The best restaurants in Penzance Central Cornwall, Isles of Scilly South West

It was a dark and stormy night in Penzance. Luckily, intrepid diners that we are, we ventured out. What good luck should befall us! The Singing Rooster. Vegan pierogis and vegan bigosi. Outstanding! Tasty Polish beer, and house-baked desserts: a light chocolate cake with raisins infused with cherry vodka and a berry tart. Lovely atmosphere and decor and a delightful host. 5 starts.

Honestly the best place in Penzance if you want food or drinks imo. I had the soup (clearly homemade) which was fab. Wifey had a cheese scone which she said was the best she'd ever had. The kids loved it. I'd been here few months ago and had a hot chocolate and it was also really good. Will definitely be returning. Amazing :)

Lovely coffee, great place to catch up! It's the first time coming here but can definitely recommend it, especially the chocolate!

Great coffee, sandwiches and cakes. Recommend brie and mango chutney roll, cheese and pesto toastie, victoria sponge cake and almond and raspberry cake. Probably only seats 8-10 people inside and 4 outside? Young staff friendly and welcoming despite being a busy Saturday.

I was at the Redwing Gallery (to attend a brilliant Portraiture class) when I ordered a meal from their cafe.... Quesadilla (tortilla with refried beans and vegan cheese). Absolutely delicious. Also, the coffee is perfect. They always try to meet your requirements when you ask. The Redwing Gallery is a great place, run by lovely people and is a wonderful asset for the people of Penzance and its visitors. I heartily recommend a visit.

YUMMY TASTY BEST Pasty shop in PZ Quality food from very friendly happy staff Cakes are amazing nice variety of drinks and a few non meat options too and it’s all quality and tasty there are tons of pasty shops around especially in Penzance but this one stands out so tasty and fresh TRY THE TIFFIN ITS AMAZING also the vegan rolls and cheese and tomato bakes are superb

This cafe is a good place to sit and enjoy the view, the staff are very helpful and they can tell you all about Penzance and the attraction around, the food selection is also good with a vegetarian selection aswell, they will make you very welcome, so if you are in Penzance just give them a try you won't be disappointed

Nos paramos para desayunar, ya que habíamos visto que el menú era interesante. Tuve el aguacate con un huevo escalfado en chili y tostadas de masa fermentada. No es una combinación que habría pensado, pero funcionó muy bien. La estufa de leña añadido al ambiente acogedor del lugar. Encantadora decoración moderna de estilo rústico. Volveremos

I have to say, I thought the food here was delicious. It was cooked well and the flavours worked so well. The staff were friendly and the service quick. If I lived here - I would eat here all the time !

Absolutely fantastic food , the service team were amazing and the atmosphere was superb , it was highly recommended to us and we would highly recommend it as well, thanks team Barbican Bistro for a great evening.

Senara never fails to impress the young servers,front of house are friendly and welcoming the young chefs are outstanding,today myself and two friends enjoyed a lovely lunch two of us had beer battered cod the most beautiful white fish and crispy thin batter and one had Celeriac Risotto followed simply the best Sticky Toffee Pudding three very happy diners.

Went to an impromptu gig by the great singer song writer, Roo Panes, after his original gig (at The Minack Theatre), was cancelled. The Crumb was a great venue, a little small...or intimate sounds better, but Roo and band performed amazingly and it was a treat for those that travelled a long way to see him. Thanks to the Crumb for hosting.

My favourite restaurant in the world! I came here twice two years ago and think about it all the time. Can’t wait for the next visit. Bruce only uses the absolute freshest ingredients and it shows - the taste of dishes here is so tender on the tastebuds and exploding with umami you want to pinch yourself to see if it’s real. Posting below a review I wrote in August 2022 after my first visit: ‘One of the absolute highlights of our Cornwall trip was a beautiful little gem of a restaurant in Penzance called the Shore. The chef, Bruce, greets you enthusiastically, barefoot, at the door, introduces every course to the 12 guests in the space, and does everything from nabbing the freshest fish from local fishmongers before they even go to the public to washing the dishes to renovating the space. Bruce is adamant on freshness and bringing out the fullness of the flavour in everything - sea and garden ingredients served with a Japanese-inspired twist. I think a good indication of his sophisticated and delicate but unpretentious style of cooking is how he intentionally never uses an ingredient that's only pretty as garnish but can't be eaten. His food is truly food as art, and in a way it reminded me of really good therapy in the sense that you can taste within each slice and sliver of food the kind of immense skill, rich trove of knowledge, and keen insight that take decades to build. It reminded me of the intimacy of certain works of immersive theatre which offers an intimate experience in a space tailored to the production for the audience, but I have to say, seeing shows are much more tiring because you have to concentrate the entire time, without getting divine food! (Another way in which the night reminded me of theatre is how you can never get the same experience again, and how the realisation makes you savour the preciousness of every moment.) Bruce’s blend of down-to-earthness and high level of skill, craft, and understanding is such a marvel to me. It's easy for mastery in cooking to be touted at high prices, dressed up in fluff and frills, or for it to be surrounded by an air of exclusivity and elitism, but here the intimacy of the setting is because of practicality (one person can only cook for so many!) and also because of a real emotional attentiveness. In a world where "intimacy" or "homey vibes" can be sold as commodities, it was refreshing to just return to the basics and be in a situation where intimacy is the natural result of the setting and the person's philosophy. It also reminds me of the Japanese concept of shokunin, referring to artisans, craftspeople, et al who are singularly devoted to their craft over long periods of time (as long as a lifetime or beyond) and with a deep sense of humility. The grilled bass was absorbently juicy, and having pickles before hake and mussels is a genius stroke because the sourness of the former fully brought out the sweetness of the latter. The memory of the courgette, tomato, and squid soup still makes my mouth tingle with umami. The skinned tomatoes were tender, the diced courgette as freshly flavoured as green mangos, the squid impeccable, served with a side of chilled broth which you can feed into the bowl on your own. What I also appreciated about Bruce's food was how attuned he was to the outside world and how his guests were feeling - he served a chill soup because of the hot weather, which shows a connectedness with one's surroundings, the antithesis of the hubristic belief that you can get anything by air freight as long as you're willing to pay more. I have to say: Bruce makes me understand why things get put on the Michelin Guide, and I want to give him all the recs in the world!’

Food in the cafe here is really fresh and delicious. The salads are really vibrant and varied. The shop is also full of really great quality health foods