Gylly Beach Cafe in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

This was a wonderful experience close to where we stayed. We visited every morning for coffee and cake and several other meals all of which were excellent as well as lovely helpful young staff and great chefs. We are back in May and can't wait to see you all. Thank you

We visited here early evening for dinner when it wasn't too busy for a birthday meal. From previous experience, when we had ordered the fish and chips...the portions were generous and well worth the cost...lovely, but a bit too much for me, so this time I ordered the kids portion. Oh dear ! I don't know what kid would eat so little...this was more a toddlers portion with half a small piece of well battered fish (basically all batter) and a few small chips. My husband had a full piece of fish but nowhere near as big as in the past when we have ordered this dish. The waitress came to ask the obligatory "is everything all right?" question but did not hang about to hear how we felt. To add insult to injury, after we had finished, a lady at the next table who had also ordered this dish, was presented with a plate where the fish was so big it was overhanging the plate and there appeared to be a lot more chips than on my husbands plate earlier. We said to a different waitress about this when we paid. She apologised and said she would pass it on. As we were about to leave , a young guy appeared (did not introduce himself or his position in the restaurant) saying the waitress had spoken to him. We explained that our portions had been very small especially as we had seen other plates with much bigger portions given to other diners. He explained that fish come in all different sizes (which we DID /DO know) and he was sorry and would tell the chef. I don't know if he had ever dealt with a customer problem before, but we were not reassured or made to feel valued. This is a nice location and a super busy venue but they must remember that they need the locals in the quieter seasons and so they should look after them. A complimentary coffee or dessert would have helped the situation as we felt that our evening was not as good as we had hoped. Such a shame.

We're locals and have used this cafe many times. Coffee and cakes still very tasty. The downside to us is that dog's are now allowed inside! Not everyone is a lover of dogs and to no longer have a dog free area looses it's appeal to us. Shame.

Excellent meal, food was amazing, Staff were really helpful especially our waitress Isla . We would definitely return

Disappointed. This used to be a great place, always buzzing. This time half the tables were empty with 'reserved' signs on them, and the staff were standing around with nothing to do.

I had a slice of their Guinness cake. OMG it was like eating a slice of heaven. Great combination of flavours, looked fantastic. I have found that ALL their cakes are fantastically made and very moresome. I gave a slice to my neighbours and they love them. Would highly recommend trying out their cake selection.

Under new owner the place is vibrant and busy. Went for Sunday roast and it was the best I have tasted for a long while.the staff are young and friendly and helpful

We are locals that used to love gylly but the spark has gone. Zero atmosphere and the food lacked in flavour. We had the fish cakes which were mainly mashed potatoes, couldn’t taste the fish. Menu is uninspiring- fine if you want just chips and a drink. They’ve packed in more tables and it makes it uncomfortable. Think we’ll avoid in future- particularly in summer if they can’t get it right now.

A great pit stop on a very wet dog walk. Dogs are allowed now in this great Cafe! To be fair cafe is an understatement it's more restaurant. We had hot drinks and breakfast baps, my sausage one was excellent although we felt deflated with the egg bap....one egg! Really couldn't you push the boat out to two eggs? £6.00 each the egg was tasty!

I am writing an updated review since I received a response to my previous one. As I said before I really like Gylly cafe, its a wonderful location, food is uusually good and service is generally if not always friendly and efficient. Prices are not low but the quality is good and one should not expect to pay peanuts especially as so many tourists come here. However my recent review highlighted that my breakfast was poor, burnt sausage, overcooked egg and undercooked bacon. I also said in my review that there was no flexibility over the way the eggs are cooked, only scrambled. The response was that there is, and one can ask for eggs to be cooked differently. This most certainly was not made possible when I visited and requested poached. I was very clearly told by the waitress that this was not possible. You need to look into this and if you are now saying it is you need to make this clear on your menu and to all your staff, and chefs! I also want to clarifythe situation re the machine asking for a tip before service st the point of paying in advance st the counter. You say that this had not altered since the new ownership and that you cannot overide it. My experience in the past was that it was overiden before the machine was handed over. I really do not appreciate your excuses about this nor your comments sbout helping your staff in the Winter and Summer months. Actually I think I am a genetous tipper but refuse to tip before receiving any service whether it is lunch, dinner or breakfast. And I do not like the way you talk about how your staff can be helped during the Winter and Summer months by this extra money (confused why you said Summer maybe you meant Autumn?) You are the employer and the responsibility lies with you to remunerate your staff, who I understand are on zero hours contracts. I suggest that the owners curtail their profits if they are concerned that their staff are not earning enough.

Friendly staff and good service throughout. However, food was cooked well but throughout, the sauces in every dish lack any flavour whatsoever. I think this could be a really lovely spot to eat with really good food of this is addressed.

Popped In after a walk for a coffee and some chips. The latte was in a cup the size you would expect to have a flat white in. coffee was OK. Deluxe hot chocolate wasn't great. It was very watery and very underwhelming for a deluxe drink. That's no personal opinion. I won't be rushing back but i wound stop if I was passing hence why I have given a 3 star review

Visited the Gylly again after enjoying the experience on two occasions a few weeks ago. Rees & the Gylly team worked wholeheartedly & enthusiastically to ensure that a very busy Sunday Lunchtime maintained the highest of standards. Well done to all & will see you again soon .

We’ve eaten here twice in two days, lovely staff and great food. Very attentive to our needs, Bonita (Tiny) is a great asset to your team, we were here for dinner tonight and she was very kind and remembered us from the previous lunch- very efficient and welcoming. The food was delicious and came in very good time, my mum grew up here and we have come to stay for the weekend and really enjoyed eating here. Thank you

After waiting 40 minutes for food I decided to go back to the bar to ask where it was!? Don’t know was the reply we can’t find your ticket !!!? Not even an apology but an offer of a refund so we left with a refund. We live locally and will never be going back there again. So poor!!!!!!

Absolutely amazing staff where really friendly and gave us a free Ice cream and a portion off chips and also played my mates favourite song absolutely amazing love them here Charlie and Jackie especially amazing

Just left a special steak night at gylly, it was nothing short of amazing! We both had sirloin, perfectly cooked, full of flavour, great sides. Couldn’t fault it. Service was warm and friendly - hoping they do more nights like these!

Well that was a shame, been coming here for years and came today (under I assume the new owners? And a new look menu) ordered breakfast for 3 and weirdly was asked to tip before I received the food 🤷‍♂️ but did it anyway based...

Stopped off for a drink after a walk. Got served by Lilly who was so friendly and polite. A real asset to the team. Thank yoi

Had an amazing meal with friends, Our server lily was just amazing. She was so friendly and positive her smile lit up the table. She is a credit to the company 😊 The food was amazing, too!! The chefs are very talented xxx

Had a very enjoyable Sunday lunch here, nice atmosphere despite being quite busy and the food was good! Staff were very helpful, we were served by Lily, she was friendly, professional and got everything sorted for us quickly. Would recommend!

Not quite sure what happened but this place has gone so much downhill compared to the gem it was ten years ago

Gylly Beach and, of course, its cafe are both near to where we are staying, so it seemed rude not to drop in and see what was being offered. The cafe has been taken over by new management fairly recently and once we'd found a table the first thing we noticed were there were menus on the table for both food and drinks, and the food particularly showed a return to a more traditional base far removed from the perhaps strange concoctions that the previous owners offered. Didn't eat there this time, but we will perhaps try, and on the face of it, it seems promising. Drinks wise, these were served quickly and without fuss or drama. Price does seem to be a tad high is the only negative I can think of, but it's in keeping with other similar places, so I think more relayed to the cost of tourism than anything else out of the ordinary. Looking for a negative, the immediate one that comes to mind is the lack of the heaters working on the outside seating area - Gylly management I'd urge you to get this looked at for the comfort of your customers, particularly in these colder months as we go through winter. The entire place could also use a fresh coat of paint, but here note it is on the beach by the sea, and open to the weather, so appreciably not as easy as it first sounds. If you are in the area, I'd say give Gylly Beach cafe a try and you won't be disappointed.

My friend and I called in for lunch after our spa weekend was finished across the road in the st Michael’s Resort. Very busy, being a Sunday, which is a very good sign of a good roast on my opinion ☺️ We only wanted a...

Excellent lunch destination - the mussels were fantastic and great coffee too The service was good & friendly - the view - best in Falmouth We would highly recommend a visit

Lovely spot right on the beach, couldn't be any better location wise. I'd recommend making sure you book 'outside' if you want to be on the terrace (which is fully covered.) Food is amazing, the service was good, though the staff were a little frazzled when we visited, however t was fully booked and super busy!

Had a great Sunday lunch with the family. Good fresh food and great service.

Right next to the beach and free parking wintertime. Really enjoyed the Sunday roast and dessert! Rather draughty (January), where we were sitting in the middle row next to the door that divides the two areas. We are going back and will be careful to reserve a table in another area.

Good food in a superior location. Ideal for day time snacks or evening meals. V friendly staff.

Full breakfast for £17 rather disappointed. Toast was solid and cold.beans only just warm.tiny thin slice of hogs pudding.two fork fulls of scrambled eggs.the sausages were nice and potatoe cake was ok.no bacon which I don't get.dont eat mushrooms so can't comment on them.overall it was not worth the £17 paid.

It’s a nice cafe on the beach, but it’s very over-priced when it comes to food. £18 for a fish and chips is ridiculous, considering the fact that the same thing costs ~£10 at harbour lights, which serves superior fish and chips. I would want to buy food here, as I used to weekly, but due to the increased prices since the takeover, i’ve ended up spending nothing.

Fantastic little find , food was fantastic, lots to choose from. Staff are fantastic and really helpful. Dog friendly and right on the beach at Falmouth.

Well done Team Gylly for all your sterling efforts to provide Sunday lunch for my wife & I (together with many others) on 7 January.. Having read some of the previous reviews, there can be the odd glitch when such a popular venue has to...

Very disappointing Waited 25 minutes without being served Chaotic new system not letting guests to external seating without going through the cafe. No signage… just a padlock which keeps being unlocked so some people can get through and others not Obviously unhappy team with one...

Very sad to see this place go downhill after the change in ownership. Definitely feels like a money squeeze since this happened, the quality of the food has taken a dive with several menu items that used to make the place being removed entirely and what's left being of a noticeably worse standard. Coffees takes ages to arrive now (sometimes arriving after food now) and little things such as the mini gingerbread biscuit that used go come with the coffee have been removed. Hoping these are just growing pains due to the transition, we used to love it here 😞

It was back in November I came here with my boyfriend. We were on a walk and it started absolutely chucking it down so we took shelter here. As the heavens open outside, we sipped on hot chocolates while people watching. Great little cafe by...

Under new management it was nice to have it open in January. Food was very good and slightly off the run of the mill like Korean sauce in squid and chicken. Definitely worth a visit.

Views of the beach and dogs welcome on the terrace.

Busy place as it has the best location on the beach but was busy. Good range of food and beers.

What a miserable experience yesterday!. We will not be returning to this once popular cafe. We ordered some hot chocolates and coffees,including one for a young child. The waitress brought the very hot drinks and put them down right next to the 2 year old...

Breakfast; great ambience, friendly staff; food low quality, poorly presented and overpriced.

What has happened to one of our favourite cafes? We ordered 5 hot chocolates and a couple of beers. The slightly warm chocolates were watery and returned. They were remade and we were told that the milk would be heated by hand, rather than by...

We live close by so we have had the full breakfast here several times since the new ownership and it has been good. However we had breakfast baps 2 days ago which were awful, dry stale tasting baps without butter and two small poor sausages...

A great experience from start to finish a warm welcome excellent service top class food wish we had this place on our door step wonderful. This was our second visit tonight was even better than last night, but what amazing quality and service, thank you....

Fabulous food, we had the Christmas 2 course set menu. It was delicious. The specials board was amazing and had loads of choices. Shout out to the staff, they were welcoming and helpful. We would definitely come back.

Had lovely Fish and Chip lunch, the whole meal was plentifull and deliscious, xx

Lovely romantic evening with a coffee and enjoy watching the sea on the beach. Will definitely be returning for Date night.

Fabulous location, dog friendly, good food and only 5 minutes from centre of Falmouth.

Stopped for a quick lunch. Seemed quite busy for a Monday in November. Service was quick and friendly. Weather was good enough to sit outside to eat with a view of the beach. Small portion of mussels with bread was plenty.

Nice food - but £50 for a fish and chip meal seemed a lot (shared a bottle of house red plus another glass of the same with my friend and a pudding (which was delicious).

Really great sea front bar and restaurant. A bit pricey, but well worth the visit. Decent service too. Has toilets and parking close by.

Cracking food. Not the cheapest but then its utter quality! Thoroughly enjoyed a full Cornish on a glorious October morning.

Good service from all the staff in what is a very busy and popular restaurant. Dogs allowed which was excellent for us. Food very good, I can recommend the fishcakes. Reasonable prices for these days. Great views out onto the beach so you can watch the surfers.

The Beach cafe serves up a limited fare,but the coffee ( cappuccino in.my case,) and Danish pastry are very good. Regrettably those of us with dogs are not allowed to sit at the cafe/beach tables during the tourist season as dogs are banned on the beach. But today,it was clear that there were dogs running on the beach ,dogs owned by people who admitted to being tourists. Poor show Cornwall Council.so we buy the coffees at the beach bar and drink them in the garden area next door.This is no disrespect to the staff at the cafe who are always friendly and accommodating

When it got took over things were looking great about time it was bought up to date and sensible opening hours after a visit the other day I was mortified by the terrible choice on the menu. Even the kids menu really spoilt it shame as we used it regular And we asked for outside heaters on and there all faulty and not looking to get them repaired

Beautiful place to escape the windy beach for a bite to eat and maybe even a cheeky Rattler!

Food a bit pricey, but to be fair the food here is very good. My wife had fish and chips and I had a burger, both were very tasty and hot.

Nice place in a good location, only stopped for a drink, but the food looked fantastic. Very much beachside so basic hard furnishings designed for families with little ones, making it raucous as nothing soaks up the hub bub. Looks upmarket from the outside but you have to order at the bar and wait for your food which is OK but not great. Upmarket prices though.

The three stars for service is not a reflection on the waiting staff. The new owners have changed the system and instead of ordering at the bar your order is taken at your seat. That might work in theory but there were only two staff taking orders for inside and outside, but several staff delivering the food, so we had to wait quite a while to have our order taken and to get the bill. The menu has also changed, and although the food is still very good, we missed the calamari and the chicken. The staff were all very friendly.

Chips on the picnic tables, watching the sea.... lovely.

Lovely bread. Gluten free options available. The veggie sandwich options could have been a bit more extensive. Great prawn sandwich. Good beach views. Clean toilets.

Das Ambiente nett direkt am Strand, auch sehr voll. Das Essen (Frühstück) war OK aber nicht super daher 3 Sterne. Der Service OK aber nicht super freundlich.

Gorgeous views of the beach. Friendly staff. Food was lovely but quite posh. Nice and clean.

Excellent food, fabulous service and brilliant choice of music which didn't drown out the conversation

Nice beach cafe with great views of the glynvase beach

We LOVE this spot! We've been here a lot over the years and since the recent takeover the pleasant-ness' of the staff has really improved, so many more smiles. Food is very nice and the location is wonderful... of course! ⛱️🌊☀️

Lovely just having a drink by the beach. Great music, lovely friendly staff

A favourite spot. Beer and food are excellent, especially the fish and the cakes. The bakery is a lovely addition! The staff are friendly, and the views can't be beaten. Lovely, relaxed place!

Only had drinks and cake, but good value amd choice

Really lovely food & staff very friendly. 😊

Had the scallops, Parmesan fries and sticky orange sponge… all absolutely delicious, reasonably priced and served with style in a fantastic setting …. Highly recommend

Stopped off at the ⛱️ beach bar to relax and enjoy some cool beers lovely spot great atmosphere staff was very helpful and friendly 😀 👍

Just an Idyllic evening and a great location

Great location, excellent food and service at really fair prices given the unmatched location on Gylly.

As a local I’m saddened to see since the new owners have taken over…. prices sky rocketing and more tables moving into spaces that local swimmers have been using for years! What a shame such a lovely space is being heavily gentrified!……

Excellent food, especially the tapas which had lots of choice and was very tasty. We ate inside but it was very busy outside until it rained.

Bangin cheesy chips! And when you ask for sauce you get a big pot which is good. Reasonably priced considering the location

Excellent service and nice food Reasonable prices.

Large beach café. Good food but I would like some lighter options.

Lack of comfortable seating outside! Predominately benches, can do better.

Gorgeous food, the largest muscles I have ever seen. Good portion size. Friendly and funny waitress. Great views of beach and sea. Heated outside dining in the evening

Had no food. Hope new owners maintain the standard and atmosphere.

Delicious food in a great location

Fantastic place, drinks great, service great. One of the staff gave us a lift back later on too in heavy rain as taxis were all up in Newquay for a festival. Will definitely be back next time in Cornwall

Found by accident on a cheap bus trip. But a great find. Stopped long enough for the most delicious open steak sandwich. Gorgeous beach too.

Great food , service and location.

We enjoyed our visits for breakfast & lunch. We were not there for the evenings when food is served. Lovely location, friendly staff.

Lovely cafe on the beach. Been many times always had a good meal. Friendly helpful staff. Another plus for us is the space as our two disabled family members find access easy.

Lovely beach nice weather picked a nice day not many this year.

Very fresh seafood served. Nice and clean, polite staff.

Fantastic breakfast. Quality ingredients. Impeccable service

Got to the cafe by 4.30 to find they'd stopped serving food Bar snacks only, very disappointing for a Tuesday afternoon The place seemed packed outside, and no seats were available. Everyone seemed to be just drinking Poor accessibility for a wheelchair as the only entrance has a table and chairs immediately in front as you try to manoeuvre in The notice said 'wait to be seated ' wd waited a long 5 minutes or so and gave up. Nobody staff in sight There were seats inside, but I can't comment on the food, atmosphere, or service, and none were available

A tad pricey but love coming here as a treat because the food is great

Good service and food. Interesting beer selection

Great place to watch the airshow really good food

Lovely views ,service was spot on Food was amazing

Food certainly improved since last visit last year and it was OK then

Das Essen war gut. Direkt am Strand sehr schön.

5 years on and the cafe is still a highlight of our visit to Falmouth Great view Fresh locally sourced food Lovely staff An unbeatable combination

Delicious food Good value Great views Great atmosphere Lovely place to eat Friendly and helpful staff