Barbican Bistro in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

We called ahead to book a table to guarantee seating, since it was a Sunday night and many places were closed. But there did not seem to be an issue seating people without bookings. This restaurant has a "tapas" menu, or small plate menu. It was suggested that we order two or three items per meal. I have an allergy to plant peppers & paprika, and I had difficulty finding two items that I thought I would enjoy. I chose the tomato/olive salad, but I had to specify NO green olives that are pimento stuffed, and the Blue Cheese Soufflé. Both were quite tasty. My husband ordered some type of seafood with capers. We both enjoyed our meals. He had a Spanish beer, which he said was terrific. I'm not a beer drinker, so I cannot offer an opinion on that. There were three young men running the restaurant, and they were all rather entertaining. I felt that I had to work extra hard to convince the young man of my allergy, and he even asked "how bad is it?" It was when I mentioned that I have an epipen that he seemed to finally grasp the situation. Most restaurants manage to take my allergy seriously without asking the severity. We were seated near the bar, which resulted in a cold draft every time someone came in and out of the door. Something worth considering if you are sensitive to temperatures. There was a large party coming in, so we chose to leave quickly as there really wasn't anything else tempting on the menu, and between the drafts and the noise, we felt it best to just get on our way. There was another room, a few steps up, near the front of the building, where many walk-ins were directed, but I have no idea what the ambiance was like since I never went to look.

Excellent staff, very welcoming, friendly and helpful. Great food, especially enjoyed the mussels, squid and sticky toffee pudding. Very old building, recently extended with upper level and tastefully decorated. Window tables have view over the bay. Will definitely return.

We had the sole (excellent), the fries with crab (a must), the tomato salad and the sardines. Plus the sticky toffee pudding. Everything tasted great. The staff were really friendly.

Amazing experience - such a great treat. Lovely to eat somewhere that’s not a pub. Great service, amazing food and lovely venue.

Such a hidden gem! Delicious food at reaeonable price. Lemon sole, scallop and makerel they are all very good.

Extremely accommodating staff and great food. Would highly recommend.

We bleven 3 nachten in Penzance en dit Restaurant kon ons het meeste bekoren. Excellente verfijnde gerechtjes. Top! Enige aanbeveling: niet alles in eens bestellen want dan komen alle gerechtjes samen en kunnen ze niet op tafel

This is a mostly seafood restaurant. The seafood is really really good. The Lemon sole was very nice. The scallops were cooked to perfection, slightly rare in the middle.

I was looking forward to this as my partner had an amazing time there around New Year’s, but overall, it was a disappointing experience. I’m giving this review because my feedback is constructive rather than negative. We arrived midweek, for an evening meal for two, and were brought to the rear dining area and given stool seating over a small high table, the kind you would have a drink at, and maybe an aperitif snack, but then move onto an actual dining table to dine at. Instead, the (five) dishes unexpectedly arrived together and there wasn’t enough room. Maybe we could have been served our starters first and then once they were cleared the mains could have been brought out? No matter, we said if a dining table was available we wouldn’t mind moving and luckily one did. Unluckily, in the main room the ceiling lights were on full power giving it a canteen vibe - not the soft lighting and cosy atmosphere we expected. So the plates arrived without any introduction, which isn’t unacceptable but it is handy and a nice thing for waiters to do. Later, a bill was brought to us for another table; dessert was brought out and the waiter wondered aloud if we should have smaller spoons; innocuous incidents on their own but along with the previous events was indicative of a Front of House team who lacked experience. Lemon sole and squid dishes were fantastic and would recommend them!

It was nice restaurant with a great ambiance.. Loved it

Popped in after a long journey on the train and had a nice welcome from the staff. Had some wonderful seafood and fries and a lovely pint. Great stuff!

Excellent food, nice atmosphere, good value.

Every plate was delicious. A really lovely atmosphere and equally lovely and friendly staff and service. Highly recommended. A second visit nearly a year later and I can only agree with everything I said after my first one. A great meal, wonderfully tasty food, lovely staff and great service.

Great seafood on share plates. We had the dressed crab special and the crab loaded fries. Deserts were excellent. Cosy place with outdoor seating. Highly recommended.

WOW!!!! Fantastic food. We will be back soon.

Went for supper. It was delicious; tapas style small plates but wonderful flavours and served with a smile. Very well chilled white wine to accompany our meal made it a wonderful evening out. We will be back!

Excellent food combined with a nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Highly Recommended! It's best to order about 3 dishes for two, as all dishes are sized so that you can taste several

We had scallops, a crab salad and garlic bread. All of these were delicious.

Fantastic place with a wonderful atmosphere, the food and service were second to none and the muscles were the best we have ever had ! Best place to eat in and around the Penzance area hands down. Well done lads

Fantastic place with a wonderful atmosphere, the food and service was second to none with the best muscles we have ever had!

Great seafood restaurant in Penzance! It was recommended to us by the Hotel owner. We had mussels, scallops with chorizo, the calamari rings and the Padron peppers - all super fresh and delicious. A little bit on the pricier side compared to the Mackarel Sky Seafood Bar, in Newlyn. We were very satisfied with the food here and the cosy atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit for one of your meals!

We had an absolutely wonderful evening. Great seafood, great atmosphere and super friendly staff. We shared 12 tapas for 5 people and some ciders. The french press coffee was great and we will be back.

Disappointing experience despite good food. I want to be honest, which is why I gave the food 3 stars. However, everything else was the worst I've ever experienced. We had a reservation, but when we arrived, our table had been given to someone else. After waiting 10 minutes, we were finally seated. We ordered food and a bottle of wine, but they brought us whiskey glasses, explaining that they had run out of wine glasses and would clean some and bring them over. If that was the case, why bring the whiskey glasses at all? I’m not an alcoholic, and I can wait a bit longer for proper glasses. This felt incredibly rude. When we ordered mussels, they didn’t provide a separate plate for the shells, even though other tables received them. We asked the waitress for a separate plate for the shells, but instead, she brought another plate of mussels. The manager checked on the other tables but completely ignored us, asking every table about their food except ours. She smiled at everyone, but smiling doesn't equate to good service. We were always kind and tried to find positive reasons for this treatment, but things only got worse. We finished our food, and nobody collected the empty plates for a while. We’re not overly sensitive people, but this was too much. I’m genuinely curious about the reason behind this treatment.

As a local this is one of my favourite places to eat - I admit I know the team but to see these local chefs produce such fabulous food and turn a dream into a reality is stunning . The food is always amazing , the fish fresh and delivered perfectly - a small but consistently top class menu, the lemon sole and crab are amazing , the lemon posset the best ever - the only draw back is that its no longer a secret ! delighted to see them busy but keeping the standards up !

Amazing seafood, polite servers and nice ambience. Everything we ordered was great, including the lemon sole, scallops, blue cheese soufflé and sardines. Wonderful way to end off our trip. A must-visit if you’re coming to Penzance.

Visited this place last month and had a fantastic experience. The service was great and the food was excellent. They offer great portions with great taste. I enjoyed the seafood and the hot pudding though I can’t exactly recall their names. Overall I highly recommend this place for its diverse menu selections. The only downside for me is that the location can be a bit tricky to find for visitors. However, the experience worth it

Very good food and fast and friendly service. I will return another day for sure.

Always wanted to try this restaurant, and Sooo glad we booked. Lovely atmosphere and friendly staff on hand to advise choices to share. Beautiful fish. We shared mussels in a cream and white wine sauce with garlic, whole lemon sole, sublime crab soufflé, washed down with a lovely Picpoul de Pinet. Lemon posset dessert was heaven. Worth every penny. Can't wait to revisit.

Barbican Bistro is the best place to eat in Penzance! Stunning sea food, from boat to plate. We had the scallops, lemon sole, aubergine with whipped feta and anchovies - all absolutely delicious - I’ll be thinking about it for months to come. Great food,, wine, atmosphere and service. I rarely give 5 stars, but this place truly deserves it! Compliments to the chef(s)!

Barbican Bistro is incredible! The seafood, the wine and the ambience - all just perfect. The restaurant is on a cute cobbled street, off the beaten track, so it feels like a hidden gem. The building is beautiful - I think it dates back to the 16th century. Food is absolutely delicious. Small plates of fresh local sea food and produce. The highlights were the scallops, lemon sole, and aubergine dishes - which were absolutely incredible. If you’re in Penzance - this is a must!

Went for lunch. On the pricier side for what you get. The waitress didn’t tell us when ordering that the mussels doesn’t come with bread or fries, and that the fish doesn’t either come with any carbs. So we had to put in a second order once our first order had arrived to table. Food was tasty, but a bit too salty. Restaurant was fairly empty at lunch time in early July.

Good food and service but I thought it was a limited choice of fish dishes but what we had was excellent. Would return

We arrived a bit late but they were happy to serve us. All dishes were really good. Lemon sole and scallops with chorizos were impressive. Highly recommended. We will come back here for food for sure next time we visit Penzance.

Very nice place and fantastic food !

What a lovely restaurant, lovely fresh food menu, small plates worked well allowing us to sample a few of the dishes. Friendly attentive staff

Called in on the off chance they had a table tonight. Would highly recommended . The food was lovely as was the service and surroundings. Enjoyed it so much that we have booked a table for Friday night.

How wonderful to be able to eat fresh from the sea food. Beautifully cooked, even with customised requirements, served by a busy but pleasant and accommodating waiter. Nothing was too much trouble. Happy to see families with canine members. Will dream of their scallops and lemon sole.

Exquisitely delicious seafood tapas, great wines and service and a lovely ambience!

Delightful find as we walked along the promenade. Delicious food and good service despite being down one server. We had small plates of scallops with chorizo, whole lemon sole, eggplant, and mussels - all very well prepared. Yummy!

Amazing experience! Great food, nice atmosphere, and the best creme brulee I have ever tried.

Wonderful service from lovely staff, a beautiful space with a great atmosphere and stunning food. Get the cheese souffle!! A hidden gem.

Absolutely fantastic, definitely recommend for anyone that will be around this side of Cornwall

Unexpected fine food and good services.

There every reason to give this small restaurant a 5+ in all categories as they truly excel in every respect. The food is their crowning glory but the nature of the service is quite unique with the collection of dishes one has chosen being served individually but designed for sharing. I have not had a more enjoyable meal or dining experience in a very long time

I enquired about booking a table for an occasion coming up soon. It would have been 6 adults. I wanted to book a table here as I know it specializes in fish dishes (which I was looking for as my family are visiting and wanting some nice fish) and two members of the party are vegan. I enquired what vegan options they have to be told - "we don't currently have any vegan options as this is not our focus, we are primarily a fish restaurant, 45 Queen Street is 2 mins up the road" .... Thanks Jay. We will stick to our usual which is indeed Queen Street. Missed out on quite a bit of money there for simply not offering 1 vegan option on your menu.

We’re lucky to find this bistro. Both the staff and food here are lovely. We highly recommend scallops, lemon sole and garlic bread. Hope to get back and try more other dishes very soon!

Fabulous evening, sharing plates of delicious fish dishes and vegetarian options. Jen was so welcoming and looked after us throughout the evening. Will be making a return visit very soon. Best meal of 2024 !!

very nice job refurbishing and creating a new place. me and my wife had good wine and lovely food.sardines to die for!

Excellent food here. Staff lovely. Will be back.

Excellent food and service. Thoroughly recommended!

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!!

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!

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.

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...

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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 ⭐️

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