Porthmeor Beach Cafe

Porthmeor Beach Café sits on the edge of Porthmeor Beach in St Ives, just below Tate St Ives, with sea views, alfresco dining and a busy, friendly atmosphere. It serves breakfast, lunch and tapas, with evening dining in season, so it works for a morning coffee after a surf, a long lunch or a sunset supper. The beach faces west, which makes it one of the best places in town to watch the sun go down.

Food and Drink

The menu is built around a creative tapas selection and contemporary dishes, with ingredients sourced locally where possible.

Breakfast: Known for its build your own breakfast and fresh juices, served from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

Lunch and Tapas: Served from 12:00 PM, with an extensive range of vegetarian and seafood tapas.

Evenings: Dinner and tapas are served on selected evenings from spring to autumn, with no evening service in winter.

Drinks: A full drinks licence means you can enjoy a glass of fizz or one of the cafe’s cocktails, and the coffee comes from Origin, a Cornish independent coffee merchant.

Dietary Needs: The team will try to cater for any specific dietary requirements, so mention yours when you book.

Families: A children’s menu is available all day and high chairs are provided.

Where to Sit

There are three bookable areas, and the choice affects whether you can bring a dog.

The Terrace: Covered alfresco dining with sea views, with heaters and blankets available. Dogs are welcome here.

The Pods: Private alcoves for two to six people, open to the elements with sea views, a heater and blankets. No dogs.

Inside: Tables with a window view, next to the open kitchen. No dogs.

Booking: Reserve through the cafe’s website, in person or by phone, and no card details are taken. Some walk-in tables are available every day.

The Essentials

Location: Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1JZ

Opening Hours: Open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch, with reduced hours in winter and a closure in early January and February. Check the cafe’s website for current times.

Parking: Parking is limited near Porthmeor Beach, so arrive early in summer or use one of the car parks above the town.

Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers are sold online and emailed with your personal message.

Accessibility

The cafe has not published step-free access details for the terrace, the inside seating or the pods.

Guests with mobility needs or other access requirements should call the cafe on 01736 793366 before visiting to check what will suit them.

We ate here November 2026

We have eaten at Porthmeor Beach Café several times over the years, most recently on 3rd and 5th November, when we had lunch on the 3rd and breakfast on the 5th. My sister was down on holiday, staying in St Ives, and we always eat here at least once on each of her trips.

On the 3rd we were passing around lunchtime and decided to pop in (which is a lot easier to do out of season, virtually impossible during the summer).

For our delicious lunch we ordered:

• Grilled Mackeral
• Baharat spiced lamb
• Thai prawn curry with flat bread
• Rosemary seassalt fries
• Fennal, samphire, Cornish yarg arancini
• Roasted crown prince squash

The photos above are from our lunch.

For the 5th we booked a pod for breakfast:

One of the café’s big selling points, along with the views and the excellent food, is the ‘build your own breakfast’. You order exactly what you want, which keeps the cost down and cuts waste, and that is always a good thing.

This was my sister’s choice: poached eggs on toast, bacon and smashed avocado.

This was my usual: two fried eggs on toast, two rashers of bacon, two sausages and a grilled field mushroom. I need to find out where they get their sausages from because they were exceptionally tasty.

This was my wife Serena’s choice: pancakes with fruit and a big blob of Nutella.

We also had tea, coffee and a jug of water for the table.

It was absolutely delicious, as always. I have lost count of how many times we have eaten here over the years, and every single time it has been excellent. If you are visiting St Ives, Porthmeor Beach Café is a place you have to experience. It is easier to get a table out of season, but if you are coming in summer, make sure you book in advance. You won’t be disappointed.