The Mussel Shoal in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

Saturday lunch time. Sun just broke out over the harbour. Back against the harbour wall … sun on our faces… and food to die for… smoked haddock and butter bean chowder , Cornish mussels and crispy bread and a pint of sweet Appleseed cider. Superb!! Don’t tell anyone!!

Fantastic spot right on the harbour staff are really funny. We had crabby carb and scallop bollock fries amazing. Oh and don't forget to ask for a Nigel 😳

This is going to be a very mixed review I'm afraid!!!! We read all previous reviews and sounded a great little quirky place , great views with outdoor log burner !! But the girls (two out of the three ) need to be educated on how to treat their customers. when I placed my order for two cocktails and food one turned to the other and said 'Maybe'...and started laughing. Didn't really get it ? In joke ? then the one that was making my husbands drink Kept asking if he wanted it extra hot spice ? I think she was trying to be funny ?? He said no just normal but she loaded it with spice anyway and my cocktail didn't have any alcohol at all ! They were so busy joking around that they weren't concentrating on the job !!.. I joked and said have you been at the cocktails too ? It was if she was drinking more than serving ! However the lady with dark hair im sorry didn't get your name was great and cooked us some amazing food, felt like she was carrying the other two !!! Such a shame this little place could be so good . Im sure it"s just down to staffing issues ! The same girl shouted" love you" when we said thank you and bye shame we didn't feel the same way !!!!

Outstanding! Excellent food, fabulous staff, and stunning views! Bloody love it here!!

What a super find. A lovely relaxed place to sit and watch the world go by with a drink and amazing food. The staff were so lovely too. Views across the harbour were stunning and we would have visited more had we found it sooner on our visit

Rustic and unpretentious! The food, atmosphere, staff and view of the harbour make The Mussel Shoal a must when visiting Porthleven. The young girls running the place when we visited were awesome. 👍👍👍

Despite a rainy day best eating experience for ages. Had Mussels in garlic wine and cream with flatleafed parsley and great wholemeal bread to mop up. Jules went for garlic tiger prawns and French fries. Great music sitting outside overlooking the harbour drinking wine Thanks al

It's get your fingers dirty food. As they say it's fun, not fine dining, but best bowl of mussels ever. Very happy on a rainy Sunday afternoon

Fantastic setting with great food, really enjoyed our lunch, best meal our holiday

Superb mussels for lunch today, very friendly staff and such a lovely view! Highly recommend.

This local gem of a spot right on the harbour side gave me probably the best Haddock I’ve ever eaten earlier this evening (13th September). Called Hanky Panky on the menu the fish was super fresh coated in dead crispy panko breadcrumbs. The other family members had crab wraps which were lush, the garlic prawns properly swimming in garlic butter washed down with their own lager and a cider. Staff were lovely and super cool. Great vibe. Will be back soon.

A fun spot, wonderful views but most importantly I rushed to write this review as were the best mussels I have ever eaten, the sauce was just absolutely delicious!

Very good mussels ! The sauce ! Also had king prawns and a lovely cider.

This is my favourite place to eat in Cornwall the food and staff are so brilliant just makes me smile thinking how good it is, you absolutely must visit

Best place in Porthleven, staff are all brilliant and super friendly, the food is unreal, it may take a little longer to get your but they are cooking in a shed, get a drink and watch the sea next to the fire while you wait for amazing mussels or their chowder with crusty bread and butter. Loved it

Really great little food place! Lovely cute decorations and seating, dog friendly. Good selection and great quality. Even the tea and coffee was great! Great pricing for such good stuff. Staff were very friendly.

Terrible attitude from the staff when food and drink ran out. Appeared hassled and hot in the little cooking area. Snapped at customers and had no sense of humour

Staff are SUPER friendly and welcoming, food is great (highly recommend the mussels and dirty fries!) and their Pina Colada cocktails taste amazingggg and well worth the money 👌 It's also a great location with lovely views of all the boats ✨

Food is around average but need to wait for an hour

The mussels and scallops are the best I have ever tasted! (Please bring back the fish bhajis, they were also incredible). The food is worth the wait every time, this is not the place to rush, enjoy the music, view and chilled atmosphere with a drink! Our favourite place in Porthleven 🦀

The food and service here is superb!

Great authentic view, food and people. Amazing time!

Great location, but the positive comments end there. The service was appalling; it took an hour to get our food even though the place wasn't busy by the time our food eventually arrived. Also, the draft IPA was only being sold to locals, but was mysteries unavailable to me - I wonder if there's more profit in selling cans. Many of the menu items were unavailable - no mussels. Finally, it is expensive given the lack of facilities. I won't be going back.

Amazing food, right on the harbour. The beer is brillant. Lovely atmosphere. Fish dishes to die for with some nice twists. Highly recommend

The food is exceptional. Good drinks too, really cannot be faulted provided you don't mind ordering at the shack and sitting more casually than you might do elsewhere.

The best meal out I had in Cornwall a few weeks ago. Outstanding haddock chowder. Great atmosphere. Loved it

Absolutely loved it! went with the family and shared some mussels and chips, wine.. food was great, atmosphere very relaxing and upbeat.. staff very friendly and the owner a 5 start guy! Couldn't recommend it Highly enough!

Fabulous freshly cooked delicious sea food . The Chowder and the Salt and Pepper squid is superb . Stunning views of the harbour with a warm and friendly atmosphere. Highly recommend

Nice food, lovely location and very relaxed vibe.

3 of my family including myself have just been violently sick after eating the mussels. The other 6 went elsewhere and have been fine so we can only assume it is food poisoning. Tried to ring to make them aware, no answer, email address doesn’t work either. That’s taken an entire day out of our holiday. Avoid at all costs.

Don’t not eat here if you don’t want to ruin your holiday! All of us who ate here suffered with severe food poisoning within hours. Avoid the muscles, avoid eating here full stop!

Great food and atmosphere. The staff were friendly and the food was delicious. Lovely place to sit by the harbour.

Can't wait to return in a few weeks. Bestest food at brilliant prices

Really fresh tasty seafood. Sadly there were no mussels when we went but the prawns were the nicest we’ve had in Cornwall. Really generous portions served with a smile from the entertaining staff. Also the cocktails are yummy!

You sit by the harbour wall and we were lucky enough to choose the only sunny day of our holiday to go here! Three of us had mussels and they were the best ever and for the non fishy diners,fries with goats cheese which was also superb! We sat for ages drinking buckets of wine in the sun & had a most enjoyable afternoon. Staff were great!

Fantastic food and location. Layers of flavour. Surely some of the most exciting food in the region.

My favourite place for mussels and cocktails. We’ve had so many items on the menu: the chowder, crispy squid, dirty fries, prawns… Mussels are the best in my opinion and we always stop by when in town.

Great cocktails and food. Lovely sheltered spot with stunning views.

Mussels, prawns and chips with four drinks £54 , money well spent. We actually walked over the top of it not realising it was underneath us, quirky, street food with cracking views. We were in helston looking for seafood 🦞 on a sunny Monday afternoon, it's Cornwall, things close/open at strange times, we googled mussels and we found the Mussel shoals, we walked right past it , we saw the people on the harbour, then realised it was the Mussels shak, a great find with cracking views and wonderful food, the young staff are excellent and work really hard in a tight place. The music is also very good, my only slight issue was , a canopy to protect us from the seagulls, although most tables have a canopy, fortunately for us the seagulls didn't bother us too much. Definitely be back.

Overlooking the harbour but hidden from view. Brilliant menu, great food and even better music. Really can't fault and will definitely visit again. The crabby crab and scallop b****s dirty fries were so good.

The dirty shoal fries were 10/10, really nice vibey spot away from the busier pubs

What a fantastic, quirky little place. Totally Cornish in every way. Cool music, seaside seating, brilliant atmosphere. So different to eveywhere else. 4 of us had cider & seafood lunches. The Garlic prawns & whitebait with fries were lovely. Thank you to Marley, Connie, Saffron & Sarah for making our trip out to Porthleven extra special today. Noel 😍

Can't fault this plaice (see what I did there). Everything was perfect for our last night in Porthleven. The music was great, the setting, watching the boats on the harbour, was great and the food was outstanding. Had a great meal and thanks to the guys serving as well. Top sea food and vibe and that's all you need to know.

This is quite an informal spot for a drink or bite to eat, but what a spot: right next to the quay, views out to the rest of Porthleven and, if there on a summer's evening, you're in the sun until a decent time. There are no bookings here. You just turn up, grab a seat and order at the little hut. What they produce in there is so impressive. Quite a lot on the menu for such a small place and all so tasty! Mainly seafood, but a couple of meat and veggie options too...which suited me. All the food is cooked to order, so there's a little wait, but it is worth it. There's a decent range of drinks on offer, including their own Sea Foam beer, so ideal while waiting for food. One of the highlights of my recent Porthleven trip!

Great place, sitting with a view on the harbour, having very nice muscles and a regional beer. Lovely!

Stellar food, stellar service, stellar vibes - would give 6 stars if I could

An amazing little surprise. We decided to try here for lunch during our visit to Porthleven and we were amazed by the standard of food and drink from such a small building. We order the mussles and the crispy squid. It was great to see how fresh the food was (They were cleaning the mussles as they were pretty much straight from the sea). The portion sizes were huge and packed full of flavour. There is a wait for the food, which is completely understandable as the building it is prepared in is very small and it is all cooked fresh. It is most definetly worth the wait. We will be eating and drinking here again when we are next down. Visited again this year and the standard was just as high. If only it wasn't a 8 hour journey for me to visit.

Just can't be beaten for freshly cooked seafood. Lovely Lizzie and her team are always friendly and helpful and the music's great.

The chef is absolutely lovely and her 3 assistants are lovely vibrant youngsters. Honestly delicious langoustines and mussels alot more food for your money than some of the other places. Fresh delicious sea food. Rustic but it was lovely! Thank you!

This place served mind-blowing double fish and chips (or should I say fries). The pale ale was pretty good but I wouldn't recommend it for the price. The squid that we got was pretty good too.

The food served there is great. The employees create a really good atmosphere!!!

Picked up smoked haddock and bean chowder as a takeaway. 2 hours later we were at home eating THE BEST SMOKED HADDOCK CHOWDER EVER! Amazing flavours! Generous portions to bring away, and a great vibe while waiting. What’s not to like? Thanks guys 👏👏

What a lovely place to eat. The food is amazing and very tasty too. Portions amazing. Price great too. Great staff. A must place to eat and enjoy the views

Absolutely amazing food; all four of us have had the Filthy Fish Fries, I was going to tell what’s in the dish however that would spoil the surprise, loaded with ingredients and flavour. A prime location overlooking the harbour and easy accessibility at on end of the harbour wall, the other has steps. Great seating arrangements with canopies, as well as found it to be a bonus when it rained while we were there. An interesting choice of cocktails available, the brew their on craft ale, I’m being optimistic they will introduce at least one good ‘Real Ales’ to their menu too. Lively vipe, music playing in the background but not overpowering, children welcome, suitable for all ages.

The Best 👌 and with Gluten Free option !. The outside heater is perfect for colder sunny days. Staff was super friendly.

I’m heartbroken. Today was our first taste of the mussel shoal food and we leave in 2 days. It was divine and I’m tempted to return later on. The chowder was possibly the best thing I’ve ever tasted and the dirty fries with prawns and scallops was very close too. The weather is bleak but the food is outstanding. Go there. It’s a must

THE place for seafood. Great menu options. Try the amazing mussels! Note that they just provided outdoor seating, kitchen opens at 12.00.

Fabulous place on the harbour side, stunning location & excellent food, will definitely go again

friendliest team and incredible food, beers, music, you name it. first place i recommend to anyone visiting <3

Delicious food and drink served al fresco on a blustery day (heaters available) Generous portions of tiger prawns in garlic butter and fries with a warming spiced apple drink. Perfect!

Absolutely fantastic food, we could smell this across the harbour and thought we'd give it a try, we went back twice that week, the Thai chilli mussels were sublime, the dirty fries are a must, the garlic king prawns tasted amazing and the garlic mussels were a perfectly cooked classic, service with a smile and a joke, a little wait but well worth it for incredible food with a great view of the harbour, if you are near porthleven stop in.

So delicious. You will not be disappointed. I had the mussels and my husband had the chowder and both were so flavoursome. I can honestly say they were the best mussels I’ve had in a very long time. The chef was also very diligent with my allergy request and love all the recyclable packaging and cutlery.

The best Moule frites we've ever had!

Fantastic position overlooking the harbour, great food, down to earth staff. Made me smile, made my day

food overpriced for what it is. Our order got given to the wrong table, left there a minute, picked up from that table, then given straight to us. The waiter didnt understand how it was gross and why i was asking for it to be redone. He reluctantly took it back to the kitchen. When it came back, it got unceremoniously plonked down. The crabby crab dirty fries contained all of 2 scallops and 3 prawns- and i’m not convinced that it was a brand new dish that the other diner hadnt previously breathed on as the fries went cold way too quickly. Drinks totally overpriced and bad quality. Felt like Shoreditch-on-Sea. No thanks.

One of the best bowls of mussels I’ve ever had! Huge portions and very friendly service. Highly recommend!

Really querky place. Staff really friendly. Food lovely. Gorgeous view. Best in good weather although we sat quite happily listening to the music with our coats in and blankets are provided.

Very chilled vibe and atmosphere with lovely view across the harbour . Mussels were huge and there was plenty of them with 2 large pieces of crusty home made bread to mop up the sauce. Beer from the brewery across the road which was really nice and refreshing. A lovely way to while away a couple of hours in the sun

We went here last year and had a great experience, nice staff, beautiful food. So this year's vacation we came back. We checked the socials to make sure they were open because it was an ours drive. Very disappointed that they were closing up at 5 because it was someones last day and we got send away 😞

Heaven in a box best food I've had in years mouthwatering,best black shells I've eaten ever and don't forget the chowder , amazing will definitely be back

Quirky little outdoor eatery with harbour front seating and fresh seafood, it's a lovely place to sit, eat, drink and relax watching the sun go down. I've been waiting to go here since we didn't have time on our last Cornwall trip 2 years ago and I say it didn't disappoint! The mussels were the best I've had. I would highly recommend a visit. It was busy when we went but we managed to get a table.

Such a unique and funky little shack, good vibes and a good view! Food was really yummy, we didn’t get the mussels but I feel these are the star of the show. Will definitely return and try them! Staff are friendly, it’s a very chilled vibe so if you’re looking for a high class restaurant then don’t be surprised that it’s not! Great for a relaxed setting, good food/drinks. Great menu choice too!

Nearly six quid for a pint of warm lager in a plastic glass

If you've plenty of time on your hands, then pop in here. The staff were on a different planet and were treating the business as a hobby. Their high importance was to meet their local friends and have drinks with them rather than prioritising the paying customers. Food took ages, and when I was about to order, I was told the chef would be 5 or 10 minutes depending on how long her cigarette would take and if she wanted a poo. The food was ok, not as good as Catch just up the road. Enjoy the view of the harbour, but there are better places in the Port if you want a nice dining experience.

Best mussels I have ever had! Really plump & sooo tasty! Not overpowered by the sauce & lovely bread served with them. Squid was ok, not the best I’ve had and the prawns were lovely. My only criticism as we thought it was slightly overpriced for what it was.

Great value for money and great atmosphere

Great little eatery on the harbour, really delicious seafood, with friendly staff.

We had mussels arrabiata and marinere and it was amazing. Super fresh. The staffs/ chefs were friendly and attentive. A must to visit when in Newquay.

Delicious street food style seafood right on the harbour. Everything super tasty! Muscles deliciously creamy and huge! We just need to find time to go back and try more of the menu as we could have ordered everything as all sounded delicious!!

Love going home to my Shoal. Great food and great people.

Ha! What a great place! We had an absolute blast here, it’s so relaxed and layed back that we ended up eating off our laps sat on the floor and wouldn’t have changed a thing! With sun out providing a gorgeous view for everyone, that you are practically a part of given how close you are to the water btw, it got busy pretty quick, with the music and laughter and chatter all making for the perfect summer vibe. With a large array of drinks, cocktails too, as well as a decent food menu, astonishing really given the size of the place, you can sit here for hours just enjoying the moment and the atmosphere. We ended up having pickled mackerel for something a little lighter, and the tiger prawns, which would be a strong recommendation. Both were lovely! Fresh as can be. Shame they had sold out of muscles, but goes to show how popular the place is. Service was as happy as can be, with everyone seeming to be loving it as much as we were. Great place and you’re missing out if you decide to overlook it.

Had a lovely experience before and couldn't wait to come back. But this time staff weren't really interested, and we felt like we were interrupting their fun. The young lad was pretty annoyed and angry when we moved two tables over under cover from the rain and couldn't find us, even though there was only three tables occupied, I'm sure he could find us without having to show off.

Lovely simple and delicious food, super friendly staff, great cocktails. located at the harbour head it offers a fabulous view and a relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommended

Small menu and that’s all you need. Absolutely delicious mussels and haddock chowder. Dog friendly and reasonably priced too.

Out of this world delicious mussels with a fantastic view. Is it worth waiting half an hour in queue? Yes it is!

Love the no-frills feel to this place. If you love seafood then I recommend it highly, really lovely view by the harbour, and the mussels and prawns were by far the nicest I’ve had. So nice that we came back the following day for more. Of course it helped that we went on sunny days, as it’s all outdoor seating. Hats off to the staff who manage to cook delicious fresh seafood in a little hut! Will be returning as soon as possible

It may be a bit of a wait for the food, but it was genuinely worth it. The food was amazing. The mussels were so tender, with a beautifully rich sauce.

Was looking for mussels as love them and have been traveling round Devon to Cornwall and hit porthleven and trip advised a few restaurants but saw this little hut on the harbour and I said to my partner nahhhhhh but after looking at all the other menu’s around i agreed with her to let’s check the menu out and so being a very fussy person I was willing to give this place a go and let me tell you as I like good food and this place has totally and utterly changed my mind on what looks nothing was actually the best food we’ve had on our road trip so far and also the least expensive and by far the biggest mussels I’ve ever had

You have to eat here. Mussels amazing. Squid awesome. Nice cider and a proper chilled out vibe. You will wait for food but that’s the best bit. Mango Mayo as well!

Visited Cornwall for a short holiday and heard good things about mussel shoal. My boyfriend hates seafood but I managed to convince him to eat here, was not disappointed, he had the dirty fries and chorizo bites. 🤌 I had the crabby crab and prawn dirty fries. 🥵 It was honestly the nicest food I’ve had in a long time! And the nicest food we had during our stay. Portion sizes were great sadly couldn’t finish it all, as much as I wanted to! The location itself was a great vibe, nice music and was even made cosy in the bad weather with blankets and an outdoor heater. Wish there was a mussel shoal on the Isle of Wight x

Potentially the best muscles I ever had. Staff is very lovely

This is a little gem, food is excellent and the staff brilliant! The seafood is amazing and plenty of it, I would recommend the crab, mussels and squid

Best place in Cornwall! Food is incredible, really friendly staff as well. Would recommend the scallops!

This is a lovely little place to eat at. Placed within the harbour wall you look directly onto the harbour. The best part is the food, we had the mussels and tiger prawns and they were really fresh and delicious. The portion sizes were spot on and I would highly recommend if you are in the area. Porthleven was less busy than some of the more touristy areas but more lovely for it, if you have a chance take the time to visit if only for the food!

Great drinks and amazing girls running this cute kiosk

Best service ever, a great view and delicious food! Thanks a lot!

Very small.. staff so friendly. Food is amazing considering they are cooked in a tiny kitchen. Will deffo go back..

Never met such nice staff. Thanks :)

Great choice of street food sea food at a reasonable price.

Padron Peppers 🥇 Whitebait 🥇 Haddock 🥇 Superb food in a lovely. Great team, ace service.