Cornwall Restaurant Tips by Bwana_Brown Top 5 Page for this destination

Chiverton Arms: Just Outside Truro

(December, 2005 trip) - After our long drive to the Truro area from Barnstaple, on the north coast of Devon, in mostly drizzle, with a bit of rain, we were starting to get quite hungry. Our mood was not improved by about a half-hour wasted along the way in St. Columb Major where we first stopped for a lunch-time meal. Even after waiting well past the obligatory noon opening time for two different pubs, nothing was happening there, so we kept on moving. As a result, by the time it was 1 PM, we were very happy to find the Chiverton Arms open and waiting for us beside the main A30 highway, a few miles outside our final destination of Truro.

Favorite Dish: Sue decided to keep things simple with a Salmon & Cucumber Sandwich, along with a lettuce and tomatoe salad with a lemon wedge (4.75 GBP). The dreary weather made me want something hot, so I decided to have their Homemade Cottage Pie with Veggies, along with Carrots, Cabbage and gravey (7 GBP). We washed these down with a large glass of Sauvingnon Blanc (3.35) and a nice pint of Doombar Bitter (2.40), maybe because I had a pint of the same brew the last time I was in Cornwall ! We were now in no big rush, so it was nice to sit chatting for a while before we made the final few miles into Truro for our surprise visit! Our total meal cost with a tip was about 18 GBP (US$32).

Address: Three Burrows, 9 miles outside Truro on the A390

Comparison: about average

Directions: When heading to Land's End, turn right off the A30 highway at the intersection with the A390

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: Pub/Brewery

The Old Quay Inn: An Intimate Cornish Pub

(Feb. 2004 trip) - The Old Quay Inn is a very quaint and comfortable pub located in Devoran, a small village about mid-way between Truro and Falmouth. On the Friday evening that we went there for a meal, its bar area was hopping with customers and there was a nice buzz of conversation in the air. In this very relaxed atmosphere, one of the patrons even had a large Labrador that wandered around checking things out in the different rooms of the Inn! We settled in the bar area, where I had a pint of their Sharp's Doombar Bitter to start the evening off before we retired to the adjacent dining room for our 7 PM reservation.

Favorite Dish: This time I was ready for some seafood! Their poached Atlantic Salmon on scalloped potatoes in lemon sauce, along with boiled vegetables of carrots, califlower, shallots and brocolli really did the trick for me! Here my wife and her sister enjoy their meals as well in our little corner of the dining room. The total cost of the meals including more than one glass of beer and wine was 37 pounds (US$70).

Address: St. John's Terrace

Directions: Devoran

Rating: 4

Theme: Pub/Brewery

Royal Talbot Free House: Ah - A Cornish Pasty

(Feb. 2004 trip) - As we rolled down the A30 into Cornwall, we finally started to feel the need for some lunch as we neared the town of Bodmin. We pulled in off the highway but found that the narrow and very steep streets of town were quite busy and confusing. Not having spotted anything to our satisfaction, we cleared out of town on one of the side roads and, a short time later, ended up in the pretty little town of Lostwithiel, near St. Austell Bay on the English Channel side. The Royal Talbot Free House looked quite inviting and not too overrun with patrons, so that is where we stopped.

Favorite Dish: Right, I had already taken care of the Indian food and a Ploughman's Lunch on this trip, so it was time to start Cornwall off properly with one of their traditional Pasties! This mixture of beef, potatos and onions cooked in a crust was developed centuries ago as a practical way for the men of the tin-mining industry to have a hot and tasty meal during their long hours underground. The pastry made for a nice covering and wives would even put their man's initials on it to help identify the pasty. Often the mines would keep these heated above ground and then send them down into the shafts at meal times. Combined with the peas, chips & vinegar my 3.40 pound (US$6) meal was excellent, along with a pint of Dartmoor Best Bitter!

Address: Duke Street

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Lostwithiel

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Pub/Brewery

The Old Quay Inn: The Old Quay Inn

The Old Quay Inn is a very traditional British pub, facing onto Restronguet Passage. Located in Devoran, it is only about 5 miles in either direction on the main highway to either Falmouth or Truro. We had a very enjoyable evening meal here!

Address: Devoran

Directions: Halfway between Truro and Falmouth

Rating: 0

Theme: Pub/Brewery