Smugglers' Den Inn in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

What a lovely pub. Delicious food! Beautifully presented. Very good menu. A hidden gem would recommend 100% and will definitely visit again.

We were staying in nearby Crantock and needed somewhere to eat lunch on a wet Thursday. We googled dog friendly places to eat and found The Smugglers Rest Inn. Previous reviews were favourable so we booked a table for 6 adults, 2 young children and 2 dogs. It’s a traditional thatched pub with a varied menu. We all had plenty to choose from the menu even our vegetarian daughter. It was quiet when we arrived but did get busy so we were glad we’d booked. The food was delicious and all our plates were cleared! The family all enjoyed their meals which included steak pies (special) burgers, chilli and kids pizza . Desserts were also very good. Everything felt home cooked and the service was good. Dogs are allowed in the bar area which was actually spacious but did fill up. I think that was due to people finding somewhere to shelter from the rain. We will definitely return when we go back to Cornwall in June

Been twice since coming to Cornwall , fabulous food and fabulous atmosphere. Great staff who are very friendly, it speaks for itself … go see and try ! You won’t regret it

Highly recommend, excellent food and good portions. Very pleasantly situated with extra parking available. The service is first class and very polite and quick.

Used this pub for many years as a regular visitor to the area. Just completed a 3 week holiday which has involved working my way through the menu - blade of beef ( twice ), steak, steak & ale pie,Malaysian chicken, burger & chips - all excellent quality served by pleasant hard working staff. Good beers with a variety of rums and gins. Very family friendly.What more can you need.

Utterly disappointed. We used to go to Smugglers Den pre lockdown when in Cornwall on holiday. The food, service and atmosphere were fantastic and noteworthy often visiting two or three times during a ten day Cornish holiday. But what have they don’t to the place! The menu choices are basic of basic pub grub (think whetherspoons) with clearly mass ready prepped bought in ingredients (a fresh cooked mushroom and peas are not hard to achieve), the service is non existent (ordering at the bar, no one checking on you as a courtesy). They are clearly catering for holiday makers but assuming that all holiday makers have basic good tastes and expectations. Avoid. This is such a disappointing experience….one to never be repeated.

Lovely pub, ample parking and from what I could see a great location for cyclists to stop off. We came here with our dog for lunch and the staff were very pleasant. The food was lovely. I’d recommend this pub

Excellent food & delightful staff. Good choice of gluten free dishes for celiacs. Lovely country pub with a great atmosphere.

It’s definitely one to visit, excellent service by all the staff, and the food was stunning, will definitely be going again soon, perfect,👍

Food and service amazing. Great portions and staff so friendly. Absolutely beautiful pub in a very picturesque setting. Highly recommended and very good value for money.

Had a lovely family meal, we rang up to book the reservation that day. We were greeted nicely when we arrived, then sat down, the menu has a bit of something for everyone & the specials board was looking good too lol. The food was amazing & pudding was even better. Would definitely recommend.

Cute, historic old inn with thatched roof and old wooden beams. Extremely generous portions and reasonably priced. Easy to park and friendly staff. Dog friendly but traditional inn rather than fancy interior.

Lovely family lunch for 12 on Easter Monday when staying on holiday in Cubert - dog friendly inside too - cosy old inn with warm welcome

2 of us ordered roasts as it was on the special board only veg was carrots and beans it was A busy Sunday and kitchen obviously ran out of vegetables, don’t offer if can’t deliver, went home and had a sandwich. Waitress a gem

We had a really lovely meal here. My husband is gluten free and they had lots of GF options. Staff were also very helpful and he had vegan ice cream too which he appreciated. My in laws had a lovely roast- generous portions. I had a really nice sweet potato curried pie which was also lovely. Nice deserts too. The view out the back is stunning and would be a lovely place to have drinks in the summer.

Lovely historic pub. Had a nice meal and a few drinks here. As an overseas visitors it is absolutely superb with the thatch roof and stone walls, loved it.

The Smugglers is about 3.5 out of 5 stars I would say, in terms of food. Sometimes it is nearer 4 out of 5. However, just occasionally it can be much lower and I wonder if this is because the real chef is having a day off? It’s a pity one can’t find out which day that is. The last time we visited was either a Monday or Tuesday and the food (fish chowder) was almost unrecognisable from the same superb (nearer 4.5 stars) dish I had eaten there only a week or two earlier. The young bar person (presumably one of the family by the way he was talking) was freely swearing across the bar with someone in a friendly way. However, even these days some of us find that quite unacceptable. I don’t go out to spend money and listen to primitive language from the staff. Especially as I am sitting nearby with my (adult) family. However, having said all that, on a better evening this can be a great place to go to. And the food and ambience can be quite impressive. I have been a local for many years and have seen owners and managers come and go here. In the last 10 years or so it has catered more for holidaymakers which is probably a very wise move. Having also added a large extension about 12 years ago. However, in order to maintain local custom there needs to be more reliable quality control in place (in the off season). This used to be a top quality pub and definitely one of the best in Cornwall for ambience and food and it is still pretty good - and sometimes superb.

We visit this pub every time we are in Cornwall it is very cozy by the log burner and dog friendly. Food was very tasty well presented and good sized portions. Only criticism would be I asked for a little extra Parmesan for my risotto and was told there would be a charge. There is no charge for sauce or mayo I think a little extra Parmesan wouldn’t break the bank! All in all though we enjoyed the evening and will return.

Spent a lovely birthday evening here last night. Amazing food in a truly homely pub. Special thanks to all the staff. Great service and nothing too much trouble. We will definitely be back. Thankyou ♥️

This was a great find! The meals were very good quality & value. I can understand why it was so busy & the need to book! The staff were very friendly & efficient. There's a dog friendly area in the restaurant, where owners/staff have, well spaced tables so dogs can sit/lie. They've clearly thought about this.

Our food and service was second to none We booked a table in the dog friendly area so we could take in our quiet elderly dog. We were a bit surprised to find there was 10 dogs in the area which has only 6 tables making things a bit chaotic Would suggest one dog per table is probably a good.idea.

Absolutely first class restaurant. Went there 4 times on our recent stay in hollywell bay. Staff were very helpful. And food was beautiful. Would recommend trying if your in the area. May be advised to book as extremely busy place

Have just had a wonderful Sunday lunch. Lamb was beautiful and veg excellent - too many roasties though. Wonderful service from our waiter Dylan very pleasant lad👍 Definately worth visiting.

We visited here nearly everyday we absolutely loved it. We had one meal here which was absolutely beautiful. We will definitely be returning in June 2024. A must visit you won't be disappointed. Recommend booking if you want to eat here in the evening as it gets very busy at night

We were a party of 4 adults and we ate here 2 nights whilst staying in Culbert. There was plenty to choose from from the menu and also a specials board. We all had different meals both days and they were exceptional. The best pub meals we have all had in a long time. All the staff were very pleasant and plenty of them even though it was very busy. Please book in advance if you intent to visit and my only downside would be that most of the tables were taken my diners, so nowhere to sit if you called in for a drink. There is outside seating but the weather wasn’t nice enough to sit outside when we visited.

Very disappointed with Sunday lunch. We were seated promptly and ordered straight away. The lunch arrived quite quickly but not too quickly. All looked ok until I reached the beef which definitely looked like it had come out of a packet and not freshly carved from a sizzling joint...it was quite chewy. Having said that the lunch was tasty overall with the exception of the VERY al dente green beans. Very under cooked, so much so my wife had a stomach upset afterwards. So we had pudding. Very very expensive slice of lemon meringue. I expected this to be home made and a decent sized portion. It was neither. Generic catering pudding. School dinner sized portion. Disappointing Certainly not worth the money we were charged.

We visited here whilst staying in Cubert. What a lovely find. We had the Sunday lunch which was very good. Worth a visit if in the area.

Went for Sunday lunch today, the roast beef and roast lamb were excellent, veg was fresh. Good portions, great value, best Sunday roasts we've had in a long time ... service was great too!

Quality food and lovely service. The car park is always full which is a testament to how good it is. The menu has changed slightly since our last visit but still just as good and reasonable. Plenty of choice for both food and drinks. We appreciated the check in for timings between starters and mains, it didn’t feel rushed at all. Can’t wait to return!

Been coming here for years, and every time it doesn't disappoint. We chose to come here on the last night of our week in Cornwall and we're so glad we saved the best til last. Me & my wife each had 3 courses, the food came quick but piping hot and fresh. The starters, Prawn Cocktail and Hallmoumi Tacso were incredible. We then had the chicken breast in malaysian curry sauce and the blade of beef - again both were so so flavoursome and top quality. The staff are all really friendly and we will be going twice next year when we're back down in Cornwall, it was that good!

Good service, staff very knowledgeable regarding gluten free options for my wife who is a coeliac, she had a beef burger which was a treat for a coeliac, great outside seating area and also very dog friendly - I had local mussels and the cream sauce was absolutely delightful

Great service and delicious food. I had seafood platter and partner had ploughman’s, both great and we enjoyed very much. We will certainly return. Also dog friendly so that is a winner for us.

Steak overcooked, sauce watery, chips overdone, peas hard and dogs poo in garden theat had been there for more than a day.

Came as part of a large group from Reen Stables riding school. Pre-booked and pre-ordered. Good service and food was good pub grub. Sat in the marquee outside and no complaints on location. Good selection of beers, lagers and ciders on the bar and served...

If your coming to the Smugglers Den then make sure you book in advance, we booked in for a sunday dinner at 1700hrs and missed out, they had sold out of sunday roast. This place is amazing and lots of friendly locals. I got speaking...

10/10 Visited on a rainy Thursday as a family of 5 with two dogs. The pub is picturesque and the interior does not disappoint. It has a beautiful balance of traditional old country pub and a contemporary addition of a side bar, restaurant and marquee....

Really good quality pub food (I’m not going to damn it as a “gastro pub”. The food is better than most restaurants f those but it is pub food with excellent seafood specials. Service with a smile (even when faced with “difficult” customers. Highly recommended....

Yummy food service was excellent. Waitress just needs to smile more lol but that’s the only bad point .. food was great ,great views plenty of space and dog friendly

We walked to the Smugglers Den through the footpath from Holywell Bay. The place looks awesome and we were able to sit outside the main doors to order food and drinks The staff were very good and food was delicious x

booked a table for nine of us, we was shown the specials board then shown to our outdoor seats. Friendly welcome & a great start. The team was quick to take our drink & food order, I had the Hake which was from the specials...

We have been here for a week of our annual 2 week break down here. The Smugglers Den has gone from strength to strength. Steak, blade of beef, burger, pan fried chicken, steak & Stilton pie - all exceptional served by friendly staff. The whole...

Lovely place to eat. Authentic and homemade food and a great pub atmosphere. Food was out in 10 minutes and delicious

I must express my disappointment with the way my family was treated during our recent visit. Initially, we stopped by for a refreshing drink and to make a reservation for later in the evening. Unfortunately, we encountered an older lady with short hair who seemed...

Found this lovely pub on our last day of our holiday and was blown away by the food it's amazing I had the steak and ale pie with stilton and it was the best I have ever had. My daughter had the cheese burger hand...

This place has great curb appeal hidden down a country lane. Good size carpark opposite and a large beer garden to the side and what looked like a terrace at the rear. We had drinks and shared a fantastic fish burger in a brioche, with...

We met friends here for an evening meal while on holiday. Menu choice was good and good value for money. Food was good and staff friendly. Dogs welcome too in one section of the bar.

Really good service, very polite staff and the food was really nice lovely pub. Lovely selection on menu.

We booked the Sunday lunch for a group booking of 20, after reading the recent reviews we was a little skeptical but boy oh boy I'm so glad we kept the booking. The Sunday roast was delicious, the cauliflour cheese is a must, I could...

Perfect all round experience, booked for table of 8 at 5:30pm. Venue is great, menu has a good variety, a good choice of vegetarian meals also where other pubs fail. Service was fantastic, food is fairly priced, food was delicious! Portion sizes were great too....

Really nice place with friendly staff. Only let down by limited menu. If they did normal chips / fries it would open up a lot of options. Such a shame as it is a nice place with an area of you have a dog.

We booked at this " gastropub " for Sunday lunch It is definitely not gastro and the service was beyond bad. The pub itself is pleasant with s good beer garden outside. The menu looked promising but that was all it was promising . We...

Sunday roast was great, shame about the midgey flies all around the table but staff informed, fast service Wld def recommend

Lovely setting, we went for Sunday lunch which was ok. Hubby had the steak and said it didn’t taste of much, watery ‘Stilton’ sauce which didn’t taste much of Stilton. Family friendly and very dog friendly. However the main reason for writing this review was...

This is a regular haunt for us when we’re in Cornwall. Fabulous food, well priced with great portions and really friendly service. Today our waitress went above and beyond though. We have an autistic son who was struggling tonight and the waitress did everything she...

This place is tucked away down some very narrow lanes between Holywell and Perranporth. We booked which I would say is essential. The booking process was online and easy but only if you have good Wi-Fi or 4G connection which is by no means always...

Not the greatest, ordered the special from the board, lamb barbacoa tacos which I was informed was shredded lamb but had a massive bone in it, wife’s meal which was the braised beef was also cold, shame because we had been recommended to go there,shower...

Despite being very busy, we were told there would be a 40 minute wait at the start The food was so worth waiting for - the staff were delightful and the food was amazing Clearly locally sourced and delicious I recommend the belly pork, the...

Beautiful gastro pub. Staff delightful & efficient food & atmosphere excellent. Cannot fault this place.

Waited over 2 hours, quality of the meal very poor. Roast potatoes soggy, pork was tough and all served cold! Very disappointed, told the staff and they replied we are very busy!

Travelling through country lanes we came across this wonderful building with old world and modern charm. Inside there are rooms and rooms with loads of outdoor seating with some having fantastic views. Plenty of choices on ales, larger etc and an extensive food menu that...

A Fantastic location, fantastic service & fantastic food, accommodated the our dogs. I have been here a lot of times over the years when visiting Cornwall and it has always been the best in the area.

First night back in Cornwall this year. After a 6 hour journey getting down to the Cornish Coast, it was great to revisit an old haunt from last year. Booked a table for something quick and easy as we knew we'd be shattered. Great menu...

Lovely place for an evening meal. Friendly staff, good menu choices and the prices are very reasonable.

We are regulars, we LOVE smugglers! Had an amazing lunch during the week - Ploughmans - and is my wife’s favourite place to eat, we also had an amazing meal in April, so when our daughter asked to come for her birthday tonight, we agreed!...

Disappointed with the service and food, visited here a few times and always been good, today However was a different story Fish and chips are usually amazing but the batter was that thick and grainy and when opened up wasn’t cooked inside, family of 4...

We have just had an amazing meal at this lovely pub set down a tiny road. Lovely service from friendly staff, super tasty food - wish we had taken a picture to post.

Won't be returning. The price of the food for what you actually got was awful. Didn't taste amazing either. On the way out the staff were just sat in front of the bar eating which wasn't a great sight and they just left one member...

Was recommended by a friend and what a lovely experience . We came here for Sunday lunch and it was exceptional. The roast beef dinner was really tasty. Thank you will definitely come back

Website says food from 5pm and then you arrive and they give you a menu saying food all day against most the options and then 'from 5pm' on a selection of options. Then the staff tell you the kitchen doesn't start until 1730. When you...

Lovely food, good selection of drinks. Heard lots of good things and it lived up to the expectations. It’s a gorgeous, unique style pub in a fab location. Will return for sure.

We came to the pie and ale festival on the Sunday. They had ran out to some ciders but that’s to be expected. We had a lovely afternoon with great drinks and entertainment. The bands were varied and each very good. We didn’t eat any...

Great pub, great atmosphere and lovely staff. Probably the best burger I have ever had. My daughters plate was clear and that in itself is a miracle as she is really fussy so hats off to the chef.

We found this pub almost by accident, our sat nav took us down a very tiny road taking us from Perranporth to Holywell Bay and we past the pub without really noticing it but while at Holywell Bay we asked some one for a recommendation...

This is such a lovely old pub, with a few small courtyards outside. The sun shone for most of our lunch, though we dashed inside just as we were having coffee. We both had a Cheese Ploughman's. It was excellent. Service, too, was superb. It...

Quite possibly the best meal we've ever had. Beautiful old building, very cosy and quaint inside. The staff were very welcoming and friendly and we didn't have to wait to order. We had a fantastic table by the fire. I highly recommend the beef blade....

Dined here on march 22 for a 3 course meal. The food was very good and the service was swift perhaps a little too swift however a charming characterful setting and most enjoyable and would return. Great little find.

As usual we had yet another lovely meal. Starters are large and we usual share one between the 2 of us. Steak was nice and the braised beef a delight. Very good service

Havn't been here for years to eat. Wow what an improvement. Had roast turkey, absolutely fantastic, lovely and hot, beautiful roast potatoes, Yorkshire, veg, all yummy and for £13. But the staff really made our visit so special, so welcoming, we had 2 in our...

I had the veggie burger, asian style. My wife had the curry and mother had fish. Our children enjoyed prawn and fish. The chips were very good I must say, as was the salad. Service was excellent.

Visited October half term. Twice! Super food, excellent choices. Deserts lovely (quite expensive) the sponge pudding is gorgeous! Food came out really quickly, on hot plates which seems to be a rarity these days. This place has impressed us for years and doesn’t change. Well...

The food was amazing. Brilliant portions and staff were outstanding. Can’t fault anything. Lovely friendly pub. Would definitely recommend and return if I come back

Just been back to The Smugglers Den ( October half term 2022). Yet again , superb freshly cooked food of great portions with very efficient and polite staff. The pub always impresses me. We have been prior to Covid and during Covid and back again...

We have been here on two or three occasions pre COVID but this visit we were utterly blown away by the choice and quality if the food. The pies were head and shoulders above any we have had outside Michelin starred restaurants and the spiced...

It was our first visit and certainly won't be our last. The staff were very attentive. The food exceeded our expectations. We had a seafood platter shared between us for a starter, it was huge and tasted wonderful. For mains we had a steak and...

Good value food, and very dog friendly. It’s no gastro pub , but does the basics well and for a very reasonable price. Clearly it’s reputation as being dog friendly is widely known, as in the dog allowed area there were plenty of people and...

Went there for a family meal and it did not disappoint lovely pub serving really good food, set in a stunning location. Have been here a few times and it is always good, service and food can’t be faulted, good menu with plenty of choices...

Had a fantastic meal, great service,especially from front of house,he was so accommodating. We would have no hesitation of recommending this pub

Great food, cracking views. What more could you ask for? Really enjoyed our visit and will definitely return on our next Cornish adventure!

We enjoyed the Sunday lunch very much from my booking with a very friendly helpful member of staff through to our meal on Sunday all the staff couldn’t have been more helpful and attentive, the Sunday roast was delicious home cooked roast beef dinner fabulous,...

Just retuned from our first visit to this pub. Having read such good reports decided to check it out for a Sunday lunch. We’re not disappointed. Excellent meal with friendly helpful staff. Will definitely be going back

Staying at the Holywell bay holiday park and was recommended this place on site at the caravan. The first thing that appealed to us was the fact it was dog friendly so we could bring our dog to our meal at the table. The only...

Can't fault this place.Food was amazing.The staff were very friendly and welcoming.Prices were very good.Really lovely surroundings.

I am struggling to comprehend the change, for the worse, in this place… We have a week in Cornwall every September and the Smugglers Den is always on our list of places to eat. We booked a table for Sunday lunch, and fair play to...

Excellent food and very friendly staff. Very impressed. We booked for my husbands 50th. When I rang I explained this and asked for a nice table. They sat us in a perfect area.

Very accommodating! Huge clean place. Great traditional pub, with great ambiance and wonderful food. Can’t wait to return.

Used to love this pub restaurant & as a local visited regularly, we hadn’t visited for a while as Cornwall has been so busy with tourists so decided to wait until September out of school holidays to visit but it was surprisingly still extremely busy....

Four of us went for a meal, it’s a really lovely old pub that does good food, I had the chicken and my husband had a steak, our friends had the fish pie and also the chicken. It was all very tasty and good portions.

Went with Family group age 13 to 78 and a dog for dinner. We had a great round table in the marquee. It was busy but the lad we had serving us was so prompt and polite. We had mains and desserts and the food...

I was stopping at Parkdean in Holywell. We walked up the country footpath and over some fields then arrived at this pub ( a local farmer pointed us in the right direction ). The setting of this pub is picturesque. The pub itself has a...

lovely pub very idyllic whats not to like - lovely food and surroundings! dog friendly too whcih was great and they have outdoor seating area too whcih is great on a sunny or dry day.