Tolcarne Inn in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

Had birthday lunch. Very good food. Best mussels I’ve had in ages. Scallop serving size (2 very small ones) was a little disappointing.

The food was fine but a little underwhelming. We went here for a midweek lunch whilst on holiday in the area. The food was ok but the flavours didn't really pack much of a punch but the main issue was that the portion sizes were pretty small... 2 small scallops on a dish is just sad.

The best place for fresh food in a sustainable way. It’s been the highlight of my year every year for the past 15 years. Can’t wait to visit again and see you soon as summer is fast approaching and a holiday trip back to the restaurant is on my essentials list. lol. ❤️ every time of been the menu has been different so you will never get bored.

Lovely sea food! Highly recommended- experimental, astonishing combination of flavours.

Lovely food and atmosphere. Tapas style fish dishes were fantastic

had the pleasure of visiting here last week, we had a really nice meal and for the quality of food and coming from London where everything is extortionate the price was a lot cheaper than expected for the quality provided.

Great service best fish dishes good wines. Would recommend to anyone who loves grest food!

Excellent food. Just delightful.....memorable atmosphere.

Can totally recommend this! Delicious food, great service and good value considering the standard of cooking and quality of the food. We had the set menu which was amazing fish soup, a flavoursome hake dish and a stunning crème brûlée.. good to see it was quite busy even on a Tuesday. Do visit, you won’t be disappointed.

Very nice roast and puddings for Mothering Sunday , 10of us very good service and food

Bit disappointing. Pub lacked atmosphere and food was just average. Staff were good but didn't make up for a very lack lustre lunch. We used to enjoy our lunches here. Not going to bother again. Sorry guys. You need to get a decent chef.

Waited a few weeks to visit Tolcarne Inn after reading that it was recommended. A big let down. Firstly parking is very difficult, the Inn doesn’t have a car park. On arrival the barman wanted to sit us next to the toilets in an empty pub, we asked for somewhere else and he placed us in a corner with an uncomfortable bench, had a backache by the end of the meal. The Inn is lacking ambience for an 18 century Inn and is very shabby, and tired looking. Not all guests were given a menu, therefore we had to ask for another one. The menu was varied, plenty of choice, the barman didn’t explain how the lunch menu worked, if you wanted vegetables or potatoes with your meal these were charged as extra. No specials of the day. The barman lacked knowledge of how the food was prepared and cooked. The salt cod fritters were just mashed potatoes covered in breadcrumbs and fried, no indication of cod in the fritters, the lemon sole was the smallest piece of fish served, however nicely cooked. The red mullet, served with fennel, rhubarb and blood orange was only fennel. Dessert was disappointing with the choice of cake, cake and the obligatory crème brûlée which was the texture of cold custard. The service was appalling, they didn’t attend to detail, we had to keep attracting the attention of the staff to get any service at all. Service was very, very, very slow, a big let down, if the service continues as it did today customers will not return. There were only four tables with customers on inside. Just one more small issue the front door needs fixing, it slowly closes with a loud clicking noise that clicks slowly 10 times before it closes, after a while it’s distracting.

Just visit, no more words are needed, best to book mind as always busy. We just popped in for drinks and they were great.

Another fabulous meal in Newlyn - the locals are blest with some superb restaurants (and of course pretty fresh seafood!). Happy atmosphere in a pubby type room. All delicious and would be happy to go again.

We had the fixed price menu, and the preparation and flavours were perfect. The hand cut chips were also outstanding! The service was attentive, polite and relaxed. We will definitely return, perhaps to explore the a la carte next time.

Fantastic fresh ingredients. Wonderfully presented meals that tasted divine 😋 💖 Happy friendly staff and a warm Cornish welcoming atmosphere in the pub. Fantastic place for my birthday dinner.

Lunch service at 12.30pm on a Monday. Table for 3. Ordered from the 3 small plates for £24 menu. Fish and veggie dishes only here and all the better for it. Smoked Trout, Mussels, Hake, Red Mullet. Service was polite and smooth, food and especially the fresh fish was spot on. Absolutely spot on. The Hake with Greens and Lemon sauce was 12/10. A really cracking lunch.

Lovely pub and restaurant - top notch fish, and starters - seen some reviews that service is not friendly - definitely when we have been there it was great. Someone even didn't finished booking process properly, kitchen has 5 minutes to close, and anyway they serve them. Nice local beer and cider was an additional plus - full deserved 5 stars.

Difficult to give The Tolcarne anything other than 5 Stars across the board! Specialises in locally landed sea food supported by a good range of drinks. Lovely atmosphere with seating inside and out. Located in Newlyn and at the end/ start of the Penzance Promenade, its ideally placed to call in for a pint or a bite to eat. But this popular pub gets busy ,so best to book for a meal .

Delicious fresh fish beautifully cooked in a welcoming atmosphere. 3 plates for £24 lunch special was great value for money.

Excellent food,but the restaurant was cold.

We dropped by with the idea of perhaps having a meal but as on Winter's past it was freezing in here. So we obviously did not stay. It is a mystery why the owners cannot sort this out as if they did their custom would surely double. Crazy. So if you want to freeze your arse off make sure to come here. Plenty of time in February so no need to panic. I did attempt to discuss the heating situation but it did not seem to be a popular topic

If you love fish this is for you. Right next to Newlyn Harbour and fish market, this 300 year old inn doesn’t get any closer to fresh fish than you can get. The food is elegantly presented, using seasonal ingredients that perfectly complement the star of the show: the fish. The mackerel and horseradish starter was beautiful! The cod main was sensational and (if you have room) try and squeeze in the bread and butter pud. You know you want it. The service was attentive, informal and friendly. If I had one improvement, a little ambient music wouldn’t have gone amiss.

This is one of the best restaurants in Cornwall At the moment 3 courses for £30 amazing value You will not have better fish and more creative dishes for this price anywhere The fish is so fresh caught a few metres away from the restaurant We will definitely be back a lot !

The food was nice but overpriced for what you got . Very small portions and It always feels it’s a-bit stingy to not have a complete meal and have to pay extra for veg or potatoes. We decided not to try the pudding as it might be in a thimble.

We had an enjoyable meal. A decent menu to choose from and the fish was prepared and cooked perfectly. The ambience is pub style. The only let down was that the fire on our side of the pub wasn’t working. A small portable radiator didn’t provide enough heat on a cold winters night.

Good local restaurant with excellent dishes!

The food is great and highly recommended👍

Excellent food, excellent service. We have been going there for 4 years every time we visit the area and it never fails to be great!

Unbelievable food, the pub is a must to visit

Decor is gastro pub standard. Service is unrefined as befits the decor. Food is reaobable but expensive. Turbot at £38 is a bit rich from an establishment almost on the quay

Wow! Amazing food, totally off the scale, very friendly service. Thank you Ben and all at the Tolcarne for a wonderful evening!

A beautiful lunch of exquisite food in authentic surroundings and with friendly attentive staff.

I went for lunch with a girlfriend and we had mussels which were cold, we informed the kitchen and they re did did …..the soup was like puréed baby food and so thick that you could turn the bowl upside down! I had a seafood entree that should have been 12 quid but when I got home I realised they’d charged me 25 for a whole Talbot …. I didn’t check at the restaurant silly me! Would I go back … NO… they weren’t even busy so mistakes like that just shouldn’t happen…. Best go somewhere else!

Amazing food! A must visit in Newlyn.

It was raining we were hungry so we went in a was lucky to have a table. We had the mussels and fries and it was absolutely amazing. The sauce was so tasty I could have just had a bowl of that !! The chefs obviously are brilliant at what they do all the good that went to other tables also looked delicious. Service was 1st class and we cannot wait to go again

Had a wonderful dinner there. Great food, service and ambience. They happily and brilliantly went that important extra mile to cater for my partners dietary requirements. Will certainly go again.

Out with friends from up country and decided to pop in for lunch. Best idea I've had for some time! The food we had ( mains and dessert) was absolutely super ! Service couldn't have been better , thank you folks good job done 👍 We'll see you again soon.

I actually think this is better than Rick Stein's Sea Food Restaurant, which we had visited a few days prior. I had to change my booking time at the last minute and it was accommodated with no fuss. The scallops and Mackerel starters were delicious and our mains, sea bass and John dory were just as good. Good portion size meant there was no room for dessert, but the wine and beer were both excellent too.

Overall very disappointing. Mussels were pale & flavourless. One of our party chose sea bass and at £10 more than all other dishes expectations were high. It was so small, for the price you’d expect a whole fish but it was one very small fillet. The scallop main dish consisted of just 2 scallops, pretty outrageous really. So sadly won’t be returning to this pub.

Superb Pub with excellent Food prepared by Ben Tunicliff, a little of a legend in this part of Cornwall, and well diserved, stunning Fish of course and so fresh as you would expect

Auf der Suche nach etwas Essbarem an einem stürmischen Sonntagabend sind wir im Tolcarne Inn gelandet und wurden absolut überrascht!! Von außen erwarteten wir ein normales Pub, wo man auch etwas zu Essen bekommt! Der Blick in die Speisekarte verriet uns schnell, dass wir hier vermutlich mehr bekommen würden, als wir eigentlich wollten! Der Entschluss zu bleiben hat sich jedenfalls gelohnt!! Super leckeres Essen, freundliche Atmosphäre, zeitnahe Bedienung, alles in allem ein sehr gelungener Abend! Nicht ganz günstig, aber es war seinen Preis auf jeden Fall wert!! Seafood- und Fischliebhaber kommen besonders auf ihre Kosten!!

Husband ill all night...liquids from both ends after the monk fish I had cauliflower steak...hard with curry paste rubbed on top Overpriced and never again

Lovely tapas style food with freshly prepared fish, and shellfish. I had scallops with smoked aubergine lime pickle and dukkah which was a little bit overpowering for my taste. Breaded Monkfish with scallop row taramasalata and courgette, pickled fennel and capers salad was deliciously refreshing. The sourness of pickled salad balanced the fried monkfish. We shared Mackrell Niçoise salad which was delicious,

We had a lovely meal at The Tolcarne Inn. The devilled egg, ray terrine and trout starters were all delicious. Mains John Dory and Silver Mullet. All impeccably cooked and presented. With a bottle of Viognier and service our total bill was £160 for two of us. This was a cool showery Monday evening in Newlyn and apart from a couple of other diners the inn was empty. A table laid up for six appeared to be no shows which must be a source of extreme frustration for the inn. Highly recommended for anyone like us for whom this was one of the big holiday nights where we were braced to receive the bill!

We arrived on a dark cold and wet Saturday night to a warm and welcoming refuge in this cosy and well run inn. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Service excellent. Good choice of wines. The homemade bread was also excellent. My devilled anchovy eggs a flavour bomb. Partners oysters were fresh and well presented. The fish we had was cooked to perfection and served with well judged accompanying vegetables and sauces. These chefs know what they are doing and the food is prepared with care and attention to detail. This was the best meal we have had for a long time - all the better for being unexpected. Food to feed the soul. Thank you!

Excellent food & service, great location, dog friendly.

Overpriced and mediocre. The service was slow and poor (we were asked whether we would like tap, still, or sparkling water upon arrival yet had to ask for it 20 minutes later; dirty plates left on the table for inordinate periods despite waiters drying cutlery. The table beside us had the same experience: they became so bored waiting for their plates to be cleared that they went outside for a smoke, returned, and still waited. They also appeared to receive the wrong mains on a night when they ostensibly were celebrating.) The food does too much. Scallops cooked perfectly but then overpowered by slices of sausage; John Dory seemed cooked well yet was smothered in hollandaise sauce; courgettes with harissa is a mash that favours neither element. This came to £160 inc. a bottle of wine. (Payment of which, having waited again for some semblance of service, we sought and paid directly at the bar.) An expensive meal with food that aspires yet disappoints and service that abandons.

Best quality meal that we had in Penzance - recommended.

the food is excellent and tasty, shame about the time in which it is served, I am the one serving they are not very fast but the wait is worth it, nice environment, because it makes you remember the old style

What an experience! Brilliant food. From beginning to end, the food was marvelous - delicious homemade bread & smoked almonds; two very special starters, smoked salmon and scallops, clearly well thought of and beautifully plated; John Dory as a main plate with courgette and lemon butter sauce on the side; and finally, two amazing desserts: Pistachio, almond and peach tart with ice cream and dense chocolate mousse with red wine cherries. We absolutely loved it! Well done to everyone behind it the making of our experience.

£6.10 for a pint of lager, £6.85 for a lager shandy - you get half a pint of lager yet still charge you for a pint and then an extra 0.75p for lemonade! that's how it is and in my eyes that's a rip off. I disputed it with the barman he agreed with me

Booked one night before. Pricey but quality of fish dish was quite good. The john dorry fish fillet was particularly good and tasty. Scallop was also very fresh. Enjoyed our dinner here.

Stayed in St just for a week, booked and went for a 50th birthday meal here in Newlyn, such an amazing place the inn it’s self was quaint and lovely old building, nice outside eating area in the sun, As for the food everything was cooked to perfection, the Chef certainly knows his stuff, the only down side was there wasn’t enough to eat, ( I could have eaten everything twice at least, ) 😄 Will be back again as the food was stunning and well worth going for. Thanks for a great meal.

FABULOUS RESTAURANT! It ruined all experiences afterwards, because none could compare! We all had a different fish dish and the cook, seasoning and balance was amazing! I had a John Dory, which I cannot state enough how amazing it was. I would recommend this restaurant 💯 without reservation. The staff were also very nice!

I was recommended to try this restaurant and was not disappointed went for lunch. I wanted something off the evening menu no problem the chef was happy to cook the fish. Ordered the home made bread it was warm a good start to the meal. The fish was cooked perfectly one of the best I have ever tasted, much better than a well known restaurant in Padstow. The staff were very welcoming and attentively so nice for the solo customer.

Sailing along the south coast towards Isles of if Scilly, we stayed a couple of nights in Newlyn. And saw this little restaurant with a menu that's changing every day due to fresh catches and dito delivering. A real treat! We orderd first a main fish dish and that was great. The dessert could not meet the same level, and now we know you shoud not ask for cafee at the end. Not cheap. The venue is simple, the way we like it. Chairs coud be more comfortabel. Staff is professional, good.

Really lovely service and food. Just needs a few veggie options.

Great and friendly service, delicious food and a very nice and cozy place. Highly recommended!

Gr8 place fir a quick pint of offshore..and just to sit outside and and chat.

Lovely food, great service, friendly staff, good atmosphere .car parking EXCELLENT

Very large portions, everything delicious.

Had lunch here at a recommendation of a friend. It was great. Lovely pub feel with some fantastic seafood. Had Deviled Egg for starters followed by Ray Wing. Service was great - really friendly! Definitely a thumbs up!

Beautiful dinner experience! It's a must visit if you are in the area! I'm recommending it 100%.

Our friend suggested the restaurant and we wanted to give a try. I had no idea before and I was not expecting anything like that. the food was incredibly tasty, fresh and satisfying. Good atmosphere and definitely recommend it!

This historic maritime pub, masterfully helmed by chef and restaurateur Ben Tunnicliffe, offers a culinary haven for seafood enthusiasts. From the moment we arrived, the warm, inviting atmosphere set the tone for an unforgettable evening. The pub’s charming maritime décor, coupled with its prime location overlooking one of the UK’s most important fishing ports, creates a unique and cosy ambiance. The menu, thoughtfully curated and reflective of seasonal abundance, showcases the freshest local seafood. We started with the salt cod fritters – a delicate, perfectly seasoned delight. For the main course, the goujons and monkfish were outstanding, each dish crafted with impeccable attention to detail and bursting with flavour. The chalkboard menu, ever-evolving to highlight the best of each season, ensures there’s always something new and exciting to try. Service at the Tolcarne Inn was exemplary, with attentive staff who were knowledgeable about the menu and passionate about their offerings. Despite it being a busy Friday evening, the team maintained a friendly and efficient service, making us feel truly valued. To top off the meal, the dessert was a visual and gastronomic treat. The rich, decadent chocolate tart with pecan topping and a scoop of creamy ice cream was the perfect end to our culinary journey. Overall, the Tolcarne Inn exceeded all expectations. Its combination of top-notch food, excellent service, and picturesque setting makes it a standout destination in Cornwall. We left with our hearts and bellies full, eagerly anticipating our next visit. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Newlyn – the Tolcarne Inn is a true hidden gem by the sea.

Lovely menu, mainly fresh local caught fish. Good for a pint in the sun too.

Hugely overpriced for underwhelming, rather unimaginative, obvious dishes. Service efficient, but lacking in any charm. We were warned not to bother, and rather wish we hadn't. Ideas above its self!

Food was absolutely wonderful, well presented and really good quality. The only negative thing I have to say is that the tables are a bit squashed in and the chairs unfortunately rock on the beautiful slate floors (which is going to happen really) They seem to have tried their best with the rocking with the tables by putting wedges under the table legs...so you can't really do much about the chairs. The issue is that you have barely enough room to move to cut your food because we were sta pretty much shoulder to shoulder.

Superb sea bass would definitely recommend

Myself and my partner knew nothing of the place prior to visiting, we saw that from the outside it looked inviting and seemed to be ideally placed very close to the harbour and the fish market and we could see from signage outside that they served sea food so we'd give it a go. For a start we would like to especially commend the staff, a young brunette lady and a young moussy brown haired man with glasses, both were very polite, friendly and helpful and after some poor experiences with rude and judgemental staff at other premises it was an absolute breath of fresh air. We ordered salt cod fritters with aioli as starters each, these were presented beautifully and ample in portion size and were absolutely succulent and delicious. A short while later our mains came out, these being cod, turbot and trout goujons with lemon and herb garlic mayo and funky leaves. Yet again, beautiful. The fish was decidedly fresh and succulent, beautiful batter and well presented, simply delicious. The whole while we were asked along the meal if we were happy and enjoying our food, but not in an invasive way, in a friendly and polite manner. Myself and my partner were so pleased with everything I asked how best to go about personally providing positive feedback towards the staff members for being fantastic and was told to write a review on TripAdvisor which has brought me here to write this review. Highly recommend.

Great, friendly, relaxing pub with amazing bar staff.

Stopped in for a couple of pints only.Really friendly girls behind the bar.Made us both very welcome.Beer well kept.

Lovely food but very pricey. Too many dogs! Toilets substandard with a smelly carpet and nowhere to hang a bag or coat. Relationship between price and quality of premises and service not quite right.

Fine food, beautifully presented but too pricy. Relationship price and quality not in balance. Too many dogs. Toilet just a pity. staff are friendly and willing.

I am overwhelmed by the food here. Just so wholesome and tasty and everything.

My partner and I (with 2 dogs) visited for lunch today. I hadn’t made a booking prior but popped into the pub and asked if there was availability for us and the 2 medium to large dogs. I was told we could have the table by the door as it would be the only one availability. Great and no problem I thought, we were happy to get a table & we were happy to be sat there. (Although what became apparent as more locals came in without a booking that there was flexibility in where people could be sat - though I understand without a booking and not being a regular this may have been their unofficial protocol. Though that wasn’t an issue in our eyes I just wanted to include for this review). What started as a positive experience, as we were looking forward to sea food, gradually became a bit of a sour experience and disappointing. Whilst we are ‘tourists’ we wouldn’t return. We were made to feel like an inconvenience by the two hosting ( and young female with brown hair tied up). A summary of the experience: - the female hosting (young female, brown hair tied back) huffing to the other server she had given the seats to us when further people came to enquire about tables. We could overhear this being so close to the bar and the till. - not being asked how the food was / anyone checking on our meal once the food had been served - no calories detailed on the menu -the portion sizes are small -the fish didn’t have any particular taste to it / it wasn’t anything special. Though in contrast, the chips and garnish salad alongside the meals were delicious. - Charged twice for our drinks when the bill came - no apology from the male server when we raised this (young male, brown mousey hair with glasses). - when asking about the parking refund being told as I had paid via the app they couldn’t do it as he needed “evidence in the till”. I offered to email my digital receipt across. A few minutes later was told that was ok and was handed the refund in 20ps in cash. I trusted what I was being handed but it transpired I had been severely short changed. For me, it is not the fact of the value (c.£1) it is the dismissive attitude of the server and the deliberately short changing / being difficult with 20ps. (If they only had 20ps no problem but say so). If they market themselves as dog friendly and offer pay back for parking then this should be a standard offer & if those that ask for this are not made to make those visiting feel a burden. I did notice retrospectively on Facebook a couple of people had included this in their reviews.

My husband and I arrived in Cornwall on 31/5/2024 on Friday. We took a walk around this small little fishing village called Newlyn. And found this little restaurant - The Tolcarne Place. Their menu for lunch is sharing plant. We ordered 3 different dishes. The servers were exceptionally friendly. The service was excellent. The dishes we selected were the best to be known. Thank you for your excellent services. Highly recommended. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Very good food in a rustic atmosphere. Clear, small menu, mainly fish dishes and a surprisingly good selection of wines. Dog-friendly (dog-friendly) Highly recommended

We were looking for a good fish restaurant without crowds of tourists. The Tolcarne Inn is a cute, sophisticated pub serving excellent food. We had the salt cod fritters to start, then the goujons and the monk fish as mains. We booked a table - a good job since the place was full except for our waiting table. Beautiful menu, fabulously delivered, and great service too.

We had a very nice roast lunch here today. So flavoursome & an exquisite dessert. Nice polite staff too. The only downside for me would be where we were seated. I booked approx middle of the week but I think I would be correct in saying that we probably had the worst table in there. Right next to the door & opposite the bar. Yet I did notice others who came in on speck had much better tables. I think for the price & considering the interior layout we wouldn’t return. Pity.

Been here a couple times with the family and it is an absolutely stunning place, with magnificent food. Service Is incredible, and I think the chef is a wizard!

Had the most amazing grilled lemon sole today with hand cut chips . The sun was shining and the cider was cold . Perfect

Great seafood. Friendly service. Beautiful pub . Will return

Nice place, good service, good food ....but way overpriced.

Heavily overpriced. I wouldn’t mind paying £38 (!) for a small serving of brill presented as a main course, without any sides, if it tasted like it was worth it; which it didn’t. Good service though. Much better (and tastier) alternatives are just round the corner!

We sought out this place, for lunch whilst in Newlyn, and wasn't disappointed! Delicious seafood and we had a table in front of the log burner to dry off from the heavy rain. No kids menu but they did do a kids fish goujons & chips.

Excellent ingredients and beautifully cooked - we really enjoyed our meal.

So good.. Going back next week!

We really enjoy eating here at lunch time . Freshly cooked local tasty food

Varies from simply outstanding to very good fresh beautiful Newlyn fish. It's a simple place inside. Winter warmth from open fires but of outside space during summer. It's really well priced for the top quality food. Staff friendly bunch too.

As always good food selection prepared and cooked to a high standard.

Just had the most wonderful lunch of fresh fish at The Tolcarne Inn. A real treat, thank you.

Terrific value at lunchtime for really delicious food

This place gets a lot of good reviews and I can see why! It is certainly not in the cheaper range of places to eat but sometimes you want to spend a bit more (especially on holiday) and get something a little extra! It's cornish and by the sea and as expected they have a lot of very good seafood on offer (they have meat dishes too but fewer purely vege options - I'm a vegetarian who sometimes stretches to fish so was okay but if you just want vege it's worth pre checking the menu). The food however was exceptional! I think it's worth the price and would happily go back. Service was friendly and unpretentious and it was very busy on a Wednesday in the first week of January! Good selection of wines and good recommendations for them by the staff (plus they gave me very generous sized 'tasters' of a couple of wines each time I asked for something different. The sign of a place that's confident to be judged on what they offer!) Loved it and would definitely go back

This was a great spot for a Saturday evening dinner - the kitchen are on point - beautiful seafood well treated with intelligent combinations of flavours - lovely attentive service and a cosy atmosphere. The wine flight was delicious and good value. We tried this place for the first time because we have a voucher - which was a great promotion because we will be back - cracking find!

Three of us went for lunch today & it was excellent ,especially the desserts & of course a great seafood selection of small bites ,however if anybody in your group is vegan vegetarian or a meat eater you may want to ring them and require something off menu ,its the only critism I have ,but a big one ! The waitress Michelle couldn't of been more attentive & worth a visit at least twice as the evening menu may off a more comprehensive menu

Great food. lovely staff . But very pricey two drinks two scallops cost over £60 pounds .

Had starters and a main course from the a la carte at lunch time. Delicious dishes. Especially enjoyed the taramasalata and the turbot!

Excellent fish dishes with ingenious and delicious accompaniments. A couple of interesting vegetarian options. Friendly, knowledgeable and efficient service. Short wine list with good range. A treat all round.