Rick Stein's Cafe in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

After watching Rick Stein's TV show many years ago, and getting his book as a gift, I was very keen to visit one of his places. We have lived overseas since then - so it became kind of a bucket list item. Anway, back in the UK for a Cornish vacation with the family, we headed there one evening. It did not disappoint - I had the scallops, olives and grilled sardines. Others enjoyed the crab linguine, and we had a couple of main dishes from the specials board - Seabass and/or Hake. Overall, a lovely visit; quaint, cosy, and well-appointed inside - our server was great and made us feel very welcome.

Fish finger sandwich meagre for £12 and with unexpected tomato ketchup adding nothing. Steak sandwich also poor quality for the price and chewy. Bread on both was advertised as fresh bloomer but was toasted and average quality. Having said this, service was pleasant.

This is primarily a seafood restaurant with an Asian twist. There are different fish in different Asian sauces. I started with the salt and pepper prawns which were top notch. I then had the sea bass in a hot and sour sauce with rice which was delicious. Dessert can only be one thing for me with 3 scoops of ice cream/ sorbets in different flavours -👍 A brilliant evening with good company, great food and lovely wine- perfect.

2nd visit to Rick Steins cafe which I found to be disappointingly average, we sat in small courtyard and had to endure noise of the kitchen fan , the food was not to the standard I would have expected, I had a steak sandwich which was just steak in two pieces of toasted supermarket style white bread , not a lot of thought went into that . My children’s food was acceptable but again woefully average ,would have to strongly agree that they are much better places to eat in Cornwall , just because it’s Ricks Steins , does not ensure you will have a good meal .

While treating my three grandchildren to dinner in Rick Stein’s Cafe during a short break in Padstow, my five year old grandson accidentally knocked my full glass of wine over the table. Shock horror from me of course, but the staff dealt with the mess with smiles and plenty of napkins! However I was astonished that I wasn’t offered a replacement considering how little that would have cost the restaurant (it is definitely not the cheap option it is billed.) When I raised this on paying the bill I was told if it had been their fault they would have replaced it but as it was not……. Good will can be easily wiped out. They won’t miss us but we will never go back.

Visited yesterday. The food was excellent, but the service was slightly disappointing. Upon arrival, our table wasn't ready, and we had to wait on the bench at the entrance for 15 minutes. We were given menus to be prepared to order once seated. Considering the inconvenience wasn't our fault, a complimentary drink would have been appreciated. After waiting 15 minutes, I asked about our table again, and a staff member said he was preparing it for us. The dinner itself went smoothly, and the food was amazing and worth the visit. However, the water we ordered never arrived. I would suggest additional training for the staff to better handle such situations.

Delicious crab sandwiches if you are visiting Padstow

Always had great fresh fish & chips here, is a bit on the pricey side but we find the regular cod & chips feeds 2 people so that makes it more reasonable. Pots of curry sauce are very small so definitely need 1 each.

Food was fresh, delicious & really well presented. The cafe has a nice atmosphere & the staff were really friendly. I wouldn’t recommend eating here if you’re on a budget because it’s quite expensive.

Incredible service, friendly staff and everything was super speedy!! The halloumi saganaki was to die for.. we had to order a second portion, 10/10!!

Overpriced, overrated, food was meh. However the one waitress was very colourful and bubbly. Lovely girl and great with kids.

I have been really looking forward to this visit, and it did not disappoint. The welcome into the cafe and service throughout was brilliant - good tolerance to our three yesr old! The building was quirky and really cool. The food and wine was very, very good. I would highly recommend a visit.

Rick Stein’s was one of the nicest fish and chip restaurants I’ve been to in Cornwall my only gripe is how small the inside seating area is which in fairness can’t be helped. They have a que system in place which allows people to be sat when the seats free up. The woman who served us was an absolute delight and their fish and sausage was divine! I’d highly recommend this place, even if you get the takeout I recon it would still be the same high quality. Definitely don’t miss out this splendid place.

For years we have been blown away by Rick’s fabulous shows and books. So on a visit to UK from Australia we were excited to eat at the café in Padstow. Sadly, it was quite disappointing for us. The staff were fine and friendly and the decor was good. The service was reasonably good. Wife’s experience: ordered an entrée Vietnamese chicken salad on the assumption that at the price the serving size would be more generous. We saw a lady being served this, and quickly realised she would starve on that so we also ordered some lemon sole goujons for her. She did thoroughly enjoy her two dishes although each so small. For me, I ordered the duck broth with noodles main course. From the menu description it seemed that this dish would be full of flavour, but despite the beautiful presentation, the broth was the blandest broth I have ever tasted in an Asian style dish. To be honest, I get more flavour at home from a dried Continental soup mix of a similar type. The concept of a balanced flavour of sour, sweet, and salt…with a good dash of umami, seemed to have no place in this quite tasteless dish. Also, the serving was somewhat mean. We had dessert. My wife had 3 types of ice-cream/sorbet. The cherry and the strawberry were great. The pistachio was bland. I had the clementine and almond cake with vanilla ice cream. Quite nice, but absolutely nothing special. The vanilla ice cream was right there in the mediocre range. The wine. Lovely wine but not what I asked for. I had gone to the toilet when it arrived and my wife did not challenge the fact that we had received a white wine rather than a rosé. This cost a further 5 pounds. So the cost was nearly 100 pounds. For us in Australia this is $200. It did seem like we had overspent on average food, to our cost. So although we went away feeling glad we had sampled some of the Rick Stein magic, the reality was that we had not really had anything any better than you might get, say, at a reasonable restaurant in any town, anywhere. We had booked a few days hence to go to Rick’s Seafood Restaurant. After weighing up the likely cost (we calculated about 238 pounds), versus the rewards..based on the café experience..we got home and cancelled the restaurant. This is quite disappointing for my wife as she has avidly watched the TV shows and bought almost all of the books, and cooks many of his recipes. And was so looking forward to eating food cooked in his restaurant. It seems however that the reality when it comes to actually delivering the goods by cooking good food…is…sadly different :(

Average, riding on the coattails of the name with the price tag but sadly not the living up to the brand.

Fabulous food, lovely staff, great atmosphere. Better than expected and as good as we'd hoped.

Prices seem to have gone up astronomically!! We have been going here for many years but it’s no longer the simple cafe end of the stein empire. It’s now adequate food but way overpriced. So sad!

Beautiful food and lovely setting 😍

In all honesty, the food was just really underwhelming, especially for the price. The scallops were tough and therefore either overcooked or had been frozen, the cod fritters were pretty bland and fell apart (making the experience of eating them awkward), sardines were fine but underwhelming, the prawns were ok (but nothing special) and the deviled mackerel was well cooked but a little bland. After spending more than £80 on lunch between the two of us, we were both hungry within a couple of hours and both left feeling rather disappointed. We have had much better food for the same kind of money elsewhere; you're pretty much paying for the name here. The waiting staff were really lovely and I couldn't fault them at all and the ambience was nice. (They also slap on a 'discretionary' 12.5% service charge at the end, why do restaurants still do this?! Just pay your staff adequately, price your food fairly and let us decide how much tip to leave.)

Fabulous place ,food really is that good

Delicious food at affordable prices

Didn't stay here but had a nice leisurely lunch at the cafe.

Wonderful Breakfast. We all enjoyed a range of breakfast choices and they were all cooked to perfection. We enjoyed an interesting choice of breakfast options causing our children to try something, a little more sophisticated, that they enjoyed.

Overall, the cafe is nice but the food is average to low; complete tourist trap. The pancakes were smaller then a kids portion but on the menu say ‘American Style’ next to them. Once ordering and seeing them, that couldn’t be further from the truth. They were super small and thin. Living in the states for most of my life it’s a complete lie to call them anything close to American style. Would not recommend this place for breakfast. Over priced, small portions.. complete let down for us.

Nicely tucked away, cosy and intimate. We had a late lunch and it was great. The food was good quality and tasty. The staff were friendly and seemed passionate about the menu. I had chickpea curry and a sticky toffee pudding- which was incredible! It was lovely to enjoy our meal and hear other people also enjoying theirs too! It set us up for our 6 hour drive back to London.

What a wonderful cafe, a superbly hospitable welcome despite our group all traipsing in in drips and drabs as we'd found a credit card in the street and were dealing with that. Menu just divine and lots of attention for us and delightful chat. It was popular and deservedly so. Only a couple of waiting staff and they were full on busy all the time without a moment to breathe it seemed, they could have done with some help. Calming and serene atmosphere, decor adorable. Thank you

Stopped in for breakfast on a cold and rainy morning. Perfection!

Excellent Asian themed menu. Superb food and wine with good service.

Exceeded my expectations such a lovely atmosphere here all staff are super attentive and friendly the food is out of this world

Had a really great meal here with ny husband. I had Spicy Lentil Soup and Seabass with Pok Choi. Delicious. My husband had Tai Fishcakes, followed by Steak and Chips. Which he enjoyed. Service was absolutely excellent.

We loved our visit here for last 3 years in a row . Fish & chips made it . But service was terrible fish was fry small and over priced . Not returning . Shame padstow was nice .

Thank you for such a delicious meal and kind service. Everything was delicious but the crab linguine blew my socks off ✌️

Have been here for years but last visit was very poor. The scallops were delicious but 3 medium scallops for £18 was just too much. Had a salad with it and it was soooo salty I couldn’t eat it The crab linguine was tasty but cold and a minuscule portion One member of staff was very brusque - the other was charming Basically it’s lost its charm and it’s buzz

Really nice lunch The wine was lovely Service was very attentive and friendly Would highly recommend The miso salmon was delicious Nice setting Great kids options with colouring and crayons too.

Having been to a number of Rick Steins restaurants over the years the only place my wife and I were yet to visit was Rick Steins cafe on middle st Padstow. It did not disappoint. A lovely warm cosy atmosphere, great service and the Thai inspired menu, we both thoroughly enjoyed our visit and will make sure it becomes a permanent fixture of our many trips to the area throughout the year.

A lovely anniversary dinner. Helpful friendly staff, everything tasted divine. Sensible wine list.

Sometimes you can hope for too much from a restaurant’s reputation, well I’m delighted to confirm that this lived up to everything and more. From the moment you set foot in the place until you leave you are made to feel so welcome. The staff were all fantastic and the service brilliant . The food was absolutely superb. Never rushed, just a restaurant living up to its reputation and beyond

Fantastic menu and food, lovely service and another highlight of our visit to Padstow. Mussels masala were off the scale.

o dear such a disappointment ☹️. We decided to take my 90 year old Aunt for lunch at Ricks Cafe as we had dined here before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not sure what’s happened since our last visit , maybe a new Chef , but the Vindaloo curry was pitiful, more like leftovers than a proper curry and the portion was miserly. My Aunt and I both had the fish cakes which again were very small portions with a handful of rocket salad. We both agreed that they were over cooked and chewy. We all had desserts as we were still hungry, 1 sticky toffee pudding and 2 cheesecakes which were perfectly nice. Sorry Rick we won’t be returning , £92 for sparrow sized portions and only 1 soft drink not value for money 🤨

This is a Perfect Evening and Daytime Venue for couples and family. There are interesting dishes and choices Service was excellent and food good and plenty of choices and a very flexible and friendly serving staff. Reminded us of those small quality cafes you can find in France. Well Done Stein Team!

A wonderful last minute light lunch. We had a sharing stylee meal and ordered the California chicken sandwich, a side of chips and the Thai fish cakes. All delicious and the sandwich deserves a gold star! Incredible bread and fab flavours. Who knew the humble sarnie could be so good :-)

We stayed a week in Padstow over Christmas and so treated ourselves to lunch out somewhere different every day . This little cafe was charming and welcoming. Good food and friendly, efficient staff. Can’t fault it and would have happily eaten there every day .

Excellent food, service and environment. 100% recommend. Do not believe the negative reviews. We will definitely return.

Our second time eating here and we found it just as enjoyable as the first time. Service was excellent from the mother and daughter front of house team. The menu suited us and we enjoyed all the dishes we choose. We enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the cafe rather than the more formal seafood restaurant and will definitely be back again.

I guess the problem with these celebrity chef establishments is they have a dedicated fan base, but whilst this is a 'cafe' it is still a restaurant, and in my opinion an expensive one at that. The sole goujon appetisers were very good (£5 for 2 goujons). The mains from the special board, salmon masala, was tasty, but nothing outstanding. One of our party had the steak. Not only was the steak overcooked, but the chips looked as if they were the tail end of a batch and recooked to warm them up. Not quite sure what the chef was thinking, but maybe he needs to return to Stein's cookery school, as Wetherspoons at a third if the price offer as good a steak. The issue with the steak was rectified to our satisfaction, but the chef should get it right first time. A bottle of white wine starts from £26...which was very good. Decided to not have deserts. Staff and service was faultless. Overall, a slightly disappointing experience. Wouldn't return as there are as good eateries nearby or in the area and at lower prices.

Are proudly posting about serving a giant fish that was extinct for 70 years. Shame on you!!

The food and dining experience was great - such a nice and cosy place. The only reason why I’ve marked it down is a couple of dishes were overpriced for the size (especially the mussels)! All in all was delicious and would definitely go back.

Forgot to review this and randomly remembered whilst craving the sticky toffee pudding i had here. The food here was brilliant & the staff great too. Thank you!!

Went for lunch yesterday all food very good But was Absolutely Shocked that they charged for a peppercorn sauce It came in a Jug Not much bigger than a Thimble £3 already paid £26 for the steak can not understand why you would do this ,except for profiteering such a shame. Spoiled a LOVELY day Rick you are being very Greedy

Stunning food. Wonderful service. Amazing staff. Delicious champagne. Faultless evening. Our 2nd time here. 1st time was 7 years ago and this time it surpassed our amazing memories from the last time we visited. We absolutely love it here and the food is exceptionally good.

A wonderful, cozy and convivial café, we enjoyed an excellent family lunch whilst visiting beautiful Padstow. Food and ambience were excellent. The service was generally good but with a few 'misses' which made it, for us, 4 stars instead of 5. Despite that, we would most definitely return again.

Went for lunch and it was fabulous I had the crab linguini Thank you

Greeted by wonderful staff and a lovely relaxed ambience, two specials on the board and a quite small menu, food and service was excellent and reasonable price.

Amazing night at Rick Stein’s Cafe. Food was delicious and the service exceptional. We had a disappointing lunch at The Cornish Arms so we were a little apprehensive but we didn’t need to be. The staff are so attentive and informative on all the dishes available. Definitely worth a visit when your in Padstow.

We were charged £4.50 for a jug of tap water with our meal. Absolutely disgusting. Also the menu here does not reflect the actual menu available! Very few items on the menu when we visited. We were warned that if we wanted to order hot food it would take at least half an hour as it had to be cooked "from scratch", even though the cafe was not busy at the time. We orded toasted sandwiches which when arrived were the smallest sandwiches I've ever seen with almost no garnish. Will not visit again. Amazingly overrated.

Excellent food and service at a sensible price

Some of the previous reviews are nonsense, confusion with the fish & chip shop! This place never fails to deliver. Quality ingredients, well presented by good staff. Particularly good are the moules, the pondicherry curry and of course the sticky toffee pudding. Treat yourself, but be sure to book in advance.

Lovely comfy bed, lots of extras in the tuck box and mini bar if desired. Lots of Jill Stein designs made it a lovely room. I stayed with a friend so the ensuite wasn't really suitable for people who don't live together and require more personal space. It was quite a way from where we parked the car, so to be conscious of that. I wasn't entirely comfortable with the security, but doubt crime is much of an issue in Padstow.

Visited on 06/10/23 Very disappointing, not very friendly staff Waited 40 minutes for my order. The fish was really small and hardly any chips for £14.90 it was a rip off Tartar sauce was £1.75 for a tablespoon!!!! A joke!!

Attended here as our last day of our holiday treat. It was really disappointing, the service we received was lovely but the food lacked flavour. I had a smoked salmon sandwich which was just salmon & lettuce. I had halloumi which was cold and rubbery. My partner had a steak sandwich which he described as chewy left over steak from last night. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone, £55 for 2 small sandwiches, one side & 3 drinks. The bottle of water is also £4.95 so just be aware of that charge. So disappointed would have rather spent my money elsewhere.

The atmosphere was lovely, soft and gentle. Service excellent. The food was disappointing. The Thai fish cakes while nicely seasoned were tough and chewy. Not exactly melt in the mouth. The mussels masala came with no bread. The waitress kindly brought me abit. Need abit of bread to soak up the sauce. While the menu said coconut milk, ginger, green chillis there was barely any of each. Certainly no heat. And an overwhelming flavour of anise which I am not fond of. The anise overwhelmed the entire dish. Certainly not ‘masala’. Very disappointed.

I tried to get a coffee in there and they close at 3pm anyway and they turned me away unless I bought food. I said that you guys are a cafe, and they came up with some bull about why they allegedly kept the name cafe but it's a restaurant. To be honest I think it's because they discriminate against people that are from poorer/disadvantaged backgrounds whose custom is something that should be seen as just as valued. There is a very good chance that I would have bought something from the menu on second thought, but I would say that if you are LGBT+ especially I would stay away and avoid giving them your business. It's not fair to treat your customers this way, and they shouldn't call their restaurant a cafe if it's not, its technically false advertisement. Something like this could cause someone if they were inclined sue this Steins business for discrimination, it's not something that in this day and age should ever happen. They could put a time restriction on the table, they can charge a service charge especially if someone for example, stays for say more than 45 mins. That would be reasonable, not for what's happened to me and for me to be literally tuned away. It's not on!

Quite disappointing really. Duck soup with most of the ingredients stated on the menu missing (ie no bean shoots no spring onions). Salmon and beetroot salad special that was smothered in salt and served with a couple of slices of beetroot that could have come from any supermarket. Honestly no imagination involved at all. Run out of certain desserts. Our waitress/manageress was lovely but that’s about as good as it got!!

Myself, partner and son decided to have lunch here as a special treat as we were on holiday in the area. Expectation was high. Started off well with drinks and then the menu choice for each of us. Starter and appetisers arrived, very tasty, thoroughly enjoyed. Then, it began to go downhill as when the main courses arrived, one of the side dishes was missing. It eventually arrived just as I was finishing my lunch with the excuse that Chef had forgotten, promptly placing the dish beside me ! What I found extraordinary was that I wasn’t asked by the waitress if I still wanted said item at this very late stage or even offered as complimentary. I returned the dish, pointing out that it wasn’t to be charged on the bill. Further still, we were asked by the same waitress if everything was ok with the lunch ! As if nothing had happened, incredulous, and they included a service charge on the bill. Expensive meal where I felt the service charge shouldn’t have been included as I feel the latter should be rewarded when achieved. Not my experience here.

Came there quite late earlier in the week after a rainy and windy day of exploring the coast. My group ordered the hake curry and sea bass laksa, both very delicious. Top notch service and really appreciated the professionalism. Very welcoming atmosphere with a touch of sophistication. Last ones to leave but did not feel rushed at all.

My wife and myself booked a lunchtime visit earlier this month as she was really looking forward to having a sea food lunch while on holiday. The staff were helpful friendly and the menu was just what she expected, a good start. I had the mussels to start my wife chose the scallops, we both had a hake curry for mains and sticky toffee pudding to finish, it all tasted very good. She had a glass of chardonnay and I opted for a beer. We left the restaurant and headed around to the harbour but before long my wife needed to use a toilet and dived into a pub close by, after about fifteen minutes she reappeared complaining of terrible stomach cramps following vomiting and diarrhoea. She didn't know what to do with herself but eventually after about twenty minutes the pain subsided and we sat down on a bench until she felt better. We headed back to our holiday accommodation but on the way I had to stop so she could thow up again. We rang the cafe to explain what happened the day before they assured us they would investigate and get back to us.... they did not. We were due to return home on the Monday but cut our holiday trip short and went home on the Thursday, my wife was contacted by the EHO from Cornwall she filled in an online form and spoke to a sympathetic officer who advised getting a stool sample from my wife but after contacting our GP she was informed it was probably too late. My wife has worked in catering and held responsible management positions and understands the consequences of correct food handling and preparation, we were very disappointed to say the least with the response and follow up from the cafe, very poor. Luckily for my wife she has recovered but if this had been an older or more vulnerable customer the outcome may not have been the same.

Very much enjoyed the crab linguine and hake curry; both delicious. Relaxed service and ambience. An enjoyable evening whilst on holiday.

We had a really lovely lunch. Food was delicious. My husband had a Mexican fish strew and I had Nasi Goreng, both were fresh and tasty. The service was spot on being friendly and attentive. We really liked the decor but thought it would have...

Lovely warm, friendly atmosphere however the meal itself was somewhat disappointing. I had the scallop entree 3 to be exact, nicely presented in shells, tender a sweet, a couple of more would have been well appreciated. My husband had the prawns which were so over seasoned and salty. Would have loved to have seen something like dory or a simple fish dish. We both opted for the cod fish cakes and they were nice. I’m a desert person so thought what the hell let’s do this! The sunken chocolate cake with clotted cream sounded like to way to go while my husband had the trio of ice creams. My desert arrived and was more like a brownie and not one of the better ones I’ve ever had. The tri of ice cream were very good. The service was good although we did have to ask to order as time was ticking and we had the 6-7:45 slot. Having travelled half way around the world and living Rick Stein, glad I went but definitely found there is better food out there.

Expensive, but we had takeaway fish and chips and condiments and were impressed with the quality of the fish, especially the baked fish without batter, and the chips were good too.

Nice food and excellent service from our waitress this evening! Thanks

Whilst we were aware that having a dog would dictate that we couldn’t be seated inside, but we would have to be seated in the courtyard, we found the setting cold and miserable. There were just two tables in this area covered with a large...

We were met with " is the front door open?"by a male member of staff..not a great start!!. the advertising blurb said lively and fun ...well the dog friendly and very isolated area was so not fun. Some very tired tables and plastic lights enroute to unkempt toilets..Sorry wouldn't recommend. ...Our starter was goujons which was nice but 3 mouthfuls for the cost was poor value. This awarded cafe Michelin and Bib gourmand cafe is really a Blue Lagoon with Rick Stein's name tacked onto it.Gordon Ramsay would have a field day in here !!!!

Soulless place with arrogant and sullen unhelpful staff Maybe if Rick changed his training technique to get a grasp of customer service, I might have awarded another point, bit that's seriously pushing the limit of likeliness. The food was of a poor quality, over priced...

Visited with the family and have been doing so for ages. For years you had a great set menu that you ran all year. You stopped it and to be frank it’s not the same-we knocked up a £200 bill with no wine for 4...

We joined the serried ranks of fevered white walkers marching through Padstow towards the alter of our king of fish …we stood in quiet reverent groups, holding our little black alert buttons tightly against us like prayer books outside a church…one by one we were...

Food was very good. We had linguini and mussels, with skinny fries and sourdough. In terms of food, the only complaint I would have is that the olives were to salty for our liking. I would recommend everything else. Will visit again, service was a...

Love the fact that everything is cooked to perfection and tastes amazing. The location is charming. Rick Stein prices it so that most people can afford to treat themselves to some fine food. Food for the people not just the privileged. What a very very nice man.

Nothing special and the fish and chips were nowhere near as good as our local chippie in Scunthorpe and also much more expensive. You are paying for the celebrity name rather than the over rated food and the most highly priced condiments we have ever...

Went for a meal @ this Restaurant chips were cold, fish was minimal for the high prices charged, very mean even charged £2 for condiments we are regular visitors to Cornwall will not go again

The fish and chips were overpriced and quite frankly tasteless. Compared to Whitby these were lousy. Almost $17 for a scabby but of limp haddock. The man should ashamed of himself.

Not sure why this place is getting such poor reviews. We had a fantastic evening so have booked to come back. Lovely lady who served us couldn’t have been nicer. we sat in the cute courtyard as we had our two spaniels with us. The...

We booked for dinner with relatives on a once in a lifetime trip to the UK from Australia so hoped for a memorable meal on our last night in Cornwall. Unfortunately, it was memorable for the wrong reasons. The restaurant was not particularly busy when...

Terrible experience this evening. The manageress is cold, unwelcoming and couldn’t give people a smile if her life would depend on it. Every single staff member is walking around unhappy and the food is seriously average. The salad isn’t an actual salad, just a mix...

We sat outside due to having our dog Mo with us. It was like being in our own oasis… even though it was raining…

Food and service were good and the prices competitive. Only comment would be that I would have liked at least I one local dish.

We enjoyed a lovely relaxed atmosphere, great food with attentive, helpful and friendly service. The food did not disappoint. Sparks joy when sunken chocolate cake tastes so chocolatey - and gorgeous texture too

Die Erwartungen waren wohl zu gross. Leider. Muscheln gut, aber nichts besonderes, eher kleine Portion für den Preis. Das Lachsstück...

A small group of us came to Cornwall for the week to surf but also to try some of the area’s best rated restaurants. Two of us have history of working in the food industry and in professional kitchens, so we were excited to book a number of well tipped places. One of these we were most excited to try was Rick Stein’s cafe as it has a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin guide. However, it was the only place of the week that was disappointing, and was so in a massive way, to a point where we genuinely question how on earth it has a Bib Gourmand. Upon being sat down, we were informed the restaurant had run out rice - certainly not a deal breaker, but not sure how a restaurant runs out of rice mid service. One of us ordered their Scallops starter which costed £17.95, but sadly only consisted of three small scallops dressed on their shells with a soy based sauce. £17.95 for barely three mouthfuls seems pretty excessive, especially when a Bib Gourmand is meant to indicate excellent value for money. As this was a special occasion, we had purposefully not driven and booked a 40 minute taxi to collect us after the meal so we could all drink and enjoy some nice wine. Consequently, we ordered a couple bottles of expensive wine (>£50 per bottle). Perhaps this is us being snobby, but the wine was just brought over and dumped at the end of our table with the cap still on. No one invited us to taste the wine, or indeed poured our first glass. None of us were expecting a fine dining experience, but we just felt neglected and didn’t feel the price we were paying justified that. Moving on we shared main courses of grilled lobster, cod curry and some sides of potatoes and vegetables. The lobster was average but the curry was very tasty. However, due to the lack of rice it was served with rice noodles. Strangely both the noodles and the side of tender stem broccoli tasted very strongly of vinegar, to the point where it was pretty inedible. So I can only assume they were for some reason boiled in vinegary water. Or rather than dressing the broccoli in olive oil as described on the menu, a chef accidentally dressed them in vinegar- though that seems a little far fetched. Our other side of seasonal cabbage was just a big bowl of plain over-boiled cabbage. There was no seasoning on it whatsoever, and it was no different to cabbage served at a school canteen. Hardly a side from a Bib Gourmand restaurant. We politely raised these points with the waitress, who was very receptive and kindly took the sides off our bill. However, all in all it was a deeply disappointing meal. In contrast, we also ate at the Sardine Factory in Looe (another Bib Gourmand holder) and it was absolutely fantastic. A side note for the restaurant, the male bathroom was in a horrific state and clearly hadn’t been cleaned in ages. The floor was soaking wet and there was loo roll everywhere.

Food was excellent and the actual dining room is really nice. Service was poor. Drinks were ordered and delivered. Food was ordered. My wife had the hot salmon salad and I ordered the mussels with a side order of fries. When the food arrived (25 mins after ordering) no fries arrived. I told a waiter (who said ok and disappeared , never came back) so when the manager walked past I told her I was waiting for the fries. Again - she said ok. A few mins later she said they’ll be here in a few mins. Time was getting on so I said if they don’t come soon the food will be getting cold. As they weren’t arriving I asked for both our meals to be sent back and brought out complete and together. We didn’t go there to eat separately!! When the food reappeared it was excellent. Nobody came to ask if all was ok Nobody came to ask if we’d like another drink. Our salt cellar was empty so we asked a waiter, and he brought one which didn’t work so my wife just took one off the empty table next to us. When we’d finished eating staff left us 10 mins before clearing and asking if we wanted coffee or desserts (seemed like they were ignoring us). They were not busy !! The manager knew our table had a problem but at no point came to our table. She was not busy. We asked for the bill and when it arrived no gesture of goodwill was offered so I told the waiter that I wasn’t willing to pay the bill in full and that he should go and sort that. He returned and said we’ve crossed off the fries and the ‘discretionary service charge’. Jeepers !!! Like I would have paid a discretionary service charge !! We paid, said thank-you and left.

We have had lunch @ Rick Stein Cafe on every trip to Padstow. Previously could not fault food or service. Unfortunately today we were all disappointed especially with the service. Our waiter made a few errors with our order, we had to go and ask...

Lovely location, perfect size inside. Staff really friendly and helpful, gave good advice when i asked what to avoid as I do not like spicy food. Food cooked beautifully

my food was drier then a desert and my curry came out like powder the woman who served us, her breath smelt and another guys beard didn’t connect 🤮🤮

Lovely courtyard to dine in.. If you like to sit near the toilets!... Once again dissatisfied customer Yes I did complain when bill arrived, much to the dismay of the manager, who's tone suddenly changed. Meal awful.... Rick stein you'll end up the same way...

I remember this as having a much better selection of cakes/bread etc. The lady explained that they have a much smaller selection of food on a Monday - it didn't match up with the photos and what I was expecting so disappointing.

We felt somewhat disappointed. Lobster was excellent but rest was uninspired. We were rushed through the meal (which might be due to the fact that we booked the table for 'quite late' at 8:15 pm. Service was subpar although friendly. One of starters was forgotten, as was the vine for the mains.

Went for a family meal. Was very impressed with the service. The atmosphere was very welcoming and cosy and the food was delicious!

We came here with a degree of trepidation - big name brands can sometimes be more hype than substance - but we had no need for concern. From the minute we walked in, we were made to feel welcome- staff were brilliant - really friendly...

The menu was a really nice surprise as it included asian fish dishes not just the standard fishy fayre you find in the South West. The pad thai noodles were excellent as was the cod curry.

this is just the best food you could imagine fresh tasty everything just cooked perfect staff lovely and thoughtful