Porthminster Beach Cafe in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

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

Fish and chips were amazing. Best I’ve ever had. Service team was kind and helpful.

Seriously overpriced. £30 for fancy but average fish and chips and a cup of coffee! You are paying for the lovely view.

Very nice view , very nice restaurant and service. A bit disappointed by the food. We took the linguini seafood and it was ok, but looking at the price, we were something good, it was just okish.

The pasta could have been cooked better.

Located in St Ives, Cornwall, this Fish and Chips spot is a seaside gem. Their sustainably sourced fish, wrapped in a crisp homemade batter, is exceptional. With golden-brown, hand-cut chips, every bite is a delight. Their dedication to quality and sustainability makes it a must-visit for seafood lovers!

This is a famous place in St. Ives with a good view. Sea food was quite good. They serve alcohol as well, though options are few. The price is on the higher side. Table reservations are suggested since they get pretty full during the tourist season. If weather permits, there is outdoor seating available.

Really really good the best lemon soup I’ve ever had :) The staff were all brilliant truly understanding what hospitality is all about. Fish curry to die for love the sticky rice. Actually enjoyed paying the bill. Not cheap but we didn’t expect it to be.

The food was scrumptious. The place was very posh and 5star like. not to mention beachfront. The view was amazing. I got to add this to my review ---> Imagine travelling 6 hours to get to Cornwall, and we were so excited to dine here. Sad to say we were not allowed in a few minutes early :( We understand that the restaurant opens at 530pm. However, it was freezing outside, and there were also old people waiting. The staff had a meeting, but they could have at least let us in and sit while waiting for someone who can take our order at 530. The lady who took our order was so nice and friendly, (that's why I still gave 5 for the service). Thank you. Forgot your name.

Arrived without a booking on Good Friday, found us a table, we both had the fish and chips which was seriously good! Staff were fantastic.

Really enjoyed our lunch here! Both the fish&chips and the fish curry we had were excellent. Also ordered the smashed potatoes as a side which was a good call.

Absolutely amazing food and service. Thank you

Location, environment, food, service... all are in place.

What a fantastic place. Impeccable service and the food was amazing. We had the pork belly and mussels to start and dover sole and sirloin for mains. The mussels were very well cooked and melted in the mouth with the rosemary based sauce hitting all the right notes. Remember to order a side of bread as this doesn’t come with any. The pork belly was spot on with awesome flavours. Dover sole was cooked to perfection with the smashed roast potatoes being the perfect accompaniment. The sirloin was good but for the price, a fillet steak would have been better. We know it’s not as flavoursome but the sauce would have gone so well with a decent fillet. Dessert was mini crème brûlées with frangipani and blood orange sorbet. Wow! So good and easily shareable. It wasn’t an inexpensive meal £165 with 2 kir royales, 2 beers, sparkling water and an Irish coffee to finish but, would definitely go back again. Only recommendations we have are the steak as above, some decent napkins and if you’re going to ask us if we are celebrating something and we say, “yes”, maybe follow that up with something, even if it’s a ‘happy birthday’ in chocolate sauce on a plate! Would definitely recommend this place though. Would cone back when it’s lighter of an evening to be able to appreciate the view

Fabulous location at anytime of the year. Very good attentive staff, food good too for the price.

Always a fabulous experience…the roast beef was out of this world.Jagoda was super efficient & friendly as our waitress, really lovely. As always we can’t wait to come back.

A fantastic meal all round. Great atmosphere, service and in a Beautiful setting. We had a meal two days after the relaunch of the restaurant. Our starters of squid and sea bass were wonderful. Mains of linguini and the famous fish curry were fantastic but it was the mango pudding with Thai curry sorbet that stole the show. It sounds a crazy combination but was fantastic.

We had a lovely lunch here on a slightly wet and windy day at the beginning of 2024. The service was great and the food excellent. It was busy but nothing was too much trouble. Thank you

I'm only six months late in writing this... My Mum and I enjoyed a drink in here and then began to head up the very steep hill, when Elle kindly offered us a lift. Elle hadn't actually served us but just noticed my elderly Mum struggling. She was so lovely and chatty and deserves a mention even if it is a tad late.xx

We have used this restaurant over many years and always enjoyed the experience, however we went there today ( 3rd Jan 24) and although the food and waiter service was good the whole experience was ruined by your lack of control of dog policy. I am a dog owner / lover but choose not to take our dogs in respect of other diners. However we were surround by two separate tables who had dogs out of control. One tables had a dog that continually barked that it's owners did nothing to stop it. Another table had two dogs lifted up to table level ( so not on the floor) that I had to watch eat food from the table and continually lick its private parts - was disgusting and your staff seemed powerless to correct this unacceptable behaviour. I repeat - I am a dog liver, but you need to put a stop to how these type of people who can't control their dogs, are ruining an otherwise expensive enjoyable dining experience

Delicious food, Amazing staff! Very good at accommodating vegans and vegetarians. What not to love? Incredible views and beautiful beach! Would 100% recommend! 😃 😊

We stopped by the beach cafe (the one by the kayak and bodyboard rental) to get some drinks and a burger. Ordered the cheese burger which are all cooked to order. The cheeseburger cost £6.95, but i have to say, it was a really good cheeseburger. Cooked, fresh, burger was large, ad i tasted great.

We had a truly excellent lunch here with our young children. Service was calm, relaxed and attentive, (and the kids were spoilt for attention!) The food was unfussy but brilliantly executed. And the location - wow! On the quieter side of St Ives, looking out over golden sands & turquoise sea! Simply stunning.

Had another highly enjoyable evening. Great food, great service (Molly was exceptional, with going just for her service!) Will definitely go again.

We ate from the bbq area. You order at the counter and you are given a buzzer which sounds when yours is ready. There is a lovely open air seating area. It was really sunny the day we visited so we could have done with a bit of shade, perhaps more umberellas for the tables. The food was ok but we thought it was quite expensive. I had a mocktail which didn't have much flavour.

Good food and lovely service but neither the food nor the decor or atmosphere justify the very high price target

Good food and atmosphere for an evening meal. Enjoyable experience. Good value.

This was a birthday surprise meal for my husband. On arrival we were given a curt greeting by saying we were late. We pointed out it was their mistake and they had the wrong people with the same surname. We sat at the table with a nice view of the beach. The waitress came over and wished my husband a Happy Birthday. We have no complaint about the food or the service. The venison was cooked to perfection. This is another restaurant where you have to pay extra for vegetables etc. On conclusion of the meal and paying the service charge that we were aware of, I mentioned to the waitress that not much of an effort was made for my husband's birthday.Other restaurants like to make their guests special by at least piping some chocolate on the dessert with a greeting. Sadly this restaurant does not feel the need to make their guests appreciated. This was mentioned to the waitress and she said the Manager would contact me. To date no phone call has been received despite another call to the restaurant.All in all this is an overpriced restaurant!!

We visited here today for Sunday lunch. For two relatively ordinary & not that hot chicken roasts followed by the tiniest desserts I have ever seen ( £11.00 each)!! The total bill with one soft drink was £84.00. One waitress, although polite addressed me as madam ( passive aggression) . The music was dross & too loud. Our experience was underwhelming & I don’t think we will be returning. Good luck to them though.

I would definitely have given 5 stars for this beautiful place to eat but I was still hungry when I had eaten. Saying that the small portion was cooked beautiful.

Amazing meal here. Wonderful location right on the beach. Service was spot on with great recommendations for food (including our painful dietary requirements!) and wine. The meal was fantastic - in particular Malaysian Fish Curry which was to die for. Really made for a great evening all round. Thank you to all concerned

Porthminster… Let’s not mince words… 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely brilliant 👏 would definitely go back and recommend 👍

Had a great dining experience here. The view from the terrace is splendid, food is on top notch complement with exceptional services from the staffs.

Went to the Gin bar and cafe on my bike ride politely asked for a bacon roll and a tea without giving it a second thought I then asked if the tea could be served at the same time as the bacon roll so it was still warm as you do….couldn’t be done,not possible the only way around the ‘problem’ was to return and by my tea when my roll arrived..naturally I thought it was a wind up..was a quiet morning the staff were outside chatting not many people around..I told them what they could do with their £7.50 bacon roll🤬

We arrived slightly early for our reservation but we were accommodated with a nice table in the dog friendly section. Staff were very friendly and service was excellent. We had a selection of tapas dishes and each were simply delicious. My partner was also pleasantly surprised with a glass of Prosecco on the house for his birthday celebration. We will definitely return here when we visit St Ives again.

Porthminster is a lovely beach and to be able to sit and drink coffee overlooking the sands is a joy. The best tables are in the sun as it can be draughty. Coffee was decent and we ate flapjack and chunky toast with marmalade. The pay and display car park is just 100 yards away. Lovely beach to spend the day.

Restaurant served undercooked lobster and when notified of this, their initial reply was the chef likes to cook his seafood less than most places. The waiter was great but the management handled it poorly. They even said the chef said it was not Cooke enough. It came back the same.

The takeaway was incredible, incredibly slow service incredibly small cups incredibly expensive but the beach at porthgwidden is incredible

We wanted to go somewhere special to celebrate our daughter's 18th birthday. Porthminster Beach Cafe made it memorable for us. The location is stunning, as was the food. What made it even better was the staff. It is so difficult to pick out any of them as they were all so lovely, but we were served by Jasmine. All the staff had time to talk to us and nothing was too much trouble. When our daughters dessert came out with a candle on 2 of the team sang Happy Birthday. There was also a birthday card for her. Little things but it made such a difference. Absolutely recommend Porthminster Beach Cafe for any occasion, but you would need to book ahead. Thank you to the whole team for making it so special for us. We will be back.

Very disappointed with the customer service. We booked in advance via their online booking system, we had our booking confirmed via open table and we were looking forward to our evening out and all dressed up for our very special occasion. With very short notice (an hour before) we received an email cancelling our booking by the restaurant with no reason at all which gave us very little time to find a booking at such short notice. Fortunately we found a table at Cintra Seafood bar and had an amazing meal overlooking the harbour.

We’ve visited here on a number of occasions and always had a good experience. This time we were joined by extended family members, and there was a collective intake of breath when we saw the prices of the food. Yes we know the prices have risen along with inflation etc, but there are other restaurants in town offering similar fare for a much more reasonable price. Granted the Porthminster Cafe is in a prime seafront location, and the other restaurants may not be, but it’s getting to a point where this is outweighed by the cost to eat there. The food and service are not in question, and were of the usual high standard. We just left feeling slightly ripped off, suppose we should have checked out the prices in advance.

The first thing to say is the setting is excellent right on the beach. Parking is a challenge but nothing can be done about it. The service was very good and friendly and the food excellent. Worth a visit

Poor setup, dirty plastic tables and chairs.. Host looked like just came out of bed and needed a hair wash. Overpriced food medium quality.. best restaurant options in town, don’t waist your time and money

Lovely meal in beautiful location. Delicious food and wine, staff were excellent!

We have been several times; the food is always excellent, and the views are striking over the stunning Porthminster Beach. Prices seem to have gone up (a lot), especially the wine, so be prepared for a hefty bill.

Having had a very good lunch the previous day we decided to return for Breakfast the following morning . Scrambled egg was excellent but the bacon, and in the bacon butte , was a real let down having been grilled on a plate, therefore burnt , over salty and of poor quality . The bun was also burnt on the top. Not good enough . There was little interest from the waitress on paying the bill and certainly no compensation .

Lovely situated cafe and nice coffee. Unfortunately the miserable service is too unfriendly and lowers the experience. As a local I would like to think service staff would make more of an effort for visitors and locals so to ensure they have a lovely experience.

Very disappointed, over priced, slow service & meal wasn’t good. Both starter & the main meal which was the most expensive dish not very nice

Gorgeous! The food was amazing the service impeccable. I can't fault anything. Just one watch-out, there are dogs everywhere in St Ives (which we loved, though we had left our own at home). This includes in this restaurant, though they were all well-behaved, if you don't like dogs, this is probably not for you!

Went with my wife this evening. Prices on high side tbh but she’s worth it! My salt cod was delicious but quite small for the price. My wife’s fish curry was ladened with salt. She persevered not to course a fuss and left half of the food. When our plates were collected we told the waiter about the salt content and asked for the chef to test it. They came back and said it was normal. It wasn’t for sure. They provided a free coffee for the inconvenience. A neighbourly table returned their steak which was cold. They heated it up, returned it and it was very dry apparently and was edible so they got a full refund. Make of it as you will. This may of been a one off bad time to go but for over £120 for 2 with only one alcoholic drink, a shared starter and shared desert it ought to be spot on every time in my book. Doubt we’ll be going back. As a property owner in Carbis Bay this could have become a more frequent place to go.

Friday evening visit to the Porthminster and sitting on the balcony outside on one of the hottest days, taking time to enjoy the views across the beach as the light changed, the sun began to set and we felt blessed to be in this part...

Quite simply the best fish and chips I’ve ever had! Thick, perfectly cooked chips, light and crispy batter and tasty fish, plus great service and one of the best views you could find anywhere. A perfect lunch to end our stay in St Ives.

We headed to Porthminster on a wonderfully hot (30c) Wednesday afternoon Kudos to the chef, wonderful flavours and good value for money, even with quite ‘toppy’ prices per dish (£25-35) Catch of the day was sensational (pic included) - definitely recommended. Vegetarian curry was brilliant,...

Had a fabulous lunch at this beautiful restaurant. Glorious sunny day and delicious food. The fish curry was superb and the mushroom pasta was utterly delicious. Staff were lovely, making the ambiance very special yet also relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable.

The quality of the food was very, very good. The starters and desserts were exceptional. The only small niggle with my fish curry was that the sauce was a bit hot for my taste. It would be great if there was a mild/ medium /...

Unwelcoming upon arrival. Pretentious staff. When asked to use the loos we were directed to the public toilets after spending money on overly priced drinks. After we found out there were toilets at the restaurant in full worming order. Would not recommend.

One of the best fish restaurants around

The Porthminster Beach Cafe is a must-visit spot in St Ives, offering breathtaking views of Porthminster beach that set the perfect stage for an enticing dining experience. However, the allure fades as you delve into the culinary offerings. Although the food is generally pleasing to the palate, it fails to justify its hefty price tag, which rivals that of Michelin-starred establishments. Our choice of fish and chips left much to be desired. The battered fish was disappointingly greasy and lacked the expected burst of flavor. The fish curry, while brimming with taste, left us wanting for a more generous serving of fish, especially given its premium price. When measured against an unmentioned rival restaurant in St Ives, Porthminster Beach Cafe falls short. In conclusion, while I can't wholeheartedly endorse this establishment, I can appreciate the privilege of savoring its stunning views.

A tad disappointing, limited menu and did not provide the right utensils for eating lobster. The seating was uncomfortable and they allowed a big dog in. What we ate was nice and service at times was great. It was not the dining experience we were...

Amazing- great service, clean, top quality food and drink. Booked for our return 2024. See you August 2nd. Xx

Whe the sun shines nice place to sit and have a pint or cocktail haven't eaten here always smells good

Ellie at Porthminster Beach Cafe in St Ives made our experience dining there an absolute pleasure! She was so polite, friendly, chatty and provided her recommendations confidentially and efficiently. Phenomenal customer service from Ellie - thank you so so much! Fantastic food and location, highly...

Beautiful place. Ideally located, superb staff and amazing food. Tough to get a reservation as so popular so book in advance!

Fantastic service, polite staff and superb location. See you August 2024

Rather expensive and not too friendly.

The restaurant has a very airy and breezy vibe to it with outstanding panoramic views over the beach and sea. We were warmly greeted by the host and found the service to be friendly and attentive. The starters were exceptionally good. We had the bread,...

The best veggie burger I have ever had!

Pour les prix pratiqués, la nourriture est vraiment moyenne. L’endroit est sympa cependant et le service correcte.

Staff was very friendly, and we had a brilliant view onto the beach from the terrace. Earlier bookings get good seating options so would advise booking a table for 12-12:30. Food was tasty and portions felt generous.

First time visiting after walking past for the past 20+years of visiting, I had the seafood curry, £34 pound, I thought it was average and without taking the p*ss or being disrespectful, I've had a takeaway curry in Birmingham for less than half the price that tasted better, my wife had catch of the day ( cod) presented nicely but the cost and a hand dived scallop at £12.95 for one 😱was excessive, the place for me seems a bit pretentious and I won't be going again, seriously I prefer The Beach restaurant, food as good and service and not pretentious.

Beautiful food but very overpriced for what it was. Service was ok. Facilities left a lot to be desired and need improvement. ie hand dryer above the basin, so you wash your hands and the dryer comes on and splashes over all the place and people, the loo floor was wet because of this. Husband got his trousers soaked by another customer. Charge top price we expect the best!!

Great food, not just your average sarnies and pasties they have lovely fresh food as well and reasonably priced, cocktails and beer were very good too

Lovely setting, although the weather wasn’t good when we were there, but the view, food and service were excellent. We just had main courses. I recommend the Classic Porthminster Fish Curry which was excellent

Nice restaurant, great food, friendly staff.

Great place to chill out with the family with a few drinks and good food

Food and service in line with the cost. If you are going to charge £35 for Dover sole and chips it needs to be good. It was. Perfectly cooked fish, tasty crunchy chips. Friendly service with a smile. Attentive when required. Very much helped by...

Great food, fantastic service and what a location right on the beach. Had a long lazy lunch overlooking the beach and was amazing food and service.

Very reasonably priced food, and the food was delicious, set us up for the day 🙂Great service and friendly staff, right on the beach front, it's just perfic, couldn't ask for better 👌

Très beau cadre, service correct. Par contre les prix sont excessifs pour la qualité des plats (fish and chips a 22£, je m’attendais au moins à des frites maison. On paie clairement le cadre.

Every now and then I come back here hoping to find the restaurant I once loved, sadly it’s long gone. Tonight I ate the Taste of the Sea starter - mackerel pate, crab and scallop crudo. The mackerel and crab were lovely but thickly sliced...

Expensive but you get what you pay for - faultless service, excellent food, beautiful views. Would highly recommend.

We booked a table at Porthminster Beach Cafe a few weeks before our trip to St Ives, as it came so highly recommended and we did not want to miss out. We requested an outdoor or window table with a view when making the booking....

Absolute amazing food, and the staff and service was the best I've ever experienced

Really fantastic food. The hake was magnificent.

Porthminster Beach cafe never fails to deliver. From the moment I booked they kept in touch & updated me on my preferences for seating etc. We were allocated my favourite table by the window - it has the most delightful view. The staff, as always,...

Unfortunately I had to cancel the booking due to severe rain and my son being poorly. We made one of the gentlemen who work at the restaurant aware a few days before our booking - we were reassured that we won’t be charged. Still got charged for the booking !

This place is great, really enjoyed the cream teas on a fresh summer morning

WE WERE THE CATCH OF THE DAY. Me and my fiance were very excited for our 8.30pm dinner at the cafe. We had read good things and the pictures of the food and the view looked impressive to say the least. We were seated nicely by a window and our drinks came. We ordered our food after much consideration. The prices were high but we knew we were expecting a high standard of quality. Unfortunately, the food was just... fine and completely lacked excitement/seasoning. Some flavours just didn't work and needed a strong punchy addition. (But too much orange flavour) Our waitress forgot our drinks with our main course and was very apologetic, however once we finished our meal it took around 15 minutes to get somebody's attention for the bill. Each of the 4 members of staff were fully focused on clearing and tidying away, and we were totally forgotten about. I had to get up and go and ask to have the bill and when the lady came over she said "i cant do that sum in my head, can you do it on your phone?" Which was a bit off, we thought. For what we were paying for; the service didn't reflect such a ridiculously expensive bill. Ontop of that there was an added £16 service charge. We left feeling totally disappointed and agreed we will never be going there again. The first and last time we'll be caught out by the Porthminster Beach Cafe.

As soon as we walked in, the staff were exceptionally friendly and put us on a great table at the top of the restaurant. Our starters of crab linguine and scallops were excellent as was one of the mains which was the fish and chips....

Dined here last week in a large family group to celebrate a Birthday The Cote de Boeuf was a shared dish priced at £120 which is a hefty price tag so we were expecting something pretty special. Unfortunately it arrived lukewarm, overcooked, chewy, fatty and...

I paid £178.00 for a meal here with my wife and although she was unaffected (I suspect cause she had a vegetarian dish). I had fillet steak which I requested be well done and was unfortunately violently sick. Asides from some toast earlier this was...

The meal was average (not bad enough to complain about whilst there), but on reflection afterwards we felt the prices really did not match the offer. The Monkfish Curry was ok; Crab Pasta had very little crab in it; the Duck Dish had three small pieces of duck and two tiny carrots (37.00 so had to have sides at an extra 10.00, so 47.00). Two adults and a child 190.00. We just had mains, a few sides, a few drinks, bread and olives, didn’t have starters or desserts! We had expected much better tasting food given the place had great reviews when we booked early this year. I see now there’s quite a few low scoring reviews and we are joining those. Would not recommend or return based on tonight’s visit.

The meal was average (not bad enough to complain about whilst there), but on reflection afterwards we felt the prices really did not match the offer. The Monkfish Curry was ok; Crab Pasta had very little crab in it; the Duck Dish had three small...

Been every year for 9 years, now just too expensive for most. All mains £25-40 and starters £12-25. £300 plus for a family of 4 for 2 drinks and 2 courses each.

We enjoyed an outstanding meal overlooking pretty Porthminster Beach with our two young children. The service was brilliant with a superbly friendly but knowledgeable and efficient team. The perfectly chilled wine and lobster was spot on. We all really enjoyed our meals and it’s truly...

Service was friendly and good, atmosphere is beautiful and good BUT the food is terribly overpriced for what you get. The fish-curry was utterly disappointing (wet & mushy rice, tasteless sea-food). At the end the waiter offered to take the curry from the bill, but I refused, as I ate it. In hindsight I should have not paid and not be bothered by it. Anyway, go there for a cocktail and snacks, skip the expensive dinner!

Well worth booking for this wonderful, relaxed gastronmic experience. Wonderful food, wine, service and atmosphere. Couldn't fault the seafood and fish, just excellent. We visited at the beginning of July and loved, thank you.

You almost have to search for it; but it is worth to 😊 Our colleagues have already been here for several times. If you like seafood, you are at the right place; and it was delicious! Whether you like a good classic Fish and Chips or you like special starters or main dishes.