The Mote in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

Visiting Port Issac to buy lobsters. Decided to have a light lunch at the Mote. Lovely welcome, sat down stairs. My wife had the leek & courgette soup & i had the crab & cheese melt. All the food was very tasty & well presented. Very enjoyable lunch.

Having been holidaying in Port Isaac for many years, The Mote has always been one of the restaurants that is a must-visit whilst we are there, however this time was disappointing. We booked, just under a week in advance, but when we arrived for dinner our table was not ready - which was understandable as they were busy. But we got some drinks and were told to go and stand outside and someone would come and get us when our table was ready. 25 minutes later someone came to take us to our table. By the time we sat down (just before 8) they'd started running out of a few menu items, which would be alright, but as they use all fresh food, their menu isn't the biggest to start with so choices became limited. I had the Fish and Chips which was really lovely, but my partner had the Crab Linguine which had a very limited amount of crab in it. I overheard a waitress telling a table ordering after us that they were out of crab, so maybe this was a one off? The Chocolate Dessert was also lovely, and once the restaurant started to calm down, service became much better, but we didn't feel too well looked after where we were sat upstairs. And given there is an automatic service charge added to the bill, I would expect the levels of service to be slightly higher. I would give The Mote another chance the next time we're in Port Isaac, but this visit sadly was nowhere near the standard of years gone by.

Starter, main, and desert were outstanding, though somewhat overpriced. Every mouthful a delight on the palate. Really enjoyed the food. Wine was very good too. Service was perfunctory at best.

Called into The Mote for lunch while visiting Port Isaac. As we had our dogs with us we needed somewhere to eat that allowed dogs. We ordered our lunch and the food didn't take long to arrive. The staff are very friendly and polite. And the food is excellent and I would highly recommend visiting.

Gave this place a go and sadly wish we hadn’t bothered. The beer and wine were ok but that’s as far as it went. The food was more than disappointing and the service was just adequate with little or no personal love or care. My wife had the muscles which weren’t too bad but swimming in a fluorescent green soup…over the top on garlic so not well balanced. As for the smoked mackerel pâté…it arrived in a cold block which must have been 80% butter, there was some spinach and bizarrely a cut cherry tomato in this block along with what looked like finely grated carrot…the minuscule amount of mackerel wasn’t nice either, very little smoke, no seasoning and 2 small bones. I can’t remember ever having such a poor dish, which I paid for. Very sad and so wish we’d waited for a table at ‘fresh from the sea’ I hope we just went on an off day because the character of the building and the location are perfect for making this a hugely successful business.

An impromptu meal as the restaurant booked had policy of no dogs. Dog friendly, ate upstairs, great staff, real taste to the bisque we had. Looking around at other people’s dishes they looked equally as delicious. So pleased we found this little gem.

Made to feel very unwelcome as bar staff gave me an odd look when we said we werent eating any only wanted a couple of drinks. The food looks lovely there and it is lovely inside but felt like eyes were on us the whole time waiting for us to leave.

Popped in for an impromptu lunch and had some delicious swordfish on toast with fresh salad and greens. Amazing, and a lovely old building.

The rudest member off staff I have ever come across . She was extremely sarcastic and made me feel so unwelcome. I purchased a drink from the bar and asked to use the toilet but she was just nasty. So much so that I took my party of 9 diners elsewhere as I couldn’t face going back in the restaurant.

We stopped here on our way to Padstow and it was an amazing dinner. The mussels with a parsley, spinach and garlic oil are exceptional and a stand out dish. Thanks very much!

Food was fantastic, location fantastic, staff fantastic

Fantastic greeting when we walked in. Lovely atmosphere , had the pork and chorizo and it was superb.

The quality of the food we had was excellent, however we were so disappointed that half the menu was unavailable at 7.15pm. We were advised SOME of the menu was not available and this then changed when we went to order. The starter arrived before we got our drinks and the overall service throughout the evening was really poor. I felt bad because I think they were understaffed but we waited 25 minutes for tap water (after asking twice) and my husband was still waiting for a mussel bowl and I’d already half eaten my main meal. We didn’t bother with desserts as we had already spent the best part of £100 for the evening. To be fair the cocktails were really lovely and one waitress in particular was very apologetic and I think quite embarrassed at the whole situation. By the time we left, someone had sent back a salmon which was undercooked and the person behind us was asked if they like a lift to McDonalds as even more of the menu was unavailable. Such a shame, as we chose this over other restaurants for our meal and the menu items we wanted were unavailable. We asked for the discretionary service charge to be taken off the bill and at that point the lady came to take payment and was quite abrupt and rude. She clearly didn’t realise we were actually going to be leaving a cash tip. After her attitude we decided not to. To top the evening off, both myself and my husband felt ill once returning to our hotel, both very bloated and pretty angry after the experience. I hope this is a one-off. We certainly wouldn’t recommend as clearly someone else needs to be in charge of ordering food and the staff need some more manpower!

Lovely. Fresh seafood. Lots of people (September) so must book ahead.

One of the best meals I’ve ever had, let alone the best almost completely seafood meal I’ve had! 10/10 and would definitely come back As we were camping in Port Isaac, our plans for a barbecue were scuppered by the remnants of Storm Lilian and the staff at The Mote kindly squeezed the two of us and the dog in for a last minute reservation. From this point on I couldn’t fault the staff. We opted to sit on the little outside seats which had a handy overhead heater. We got a trio of starters, and each one seemed to get better than the next; my wife can be a little hit or miss with fish dishes but we both cleaned up the crab bruschetta and the smoked mackerel pate (the dog got to try a little bit too, of course!). Our mains were a good old haddock and chips, cooked perfectly, so the batter was crispy and tasty; and my wife had garlic and parsley mussels which were strangely gone before I could try any! Wouldn’t be right to finish a review without mentioning our view as the sun went down behind us - couldn’t have been a more perfect way to round off our trip to Cornwall!

Been recommended to us by a local but sadly this day the kitchen was not at their best. My wife got food poisoning with the crab ciabatta, the sauce was missing in my fish burger and kids fish&chips portion was so small with a soggy batter. The service was ok. 78£ for lunch incl soft drinks we found it was a lot for the quality of food but there is a premium to pay for such a beautiful location

What can I say!! Food,Venue and staff all perfect!!! The restaurant is just so cool and unpretentious with a fabulous atmosphere with brilliant super attentive and friendly staff. The food was out of this world, having just spent two weeks in Sardinia I thought that that food could not be rivalled ….i was wrong! This place is a total gem and worth every penny.

I was curious about this place, decided not to, another nice place selling chicken wings, even decent places cater for the kfc generation...

actually really good. £20 for fish and chips but a very tasty treat and served quickly

The best fish and chips I've ever had. Knew it was going to be great when I saw the chilli in the curry sauce. The peas were punchy with mint and the batter was very light. The fish was white and fresh and fell apart as it should. If you visit post Isaac. The fish and chips from The Mote is a must!! The service was also very good. Unfortunately the WiFi was down so some issues paying, but this was resolved at the outside bar.

Locale molto carino sul porticciolo del paese. Abbiamo preso due pesci al forno ed il gelato. Un po caro ma comunque era buono. Consigliato

Atmosphere lovely and staff very nice and attentive. Food looked and smelled amazing but lacked flavor. Was bland.

So good we dined here twice in a short stay in Port Isaac. Lovely food and service in a lovely old English building. Very hospitable and not overpriced like a few restaurants are in the port, I thoroughly recommend a visit.

Everything excellent, very impressed, thank you so much, best place in Port Isaac. Excellent value and great portion size. Loved by all.

Lovely lunch. Fair price. Nice building and setting. Good service

Absolutely fabulous. Walking from Clovelly to Polzeath we were delighted to find this place after the culinary deserts of Bude and Tintagel (Cheesy chips, barbecue sauce, awful pizza and the worst Cornish Pasties we have ever tried). We were so pleased we had lunch and supper. Food of a very high order, friendly staff and the proprietress plainly took pity on us both times (late for lunch, but we were still served, and the restaurant was heaving at supper time - always a good sign! - yet she still found a table for us). Our highest recommendations.

Food and service were excellent. Nicely relaxed atmosphere with a great location. If you get chance have a pre dinner drink on the quay side.

A wonderful position by the water. It has lots of tables ground and 1st floor and a relaxed atmosphere. The staff are very welcoming and the service is excellent. We chose from the daily specials and I had the tapas which was very tasty and creative. My little grandson loved his macaroni cheese. Try it!

We were treated to a fantastic meal at the Moat. The staff were very friendly and attentive. There was a very lively atmosphere and even though it was full we received great, well timed service. The food quality was excellent, the menu had a good balance so cater for all tastes. There was plenty of local produce on the menu which is very welcome. All in all a great evening, thank you.

Always visit the Mote when we come to Port Isaac. Couldn't fault the food or the service from beginning to end. The service and atmosphere are excellent and it really is a fantastic evening - a highlight of our week. Particular highlight was the sauce with the mussels, the Crab bruschetta and the sea Bream special. All absolutely fantastic. See you next year!

Amazing food, amazing wine, friendly staff. Definitely recommend a visit for delicious seafood, and we’ll definitely be returning.

Lovely restaurant, mussels were fresh and really tasty, 4 of my group ordered the chateaubriand and were really disappointed, at £75 for 2 people, the meat was chewy and the portions small, they had asked for the meat medium and it was medium rare... we did mention it at the time and they did kindly take the price of a bottle of wine off the bill...but with a un mentioned additional service charge added it was still a really expensive meal...which is fine if its cooked well and you don't need to fill up on toast when you get back!! The rest of the food was nice and the service was good and friendly.

Fantastic food and staff. Highly recommend going out of your way to eat here. The mussels and battered fish were both great and the staff were brilliant!

The place is nice but the food is very expensive compared to the portions and with little variety.

Very pleasant staff., unlike the one member of staff in The Golden Lion, who I presumed was the owner.

Stopped off while visiting Port isaac food and service was lovely

Amazing food. Rubbish wine. Poor service. But the food is really nice

The is an absolute gem in Cornwall. Every dish we’ve ordered is rich and full of flavours, creative yet hearty. Very big portions and the vibe is superb. And it sits literally at the port of Issac. Will come back again every time we come to Cornwall.

10£ for one and a half pieces of bread with butter. Overpriced aimed at ripping off tourist.

Thank you to the Mote for looking after us with Lunch. Great food and the service was excellent.

Fish covered in stodgy thick batter and even though the fish was nice it was a small portion. The chips were frozen oven chips, the cider was nice as was the peas and tartar sauce but very low class fish and chips. The bill did have added service charge WE ARE NOT AMERICA.

Nice place Nice food Nice Staff Nice Location

At the shanty festival we asked about an indoor seat for 2 people. The service craft told us the time and wrote down our name in the PC. After 90 minutes of waiting for our seats we came back and they told us we have only a place outside and give you a blanket. Without sorry or something else. After some minutes of waiting the options were to take the seat outside or leave the place. A restaurant in this price category needs a better service...

Great venue for my daughters 16th birthday with added plus of the sea shanty festival. Great singing and great food in an excellent atmosphere. Thanks Team. Chris and family.

Really tasty food. However, extremely pricey and poor value for money. £10 for 4 small slices of bread and butter with oil. When we asked the waitress how many wing you get per portion she said “quite a few”. Each portion was extremely small and came with 3 small wings and was £9 per portion. Good food but extremely overpriced. I get that the location is popular but the basics are overpriced.

Had the seabas which tasted so fresh & thoroughly enjoyed it, all the staff were so friendly and helpful, highly recommend trying the seabas

Really enjoyed our meal and excellent service. Dog friendly 👍

Lovely friendly staff and lovely setting right on top of the harbour. Food is over priced and some of the food was either over cooked or not cooked enough. I ordered a bottle of my favourite champagne to be given a £35 bottle of cheap champagne and charged £95 for the pleasure. I also ordered a birthday cake at £30 which I was happy to pay, when ask for a box to take away what hadn't been eaten we were told the staff were looking forward to what was left. Please note they do add a service charge on your bill. The cheap champagne, cake and service charge lof £35 came to half the bill. In total £360.00 for 4 people.

Quirky little pub / restaurant. Lovely friendly service. Not cheap, but the food is delightful. This may be the best fish and chips I have ever had. The hispi cabbage small plate was also divine.

Here is a restaurant that is punching way over its weight. Starter (hispy cabbage) was virtually raw, pate was nice but served with burnt bread. Dirty wine glass, bent forks. Crab linguini was nice but the crab got away. Sort of ok at half the price but way too expensive for what we had. Sorry.

Disappointing and mediocre. I came here with my family last night and we all walked away with dissatisfaction. The bread and butter plate for £10 was misproportioned; 3 slices of bread (4 people at table) and 200ml of olive oil and 50g of butter. The Cornish tuna special arrived grey, over cooked and tasteless, the crab linguini had no crab and the cauliflower shawarma appeared to be overcompensating for taste with a colorful smear of beet purée. The Mote appears to be making glorified pub food at £50 per person prices. I would not recommend. I would stray away from the wine list. Both the white and the red were meh.

Fresh fish and chips, great service.

Brilliant food amazing quality. The mussels were phenomenal and the kids fish and chips were amazing despite being for a little one. They just don’t skimp at all. Quality from start to finish.

What a little gem! We managed to get a table at lunch and so glad we did. The service was great and very friendly, especially with a toddler and baby. The staff were very accommodating even to the many streams of people coming in with children, dogs and all. I had the best mussels I've ever had!!! Just wow and my other half had the crab sandwich, again amazing. Pricey but except it with a location like this and food that tastes good. A must if you're in the area.

We had a fantastic lunch here today. The food was great as was the service. We were lucky to have a table upstairs overlooking the harbour too. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant.

A lovely find in Port Isaac. Nearly didn't stop, as it looked full downstairs, but there is plenty more space upstairs too. The braised cabbage was delicious, so too was the baked chorizo with hummus. Service was excellent.

Cosy atmosphere and friendly staff . I ordered cod with peperonata, olives and chorizo for £27. No other veg or starch included so another £6 for the chips. Very disappointing with small piece of cod and bits of red/pink looking chorizo. Poor value for money!

Brilliant little pub and restaurant. We stopped by one evening for a pint and some mussels. All very pleasant and the food was delicious. We took the dog with us as we enjoyed the food and beer.

Loved the food and the atmosphere. The roasted cod and the scallops were amazing.

Great restaurant starter of mussels and soda bread I recommend!

Great Central location, lovely staff, felt right at home

Absolutely gorgeous food! Lovely interior, good atmosphere. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Fantastic selection of creative dishes on the menu. Specials board - very good. We had the crab rarebit with lemon & chive mayo and a side of rosemary fries. The rarebit was sublime! Wish this place existed where I live!

Out on a stroll in Port Isaac. Limited lunch options as we had our golden retriever with us. The staff made us most welcome. Nice coffee and two starter plates. One of arancine and another of Korean chicken wings. Extremely tasty and served with a smile. Very good!

Went for drinks in the daytime and evening, and dinner one night too. Staff were friendly, helpful and welcoming, and thoroughly professional. I had Doombar beer and wife had the local cider each time. Both were perfect. Food was fabulous. We both had the fish and chips, and the haddock was fresh and tasty, and the meal freshly-cooked to order. The atmosphere is cosy and it's easy to chat to other customers. We were lucky enough to get the window seat upstairs in the daytime, which overlooks the harbour street approach and slipway, and provides the perfect spot for people-watching. The outdoor bar was being painted while we were there, and looks to be the perfect spot for refreshment when the weather warms up.

My husband and I enjoyed a great meal at The Mote while staying in Port Isaac. The service was excellent and the food was delicious. We would definitely recommend it.

Such a lovely meal. The scallops were perfectly cooked along with an utterly delicious goats cheese starter and cod risotto special. We genuinely preferred this to Outlaws Fish Kitchen and it was a fraction of the cost.

Lovely surprise find by the harbour. So good we went back 3 times. Friendly staff, very dog friendly (on the third visit our 3 dogs were treated to some sausages by the chef). Gluten free options were plentiful - had to go back for the crab rarebit, it was so good. Great service, food and wine options. Definitely recommend & hope to be back again soon.

Nicest food I've had in ages. Staff were lovely, super friendly. The scallops were delicious, I really enjoyed all the food including the mussels. I couldn't pick fault with anything if I tried. Really glad we popped in here. If I'm ever back in Cornwall I will be going back here for food. Try, the scallops. You must!

Great restaurant in a super spot just by the slipway. We arrived without a booking and were accommodated after a short wait. Very dog friendly, welcoming service and superb food and wine. The crab rarebit was especially good. A great alternative to the pricier Outlaw restaurants in the area and family friendly. Would highly recommend.

We had a lovely birthday party luncheon. Friendly owner and staff. Good food and service. Nice cocktails 🍸

The mussels are great and so is the gin and tonic, and the service is also very nice

After walking in to a very beautiful surroundings and ordering a basic Haddock and chips was very disappointed with the size of the portion in comparison to the price, they offered more chips and added about 4, but the portion was the least of the problems, the batter was soggy and the chips were still hard in the middle and not light and fluffy. We will not be recommending this place to anyone. Very disappointing to think that this once stunning Cornish fishing village has now become a place where they over charge for poor things to the tourists, we are not tourists but Cornish folk out for a walk.

First night we had drinks and decided to book in for dinner the second night. I can say staff welcoming just for drinks and service was good. Our second visit, no exception, warm environment and welcoming, nice and relaxed atmosphere. Food choice, great, I’m not a fish foodie, but the food tastes absolutely delicious. A shared desert wasn’t an issue, but ticked the box just right. Looking forward to coming back soon, thanks for food and service.

Lovely place to eat on a cold winter day. Both had mushroom soup really tasty, and dog friendly.

We loved the Mote so much we went back for lunch with the family the following day after having been there for an anniversary dinner, just the two of us. Having arrived for a family holiday, we discovered most places were shut last week, so felt very lucky that it was open and so good! You just had the feeling that anything you ordered off the menu would be delicious. They also catered for my gluten free needs brilliantly - I had a good range of choice for starter & main and was thrilled to discover that not only was the chocolate torte on the specials GF but that it was also divinely good (not a given with GF). I ordered the crab rarebit for lunch the next day and they’d run out of GF bread, but the lovely manager kindly put on her hat and coat and went straight out to get some! A Gluten Free Hero for sure!!

Wow . What a great place . My first time to this beautiful seaside village and I did not disappoint. We were lucky enough to walk past the mote just as it was opening for coffee . The staff were really friendly and welcoming . So much so we took the car back and got a taxi back . I had the goats cheese starter with Parma ham . It was delicious . Followed by the crab linguine which is quite possibly one of the best dishes I have ever had . I’ll be back to visit this beautiful place and I no just the place to go to when I’m there . To all the more staff well done

A bit disappointing. Food was tasty - crab sandwich and crab rarebit (you just have to in Cornwall), but service was very slow - well done for the complementary drink though - and it wasn't very good value.

A True Cornish delight.. Everything you desire for an evening meal out: Lovely friendly people, Beautiful atmosphere and delicious food! We are already looking forward to returning..

We went to the Mote early on New Years Eve Lovely restaurant get ambience The staff were all dressed up making it very festive and sparkly lovely food with great friendly service. we went the following day for drinks equally as good

We has heard great things about this place and so we’re quite disappointed with the meal. Firstly due to the weather having been wet, the smell of dogs was pretty horrid(I own a dog). Perhaps dogs could be either up or down instead of both? My husbands chips were not fully cooked and my dessert was served by a sultry young woman and was tepid instead of hot and so apologetically I returned it.She said nothing and I waited a further 15 minutes for my replacement dessert. It was not served with a smile or apology …. The older lady was lovely and chatty! It just all felt a bit tired and unloved. Dead flowers on each table too!

It’s sad to have to be this harsh, but we agree with the ‘what a shame’ review about New Year’s Eve. A New Year’s Eve dinner is a special occasion and had it been any other night where we could have tried somewhere else instead, but we were a captive audience and tried to make the most of it. We arrived for the second sitting right on time, the table wasn’t ready. We waited around 15 minutes and weren’t offered any drinks while waiting. When shown to our table, the finishing touches were not there, small points, but the flowers in the bud vase (chrysanthemums I think) were shrivelled and dried up. It takes a long time for those flowers to die. I looked around at other tables, they were the same. They looked leftover from before Christmas. The candle was not lit and nobody bothered to while we were there. When our drinks order was taken it took around 10-15 minutes to get them and they weren’t served as requested, one missing ice, the other lemon. The menu was OK, but no veggie / vegan / fish salad option either as starter, mains or light bite? Perhaps I could have requested that, but husband enquired about chipped potatoes with the steak instead of dauphinoise potatoes and was told that wouldn’t be possible. I am sure there must have been a solitary potato in the kitchen that could have been chipped? No ice cream or sorbet option for dessert? Despite hoping that things would improve, that didn’t happen. I think the final straw was allowing dogs upstairs. One set of diners had one dog, I thought that was a one-off. Then another set of diners arrived with two dogs. I love dogs, but as the weather was somewhat damp outside I could smell them over the food. I think this new policy should have been publicised. We cut our losses and didn’t order a dessert. We had paid a deposit in October, that, initially wasn’t deducted from the bill until we queried it. Were we supposed to have received a copy of the menu before the event so our preferences could have been considered before the event itself? I am not sure, but I did have to contact the Mote about email circulation lists at the booking stage, which they did seem genuinely mortified about and then the same thing happened again just before Christmas. The Mote used to be our favourite spot in PI, we have returned so many times over the past 10 years or so and even have a photo of the upstairs window table on our kitchen noticeboard as a reminder of so many great evenings. Perhaps the Mote will be great again, but it has an awful lot of work to do 😔 (Have attached our favourite window table photo)

What a shame, seven of us went for dinner on New Year’s Eve. Clearly a great opportunity for pub/restaurant to make money but the multiple sittings didn’t really Work. Most of our mains were great but after a lengthy delay four of the desserts were inedible. A real shame and whilst Lindsey and her team were great and removed items from the bill just missed being a great evening. Such a shame but hopefully a few lessons learnt. Happy New Year

Stopped off here on boxing day for coffee In the sunshine While Children played on the beach great service great coffee.

Stopped off here on boxing day for coffee In the sunshine While Children played on the beach great service great coffee.

Good food, very vibey restaurant, cozy atmosphere. Our table was oval and slanted in the corner, obviously due to the ancient floor slope, which could be propped up to prevent items sliding. Service was friendly but not very attentive. Wine bottle merely brought to the...

There were 5 of us and we all had a lovely meal, the food was good & the staff were very friendly. The restaurant location is perfect. The restaurant had a good atmosphere.

Fantastic food, location and people in a beautiful Cornish village. We visit regularly and highly recommend.

Friendly efficient staff and delicious meal in a great location. The only disappointment is that it is closed for the next 2-3 weeks.

Ordered 2 mains which whilst tasty enough were in my opinion overpriced, Not a huge fish pie and not a lot of crab in the linguine. Maybe the sample menu on the website could be updated to better reflect current prices. The dining area areas...

Lovely food and lovely staff. Would recommend this place 👍

The mussels would tend to best ever. The fish and chips we great as well.

My wife booked the Mote for my 65th birthday, just for the two of us during a two night stay in Port Isaac. We were both really looking forward to our evening, but our experience left me not just disappointed, but quite upset. My wife’s...

Lunchtime menu was reasonable price and good choice of food. Mussels were excellent. Husband had fish and chips which was also very good.

Lovely food and friendly staff in this quaint harbour restaurant. A well priced menu with a good level of choice. Very dog friendly.

Nell'affascinante porticciolo di Port Isaac questo piccolo gioiello dal sapore antico dove ospitalità e ottimo cibo fanno passare delle ore davvero piacevoli. Il "must" è sicuramente il crab sandwich, ben servito, saporito, gustoso. Ottime birre, servizio sorridente, location accogliente, prezzi giusti.

The crab linguine was excellent but the portion was huge. I'll forgo a starter in future.

Beautiful restaurant in Port Issac with incredible views from our table upstairs. There was a great feel/atmosphere to the place, and the staff could not do enough to help. We ordered the fish pie, crab sandwich, and children's fish and chips. The fish pie was the best I've tasted anywhere in the world. All meals were beautifully presented, and all ingredients looked and tasted fresh. We have a lovely meal and would definitely return when visiting the area again.

Great service, great venue, best Linguine I have ever had. If I lived closer would be in every week!

On holiday. A very lovely dinner out at the Mote. We have been before and will surely return. Very nice menu options and friendly service.

It was more expensive than previous visits and there was far less food. We were also overcharged.