The Mowhay Cafe in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

Dropped in on the off chance of getting a roast dinner. Service was great. Roast beef dinner was lovely. Even down to the freshly cooked vegetables. Don’t get me started on the Yorkie.

Spotted this little place on the road to Polzeath and thought we’d give it a try. So glad we did. We had an amazing brunch, so tasty and made with beautiful ingredients. Friendly staff and cosy atmosphere. We will certainly visit again when back in Cornwall. The evening meal menu looked just as good.

Arrived just before three and told that it was closed although my friend had looked at the website where it said closing at 4.00. Person trying to send us away said that was absolutely not right but we had a screen shot of the info to prove. We were then shouted at by the adjacent shop owner and told to leave immediately as they would be closing the gate to the parking area, she then told my pal that he didn't like his wife's attitude one bit. My pal's wife had organised our visit. We had driven a long time to get there and it should have been a late summer treat. We will never return.

Best breakfast in polzeath area bar none. We've been coming to Mowhay for a few years, wish we'd found it earlier! It's slightly higher priced but don't be put off, the quality and portions are excellent. The garden is a special spot and the restaurant indoors is lovely.

Booked this for my girlfriend’s birthday lunch today - we hadbeen excited to try out the Mowhay since seeing it earlier in summer. The website showed availability for our desired time of 1pm so I booked it early this morning and said it’s a birthday meal. A car had flipped in the road just down towards the beach so we were delayed in getting there and had to take a long loop. I called ahead and asked can we change the time to 1:30. Long story short it was a no - and that they’d tried to contact me already to ask to come earlier because they’re not busy which wouldn’t have worked for us anyway. I said we’d do our best to be there asap. The response to that was not polite and really tainted the whole idea already. Considering I’d booked it on the day as it was clearly available and was not a late slot for lunch I thought that was very odd. I then called again on the way with an ETA of about 1:15 and I was told ‘they’re going to close at 2pm anyway’ as it’s not busy enough. Of course that’s not enough time for a nice lunch and just a very odd approach from a business to a customer. When I tried to explain it’s a birthday meal and that’s really not great from their side I was spoken to impolitely with no apology for what had happened. The lady on the phone was speaking down to me as if it was completely ridiculous for them to stay open completely disregarding the special plans we’d made, trusting they would stick to, as any good restaurant would. Safe to say won’t be attempting to visit again, and wouldn’t even try if I were you. They’ll probably tell you not to come and/or they’ll speak to you like S***

The wood burner was roaring and the food was fabulous. I had Scallops for a starter which is a favourite with me and the Hake Fillet with chorizo for my main. It was cooked to perfection and I had a delicious coffee to finish. A lovely evening - couldn’t recommend it enough.

Lovely dining room with lots of art on the walls and a warm, inviting atmosphere. I had the parfait to start with the most delicious chutney I’ve ever tasted and my partner declared the soup very tasty. The pork loin was incredibly juicy and perfectly cooked and the hake I had was nothing short of sensational. We couldn’t manage a dessert unfortunately but the options were very tempting. The service was friendly, professional and attentive with things brought out without any huge wait. I really recommend this unassuming from the outside restaurant for a surprisingly sophisticated and artfully cooked meal in charming surroundings.

Visited for an evening meal while staying nearby. This place is small but rather than being cozy is a bit soulless feeling like an art gallery with tables. The food was good. I had tiger prawns then a tasty tagine but I thought it was overpriced given the surroundings. Service was friendly and welcoming My wife is never too impressed when there is only one white wine by the glass on offer!

Fantastic food as usual. First time for lunch and it was so fresh. Great location and reasonable. The waitress is so down to earth and friendly.

Booked in on the off chance and we were absolutely delighted We had scallops and Mackerel starters Sea bass main was perfect Definitely be back

Just the job! Fab food Lovely service Warm atmosphere Great value for money Vs other local restaurants Give it a go! Delicious!

Very good menu with lots of variety. Good quality ingredients and tasty food. You can take a dog inside and there is outside seating.

Fabulous food Prawns for starter followed by Hake. Staff were very friendly and we had excellent service.

Absolutely fab restaurant, small cozy, art for sale on the walls, in an old small rustic agricultural out building, food as good as it gets. Can be tricky getting a table but the food is fab and perfectly presented. The whole experience is beautiful unfussy and relaxed, perfect for a relaxed evening with great attention to detail. If in doubt GO !

Fantastic food and service. Lovely chilled evening meal. We had the squid and porthilly mussels with side of fries. Highly recommend

Came a couple of weeks ago with my boyfriend who had been for breakfast before but never dinner and we were blown away, there were 2 young blonde waitresses working who were both very knowledgeable and helpful, the scallop starter which was a special of the day was really amazing and we both had the roast hake for mains which honestly might be the best fish I’ve ever eaten, the New Zealand Sauvignon blanc that they offer is also some of the best I’ve tasted, although the price point does reflect that. Was a lovely evening through and through we will definitely return next year.

We enjoyed an excellent family dinner at the Mohay. Friendly, attentive staff and and a cosy, intimate ambience. We liked the chorizo starter and the Goan fish curry, roast Jake and Katsura monkfish mains. Definitely our best meal of the three local restaurants we tried.

We came here for lunch yesterday and were so impressed. It was lovely to sit outside, the staff were really friendly and the food was delicious. I had a halloumi burger which was great and my bf had the burrata which was also delicious. The portions are very generous, especially the fries. The specials sounded nice and the puddings looked delicious. In the future it would be nice to see some more main course salads on the menu. This is definitely a hidden gem and would highly recommend.

Excellent food, in a unexpected new find in the area for us! Amazing fish curry, along with some other fish dishes that the party of 6 ordered! Will be returning on our next visit to the area…much better than the over rated/ expensive Cracking Crab!

Top notch as always. Regular visitors, well at least two or three times a year for as long as I can remember and can't recall ever having a poor experience. Everybody quite rightly has a different idea of what constitutes good food and value for money, but still amazed by some peoples comments. - Prawn in shells served in a sauce being too messy - is there any other way to eat prawns!!!!! Keep up the great work.

Amazing, amazing, amazing. First meal was lunch on the day of arrival, and what a way to start our holiday. Great food, excellent service in really relaxed surroundings. Ate there twice more, each time without booking, and were found a table quickly and with no fuss. Can't recommend this place highly enough - a MUST during your stay, or a destination if you're not local as it's well worth the trip!

We visited today for the first time after the morning at the beach, we had the most tasty food. The burgers are amazing. The staff were friendly. Overall a really beautiful place to visit with great food

Very disappointing meal. Service was surly, menu very limited for vegetarians, food was mediocre and toilet facilities were better at our campsite. We went for dinner with our two teenage girls both of which were vegetarian. They ended up ordering chips, focaccia (replaced by sourdough...

The best pastrami sandwich I have ever had!! It's my favourite sandwich so I've tried a lot of different ones. Nothing will compare to this from now 👏 it's a must try if you're in the area

Very nice atmosphere, cosy, intimate. Food was good but not exceptional. Service polite but not fantastic - hence only 4 stars. We had four evenings at four local restaurants and this was good but the others were better so whilst nothing was wrong it didn’t...

Have driven past so many times and assumed it was just a small cafe (you can’t see if from the road). Decided to book lunch with friends. The quality and presentation of food was excellent. I chose the halloumi, with hummus, roasted mushroom and beetroot....

Down from S Devon for the day. Called in for modest lunch. Prices strong but modest lunch gorgeous. Waitress friendly and efficient, all good.

Delicious coffee and cake stop after a walk on the beach. The Sunday lunch looked amazing too but not enough time to enjoy. 😋

After a long walk along the coast, we made our way here and sat at a table under a shady tree where we were served by a friendly young woman. I had the chicken sandwich (DElicious) and my husband had "the most impressive burger" of...

A much anticipated visit but sadly it didn’t live up to our expectations. The menu was very limited and although we could “ mix n match” some of the dishes the food, although good quality, was not plentiful . For example my husband had pan...

Excellent dinner at The Mowhay as always. The hake was very good and the Biscoff cheesecake was delicious. It is pricey but so are all the other restaurants and bars in the area. I would highly recommend.

We have been visiting the Mowhay for many years during our regular trips to Polzeath, sadly this year we were disappointed for a few reasons, they have clearly decided to charge London prices, whilst the food was very good sadly it wasn’t worth what they...

The food was absolutely top quality. Fresh and delicious. We ended up going twice just to experience the food. It is such an understated restaurant, cosy and unpretentious but a definite cut above anything else. We would highly recommend it to anyone who is in...

I toyed with the idea of not posting a review as , selfishly, I don’t want this restaurant to get too popular! We visited it first as a pop in for lunch one day and all tried the fish burger which was amazing. So light,...

We’ve been to Mowhay the last 4 years running as the food is lovely and it’s right next door to our hotel. Each time we book we commit to our children ordering adult meals as they have a no child under 14 policy since covid...

We hadn’t been to The Mowhay since well before Covid. It has changed ownership but the same high standards prevail. I had Porthilly mussels as a starter. I then had monkfish with a curry sauce and rice. My partner had grilled mackerel. What a treat!...

Can’t review the food or place. We booked a table for 5 including our 5 year old son and my 79 year old mum at 6pm. We were then called a couple of hours before the reservation time so they could check if we have...

This review is not about the food because we didn't get to eat here unfortunately. I hear the food is good. However, I wanted to make readers aware that The Mowhay does not allow guests to eat outside in the evening and also will not...

We booked for a family meal and it turned out to be one of the most delicious we have had for many a year. All the dishes were full of tantalising tastes and perfectly presented. Service was delightful and the servers did everything with a...

It was a delight to eat at this highly recommended venue. The King Prawns we both had were quite exceptional and we enjoyed the rest of the meal accompanied by a good quality Chilean Pinot Noir. The service was excellent. A pleasure to visit and...

This is the best restaurant in Polzeath. The food is top notch, the service is good, the building is beautifully decorated with lovely art work on the walls. The only problem we had was it was hard to hear ourselves due to the tall ceiling...

Been twice before- amazing and very memorable - visited again July 2022 - very disappointing- steak and chips with a tomato and mushroom!! Sadly not worth the money !! Won’t be back - steak kebab - menu said strips of steak , but actually lumps...

I only have high praise for the food, but the service was so cold. This place is not cheap, how about asking how was our meal, did we enjoy ….nothing. That’s part of the experience guys! Lighten up and be more engaging. It’s Cornwall!

We were really looking forward to dining here and made a reservation online (paying a hefty whack of a deposit for the privilege I might add.) Upon arrival we were greeted and shown to our table, ordered some drinks - all smiles and welcomes at...

We visited the Mowhay on Saturday night for dinner with friends. Wow! What an incredible meal in such gorgeous surroundings. Everything about the evening was amazing. We started with the prawns and mussels which were so fresh and full of flavour. I had the fillet...

We visited the Mowhay for dinner with friends yesterday evening and we can safely say that it was one of the best meals we have ever had. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and the food is delicious. Each of our starters was fantastic but...

I really don't understand why everyone is raving about this place. We both ordered a starter and main and each one was a disappointment. My wife's mussels had silt in them and when we complained were told this is perfectly normal with no offer of...

2nd time I have been here ( so sorry I didn’t review the first time) Both occasions have been for very special reasons. The team there are fantastic and cope perfectly with a large group filling 2/3s of the restaurant. On both occasions the food...

Visited The Mowhay for Sunday lunch. We have eaten there on numerous occasions but not had Sunday lunch there before. We were not disappointed. I have to say it was the nicest Sunday roast out we have ever had. It was all delicious - the...

This is a special, quirky and amazing restaurant, a must if you are in Polzeath. The atmosphere is amazing and the food is great. Special mention to Izzy and Ellen, both friendly and lovely members of staff, the chef is also great and the Izzy...

Wow wow wow, cannot reccomend this lovely little restaurant more highly. I have travelled the very best places in the UK and the world and this is the best Sunday roast I have ever had. wonderful food and wonderful staff. Need to give it 9...

We were a group of 9 people celebrating a 70 th birthday. Staff were helpful and tolerant with us. Food was very good and freshly cooked. Would definitely return!

Excellent meal! Fantastic standard of cooking. Really clever flavour combinations. Brilliant service! Highly recommended if you are staying in the area.

Visited today and three of us had the roast and one mussels. Wow! Portion sizes great ;pickled cabbage, cheesy cauliflower, beef and roasties were divine. Didn’t realise a roast could be so good. Daughter devoured the banana dish and the extra honeycomb was cooked to...

We booked a table for two for Sunday lunch so we checked the tides, parked in Rock and walked along the beach and up the lane to The Mowhay. It was a gloriously sunny early October day and, although I understand they normally prefer customers...

We always visit at least once during our holidays to Cornwall and our recent trip was no different. We saw on their Facebook page that they had started offering a roast on a Sunday - being pretty fussy about a roast when going out as...

This is a little gem of a restaurant. We had steak, dal & hake followed by panacotta, chocolate torte & a cheese board, it all was absolutely delicious. Couldn’t fault any of it. This is a quaint, relaxing, atmospheric & comfortable dining experience. The staff...

Really lovely. Having pre-booked a few restaurants over the past months ready for our late summer week family break, a few cancelled due to the covid staff shortages. Rang the Mowhay and was given a cancellation table. On arrival the service was warm and welcoming,...

This is a gem, very relaxed as you have your table for the whole evening. The menu is changed regularly in order to provide the best and freshest of ingredients. We love this place.

One of our favourite places, the food is exceptional. Quirky interesting place, interesting menu, mainly fish. Looking forward to our next visit.

Visited the Mowhay for dinner at the beginning of July 2021 and it was wonderful. There was an interesting selection of dishes to choose from, all of which were delicious. I especially enjoyed the chocolate tart, which is still the best I have ever had....

Cafe is a misleading word this is a world class restaurant serving high Cali restaurants locally sourced ingredients. Fillet steak was one of the best I have ever eaten in the UK, the fish was fresh and the service immaculate given this was the start...

Our holiday walks often take us round the coast to Daymer Bay and up the steep hill to Trebetherick. By the time we reach the top we're in need of refreshments! Step forward The Mowhay. It has become our favourite watering hole and we were...

I can not fault this place. We booked for our wedding anniversary and the staff made us feel very special. So friendly and knowledgeable about their food and wine. Lovely laid back atmosphere, we didn’t feel rushed, the food was superb. I did have food...

This is a dinner review for when in the evening the cafe switches to a restaurant. The best advert for the quality of the food was that we all ended up eating/trying each other’s food as it was so good. The food is fresh ingredients,...

We have wanted to go back to the Mowhay for ages now, but due to the events of last year it just hasn’t happened. So when we got an opportunity to have lunch in there, we jumped at it. Amazing food and great service, but...

A cosy cafe with a chat as magic interior, this is a great pit stop for coffee and breakfast if you’re staying in the Trebetherick/Polzeath area. The food is excellent and reasonably priced (we had the scrambled eggs, avocado and smoked salmon on sourdough) and...

Super evening....fantastic food, fantastic service and fantastic atmosphere!! Such a lovely relaxed place to have supper.

Fantastic Dinner beautifully presented and delicious only one critism the dinner menu on line is a sample and has no prices at all. Show some prices so you can assess if this restaurant is for you. Your happy to show lunch and breakfast prices. Even...

What can I say , except Fantastic! Lovely food, fantastic service. If you are in Polzeath or Rock, don’t miss a visit for a lovely evening, lunch or afternoon tea.

Walking from Rock, we noticed this was the only cafe in the area. Very pleased we made the visit as the food is amazing. First Korev and a HUGE, tasty burger. Also very food reviews on the Hake Burger and Burrito. 4 clean plates. Thanks...

Fabulous, delicious and slightly unusual food, mainly fish, can't wait to return soon. I will be in touch to make another reservation.

The Mowhay Coffee Shop and Restaurant … This is a find’ – recommended! Utterly delicious , completely seductive. Seasonal British produce with a splash of sunshine” menu Clapping hands sign This is a destination restaurant .. a little away from town … but you will...

A fantastic restaurant. Friendly staff and delicious food served in very relaxed surroundings. Our second visit and we were not disappointed.

This was our first visit recommended by our holiday accommodation (Trewornan Manor) It was a great experience for dinner, food, service wines all very good, they also dealt with one of our party's coeliac/gluten-free very well. Well worth a visit.

We were recommended by friends to try the breakfast bap deal, but has just been taken over. Unfortunately the serving staff must also be new. No saucer or spoon with coffee, and we had to ask for sauces to go with our bap. I am...

Just devoured our order from The Mowhay, absolutely delicious - it was the last day of take aways, we both had a burger and chips and the service was great and the food couldn’t have been better. Will definitely be back when you are open...

I popped in to the Mowhay on my way home from an early morning shift for a breakfast burrito. The food was delicious and the service friendly and efficient. Will definitely visit again. I would post a pic of the burrito but it was too...

Great food great service! Have been to this restaurant many times over the years, the food always varies but is always very good l, highly recommended enjoy!

But a warm welcome and six excellent breakfasts. They included a full English, poached eggs and bacon on sourdough, vegetarian burritos. Our request to swap menu items was cheerfully accommodated and all our food was declared “really delicious” This is a quirky little place with...

Visited in mid Oct, the food was delicious, tasty and great value. The dessert was incredible, banana, almonds, cocoa, toffee- just unbelievable and so refreshingly different! I will definitely return when I am back in the area. We ate the mussels were incredible but the...

Pity we went here on our last night, because if we had tried it before we would have been back. Excellent food, well presented, compliments to the chef. All the staff very good. Wonderful relaxed atmosphere. What a gem.

We had delicious lunches and cream teas at the Mowhay Cafe over the August bank holiday week. We have have been going for years and the food is as tasty as ever. We love the garden sitting under the trees.

The restaurant decor is charming with paintings by local artists and the staff were cheerful. The food was good quality. Atmosphere was relaxed and laidback. It's reasonably priced. There is a nice shop next door if you feel like browsing.

We visited Mowhay a couple of years ago in the pouring rain and it was so so good when we came back to Cornwall this summer we had to search it out again. Good is excellent, a good variety. But the most memorable thing for us were the dhaals and curries that were excellent. There is also a gallery on site with some lovely exhibits that you can look around whilst you wait for your order.

Really enjoyable. Everything was excellent. Great menu. Lovely food. Well presented. Great service. Good location. We’ll definitely be back.

This is a lovely place in a great spot above Daymer Bay. The ingredients are always fresh, the recipes creative and the staff could not be more friendly. There are separate menus for lunch and dinner; both are exactly what you will want from somewhere that prides itself on its connections to the local community. It’s not at all showy or fussy, just great food served by helpful staff. Highly recommended.

From start to finish, our experience of The Mowhay was fabulous. We went for a 1st wedding anniversary treat and were glad we chose here. The front of house staff were very friendly and attentive. The room is tastefully decorated with artwork, which you can buy (price is visable on items). The menu is varied as well as the drinks list. The waitress had a good knowledge of the food served and of the wines. As for the food itself, I wouldn't be able to do it justice with words. Just unbelievable. Portion size is definitely not a problem either, as with regret, could not finish my cod curry main. Apologies went to the chef. The price was on the high side, but well worth it for what we experienced. Would recommend.

A 10 minute walk from the main Polzeath beach the Mowhay cafe is a daytime cafe which becomes an excellent restaurant in the evening. The daytime food and drinks are fine, but the evening menu is something else. The starters are interesting with reasonable portions and the main courses are just great. My son and I both chose the fish curry, the flavour of which knocked spots of most Indian restaurants. Many places let standards slip when it comes to desserts, falling back on catering pack or ice cream. Mowhay desserts are made in the kitchen to order, and are a type and quality rarely seen. The service is capable and friendly, and the bill is reasonable given the quality of the meal. Our visits were a highlight of our week in Polzeath.

We came as a family of 8 for lunch and I can honestly say it was the nicest lunch we have all eaten for a long time, delicious. Definitely want to visit again before returning home.

Booking via Facebook wasn’t the easiest so we phoned. But from there, everything was splendid. Table for 2 in the comfortably compact dining room with eclectic decor and surrounded by local art for sale. Gin, elderflower and Prosecco cocktail followed by beautifully presented, well proportioned and tasty meals. See photos! Finished off with a deconstructed banoffee dessert as good as anything I’ve eaten recently. Reasonable value and excellent friendly service. Would definitely recommend. We left our teenagers having takeaway chips/pizza on the beach. Maybe not their style of food and we all had a better evening for it. Many Thanks.

Just returned from a fabulous meal, great food, lovely service. Love the colours and art work on the walls. We had a wonderful evening and will def be returning. Thank you!

Beautiful food, fantastic atmosphere and very attentive staff. A great menu, which is varied but not too extensive. I had fig with goats cheese, followed by mussels. My husband had fish cakes and then the sea bass. Faultless. My son had the chicken wings-which he declared were the best he’d ever eaten. Thoroughly recommend but please don’t book when we want to go back!!

We had scallops, hake, seabream and mussels - all really tasty and freshly caught. The atmosphere is good and the staff really excellent.

We booked The Mowhay for the last night of our stay and honestly felt that we’d kept the best till last. The menu offered plenty of choice and the quality of the food was extremely high. There were four of us: two adults and two older teenagers. For starters we enjoyed chicken wings, focaccia with figs and goats cheese and two different types of scallops. Main courses were: sea bream x 2, fillet steak and vegan curry. Beautiful desserts but too full (apart from brownies for teenage son). Truly special meal, served beautifully in arty surroundings. Thank you, Mowhay.

We ate here at the beginning of our holiday, and I was expecting to love it, but somehow I didn’t. It didn’t taste quite as good as it looked.

We have stayed at St Moritz for years, however for reasons unknown we had never dined next door at the Mowhay .... but will definitely make it a regular spot from now on.

The Mowhay has always been a favourite of mine because of its quirkiness & plus I like the owner but I must confess I haven’t been here for a few years as I’m rarely in the area.

This small eclectic dining venue was one of our favorite places to eat on our recent hiking tour in Cornwall. The decor is very artsy and there is a small shop in the restaurant with interesting local artists' goods for sale as well as a few other items. The cafe is full of color and art and is just a fun place to dine. The food is amazing! There were 8 of us dining and everyone enjoyed their meal. I especially liked the scallop appetizer and sea bass entree. I highly recommend this place. Reservations are a must!

Ein absolutes Idyll nur wenige Meilen vom Zentrum in Padstow entfernt. Die Einrichtung wurde mit sehr viel Geschmack und Liebe zum Detail eingerichtet. Es ist sehr gemütlich. Würden wir dort wohnen, kämen wir sehr sehr oft!