Reviews in Cornwall

What a find!! This first floor restaurant in St Ives must be one of the best kept secrets in town. Just when I thought I had sampled all that St Ives had to offer, I happened on this deceptively fine eating place. Quality fresh fish, good French wine and a view to die for and at such a modest price. How do they do it? To miss this restaurant when visiting St Ives would be a culinary crime!

What a wonderful suprise! Having stopped off in St Ives as part of my European sojurn I was totally amazed at the quality of food in general in St Ives, but in particular the Ocean Grill brought pure delight both to my palette and wallet. Basking in unusually warm sunshine on the balcony on a early spring evening was totally pleasure as I feasted on fresh seafood and uninterupted views of Cornwall across the St Ives Bay. Glorious...if only they could export it!!

Fantastic! One of the best meals I've ever enjoyed at a price that was very reasonable. Maybe one criticism would be that some of the portions are on the generous side, one thing for certain is that we didn't raid the fridge at home! We will definately go there again.

WOW !! What a superb meal, what a find !! Well worth the effort of seeking out this hidden gem off Chyandour Cliff Penzance. Views to rivel the best anywhere and although not cheap [my 3 course dinner with wine came to £34.00] I would say extememly good value. Marvelous Laksa [shrimp & noodle soup to the uninitiated] followed by monkfish tail baked in Pancetta with ratatouille & basil dressing. Veggies cooked just right & followed by brown bread & honey ice-cream.Mmmmm....heaven. No freezer to fryer or sous vide stuff here, just honest fresh food, prepared to order by experts who know what they're doing. Excellent wine & great service. You could do very much worse than to eat here... the locals do so that must tell you something!

I had just returned to the UK after spending some years abroad, living variously in Vienna, Munich, Utrecht and Lisbon. The choice of Penzance to live in was almost forced upon me by personal circumstances and the one thing I was worried about was "Would there be restaurants of the same quality that I enjoyed on the continent?". Time would tell. I tried various restaurants and was moderately satisfied with the fare, but then one day I wandered, with two friends, into The Admiral Benbow... Wow! The maximum option that SugarVine gives me for assessing the ambience is "outstanding" but this falls well short of reality. The pub itself is one of the oldest in Penzance but it had been allowed to go to pieces by the previous owners. Alan and Trish - the current "Mine Hosts" - have made a fabulous investment, and though the hyper-critical might complain that it is a "created" pub, it has been done in such a wonderful way as you will never give it a thought. "Well", I muttered to myself, "the food cannot possibly keep up with this." How wrong I was! The variety for a small town restauraunt was amazingly varied so, having been given "carte blanche" by my friends to make the order I mentally picked the "Hot, smoked, Mackeral Fillet" for a starter, and chose and immediately ordered a bottle of Niersteiner to accompany it, which we sipped while I chose the rest of the meal. Hmmmm... a "Wild Boar Steak" would be different, and wonder of wonders, you can choose your own sauce. I think a "Dianne" sauce, if the boar is good, that particular sauce should off-set it beautifully. To complement the main course, I chose a bottle of a suitably robust Rhone wine. At this point I should mention, don't come to The Admiral Benbow if you want to be in and out like a rabbit at a burger-bar. Here, each meal is cooked for you individually, so you can relax and enjoy the food, the tipple and the company in comfort. Don't expect to spend less than an hour and a half enjoying yourself (preferably more), but enjoy yourself you will. The food was superb, after all the chef Craig, is ex- "The Savoy", and while a critic might want a more varied selection in the sweet department, we had Black Cherry Cheesecake and Clotted Cream which you would die for, and a good Brandy finished matters to perfection. All in all, in my humble opinion, The Admiral Benbow is the best restaurant in Penzance and for many, many miles around and not exorbitantly priced. Less than £120 for three people, including wines of well above average quality, is not what I would call expensive, and you can eat equally well for considerably less if you wish. I have returned several times, changing dishes each time (not all the dishes are as exotic as Wild Boar - and this is no bad thing, AND they do children's meals). I have never been disappointed. I trust I shall be returning for many years to come... and I hope you will come and enjoy good food in a truly wonderful English Restaurant - far from the madding crowd.

We went here for a late lunch one day. The pub was very impressive and looked very much food orientated. I ordered a Thai chiken curry. When it arrived I was very impressed with the presentation and the portion size. The menu hadn't stated whether it was a Thai red or a Thai green, but as I like both it didn't matter. I think it was a red but it didn't have quite enough body or oomph to really impress me. Restaurant ambience, restaurant price, pub quality

Very popular Chinese restaurant. I can never make up my mind when having Chinese, so for me the best things on the menu are the multi-course banquets ranging from £14-£18 pp. These contain just about everything on the menu and are very well suplimented by a litre or so of house white. Cheap, cheerful and worth going back time after time

Deceptive from outside, but standard of food was exceptional and quite unexpected

nice comfortable lounge chairs . lovely bar.where did they get those soup bowls .

La Casita is one of my favourite places to eat in the St.Ives area. My fiancee and I have been on countless occasions, and have sampled the whole menu. It is superb. They can cook a rare steak perfectly, (that's my principle criteria for a restaurant), and always have a tempting selection of desserts.

We go here often as its a young and buzzy place and the food is consistantly good. They have a wood fired oven so the pizzas are different from anywhere else and they have thin chips, a good wine list and friendly staff. The view of the harbour is one of the best.

I've been to The Mex quite a few times and have never had anything bad. The food is pretty good considering two of you can eat out for £20

A great place to dine with friends, as a couple or to entertain clients. The interior is a blend of city sophistication, with the informality associated with ' Cornish seaside holiday chic'. As you enter, you are cleverly presented with a fish counter, reminiscent of a local market place, ice temptingly stacked with fine looking fresh fish. Customers are invited to choose their fish (or meat), along with a sauce and choice of potatoes. Veg or salad need to be selected as side orders. A simple wine list complements the menu.

One of our all time favourite place to eat in Cornwall, The location alone is worth it, then when you couple that with fantastic proper cuisine its a real treat. Great menu, great wine list, great beer selection, you carnt go wrong.

Simply the finest Chinese we have come across in Cornwall, authenticity without compromise. As good as any in the up-country cities. Proper Cantonese with a good wine list.

Went for Sunday lunch, took the papers and had a lovely coffee. We ordered Lamb and Rib of Beef, the plates were piled high and everything was cooked to perfection. the veg al-dente and the meats just right with a bit of pink. I went back soon after and had a great home-made burger. Now a firm regular for Sunday Lunch.

We celebrated my Birthday with a special meal and decided to go here as it had been recommended to us. It was very nice the food was obviously better than most and the wine list had a few bargains on it. The coffee was a bit stewed but we didnt care by that time. the restaurant was very small and intimate/romantic.

Had a really excellent steak and proper thin fries here, good bottle of wine, you cannot want for more. Good, honest and consistant.