The Bulls Head Barston in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

We ate here two nights in a row the food was excellent, coupled with great service and very good value, l would certainly recommend a visit

Delightful dining experience. We booked in as a party of four, for supper. What a delightful experience, our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu and recommended dishes to members of our party. We had a wonderful table, by the french doors overlooking the harbour front. Two member of our party had scotch eggs for starters, these were sublime, we had two dishes of fish and chips, one rabbit, and one venison chop, we had two delicious brownies and two apple tart tartans. We enjoyed our last experience two days ago, the chef should be very proud of the meals produced. I look forward to many more happy and enjoyable experiences at the Rising Sun, St Mawes. Thank you.

my husband and i come to St Mawes each year for a break away but have never tried the Rising Sun as past reviews haven't been that good. But since it's been under new ownership, the reviews have been very good so we thought we'd give it a try for dinner one evening it was excellent! first of all as you walk in we noticed how lovely the decor is around the building. we got a friendly warm welcome and shown to our table. plenty to choose from on the menus we opted to share a scotch egg to start, very very tasty!!!! then we both had the burger and fries for main, again, excellent!!! we were checked on a few times during our meal to ensure all was ok we sadly didn't have room for pudding! so overall, 10/10!! lovely, friendly staff, nice decor and excellent food. We will definitely return!!

We stayed for 2 nights in October. All the staff were super friendly and welcoming. Great breakfast. Very comfortable room. Our dog loved the doggie bag. Lovely touch. Thank you.

Sunday lunch visit for 6 of us - two who are highly sensitive to gluten. Initial enquiries about what they could eat pointed us to a QR code which only had two dishes listed. A training point as we asked another waitress and she explained almost the entire menu, including roasts, can be made GF. After the initial hiccup, the food was ordered and it was delicious! And the server was amazingly attentive on what was a very busy service. So good, in fact, we went back again last night! A wonderful place to eat and drink when visiting St Mawes.

A great evening out with family. They made a special effort to give us a table with a sea view. A good range of food on the menu and ours was very tasty. Our waitress Ellan was very friendly and helpful.

We visited many times during our week's holiday, sometimes for just drinks and sometimes for a meal. The food was good and the service was always excellent. Friendly and efficient. Have been coming to The Rising Sun ("The Risers" as it's known to us) for many years and we have never known it to be as good as it is now. Do hope it continues.

Delicious Sunday lunch and drinks with friends the food was amazing particularly the meat cauliflower cheese roasted and red cabbage we all throughly enjoyed our selves thank you . Maybe one observation there ideally could be more people working the bar for a faster service otherwise great

Stayed for two nights . Wonderful as usual . Menu slimmer but still enjoyable and great service too . Comfy bedroom and superb shower

Love this place! every time we go we are treated wonderfully, even if only having a drink. The staff are friendly and polite and provide a fantastic service. We recently took our family for sunday lunch and it was absolutely delicious and plenty of it.

The staff seemed very disinterested in care for us or providing a decent service (apart from jasmine) I ordered a crab salad which was served on a warm plate, and the salad was limp, clearly prepared and dressed hours before it was served. The crab was tasteless and mostly mayonnaise. The butter served with the soup was in a hot bowl so was liquid and poured all over my mother’s clothes. My daughter’s order came after we had finished and the staff were defensive when we questioned why our orders weren't served at the same time. For desert they brought the wrong order and the final bill we were over charged. The good bit was that it was a nice place to sit while the rain passed.

We chose an outside table at this friendly pub for a drink and lunch. Helpful at the bar where we ordered soup and sandwiches, Rattler and a St Austell pale ale called “Anthem”. Beer & cider good, but the food was very disappointing. The cheese and chutney sandwiches were all chutney and virtually no cheese at all (for nearly £10 each!). Soup was ok but nothing special at all. We regretted eating here when there are other nice options in St Mawes, but drinks were fine and central location.

A really great Sunday dinner cooked to perfection. Lots of meat and veg making it well worth the money. The only disappointment was the lack desert options and then when we did order one it had sold out!! Staff were really attentive despite how busy they were.

We stayed overnight in the pub's best room which was great. Dinner good and breakfast also very good although the desert menu is pretty expensive at approx £10 per dish. That said it seems the going desert rate being applied to most Cornish and Devonian costal pubs and restaurants during peak seasons, compared to £6-7 back home. All in all, very much enjoyed our stay and the food.

Great food in great location with lots of varied choices on the menu. Booked on line . Given the table I had asked for. Never eaten dinner here before, only drinks and breakfast but wasn’t disappointed. Great quality food with pleasant friendly service, Abit pricey but where isn’t these days

Great food and superb staff. Very dog friendly too. We had the seafood sharer one night and the pub sharer another night. Both were excellent!

Our lunch was exactly what we hoped for: decent sized portions, a buzzing atmosphere, tasty fish and chips and excellent desserts, reasonable prices and good service (thank you Megan and others).

A lovely evening. Service was quick and friendly. Food was delicious. Portions generous but not huge (which is ideal). Good ambience, lovely view. Ideal family dinner (teen/ older children)

The food was good quality, however there was a definite lack of vegetarian options with only a Greek salad on the mains menu.

We visit St Mawes regularly and have stayed many times over night and longer Stays , October 2023 last stay 2 nights . The Accomdation , now and before the revamp we have no complaints . The staff have normally been very helpful and accommodating, Sad to say the last 2 night stay we had to complain about our evening meal , they tried to rectify the situation as best they could , So Easter Sunday 31st March 2024 We booked a table for Sunday roast 1600 hours . I ordered the lamb roast , which came out on a nearly cold plate , Signs of blood on the cold chewy lamb , Roast potatoes rock hard ? I guess over cooked in Goose fat, separate veg Mostly cold , so at £22.00 for a roast Again left me no choice to call a member of staff over , as no staff asked if all was ok ?? I was offered a replacement roast to which I had no choice to except , With no extra gravy , which you do require no mint sauce , as requested first time round , Such a shame Now left with no choice Not to eat there again . Venue good Accommodation Good Our experience food not so good .

A nice atmosphere, quick service and friendly helpful staff. Food good and sensible size portions. Will definitely be returning.

An excellent Sunday roast for sure... It was very busy and noisy , but it is designed for families buy it was Easter weekend

Me and my partner stayed in st mawes for 3 nights. We visited the rising sun on 3 evenings the food and staff were excellent. The staff went above and beyond for us. Highly recommended thank you all so much ❤️

Enjoyed a super relaxed Sunday roast, even though it was very busy the staff were efficient and friendly. The roast Lamb was lovely, the only thing that slightly disappointed was the overdone Yorkshire. Great nibbles to start and good selection of desserts . Not the cheapest, but certainly value for the food and service you get.

As this was Easter it was very busy, and we arrived early, but front of house found us a table for drinks, and we were shown to our table 15 minutes early. Even though it was busy the service was good, and all with a friendly smile. Seven of us ate, two children and 5 adults, all enjoyed the food.

Schöner Pub mit guten Essen. Leckere Chis&Chips, auch vegan! Nachtisch war erstklassig, Rhubarb+Apple Crumble und Vanilla Creme Br.

This traditional pub is in a prime location in St Makes. It look out over the harbour and there is outside seating as well as a large conservatory. It was full of locals when we visited with a great menu and local beer. The service was helpful although the layout of tables is quite basic - it is set out for a busy season. I can certainly recommend the Monk Fish scampi served at a reasonable price. We shall return.

Stayed two nights here for work. Staff were so friendly and the food was stunning. I stayed in one of the smaller rooms which had recently been refurbed. It had so much character, the bed was so comfortable and bathroom enormous! Do feel that as this was a smaller room, there was too much accessorising on the counters which made it feel cluttered and busy. This is not a deal breaker, just an observation. I would still highly recommend booking here again. Will definitely return.

We found the lady who looked after us for two nights dinner absolutely delightful, hence the title of this review! Friendly, charming, clearly experienced as an excellent host and the important bit - this place serves great food! Stayed locally, but came here for dinner. Delicious food, great service and lovely staff. An excellent menu and you can tell it is cooked by a chef, not a cook. Its bad form not to leave at least one criticism on trip advisor surely? Well if really pushed, perhaps don't serve Cointreau in shot glasses - it was most unnerving! Try a decent 10 oz with a cube of ice perhaps? Think adult, not teenage shots, lol. Keep doing what you do, thank you for two lovely evenings and after your big refurb, we wish you all the luck in the world. Amazing food, lovely atmosphere.

The Rising Sun is situated on the edge of St Mawes Harbour and our room at the front had the perfect view. It is part of the St Austell Inn group and like all we have visited it has excellent facilities and welcoming staff. The Rising Sun has been tastefully refurbished recently so although it is an old building our room was super comfortable with all the mod cons you could desire including some delicious biscuits! The breakfast (included in the rate if you book direct) is outstanding with plenty of choice even for my vegetarian wife (not just the usual “veggie breakfast”). The only reason I haven’t given 5 out of 5 is that the evening meal was a little disappointing; little choice for vegetarians this time and some items didn’t match their description. We weren’t able to comment at the time (which we usually do) because no one enquired about our meal, hopefully this was an oversight and not the usual service. We would happily return again as it is a beautiful area and was excellent value using their 2 nights for 1 winter offer.

We stayed for three nights. We had two rooms for our stay. The first night was in room 8 in the new wing. This is an accessible room with a large open shower room en-suite. It’s been tastefully appointed even though it fully complies to...

Perfect in every way. Super friendly. Amazing rooms and lovely food and drink. Great dog friendly place Lucy for PM!! She deserves a special Mention 👍

Enjoyable meal at the rising sun, having eaten at several st Austell hostelries in recent times, it was the best we have experienced. Only had a main and sweet, both came to us in good time mussel presentation on a platter was a delight to...

Great meal, lovely in the conservatory, helpful and polite staff. I had the fish and chips, my husband had the scampi. They accommodated our dairy intolerance.

A great pub to meet friends for a meal. The conservatory is our favourite! Since the recent refurb, the atmosphere is very warm and welcoming. Great decor! The starters were delicious, the prawns especially, and all the main courses we had were nicely presented and...

We had a lovely evening at the Rising Sun. Very warm and welcoming staff who went out of their way to help my husband who has a slightly restricted diet. The food was excellent too - really lovely fish & chips with perfect crisp batter....

As always... attentive service with a smile; excellent food; wonderful ambience; a welcome for our dog who lay beside us very happily the whole time; and an evening thoroughly enjoyed.

Dropped in without booking but were quickly found a table. Food was excellent and staff very welcoming and friendly. Had a delicious goats cheese salad and fish and chips plus a marvellous lemon posset.

Lovely restaurant with a view of the water. My family and I had a great roast dinner here for lunch. Most of us had the beef but a couple opted for burgers instead. I had the beef roast dinner but their version of a gluten...

Good and friendly service from welcome to puddings .!Nice ambience and fairly busy on a cold February lunchtime .Good value meals

The weather wasn’t the best but the pub was! Super dog friendly, and every member of the front of house and cleaning team went out of their way to make you feel special. Food was great, location perfect, the best short break we’ve ever had!...

Great location overlooking the sea and coast of St Mawes and the Roseland Peninsula. Lovely dining room in light conservatory. Tasty food and attentive waitering staff.

Another lovely lunch. My friends and I all thought the food was delicious and the service was excellent. All in all a real treat.

We’ve just spent the weekend here and it was amazing, such a gorgeous hotel! The rooms are beautiful and we had so much space for the whole family, the attention to detail with the kids games and little bunny toiletries was so appreciated. The people...

Great venue with beautiful decor. Delicious roasts. Service was good but quite a large queue to pay the bill at the end with a long waiting time so felt this could have been more efficient. We had a gluten free guest and had let the...

We have avoided The Rising Sun for a while after several very second rate meals. However, we decided to give it another chance and were pleasantly surprised. The staff were friendly and efficient, much improved compared to previous occasions. The food was really quite good,...

Stayed in the new rooms for 2 nights, was the most perfect little getaway. The staff and service was second to none everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Had dinner 2 nights in a row with you and my boyfriend couldn’t fault the trio of...

We have eaten here 3 times- 2 dinners and 1 breakfast. There is a good choice and it’s very tasty. Wide range of wines- also good. We come to st mawes. Lot and always come here! We also had a look in one of their...

Fantastic spot for a meal or drink anytime. Warm welcome, pretty flowers on the table and great food. Very much enjoyed our time there

Just had a two night stay, had a fantastic time, the staff were all attentive and aproachable, nothing was a problem, food was top notch, can’t wait to come back, beautiful place, well done!!

Great atmosphere, food and service. Fish Starter and fish main course both excellent. Not cheep but good value for money.

We have visited The Rising Sun many times over the last 30 years, it didn’t disappoint. A warm genuine welcome and tasty substantial portions of food. Great service and the Tribute ale was really well kept.

Excellent Sunday Roast. Been to The Rising Sun many times and the recent refurbishment has improved the atmosphere. The food was was very good.

Just had 2 fabulous days staying here. Food and beer good Staff really helpful Lucy and Ellen looked after us well Thanks we will be back ..

We stayed here for the weekend. Really lovely staff, very accommodating with great service. Really comfortable room and good facilities. Nice meal as well and great breakfast.

We held an impromptu meeting in the lounge of the Rising Sun. The staff could not have been more helpful

Night away in St Mawes - beautiful room with very comfortable bed and fantastic bathroom. Breakfast the next morning was great, and we had 50% discount as out of season with special offer on their website. Great staff - Lucy looked after us very well.

It was good to be back in the Rising Sun; our first visit since last year’s refurbishment. I enjoyed the best Padron peppers I’ve ever eaten and my husband had a delicious prawn cocktail to start before we both had tender roast beef with all...

The food was fantastic the staff were very friendly and very help lovely atmosphere and fantastic service .

We had a lovely Sunday lunch in the Conservatory at the Rising Sun. Service was excellent and the food very good indeed. We were very impressed by how well cooked and tasty the vegetables were. Beautiful to look out over the bay in glorious January...

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening out at The Rising Sun, with excellent food and attentive service. We had booked a table in the conservatory area of the dining room with a delightful view over the harbour decked with Christmas lights. Thoroughly recommended.

Beautiful room with a wonderful view… and bathtub. Good food and excellent service from all staff and made our stay very enjoyable and special.. little personal touches made all the difference.. Thank you Joe, Jack and all staff. Highly recommend Lots of love K&R

I’ve been twice this last week. Family for Sunday supper and with a girlfriend on Wednesday, again for supper. Both occasions we had good food and great/friendly service. Since the brewery did the pub up the menu has a good selection and it’s well run. I have a place in the village and not yet heard a bad review from any local friends,

Incredible venison sausages and leek mash, completely delicious. Staff super lovely and helpful. Great table in bar area.

On a break in the area and took a chance here for a meal. We were glad we did and booked for the following night. The food and service were excellent.

We stopped by here to get a spot of lunch, but by the time we arrived we had just missed the the time for lunch by about 2 minutes which was a shame. But we didn't let that damped our mood and still stopped here and had a few drinks, and sat outside enjoying the lovely weather and sun.

Wow what can I say apart from amazing. Had the steak and it was cooked to perfection. The atmosphere was lovely, staff helpful and chatty and overall had a great evening. Will definitely be back soon.

We had our Work Christmas do here and cannot praise the staff enough, we were extremely well looked after and the food was delicious, came out quickly despite us being a large table. Highly recommend a visit.

Wow the best ribeye I've had in a while. Staff are very friendly and efficient . Would definitely recommend visiting The Rising Sun when in St Mawes . Will probably be visiting again SOON 😀

We had a meal with a few work colleagues and tried the new festive menu, was lovely! I had the pork loin for mains and panko belly pork with the tomato salad for starters and both were beautiful. Lovely vibe and very festive, with friendly and lively staff!

Dinner with friends , absolutely delicious pork tenderloin and picpoul white wine, Ella our waitress was such a pleasure, so friendly and helpful, lovely evening vibe, we will deffo come back

The service was absolutely fantastic and always a cheery smile from the staff! The chirstmas decorations look fantastic, very festive!

The service and food here are amazing and the staff are always very welcoming! the pub looks great after it’s refurb and the rooms are very modern and spacious! shout out to lucy who is always very friendly and bubbly and has excellent customer service. Would definitely recommend coming here, especially for a sunday roast!

Spent a few days at the Rising Sun for 2 generational get together. The ambience, staff, food and vibe were all fabulous abd St Mawes a lovely place to visit. Totally recommended.

The Rising Sun did us proud with fantastic service. Our roast was delicious and staff very friendly and efficient. The newly refurbished pub/hotel is beautiful and very welcoming. Thank you !

Fantasitic food and service. What a treat out of season as well as in the busy summer! Staff always welcoming and good top notch

Relaxed and perfect for dinner or a drink. Not pretentious in st mawes which is definitely a bonus. Also good staff.

We live be this place! Room 3 overlooking the beach/ harbour was beautiful and a huge en-suite bathroom with walk in shower. Our Beagle was made very welcome with a goody bag, toy, bowls, treats poo bags and dog beer! ( which she loved) Amazing break menu was included and our evening meals were excellent too.. highlight was the fish and chips 🙂 All in all a fantastic fabulous 2 night stay before Christmas. Lots of activities in the week before Christmas and they’re even open for lunch this year for lunch on the big day z. Lovely friendly staff… we will definitely be back’

We are staying in St Mawes for the week, close by to the Rising Sun. Popped in for coffee on several occasions but decided to try an evening meal. The inn is beautifully decorated for Christmas and a lovely relaxing environment for an evening meal. An extensive meal to choose from. My husband choose moules which he said was the best he had tasted for some time . Equally I choose the Christmas dinner which was very good. For dessert Christmas pudding , served with clotted cream on brandy snap ( delicious) and my husband had lemon posset again delicious. Both washed down with excellent Shiraz . Top service from Ella who looked after us.

Booked last minute for Sunday lunch and was not disappointed. 5 star as always. The turkey is gorgeous and service fantastic as always. Will be back.

Very good experience in the Restaurant, Thursday night mid-November. Best fish 'n chips we've had in a very long time - fresh fish, tasty, hot and well presented ! Nice festive atmosphere plus superb St Austell ales on draught Excellent service from polite, helpful staff. Will be back.

My wife and I, both in our eighties, have just spent two most enjoyable days at the Rising Sun. The room was delightfully quirky with a very clean, sizeable bathroom and an enormous bed. It had two windows overlooking the Square and harbour. Nothing was...

Had a fantastic time at the pub - friendly staff who looked after us well, great food at reasonable prices, and the pub itself was bright and cosy , relaxed and unhurried,, and we had a great window seat from which we could see the...

Spent last weekend at the Raising Sun for 3 nights and had a fantastic stay. Room was very clean and even included dog treats for our dog. We ate here each night and the food was very good and my wife who is a Coeliac...

An old favourite revived. A lovely friendly spot for a casual supper in the winter. Warm, friendly, clean, delicious food.

We stayed four nights, with breakfast and two evening meals. The inn is spotless and the food surpassed two of the very highly rated local eateries we tried whilst in St . Mawes; breakfast was especially good. With building work ongoing, there was an issue...

Had a relaxing Sunday afternoon at the pub with friends. Food was top notch, excellent quality. Looked after well by a great team.

When we’re in the Falmouth area we make sure to visit The Rising Sun Pub to get my fix for Fish and Chips. We were last here in 2018 and on this trip four of us stopped in for lunch two times. The Fish and...

We went there for two nights .three days excellent food accommodation, exceptionally good, spacious very pet friendly. We even got a doggy bag full of goodies for our dog.. friendly staff. would certainly recommend it to family, relatives and friends.. we will definitely go back...

Had great nights stay at The Rising Sun, lovely room at the front overlooking the sea. Extra-large and very comfortable bed. We had the only room with a bath as shown on the pictures, all very nicely decorated, loads of interesting pictures around. We ate...

I had booked Sunday lunch online based upon previous reviews, and was not disappointed. Staff extremely friendly and catered immediately when we arrived well over an hour before our booked slot. The restaurant had a buzz and the associated facilities were spotless. Good selection of...

Great meal for all the family. Really efficient service even though it was very busy and we were a party of ten with some quite fussy children. Great food and wine, just what we wanted and will definitely go again soon.

Great family dinner. The refurbishments to the pub have restored its character and the dining area is very well set out. The staff were very attentive but best of all the food was delicious. Squid, chorizo and steak and ale pies were particularly good. Well...

An absolutely delicious meal that really got the taste buds flowing. The only downside said was that the sour dough was hard with no butter. Not a drama as the rest of the meal made up for that. Then go out surprise a singer arrived...

Had a very pleasant lunch with family during October half term break. I have been coming to the Rising Sun for over 40 years. Like all places it has its ups and downs and this year it was considerably better than a year ago when...

Good Sunday lunch on a very busy day. Good pub food but the staff were the best bit! Efficient, engaging, knowledgeable. Nice to be back in a pub we have known for years which sadly hasn’t been at its best for a while!

The Rising Sun has recently undergone refurbishment, and the bar and restaurant have been redecorated. The new menu is a bit of a mash-up. Mussels were superb, and clearly fresh, but the “Thai broth” they came in was heavily over-salted. Someone should have tasted it...

Went here for Sunday lunch and it was delicious. Service was warm and friendly and very attentive, food was lovely with generous portions and high quality. We had roast beef, roast chicken and the burger and all were great. Desserts were delicious too. Atmosphere was...

Lovely stay, rooms are beautifully decorated and very well equipped. Everything you need for the dog too. Lovely roast and breakfast too.

Went 3 times over the 2 weeks we were in St Mawes. Had 2 roast lunches which were both delicious with generous portions. Also had dinner there on our last night which was also excellent. Is a great atmosphere, helpful staff and is always busy...