Porthminster Beach Cafe in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

Such a shame that this restaurant just isn’t as good as it used to be. The waitress was lovely, but the food was not up to scratch. One main arrived cold and another was inferior. It was a special occasion and we were left disappointed.

Looking forward to a beautiful evening . Always disappointing when the menu on line is not what is available . Then to be told that out of the 5 main courses only 4 were available, no meat dish available . I would point out that the restaurant wasn’t busy ! The starters were very nice , however the main was very average . Wouldn’t return , not value for money.

We called in for a drink, not food. Pleasant atmosphere. I loved my latte, which was really well made.

The bright October afternoon contributed to an enjoyable tea party. Sheltered from the breeze (importantly for the baby grand daughter) but with the beach antics visible through the large windows we tucked into our scones with cream and jam. The service was good, the teapot large and the tea hot. Lovely.

Didn't eat here, but food smells amazing.

Birthday meal here for 8+, staff were friendly, their customer service was excellent really made us feel special... Food was also excellent as was the atmosphere.... Glad we booked to eat here.... One of the highlights of our trip... Big Thank you to the staff who looked after us.... Brilliant.

Wow the best location right on Porthminster beach. Fabulous food , and service. Is in my list of favourite places to eat when I visit St Ives! Twice I have been here on my birthday and will be so happy to go there again when we visit again next year

Fab dining experience. Great food and service

Excellent lunch. Lovely view over the beach. Great service. £27 for two courses, £32 for three. Superb local Bacchus wine.

We came here for a Sunday Roast and it was delicious. Really generous portion size, lovely view and the service was quick and friendly. Will definitely go back.

We came to Porthminster Beach Cafe for a roast, it was delicious. Big portion sizes, the waitress was lovely and beautiful view onto the beach!

Truly the worst food i have ever had in Cornwall ! The baked salted celeriac was basically boiled in a pan of salt and slapped on a plate.. Nothing was done to it to make it nice in any way shape or form. The veggies were ok... but everything was drentched in salt and the gravy was no better. We were all so hungry we ate it because it was vegetables. You really need to have a nut roast or more variety for a Sunday lunch, and way way better quality.... because celeriac can be delicious . I dont like to say bad things about anywhere you have a great view and i have been before , but it was cold in the extension bit as well. Please remove this dish because its beyond dreadful and doing you no favours.

Well. This was a surprise. Out for a walk and tried this for lunch. Amazing. Son had the Onglet Steak, which he said was great. My hake with lobster bisque was also excellent. Go.

We've been to the PBC on and off for more than twenty years, from when it would close for the winter, from when Sir Terry Frost would stride in for Sunday lunch in his red beret, from when it used to have quirky children's buckets on the table for the cutlery, and most especially for the frequently changing and interesting menus. Sadly, nowadays the menu stays pretty the same and uninspired, the portions scant while all the flair has seeped away, not that this is unique in Cornwall restaurants. But add to this the odd set menu that boasts mains at £20 but if you think of opting for fish curry there a supplement of £15! Fish curry for £35! Fish Curry has been on the PBG menu for years...is it still in development? We'll leave it be for a few years, see if the restaurant rediscovers some of the elan and distinctive charm that it has so obviously lost.

I’m very late writing this review. We were here visiting family and made a last minute booking on the day of my Birthday. The location is on the beach, with fantastic views. Everything was incredible. The food, drinks, ambiance and service were amazing. A big thank you to whole dinner team, especially Jaz. Highly recommend.

Have visited here several times over the years. The setting is as good as it gets, with beautiful views across the bay. Service has always been on point and the food has never disappointed. It’s a bit pricey compared to other places in town, although St Ives has seen most places increase their prices over the last few years. If you’re looking for a reliable spot for a good lunch/dinner in a beautiful setting you can’t go to wrong with here. Recommended.

Absolutely can’t fault anything, staff, service and food were outstanding. Dog friendly which is what we also needed …. In summer this place will be packed and for a quiet Autumn lunch this was perfect, staff were so friendly and with a view to die for, what more could you want? P.S the Cornish white wine was amazing 😍

It's a lovely place with excellent food and perfect staff. Thank you for every time we came to St Ives

Fantastic location. The food here is absolutely sublime. Every course was utterly brilliant. A big shout out to Jagoda, she was so pleasant and professional and we asked a number of questions about the food which she answered very accurately! We will be back. We visited 11 restaurants this week and this restaurant won our award of joint first! Fabulous

We had such a great dinner! There was quite a big group of us and the service and food were both perfect all night. Such a beautiful restaurant

Another Cornish beach with a great cafe on it Only bacon sandwich and coffees but was just what we needed. Greatviews as always

Visiting this restaurant was a beautiful end of our vacation in Cornwall. Everybody was very friendly and we enjoyed the food.

Amazing food , great service, and a fabulous location

We went here in July for dinner as it had been recommended. It turned out to be our favourite meal in Cornwall throughout our week holiday, a wonderful place! We struggled at first for parking, however the most convenient place to park is the St Ives Station Car Park nearby. The restaurant itself is very relaxed, with beautiful views of the beach at dusk through the large windows throughout. We ordered the starters of trout pastrami, fish pate, and steak, and mains of lobster tagliatelle and the fish and chips. It was all so delicious, accompanied by fantastic service from our very attentive waitress. You also get a postcard to post to a friend during the meal which was a lovely touch! All in - an amazing experience at a reasonable price. Definitely somewhere we will be recommending to all our friends who visit St Ives.

Many of the dishes are good, but not outstanding. Some are not very good at all: venison is a little tough, and comes with very little, chocolate cake just a chocolate paste: heavy. Still mineral water at 3.95 is in fact tap water passed through a filter on site. Service is pleasant but slow. They do not ask how your food was at the end for a reason.

Thursdsy 19th Sept 2024. Lunchtime fish and chips were awful. No chips - fries for goodness sake. I wanted f & chips not f & fries! Fish looked promising but batter and fish fell apart leaving de-constructed mess in tray. Clearly overcooked. Mint does not belong anywhere near mushy peas with fish & chips. Tasteless tartare sauce. Only upside was location.

We ate dinner at the restaurant last week. Mediocre food for a very high price. Service was absent most of the evening, chatting to some random aquintances. Food was late and cold. There are so many better places to eat in St. Ives, skip this one.

This is a beautiful place in a fantastic location. We went for drinks as we were wanting to find somewhere gorgeous for my husband’s birthday meal later that week. Despite the fact that the restaurant was nearly empty for the whole of the time we were there we had to sit outside in the cold. We asked for an outside heater which helped but we still felt unwelcome and not looked after. Completely bonkers and a waste of an opportunity for new customers.

Lunch today was all round excellent, including freshly caught tuna perfectly cooked. Not cheap but worth it for the combination of excellent cooking, good menu choices, good service and amazing location. Will definitely return.

Great location. Good, drink and deck chair hire. Perfect.

Yes it is a little pricey but if you want excellent seafood with a beautiful view this is the place. Stunning location, wonderful food & good staff

(Probably) the only place, along the coast, that's suitable for a halal diet. Though we didn't eat, I thought it's still worthy to leave a positive. We started at the harbour, and asked countless eateries if they cook the fish and chips in the same oil as their meat products / use beer batter. They were the only place that would accommodate us by cooking in a separate oil, using different ingredients for preparation. Only reason we didn't go was because we were conscious of time (travelling back to Birmingham on a Sunday before the school hols ended) and we didn't want to get stuck in traffic. Food looked superb (when glancing around inside), and will defo come back here to try. Staff were really kind too!

Went with our dogs for dinner after a recommendation to us. Sadly, this was let down by one waitress to us. We decided after numerous occasions that we weren't to pay the optional service charge (the other waiters were great what we can see on other tables), which the waitress questioned why!? We started to share the occasions where we felt she had lacked, and she got defensive/passed blame on others/didn't want to listen and talked over us. A very dangerous behaviour for a waitress to a business in this sector, surprised when she said she was the manager and/or been a manager for years! (Doubt, this was true). Toatlly spoiled our food and experience, so we can't give a higher scoring review due to this experience. Front of house is just as important as the food.

Great location on the beach away from the crowds of the town centre.

Having been to the restaurant twice before I thought it would be nice to have my 65th birthday here. Well what a mistake that was. My girlfriend took time to visit on 2 occasions to make sure I had a lovely time. Simply asking for a desert to be decorated with happy birthday and a candle. This request was typed into the special requirements on the restaurants iPad. Furthermore just to remind the waiter on arrival my girlfriend requested please can you make sure you have noted special requests to decorate desert plate as would be fun and nice thing to do. Anyway nothing happened when desert was served. So my girlfriend politely asked why didn't this happen. To be told they don't read the notes. Didn't even ask if we had any food allergies either. So we asked to speak with a manager to be told sorry such a small thing ruined your day. This naturally upset us and totally spoilt the occasion. At no point were we offered any form of goodwill gesture but under the circumstances thought we would ask. This turned into an embarrassing situation. This isn't about money it's about basic professionalism/customer service and the staff on duty this evening couldn't care less if we were upset on not. Absolutely shocking and disappointing.

So happy to have found this place on short notice on a UK bank holiday. Very friendly service, fantastic food. Location directly by the beach with a view on the sea cannot be beaten. Next time we are in Cornwall we’ll be back. Top recommendation is the Trout Pastrami with Horseradish.

Vastly overpriced. Linguine was an oil slick. Hake bland. Was better a few years back but won't go again now.

All three courses were amazing. The butterfly sardine special for my starter was beautiful - simple looking but with the olive and fennel underneath it was so tasty. Hake was the fish of the day and a very generous portion with sumptuous olive mash. Desert was gorgeous - pavlova. I wish we'd been before. We'll definitely book again.

Stunning location, excellent selection of food and drinks, and lovely seating area.

Magic position, staff attentive and helpful. Menu choices great.A very special place

Had a fabulous meal. Only spent as much as we did thanks to a lovely couple of wines and a dessert wine pairing. Everything was great. The only reason that the atmosphere wasn't 5 star was the general volume but it is a busy place so not much to be done about that.

Quality take away, well priced (at least for a Londoner!). Salt and pepper squid and burgers on the money. Oysters too. Salads below par. Great seating to soak in the sun.

Loved it! Seafood was incredible. First time having skatewing.....omg!!. My kids loved it too ❤️ highly recommend.

A wonderful setting to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Loved everything about this place. The service is lovely. They are so attentive. You can see they take pride in working there. They know the food is excellent. I've eaten in many places but never had scallops cooked so well...like butter. The chorizo and celeriac were perfect balance and did not overshadow the scallops. I then had the curry. The young waitress recommended it and said it had never come off the menu since day 1. Exquisite. Just a straw for the sauce would suffice.!!! Very Thai like. What a sensation of flavours, each one delicate and pairing so well with one another. My friend had the catch of the day, Hake. Beautifully cooked and garnished. She then preceeded to have 2 pavlovas!!!! BEST FOOD BY FAR THIS TRIP..THIS YEAR!

Excellent quality, fair prices, friendly staff.

My partner Hannah and I, had two amazing meals the weekend 16aug24 - 18aug24. The food, the service and the price are all great and reasonable. We were fortunate enough that a fresh local tuna was landed, it was unreal. We would like to give an extra special shout out to Guy, who was front of house at lunch time today (18th aug 24) .. we enjoyed our lunch and needed to make our way back to our Airbnb, the walk back is 40 minutes all up hill.. my partner is heavily pregnant and we had no phone signal, so he happily called a taxi for us. After making numerous calls to many taxis, understanding it's not possible for hannah to walk back, and having the fastest taxi state 45mins, guy took it upon himself to offer a lift, in his own car. A testiment to this restaurant, the food, and service. We look forward to returning with our bigger family! The numerous staff were all amazing, friendly, and couldnt do enough. This is a top restaurant! If you visit St Ives, for sure, this is your number one place. Thank you for everything. Dan & Han

Great location, beautiful beach/sea views, friendly & helpful staff and delicious food & drink. Booked in advance and got a lovely table with the requested highchair.

We stumbled upon this restaurant on our way to the beach on our first ever visit to St Ives. The restaurant was clean, beautifully decorated and the views were amazing. We had a very early lunch sitting so the restaurant wasn’t busy when we were there. Food was delicious, service really good, we would definitely return. The meal was expensive but for the food, service and location we wouldn’t have expected any cheaper to be honest!

The dish of the day (turbot) was poor. Little meat attached to the bone. Luckily they replaced it with cod but it's obviously another fish different from what I wanted. They didn't charge for the turbot

The setting is magnificent, a bright and airy restaurant on the beach with the views from all windows stealing the show. We both opted for the catch of the day, hake, served with mash and salsa verde. It melted in the mouth! The accompanying glass of "Porthminster" South African Sauvignon Blanc was perfect, and from a vineyard we've recently visited. Dessert was a work of art (check out the walls, lots of local art too!), white chocolate and passionfruit cheesecake. We've been coming to Porthminster Cafe since it first opened and will be returning!

Great food and service! Fish and chips and the lobster were outstanding!

Fantastic venue. Have visited here a few times and the quality of food coupled with fantastic location is very hard to beat. Must visit. We enjoyed the specials for the day which was a half lobster with chips and a lovely fish which was cooked to perfection.

Absolutely stunning! We were in love with the views, this was our first time in St Ives and we will definitely be back here. The food was lovely, quite pricey but still delicious and perfectly complimented the atmosphere. We thought we would struggle a little finding something for my partner to eat as he has allergies, but it was so easy and delicious. I didn't catch the staff member's name who served us, but he was lovely and so polite. We will definitely return when we are back in Cornwall.

An overall very good experience with only a few minor flaws. We booked early as we had been informed about the popularity of this restaurant. However, the only available seating was 17.30. At arrival, we were informed that the tables were not yet ready and we were asked to enjoy a drink outside while waiting. However, noone came to take our drinks order… Despite being among the first that arrived, we noticed that people arriving later would be seated before us, so I went up to the staff to ensure that we got the table with a view they had promised us as first-comers. Almost too late as we were assigned a less attractive table which I disputed. Luckily a more experienced waiter intervened and we ended up getting a very nice table. The rest of the visit was only positive: Amazing food, good wine and, yes, a good view to the beach. All in all to be recommended.

Amazing food, we make a point to visit every time we come to St Ives, best restaurant by far

Great cocktails here on a sunny late afternoon. Excellent! Two for £15. Great location right on the beach.

The most amazing salted and pepper squid in England. I came back for their fried food.

Amazing service, food and ambience. Can easily rival some of the finest London restaurants. Truly one of the best of the many restaurants I’ve dined at around the world. A laid back beachside vibe but with superb front of house staff, chef and kitchen staff. Seafood is excellent as are the cocktails abd wine list. Truly amazing value for the quality.

And a beautiful place I will go again

Excellent restaurant with great views of the bay and beach at St Ives

Great food, especially the fish curry. Great location. We have been here many times over 20 years and it's always been the best restaurant in St Ives...

Lovely place to relax or body board

Crowded environment, in my opinion there are too many tables. The waitress had to shout to be heard. The service was efficient but not particularly friendly. The dishes are well presented, there is a good choice but they are not impeccable. In my vegetables I found pieces that were too large and hard. The curry was not very digestible. Others who dined with me were happier.

Wonderful food with a lovely view. So much on the menu to choose from. I had lobster tagliatelle and it was delicious.

Very disappointing as this restaurant was really hyped as being excellent and a must do. Food was very underwhelming and poorly prepared. The most disappointing point was the rude service. Would not recommend this to other travellers.

Best scallops ever quick and professional service

Had an amazing breakfast, and fantastic sea view

£3.50 for a tiny cup of fries is daylight robbery.......

Absolutely lovely restaurant and fantastic view. Most impressed by the service, made my wife and two young children feel very welcome (all 6/7 members of staff!). Definitely recommend the wagyu starter. Not cheap, but had a great experience.

Had an amazing breakfast here, incredibly attentive and friendly staff, spectacular views and even better food; immediately booked an evening meal which we were unfortunately had to cancel due to a change in travel plans. Can't wait to return.

Great food but it is very expensive for what you get and portions aren’t that big, but great, stunning views and it’s right on the beach.

Excellent food, we all enjoyed every dish. Definitely recommend the Burrata and the Squid for starters, then we enjoyed the pan-fried Skate and Duck for main. Very friendly staff, but hasn’t quite fine-tuned the service - we ordered Champagne and was left to top-up our own glasses, which isn’t typical etiquette (but this is a picky minor detail).

Great views and the food was good, quite expensive but it's a great spot for a restaurant. Service felt slow once it got busier, would recommend

Stopped in initially for just a drink but had a few nibbles while we were there, the salted crust bread and the honey olives are to die for!!! What really stood out here were the staff, so friendly, helpful, polite and attentive. Even got a bowl and some water for our thirsty dog. If you're ever in St Ives, do yourself a favour and visit. It has beautiful views over the beach and a stones throw from the station, away from the busy town.

We ate outdoors, from the shops (not in the restaurant). Good food, great service, fantastic outside casual atmosphere.

The food is on the expensive side, and there is very little seafood in the seafood noodles. The fish and chips are delicious.

Limited menu, but very nice. The view is lovely

Thoroughly pretentious and discourteous staff. Upstairs at least. Been to many more 'modest' restaurants and had superior experiences. This place must rely on its location and view for a reputation as I found myself poking around in the skate stew for something edible. Very poor value and their muttered curses weren't appreciated

Fabulous food and if the weather is good you can sit outside on the terrace to eat. A great menu with an Asian twist and very friendly staff. Couldn't recommend it more. The trout terrain is fabulous. Spoilt for choice on mains but went with the fish curry. Back on Friday for the next installment.

Excellent place for delicious food and fantastic views of the ocean. We came here for a birthday and the staff were lovely and made sure our birthday celebrations were extra special! Highly recommend this place if you are in St Ives!

Lovely meal, we had an amazing plant based starter and main, no vegan dessert option but the chef made something for us which was appreciated Staff perfect Food perfect 👌

can confidently say the staff are extremely kind and professional. Made all the better by great food and beautiful views

Great food and service, amazing views, can’t beat it

This is one of the best beaches in the UK If you have never been here a visit is a must And if the sun is shining you won't believe you're in the UK

This is the best beach in St Ives in my opinion. Beach cafe was good, lovely pizzas and plenty of drink choices.

Patronising service. Overpriced food, but the service was the tip of awful experience for this visit. There are many better restaurants in St Ives, Portmeor Beach Cafe, Ugly Butterfly, Silco & West. They are much more appreciative of your visit.

Superb food, nice food, a relaxing atmosphere with a great view onto the sea and Porthminster beach. All the dishes we (a party of three) ordered were fantastic including the desert to particularly note the lobster, asparagus, and the Pavlova

Nice place for a romantic dinner. Great view on the beach.

Amazing food, staff all very friendly, but service wasn't great considering the price! No baby change facilities.

The chips were decent however I ordered a luxury hot chocolate and the girl making it kept saying out loud “I don’t even care how it looks they can have that I can’t be bothered doing this” well she clearly didn’t care how it looked as the drink was really disappointing. She was very rude and when she handed it over she said “here” in an unfriendly way.

Delicious food, smaller portions but very well presented.

We did not eat but got some cocktails from there out side bar, £15 for 2. Plenty of choice plus beer on tap easy walk onto the beach.

Really lovely food. Amazing view and very attentive service. If it's in your budget I would definitely recommend a visit

Excellent all round. The flavours were exceptional and the service from Jasmine attentive and helpful. Might be a bit pricey but it is worth it and the view is a bonus.

Lovely staff here and great hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows!

Delicious food, excellent service, high standard restaurant!

This restaurant offers exceptional food and boasts a stunning view. While the prices may be on the higher side, the quality matches the cost. The staff is exceptionally friendly and accommodating. I will certainly return for another memorable experience.

The dish looks delicious, but the price is too expensive.

Outstanding food (had the steak and the seafood linguine), efficient and friendly service and great space. Dog friendly to add to it