The Watering Hole in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

For years I have come to Perranporth with my family and every single time I have avoided biting food from the Watering Hole, for some weird reason presuming it wouldn’t be very good. Well, how wrong was I! Amazing fish and chips, could actually be the best I’ve ever had. If, like me, you’re a bit of a snob about food, don’t judge a book by its cover. What do I mean by that? Well, because it’s always so busy in the summer I had presumed the food couldn’t be great - I was imagining Weatherspoons ping and ding. Lesson learnt. The food was just brilliant. Homemade tartar sauce. Light and crispy batter on the fish, hot fresh, no soggy bottom! Chips also fresh and a generous portion too. I also had a chocolate which was also quality. Perfect after a long dog walk. Staff were friendly and helpful. Sure the floor is a bit sandy, it’s on the beach and welcomes dogs, which for us was another winning feature. So, what have I learnt today? When we go to Perranporth, lunch at the Watering Hole is a must.

Worst place ever to have food ! Over priced food , only few option available for food . They do not offer table service ! You need to get your food from the counter! Dogs are everywhere ! Never again !

Can't wait for the work to finish to enjoy a pint on the beach in a great setting

Very busy Sunday lunch time, only stopped for coffee after walking the dog, still great atmosphere and good coffee,and of course great views.

Great location and selection of drinks

Such a shame it was so messy dirty tables full of used glasses and dishes that staff didn't move I had to myself

Lovely place , went for new years eve when martin kemp was there . Brilliant night . Visited following morning for a very good breakfast

Nice 90s surfer atmosphere and very good chips that you will get notified are ready with a square gadget that flashes when your food is ready

Good food and good service from the staff, super welcoming, etc. However, I am very unhappy when I was sitting with my girlfriend all of a sudden when I got up to pick up the pizza I had ordered. 4 men came and asked us to move because they had reserved the table we were sitting at. I was upset about that experience because when we got to the table we were sitting at there was no reservation, the table had been reserved. But all of a sudden these guys came and put a piece of A4 on the table and asked us to move because they had reserved that table even though we had been there at least 1 hour in advance. Probably won't come back again after this experience

Nice warm inviting place on the beach Perfect for the dark winter days I would highly recommend

Wednesday lunch in the sun at the Watering Hole. Had steak loaded fries with garlic sauce and crispy onion bits. Portion was huge we could have shared one to be honest. Never had a bad meal in the multiple times we've had breakfast, lunch or dinner here, top notch venue 👍

A stunning location on the beach at Perranporth, North Cornwall. Good selection of drinks on offer and food. Popular with families and a great place to chill.

This place is lovely. Yes of course it is going to have all of the problems of being a pub on the beach, with the slightly sandy floors, and the USP making the drinks a bit pricier, but the tables are immersively shaped, the views are great, the decor is very unique looking, and there was a lot of seating in and around the pub. The main area was ok, but the other more expanded areas just feel like kind of last minuite additions or recent exstentions to fit more people. Absolutely worth going to, but criminally underrated.

Great location, however very expensive and not great food. Tatty and whilst they are extending place still not the cleanest

Love it great place for food and drinks

Don't have falafel. Totally dried out and inedible

Very confusing ordering system which is not clearly shown. A busy queuing system to buy food and hot drinks very small area. Then the main bar which is very big to sell cold drinks and alcohol. Needs alot of rethinking inside, also a bit of tlc with cracked floor tiles that could trip someone up.

£21.60 for 2 draught beers & 2 lemomades. Wozers! Food ok but also over priced and chips were cold. That said, great atmosphere in a beautiful setting.

Reviews written by a grumpy old man just on the hunt for ale... Despite it being early November 'twas fairly busy. End of half term and dry contributed to this. Kids and dogtastic. Three ales on, Doom, Tribute, Proper Job. Tribute was had and it was actually quite good but at £5.30 you're definitely paying for location. Table I sat at was clear but not wiped, smears of mustard & ketchup prevailed.

Had a lovley time at The Watering always wanted to have drink in here the amount of times we have walked past it doing the beach walk . It was very clean service was polite and very quick and the food was reasonably price an good quality all in all would highly recommend an will be visiting again for sure

The toilet were so much cleaner then the last time we went,but still love going there when we are on holiday in Cornwall,can't understand why people complain about the watering hole as there is a sand beach and you cannot help but to walk sand into the pub,we will be back next year

Probably one of the best pubs I've ever been to. I've experienced it twice now: July - boiling hot and very busy, and October (unseasonably warm) not as busy. Both times incredible. You'll struggle to find a better beer garden anywhere in the UK. Prices reasonable, didn't eat however looked and smelled good. A great experience again!

Great to be here again after many years away. Love this place.

Very lovely place to visit stunning views overlooking the sea with your drink 🙂

It's a shame that such a lovely place is let down by some of the staff. We called in Saturday morning the girl at the bar was barely civil. However the young lady at the cafe part was lovely.

Amazing place, perfect location and super friendly staff, the cakes are amazing!

Sausage bap and a coffee, excellent! Views excellent! Weather, excellent!! (For October). Enough said

Nice very quiet but we went early

Bar on a beach . What more do you need

Unfortunately it was very dirty inside, the tables were completely glued together - it's a shame, the location is great

Haven't been here for food but the beer here is great. While you may have to pay a slight premium here for the location, you do get wonderful beach views that are made more magical if you're lucky enough to catch the sunset! The staff are friendly and the toilet facilities are clean. A word of caution is that they may vary their closing times depending on how busy they are. I definitely recommend a visit to this place.

Went to the watering hole to see the Fisherman's friends preforming there. What a fantastic atmosphere it was. A very enjoyable evening. Great food, fantastic, friendly staff and with the amount of people there, surprisingly did not have long to wait for the food and drink to be served. The staff did a fantastic job that night even though they were under a lot of pressure. I applaud each and every one of them. Well done.

My third visit to the watering hole, saw Sophie Ellis Bexter, absolutely brilliant!! Atmosphere, drinks, service all fab, despite being very busy never waited more than a couple minutes for a drink!! Thanks xxx

A well located bar on the beach with food and live music 🎵 I had chilli and it was delicious 😋

Gone down hill over the years. Dirty, food not great and not cheap either. Chips were greasy and not that hot. Staff off hand. No tables were wiped down. Toilets filthy.

Brand new building with some nice views out to sea , weather wasn't good on visit but seating outside was pretty much covered

This place is a gold mine. It's situated right on the beach with more beer taps than you can shake a stick at. It's certainly not the cheapest drinking establishment or the best, but its location is the winning factor. They also hold live events that draw people in.

I'm local and have been to the beach a fair few times but never been inside the pub , I thought we'll tourist season is over let's give it a go as i follow on fb, I'm so so Disappointed with this place overly expensive food greasy chips tops were mainly crispy onions and mayo with a bit of steak had to order pizza from another counter why no idea but wow the worse pizza I've ever had and more expensive thin like paper I've ever had I would have went back but thought you know what I can't be bothered after having to wait for 2 different food orders. The bar had a great selection of drinks and staff were fine , but I must say I expect sand inside but how you get away with all that is a hazard waiting to happen and the sand is on tiles,I toilets were terrible with sand and loo roll mixed in and only saw 1 person collecting glasses no one cleaning down tables there were plenty of staff but looks like no one could be bothered and inside was more or less empty apart from a few watching the rugby outside was busy but no excuse for inside looking like that. Very disappointed and definitely won't be back.

Shame about the food expected better food can not believe I paid for that pizza was paper thin and a rip off , dirty fries were much better but again disappointed very very greasy and not enough topping for the price. Fantastic selection of drinks and on all sides very good service.

Atmosphere good. Food we just had cake. The only downfall was the tables were not cleared or wiped down, so found it hard to find a clean table, and there were plenty of tables but not cleared or cleaned. The tray they gave me was also not wiped clean. 3 young ladies standing behind the counter doing nothing apart from on their mobiles could of kept the tables clean. For new customers.

Staff friendly, Busy, Great atmosphere. Would recommend to anyone.

A great restaurant to visit on the beach 🏖️ at perranporth It's a bar and restaurant serving alcohol and food with wonderful views of the beach and sea with cliffs in the distance Highly recommended worth a visit No wheelchair access available unless you can get across the sand.

Great place, we went to watch the Fisherman's Friends 🧡 unfortunately too many people to be able to appreciate it but a great venue.

Great place on Perranporth beach

exactly what you expect from a cute seaside bar, the staff were very friendly and extremely accommodating & knowledgeable dealing with my food allergies, food came out hot and fast!

Amazing pub with great beach views. Music events are really good. Wide range of drinks and food. Service times were good given the huge volume of customers. Good levels of security for the events we attended and they were quick to deal with problems. Only thing that puts us off are the prices. Soft drinks vary depending on who served us but at worse it was £6 a pint for Coke and Beer £7.50 a pint.

As a venue to see Fisherman's Friends it was very disappointing. No seating meant standing with no option from 5pm til 10 pm, totally unreasonable. It was late starting, by the time the main act was on it was so packed you literally couldn't move. I didn't actually get to see them. We couldn't stand for that length of time so had to leave. Too many tickets sold for such a small venue, it ruined it. Very disappointed.

Great time with my family, and I enjoyed lunch with a drink. Great views over Perranporth beach watching the surfers abd people generally enjoying beach life. Lovely meal in a lively atmosphere.

Great beer Great food and fantastic views

Fantastic place right on the beach!! It is literally ON THE BEACH.... Easy going vibe. Great selection of drinks and good food. Little cocktail bar too... The Surfer's Paradise was lush! Will definitely be back!!

Amazing place to eat and drink amazing atmosphere could spend all dayhere. Recommend nacho amazing and big portion

A really good breakfast. In a stunning beer garden on the beach

The pub on the beach..just the job to enjoy a drink and watch everyone having fun on the beach and in the sea..lovely staff.

Being on the beach, it can be busy especially when the weather is good, so finding a table outside can be a bit of a challenge. There is nothing wrong with the food and drink on offer, but I did find the service to be very sedentary and ordering at the bar a bit of a scrum. Cannot argue with the location though overlooking the stunning Perranporth beach

Chaotic at the bar for drinks as a queue was in place then one staff member shouted to just move around the bar causing chaos, but it was rammed. Great position on the beach, food and ice creams available also. If a queuing system is introduced for beer service, then would be a 5🌟. Would still recommend.

£16.65 for a beer and a gin and tonic. Just about double the price of spoons across the beach. Great location but don't bother if your not a dog lover . Felt like I was at the kennel club. Alot of Perranporth is unfortunately like that. No consideration for older people who are afraid of dogs or even allergic. Dog lovers assume everybody loves their stinky animals.

Great location, but the prices I felt were a little on the steep side.

Cracking evening here yesterday. Had a few pints of the Bob Job which was absolutely delicious and refreshing. Didn't have to wait for service. Most recent visit, new toilets and other reno work looking good. Can't wait for the rest to be completed

Beautiful coffee 😋😋 in a fantastic place. Inside was dog friendly 😁

Great place on the beach and you can sit having a beer watching the sun set.

Lovely atmosphere! We are a family of dog lovers with 3 of our own so we were delighted that the staff were so dog friendly and welcoming! Kudos to the staff for making a lovely cuppa!

A beach bar , setting in side and out right on perrinporth beach

Lovey atmosphere. Huge dog lover here so we were in heaven surprised by so many beautiful pooches. The staff were friendly and make a fab cuppa!

This place used to be great but oh how it's gone downhill it's absolutely filthy food horrid just disgusting staff terrible never again

Big pub on the beach with indoor and lots of outdoor seats, so convenient. No parking , you need to park in town and walk to the beach to reach this pub. We visited at sunset and had fish and chips by the sea. Food was fine & tasty. The location is divine and that's why you would visit. Lots of different drinks (see my pictures) available and toilets to the side of the building.

Love a beach walk and a cheeky pint in here!

Nice place for a drink on the beach. Bar staff are great too and really efficient.

Very nice pub on the beach .Food selection much better then in most of the pubs .Beautiful location ,relaxing atmosphere ,lots of toilets -new and clean 👍🏻Scalops a little bit too oily. A bit expensive but this is forgivable because the location makes up for it.

Good bar in a great spot but, when we visited in August there was so much rubbish on the floor & the tables. Very disappointing. I’m surprised the bar is able to operate like this given its location on a beautiful beach.

Great place for drinks and food on the beach !

Great views good food and very relaxing atmosphere.

Great atmosphere, food, & location. 😄

Best place for a sunset, gelreat food and drinks and everyone is just chilling

This place has seriously gone down hill ,the bar staff can't smile or greet you with a friendly voice, the toilets are swimming in urine ,no paper towels and 1 hand drier working ,stinking wet dogs wandering around, vastly overpriced for what it is ,they need to up the game

Great place for a needed drink after a walk on the beach.

Spent two days at the beach and eat here twice. We waited until twelve when pizzas were meant to be being cooked but told they were an hour behind despite most out the back looking like they were sat around. We ended up ordering off the menu. Both times the food was acceptable being from a beach cafe. All front of house staff looked well trained and good at their job. It may be worth paying them all for an extra couple of hours to clean their stations before service. Everything is covered in dirt and grime. It’s in a heavy traffic area with dusty sand flying about but I’m talking food hygiene issues. All around the coffee and cake area was disgustingly dirty in and around display cabinetry and coffee machine itself. We were there for opening time and it was dirty then. Coffee is nice though. Hopefully on our next holiday a bit of money has been put back in.

Ok, its a pub on the beach, service/products/food all good, the but is it has no competition! So prices are quite high! Not a place to get plastered as you'll need a bank loan, for the occasional drink its good.

Lovely setting for some food and drink after a day at the beach Food was nice tho the menu was a bit limited Watched The Longest John's perform as well at the venue and whilst it was busy . The bar service was good

The food is nice, and the place is located on the beach. There is plenty of seating space. Beautiful view.

The watering hole in perranporth is a go to place if you are visiting Cornwall. The food there is exquisite. It melts in your mouth.

Really wholesome place, with really good quality food for the price!

Been here lots but recent visits much better service and food quality. Used to be a favourite but a few years ago service dropped it now seems a lot better again.

Great Beach Pub but very expensive! 😞

Such an amazing spot and a lovely pint 😎

Great location and perfect for cocktails on beach. Very busy but then the usual problems of being busy with dirty tables etc. Still can’t beat it for cocktails on the beach.

Used to be my favourite bar in UK but sadly not anymore. It's simply too busy now, completely lost it's mojo. Seems to now all be about how many customers they can cash in from rather than the laid back chill out bar it once was, real shame.

Just a fantastic place to enjoy the beach And food was lovely

Bloody amazing Best place on earth

Lovely food. I sent my wife to get me a pizza. She came back with a perfect wood fired meat feast and steak topped chips. The steak was tender and plentiful. A bar on the beach, with brilliant food, who could ask for more? 😋

Cracking place, at the heart of Perranporth beach. Always lively, plenty happening... Great selection of drinks and some great food. Steak loaded fries were awesome, and I enjoyed the fish sandwich. Cold pint of IPA by the sea? Count me in! Can't wait to come back.

The place has a great vibe, good atmosphere and decent facilities. The only downside is that the toilet queues are huge and not that clean due to the amount of mess others leave. The pizzas are nice, beers are nice and on a hot day could easily spend hours there!

Great location but service a bit variable with different places in the same location serving different things.

Brilliant carvery great value for money, friendly and helpful

Lovely place to sit and relax. It can get very busy but good service from all the staff.

Fantastic food and great service and excellent hygiene/covid process

Doesn’t get much better than a bar right on the beach. Great selection of drinks and food menu. Often do events, one of the best sunset spots going

Been coming here for years. Always make a point to visit at least once every time I'm in Cornwall. Food was very tasty and worth the slightly higher price.

Great place lots of food and drinks selection, made some alterations for my child from the menu. Very quick, friendly and helpful service thank you

Pub right on the beautiful sands of Perranporth beach! Can highly recommend a beer and pizza from this pub after a few hours of surfing 🌊. Wicked atmosphere and perfect way to spend a day 😍

Went there for Ibiza orchestra rave night. Great time had by all. The only real downside was the ridiculous queues for drinks Could waste 30mins at the bar easily so in the end didn’t bother. I know it’s a demand problem, but there must be a better way. Scanning the upcoming events to come back though. Loved it!