St Ives feeds people well, and most of the places worth your evening are close enough to walk to. Here are five we send guests to, in the order we would visit them ourselves.
Start by the harbour
The first rule of eating here is simple: book early in the season, and walk down before you are hungry. The harbour front fills quickly once the boats come in, and the best window tables go to the people who wandered down at six rather than eight.
Five we send guests to
- Ardor St Ives. Mediterranean and Spanish cooking with a Michelin nod to match. The rotisserie chicken is the one people talk about, but the scallops and the prawn and octopus pil pil earn their place. Good with children, too.
- Porthgwidden Beach Cafe. Right above a private cove, with a Sunday roast worth planning your week around. Simple, well done, and the view does the rest.
- Talay Thai Kitchen. Fast, authentic Thai and a good cocktail to go with it. Come early, before the rest of the town does.
- Onzo Pizzeria. Stone-baked pizza and pasta by the harbour. Unfussy, and never a let-down.
- Porthminster Beach Cafe. The one to book for a special occasion, feet almost in the sand but properly refined, and Michelin-listed. The scallops and the Porthminster monkfish curry are reason enough.
“Book the big nights early, and leave the quiet ones to chance.”
HOUSE ADVICE
A kitchen for the in-between nights
Not every evening needs a reservation. Some of the best nights here are the quiet ones: a bag of fish from the market, a bottle of something local, and your own kitchen with the windows open. Every apartment has the space and the kit to cook properly, so you can balance the big nights out with slow ones in.
Big nights out, slow nights in. A good week has both.
Hidden, St Ives
