The Boatshed Cafe-Bar in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

A comfortable relaxed place. We both had fish and it was fresh and well cooked. Brill fillet was well seasoned and had a crisp skin.

Lovely food in a wonderful location in Penzance. Very happy to have several vegan options on menu. Emily was a very polite and helpful server.

We booked the table day before, when we arrived they tried to give us a table by the door, (it was a chilly windy eve) Eventually managed to get a table upstairs. Ordered the fish & chips, it arrived burnt, & dried up. Staff knew as nobody asked if everything was OK. WORST FISH & CHIPS WE HAVE EVER HAD.

A spontaneous decision to eat at The Boatshed was a good one. There was a wide selection of fish and other things. The desert was particularly nice. Service was relaxed and friendly.

Best fish and chips we have ever had absolutely delicious. We would definitely recommend and they are dog friendly next time we are in Cornwall we will return

Good food, friendly staff, great value for money. We visited in August and sat outside with our dog. We were made to feel very welcome, and our food arrived quickly along with a bowl of water for our dog.

We arrived as they opened at 6:30 in the hope of a 'walk-in' opportunity. We were not disappointed. The portions were crazy but good value for money. Starters and mains were lovely, we had no room for desert. The staff worked beautifully and collaboratively and you could sense the positive interactions between them, two ladies and a guy, upstairs.

I rarely review but this experience has compelled me to write one. We recently dined as a family of four, plus an infant, and, unfortunately, our experience was quite disappointing. The food took over 40 minutes to arrive, and we had to follow up with the waitress regarding the delay. When the food finally arrived, it did not meet our expectations. The sea bass, potatoes, and beans lacked flavor, the deep-fried scampi contained water, and the balsamic vinegar tasted more like oil. None of the dishes were properly seasoned, and the chicken goujons were not breaded as anticipated. When the waitress asked for our feedback, we politely mentioned that the food was bland. However, she walked away without acknowledging our concerns and appeared displeased by our comments. We also observed that another couple’s negative feedback was acknowledged, while ours was not. We noticed that we were the only people of color dining at the time and couldn't help but wonder if this might have influenced why our feedback was not addressed. This made us feel uncomfortable. To add to the disappointment, a mandatory service charge was included in the bill, despite the subpar service and food quality. Regrettably, we will not be returning and cannot recommend this restaurant to others.

I made an online booking for 6.45 ( i hate to be late so arrived at 6.30) the place was locked up, another family were outside also so i hoped they would open, they did eventually at 6.35, i suppose this was going to be the theme of the evening. starters and mains ordered and the wait began..... scallops and two garlic mushrooms arrived, the scallops at £17.95 for 6 was a little disappointing but the frozen garlic mushrooms in breadcrumbs were overcooked and wet inside. the mains did not arrive until after 8, i think i was probably past it by that time so did not enjoy mine, the other two were OK. I was hoping for so much more, you live and learn...

Very nice restaurant, good food and service. My fish cakes were a little dry but mostly food was very nice. There 9 of us, various ages and we all had a good time.

The young waitress was very welcoming and kept checking all was ok… The food was so good and the portions were large …nicely decorated

Really enjoyed our meal. On a cold, wet February night restaurant was very warm and welcoming. Friendly efficient service combined with very nice food. Had the lemon sole which was perfectly cooked and honeycomb ice-cream to finish. Delicious.

Visited on a quiet Tuesday evening, with only one other table eating. Online booking was easy, the waitress friendly, and the food delicious - fresh, good portion sizes, tasty, and nicely presented. Drinks & food were fairly priced too. We enjoyed our visit which, although slightly lacking atmosphere, was very enjoyable. Happy to recommend on a visit to Penzance, and only the shortest walk from the town centre too.

Great restaurant for fresh fish. We had the brill which was excellent. Maybe fewer potatoes needed but I would recommend. Very friendly service.

Good food, terrible service. Kids waitressing spending time on their mobile phones instead of attending to customers. Has to get up and walk to the counter to order more drinks, find out what the dish of the day was, get salt and pepper etc. They served out pdduings without cuttlery. Took them 10mins to bring a spoon and they didnt know what a teaspoon was. The chef came out and served another table. Shame as food was great.

Fantastic menu options, and delicious food. Really beautiful restaurant, the upstairs have lovely booths. Staff were super helpful, and although a quiet Monday evening it had a great atmosphere. Recommend based on fantastic food and beautiful restaurant!

Oh dear .staff clearly don’t give a monkeys chuff .i was under the impression they just don’t care .for gods sake have some pride in what you do .the business is confusing .too many signs outside .shoddy electrics .some lights working some broken .drinks served in cans like you would see in a greasy spoon I feel the waitress was embarrassed and gave us discount .appalling

Our garlic mushrooms were over cooked and hard to cut although they did knock one of the starters off the bill. The mains were OK. Nothing to write home about. I would have expected a dish listed as a butterfly chicken breast to be both side of the chicken and not just a thin slice of breast meat. What I found most frustrating was the constant banter and jollity coming out of the kitchen. (28th Sep) between the cooks and waiters. I'd rather you all just concentrated on the job and produced nicely coked food.

Very good restaurant- relaxed atmosphere and good food. We knew it would based on how many people had booked tables. The fish is fresh and tasty with a great choice at affordable prices. Special praise to Saffi who looked after us - really friendly, polite, knowledgeable and treated all the customers in such a professional thoughtful kind way - thank you

We were there 2 days and had fish & ships one day and another fish dish the other day. Everything was superb. We highly recommend this place.

Even though the reviews were good we had a terrible time. Food didn’t arrive for well over an hour and no one even bothered to come and speak to us. I would not recommend this place

After reading the reviews I was really looking forward to this meal, however it was a disaster. It took an hour for our mains to come out - luckily we had ordered a sharing starter. The kids nachos arrived with whipped cream rather than sour cream. The poor waitress was in tears people were walking out due to the waiting time...I really hope this is a one off. My fish tasted really lovely, but I wouldn't go back.

Absolutely amazing food, best we had out of all the restaurants we tried. We stayed in one of the owners apartments which was also a perfect place to stay.

Dit was een hele matige ervaring. Waarom er dan toch verschrikkelijk staat, is voornamelijk de prijs. Je gaat letter het schip in bij The Boatshed. Het eten heeft weinig tot geen smaak, is niet gaar en gewoon niet lekker. Je merkt gewoon dat er niet over na is gedacht. Bonen die niet gaar zijn en niet goed gedopt. Frites zonder saus, garnalen die smakeloos zijn en raar gepresenteerd. Er werken alleen maar jongeren in de bediening, waardoor we tijdens ons bezoek ook vrij mild zijn gebleven, maar er moet iemand achter zitten die dit bedenkt. Het jonge personeel kan er dan waarschijnlijk ook maar weinig aan doen. Ik zou ten zeerste afraden om hier te gaan eten, je betaalt echt teveel voor wat je krijgt. Er is weinig tot geen sfeer en het eten is gewoon echt heel matig. Zoek even verder en je vindt iets leukers!

The staff were lovely, but i ordered a starter scallops which were very over cooked/ burnt followed by the main mussels which was brought out with my starter so by the time i got to them they were cold so barely ate them. So was a bit disappointed as was looking forward to this meal as it is a lovely place.

My wife and I had dinner at the Boatshed, at the end of July (very busy) A reservation was a must for the meal, also ask for a table on the first floor. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The menu choice was excellent for seafood and steaks and burgers. My wife and I had seafood and the food was excellent and fresh. We thought that the food was great value. We shall definitely come again when next in Penzance.

Don’t like leave negative reviews but … I shall regard the terribly slow service as a bad night - although that doesn’t appear to be the case from other reviews. About a dozen things were not done as they should. Most, in isolation, would not be too bad but as a collection it was appalling. In the end, we walked out before our main meal. We should have noticed the early warning. Was told our table number and that it was upstairs and were then left to find it ourselves. But the state of the men’s toilets was a shock. On the floor under the urinals was a mass of cloth - towels? I didn’t dare look too closely Would be bad enough in a stadium but in a restaurant? As a bonus, the hand dryer didn’t work. If you choose to go here, good luck

What a great dinner we had. The staff, although under staffed by there own admission did a fantastic job. What a let down the other parts of what is a very nice Cafe/Restaurant, Toilet's!, gents with copies amounts of towels under the leaking urinals, soaking up the leaking P***, with the ladies door wedged open with large rolls of blue hand paper, taps that are at best smashed to bits, with soap dispensers that don’t even work in either gents or ladies. Staff, fantastic!. Owners focus on a quality experience is P*ss poor. Shame On you leaving your staff to carry the can for your poor standards……

Very distressing experience and I can only recommend this place is avoided. After waiting for one and a half hours for our main course we reluctantly decided to leave. At this point I was advised that it was my fault as I was only a...

Absolutely beautiful food . Our waitress Saffi was first class nothing was to much trouble. Will definitely return well done !!!!!!

This restaurant was highly rated so we thought we would try it. Wish we hadn’t bothered to be honest. We were kept waiting for 20 mins because the chef had gone out and not come back. We eventually ordered mussels in white wine sauce, the...

Chose the tuna and trio of fish (monkfish, lemon dole and pollack), with sides of new potatoes and beans, the sides on the menu had the choice of new potatoes green beans, salad or chips, our meals arrived with two bowls of baked beans. The...

We arrived as a group of four having pre-booked a table. The two teenage staff at the bar pointed out the location of our table but did not take us to us. When we reached our table there were no menus on it so I...

It’s a pleasant corner for people watching and the service is great Then it all goes down hill a bit Scallops over cooked and the broth with the mussels had so much salt in I fear I may still h e a stroke Wine is...

Really looked forward to eating here my seafood was ok but my partner was very disappointed she had the king prawns tandoori style as a starter, they arrived, looked good but none had been deveined, we ask the waitress about this, she asked the chief,...

Fantastic find at Penzance Harbour, managed to get a last minute booking on a Tuesday evening . Very welcoming , friendly and attentive staff in a busy restaurant . The menu choices were all tempting so it took a while to choose ! I plumped...

Great spot for dinner. Upstairs room has views over the docks/harbour. Friendly helpful staff and a good menu. Excellent food at a reasonable price. Would go there again if I'm back in Penzance.

Boatshed was quite busy but we two were given a nice table in a cosy location. Saffi and Harrison looked after us very well during our dinner. Our food was delicious and served in good time. Portions were generous and presentation very good. Thank you...

We called on the off chance after being on a day trip to the Isles of Scilly. The person who greeted us said she could find a table to have dinner, although we hadn't booked. The table was great and the food was delicious. The...

Had a great evening here two days ago. Both had starters, mine being the Newlyn pilchards topped with feta and spinach on a lovely salad, really tasty. Husband had the tandoori prawns, said they were great. Both had fish & chips, which that evening was...

Would be NO STARS....reason i Booked a table for 2 people i did say require accessibility as one uses a rollator on booking online a week previous to arrival. Booked a taxi as my mum unable to walk far. However on arrival the young lady...

Absolutely love this little bistro, my favourite place to eat in Penzance. The food is excellent (there’s always a fab selection of local fish on the menu) and great value for money. Downstairs can be a little too “bustling cafe” for my liking, but the...

Terrible experience. Booked in advance and arrived on time. Order taken quickly by a very young woman wearing ridiculously small hotpants - totally inappropriate. 30 mins later still no wine let alone food - go to the bar to complain, "oh that explains it" (looking...

This was en excellent fish-restaurant. We had stuffrd Pilchars to star with. It was with feta chees and spinach . The vinaigrette tasted excellent . As the main course we had whole sea bass with new potato’s and salad. This was made to perfection ....

Had the seafood tapas. The crayfish tails (tiny little 2cm things)were tasteless and the tiny container was full of water from them being thawed.. Couln't eat them they were so awful.There were about 4 tiny insipid transparent calamari rings which had a slight tempura which...

Arrived at 630 when it opened and after 2 hours left empty and feeling ripped off. Its 2 hours of my life i can’t get back. The timing to get any food is incredible and when it arrives its terrible, the piri piri chicken had...

I took my family (3 people total) here for sunday dinner. The food was good and staff were nice but unfortunately this place could do with hiring an additional chef or two - we were waiting 1hr for our starters and then another 1hr for...

Arrived towards the end of the lunchtime rush and was told that there would be a twenty minute wait for food which seemed reasonable enough but it was actually a twenty minute wait for menus… maybe a slight miscommunication. Food finally arrived about 30 minutes...

The menu was so promising, lots of fresh fish, the waitress was very friendly, we all ordered scallops, followed by trio of fish, the scallops arrived after 45 mins, I thought I had chorizo on my plate but it was actually over cooked scallops, they...

The staff were wonderful, very attentive and helpful. The food was well presented, flavoursome and plentiful. There is parking just across the road. The restaurant does get busy at times so best to book in advance. Would definitely recommend.

Really nice meal, reasonably priced and enjoyed by all. One 12 year old had a kids meal which was a really decent portion. Hardworking and polite staff, thanks very much x

Good service and attentive and friendly staff who really care. Well priced reliable wines. Good portion sizes and well cooked food esp veg. The whole place looks well set for functions. This restaurant deserves to flourish.

Ate here two nights in a row . Lovely staff and the fresh fish was beautiful . Sea bass and fresh pilchards were sublime . Nice side salads and plenty of fresh veg with the mains . I wished I lived in Penzance . Thanks

Ate here and was absolutely thrilled the food was amazing and tasted gorgeous . the atmosphere was great and the staff was kind caring and efficient. Nothing was too much trouble even when the waitress was on her own all evening . She worked miracles...

Great food in a cosy booth! We had a nice cosy booth upstairs at the restaurant. The staff were very friendly and efficient. We enjoyed the mackerel and black sea bass. With a bottle of merlot. It was a great choice for a birthday meal....

My friend and I were looking for somewhere for an evening meal and happened upon this place. Upon entering we were told that as they were extremely busy as we hadn't booked they would be unable to accommodate us however as we were about to...

After a day of walking along the south west coastal path, some of which would be better described as climbing, we went to the boatshed for dinner. The food was served swiftly despite the restaurant being busy. My partner enjoyed some local mackerel which was...

Was staying in the area and this place came up as a good seafood restaurant and not too expensive. Booking process: no problems with the online booking system and confirmations and reminders sent. Arrival: arrived and was promptly taken to our table, kind and helpful...

Saw this place as we got off the ferry. Being famished we decided to give it a try. We were told they were full but the girl said if we didn't mind waiting 10 mins she could fit us in. What a good decision we...

Staff were good but food a bit disappointing. Pizza was small by comparisonto to other eateries. The trio of fish disappointing, plenty of green beans & potatoes but not much fish. However the mussels were very good, though swimming in a sea of sauce. You...

I visited last night with my partner, had the most amazing food, all fresh and delicious. The service was incredible, the two young ladies working were very attentive and hard working. Highly recommend!

Great food ! Well cooked excellent value for money. Best cheesecake ever, would recommend trying it. Staff all very helpful and happy.

I tried the mackeral with chips and a salad. The mackeral itself was perfectly cooked but was accompanied by a dipping sauce that simply didnt go with it. The chips were superb being golden and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside but...

Sat upstairs more of a restaurant feel to it than downstairs. The food was great. But I was seriously knocked out by the pudding, chocolate and orange cheesecake with a touch of Baileys. Fish menu is massive so much to choose from.

Quick lunch stop at the Boatshed with family. Great find. It was yummy. I had tapas, son had pizza and husband had moules mariniers. Good atmosphere with music being played. Considering another visit while we are here.

3 stars in generous. Couldn't decide between 2 and 3. First up as this place gets decent reviews and we were based in penzance we tried eating here, ordered and then was told the kitchen fans had broken so they couldn't serve food. Wasn't easy...

Lovely little restaurant. Unfortunately only dog friendly outside but enjoyed the view. Staff didn’t seem ever friendly at all during the start but seemed much better once in full swing. We had to sort out an issue with our table as it was about to...

Tandoori prawns - really good, Good sized portions with tasty new potatoes. But Disappointing that they didn’t have either bottle of local made wine, The “selection of Cornish mead” was actually only one type. Some dishes were off then menu even at 630pm on a...

Their lemon grass mussels and megrim sole are the best! We went here on our last night and I wished we were organised enough to book earlier. People are warm and friendly too. We dined outside as we have dogs and the staff are so...

We booked a table here for an evening meal during a holiday stay. I am really glad we booked as they were having to turn people away as they were fully booked! Menu was appealing and gave a good choice. Food was of a good...

Had a lovely meal here with my grandad while staying in Penzance. I had mussels followed by whole seabass, he had pilchards followed by whole sea bream. Can’t fault the food, absolutely delicious! However, the service is very slow which was a bit frustrating. Water...

Really poor. Service was dreadful. Food was shocking. No balsamic vinegar in the bread and oil, no serviettes. Starters turned up with no cutlery. Ordered the trio of Cornish fish for main…. Turned up after 1hr, swimming in oil, only 2 tiny pieces of what...

Had a lovey meal at this restaurant, even with no booking in advance, I managed to get a table. It was busy, they told me they were short staffed and apologized for the wait. Young lady who was on the front was very calm and...

food was decent, came out very quickly, good portions, however when we went to pay, watched the waitress add a 10% service charge to our food without asking felt too uncomfortable to dispute, however i wish i had now, we had also seen someone else...

Wow. This place is popular and now I see why. We didn't have a booking so had to wait for a table. The wait was worth it. The food was fantastic particularly the whole Sea Bass. The staff told us it would be an hours...

Arrived at 18.30 precooked on line.... waited 45 mins for starter to arrive.... then after waiting another 40 mins gor main we asked when it wod arrive only to be told we was nexted to be cooked..... we walked out.... service very poor... some staff...

We ate here Saturday evening. The restaurant was fully booked and the 2 delightful ladies worked really hard serving customers with a smile. We both had starters my husband had pilchards I had goats cheese with Bruschetta both were delicious. We both had local fish...

Visited for lunch. Firstly I should say the evening menu looks lovely but lunch was an expensive disappointment. We had fish and chips - not what we had visited for but the lunch menu was mainly sandwiches / fried fish: which was too greasy. The...

Ate there on the 12th July when they were a few staff short. The staff working, worked so hard to make up for their lack of numbers. The food was superb. I had turbot, which was superbly cooked and the best fish dish I have...

AMAZING food. We stumbled across this place by chance and were not disappointed. We had the tuna steak and sea bass and all was perfect. Food all came out quickly (despite us being a Friday night walk in). Staff are amazing and so lovely.

Wanted somewhere special for our Anniversary Meal & so glad we chose the Boatshed . The food was amazing , service was quick & staff were so polite & friendly.

Steaks, mackerel, burgers, pizza and vegetarian options, all great. Good griendly service. A real family favourite.

Had a meal here at the end of a very busy day for the staff as it was the Galloway festival that week with Saturday being Mazy day, food was excellent, the lemon sole fillets were delicious and I got 3 good sized fillets, the...

We arrived at 6.45 looking forward to some Cornish fish however we were left very disappointed. We ordered the Newlyn Pilchards but after waiting for twenty minutes or so we were told they didnt have any, so we ordered mussels after waiting another twenty minutes...

Upon arriving without a booking, the waitresses welcomed and accommodated us with ease. The food was fresh, delicious and very satisfying. The wine (pinot Grigio blush) was a perfect addition to the meal, my only problem I had was that I couldn’t try all the...

Our experience of the restaurant was very good, the starters and mains were huge and of excellent quality, we had a very great time. I noticed the restaurant had some recent negative reviews and I'm certain the reviewers gave an honest opinion, but reading between...

We arrived at 7pm and were seated outside due to the restaurant being full. The staff were lovely and accommodated us inside when a table became free. After taking our order, the night out went downhill rapidly. One of our drinks was forgotten and after...

Our reservation was for 6.30pm and after a bit of confusion (they lost our booking) we were finally seated at 6.45. We ordered mussels to share as a starter and this arrived at 7.30pm. The mussels were really small and the portion was a lot...

We visited this restaurant twice and both times the welcome, service and food were great. There is an excellent menu choice featuring local fish. The staff are welcoming friendly and efficient. I would recommend booking as on both evenings that we went it was so...

After reading all the good reviews we had high hopes for this place. Very friendly staff but that’s where the positives stopped, the sharing starter was nice enough although most of the components were out of a jar (olives, sun dried tomatoes etc) so not...

An absolutely delicious dinner made with the freshest of locally sourced products. I had the grilled sea bass with a chili butter…it was tender and flavorful and melted in my mouth. My husband had the steak. it was cooked perfectly and was not chewy or...

Great selection of fresh local fish, the meagrim sole from Newlyn was wonderful, thanks! Staff were very friendly and would highly recommend.

This restaurant is a gem! Located just off the prom, serving wonderful food. I would definitely reccomend the ampules Marinere or the scampi! The staff are thoughtful and offer an incredibly high standard of service. Looking forward to returning next time I am in Cornwall

We were wandering around Penzance on a Monday evening trying to find somewhere average to eat. To our great fortune, we stumbled upon the Boatshed in an unprepossessing area of the waterfront that excited few expectations but delivered a great meal. Special mention should go...

A pleasant welcome, attractive smallish space downstairs (upstairs closed for winter). Reasonable menu selection. Food delicious tho' to be picky, presentation lacking finesse - enormous bowl of soup and hunks of bread as a starter; super Cornish sea food dish but overflowing and veg "heaped'....

We’d booked a New Year’s Eve slot. Wow…just wow. We over ran slightly, the staff here where very kind when we turned up late. The menu was outstanding, pleasing my middle girl is quite hard, and she loved it. My son is still talking about...

We visited the Boathouse on a rainy night between Xmas and New Year. The staff were super friendly and the menu was huge, even for that time of year. Large portions of delicious fish and crispy chips. Highly recommend.

Booked a table for a birthday. The girls provided an excellent service from start to finish. The food was very good and the portion sizes were just right. The staff even put a candle in mums ice cream to make her birthday a bit more...

We visited last Thursday evening having booked a table. Great welcome and not too busy. Our fish dishes were beautifully cooked and tasted delicious. Dessert was excellent too. The staff were so friendly, attentive and engaged in conversation. We’d definitely visit again when next in...

We booked a table here whilst on holiday celebrating our Golden Wedding anniversary. When we arrived the staff were very welcoming and showed us to a table upstairs in one of the booths. They had decorated the table with golden confetti which was a lovely...