Fisch und Steak ok. Gemüsenudeln. Unbedingt reservieren, da offensichtlich in Penzance sehr beliebt. Solides Essen ohne besondere Höhepunkte,...

Very tasty food that we had but not large portions and not cheap especially when we had to pay for food we hadn't had. Won't be going back in a hurry!!

We went to The Alverne for our wedding anniversary and the food and service was 5*. We bith had the ribeye and it was one of the best steaks I've had. Asked for med/rare and cooked perfectly. We have been here a few times and...

Booked for dinner on a Friday night in May and not sure what to expect. We were very pleasantly surprised with some very good cooking. My wife enjoyed her tiger prawn starter while my risotto with fresh dill and loads of salmon was wonderful. We...

Very good food for lunchime indeed. Under-rated mains. Service good, staff friendly. Wine list not too deep but good by comparison with others in the area. Tripadvisor software developers: your AI on the automatic questions is a complete joke. 'Is is a British Restaurant' for...