The Rum and Crab Shack in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

If it's seafood you're after, then head for Rum and Crab Shack. Located upstairs and overlooking St Ives harbour, the food here is beautiful. It's also plentiful so you get your money's worth. Dog friendly.

Great food and service was good too.

Generous portion and super tasty. Especially loved the crab filled chips

Nice little find right on the beach. Great food and drink and the atmosphere was perfect for families. Highly recommend

Great place great atmosphere. What you want from a sea side town and the food is amazing! We had the crab share platter and couldn’t finish it. But taste amazing!! A rum list to die for!!!

Absolutely fantastic. Drinks choices brilliant, food exceptional! Highly recommend!!!

I had a wonderful time at this restaurant! The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed throughout our meal. The food was absolutely delicious – the jambalaya was flavorful, the mussels were perfectly cooked, and the crab linguine was a standout dish. The bar offered a nice selection of rum, which paired perfectly with the meal. Overall, the food was great, and the atmosphere was very welcoming. I definitely recommend this spot for anyone looking for a great dining experience!

Crab Mac and cheese was so good - like a seafood pie crossed with Mac. Partner had the Rum Ribs and the meat fell off the bone. Rum flights were amazing - choose 4 runs from the menu that come out all together so you can sip and mix however you like, over 100 on the menu and servers really knew what they were talking about, they gave great advice on what to try. Wish we lived closer as we would become regulars

Went there during the off season, almost empty. It was ok only. The staff and service was very good. But the food was not good, had between 4, jambalaya, mussels, crab linguine and dressed crab. Jambalaya had no flavour as used the wrong rice, mussels was nice but small portion and no bread or fries to soak up tha sauce, linguine just tasted of spice no crab cause too much spice and the dressed crab which was ordered as cold came with bread that was somehow colder in the middle. Nice bar and rum selection and the food is edible, but would not recommend it to someone to eat if they have other options.

We only had a few small snacks and it was greasy, fat and a little tasteless. Even the garlic bread was not cooked enough. It wasn’t for us this time

A must to visit if your are in St Ives!! Excellent food , well stocked bar, brilliant staff

I visited this establishment for a quick dinner. The restaurant was not crowded, and we were seated without difficulty. The atmosphere was dimly lit but relaxing. The food was satisfactory. The prices were slightly above average. I may return during the seafood season.

Went here for a drink on the evening and ended up staying for dinner because it was a nice vibe and lovely location with a view! .... What a mistake! The food was tasteless and poor quality. The chef came out of the kitchen a few times and seemed drunk? He was talking loudly and the bar staff served him another beer which they took to the kitchen!? He also looked very grubby and dirty clothes. Not pleasant to look at once we've eaten a meal. The bar staff were polite and efficient. Tegan had a good knowledge of the drinks. Which is the only positive. But I definitely wouldn't eat here again!

I had the seafood boil and it was amazing !!!!!

Been here twice this holiday! Food is ace and the cocktails are beyond worth the money. Super kind helpful staff, good to talk to and very professional!

The restaurant inside is very dark and you struggle to read the menu Service was excellent and friendly The food itself lacked a wow factor , whitebait needed seasoning as did the gumbo and bread was very stale The chicken wings we’re probably the best dish of the evening We left disappointed as expected so much more

£12 lunch deal fabulous. Staff fabulous. Atmospheric on a beautiful rainy day in January.

Great atmosphere, for young and old drinkers, spot on, would recommend..

First time visiting and we really enjoyed ourselves. Great menus, great service and our dogs were made very welcome

We visited a couple of times during our weeks holiday for the New Year celebrations. Both times we had a wonderful experience, nothing is too much for the guys that work here, they are so attentive. We loved our food and cocktails, even tried a couple of cheeky rums but not the ones from the Queens private collection (they were about £50 a shot). The place has a fantastic buzz about it and you are made to feel very welcome, even when they are extremely busy they will do their upmost to facilitate you.

Always my go to when visiting St Ives. Great cocktails, friendly staff, amazing atmosphere and it's dog friendly. 100% recommended!!

Went last night we shared the wings starter which were lovely. We also both had crab which was delicious . The service was excellent all the staff really pleasant and friendly. And the bill was very reasonable.

Brilliant love it there especially in new year just amazing

Overpriced and full of hipsters

The outside doesnt look that exciting, but the menu looked brilliant so we ventured in - to a warm welcome, rustic style, no-frills loft restaurant - Warm, comfy, Great friendly service, and REALLY TASTY food!!! The selection of rums looks great too! Crab Bisque delicious, just as I had envisioned, with a fresh crab sandwich in freshly baked bread - baked on the premises - you cant get fresher than that! - well presented, tasty food, plentiful portions (and I like that the crab hadn't been messed with by adding mayo as so many places do) Partner had delicious fish chowder & crab sandwich lunch deal £12 - what a great price for such a lovely lunch. We had an extra dish of Popcorn King Prawns to share, very good, nicely cooked with a crispy coating, a nice chilli kick in the sauce. Fresh Local produce, tasty and well priced, with swift, friendly, knowledgeable service. We will definitely be back to work our way through the menu. Thank you

Great place to eat. Decided to eat three days in a row. The food is plentiful and the taste is delicious

Excellent value for money the chowder and crab sandwich and the deal on the cocktails off the winter lunch menu. It was all delicious.

Me and my wife waited 2 years to come back, and now we are here! Staff are just great and very friendly. Amazing rum selection, great food, beautiful view of the harbour, and well cosy atmosphere.

Great cocktails, always lovely staff

Food was absolutely fantastic, really tasty jerk chicken and ribs sharing platter . The Staff were very quick, friendly and efficient

The house gin tasted like water. The staff gave me another drink when I fed this back so not bad service but unfortunately they gave me a top up of the same terrible gin and when I tried to feed this back they were unreceptive. I didn’t want another drink just for them to understand that their house gin was bad. It shouldn’t be this hard to give feedback.

The rum and crab shack was recommended to me by someone who's been visiting St. Ives for 30 years and it's her favourite place to park up for the day, enjoy the view with some good food and drink. It didn't disappoint, the service was great, lovely staff and the food was gorgeous ❤️ great choice of cocktails and drinks too! highly recommend!

We're out of season so no trouble getting a table in the window overlooking the harbour. Staff were friendly. We had cocktails which were 241 until 6pm, food service is from 5pm. Food was nice but knocked a star off for the chicken bone I found in my gumbo. Atmosphere was nice with a mix of couples and families.

When searching for something to do in St Ives for the day, travelling as we were by train from two hours distant, my wife came across this establishment. In Truro market the previous Saturday we'd bought two bottles of rum and as that seemed to be our drink of choice for this particular holiday, it seemed to be fate that we should try here. The only criticism I would have is the rum menus are not offered in the sit down restaurant bit - I guess we could have asked - so had to have 'normal' drinks until we'd finished our meals, both of which (Jambalaya & prawn dish) were excellent. Sooo tempted to try the £55 a shot rum but had to decline in the end! Once comfortable sat on a leather sofa, we tried a wide selection of rums from all around the world! An excellent afternoon and are I say the rum consumed eased the pain of GWR cancelling our train back to St Erth! If in St Ives, visit!

Great atmosphere, loads of rum and excellent food. Can recommend the ribs and the jerk chicken. Have been a few times now and never disappointed.

Amazing seafood and crab platter, great drinks and atmosphere.

We so nearly didn’t go in this place for lunch. From the outside it’s up some stairs and didn’t really look open. We were persuaded in by the menu. Not many people in at first but it soon filled up. Staff were very welcoming from the outset and very efficient throughout our visit. The food was the star of the show. I wanted crab and I definitely got crab. Really fresh and tasty and no shell! We shared nachos with crab and then I had the crab salad for main. Hubster had the jerk chicken which was huge and totally delicious. Full of jerk flavour. Would highly recommend if looking for fresh crab and all round delicious food.

The food was good. Unfortunately we were literally ignored by the waitress. Only after calling several times were we able to order new drinks or pay. It wasn't because there were too many people to serve. Otherwise a cozy old pub.

Only had a pudding but that was lovely, definitely going back to try the food.

Fantastic service ( Yvonne was fab) Food was sensational and loads of it ! Price was amazing for the quality and amount we received. Drinks were excellent, and happy hour a bonus! We will return.

Average food nothing special as some people commented here. You don’t loose anything if you prefer not to visit. Would I go again? Not really

Banging lobster! Worth every penny

We had a few (lots) of drinks here and booked the Dead Man’s Locker last minute for a bit of karaoke! Just wow! What a brilliant experience. Great drinks, fab service and such fun! What a setting!

Had a fantastic day here to celebrate my birthday with family. After several drinks we decided to visit the new dead man's locker karaoke booth. What a laugh. really need to check this out if karaoke is your thing. Fantastic service, drinks and experience

Didn't need to book,got a table overlooking harbour, food was good and a fair price,will definitely go again next time in st.ives.

Home of Dead Mans Fingers, what more do you need to know?

Food was dreadful apart from the mac n cheese. Steak was awful, cold, ribs were not that tasty

Loved it so much we went back the next night! Great food and ambience, good service and music just right. Well done guys!!

visited twice this year while on holiday, bang on, both visits

Love this place , sitting in the bay window with a beer, overlooking the harbour is a great place to be. Good friendly staff too

Went as a group of 5, the service was fast, friendly and patient with us. The Soft Shell Crab Burger was flavoursome, but I couldn’t taste any crab, just batter. The Crab Linguine was very nice, just it seem to be very low on crab meat, both could be just due to our expectations, so I don’t want to sound to harsh, the taste and flavours was very good! The burger was good and I would recommend it and for the vegans in our group the Vegan Jambalaya was amazing and very large portion, they were extremely happy! I would go back and would recommend them, service was first class!

You can’t come to St Ives and not go here. You need to wait to be seated at the desk for food or just grab a seat in the bar area. Great choice of fresh fish (surf) and lots of Turf options. Great Rum bar if I was a local, this would be my local. They have a good selection of other drinks I just like Rum and Stargazy is one of my favorites.

What a quirky vibe!! Visited this establishment with my partner and we loved everything about it from the funky decor to the delicious cocktails. I had the baby back ribs dripping in sauce they were so tender and juicy, along with a couple yum cocktails. Deffi recommend this place 👌

We had two meals here during our stay in St. Ives. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, the food was good as were the drinks. There was also a really nice atmosphere. We will definitely be back when we're next in St. Ives

Good Food and Service. Great views of the St Ives beaches/coves.

Absolutely loved it here. Everything from food to atmosphere was perfect, well worth a visit. The hidden Jem of St Ives

Lovely place to chill. Great cocktails. Need to do food sometime

It an awesome resto-bar with exceptional selection of seafood and grilled meats! My wife and I especially enjoyed the seafood broil. That giant crab. Mouth-watering! Be sure to go with an empty stomach as you will definitely be licking your fingers after each bite! They also have some delightful ribs and the lobster was phenomenal. I especially enjoyed the beer and espresso martini! The prices were quite reasonable, I reckon! Worth a detour!

Fantastic views and the crab salad was amazing, highly recommend

Rum lovers paradise. It's location is right next the harbour and you climb up some steps to get to the entrance of the restaurant. Inside looks much better than the outside and we've seated in a booth, my favourite. Food menu is great with plenty options for fish dishes and your typical meat dishes too. Drinks menu is vast with rum shots (x4), cocktails and vast different rums. Will definitely be going here again in the future!

First time in the rum and crab shack, definitely not our last, food was lovely, we had a mixture of small plates to share , nachos was bloody lovely with pork on top . Asian wings are very tasty. Dog friendly..

Just love this place & St. Ives. Great rums and food in a very relaxed style. Keep coming back - never disappointed.

Went to the Rum and Crab shack for my birthday. Contacted via email beforehand to see if we could book a table and they replied straight away saying no need, just turn up and you will get a table. That's what we did on a very busy Friday night. Place was heaving so we got in line to get a table. Had two Margarita's which were amazing when waiting, good chat from the barman whilst waiting good bar experience. Then sat down on a good table, we had our dog with us and was no problem. The staff loved him. There was a wait for the food, but with the level of tables being served this was acceptable. Staff were working really hard to get the food out. Wait was also down to me having the sharing seafood platter. Food was great, i had the seafood platter (see pictures). My kids loved it too, they tried some of the seafood for the first time and loved it. I'd definitely come back, maybe without kids next time and have more cocktails! Cheers guys

Absolutely delicious crab 🦀 sandwich and refreshing 😋 Red Stripe beer. 🍺

The best ribs I've ever had! Been 3 times and they're always great! Cocktails are good too!

Brill lunch, excellent service! Would highly recommend!

Friendly service, lovely in house beer, tasty soft shell crab and amazing view.

Presentation off food was very disappointing and over priced

Popped in for some lunch. Different approach to seafood but refreshing and accompanied with good cocktails and beer! Recommend the dirty crab fries!

We had the Louisiana seafood boil and some oysters on the side. Tasty food with good price, but service was poor. No bibs or gloves were available for the seafood boil which is a bit odd. We had to ask for them to also provide plates, cutlery and more serviettes. Tabasco was not provided with oysters even though it was mentioned on the menu. Staff were not very attentive and didn’t seem like they wanted to be there which ruined the atmosphere

Lovely setting but both me and my partner were very let down with the food. Ordered the crab sharer platter, for £65 we had high expectations and were disappointed. Crab was mediocre, mac and cheese came cold and tasteless, mussels didn’t taste fresh, whitebait tasted like a cheap throw in for more profit, grabbed a mcdonalds on the way home. Drinks were great and waitresses were kind, but the chefs need a wake up call or swapping out for someone else. Won’t be returning

Lovely place by the seafront to eat and drink! Great music and vibes here, staff are really friendly and helpful too. Shoutout to the staff member Frankie who was really lovely and welcoming, she’s great 😊

I have been coming to St Ives for St least 8 years, this is the first place my family and I head to. Food fantastic, always a good choise of Rums, ales and lagers.

Ate in here twice on our holiday. Fab grub. Reasonably priced too. Gumbo and the Crab linguine were top of the pops. Staff super friendly too.

This was our 3rd time over the years to Rum and Crab shack and by far our favourite! The crab mac and cheese yummy! Kids meals were devoured, and I chose the vegan jambalaya which was so flavoursome I can't stop thinking about it. Amazing frozen cocktails!! We had a great time!! We will see you next time we are back in St Ives!

Absolutely great place. Great service. Food delicious. View is spectacular. Staff were really helpful. Thank you :-)

Had my 50th birthday meal here and enjoyed our time. Food was fantastic and I loved the rum sauce. Forgot to bring us a round of drinks that we had ordered so that’s the only reason the service has been marked down. Prices are what you expect to pay so no real surprises. Pleased we ate here after wanting to give it a go for a while

Very poor service and overall experience tonight at the Rum and Crab Shack. After being told there would be a 45 minute wait which our party was okay with, we ended up waiting 1hr 30 for our food to arrive. We had to wait for 15 mins before a server even came to take our order and as we had 2 young children with us in the group, we asked for their meals to come out first but told this isn't possible and had to order a starter for their food to arrive first. We then had to wait further whilst our unneeded starter to be finished before they started on the main courses. Once our main courses arrived we were disappointed with the quality of the food where 2 of the surf and turfs steaks were overcooked after being asked how they were wanted, we expected more for a £30 meal. With all this also being subject to a already added 10% service charge it left a lot to be desired with the overall experience tonight, food was okay but service was terrible.

Amazing place. The staff are fantastic and create a great atmosphere. The food was the best and freshest I've had for a long time. We had a small child with us and enjoyed a family meal, but could just have easily enjoyed a cocktail fueled party night.

My fav restaurant we visited in St ives. Good value, excellent tasty food. Found everywhere else to be trying to hard but with no flavour. This place was the opposite. Basic but yum! Great staff. Good music. Amazing views.

Good food, the crab sandwich is huge and the crab Mac and cheese is a lovely twist. Cornish classics fused with New Orleans/American finish. Lovely spot overlooking the harbour.

We visited the Rum & Crab Shack on a busy sunny Friday lunchtime in August. We were seated quickly. The staff were really friendly and helpful. The food was better than expected. Really worth what we paid. There was an issue with the dessert as they had no bananas. Although there was quite a delay our server was attentive and ended up comping the dessert as it took so long. Would definitely visit again and recommend.

Very nice pub with a good selection of beers and cocktails. Food was average, I found the linguine bland and the crab sandwich was good but I would have preferred toasted bread / more seasoning.

Rum cocktails and crab burgers are a must.

The Rum and Crab Shack is a great place to seek out when in St Ives. It's relaxed and stylish and the menu is excellent. I recommend the soft shell crab burger which is excellent and the popcorn shrimp is also. If you're in the St Ives area I recommend a visit .

We had a sharer set of rib and chicken, the portions are generous and we love it.The dishes are well furnace control as well.

A nice restaurant overlooking the sea. We ordered the seafood boil, oysters and ribs, which were all super tasty.

Very cosy retreat, lots of character and conversation with others may ensure. Friendly atmosphere but may not suit everyone.

Came here for food today as we are staying in the area. We were looking forward to the food here but sadly we left VERY dissapointed. My partner ordered the fish and chips which was honestly average, the fish was pretty tasteless and the batter was quite greasy. But the real let down and quite frankly almost unbelievable aspect of it was ordering the whole crab. When I lifted the crab shell it was completely empty.. No crab meat inside it at all. I called the waitress over to ask if I was going crazy and she tried to tell me that it was normal! So effectively I was paying £23 for two crab claws! Little did they know but I grew up in a fishing family and I definitely know that there should have been crab meat inside a crab! They offered to supply some crab meat in a serperate pot but this was also below par and was full of shell pieces (lethal) Then another member of staff came over and I had to use the phrase "they don't come out of the sea like that" as a way of explaining that crabs are most definitely not hollow. Overall VERY dissapointing and I'd love to know what they actually did with the crab meat that they charged me for.. It probably went on another crab dish on the menu to save buying more crabs! Based on this I cannot recommend nor visit again.

Great location but less than average seafood for price, same priced far better quality available in the same area. Sorry, service and location ok, just not great food.

Good food and good waitress service. Had a satisfying family meal.

I been today with my family and everything was absolutely perfect, the food was amazing and the drinks too, staff was very friendly and i can’t wait to go back!

Amazing place to eat, great drinks and amazing food, especially dead mans ribs. Staff very friendly.

I have been lucky enough to visit this place 4 times over the last few years when staying in Cornwall. The view across the harbour is amazing the food is absolutely fantastic and the service is always great. In my opinion the best place to eat in St Ives.

Seafood boil was very tasty. Nice shop

Not many good things to say about our experience. Firstly we booked a table but we arrived and there's not enough chairs... THEN we order and half our order arrived wayyyy later than the first half so half our party had nothing to eat for a large gap of time. THEN my sister finds PLASTIC in her food. We informed the waitress and she took the plate and closed her eyes and nodded and silently walked away without saying anything. We asked for table water about 3 times and we still didn't get it until one of us actually had to get up and ask. ALSO we ordered the seafood chowder and it had BACON in it. We don't eat bacon. Quite disgusting. Cherry on the top of this entire experience was the waitress had the audacity to hand us our bill with a SERVICE CHARGE on it!!! You better be joking. I was nice about not paying it but I was actually incredibly angry. I absolutely hate hidden sneaky service charges on a good day, but our experience was insanely awful. Also the food was overpriced considering everything.... We weren't even offered a refund for the food spiked with plastic and bacon. What a complete disaster. This all happened in February but it's stayed in my mind for a long while, I always think of this place when I think of having a bad experience somewhere. At least the waitress was sweet even if she was utterly useless and clueless.

Great place for food or just a beer..

We liked it a lot. Not your typical food. Nice flavours and nice drinks

very good food and great friendly service, with a great view

i havent rlly tried the food here but me and my family come in here for a few drinks and the staff seem rlly friendly and the whole vibe is nice