-
$ | |
One of the town's most famous inns, the 17th-century Admiral Benbow was once a smugglers' pub—look for the figure of a smuggler on the roof, and (if it's not too busy) ask to see the tunnel used for contraband. There's a good selection of West Country ales, and in the family-friendly dining room, decorated to resemble a ship's officers' mess, you can enjoy pizzas, seafood, and steaks. Seafaring memorabilia, a brass cannon, model ships, and figureheads fill the place.
46 Chapel St., Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 4AF, England
Known For
- Great historic character
- Cozy and relaxed vibes
- Family-friendly atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch Tues.–Fri.
-
$ | |
Despite the name, this laid-back and vaguely eccentric place is quintessentially English and ideal for a relaxed lunch away from the nearby rigors of the Park Street shopping scene. Generous salads, soups, and burgers are available, as are all-day breakfasts and brunches. Find your table first, note the number, and order at the bar—you can sit in the terraced backyard or in the two airy rooms upstairs, a secluded spot for a cup of tea with orange and almond cake. The restaurant opens at 8 am (9 am on Sunday) and closes at 5 pm.
75 Park St., Bristol, Bristol, BS1 5PF, England
Known For
- Wholesome snacks and delicious cakes
- Secluded garden perfect for lounging
- Ethical food policy
-
$$ | |
Locals and visitors alike make a beeline for this gastro-pub in a 16th-century building with a number of small dining spaces done in spare, contemporary country style. The elegantly presented dishes may include dry-aged moorland sirloin in a peppercorn sauce, beer-battered hake, or butternut squash risotto with salsa verde. Set-price menus are sometimes available, and there's a separate vegan and vegetarian menu. If you don't want to go the whole hog at lunchtime, wholesome sandwiches are also served every day but Sunday). Three spacious guest rooms make it possible to linger.
Moorside, Lydford, Devon, EX20 4AY, England
Known For
- Varied and interesting menu using quality local produce
- Friendly and helpful staff
- Tasty sandwich menu at lunchtime
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
-
$ | |
Opposite the cathedral, this child-friendly tearoom and restaurant spread over two floors is ideal for lunch, coffee, or snacks while you're seeing the sights. You can also sample one of Devon's famous cream teas, served with jam, scones, and clotted cream, or show up earlier for eggs Benedict or a cooked English breakfast. For lunch, try the house salad (with lettuce, avocado, pickled shallots, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, and pomegranate seeds), a "Devon fire burger," or just a sandwich. There's a good range of vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options, plus West Country beers and ciders. Tables are available outside in Cathedral Close in fine weather.
2 Cathedral Close, Exeter, Devon, EX1 1EZ, England
Known For
- One of the most cream teas in town
- Range of gluten- and dairy-free options
- Tables in Cathedral Close
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
-
$$ | |
For views and location, this breezy beachside eatery with a crisp, modern interior and deck seating can't be beat. On the menu you'll find hearty breakfasts and a judicious balance of meat, seafood, and vegetarian dishes for lunch and dinner, from salads, sandwiches, and burgers to smoked fish trio and pork belly ribs. There are barbecues in summer, and live music on Sunday evening.
Cliff Rd., Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4PA, England
Known For
- Amazing views
- Family-friendly setting
- Live music on Sunday night
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Mon. and Tues. Nov.–Easter
-
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
-
$$ | |
Overlooking Swanpool Beach a mile south of Falmouth, this popular eatery has a lively buzz and a menu that showcases the best seafood to be found in Cornish waters. Plump and juicy scallops from Falmouth Bay, mussels served with baked focaccia, wild prawns in 'nduja sauce, lobster with garlic and herb butter, crab risotto, and plain old fish-and-chips are among the favorite items on the family-friendly menu, while cocktails and mocktails can be ordered at the table or in the adjoining alfresco bar. Staff are young and enthusiastic, and the ambience is relaxed. Book a table on the outdoor terrace for the best experience—Pendennis Castle is visible just across the bay. Swanpool Beach is a stop on the Falmouth Coaster bus route.
Swanpool, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 5BG, England
Known For
- Buzzy beach restaurant
- Relaxing sea views
- Fresh, local seafood
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed 2 wks in Jan. and Mon.–Wed. in Nov.–mid-Feb.
-
$$$ | |
Unbeatable for its location alone—on the broad, golden sands of Porthminster Beach—this sleek, modern eatery prepares imaginative lunches and evening meals that you can savor while you take in the marvelous vista across the bay. The accent is on Mediterranean and Asian seafood dishes, and typical choices include sea bass fillet with local asparagus and a sauce vierge, Indonesian monkfish curry, and roasted duck breast with baked beetroot, burnt orange, and gin sauce. There's a gin bar and outdoor kitchen too—a tempting stop on a sunny day for breakfast, a snack, or just a drink—and two sister restaurants (Porthminster Kitchen on the harborside and Porthgwidden Beach Restaurant, in the Downalong neighborhood) have smaller and cheaper menus that are equally strong on seafood.
Porthminster Beach, St. Ives, Cornwall, TR26 2EB, England
Known For
- Beachside location
- Consistently high quality of food
- Famous seafood curry
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Nov. No dinner Sun. in Oct., Jan., and Feb.
-
$$ | |
A 14th-century inn and a row of thatched cottages make up this pub-restaurant with great views over the Bristol Channel. The kitchen mixes local cuisine with European influences, so expect dishes like Exmoor rib-eye steak and roasted artichoke, tomato, and black olive Provençal tart. There's fresh seafood year-round, and a superb game menu in winter. Booking ahead is advisable for the restaurant; otherwise, just show up for the bar menu, which features such snacks as soused mackerel fillet and crab sandwiches. In the attached hotel, corridors and creaking staircases lead to cozy guest rooms decorated in stylish print or solid fabrics.
Riverside Rd., Lynmouth, Devon, EX35 6EG, England
Known For
- Traditional pub decor and ambience
- Good range of local ales
- Delicious seafood and local meat dishes
-
$ | |
Around the corner from the cathedral, you can lift a tankard of bitter in the very rooms where Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh enjoyed their ale. The pub dishes out casual bar fare, from sandwiches and grills to steaks and ale pies, either in the bar or in the beamed and paneled upstairs restaurant. Drake, in fact, once wrote, "Next to mine own shippe, I do most love that old ‘Shippe' in Exon."
1–3 St. Martin's La., Exeter, Devon, EX1 1EY, England
Known For
- Famous former patrons
- Traditional English pub fare
- Lively and welcoming environment
-
$ | |
One of Cornwall's oldest pubs, the 1312 Sloop Inn serves simple lunches as well as evening meals in wood-beam rooms that display the work of local artists. The traditional menu includes fish pie, salads, and burgers as well as Cornish seafood paella. There's also a separate restaurant upstairs, and if the weather's good, you can eat at the tables outside at the front or on a rooftop terrace for excellent harbor views.
The Wharf, St. Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1LP, England
Known For
- Lively harborside atmosphere
- Traditional pub kitchen
- Cornish beers
-
-
$ | Clifton |
As the name implies, this casual eatery in the heart of Clifton village specializes in pork products, with special attention given to the humble British "banger." Sausages range from the traditional Gloucester Old Spot to Cotswold lamb, mint, and apricot; pork, leek, and stilton; and beef and ale, and all come with plain mashed potato or "champ" (mashed potato with spring onions). The menu also includes a tender slow-roast pork belly with plenty of crackling and gravy, mushroom, and spinach risotto, and a fish special featuring whatever seafood has been brought in from Cornish ports. The bright, modern restaurant is furnished with solid wooden benches and tables, and has outdoor seating, too. Local beers are served, and dishes are also available as take-outs.
7–9 Portland St., Bristol, Bristol, BS8 4JA, England
Known For
- Range of sausage dishes
- Local beers
- Snacks to go
-
$ | |
This vegetarian café and restaurant is perfect for breakfast, coffee, or a light lunch. Order at the counter and find a space in one of the three rooms—all simply furnished with rustic-style benches and tables and local art on the pastel-colored walls—or in the walled garden. Apart from pizzas, quiches, jacket potatoes, and house-baked rolls and cakes, the chalkboard might include such dishes as cauliflower cheese with roast potatoes and red wine gravy or mixed grain salad with roasted carrot and fennel. The whole food shop next door offers a range of picnic ingredients, too.
4–6 Priory Rd., Wells, Somerset, BA5 1SY, England
Known For
- Wholesome vegetarian food
- Great cakes
- Local community vibe
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner
-
$ | |
This is the real deal, perfect for a light lunch or, even better, a cream tea served on bone china. Warm scones come in baskets, with black currant and other homemade jams and plenty of clotted cream. It's closed every afternoon and all day Sunday.
20 Fore St., Bovey Tracey, Devon, TQ13 9AD, England
Known For
- Perfect English cream tea
- Charming ambience
- Homemade cakes and desserts
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner
-
$ | |
At this pub you can contemplate the quayside comings and goings over a pint of real ale and a sandwich, a pie, or a pasty. The nautical theme comes through in pictures and the ship's wheel hanging from the ceiling. There are tables outside on the quay.
The Quay, Exeter, Devon, EX2 4AN, England
Known For
- Classic British pub grub
- Fun nautical decor
- Quayside location
-
$ | Harbourside |
The excellent café-restaurant upstairs at Watershed overlooks part of the harborside. Sandwiches and hot snacks are served all day, along with coffees, cakes, and beers.
1 Canon's Rd., Bristol, Bristol, BS1 5TX, England
Known For
- Artsy environment
- Harborside views
- Coffees, beers, and tasty snacks
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.
-
-
$ | |
As an antidote to the natural-food cafés of Glastonbury's High Street, try this traditional backstreet inn for some more down-to-earth fare. Bar classics such as beer-battered fish-and-chips and Somerset sausages appear alongside chicken curry, vegan dishes, and sizzling steaks, which you can wash down with local beers and ciders. The pub's quirky decor—including ancient radios, a red telephone box, and a bicycle on the ceiling—has a definite entertainment quotient, and there are tables in the paved garden.
17 Northload St., Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9JJ, England
Known For
- Quirky interior crammed with memorabilia
- Traditional dishes served alongside local beers and ciders
- Outdoor seating
