Barbican Bistro in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

Each dishes was excellent! The best restaurant I’ve tried during my three-day stay in Penzance. And the service was great!

A hidden gem. Absolutely phenomenal food, can’t go wrong with anything on the menu and the service was 10/10. Music could have been slightly louder as there was often a silent lull in chat from other tables but other than that, absolutely amazing. Definitely finish off with the sticky toffee pudding. A definite must visit when in Cornwall.

One of the best places to eat in Penzance 👍

I booked here for a special occasion and was shocked to be seated at a sharing table with no mention of this when I booked. It was not very nice being seated two feet away from a complete stranger who kept staring at us and listening to our conversation. The menu was surprisingly uninspiring after all the good reviews I’d read. The quality of the food was mediocre and the drinks very expensive for the quality. The toilet was certainly not up to standard with one damp towel available to dry your hands, which hopefully the staff didn’t use. It was a very disappointing experience.

My friend and I had such high expectations having read the reviews . We were seated at a long table (sharing table ) The staff were very nice. Wine list was very limited and price per glass high for the quality of wine. The food was all served at once so most was cold, chips were tasteless as was the calamari. The puddings at 7.50 each were tiny and definitely overpriced ! I don’t think I’ll ever go anywhere again that serves small plates at big prices.

Really delicious meal in a lovely, cosy setting. Plates are designed for sharing, two 'mains,' a side salad and a pudding were perfect for me. Excellent fish and vegetarian choices - the lemon sole with mushrooms was sublime, there was also a veggie gnochchi as a special. Spiced apple and pear crumble = superb. Small so definitely book - there are three standalone tables for 4-6 and then one sharing table for ten (also some seats outside). Friendly staff.

We had five larger size dishes and three sides between three of us. We recommend the scallops, monkfish and sole. All the food was delicious and perfectly cooked. Only a few tables, but not a crowded atmosphere. Very welcoming, and allows dogs. We will come here again.

What an amazing little gem! Six of us went for dinner on Saturday inc our little dog. The team were very friendly with excellent customer service. The dishes and drinks were all brought to the table with great punctuality. Amazing tasting fish dishes in a great atmosphere all served in a beautiful historic venue! What more can you ask for!

I hired the Bistro for a family get together to celebrate my son’s 18th Birthday. It was amazing. The food was delicious and everyone commented on how fresh and tasty it was. The Bistro went above and beyond to make sure that we had everything we needed and we were a mixed group of 27 people aged from 3yrs old to 87yrs old ( plus 2 tiny sausage dogs) It is a brilliant local business creating truly fabulous flavours. Definitely go if you are in Penzance especially if you love fresh food and especially fish. Very happy.

I hired the Bistro for my son’s 18th Birthday . Many different members of the family traveled to come and eat together. Aged 3yrs to 87yrs old. Everyone loved it . The food is really fresh, local and really delicious. It has a lovely relaxed atmosphere and the food comes out super fresh. We were a party of 27 with a variety of eating requirements and there was something for everyone to enjoy. I loved it. The staff are great, it is a brilliant local Bistro. If you are in Penzance looking for a great place to eat, especially if you like fish, then I would highly recommend it.

My wife and I ate dinner here in October. The food was good and I liked the short and interesting menu. The place is a bit basic inside though, and the seating is not very comfortable. My biggest complaint is that they don't have adequate ventilation in the kitchen and so there is a very strong smell of frying in the restaurant. Our clothes smelled of fried food the next day. I also think it is a bit expensive for what you get. We ordered a lemon Sole which was okay but far too small for £16.00. Some of the other dishes we ordered had exactly the same garnishes / components, and so were quite repetitive. In the end our bill was £90.00 (including service and a bottle of Alberino) for two, which was too dear for what was really just tapas and I was still hungry when we left.

OMG this place is absolutely incredible. The food is out of this world. Lauren, the waitress, is fabulous, the chefs are great at their jobs, the atmosphere was very chilled. Some light music, great drinks. I recommend the anchovies, scallops with greens. Highly recommended.

Informed about Barbican Bistro, by a friend in the area. We had been planning on going to somewhere similar in Newlyn, but glad we didn't! Really nice small menu to chose from, with options for both of us. Fish was very fresh, as is to be expected, given its coming straight from the boat. Service was great, and not intrusive, especially as there was only one other couple dining that night. Really looking forward to a repeat visit, and to see the changes that are coming...

A first class recommendation, thoroughly enjoyed Fowey mussels and a plate of whitebait. Owner is the son of a local fisherman. Warm and friendly staff. Worth seeking out.

EXCELLENT - Great food, all dishes we tried were perfectly prepared and delicious Super good and charming service made it a perfect evening

Fab bistro food / service measured & excellent - lovely small menu / all well executed. Difficult to fault

The food was pretty good and the service was very friendly. Sadly the evening faltered for three reasons. At 9.20pm everyone had left, including the chefs, and it was very clear that we were holding things up when they wanted to close up, the bill was very high for the dining experience and the ventilation was poor quality so our clothes smelled of food when we got home. This is nearly a good restaurant and they will get there I’m sure, but great food isn’t a guarantee of success on its own.

Very quaint cozy restaurant with highly personalized service. Small plates well conceived and very tasty. Also offered evening specials that were more substantial. Can sit privately at a table or communally at a large bench table (we did and it was great!). Excellent service. Focuses on seafood.

Never fails to delight - the Lemon sole is fabulous and all the food is delicious and beautifully cooked - it’s our first choice as locals !

Top dinner and perfect service!!

Siamo riusciti a riservare un posto "in extremis", dunque ci siamo seduti a un tavolo condiviso nella sala con la cucina a vista. Il che ha aggiunto valore all'esperienza! Ci siamo molto divertiti incontrando persone simpatiche. Inutile pensare di ordinare qualcosa di preciso : dipende dal pescato del giorno. La combine "pane&burro della casa + acciughe in guazzetto" merita da sola una visita. Infine, non indifferente, l'ottimo rapporto qualità/prezzo (tranne forse sui vini). Non era un "must" prima che ci recassimo sul posto, ma lo sarà sicuramente la prossima volta! Da non mancare.

The marinated anchovies were delicious, and the two specials I had were wonderful (including a fish stew). I also had a couple of glasses of well priced wine. A well-priced, tasty meal in a lovely setting, with good service - what's not to like!

Excellent range of small plate dishes focusing on fish. Friendly service Very enjoyable experience. Would recommend.

Fabulous meal from start to finish. Great, friendly service by just one very busy waitress who couldn’t do enough for us. A varied and interesting menu of shared small plates.. we had several of the specials including the fried aubergine with whipped feta and chilli ( ordered twice, it was so good!) and a beautiful risotto - which I never usually order when out as I’ve had some shockers in the past. All of the food, including a whole lemon sole, was super fresh and cooked to perfection. We couldn’t fault it and would go again in a heartbeat. Wish we lived closer. Very highly recommended

Wonderful food and service Couldn’t recommend more. Food was fresh and so tasty. We had the special and the squid and service was incredible. A lovely night

We stumbled across the Bistro as it is on a small lane behind The Dolphin Tavern. We stopped for lunch and were very glad we did. Padron Peppers, fresh Sardines and great wine in the October sunshine was fabulous. I would highly recommend a visit here and would definitely come back.

Great menu and fabulous food. Loved the sharing plates, only difficulty is choosing which ones to have as we could have eaten everything on the whole menu. Monk fish was amazing and a great choice !! Will definitely be back and Penzance is lucky to have this amazing restaurant.

Excellent tapas. Very refined and unexpected. A good discovery. The entrance to the restaurant is a little hidden in an alley, but you have to go inside! To recommend.

Perfect place for tapas... Intimate, friendly service and the food was excellent. We had the crab loaded fries, Squid and mussels all were delicious. Great value for money on portion size too, will definitely be going back!

What a fantastic hidden gem - worth searching out! Cannot recommend highly enough 😋

Really nice food, good selection and well prepared. Personally, I'd have liked a sharp/spicy option on the menu to complement the selection which was mostly rich/buttery (but very good!) Also, maybe I missed it on the web site, but I'd have appreciated knowing that the seating arrangements were sharing tables as well as sharing plates. (No romantic dinner with the wife!)

The Barbican Bistro was recommended to us so we popped along to see if they had availability. Luckily they squeezed us in, and we are so glad they did. The menu items are recommended to be used as sharing plates, so we ordered Lemon Sole, scallops with chorizo, garlic bread, regular fries and crab loaded fries with chilli and spring onion. Service was quick and the food was out of this world. Highly recommend, and can’t wait to come back

These were the best mussels we've ever had! Very delicious... we had two helpings. With the good bread for dipping, the mussel broth was wonderfully tasty. Very friendly, helpful wait staff. Charming ambience. Small, quaint place down a cobblestone alleyway. Decent wine list. Reasonably priced.

This was recommended to us Reasonably inexpensive Very good service Prompt food service Enjoyed the mussels. Very tender

We were lucky enough to find a table here as we hadn’t booked. The food is ‘small plates’ to be shared. We had mussels, mackerel pate, squid, chips, bread. The food is of the highest quality, best seafood we have had in Cornwall, and we...

Found this place by accident and was stunned! The best sole I had in a very long time! Small place with a fantastic casual vibe.

Great atmosphere and I highly recommend this restaurant! The service was amazing and can’t wait to go back there again 🥰

Excellent locally sourced, well cooked, nicely presented food in a great ambience. Great service too.

Delicious fishy tapas. Crab soufflé fab, moules mariniere, scallops etc all beautifully prepared Great food, wine etc and service. My new favourite place to go.

Every plate was delicious. A really lovely atmosphere and equally lovely and friendly staff and service. Highly recommended.

Great little place, excellent food and service. We were wandering around trying to find a decent place and came across their menu board on the pavement, took an instant liking to it and weren't disappointed. Nice atmosphere, open kitchen, no grumbles at all - which...

The waitress wasn’t very friendly. Foods were a little pricy as tapas, but they were creative and tasty. Seafoods were very fresh.

Délicieuse cuisine, originale, beaucoup de goût. Ambiance cosy, sans chichi, accueil chaleureux. Une très belle découverte à Penzance.

Two of us shared 4 dishes and ALL the food we had were absolutely lovely and staffs were very friendly as well. Lemon sole and sticky pudding were really amazing. We walked in without booking but it was a true hidden gem we found in Penzance. Aaaaand the price is almost one third of what you would expect in London.

Located on Barbican Lane, a quaint little place serving very fresh seafood. Lovely mussels, lemon sole, squid. All cooked very well. A larger portion of bread to soak up all the delicious source would have been great.

Excellent food, good service and value for money. Will definitely visit again. Very nice menu adapted for allergies when needed. Would recommend

Fantastic meal at the Barbican Bistro! The best lemon sole and sticky toffee pudding I’ve ever had. Our table also tried the crab soufflé (special of the day) and everyone loved it. Wonderful bistro atmosphere - would highly recommend it!

The best fish restaurant I have eaten at in a long time. Fresh, delicious, innovative food and a very friendly service. Great atmosphere. I would highly recommend ⭐️

We discovered this restaurant on our trip to cornwall and we came already twice 😊 Finally some good seafood, great atmosphere and amazing service 🩷 Highly recommended Best mussels in the UK by far !

Best seafood in Cornwall , Highly recommend as a must stop 😎 Don’t forget to order the mussels and scallops Thank you so much for an amazing service as well

Thoroughly enjoyed the food here and staff were lovely. Crab loaded fries were highlight for me.

Fantastic food in a very friendly relaxed environment.

Small bistro with excellent small plate options . We shared several dishes which were all delicious.The waitress was really friendly. Recommend the crab fries and the cheese soufflé.

Good food, nice and calm place... But very small portions ! For example, the tomato and olive salad was about five cherry tomatoes and three sliced olives, which is not much... so if you're hungry you should order 2 or 3 plates, which means 20-30 pounds.

Near the port in an alley, old stone building. Good food, fast and attentive service. More than acceptable bill.

We were looking for dinner in Penzance on a Saturday evening and most places were fully booked. Then we got *real* lucky to find a table at this wonderful place. Top marks for everything: response to phone call, reception, interior, staff and the food (tapas style) was exceptionally good. Best restaurant experience in quite a while, highly recommended.

Small bistro, super friendly and high quality food. Can’t recommend more highly, a hidden gem. The local seafood was excellent,

The food is excellent, lots of small dishes served in a family style and helpful staff. Well worth going out of your way for.

5 start from service to food and atmosphere which is super cosy and I don’t even think that it needs promotion as it seemed to be quite popular already. Sea food we ordered was so delicious and although the portions weren’t massive, we could enjoy and appreciate the food even better. Highly recommend and would come back again for sure.

V small, accessibility difficult. No room for pram, music too loud. Food fresh but too expensive.

Fantastic little place, very cozy and great atmosphere. Food is delicious and service is excellent!

If you're in Penzance and like seafood, then this place has to be top of your list. You could easily miss it - down a little lane just off the harbour - and you'd kick yourself if you did. The small plate menu means you get to try a whole host of beautifully-cooked local fish straight off the boat. The mackerel, sole and scallops were particular highlights. If you can, try to leave room for dessert, but you'll struggle. We tried almost everything on the menu and would've ordered even more if we had room! Will certainly head back on our next visit to west Cornwall.

Delicious food, good choice for vegetarians, relaxed atmosphere. The fish dishes are excellent. Not cheap but the quality was worth it.

Arrived unexpectedly as a party of seven having been turned away at numerous other eateries, as is the Cornish way. Bent over backwards to accommodate us as quickly as possible, with a lovely welcome unusual for the area. Food was super fresh, super tasty, well...

Amazing food! Honestly, everything was so delicious! We love this place! Authentic with great staff and atmosphere (pet friendly). Highly recommended!!!

We got a place at the community table, a long communal table where you can get in touch with the neighboring guests. It was a lot of fun that evening. The food was also very good. I ate my first blue cheese soufle there - very tasty. The same went for dessert, a toffee pudding with clotted cream, a poem.

The whole experience was amazing. Food was spectacular everything about it was amazing had such good flavours and the service was also great definitely worth the visit.

Me and my 2 friends found this place while looking for an eatery in Penzance on our way to Land's End. We were welcomed by a lovely waitress who offered a top notch service. The food was just so good and flavours were incredibly delicate...

The food was nice and service good but there's alot of competition locally now and I judge them by my favorite dishes mussels in garlic and white wine and mackeral pate...with the mussels the price is about right for the local market and a moderate portion of mussels but only two shavings of bread supplied (more like crackers )really push you to buy extra bread at extra cost which isn't the case in other local restaurants with this dish.. making this a costly choice in this restaurant . The pate was a large portion but again not much bread supplied ..This is my only real criticism but it means alot to me to try and not let pz turn get gentrified and super costly like St ives and trends like this where bread is designed as a extra are where the change starts.

Fantastic little restaurant with great service and food.

We had an excellent lunch here, the menu is mainly small dishes which you can mix and match, everything is freshly prepared and stand-out dishes for me were the blue cheese soufflé, the scallops and the sticky toffee pudding. Service is friendly and quick, for...

Incredible new restaurant with a focus on fresh local fish. Great indoor and out door seating. Blue cheese souffle was perfect!! Highly recommend!!

Visiting Penzance we liked the look of the menu and selected dishes to share including off the specials menu. Everything was so fresh and great seasonal menu. We loved everything and highly recommend if you love food and quality over quantity. Staff friendly too.

Absolute dream of a dinner with delicious food, generous portions, and lovely staff. The venue itself also has a perfect location in a tiny alley but still very very close to the center, don’t miss it!

I wondered why the review of Barbican was given a full 5.0 score before my visit. Out of the seafood restaurants in Penzance I tried including a famous one, I would recommend to try Barbican in your next visit. They serve REAL good quality of seafood. The size is not huge and it’s good for sharing. The special menu fish burger is surprisingly tasty, the scallops are fresh and they are cooked well. Service was great and I did enjoy a wonderful evening with my family.

High prices for tapas but tasty food . We visited this Bistro as a walk in on a Sat eve in July and were not advised that it was tapas dining . Lovely freshly cooked food but expensive meal for effectively one plate tapas /...

We discovered this bistro “by accident” - it’s in a back street that looks quite unappealing but it suited us to a tee. Set in a very old, solid stone building that was built by Henry VIII as a armoury and battlement to defend against...

Had a fabulous meal here last night. Brilliant service with a smile and amazing food, freshly cooked. Would highly recommend and we will be back again soon

On holidays from Australia and arrived in town today. Was chatting to a local and asked her recommendation for lunch. We certainly weren't disappointed 😋

Great food. Delicious fresh tasty. I recommend it 100%. Nice service.

What a great little restaurant!! Small and cosy with friendly staff. The food was great, good size portions, perfect for sharing! The Lemon Posset was delicious 😋 As a local this is my new favourite place for some sea food 👍

This restaurant is really a seafood restaurant Every dish is worth ordering The seafood must have been caught just this morning. It is very fresh. There is no doubt that I have been eating seafood for 25 years. I know what kind of seafood tastes like fresh seafood. And anyone who doesn’t like the fishy smell of seafood can come to this restaurant. Basically all the dishes have taken care of the fishy smell of seafood to the highest level. I had the fish head from sole and it was absolutely fresh. Many seafood restaurants cool down quickly after being served. The fishy smell of most seafood becomes worse after cooling. However, the seafood in this restaurant is served hot and does not get cold easily, even on such a cold day. I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone who comes to visit. Don’t look at social platforms like Xiaohongshu anymore. It’s really what everyone else says.

Absolutely LOVE this restaurant! Amazing food with great service.

Absolutely wonderful new restaurant in Penzance. Creative and thoughtful changing menu of small plates, specializing in locally sourced seafood, with great vegetarian options. Low and no alcohol drink options as well. Cozy inside with outdoor summer dining. A welcome addition to the neighborhood.

What a great little spot. Local seafood, right by the promenade. Had a lovely meal with the family. Tried lots of dishes, and all were great! Will definitely be back.

Had a brilliant meal here with the family. Local seafood cooked incredibly well. Would definitely recommend.

We just had the most INCREDIBLE meal thank you the service was great and the food was next level, every bite was heaven

Excellent lunch in small bistro. We were looking for fresh fish and were not disappointed. We had a three course meal including whole lemon sole each and a bottle of wine and bill was £75. Excellent. Worth mentioning. The chef here understands how to use...

Food was excellent, service excellent, lovely to sit outside in the sun with a glass of wine!

Incredible food, warm atmosphere, cosy place. We had fabulous time. Left full and happy. A place not to miss in Penzance.

Fantastic food, simple menu very well executed. The cheese soufflé was one of the best we have ever had!

Happened on this bistro, well-sited across from harbour, drawn in by tables outside and lovely aromas. Inside the restaurant lived up to this with delicious food. We chose a selection from the menu and were pleased with all our choices, from sea and land. All...

Amazing place! The food is fantastic! We tried almost everything on the menu and are impressed! Super friendly stuff! Can not recommend this place enough!

10/10 delicious, seasonal and fresh seafood , with a good range of options and vegetarian choices - plus lovely staff. Highly recommend.

What a find!! We came down to Penzance for a weekend trip and stumbled upon here and I'm so happy we did! The service was amazing and the food was incredible! Also I love how it's a little tucked away, so so cute!

Lovely little cozy place but the menu options are pretty limited and the prices seem high for the overall portion size and quality. Great for a one time treat though👍

Just what Penzance needed, newly opened and independently owned by local chef brothers, food is superb fresh fish (apparently often supplied direct from the chefs’ dad’s boat), John Dory with beurre blanc was great and the blue cheese soufflé is best I have tasted. Whilst...

Best seafood I ever had. Very fresh, good portion and good variety of dishes.

Delicious plates to share, if coming to Penzance definitely worth a visit. John Dory was my favourite but everything was amazing. Cute lane with outdoor and indoor seating.

A gem. Great fun experience from being helped up the steps by another customer and host to desert. Service was informative and helpful. The food is tapas style. We had fish, greens and soufflé. The star for us was the blue cheese soufflé. We did...