Fern Pit Cafe & Ferry in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

Our coffee's didn't come so we went and chased them up and they eventually came out. The food was nice. The menu is a bit on the pricier side but the view is lovely.

Cracking views, very friendly service, very tasty cakes. Photo taken from the cafe garden and also from the Gannel estuary below.

Glorious location. Great music. Lousy coffee. Will return but will have tea and cake not coffee

Lovely little unpretentious cafe, bit expensive but great views over Crantock. Best millionaire shortbread I've had in years and good coffee too. Staff were friendly. Would go back.

nice little cafe overlooking crantock beach, beautiful views! We ordered a cream tea, it was delicious but slightly on the pricier side alongside most of the menu. The staff weren’t very welcoming, forgot some of our food and also didn’t have something which we were only told about after we paid, easy mistake but refund takes a couple of days. Overall a nice little place though.

Excellent range of sea food great views

Updated as visited again for coffee, cake and a nice view and the view didn't disappoint. Coffee took 25min and the cake was the dryest I've ever put in my mouth quite disgusting which I told the waiter and he took my cake never to return, no replacement, no refund. Apparently this is new owners and looking at my last review carrying on the same trend of selling way below par tucker at extended time-frames with inflated prices. I possibly didn't have the full fern pitt cafe experience as we didn't venture down the steps. Only stopping for 2xCrab sandwiches and a drink I was relieved of £25 expecting good things. The wait was long as expected on a nice warm day but the rain did come so we wanted to ask to make ours takeaway the only entrance we could find to ask we were shouted at to get out repeatedly by the staff we didn't enter anywhere we popped our head round the door. We did get a takeaway and the little lady that served us was very polite. The sandwiches were on plain brown bread and some crab inside.

We crossed over the river and walked up to this delightful cafe lookout. Four of us had lunch with amazing views. It wasn't very busy so finding a table was easy but it still took a little while to queue and order our food but it was worth the wait.

The view is absolutely beautiful and the cafe is perfectly situated. However I felt disappointed after my experience. The girls serving me at the till was lovely and very helpful, and also I believe the general manager who was lovely - as I hadn’t been here before. But I’m sorry to give this feedback but the attitude of the lad with dark hair and glasses, who also brought my breakfast out to me was disgusting, to who also made it extremely obvious that he doesn’t do customer service, to which I happened to walk in on him saying this out aloud as I came to collect my cutlery. The attitude was not something you want to hear when you’re a new customer. If you don’t do customer service, don’t do the job. That’s down to you not the customers fault. Also I’m sorry to say but the breakfast wasn’t exactly worth the price you were asking I had about 5 small mushrooms, a tiny pot of beans, small piece of bacon, sausage and a tiny hash brown with 2 tiny eggs for £13. I appreciate things are expensive nowadays as I’m a country person myself but I’ve seen more worth. Sorry to give the feedback but you have a lovely place, view is amazing. But the attitude felt especially from that lad did not make you feel welcome but more a nuisance.

Amazing views, rare to find something like this. Gluten free and lactose free deliciously products available. My favourite cafe ever.

Great views, friendly service. Breakfast clean and well cooked - just needs more beans.

Amazing view and food, we sat here for over 3 hours

Oh what has happened to our lovely basic local cafe😥. The place has gone upmarket, problem is crab salad has less crab, the salad is final sliced veg in heavily flavoured dressing. The dressing completely takes away the light delicious taste of the crab. Cost was £18. It was a lovely quiet place where the views and peaceful environment were a pleasure. Now music is played.... I just hope it attracts people to keep it going, but after many many years of supporting this local cafe, we are doing goodbye. Thank you for all your past service.

Super nice location with a great view. The prices are okay and the scones were delicious!

Been here at the end of our yearly family holiday for a couple years now and it's always fantastic. They know how to crisp their bacon, and the staff are always lovely. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating with a great view of the beach.

Food to suit your budget, the Crab sandwiches are amazing, great location, friendly and efficient staff and service, expect to obviously wait if busy, but it's worth it...... A real hidden gem.....

Upon taking my family and friends on a little get away. We visited fern cafe daily the food and the service was great. We then realised they had a shop down the path where boards and canoes we available to rent. As a group we decided to go again the next day and have some fun. We visited the cafe again and had some food and adventure down the stairs to the hire shop. Inside we were greater by a gentleman who rented us 2 boat for the day £60 each we also bought not hired wet suits towels we spent a few hundred pound. The day was great. But the guy on the boat was shouting insults all day. Call me a doughnut and an idiot when asked him a question. I am not a guy to be insulted expecially on 2 different actions. I had to hold my tongue as my group was too big and would have created a problem for him and me. This man is an a shame on the business and needs to procent himself better being being around people and children knowing he is one the faces of the business. And for this he has taken away what would have been a great review.

Amazing fish and chips - forget Rick Steins and come here. Fabulous views too. Three visits and just as good each time.

We have had lunch here twice now and both times it’s been lovely food and good service. Will definitely be returning.

Such a lovely cafe, and great location looking over the estuary!

Delicious coffee and cakes. Friendly service.

We have lived in Cornwall for over 20 years & love the Fern Pit cafe. We were heartbroken when we thought we were going to lose it but thankfully it was saved. We had lunch yesterday & for the first time ever we were disappointed. We had fish & chips for which I was expecting a wow…a very small piece of fish which was all batter & very little fish, the chips were just run of the mill, & a teaspoon full of peas, nothing like the description on the menu. The tartare sauce was good. Sorry guys….just had to mention it. We will be back.

Lovely cafe with great views over The Gannel from some of its outside tables. Good food served quickly, there can be a bit of a delay as you queue to order at busy times.

The food is excellent, a bit more than your usual cafe, but it's definitely worth it! I'd recommend the crab, fish, or the oysters, all of which were sourced locally. I wish I had room for dessert! Excellent views, can't wait to go back!

Lovely little gem of a cafe, hidden away with stunning views! Had a lovely relaxed lunch and friendly staff

Absolutely terrible customer service. Will not visit again.

So pleased to the Fern Pit still open for business. We were back for our annual Crab Sandwiches and Creamed Tea. Dog friendly, fantastic venue and views.

Hello I can give some constructive feedback following the lobster night last night .. service was far too slow !!! Being sat for over an hour before any food arrived from the kitchen for anyone was not acceptable . Also please ensure if you serve expensive champagne that it is chilled ! You are an experienced business with other restaurants and need to improve to make me want to visit the Fern Pit again for what was an expensive but disappointing experience.

Last two times we have been here the food was disappointing. At the end of May this year I had the lobster at £30 and there was hardly any lobster and with it being extremely busy put it down to being that’s why the portion was small. Gave it another try today and got a cream tea for £8.50 and the scone was solid and dry like it was yesterday’s stock. I am then informed theatre new owners have taken over and hence why firstly the prices have increased dramatically on everything and the quality and portion sizes have gone downhill. Been going here for over 20years and now it’s rubbish!

Had been looking forward to our visit as heard so much about it and we are usually down in the off season when it’s closed. The views are spectacular and the tables are scattered around in lovely peaceful areas - we were won over, until we got our breakfasts. Truly one of the most disappointing meals we’ve had in a very long time. I’m sorry to say we won’t be back it was really underwhelming and not quite sure how they can get away with it especially at £28 for 2 breakfasts and teas.

At Fern Pit, the views are grand, Where sea and sky blend with the land. A place where beauty meets the eye, But, oh, the prices run quite high. The cliffs and waves, a stunning scene, With nature's art in shades of green. Yet, for a taste of humble fare, A hefty sum awaits you there. Chips for six pounds, golden fried, With each bite, a taste of pride. A seaside treat, though pricey still, Reflecting views that truly thrill. So come to Fern Pit, feast your sight, Though your wallet might take flight. For beauty here, you pay the fee, In this coastal harmony.

Great little cafe, amazing views, great food and drink, good service. Nice place to stop for a rest

Amazing views but unfortunately the cafe staff are unorganised with really poor customer service skills. They also seem to not want the hassle of catering to dietary requirements and do not give them the consideration and concern they need. I would recommend going elsewhere if you have a serious dietary requirement like an allergy.

Didn't eat there but the food looked good and the views were amazing. But the ferry man and his dog get 6 stars from us!

Lovely place to eat and great views. Great breakfasts.

Oh dear, this "hidden gem" is no longer hidden nor a gem. We visited for lunch on a sunny afternoon. It's the first time we've ever had to wait for a table to become available. The place was packed. We eventually found a table and joined a long queue to place our order. Ordered Crab Sandwich, Prawn Sandwich, a side of Chips and some coffees. We waited 20 minutes for our coffee - eventually going up to the counter to collect our warm coffees which had been waiting to be served. The food came shortly afterwards. We had to ask the waiter to remove the previous customers' dirty dishes from our table. Every table had dirty dishes on. There were only 2 people waiting on the tables. Not enough to serve the number of people. We paid over £50 for lunch. The food was great; the service was not. And it felt overly expensive for what we had. There definitely needs to be some improvement before we consider returning. The views remain unprecedented but the new management have some issues to resolve.

The best restaurant we have eaten in, in Cornwall this visit. We had squid then lobster and fish taco's all washed down with a bottle of Picpoul De Pinet. It was all superb!

I had an outstanding crab sandwich, along with a side of chips. Staff lovely, service great and wow, what a view up the Gannel and along Crantock beach. Best. Lunch. Ever.

I’d go here again: the food was well presented and generally tasty but the bread was slightly stale and the price wasn’t low. Wonderful views albeit the hedges blocked a lot of it, so had to stand and reach high for this photo.

3.75£ for push button coffee is bit steep

A truly stunning location, with tables inside and outside along the patio. But it's the tables tucked away into private corners of the garden overlooking the estuary that make it so special. The menu is higher end for a mid-range restaurant (catch of the day with samphire, lobster etc) with prices to match. The food was delicious. We felt that the prices were a fair reflection of the quality of the food and the memorable experience. We struggled to leave! Free parking onsite, but limited to approx 12-15 cars and you can walk down to the beach from the garden.

Nice coffee and cakes here plus lovely views

I had the crab sandwich wife had flatbread with extra meats, really enjoyed it, swerved the the coffee tho.

Wonderful setting but the food and service are terrible. The food prices are of Mayfair fine dining but the food is not as good as some of the local chip shops. The service is atrocious, no one knows what’s going on, and when you do eventually get your food it’s of a terrible standard, it’s like a drunk uni student has attempted a jamie Oliver you tube video. Only good thing I can say about is the fish is fresh. I ordered a double espresso and got the biggest creamiest milkshake I’ve ever seen. I was told this is their espressos! Partner was pregnant, we asked for fish tacos, there was crab in it!! Which your not mean to give pregnant women! When we complained they said they were busy and cross contamination can happen. They really didn’t care just easier to give a refund and get rid of us. Ignore all the high ratings. I think people are too taken in by the view to realise this place needs to change hands. It used to be a lot better!

This lovely cafe, with a steep garden with lots of magical seats and tables, cascading down the side of the valley towards the river Gannel (and the ferry across it), is well worth a visit. On the cool side of Fistral, in an unlikely setting. Serving simple food done well, and served by well trained, young, happy, helpful staff. The garden is beautiful, and the views very special.

Live locally wanted to have a cream tea knew that it had been taken over.it was awful.£8.50 for 1stale scone tiny jam in a jar and tiny tub of cream.took scone back and said sorry but this is stale no apology was forth coming got me another scone(well 2 my husband had the same So£17 )they were exactly the same .my husband took them back no apology again but offered to get fresh ones.my husband said that would have been nice first or second time but no thanks il have a refund …..they didn’t care.sick of poor service .to go out and spend £17 on 2scones etc is a treat nowadays.certainly won’t be going back as lovely as the position and view is.

I haven't eaten here for many years and it was spectacular. Awesome views, chilled atmosphere, and very tasty food. I'm not a big seafood fan, so not a massive choice, but I had the flatbread salad with continental meats. Very high quality. Well recommended.

I love this cafe. I come every time I'm in Cornwall and always have the crab sandwich. It's fresh. Phenomenal.

Do not go here . Poor running of cafe, extremely rude staff and limited menu. Used to be lovey but new management have absolutely no idea

Beware the high rating includes the old management from previous years. My advice...Don’t go here for coffee. Have a look at the video of my “flat white”. I was so disappointed as expected better coffee not worse W the new makeover. Also electronic till wasn’t working, so there was a queue of people even though not very busy for a Sunday morning. There seemed to be no strategy in place to cope W this scenario. Come on guys what’s wrong with pen, paper and calculator? I generally never complain but when the coffees were delivered to my table, ....I took them back, joined the “till still malfunctioning queue” to complain. At this point I realised they just had a very small push button coffee machine. Very inadequate for the, new makeover, market they are aiming for. I was told that my coffee would get sorted and asked to sit down. More than 3/4 later, I was still waiting for replacements to my returned coffees. At no point did anyone come to our table to apologise, ask if we would like cold drinks or tea:((( we had now run out of coffee time as needed to get home to get changed as going out for lunch. So I joined the “till still malfunctioning queue” for a THIRD time to ask for a refund!! Rant over. I need my morning coffee, so I was more than annoyed to leave with no coffee drunk. I was planning to go for lunch today but begrudge giving this place any support after such diabolical coffee and lack of service. The inside makeover and menu looks lovely, to be fair. But my experience was the classic poor customer service scenario: over promising (which heightened my expectations) and then underperforming,...which makes it all the more galling, when it turns out to be rubbish. Hopefully these are just teething troubles and not incompetence.

The young waitress called Hermionie who was so kind and attentive made our breakfast so enjoyable! Huge asset to this place 👍🏽 Go for the crab Benedict 🙌🏻

We had lunch at Fern Pit cafe today. The restaurant reopened yesterday. The food was amazing, the staff very friendly, the atmosphere and the service are great and the view is absolutely stunning! We will definitely come back 👍

Great crab sandwiches, lovely views over Crantock beach.

Great place overlooking the river estuary and the sea.

Brilliant views from the many different outside tables. Tasty bacon/sausage baps etc. Worth the climb up from the Gannel. UPDATE sept23, popped in again, several times, while down on our hols . Still v good, recommend the full breakfast and also the fish finger sandwich, can't wait for next year 👍

The food is very overpriced for what you get. I had the crab sandwich which was very average,my wife had the half lobster salad, never had such a small one,hardly any meat in the body, and the price>>> £45 never again, absolutely ripped off!!!

Great views. Parking. Lovely food. Friendly helpful staff.

You couldn't ask for a better view of the river! Great food and good service too :)

This is a must place to visit for fantastic photo's of the river and beach. Also the food and drink is good

Superb place and amazing food if you’re in Newquay this is a must visit, staff are fabulous, service is quick and where better to enjoy a crab sandwich than over looking the gannel

Perfect location for breakfast.

I visit this café periodically. This is a great café bar with lovely fresh food. Seating inside & out. As photos show. Fablas views of Crantock Bay & River Gannel Estuary. Worth a visit up from the beach via crossing the little bridge or if tide is in , the little ferry.

Beautiful spot with lovely views and a great cup of coffee but the breakfasts are very bland with no flavour. Over ripe avocado mashed onto cheap, thin sliced, white bread with no seasoning or extras, you'd do better eating before you go. Highly recommend for a walk and coffee stop though.

First time hear , very good no problems

Amazing views, great food, bit pricey but worth it

Probably the best cafe and views and breakfast in the world 🌎

We visited mid-July, sunny afternoon after a walk. Couldn’t wish for a nicer spot for sandwiches, drinks, ice creams outside with great views.

Sehr gut gegessen, bodenständiges Ambiente und herzliche Gastgeber

Fantastic views and location, but they basically just have sandwiches to eat (no toasties either, and don't even try to ask for a slice of tomato with the cheese sandwich 😅) Chips were good.

The views are stunning which is what draws people in, but the prices seem to have far outpassed the quality of the food. £15 for a crab sandwich served with half a packet of crisps and £29 for a half a small lobster and underwhelming chips. We spent nearly £65 for two of us, as had a drink and cake for dessert but left still feeling a bit hungry, and very hard done by for the money we spent. I'm sure when I went a year or so ago the prices weren't anywhere near as much as they are now. Sure everything has gone up but fifteen pounds for one crab sandwich feels greedy. Definitely worth going for a drink and to take in the view and although the food tasted good the prices just left a bit of a bitter taste for what you actually got in the next end. Would come back, but not to eat again.

I have been visiting this cafe for many years, yesterday will be my last visit. Told they "had no scrambled eggs" but they had fried eggs... figure that one out. Avo on toast was horrible, more like packet guacamole spread on toast, and my bacon bap... surely nobody can mess that up.. was a slightly stale bap the size of a plate, dripping with butter and two tiny rashers of bacon. The boatman breakfast was ok. Used to be my favourite place, shame.

There's nothing special about the food but nothing at all bad about it. The location and views are impressive. A great cafe for dog owners.

Really lovely Cafe, Beautiful Views, Food 10/10, Service was Excellent 👏

The best thing about this cafe is the location. And the coffee ain't too bad either. But the food definitely didn't do it for me...... I had a vegetarian sausage sandwich, which was £5.50. The bread they used was the cheapest, soggyest white bread, limp and tasteless. And the vegetarian sausages were those god awful ones consisting of frozen mushed up peas and potato in breadcrumbs. Guys, haven't you heard of Richmond vegan sausages? Meatless cuisine has moved on. Having looked at the menu, I noticed that it was £9 for a cheese sandwich. I mean, I know the price of literally everything has gone up, but £9 for a cheese sandwich using the cheapest bread possible? For that price you'd expect the most pretentious sourdough in existence, baked in a monastery by monks who sing happy songs to the yeast as it ferments and cheese from cows who have names like 'Daisy' and 'Petal' and who have their own bedrooms in the farmhouse.

Been visiting The Fern Pit for many years but sadly this time will be the last. Prices have risen out of all proportion, £31 for two crab sandwiches !!!

They charged me 95p extra to have an Earl Grey tea with my "two cream teas", I don't know how that is justified... The food was very good and the view is terrific.

Traumhaft schön gelegen mit toller Außenterrasse, tropisch anmutender Garten mit toller Aussicht. Gutes Preis-Leistungsverhältnis, Selbstbedienung.

Fab place to eat and drink with a wonderful view.

Lovely food and fantastic views over Crantock. A pot of tea is only £2 and really nice. You can pre- order food and the lobster and crab needs to be, they sell out really quickly.

I DID’NT HAVE ANYTHING TO EAT I WAS JUST PASSING THROUGH TO CATCH A LITTLE BOAT WHICH WAS WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF THESE STEEPED STEPS, I WOULD’VE LOVED HAD A MEAL BUT I WILL DEFINITELY POP DOWN TO THIS LOVELY WHICH IS LOCATED AONB IN THE GANNEL ESTUARY FAR SIDE OF NEWQUAY CORNWALL NOT ABLE TO PUT MANY STARS BUT FOR LOCATION OUTSTANDING VIEWS!!

The best ever crab sandwiches. Served with a smile and a fantastic view of the beach. The stuff that dreams are made of!

What a gem, tucked away overlooking Crantock beach at Pentire. Great breakfast with a view. Highly recommend.

Perfect fresh food. View is stunning.

Rubbish. Stale bread, poor service. Not interested in people with allergies. Joke of a place.

Amazing spot for this lovely cafe, views of the gannel estuary Newquay

A superb little cafe with great views of the Gannel Estuary. Will be back.

We were only picking up Lobsters not dinning there. The Lobsters were amazing.

Always great food, good service. Been coming for years. Crab sandwiches are 1st class.

Super food and stunning views! 😃

A fantastic place for food or drinks with the most amazing views

Very fresh crab salads, great sandwiches and ice-creams with a great view.

Absolutely stunning views from a fantastic café. Highly recommend.

I came here for the first time today and can't wait to come back! My crab sandwich was delicious as was the carrot cake! The service was very friendly and efficient, outdoor seating was so relaxing I could have stayed all day. I highly recommend Fern Pit Café. Toilets are also on site, as is a small car park.

Lovely spot overlooking the Gannel, nice food friendly staff. Just Lovely

Another wonderful crab sandwich with beautiful views of Crantock Beach. Off my

Recommended to visit the cafe and we weren’t disappointed. The views from the outside terrace are stunning. The food was lovely, we had the tuna mayo and chicken & bacon sandwiches with side salad and crisps. Very tasty. We will definitely be back.

Service, the blonde with glasses is probably there as a punishment ... terribly slow ... she does not care about guests waiting for service

Excellence sandwiches, drinks, and views. The have gluten free bread for GF sandwiches!

Views are great and the coffee was ok. Unfortunately the cooked breakfast was poor quality: sausage and bacon looked and tasted cheap, scrambled eggs were very overcooked. Disappointed after seeing good reviews.

Stumbled across this cafe during last week, because the one were headed to was closed. From the front outside it does not look very inviting, but once round the back they have some lovely outside seating areas, where the views are stunning and the weather was nice enough for us to sit outside. The sandwiches and drinks we had were really fresh and tasty and the staff very pleasant. Unfortunately we were only in the area for a short stay so were unable to return but would thoroughly recommend a visit here.