The Waterfront Cafe Bar in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

If you’re going to insist on doing table service, your staff need training to do it properly! Walked up to the bar, completely ignored by staff. After eventually being acknowledged, we were told it was table service only and to find a table. After just under 10 minutes we were finally approached to have our order taken. We were sat outside, as were the other few tables that were occupied. We asked for menus as well as drinks, as we intended to have lunch. After another 40 minutes, we’d finished our drinks and had not been approached for a food order. I went in to pay for the drinks and left. Had lunch in the pub up the hill instead.

Best fish and chips I've had for a long time

We had a lovely breakfast/brunch here before heading on to the beach! The service was quick and the food was delicious. A great view for people watching!!

Such a great atmosphere and lovely people

Nice looking place, shame you don’t get served. Went today around 5 for food never given any menus even though the waitress gave all the tables around us menus. Asked us what we wanted to drink with no menu so said a Pepsi. Got served my Pepsi but after that Waited 20mins to get served for food no luck as staff too busy talking gossip at the bar. so payed for my Pepsi and left. Don’t waste your time with this rude business, went to a better pub in port Issac.

It is a very nice restaurant with friendly staff. It is dog friendly and has lovely meals on offer.

Takeaway service, ordered by an app for the waterfront and prepared exactly on time. Absolutely lovely cod and haddock with chips. Cornish burger is huge, almost defeated my hungry teenager. Chips portion is also huge, you may not need a chips each. Excellent food and service.

What a lovely respite from the pounding rain! This lovely restaurant has the best views over the beach and sea, out to the cliffs. I had the most delicious vegan winter salad of subtly spiced puy lentils, rocket and roasted squash - which comes in a large or small portion. The choice of wine is broad and authoritative. I was advised to try the Aix Provence, which was terrific. Reliable wifi too! Thoroughly recommend. Will definitely visit again!

Top notch food here in my opinion and great service from the young lady who waited our table. A nice spot overlooking the beach.

Had the BEST roast dinner at the Waterfront, the roast beef is just delicious 3 courses for £30 is BRILLIANT value for money Staff are always friendly and very welcoming Highly highly advise anyone to go for a #roastbythecoast

Food lovely, and service in the restaurant good. Obliging staff, and they also do a fantastic take away fish and chips unrivalled in the region. Care: On leaving there were no lights on the lengthy outside wooden staircase which was in pitch dark and which on descending felt really hazardous in the rain. Easily fixed if some safety lights were installed.

We had dinner on a covered terrace. The food was delicious, the service was OK, however, a small party on a nearby table were smoking and this was completely ignored by the staff and went unchallenged. It was unpleasant for us and I’m sure the families on adjacent tables with small children found it unpleasant too. It is also illegal. Would not recommend and would not return - especially given there are equally good restaurants in the very near vicinity

We are on a covered terrace. The service was OK and the food was absolute lovely. What marred this experience was another table of diners nearly smoking. This was unchallenged by the staff. Not only is it illegal, but also unpleasant for other diners.

Excellent food, service and beer! We had a lovely dinner and enjoyed the food immensely!

Can’t fault this place. Larger and Moules are an excellent choice.

You cannot beat the location. Stunning views. Polzeath is a beautiful place. However, we were so disappointed when we went for food here. The young waitress was down right rude and ignorant. Didn’t even speak to us apart from taking our order. No customer service whatsoever. We had 2 x fish and chips and 2 soft drinks that came to nearly £50! For fish and chips! The fish was so greasy it was awful. No one asked was the food ok and I wished at the time now we would have complained both about the service and the food. Such a shame as we come to Polzeath several times a year but won’t be eating here again!

The food was very mediocre nothing to shout about, was very expensive, 2 x fish and chips and 2 drinks was just over £50.00 the fish was very mushy, chips not to bad, but definitely would not visit again

Food came super fast and was amazing. Fish and chips were soooo good! Also cheap pints ;)

Great portions and great service!!

Went as a family of eight, booked table. Service was very slow, waiting a couple of hours for our food. My meal was the dressed crab and fries, the fries were inedible like scrag ends and when I told the waitress why I hadn’t eaten them she said yeah we can’t seem to get the fries right. It was an expensive meal, certainly not worth what I’d paid. The waitress said that the manager was going to come to speak to us but they didn’t. Very disappointing, the view was the only good thing about visiting the waterfront restaurant. I wouldn’t recommend going there

Sat outside looking at Polzeath beach in the sunshine - perfect. We both had the salt and pepper squid - larger portion than expected and very tasty. Had a portion of chips and a side salad to share which made a very filling meal. Staff were efficient and friendly. Will definitely go back.

It has been three years since I last went to the restaurant and I am happy to say they are still very good. We were a party of 12, which is never easy, but we were dealt with efficiently and politely. Food came out all at the same time and hot. At no point did we feel rsuhed or hassled ( looking at you Mowhay ). Very recommended, but book well in advance in high season.

Good food. On first visit (for takeaway) took some time for my order ti be taken.

Impromptu visit to The Waterfront after being let down elsewhere in Polzeath and have to say, the view was superb, the food even more so! Fish and chips, burger (both teenage lads couldn't finish it!) and dressed crab... Chips were delicious too. Couldn't fault anything and would recommend a visit.

Excellent food with great view of the beach. Service and atmosphere are really good. A place to go for food or drink if you are in Polzeath. It does get busy so book in advance.

We visited many times during our holiday, but unfortunately didn't get to eat here this time, but the drinks are very good!!

First off, the negative: we found the Waterfront and were a little dismayed to find the only way to access it is up two flights of stairs. My wife did mention when we booked that we were bringing our elderly dog who is wheelchair-bound so a little heads up would have been nice. “But”, I hear you cry, “you’ve still awarded five stars?” Firstly, never question my star-dispensing methods. How very dare you.. Secondly, yep. I absolutely did award top marks and without hesitation. Here’s why…. The stairs weren’t that many and we have to carry our dog a LOT these days, so we were able to get around that hurdle without too much trouble. I think we also amused a couple of our fellow patrons who may have been somewhat surprised to see what appeared to be a flying border collie hove into view as they were tucking into their mussels! Every staff member we interacted with was absolutely lovely and did their jobs with a welcoming, very pleasant demeanour. Especially worthy of note was the girl who looked after us in the most part; friendly, knowledgeable and jovial, she was as spot on as wait staff gets in my opinion. Apparently the dark ale she recommended was an excellent choice too! From the start and even as the place grew busier, wait times for both orders being taken and food and drinks being delivered were just right, not twiddling our thumbs but also never feeling rushed. Plus, we were checked in on to ensure everything was good but not so much that it interrupted our meal any more than necessary. The perfect balance. And when the food did arrive it was wonderful; a delicious, very generous salad and a selection of fantastic sharing plates were all finished off very quickly and enthusiastically. Add in the phenomenal view which we enjoyed while we had our lunch and all of the above absolutely deserves five stars and a sincere hope we are able to return one day. And at least now I’ll know to limber up for the stairs in advance next time….!!

We have been visiting Polzeath for years but have never visited the Waterfront. Popped in for take away today and the menu, service and atmosphere were all great. Will definitely return.

Down visiting the beach. Good food and friendly staff, did have issue with chips been poor but staff did sort it out. Would go again

Lovely views great atmosphere,only downside is lots of steps into premises

Great calamari but probably not if youre some sort of snob i think it was just frozen ones but still very delicious for a simple fatty like myself. Nice balcony, good dichotomy of modern britain. Lots of fat beer bellies and west ham tattoos and also lots of posh people wearing linen trousers and loafers.

We stopped here while doing the coast path to Rock. It has a lovely terrace where we had a couple of drinks and sat and admired the view of the beach .

The food here is amazing! Been on holiday for 2 weeks and ate here at least 5 times. You get tons of crab. If you're going to order moules it's better value to get the small moules with fries. Overall great restaurant overlooking polzeath beach.

Lovely food, staff are very friendly and service was fantastic! Highly recommend the pan fried seabass.

Just stopped off at the Waterfront more or less at random. I was very pleasantly surprised to have two dishes obviously cooked by someone with flair and imagination. I had the scallop, served on crispy seaweed, followed by fish tacos, which were excellent (though not large). Brilliant.

Great food (a little slow), good quality and good portions, service was good and interactive. Great views of bay, ideal for people watching. Highly recommended.

The takeaway food (had both haddock and scampi with chips) we had from The Waterfront today was excellent. Quick service from the counter and great portions! Also ate in the restaurant a previous evening and the food was equally as good.

Cream Tea - It wasn't a proper Scone or would've been a 5* as it was cold in the middle and the rest toasted. Assumption is that it was frozen and microwaved..

Fish & Chips were superb. Amazing beach view from the terrace.

Don't bother if in any sort of rush. Click and collect order for 7:45. Still stood here waiting at 8:15 with no sign. Food was nice once it arrived. 40 minutes late.

The restaurant has a lovely view across Polzeath beach. The staff are friendly and service was good. Food was great.

Lovely staff, professional and very polite. The service was excellent. Definitely recommend people to visit. I’ll be back again soon..

Great food, great service, great place

Waited 15 min without so much as a “I will be right with you” so went to the bar as all I wanted was a drink of coke. The lady at the bar would not even make eye contact so I asked if I could order a drink, and got a very blunt and rude “NO” so I left never to return.

Very good food. Worth the price.

Great fish and chips, friendly staff , service good. Would recommend

Great fish and chips … very tasty and crunchy. Staff friendly and service good. Would recommend when visiting Polzeath

We visited the Waterfront for lunch as a family on the last day of our holiday in Polzeath. The venue and location are amazing and the service is also very good. 3 of our party of 5 are vegetarian and although the menu had very limited options, we felt there was enough of a choice for us to stay. Firstly, the fish and chips and the loaded nachos that were ordered were amazing but, unfortunately, the smoked tofu tacos were the worst vegetarian food we’d ever had in a restaurant. The presentation was poor and the flavour was even worse!! We are frequent visitors to Polzeath and often go to the Waterfront for drinks in the evening, but we’ll not be eating here again in the future.

Very disappointed with our takeaway of fish and Chips. Chips, and batter on the fish were well overdone, and oil needs to be changed on the fryer. Not what we expected from a place in such a prime location. Review updated with a 5 star for service. Sarah, thank you very much for your quick response, how you have taken our feedback I am assured that our meal last night was not your normal standard. We will return again when we come back to Polzeath.

Amazing food! Amazing service! The fish and chips and steak were amazing and the mussels the best we have ever had! Beautiful view and amazing service. Very reasonable prices , paid a lot more for a meal in port Gaverne and the food served here was much better and service was amazing !

Went tonight for a drink and sat outside. It was freezing so we asked if we could go inside but we’re told there were no tables and he would let us know if a table became free. Not particularly busy, but three or four couples came out. A few couples went in so not hard to work out the maths. Anyway when we went in to pay we were shocked to see that there were loads of feeling a bit miffed that we were lied to and paid for the privilege!! I appreciate that on some occasions they might want to reserve inside tables for diners but it wasn’t like they were rushed off their feet. Will go tobSurfside next time where they made us much more welcome.

Started with asking if we could sit and drink and eat outside. Was told to order through the app and they will happily take a drinks order. Served the first couple asked for a pint and a Diet Coke or Pepsi as the other half is diabetic and served with normal full sugar Pepsi, asked for something else and they said they had nothing diet in stock. Ordered food through the app over 30 mins late when told to collect at 7pm then after ordering another pint and a gin and slimline tonic we were told no we couldn’t eat the takeaway food outside on the terrace with no given answer. Awful service with awful management and no customer service skills, seems to be very lacking in the polzeath front bar the ice cream shop and the little cafe

Stunning food, excellent portions, very reasonably priced. The best meal we can remember having as a family. Both the atmosphere and view were gorgeous. A longer wait time was well worth it for such incredible, high quality, meals. All waiting staff were lovely and accommodating, and it would be a crime not to mention such brilliant ales on draught!

What a great place. The service was excellent and the food was fabulous. I loved the chill vibe. The food came out in a timely manner ensuring it was a relaxed lunch , which you would expect with home cooked fare rather than a fast food experience. I would recommend this restaurant and will be back.

What a great place. The service was excellent and the food was fabulous. I loved the chill vibe. The food came out in a timely manner ensuring it was a relaxed lunch , which you would expect with home cooked fare rather than a fast food experience. I would recommend this restaurant and will be back.

food was fine, definitely not worth how much you pay for food with absolutely no flavour, manager is a shrill cow who clearly loves the sound of her own voice and couldn't run a bath

After a 4 hour Journey our 1st stop off was The Waterfront. We had a very warm welcome from the smiling staff and nothing was too much trouble The food we ordered for breakfast was of a high standard and at the right temperature which is always important. The Waiter who I think was called Calum was very good and seemed to be covering a lot of tables but it did not affect our service. It’s a must visit place and we will certainly be returning .

The cream teas were lovely and used homemade scones. I would say that the squid could have been more lightly coated but were nice and crispy. Our only issue was the lack of an accessible toilet meaning a trek to the public toilets for 1 party member.

The staff have the right attitude and definitely deserve to be recognised. The food was well presented and very tasty although not sure for value for money wise? The what seem like the manager was not managing the place very well. She was busy placing cutlery. While the staff were managing the place the best they could. The bar tender, the waitresses, the blond waiter outside were awesome. They were clearly understaffed and pressured. Working in hospitality I was disappointed by the amount of time I had to stand up and get my own things. The manager was rude to the staff and the waitresses. The manager was rude to me when I ask if we could move inside and if we could have an update on the food as it had already been 20 minute for very small plates. Frankly the staff deserve a better more positive manager. I hope that this help make this place a more enjoyable work place for the young team. I work in hospitality and I felt for them. Please rethink how you approach your staff and your guest.

Can’t mark atmosphere as we had takeaway. Second time for us and it’s really, really lovely burgers and (skin on fries) Great portion sizes and nice meat in the burger. The burger is loaded with cheese bacon, lettuce, tomato and sauces, just how I like it. Delicious and good value, can highly recommend 👌🏻 Got the Pinot G wine too, not too shabby for £10

Amazing food and service. Will definitely be coming back very soon.

Really tasty lunch in a nice venue

Excellent location with a great view over the beach and sea. Service was good and the food excellent. Squid cooked properly. Chalk stream trout delicious. Mussels tasty. Flatbread and houmous very good. Chips crispy and in a big portion. Nice selection of drinks, including alcohol free options. Would definitely go again!

Very nice fish and chips with scenic view over the beach.

We were a group of 20 people for Easter Sunday lunch. We didn’t have to pre order, so we worried that they would run out of things and our food might come out at different times. I’m not sure how they managed it, but the food was absolutely fantastic. The best roast dinner I think I’ve had. Everything was hot and cooked well. My husband ordered seafood curry, which was delicious. We were seated up stairs, it was its own bar and a lovely roof terrace with views of the sea. George our waiter was an absolute star and we were very well looked after. We will definitely be back.

i ordered the chilli nachos, they were 10/10. everything was fresh and homemade would absolutely recommend going here. amazing food and beautiful views for a reasonable price!!

Ordered chilli nachos, ham egg and chips and cheesy chips. The chilli on the nachos (or should I say under) was absolutely disgusting, tasted like it had come out of a tin. It was placed on the bottom of the plate, under the nachos which is a new one to me. The cheese wasn't melted, was just 'sweaty'. The ham egg and chips was awful, shell in the egg which was visible and completely careless, the chips had a spongey texture (maybe oil not hot enough?)...we waited for the meal check which never came so we left most of the food and was offered a refund when they came to clear the plate. Wouldn't bother returning.

Best breakfast iv ever had. Been coming here for years and the food and service is consistently good! Definitely recommended for breakfast lunch and dinner and even take out it’s never disappointed.

Really nice place. Its been here for many years, not sure if the same owners but its always been great for a stop off or lunch. Very polite young staff and glad to see the Waterfront are still prospering.

Great views. Prime Minister approved. Also they serve a great pint of Guinness unlike the Atlantic.

After a morning on the beach we went for lunch. After a really friendly welcome in a relaxed atmosphere we ordered food and drinks. I had an amazing prawn dish. My wife had a winder salad and our child ate off the children’s menu. All four plates were clear, all throughly enjoyed, really lovely food.

Service not that good- arrived and tried to order drinks at the bar but got told we had to sit and wait for table service even though we explained we know what we want to order now and would rather not wait 10 minutes at a table for them to come and take our order for a couple of pints. Staff seem to stand around chatting a lot so despite not being busy this time of year service still slow. Then had food - my curry was watery and not that nice. The meal arrived without bread- we asked them for it and they said it doesn’t come with bread. We then got the menu and showed them where it says the curry comes with bread and they changed their tune. I think if you’re going to charge £17 for fish and chips and £6 a pint then your service standards need to be better than this.

Lovely place overlooking the shoreline. Waiter and waitress who sat us were very friendly and got our orders out so quickly it shocked us. Definitely recommend the fish and chips - portion was perfect and the mushy peas ACTUALLY taste like peas!! Really enjoyable meal, would love to come again if we’re in the area

First time visit and was not disappointed. Their breakfast (available all day) was excellent. Huge plate of food and well priced. All served with a warm and friendly smile. Staff were very welcoming with our dog as well and the views are superb especially if you sit in the large airy conservatory like part of the restaurant. Great place to eat and drink if walking along the Coast Path or taking time out from the beach.

lovely place yet staff were rude and pushed us out of the place yet we had three young children. we spent a large sum of money but still couldn’t sit outside in the freezing cold in their so called ‘veranda’ if it was very bursting with people we would’ve understood yet it was quite empty and we felt very disrespected. Fish and chips were fantastic yet expensive. the food was fabulous but let down due to the service.

The place was not busy at all yet the food took ages to make and it was extremely expensive. furthermore, when we tried to sit outside one of the staff members was very rude to us.We understand that it was a takeaway but it was not busy at all and we even offered to pay the difference.It was a shame because the food was pretty good but the service let it down.

Huge portions of delicious pub classics with a view to die for. Sheltered outdoor, dog friendly seating with dog water bowls and table water for their humans too.

First time I’ve been back here in a year or two and glad to see it’s got even better. Excellent food, brilliant staff and service. Staff were particularly good.

Beautiful view to the sea side.. Delicious breakfast 😋

We have just had our Christmas party here and it was an absolutely fabulous night 🌟 The food, the service and just the energy of their team amazing - 38-40 meals all flowing out together (not easy for a kitchen or staff!) was seamless and this was a 3 course meal!! We had an impromptu gap from mains to desserts so accommodating and again seamless ✨ Congratulations and Thank You to all it was fabulous - will definitely book to go for brunch or dinner, it’s worth the drive 👌🏼✨

Great fish and chips, with a sea view

Slow service on a Monday in December seems remarkable. Steak was requested rare but came fully done , which was a shame as the flavour of the steak was good. Everything else was "fine" but missing the mark given the location and cost etc.

My favourite view in beautiful Polzeath

Was a lovely place to eat and drink.

Good food and great views of the beach area, very enjoyable.

firsts try surely did not fail! in large portions of fish and chips + waterfront breakfast and love the shot of espresso. food was timely. the service was exceptional — being checked on randomly! Bella who assisted us, was so kind amazing 🙂

Really poor fish and chips - chips looked cooked within an inch of being burnt - fish batter dark dark brown - awful taste - had takeaway amd too far to drive back

Good food with a great view overlooking the beach

Best breakfast in town! Lovely caring staff. View is splendid too..

An excellent restaurant right on the back of the beach. Good views. Good food. Not a large selection, but adequate. Good quality though. The service was excellent.

We were looking for a special birthday lunch spot and decided against the expensive, upmarket places in Rock or Padstow and walked to The Waterfront. What a good decision, the bubble and squeak cake special was marvellous, very tasty and such good flavours. This was one of the best lunches we have had in a long time.

£6 a pint and £17 for a club sandwich. Me thinks you've lost the plot.

Absolutely disgusted with this restaurant. My sister and me bought a £30 gift voucher for a friend who loaned us his caravan to say “thank you”.He told us he visited this restaurant had the large fish & chips £18 with a pint, bill was roughly £23 but was told no charge could be given, he asked if he could have a voucher instead so could go again but was told no. When he told us what had happened we felt absolutely robbed, in my mind they have stolen £7 of our money. Will not be recommending this restaurant to anyone 😡

All good. Stunning view. Burger was very nice (as was the other food my family had). Good beer. Service was good and friendly.

Lovely food & drink. Great staff & lovely views. Would recommend. Good selection of food & drink. Dog friendly & there is a large carpark more or less opposite but you have to pay.

Get a pint of Doombar, worth sitting outside even when windy

Fantastic food, with amazing and friendly service. Probably the best burger in the area

Wow! Totally amazing meal. Two of us had oysters, gambas pil-pil, squid with aoili and moules followed by Sticky-toffee pub and shared everything. Total perfection. Looking forward to returning one afternoon for a cream tea. Heavenly.

Arrived at 7.45 pm for a meal. Had checked the opening times and it was open until 8.30pm . Entered and sat at a table , after about 10 mins a waitress came to another table and took a drinks order, asked us what we would like and was informed were only doing drinks no food as it was not very busy ! I said your website says your open to 8.30 she replied that's interchangeable, what ever that means . Why they did not tell us when we arrived or put up a sign . The buses don't stop running ifits not that busy . We had walked to the restaurant especially so left hungry and un happy .

A poor takeaway. Ordered chips; received fries which were very dry, looked and tasted as if they had been cooked twice. The same for the batter on the fish; heavy and dry. The fish was dry. The mushy peas were very good. Won’t be going back