Charlie's Boathouse in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

Despite some recent reviews we wanted to try The Boat House restaurant. Glad we did! As always reviews are opinion only and we had a very good experience. The lady who was running the front of house, bar and serving was absolutely brilliant, not overbearing but really relaxed and efficient. Good cocktail menu as well as choice of meals. Our food was well presented, hot, good portion size and tasty. The interior is very relaxed with a good vibe. Overall we had a very good experience.

Don’t understand how this place gets good reviews! We have tried it several times over the last few years on our visits to Charlestown, and have been consistently disappointed. Thought we’d give it another go for lunch as it’s local & how bad could it be? But we were reminded why we avoid this place. Each time (including our most recent visit in March ‘24) it seems to have inexperienced front of house staff with no management or strategy. We were told we didn’t have our table for long, and were then left for over 10 minutes without even being brought a menu, and even longer until we could order, which resulted in us having to move outside to finish our food. Having agreed to serve us lunch within a tight timeframe, they were then responsible for ensuring they delivered, instead they left us sat down unattended. Several tables around us were also chasing for menus and for their food. There was ineffective communication between staff, who either seemed to ignore each other or be very indiscreet, talking loudly behind the bar in annoyance about who had said & done what, showing their confusion. They were not unfriendly, just disorganised and chaotic, which perhaps is a reflection on poor direction and guidance. Food arrived and as always, was on the whole very underwhelming and below average. We were still charged full price, when we had to go up & ask for the bill ourselves. We have learnt our lesson and will definitely not be returning. There are much nicer places to eat in Charlestown.

I can safely say I have never had such abysmal service in a restaurant. We were told to find a table and wait for a menu. Ten minutes later we were still waiting as two groups who had come in after us received their menus and ordered. When we eventually went up to ask at the bar, we were given short shrift by the clearly disorganised barista. Our menus were finally brought over by a waitress I can only kindly describe as 'distracted'. She took our order for three coffees and wandered about a bit, scratching her head, before returning to the bar. Nothing happened for a further ten minutes but eventually my (by now cold) coffee came, but with no sign of the other two. Five minutes later we confused the waitress by asking about them, and asking for water while she took our food order. This was a mistake. Another five minutes and my wife went up to the bar to ask for the coffees and again got a black look from the barista. They eventually arrived with the accompaniment of a hearty sneeze from the waitress, who kindly directed it over the table next to us. The couple sitting there were not too amused by this. She then sneezed over the two glasses of water (we'd asked for three) that were waiting at the bar, before stopping for a chat with a friend on her way to bringing them over. We had by now been waiting for our food for over 30 minutes. The couple next to us left in disgust having been waiting pointlessly for their order for even longer. We foolishly waited a further ten minutes to no avail before leaving. We had wasted well over an hour in total and been charged nearly ten pounds for three cold cups of coffee. I think by then the waitress was having a lie down and we received no apology from her. We drove up the road to Niles Holmbush cafe where we had quick, friendly service and an excellent breakfast. It's not rocket science.

Visited The Boat House over the last 8 months at least for one meal per week and have enjoyed the atmosphere and the meals. Have not had a disappointed meal in all the time I have visited the restaurant. Very good service delivered with a smile.

This place has so much potential but lacks a lot of basics for a good restaurant. We were plonked next to a very draughty window and the radiator below was switched off. We were not the only couple who wore our coats. The place was freezing. Service was okay but not brilliant. Food was okay but that's about it. We won't be returning.

Four of us ate here and we all enjoyed the food. The fish & chips were delicious. Haddock was exceptional. Service was quick, staff friendly & polite. Attractive restaurant, we would return. The snack menu looked good too.

Friendly obliging staff, fantastic cocktails and great food, good value for money,duck with liver pate starter and figs sublime

Amazing place, such a wonderful find. First class, food service and so friendly.

Wow, beautiful place, excellent tasty food and superb service. Recommend very highly.

Had a fantastic evening celebrating our anniversary with a few drinks and a meal. We booked in advance to ensure getting a table as we didn't want to leave it to chance. The restaurant itself had a lovely cosy atmosphere, especially with it raining outside. The staff were friendly and took our drink order while we decided what to eat. I chose the boathouse burger and asked to change the blue cheese to Swiss which they kindly did as I'm not a fan of blue cheese and my wife had the fish and chips. The burger was amazing although I did make a bit of a mess of myself eating it, highly recommend trying it if you like burgers. The fish too was delicious I'm told and we followed up with some lovely desserts, I had brownie with cream and my wife had the crumble. Will certainly visit again if we are in the area as there are many things I'd like to try on the menu.

We went here for our aniversary dinner. We loved the food, great portions. Well worth the money. I love real coffee and I could drink it here. Special mention to a black hair lady, she was super busy with taking orders, making drinks, cleaning tables etc, all on her own! And she served us with a smile- what a star!! Overall great experience.

What a fantastic find. Had the most incredible pork belly with rosti potatoes and pear cream jus. Absolute best pork belly I've ever had. Perfect 10/10.

Huge pizzas , ordered extra chips , again huge portion Quality and value Lovely place Highly recommend

We go here regularly for food and drinks, and this place is always fantastic. We've lived in Cornwall for 16 years, and this is the only restaurant where I can say that every time we've been and every person we've been with, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner, coffee, wine or cocktails, every single time everything has been great. I once had to add a little salt to my starter. That is as close as I can get to a criticism. The seafood sharer is to die for, and amazing value for money. I have no idea how they make the mixed salad side for the price they do, it's packed with delicious marinaded olives, home made coleslaw etc... I have to order it as a side regardless of my main. I always go for the cheese board for a pud with a glass of red. Heaven!

Great casual dining restaurant. Nice surroundings. We were here for dinner and the food was excellent. Will eat here again.

Out for a local, cold, wintery walk with my mother and popped in for a coffee. We were warmly greeted as we entered and really appreciated the extra thought and effort of the owner and chef to accommodate my vegan requirements as we ended up having some food too. Delicious pizzas and coffee, we both really enjoyed it all- including the warm, stylish interior. Recommended.

A great place for a meal with friends. Excellent food freshly cooked to order. Generous portions coupled with beautiful presentation. Wine is reasonably priced and food is great value for money. Will return soon

Really cool restaurant/bar, I'm guessing they don't get a lot of tourists first weekend in January but the place was busy. I had the beef and it was out of this world good.

Lovely cafe with a great atmosphere.

Lovely place Lovely staff nothing was too much trouble - food was outstanding - well worth a visit 😀

Lovely find our first time eating here and we would definitely come back when visiting Cornwall. Great food excellent service they did everything to ensure a good family meal out. Highly recommended

Lovely atmosphere with great food and drinks. Tarte tatin was amazing as was my French martini. Good choice of food on the menu

The best restaurant in Charlestown.

Sadly the place seemed a little cold.

Great food , excellent service & brilliant atmosphere. 👏

Booked for late lunch on New Years Eve. Cold and blowy outside but had a lovely warm welcome in here. 2 of us and our dog. Nice, varied menu which was great as I fancied a nice roast and my hubby wanted a pizza. Sorted! Shared bread to start which was good - olives and humus plus a nice balsamic dip. It was busy when we visited but the staff were lovely and the food was really nice, absolutely no complaints here - we will definitely come back.

We booked a table for lunch after visiting the tunnel of lights. The food was lovely, they catered for the various allergies and preferences in our group. (Two vegans and a coeliac). The staff were all super helpful and friendly.

Nice atmosphere waitresses we're freindly. Only criticism would be portion sizes. One of our party had pork belly which was one very small strip hidden under a lot of other stuff. Another dish was hake which again was one small piece. For value for money would probably not visit again.

We find it so hard to eat out at the best of times but as we discovered that half of Cornwall seems to close for the winter season it was even harder than normal. However with some careful research we came across this little gem in the picturesque town of Charlestown. My daughter has coeliac disease and apparently the Eden Project doesn’t have a lot of gluten free food to offer so we ate here first (it was open late for the Christmas lights event). Wow! She was spoilt for choice which almost never happens. She opted for a pizza which looked so much like her brother’s gluten pizza that we were a little nervous. However we felt very reassured when they told us that the chef’s daughter is coeliac. To avoid cross contamination the gluten free pizzas are cooked in a separate oven. Personally I ate the Bah Humbug pizza which was Christmas dinner on a pizza, genius!! I forced myself to finish it all as it was just tooo good!

Excellent restaurant, amazing tasty food, great customer service, very friendly staff.

Lovely atmosphere and food very good and well presented. My only grumble was my expresso martini was to strong with the coffee shots making it bitter to drink. I was offered a replacement which was a nice gesture. We would return if in the area again.

I visited the boathouse a few Tuesdays ago in the morning with one of my students. We have been learning about hospitality and dealing with different customer situations. The young lady who served us was very professional yet friendly and welcoming. After our drinks she also answered some questions my student had about serving customers and this helped him with his course. Thank you so much for such a lovely experience, we’ll definitely be back

I love the ambience here. The staff are always very attentive. We tend to use it during the day for a light lunch or just coffee and we are yet to be disappointed and we are yet to be overwhelmed 😊

well looked after throughout.very large amounts served with sunday maincourse.music from overhead speakers was loud and throwing empty drink bottles into box was noisy

Lovely place, I dined alone last week, food and wine was great. Looking forward to returning when I'm in Charlestown next.

Went for a Sunday breakfast with friends. The waitress was very attentive and friendly and the breakfast was excellent with all local good quality food. Highly recommend and we will be back

Excellent meal! The pizzas are to die for. Amazing sandwiches too. Great choice of wines as well.

My starter of the smoked haddock fishcake was truly excellent. My partner opted for the burger as her mains and it was very good with an immense serving of chips - she ranked as one of the best ever. I opted for the chicken sharwarma which had lots of flavours and a lot of salad but the chicken part of it was a little bland. Service was excellent throughout and we were happy to leave a tip. The Boathouse is a modern restaurant, meaning hard floors and no curtains and a vaulted roof. It's attractive to look at but SO noisy. My partner is hard of hearing so any conversation was very limited. Sadly for that reason alone we're unlikely to go back.

The Boathouse atmosphere was very nice and the customer service was very good too. My veggie burger was very filling, and the same said from my partner and her lamb burger, all spectacularly presented. The only criticism we could make was maybe some healthier meal choices for children.

Had dinner here, such a lovely place, fab relaxed atmosphere, staff friendly and was never rushed. I had the veggie burger and it was one of the best I have ever had. Highly recommend if ever in Charlestown.

A fantastic evening as always at the Boathouse! Also made our pup feel very welcome, thank you.

Genuinely flawless food, utterly exceptional. Whatever they pay that chef is not enough. Even has a brilliant selection of vegetarian options, not the usual "swap meat for something else" style menu lots of places seem to offer but instead menu options that are crafted with no need of a "meat" to create a complete dish. Lovely chill atmosphere. Lass running the bar was everything you could want from a host, without being overbearing. Will be coming back, that's for sure.

Can't say I have eaten a meal as good as this for a very, very long time.... If ever. Amazing quiet and relaxed atmosphere, perfect service and food to die for. Fantastic, different, seasonal vegetarian options. Would eat here time and time again without a second thought. Chef/chefs ... You should apply for MasterChef.

Such a fabulous place to go for dinner! I took my 9 year old son and my mother for dinner whilst on holiday and was delighted with our choice of restaurant. The food was delicious, the service was great and we really enjoyed the atmosphere, it's just such a cool place to be! I'm looking forward to my next holiday so we can return again!

Great place for eating out, roadside parking nearby as it’s not clear if you can use the adjoining car park for visiting the restaurant (the manager advised afterwards we could’ve). Great well presented food and venue. One small gripe, the background music was quite often interrupted as it was being played via Bluetooth from a phone, so any notifications coming through muted the music slightly. However service and food both excellent and very much enjoyed

Absolutely amazing, perfect place for a anniversary meal

Excellent restaurant, amazing food and staff , in a gorgeous harbour setting. The Smoked Haddock fishcake and fries, and the Raspberry and Toffee Ice cream Pavlova were exceptional.

We found the wicker chairs uncomfortable without cushions. The food was average and the menus were printed on brown paper making it difficult to read. The waitress was bright and cheerful. We felt the whole experience was very 'average'.

Beautiful place to eat. Lovely food. Definitely would recommend the restaurant. I'm a vegetarian and there was food to eat. But not lots of options for a vegetarian

Fantastic friendly place,fish platter was amazing thank you for everything

The restaurant was quite a disappointment. Saturday evening dinner with poor rushed food. While the first course of St Austell mussels was ok (hard to get wrong with such good ingredients) it lacked any sauce and the bread was dry and obviously had been cut too early. The mains were served as the starter plates were removed and looked like they had been on the pass for 10 minutes. The sea bream was over cooked and the salad potatoes undercooked. Only the tempura scallops were well cooked. The fishcake was burned at the bottom and the fries (advertised as chips) were served with ketchup in a plastic bowl. The wine was dumped on the table unopened, with glasses straight out of the dishwasher and wet. The staff were inattentive and not really interested in the guests. We left and had our dessert in the pub across the road and felt 100% more welcome there than at this place. Not a good experience and we won’t be returning.

Food was really great service was good second time there hope to eat they again

We had an absolutely wonderful meal at this restaurant in Charlestown. The food was delicious. The service was relaxed and friendly. I can highly recommend the Boathouse Burger! Fantastic stuff!

We enjoyed a lovely lunch here in a relaxed setting. We both had mussels which were delicious. The staff were friendly.

Fantastic food, friendly service, stunning cocktails! Highly recommend.

Great food, light and airy restaurant- recommend the Chicken Burger with Pineapple - delicious and different to a standard Chicken burger. Staff great and very reasonably priced

Wonderful food,very friendly staff great atmosphere sea food platter to share was special,,thank you

We are that the Boathouse for my daughters 9th birthday last night. My wife I and 3 girls. The kids menu is incredibly gluten free friendly. My daughter being a Celiac, we find it hard to eat out where she does not feel excluded. The Boathouse staff were very genuine and wonderful people. There was an extensive menu for my daughter to choose from. Both front of house and the Kitchen are very well run. Promptvservice well attended without being intrusive. The food was beautiful. Well cooked and with great flavour profile's across all dishes. We will be adding it to our local hot spots. Thank you for taking care of us.

We booked for a table of 2 on Monday evening. We were greeted warmly and told they’d been a little busier than expected so we had a drink by the bar while waiting for our table. Lovely atmosphere and staff polite, friendly and attentive despite being busy. We appreciated being kept up the date and our expectations being managed regarding wait time. We both had pizzas. Mine was the best I’ve tasted in a very long time (if not the best I’ve had ever full stop!) good choice of drinks. Sad not to have stayed in the area long enough to return and try more of the menu. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Stumbled across this place, so pleased we did. Food is excellent. Staff friendly informative up for a laugh. Venue is beautiful. You need to make this a destination. We certainly will be again.

Off the cuff visit, but I'm very glad we did. The food was lovely, as to were the staff.

Second visit this time fir an evening meal The staff were great and the food was yummy It was a warm evening so sat outside - fab evening

Visited Charlestown many times and tbh always overlooked the Boathouse. What a mistake, best food in town with atmosphere to match. Seafood platter was awesome. You can also have drinks outside.

Lovely place to eat, food excellent and good value for money

Absolutely amazing food and place! Just pop in there if you want a proper meal cooked! The fish and chips for kids were delicious and the shared plate of seafood for 2 was amazing and also the burgers are delicious! Highly recommended 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Lovely eating place on the main street going down towards Charlestown harbour. Food, service and ambiance really good. Lots of outside as well as inside tables - in season. Booking recommended.

Meal was nice after having it warmed up bit upset having to wait I gave 3 stars because it should be right first time

Nice looking restaurant and friendly staff. Food was really delicious. Was served wrong drink, although wasn't a massive deal.

Nice place but I’d recommend more extraction from the kitchen cooking smells.

An excellent eating experience we were a party of six and we all throughly enjoyed our own choices. The pork dish was the star of the show. There was a well stocked bar above norm for choice. For me the coffee was delicious.

Great food, service was a little slow but it was a Friday night.

Great tasty food, with generous portions, nice cocktails and amazing service! Nice varied menu, and everything we had was delicious. It is a small restaurant so definitely book a table.

Excellente cuisine Moules succulentes et tres bon dessert Je recommande

Fuimos a comer. Pedimos mariscos para compartir y mis hijos hamburguesas. Nos gustó. Los mejillones muy buenos. El servicio rápido y amable.

The food was really, really good. We had the chicken burger, two pizzas, a kids pizza and the sea bream and everything was really tasty and well prepared and presented with good portion sizes. It is a shame that the service was simply atrocious. Took several minutes to be acknowledged and seated, then after being seated another 15 minutes before someone came to take even the drinks order let alone food. The waitress kept chewing gum in our faces, so incredibly rude and seem to not have a great knowledge of her own menu.

Very friendly professional staff and excellent cooking equals a great eating experience at this venue. The hot chocolate with marshmallows and the steak sandwich were a dream for my taste buds 😋😋

Absolutely lovely food well worth it was lovely

A great place to eat and or just have a cocktail in the lounge or outside area . Staff are lovely and very attentive food is great .

An attractive place for a drink, with friendly service.

My son Sam who is 9 years old, says that the serving staff were great, the food was great and the music was great. I wholeheartedly agree with his assessment.

The food is good. I do recommend the Seafood platter and the pizza. The mussels and the linguine source are a bit heavy for us. My son said crispy chicken is dry on the children's menu otherwise portion is good. The service is good and the staff are friendly!

Gorgeous food and fantastic service. Strongly recommend!

We love it here. Sat at the bar for our drinks as it was busy.

Convenient location as we stayed in St Austell (10mins by car), free parking on site although limited space, food is average, I prefer to have fresh calamaris & king prawns inthe linguine which is more healthier, rather than fried calamaris & small shrimps. The staff are friendly and attentive.

We visited for dinner last night and we loved it 🥰. Beautiful place, food and service were top. Flow and Ellie were friendly and professional. Me, my partner and our cocker spaniel puppy had the best time. I highly recommend you pay this place a visit if you’re in st Austell.

Excellent, food was amazing and came out quick, especially good after a visit to Woodys bike park or if your passing, there isn’t that much seating inside, but plenty more outside if you don’t mind the weather!

There was a little bit of a wait but the food was absolutely delicious. Would definitely recommend visiting this place! And the harbour is beautiful and perfect for an after dinner stroll.

We were looking for a place on a Monday and stumbled across this delightful restaurant. Lovely building, great furniture and above all wonderful food.

Friendly staff in this lovely restaurant, serving great food and drink. The cocktails and pizza were excellent! Highly recommended!

Had a hot chocolate and found foil in my mouth as I was drinking. The waitress said she’d just opened a new tin so some must’ve got in, and didn’t offer to refund or remake it. I had a burger. While big and nicely presented, it was the only meat burger I’ve ever had that tasted (and had the texture) of something non-meat. Odd. Friends enjoyed their seafood, however. I guess I just drew the short straw.

Lovely place, staff are really nice and welcoming, we love the food! Delish! But although filling & so tasty! I thought it was a lot of money for what I had.. my husband has the seafood sharer every time we go as a meal rather than a starter. We plan to go every 3 weeks if we can.. so obs not too worried about the price. Just love it!

Beautiful place, excellent food, very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Recommended.

Very good place, characteristic environment, extremely helpful staff. Good food.

Loved everything about the Boathouse. Great atmosphere with efficient and friendly service. First class food with a wide menu choice. Reasonably priced.

Great service a d the food was excellent

basic menu, especially if vegetarian. Bhaji burger, couple pizzas or beetroot goatscheeese. Would be nice to see halloumi or a beyond meat type. Tbh , it’s a menu for chefs that don’t chef. But worse or all the service is terrible. Girls would forget there name if it wasn’t on their name badge. And they’ll definitely forget to come back and take your order - 30 minutes later … 😴

Thank you for a lovely lunch for my mum's birthday today

Very enjoyable meal, we took a chance on a table and they were happy to squeeze us in. Very pleasant atmosphere 👌 👏

Fabulous. Food is good, nice choice of drinks, need to open more windows in hot weather...

The wait staff were so friendly & helpful. The food & cider were superb! I would highly recommend. Make sure you book in advance because it gets very busy (understandable so).