The Lifeboat Inn in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Didn't eat but the beer is quality. Try the Tribute. Lovely pint.

We booked, but we didn’t need to, st Ives is definitely quieter at lunch time than it used to be. Good quality food, good prices, but note they don’t do Sunday lunch during the summer. Edit - 2 years later - still lovely, they don’t appear to do booking anymore. Ran out of Korev which is basically a crime in Cornwall :)

Lovely traditional old pub overlooking the harbour fantastic location

Absolutely horrified by the shear unprofessionalism and ableism we were subjected to by the general manager of The Lifeboat Inn yesterday. Her discrimination and social prejudice against my husband with profound single sided hearing loss, together with her sarcastic tone and judgment as to what he could hear and what he couldn’t, (which she publicly aired), had a huge negative impact on him, myself and that of my 16 year old son with autism. My husband struggles with social settings due to his hearing loss, as his BAHA overwhelms him within crowded settings. Blatant rudeness and disregard for his disability by pointing out that he should have read a ‘sign’ if he hadn’t heard her! And comparing his deafness to that of her daughters. At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that all disabled people are the same! Safe to say we will not be returning! Only gave one star as it wouldn’t allow no stars!

Absolutely horrified by the shear unprofessionalism and ableism we were subjected to by the general manager of The Lifeboat Inn yesterday. Her discrimination and social prejudice against my husband with profound single sided hearing loss, together with her sarcastic tone and judgment as to what he could hear and what he couldn’t, (which she publicly aired), had a huge negative impact on him, myself and that of my 16 year old son with autism. My husband struggles with social settings due to his hearing loss, as his BAHA overwhelms him within crowded settings. Blatant rudeness and disregard for his disability by pointing out that he should have read a ‘sign’ if he hadn’t heard her! And comparing his deafness to that of her daughters. At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that all disabled people are the same! Safe to say we will not be returning! Only gave one star as it wouldn’t allow no stars!

Just had a lovely meal, both of us had the fish and chips, very quick service and very hot when served. Had very good toilets with lovely hand-wash & hand lotion, may sound trivial but some toilets I visited during the day were disgusting!!

I popped into the Lifeboat Inn for a drink during a short cruise ship excursion visit to St Ives. I enjoyed an excellent pint of Proper Job ale with a view looking straight out to the beach and harbour. The staff I spoke to were friendly and helpful. The ale wasn't cheap (compared to my own part of the country) but I suspect that price (around £5 a pint) simply represents the fact this is a top tourist location. It was a lovely spot to enjoy an ale and would certainly recommend this inn.

The Lifeboat is situated right on the harbour side with the most beautiful views. Our room was comfortable, spacious, clean and tastefully decorated. The staff were all friendly and helpful, especially Megan.

Good location but service not very good and the big girl rude and unprofessional Shouldn't be in there if she speaks to people like that. Not first time been here and friends too say same thing 🙁

Great location on the harbour. The food was good and reasonable priced. Staff were brilliant even whilst very busy, top class. While trying to enjoy our meal I counted 17 dogs in the place. I have no issues with dogs, I like them. But this is well beyond reasonable. It turned into some sort of singing / barking contest. For the sake of everyone else please sort this out guys, many positives and nice foot but this is too much. Smelt of wet dogs, not nice. And wet dogs on upholstered seats is just frankly gross.

Very nice and clean rooms. We had a very nice sea view room. Breakfast was included and it was very tasty and big portions. Thank you for the great atmosphere and service!

The view was gorgeous, very central, good breakfast.

Nice little bar and good bar food

Majorly disappointing for a nearly £17 burger.. arrived cold and barely cooked. No flavour besides the gem lettuce (says it all really). Fries were the best bit of the meal for me. Been coming here for years but this is the first time I've felt I've had to leave a review. Staff never come round to check how the food is either or else I would've sent it back.

Lovely pub to visit and relax definitely worth visiting

The banana blossom is not fish as we expected thinking it was a flavoured batter , when asking staff about the dish they said they had a lot of customers who thought the same … might suggest the menu needs adjusting as it did spoil our experience which was a shame

We visited on a rainy summers day with a dog, and were so impressed by the dog station they had! Good food and momentary shelter from the rain!

The best place in St Ives. Room 1 is the best with sea views. The windows have excellent noise insulation.

Didn’t stay, just had some food. The whitebait and king prawns were AMAZING. View of the sea from our table indoors 😎

I can't even book a table it just keeps coming up with Christmas bookings. When euros was on it just kept saying can't book a table for euros. This is shocking!

Visited twice & had a great meal both time's, excellent service

Only called in for a drink and was unceremoniously ousted from my seat for a quiz night where every table was reserved. Probably never going back.

Fabulous interior and wonderful service especially from Ruby. Gorgeous view from the windows, nice holiday atmosphere, and well worth it prices. Would highly recommend to all local and far xxx

Very clean, only one of the staff a young girl was very rude. We came into the pub for a drink and something to eat 9 guests in total. My 4 year old grandaughter was very upset as she had just been attacked by a seagull outside trying to pinch her ice cream. She came into the pub with my family, I understand you should not bring food in but she was so upset and just finishing her ice cream off, when a staff member came over and said she needs to go outside and eat that but it was her attitude and the way she said it, even though we were about to order food for 9 guests. I really think she needs some customer care skills as she could lose you business. But still a very clean pub.

What a fabulous pub. Located right on the waterfront in wonderful St Ives, its steeped in nautical history. You couldn't pick a better spot, with the windows looking right over the turquoise St Ives water. The pub gets super busy over summer. So... eye eye captain, ye better batton down the hatches!

Very nice food, staff are so welcoming. Would definitely recommend

Lovely clean pub. However the fish wasn't great and the peas appeared watery. From ordering to table was slow. The deteriation of this is quite vast over the years

Me and my wife paid a lot of money for one pint and one halve of lager shandy, which was all lemonade and a smell of lager very much appalling, paid for large cod and chips all chips and hardly no cod all batter and tough, highly disgusting and disgraceful, the staff are so quick to take your money. I complained to the manageress about a partial Refund or full refund there was no compassion she just did not want to know and quickly disappeared into a back room. In fact the staff seemed miserable boring did not know how to treat customers with a smile food terrible as much use as an ashtray on a motorcycle. And as for the chef is he qualified or not? Stay well clear unless improves. June 2024 Manageress and staff need to go on a course on how to deal with customers. STILL WAITING FOR A REFUND probably a long wait Keith

St. Ives is a popular seaside resort in Cornwall. With many day trippers and nice shops, eateries... beautiful sandy beaches with small marinas. The extra topic is Tate's own gallery/museum. The Lifeboat Inn is super cozy and very traditional and the meals are original and delicious! The staff is super attentive, super professional and friendly. No question is too much. The rooms are spacious and well furnished. With also some kind of apartments as an extra asset. The prices of the rooms and meals are reasonable and certainly not too high. Great experience!

On holiday for the week and came in for a pint of Tribute on Weds 26th June 2024, with my better half a speciality lager. Both were served in plastic, due to a dishwasher malfunction. At first, I was told no, until my insistence brought the manager over, as the barman was about to offer a refund. Admittedly, I was grateful to be offered a pint glass, so accepted it, but I don’t understand why a dishwasher malfunction determines how your drink is served. At £5.30 per pint, I don’t expect any pub to serve drink in a sub-standard vessel. It tasted far better in glass than the plastic Korev vessel.

Katherine and Sophie are lovely behind the bar, very enjoyable evening watching the euros.

Many dog customers here!! So cute!

We stopped in here after a long Sunday in St Ives We wanted a Sunday roast and after searching. We settled on here. The staff were friendly. The Sunday roast and drink was delicious and a great price and the view over the bay was amazing. We'd definitely come back again

As a Cornish resident, we visit st ives at least twice a year, Saturday was one with friends, too be honest we felt like we had been ripped off, £33 for two cajun chicken buns, which we not even a chicken breast they were the tear aways of the chicken breast, a handfull of chips and no salad, my steak and chips was £16 and a rubbery steak to say the least, not value for money in the slightest. We made comments on how small and were told thats the way it is, this is the lunch menu, the evning meals are bigger..... not happy

Good beer. Friendly staff. Good atmosphere

A lovely lunch was had here with family this week. Also popped in for a drink one of the evenings too. Can't comment on the rooms as didn't stay here. Found the staff friendly and the place had a good atmosphere. Will visit again.

Decent menu right on the harbour front

Love this place, we had two meals here. The pie and mash was superb 👌 We also had the Sunday roast, it was delicious Good range of drinks. Staff were very helpful and polite. Would definitely recommend this place if you are in the area.

Very big, busy pub in St Ives. Got pisssed on Bier Morretti don't remember a thing.

Fantasic Sunday roast. Great availability.. Just turned up and got a table. .....May 2024. Great table service.. Fantastic St Austell beers. Amazing roast... Beef and Turkey

Standard fair pub with standard fair food. Amazing views elevate this pub above others if you can get the right seat. Some decent ales as it's owned by St Austell Brewery but not a great choice.

Always visit when we're in St Ives, food is always top notch and a great selection of ales to chose from.

Stayed here overnight. Room was very clean and tidy. Breakfast wasn't great for vegetarians with a lot of items unavailable and very greasy.

Pleasant staff, great food especially the large fish and chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce. Dogs allowed in part of the dining room. Toilets clean and tidy upstairs.

Well, two years on I read the reply to My review again. Is this former favourite St.Ives still a table booking machine rather than the traditional pub it used to be, when you could just walk in and enjoy a drink standing at the bar?! Will query head office about this, in the meantime, to all of My followers....DEVON!

Went in for a quick drink. Lovely buzzy pub. Nice tables with a view of the harbour.

Delicious pub meal, although it was the second choice. Great love music session too.

Wonderful spot to stay and a great restaurant also.

Nice pub on the harbour Nice sea views good food menu and reasonably priced. Plenty of choice for beers and cider and other drinks friendly staff would recommend

Lovely pub with great views! Large fish & chips was nice, although I would hate to see how big the small portion of fish was as the large wasn't that big!

First timers in here yesterday and back again today. Greeted by two lovely ladies, Abbie and Kath. A very warm welcome and nothing too much trouble, hence back again. Credit to them both.

Very Welcoming! We came in after a little day trip around St Ives, had a southern fried chicken wrap and some chips was lovely! Dog friendly too!

Fantastic service great people and amazing beer

Although our room was a tad small, the location and atmosphere was amazing. Great staff too!

Great Sunday roast. Lovely pub, staff great and had the football in the TVs. Managed to get in on Mother’s Day.

Very nice pub and very friendly. Good food and helpful service. Would have been a 5 star review but for the fact that dogs (which are welcome and catered for with water bowls and snacks) are welcome, but dog owners are not allowed to sit in the prime window seats overlooking the harbour. It’s no different to other areas of the pub with the same furniture and flooring so seems odd that this is the case. We ate at lunchtime midweek and although there were only two other tables occupied in the whole pub we weren’t allowed to watch the world go by from a window table just because we had our dog with us. Strange.

Very central position staff very polite and efficient. Room was noisy with creaky floorboards need acoustic insulation under carpets

Visited on a winter deal. Nice room, comfy bed, good breakfast. Think it would be noisy in the summer.

Rooms above the pub with nice view of the harbour. Very comfortable and clean rooms. A bit steep staircase to get to the rooms so be aware if you are not physically able to climb stairs and carry your bags. They serve a simple but very good spread for breakfast and choice of hot breakfast.

Stayed a few nights,couldn’t fault the place,great food rooms and service and well priced..lovely staff,highly recommended..many thanks

Quite disappointing. Popped in for the perfect pint as the sign says outside. The beer was OK, but my wife wanted a latte. The coffee machine was broken, so she chose a hot water and slice of lemon. They said they couldn't do it because the coffee machine was broken. I asked if they had a kettle, they said no!! I cannot believe there isn't a kettle in the place. The wife then asked for a grapefruit juice to which the reply was "you've thrown in a curve ball there - we don't do grapefruit juice" Really shocked and disappointed with the service. The barmaid was not interesting in helping, just scoffing at each request. Won't be heading back in there anytime soon!

Great location for looking across the harbour. A sanctuary to shelter from the wind on a stormy January day. Great pub grub choices, cosy and warm and bright, friendly staff. A lovely welcoming vibe. The Steak & Ale pie and comforting buttery veg were just what was needed. Cheers!

We stayed here for New Year. Perfect stay to see in the new year. Hopefully, I will see you in the summer. Thank you.

Great location, great atmosphere, gteat staff, totally recommend.

Ate here with friends while on holiday. Service was great and we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I had crab croquettes and the fish of the day which was lemon sole with potatoes and salad.

We had a enjoyable afternoon/evening. Great food and choice of drinks. The staff are all friendly and Beckie the manager was very hospitable and attentive. Great location on the harbour side. Highly recommend and we are looking forward visiting again in the near future.

Really friendly man (likely manager) greeted us and showed us to a table. Nice setting we sat in the window. Served quickly and promptly really polite staff and tasty food. Lovely view of the harbour would recommend and come again in the future.

Decided to eat lunch here today with my wife. We walked in and was shown to our table by a chap and we placed our orders. On arrival of our food I let the gentleman know part of my food was stone cold not even luke warm but absolutely cold. He instantly become aggravated and unhappy with my request for a replacement meal until I insisted. No appologies at all and just shoved the replacement meal in front of me and and walked away. I must say other staff on that shift were much better.

This was the second day since Covid Restrictions had been eased so that customers can now eat inside licensed premises.It was quite busy but there were enough staff to meet the demand. Details have to be provided for ‘Track and Trace’. There was plenty of meal choices on the menu including a ‘light lunch’ menu. Decided to have a chicken wrap and a Pâté. Both were very nice. The ‘Proper Job’ bitter and Rioja wine were fine accompaniments.Our waiter was very friendly and he was kind enough to order a taxi to collect us from the front entrance.

Wanted to call in and have a few drinks. However, the over zealous employee on the door refused us due to Covid Tier regulations. We tried in vain to reason that we were allowed to be in town and weren't from a Covid travel restricted area.Very Bizarre, especially as we could hardly see anyone else in the pub. Needless to say that when all this is over we wont be coming back when all the Covid restrictions are over - particularly as other establishments were happy to welcome us while complying with NHS guidelines.

Nice little hotel. Nice view but if you want to have view , you need to book family room for £200 per night. Bed nice and big. Breakfast ok average. No parking on the side but the best parking is on the pier as you can extend through the app and it's only £3 for a day. It's a good location as it's in the middle of everything.

Have just had Christmas lunch at the Lifeboat Inn, St. Ives which was an amazing experience. The food was delicious and beautifully presented, lovely staff and stunning ambiance. Thank you Richard, chef staff for making our Christmas day so special. If anyone gets the chance to dine at this Inn please don't miss the opportunity

Went in the Life boat for lunch 10th December, enjoyed it so much went back for dinner later. The staff are so friendly and the invisible chips were sooo morish

We had a lovely room and bathroom for our 2 day stay here.The gentleman who served our breakfast was exceptionally helpful and his attention to detail was outstanding.Coincidentally we stayed at 3 other hotels in the same chain during our holiday in Cornwall and he was head and shoulders above the rest.

Came with family, and first disappointment was the reduced menu. Literally 6/7 mains to chose from none of which were that exciting - ok its a pub but we’ve been visiting this for 10+ years. My normal summary would be that this is gastro prices and good quality food. Not tonight. The chips were poor quality oven chips, made from powdered potato (yet kids meals were proper chips). Pathetic. You expect more when you’re eating out. This was whetherspoons food quality for triple the price. Also what happens when a waitress doesn’t write something down? They forget! Forgot our garlic bread but didn’t say anything as expected a tesco value baguette to come out. All in all, Iceland quality food and wish we hadn’t bothered

We just wanted somewhere to chill out and relax for a while. We only requested a table for 2, although you'd think that we'd requested a 5 course meal the way the bar manager ummed and ahhed over whether we could have a table or not. We sat down and ordered quite quickly, but I then had a gin glass full of lipstick, which quite frankly, is disgusting, and the fact that we're not having to be super clean-er, was not cool. We then tried to attract the attention of the waiter, but seemed to be invisible until my boyfriend had to physically go to the bar and ask for a CLEAN glass. When we asked for the bill, we couldn't get served quick enough. Won't be returning.

Was in St ives and everywhere booked up initially when here on our 1st night but was able to book on our third night. Nice local traditional pub on the harbour front, sat down and had a bottle of white wine to share at £18.50. we shared a plate of calamari for starters at £7.50, I then had fish and chips at £13.50, my wife had Thai chicken curry at £14.50 all the food was lovely. We finished our meal with coffees, 1 small latte and a small cappuccino both at £2.50 each.

We visited for an early dinner, having booked in advance. Online booking system worked well.Somewhat beyond the pub's control, maybe, but having to squeeze by people sheltering from the rain in the doorway wasn't a good start.Having been advised by email when I booked to download the St. Austell app, and order with it, I was surprised when the order was taken at the table. Not a problem, as the waitress had to bring the order anyway, just puzzling.The real problem was the food. Now I know this is a pub, and we weren't expecting a fine dining experience. However, bullet like and lukewarm peas, and the worst sort of oven chips - the ones that release a little pocket of oil when you chew them - are really not acceptable. Meals aren't hugely expensive but I do resent paying twelve to eighteen quid for food of that standard.

Friday night excellent food and service, decided to book a table for Saturday off the back of Friday night.Saturday night great food awful service, finished our main course at 9pm.. at 9.30pm table still not cleared, no sign of being asked if we wanted a desert. Whilst paying the bill I asked why and got the reply " we should of asked " shocking response in due respect.

We ate in the Lifeboat Inn twice during our stay and the food was really good, and reasonably priced. Would highly recommend.

We had lunch twice here on consecutive days. Very good service, nice food, relaxed atmosphere and lovely views out to sea. Table 15 is excellent if you can get it. Prices are fair. The menu is not extensive, but there is plenty of choice. Highly recommended.

My partner and I recently enjoyed a long weekend at The Lifeboat in St Ives! I had communication with Becky throughout the time of booking to our stay and during it! Becky was fab, sent me pics of our room and upgraded us on the first night, as it was my partners birthday, she managed to get us a table on a very busy afternoon and made it so we had the table for as long as we wanted and on Sunday, she was an absolute gem and let us check out a little later, thanks again becky!Both rooms we stayed in were immaculate, so clean and the beds were beyond comfy, breakfast on all 3 mornings was delicious!Big Thank you to Becky, Rich and the team for making our last trip to our favourite place before our newest addition arrives!

This place can’t be beaten on location and the room size was brilliant. The bed was very comfortable and the bathroom was decent. Staying above a pub you should expect to hear some banging as people move in and out of doors in the pub but there isn’t a lot of noise from the punters (but then again we did visit during the 10pm covid times!).

What a lovely place to visit! Delicious food, tasty and very hot, mussels were so good, big portions and all very fresh. Staff were polite, attentive and were constantly asking if we were ok and if we wanted more drinks. Can’t recommend this place enough. 5* all round! Thanks guys!

My husband and I went into this place on Monday 5th of October and enjoyed a couple of drinks all ok......then when we left I asked if I could book the table by the window for lunch today.....the server came back to us and said all booked for 12.30 for the 2 of you..........when we went in today told them we had booking the server led us to a table that had a wall right next to us ....I told her that we had booked the table by the window she then said that you cannot book certain tables,,,,,,I said that we were not told that on Monday we were told that we had that table booked......I then asked to sit at the table behind that one she told me that that table was booked.....so I was a bit confused now only 10 seconds before that she said that you can not book certain tables,,,,,,she said that a table for 4. So why is it that on Monday we sat at a table for 4 there was 2 people sitting at the table For 4the table I booked only had 4 people on also I do hope I was not being discriminated against .

Nice view from the restaurant. Good guilty crab wrap and a couple of pints of Cornish lager, excellent value for money would review.

We visited here recently when on our hols. The food was good with generous portions. The only negative was that we were waiting ages for our bill, in the end my Husband had to get up and go to the bar as nobody was serving us, which we weren’t supposed to do as it was table service with the Covid regulations.

Everytime we visit St Ives on holiday we always eat here. This year of course things were a bit different, I had booked well in advance to be sure of a table and it was table service only which I actually really liked. There were 6 of us and we all had carvery, two veggie ones included and it was gorgeous as ever, hot and plentiful. If you want a good meal and great service then look no further, we'll be coming again in a couple of years. P.S the yorkshires are the best ever.

We only called in there one night for a drink with friends. The draft beer was appalling, flat and tasteless. We didn't stay for another.

Prebooked a table online as we knew how busy St Ives was going to be. Also downloaded the recommended order at table app. Very friendly staff, yes the menu is limited, compared to precovid days, but our meal was excellent. Tables well spaced and in one way out the other.Surprised to be told our orders would be taking by staff, and given a paper menu, but it made things feel a bit more "normal ". Highly recommended.

Absolutely loved our stay here this week . Firstly our room was clean and fresh , bed so comfortable, yes the floors are creaky and not level but that adds character. Breakfast was ample and lovely. What made the break for us was the service in the bar / restaurant, we was made to feel welcome with a smile and nothing was too much trouble. Noted was Richard who was over seeing bookings and for me his service compared to other venues was outstanding , well done Lifeboat Inn extremely covid friendly but delivered with a relaxed manner and smiles. Will return here and recommend

Had lunch here and must say, the whole experience was top notch. The staff and service was absolutely fantastic and the food was beyond delicious. I would recommend this place to everyone, absolutely amazing

Very different from previous years. Booked in advance for Sunday lunch. Table service only but staff very good. All had the carvery and really enjoyed it. Big plateful meat was lovely. Was stuffed when finished. Well worth it.

Managed to fit us in without a booking. Friendly staff. Reasonably priced. We didn’t eat just had drinks but the food looked good from what I saw.

We booked the Lifeboat Inn for a meal out in St Ives. This place is an above average Pub with definitely above average pub grub. There is nothing spectacular or fine dining but it is extremely tasty and well cooked food. I could see my husbands steak being cooked in the kitchen and all meals were cooked fresh to order and without exception all the staff were adhering to all of the new covid safety measures really well.The pub has had a bit of a makeover since our last visit and isn't as comfy and quaint as it used to be but the clinical approach with open spaces works vvery well in today's covid climate!We both enjoyed our meals very much and left just enough room for dessert! There is a good varied selection on the menu and with the portion size, no one will leave the Lifeboat inn hungry!

Appreciated the front of house staff fitting us in last minute as we had been let down by another local restaurant, food was good and everyone is super friendly! Thank you.

We had a great experience in the Lifeboat. Similar menu to a number of other restaurants nearby but well cooked and very tasty. The staff were excellent and we were very well looked after. We would definitely be back .

Great service and food. COVID restricted the menu but they coped really well. Good atmosphere and wonderful views.

My boyfriend accidentally booked a table for 8am instead of 8pm, upon our realisation at 9am THAT DAY, we called up and the staff member shuffled some tables around to accommodate us in the evening. On arrival we were greeted by smiles and warm welcoming’s by each and every staff member. We came primarily for drinks however took advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme and the small selection of food we ordered was delicious. I must mention the professionalism of the girl serving us, I didn’t catch her name, but due to the government scheme they were understandably sold out of a selection of foods and the table next to us were rather rude towards her. She was upmost professional, and kept a smile on her face regardless. Also, a young man from Manchester who was constantly ensuring all seating was sanitised and cleared, and was very pleasant. A respectful, COVID-19 restriction level of music was being played in the background, making the experience even more enjoyable for us. Following our 5 day stay, this is the place we enjoyed the most in the evening. Both myself and my boyfriend would highly recommend The Lifeboat Inn, and will be returning when we come back to St Ives in April.

We popped in here on our first evening and was very pleased with the service and food. They allowed our dogs in and all was very good after 6 hours of travelling. Over the next few days we used the bar to order take drinks, as this seemed the best way to enjoy a drink without taking up space in restaurants. We probably used the takeaway 3 or 4 times over the next few days. But the last time were told we couldn’t because of contact tracing, saying that they had no way of contacting us. Which is ridiculous when all they had to do was ask us for our details and because it didn’t seem to be a problem in the days before.