Where to eat in Falmouth, Cornwall: the best restaurants, cafés and pubs

Fresh off-the-boat seafood and restaurants with a view

Sitting on the edge of the water in South Cornwall, Falmouth is loved for its buzzing streets and art scene. It captures the interest of many, thanks to its white sand beaches, higgledy-piggledy lanes and maritime history. What’s more, the streets are lined with independent bookshops, craft cafés and ancient pubs, making it an ideal place to wander any day of the year.

You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to the best restaurants too, but to save you some time we’ve rounded up our favourites. From sea-view fine dining to hidden dog-friendly delis, here are our recommendations for where to eat in Falmouth.

Star & Garter

© Star & Garter via Instagram

Style: Pub

Price range: ££

Menu: Sunday lunches and smoked meats

Website: Click here

A long-standing favourite amongst our team, Star & Garter is renowned for its excellent Sunday lunches and rotisserie chicken suppers. The pub itself originally opened its doors in 1892, so it radiates a traditional charm with beautiful views over the harbour. Like most pubs, the bar commands the restaurant and comes stocked with local ales, stouts, wines, gins and spirits.

Booking is highly recommended and if you can, ask for a table beside the window. Watch as boats sail past and order from the mouthwatering menu. Their Sunday lunches come with all the trimmings, so expect fluffy roast potatoes, dressed carrots and lashings of gravy to really satisfy your cravings.

Bodega

© Bodega via Instagram

Style: Restaurant

Price range: ££

Menu: Spanish tapas

Website: Click here

If tapas is your thing, visiting Bodega should be at the very top of your Falmouth to-do list. Inspired by owner Ren’s home country, the menu is typically Spanish with sharing at its core. Found on Arewenack Street, Bodega sits in good company with the likes of Culture and Verdant Seafood Bar around the corner.

The setting itself is contemporary with subtle nods to its European influence – opt for a candlelit table for two or take a seat at the bar before perusing the extensive wine list. With the likes of smoked anchovies, patatas alliloli and king prawn pil pil on the menu, it's tempting to go for a "one of each" approach when it comes to the tapas.

Hooked on the Rocks

© Hooked on the Rocks by Adam Sargent and Smilte Seimyte

Style: Restaurant

Price range: ££

Menu: Seafood and shellfish

Website: Click here

With a menu celebrating sustainable fishing and locally sourced ingredients, Hooked on the Rocks is certainly one for the seafood enthusiasts in your group. Having featured in the Michelin Guide in 2022, you can expect a true taste of Cornwall with the daily catch supplied by local fishermen from Falmouth, Mylor and Newlyn. Sitting just moments from Swanpool Beach, it’s a fantastic option for summertime dining and certainly ticks the box for a ‘restaurant with a view’.

Booking a table is recommended, with the waterside terrace a sought-after option for those wishing to soak up the evening sun. Tuck into fresh oysters, whole lobster and salty fries before delving into the decadent dessert menu to round off your day perfectly.

Culture

© Culture

Style: Restaurant

Price range: £££

Menu: Tasting menus

Website: Click here

Having been awarded Falmouth’s first Michelin Green Star in 2023, Culture is a relatively new addition to Falmouth and is a fine dining restaurant known for its locality and sustainability. The menu is an ode to local producers and is dictated by the farmers, fishermen and gatherers who supply the ingredients for the dishes, rather than the other way around.

Dinner is served every evening at 7pm and the seven-course menu takes you on a journey through who Culture are and what they do. The menu is kept under wraps until your visit, adding an element of exclusivity and surprise to your dining experience. We also recommend opting for the wine flight, where you’re sure to experience the very best pairings from their private cellar.

Verdant Seafood Bar

© Verdant Seafood Bar via Instagram

Style: Bar

Price range: ££

Menu: Seafood and small plates

Website: Click here

Having set up shop in Penryn in 2014, Verdant Brewing Company are loved for their hoppy, hazy beers and have recently expanded by opening up a seafood bar in the centre of Falmouth. Open for walk-ins only, the cosy bar is instantly recognisable for its quirky interiors and local artwork.

The menus centre around sharing and pairing, so order a few small plates between your group with delicious locally brewed beer to match. The staff are helpful and are on hand to provide a few tasters of their draught beer to ensure you find a new favourite alongside your meal.

As the name suggests, lovers of seafood will be well catered to with daily menus influenced by the neighbouring fisherman’s daily catch. Highlights include crab rarebit, garlic prawns and lobster rolls. Meanwhile, the vegan feast nights are simply sublime with wine and beer pairings included too.

Provedore Deli & Bar

© Provedore via Instagram

Style: Bar

Price range: ££

Menu: Pizzas and small plates

Website: Click here

Known affectionately as one of Falmouth’s "hidden gems", Provedore is a tiny cicchetti bar nestled away from the crowds on Trelawney Road. You may stumble upon it during a walk through Falmouth’s neighbourhoods, but if not, it’s not too far a walk from the docks and waterfront. Its teal exteriors don’t give much away but walking through the doors, you’ll be greeted by eclectic interiors and chalkboard menus.

A handful of candlelit tables sit beside a bar, with a few more spilling out onto the terrace during the summer months. Loved by locals for its Spanish-inspired small plates, we recommend stopping by for crispy squid, tangy bruschetta and filled bagels. The menus change most days depending on what’s in season with the chefs taking pride in sustainability and locality.  

Gylly Beach Café

© Gylly Beach Café via Instagram

Style: Café

Price range: ££

Menu: Sharing platters, seafood and burgers

Website: Click here

Sitting on the edge of Gyllyngvase Beach, this sea-view café is among the best in Cornwall. Its seaside setting means it's great for laid back al fresco dining with the kitchen open until late in the summer months too. Serving food all day, expect fluffy pancake breakfasts, seafood linguine lunches and locally reared beef burgers for dinner.

If you’re spending the day on the sand, soaking up the sunshine and swimming in the shallows, opt for a beach board to share instead. Served with sun-blushed tomatoes, toasted sourdough and zesty olives, the sharing platters promise to satisfy hungry beachgoers while leaving enough room for an ice cream dessert.

What’s more, it’s dog-friendly so you can aim for Gylly Beach Café during a walk along the South West Coast Path.

Boo Koos

© Boo Koos via Instagram

Style: Restaurant

Price range: ££

Menu: Tex-Mex, burgers and loaded nachos 

Website: Click here

A relatively new addition to Falmouth, Boo Koos originates from Helston but takes its inspiration from much further afield. The menus are classically Texan with barbequed burgers, loaded nachos and ice cream shakes taking centre stage. The setting itself is fun and vibrant, akin to an American bar with its neon signage and wooden booths.

Their bar is also fully stocked when it comes to beers, cocktails and spirits. Our recommendation would be to order the shredded chicken nachos, a side of tater tots and icy margaritas for an authentic Tex-Mex experience.  

Mine

© Mine by Emily Marcovecchio, Robin Markland and Kevin Gitsham

Style: Restaurant

Price range: £££

Menu: British classics

Website: Click here

Tucked away along Falmouth’s cobbled back streets, Mine is a wonderfully small eatery known for its simple, yet elevated menu. They’ve recently been featured in Michelin’s Guide for 2024 and it's easy to see why. They’ve curated a menu and restaurant environment inspired by neighbourhood dining with ingredients sourced from local farms, producers and day boats.

Because of the menu’s seasonality, the offerings change most days, so you’ll likely never have the same dish twice. Keeping things simple, there are only ever three dishes to choose from for each course – either meat, fish or veggie. To get a feel for what they offer, the sample menu features salt-baked celeriac, hog’s pudding scotch egg and crab fritters.

Where to stay nearby

Cornerways in St Mawes, South Cornwall

Sleeps: 8

Why you’ll love it: dog-friendly, ocean views and a short walk into St Mawes

Sitting just over the water and accessible via passenger ferry, St Mawes is where you’ll find our paradisal home, Cornerways. Enjoying sparkling sea views and just a short walk away from the harbour, it’s a contemporary home with welcoming interiors and a suntrap garden. Spill out onto the terrace for early evening drinks or stoke the wood burner for a cosy night in after days spent exploring Cornwall’s south coast.   

Speak to our team to secure your stay: 01208 895 570 | info@perfectstays.co.uk 

Image credits: main image by PixelRain | Star & Garter, Bodega, Verdant Seafood Bar, Provedore, Gylly Beach Café and Boo Koos all via Instagram | Hooked on the Rocks by Adam Sargent and Smilte Seimyte | Culture | Mine by Emily Marcovecchio, Robin Markland and Kevin Gitsham | All other images are our own.