The north Cornish coast has a wild beauty with pristine beaches, mystical moorlands and miles of rugged coastal paths. But just as much as the scenery, it’s the food that pulls people in now. There’s something special about this stretch of coast: restaurants turning out exceptional seafood, destination bakeries you’ll happily queue for, farm shops championing local produce and cosy, historic pubs.
This hard-to-get-to region was catapulted into the limelight by Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, which has just celebrated its 50th birthday. Since then, the area’s only gathered pace. Enter Michelin-starred Paul Ainsworth at No 6, who also took over the more casual Caffè Rojano and The Mariners pub in Rock, just across the estuary, followed by Katie and Rick Toogood's Prawn on the Lawn. There’s also The Pig at Harlyn Bay, with its famous 25-mile menu, with the Lobster Shed outside. Nathan Outlaw chose nearby Port Isaac for his restaurants, while Coombeshead Farm and restaurant near Launceston is famed for its excellent bread that makes it onto tables far beyond Cornwall.
They’re the big names, the ones everyone talks about. But there are plenty of places that fly under the radar too. Some are further inland but all well worth travelling to. I grew up in Bude – right at the north of Cornwall, often (wrongly) thought to be in Devon – and whenever I’m back, my first stop is always Electric Bakery. It’s doubled in size since its hugely successful opening in 2019. The breads sell out in hours, at weekends there are queues out the doors and the pastries (sweet and savoury) are generously sized. The bacon sandwiches are properly hefty, and there’s usually something tempting on the specials board – maybe a slow-cooked beef ragù or a fried halloumi flatbread. They’ll throw in the occasional burger or oysters-and-wine night too. It’s the kind of place where you end up leaving with more than you planned, especially when you spot the excellent independent coffees and beers to pick up along with your loaf, with lots made in the South West.
For dinner in Bude, I like Temple with its simple, considered small plates. Then there’s North Coast Wines bottle shop and bar, which is exactly where you want to be on a sunny afternoon with a glass of something cold, whether that’s a Cornish wine or a margarita.
The rest requires getting in the car (public transport is practically non-existent). First, head slightly further down the coast to the little village of Boscastle, known for its dramatic harbour, where Boscastle Farm Shop & Cafe at the top of the village has become a bit of a fixture. It’s always busy, so booking ahead is wise, especially for Sunday lunch. Down on the harbour is the The Rocket Store, a little seafood restaurant with a daily changing blackboard of dishes like torched seabass with sashimi, soy and daikon, and lots of produce coming from the owner’s farm.
Just 30-minutes south from Boscastle is the newest addition to the North Cornish lineup – though this isn't a new face, just a slightly new location as Nathan Outlaw closed his two Michelin-starred restaurant Outlaw's New Road, and opened Outlaw's Bistro inside his existing guesthouse. With fabulous views over the wild Atlantic coastline, of course, it's all about the great local Cornish seafood here. The tandoori monkfish is a standout, and anything served in his signature Porthilly sauce, an intensely umami bisque, is a must order.
Head inland a little and you’ll find olde-worlde pub The Rising Sun in Altarnun, right on the edge of Bodmin Moor. Here, there are affordable set menus with fantastic cooking like Korean spicy chicken wings, brown crab tagliatelle and saffron arancini. Book a table to revive yourself after a brisk hike up Roughtor, one of Bodmin's many tors, which has huge granite formations that seemingly balance atop one another.
Head 30 minutes south on the A39 (the main road through North Cornwall) to find St Kew Farmshop and Cafe. This is one of those places I’ll always try to squeeze into a journey. Partly for the food – good coffee and a well-stocked pantry where you can pick up Perello olives, Cornish Yalah coffee or Honest Toil olive oil among others – and partly in the hope of spotting Selby, the resident dog. If there’s time, I’ll head to the St Kew Inn – the 15th century building has wonky walls, uneven floors and an open fire inside, but offers much more than usual pub fare as it has a serious outside cooking set-up and specialises in cooking over fire.
Rock, further along the coast, never really held much appeal for me – until Four Boys opened in 2023. Now it’s the place I love to book more than any other, somewhere I’ll happily drive nearly an hour with my family for. They’ve perfected the art of knowledgeable but laid-back service, and on a sunny day, with the awnings rolled up and the River Camel estuary right there, it’s hard to beat. It does fish and pasta with Med-inspired sharing plates so well, with dishes like hand-dived scallops with roe butter, Cornish crab tagliolini with fennel and chilli (a firm favourite), and gurnard crudo with blood orange and chilli, plus there's a children's menu.
Near Padstow, Trevibban Mill vineyard is another favourite stop. They offer tours and tastings of wine (the Orion skin-contact wine is my favourite) and cider, all made here, along with snacks and sharing boards. But for something more substantial, eat downstairs at Barnaby's, sister restaurant to Prawn on the Lawn.
Away from the coast again, Wadebridge has quietly picked up a few gems. Plonk'd, owned by Jonny Mutch and Jess Balsam, is my current favourite – a small, Spanish-leaning wine bar and restaurant with a lot of energy. Dishes on the chalkboard menu are exciting – think sobrasada-topped crispy toast with whipped ele, a local cheese, or the most beautifully cooked Iberico presa with apple and fennel remoulade, followed by a super-silky, gooey Basque cheesecake.
A little further inland, Fern is one of the newer openings, set on Bodmin’s Pendewey. Head chef Paul Welburn, who trained under Gary Rhodes, is really flavour focused and has created a tantalising menu with ingredients like sea buckthorn and yuzu. He's also turned hashbrowns into sophisticated snacks, topping them with taramasalata and cucumber, while the charred Cornish pink bream with Yorkshire rhubarb and bonito consomé has so many delicious layered flavours. It's elevated, but not fine dining.
Back on the northern coast in Newquay there’s Counter Culture, a Basque-inspired restaurant owned by chef Ben (who worked under Marco Pierre White) and Anna Harrison. Inside, half the space is a bar and the other a restaurant and it's quickly evident it's the type of place local's pop into for a glass and a few of the excellent pintxos – and likely end up staying for more dishes, such as the decadent beef shin with milk bread, swede and brown sauce, topped with crispy onions. It's somewhere to return to time and time again.
And finally, Gorse Bakery. I’ll always make time for it and wasn’t at all surprised that it made Good Food Guide’s list of Britain’s 50 Best Bakeries. Just outside Newquay's centre, what started as a wholesale sourdough bread business has rapidly turned into a destination bakery that draws in crowds of loyal followers. There are often queues on weekends, with customers after the likes of spelt and honey bread, chilli cheese twists with sesame, or chunky ham and cheese toasties for lunch. Proof, if any were needed, that North Cornwall’s culinary pull extends far beyond the headliners alone.
