Dan Dan The Lobster Man in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

My husband has followed Dan Dan the Lobster Man on Facebook and we visited Porthleven purely to eat here. Sadly we were disappointed. The food was expensive and the crab sandwich was bland. We waited about 45 minutes for a bland crab sandwich and a pot of cockles. The cockles were tasty. Other people sitting near us had a sharing platter which looked good. Go and try it and make your own mind up.

I've been to Porthleven many times and passed here numerous times whilst thinking that looks good. Well, I finally stopped and can testify it's awesome! Clearly this is a seafood place and it's great to see the food being prepared right in front of you. This does mean it's not fast food but the wait was completely acceptable. I also had massive food envy when I saw the seafood platter, but at £85 it's beyond one person 🤣 I went for the three-tacho option which was spot-on and tasted fantastic. Even the side salad had clearly had passion to it rather than a damp lettuce leaf. I won't say it's cheap but quality food costs and so it does represent value for money...and if food tastes this good it's worth every penny. It's also fully licenced with a great selection of smaller brewery ciders and ales. The trio taster looked a good choice for a non-driver! Whilst there's plenty of seats and tables they are outside with no roof / cover so beware if the weather is a bit damp! I'm a regular in Porthleven and will definitely return...I strongly recommend you go visit too!

Had been looking forward to trying Dan Dan the lobster Man and came down today, was disappointed. Very expensive and didn’t get much.. we ordered 2 crab salads, seafood medley, a pint of Lemonade and a pint of cider- £48 . I was expecting an actual dressed crab like you see of the pictures on here but it was probably a few spoonfuls. The salad had 1.5 cherry toms, several slices of cucumber and a garden full of leaves. The seafood medley was small and for £6 it was not worth it, it came swimming in a pot of oil. It came with bread and butter which was ok but I did notice they were charging £2 per slice if you wanted extra. Ive had better crab salads.

Had been following Dan dan the lobster man on facebook for some time and made a special trip to go and eat there. Disappointing! Seafood was fresh but very expensive, had budgeted £75 for a seafood platter but when arrived it was £100. Wine is expensive by the glass and would not sell a bottle, so had to pay for a glass at a time. No real service although asked to add a tip on before we had even eaten. You have to collect your food and get hen dispose of it yourself for g everything up into different containers so as I said no real service! Food was nice but staff weren't friendly and I would not sadly rush back.

Excellent service, staff happy and friendly. Food is excellent with large portions very good value for money we had the lobster tacos and ordered one potion for both of us which was more than enough. The cider is very good, but they have a great selection of drinks and cocktails. It is a dog friendly place where the dogs get a treat.

Been here several times and I love it! The crab sandwiches are the very best! So fresh tasting. Always washed down with a glass of fizz! Fab :)

Had a couple of crab sandwiches takeout from here and they were lovely . Best in porthleven Also spent an afternoon here the day before we were leaving to go home , sitting in the sunshine , and having a few drinks , or as I said to the bar staff , just one more ! Which led to a few more. The manager and the two young servers were so friendly & nice , we will definitely be coming back again the next year .

Overpriced and just ok. We had a crab sandwich (pretty good but the bread was a bit thick), some cockles (so vinegary they were inedible) and lobster tail with garlic butter - the lobster was a bit tough for my liking but the garlic butter was delicious. Just so overpriced and not worth it - such a shame

The only place I've ever been that wanted to charge a service charge before the food had been served, and given the cost for a £85 platter, 3 halves of lemonade and a pint, I can only think the service charge was added. Fresh and well presented but it took over 45 minutes to arrive and many other customers were served before our party of 4. And we had to clear away our plates and waste. Not a problem normally but given the service charge?? Despite Dan reckoning the platter was for 2, it was adequate for 4. The muscles and what looked like whelks were far too 'vinegary'. Take care here

This is a perfect place to enjoy some fresh finest Cornish seafood. We had one of the lobster sandwich specials which was packed with lobster meat and in very tasty granary bread. We also had one of the prawn sandwiches which was perfect and so tasty. Good selection of drinks as well and a pleasant outside eating area. Thanks for a real treat.

My friends and I were really looking forward to eating at Dan's, having read the hype, we left our sunny coast walk early to eat here on the way home. Started ok, ordered our food and waited...and waited. Other people ordered after us and were served plates of food. Still we waited. Now mistakes happen but the benchmark of good hospitality is how they are dealt with. It appears our order was overlooked but when after 45 minutes we asked about progress of the order, we were told that yes it was on it's way, but still we waited. At this point we thought they would apologise and priotise our order. Others were served and still we waited. We had ordered a lobster platter and a ploughman's lunch, no cooking required. After an hour we became so frustrated that we decided the food wasn't worth waiting for and asked for a refund. Our concerns were met with poor excuses and no desire to see us leaving as satisfied customers. An apology and perhaps a free drink would have helped to put things right. Instead we left angry at the way we were treated and how we wasted over an hour of our precious time. You may wonder how Dan gets all good reviews on his website? We tried to follow up on our experience and give Dan a chance to make good. However his reaction was negative and he removed our review and blocked us! We live nearby and will not be returning.

Dan Dan could not careless man. I had followed social media posts and thought this eatery looked like a lively happy place to eat. It could not be further from the truth. Everything is happy and gay until there is a problem. We were met with aloof denials, petulance and bitterness. Food was ordered and did not arrive despite other customers ordering and receiving there food in the interim. After 45 minutes I politely asked how much longer and was greeted with 'we are only 2 staff and we are very busy." At 50 minutes a member of staff approached us to ask what we were waiting for. When the 60 minute marked passed I decided even if it did arrive I wouldn't enjoy it owing to the staff attitude. I asked for a refund and again was greeted with no customer care, huffing deep breaths and eye rolling. The 2 staff could not/did not know how to refund from a card machine. They paid me back in cash. When I got home I checked my bank statement and was short changed by £6. I emailed Dan Dan and asked if a person in charge could call me to go through the problems - I had no response. 10 days later I messaged on social media and had numerous messages from undisclosed people being curt and unhelpful. To the point I just don't want to deal with them. This is how they treat hardworking locals. I won't be going there and to all our friends and visitors I certainly will be warning them of our experience. When there is a problem they just do not want to know and will go out of there way to obnoxious. *It is worth noting an accompanying friend also reviewed this experience and she was then blocked from their social media.

Myself & 2 friends visited on the 6th of October. We ordered 1 x seafood platter and 1 x ploughman's. The cost of the platter rose from the advertised price of £75 to £90 as that corresponding size lobster was sold out. Why not just alter the chalk board menu? The advertised price should have been honoured. Tips are requested at the time of ordering, we thought this was quite bizarre so declined. We sat down with our drinks (mine was a plastic cup of ice with a dash of coke) and waited expectantly for our lunch. 45 minutes later there is no sign of our meals and to add insult to injury we could see several people who had ordered after us munching away on theirs. We inquired and were told "we are very busy and there's only 2 of us". My question as to why later orders had been fulfilled was ignored. 15 minutes later still nothing and the kitchen was closed for cleaning. It had now been an hour and we'd had enough so requested a refund. Refund was given minus the cost of the drinks (£6 odd). I thought this was unfair as we'd been a 'captive audience' for the last hour. The 2 staff were hostile, unhelpful and had no interest in trying to rectify the situation. They denied the order had been missed, but what other explanation could there be? We left very stressed and hungry. What a waste of a precious hour on a lovely hot day. Dan was emailed 12 days ago regarding this fiasco but chosen not to respond, hence the review.

Nice and busy location. When we visited, it was busy and not easy to get a table for a large family. Very difficult to find a parking spot. £75 for lobster plate is over-rated and not value for money

After reading some of the reviews I wholeheartedly disagree with any of the negative comments questioning value and price of Dan’s lobster. Lobster is expensive and you don’t get masses of meat, however worth every penny from the lobster shack. It is fresh and tasty served with soft multi seed bread, proper butter and a huge salad with fresh dressing. The staff are so friendly and handled the busy spell professionally and with a smile. Dan remembered us from a previous visit to Porthleven and he was just as happy and friendly as we’d remembered. We even got to meet his lovely old dog Suggs who was super sweet with our new 6 month old puppy, Roddy. Lovely sitting on the harbour in the sunshine. A top spot, a must visit for anyone who loves seafood and up for a laugh! Also LOVED that they serve wine in a plastic wine glass.

Great seafood shack on porthleven harbour thumbs up to the crab taco shells, lovely views fun staff and great tea too!

Perfect place for a spot of seafood and a cider! Good selection of sea food options - I had the crab salad and husband had the king prawns. Both beautifully fresh and tasty. The bread it was served with was some of the best I’ve tasted - wonderfully soft and fresh. The cider was delicious- slightly too similar to drinking apple juice so perhaps went down a little too easily 😂. Great service from Dan and the team, topped off with doggy biscuits for the pooch as we left!

Lobster sandwich absolutely amazing lobster fresh and taste was beyond amazing will definitely be back and a must little place to visit and eat from if you are passing

Another fantastic lunch at Dan’s place Porthleven great fresh seafood served with a cheerful and welcoming smile and washed down with a cold beer..a little bit of heaven many thanks

My wife and I had the Mini Meze. Phenomenal! Mussels and cockles to die for. Crab, shrimp and prawns... and the cider is to die for! Try the Storm Damage. It will not disappoint!

Porthleven's finest seafood business is open for business today! If you are in Cornwall and a lover of seafood, do yourself a favour and pay a visit to Dan's. My Seafood platter for 2 was £75 an absolute bargain these days and the last that I had took the wife and I two days to finish! While you wait for your order to be prepared enjoy with your favourite tipple or two. I've not found anywhere better for seafood in Cornwall. Bon appetit.

September 22 we stayed in beautiful Porthleven and on one of the days we decided to lunch at Dans and it was fantastic as usual as we have been here the previous year ..fabulous fresh crab sandwiches prawns lobster salad and bread all washed down with a pint from the ship inn..a great foody treat and very reasonably priced for the quality..we will return 👍

This place was recommended and we checked that open on Google. Travelled there but everything shut up for winter.

Back in Porthleven again and I felt the need for a traditional crab sandwich from Dan. Lovely fella, chatted about all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to get out fishing when tides allow, etc.. Back home, I opened my brown box to uncover a very tasty salad and two halves of crab sandwich accompanied by a small dish of seafood sauce. Whilst the sarny was quite full of crab meat filling, the lovely brown bread dominated the experience. I resorted to opening the sandwich to layer in some salad and sauce. A partial fix which left me sated, but was I happy paying £14.50 when the crab content, whilst delicious, wasn't the star....?

We made a point of visiting Dan Dan Lobster man on the 21st September for the day and we were not disappointed. Served by a lovely lady with plenty of help, smiles, knowledge to help create my perfect lunch of large lobster fresh, served with...

Great view, fantastic seafood & service was great! Would have preferred fresh cockles & mussels & not pickled in vinegar but that is a personal preference.

I was a little concerned before visiting having read the other reviews, however we could not fault it! We had a crab sandwich with a lovely dressed, fresh side salad - fully loaded with fresh crab and a similar price to everywhere else; and half...

We shared a crab sandwich for lunch. Lovely fresh crab with a side salad, lemon and dressing. Chunky malted bread, we took it back to our holiday let to eat.

As a local I have wanted to come here for so long, but it’s very expensive - which I don’t mind if I get good food. We had a friend visiting and it was our anniversary so we decided to treat ourselves. £35 for 2...

Excellent crab sandwich and salad - big enough for 2 to share with 6 fresh large prawns. Well worth stopping in for a bite .

Having heard wonderful things from friends and family I took some friends with our children. They were charming and allowed our babes to eat fish and chips whilst we ate from the menu. However hardly surprising when we spent circa £90 on four lobster tails....

Very disappointing lobster roll today with virtually no lobster meat for £17.50. Total rip off. We will support the Harbour Cafe in future which has always given great food and service at good prices. Dan’s shipping container business is charging top prices despite having much...

What an amazing place! Really innovative with the most delicious seafood ever. Had the best, most fresh, crab sandwich ever with a fresh, tasty salad and a glass of prosecco! What's not to like?! Friendly, helpful staff and a stunning location overlooking the harbour. Love...

Sunday lunch dan style,the wife and I absolutely loved this place,the food and setting are next level,seafood meze and lobster salad.now this our food,we know what we want,dan knocked us of our bench,top class fresh food,no complaints,if you love your shellfish come here,if your curious...

What can I say we were blown away by the mini Meze and lobster salad Absolutely delicious and what better location to sit and eat amazing seafood

We had the Jazzy Seafood platter. Absolutely delicious. Fresh shellfish, salad & anchovies! I love all shellfish so was excited to share this platter with the Mr. i have to admit… of everything on the platter my favourite item was the anchovies! A neighbouring table...

Dan serves a great variety of local fine seafood served simply. I have had crab sandwiches there before which have always been excellent with a very generous filling unlike some places. The seafood platters to share have always looked good and visiting today in a...

Several visits now, all of which have given great enjoyment. The freshest seafood it is possible to find, even here in Cornwall (and that is saying something). Served from a converted shipping container, just on the quayside in beautiful Porthleven Harbour, the range of seafood...