Local Area · Eating Out
Harbour seafood and Cornish kitchens
From a fish supper on the Padstow quayside to a pint in a village pub, some of Cornwall's best eating is a short drive from your pitch.
Where the boats come in
A corner of Cornwall that loves its food
This stretch of the North Cornwall coast has built a real reputation for eating out. Padstow’s working harbour lands fish, crab, lobster and shellfish that reach the table the same day, and around it you’ll find everything from a paper-wrapped fish supper to a tasting menu. Most of it is roughly a ten-minute drive from Atlantic Bays.
Whether you fancy a relaxed harbour-side lunch, a celebratory dinner or a low-key pub meal after a day on the beach, here’s a taste of what’s nearby — and a few honest pointers on booking ahead in the busy season.
Four ways to eat
From a fish supper to a tasting menu
However you like to eat on holiday, the area near Padstow has it covered — seafood straight off the boats, celebrated chefs, fine dining and friendly Cornish pubs.
Padstow harbour seafood
Padstow is a working fishing harbour, and the day's catch barely travels before it reaches the plate — fish, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters and cockles. Quayside restaurants, fish-and-chip counters and seafood bars line the harbour, so a fish supper looking out over the boats is one of the simplest pleasures of a stay here.
- Working harbour
- Fresh catch
- Quayside dining
Rick Stein's Padstow
The town is closely associated with chef Rick Stein, whose Padstow venues range from The Seafood Restaurant on the harbour to the more relaxed Stein's Fish & Chips and a café. They book up in season, so reserve ahead if there's a particular table you have your heart set on.
- Seafood
- Book ahead
- Padstow
Fine dining
Beyond the harbour, Paul Ainsworth at No.6 holds a Michelin star for a special-occasion dinner, while Prawn on the Lawn and a growing crop of chef-led kitchens make the most of Cornish produce and the boats that land just down the road.
- Michelin-starred
- Special occasion
- Cornish produce
Gastro pubs & cafés
Inland and around the villages you'll find proper Cornish gastro pubs, easy-going cafés and family-friendly kitchens — the kind of unhurried lunch or Sunday roast that rounds off a day on the beach. The Padstow Brewing Company Tasting Room is a good stop for a local pint, too.
- Gastro pubs
- Family-friendly
- Local ales
Closer still
Supper without the drive
St Merryn village is within walking distance of the park, with a village pub and local eateries for an easy evening out close to home. The Cornish Arms at St Merryn — a Rick Stein pub serving a simple, classic menu — is a well-known name on this part of the coast.
And on the lighter days you needn’t leave the park at all: our own bar and café serves local drinks and homemade food, with food available in the evenings and outside decking for the long Cornish twilights.
Before you book a table
Good to know
A few honest pointers to help you eat well during your stay near Padstow.
Book ahead in season
Padstow’s best-known restaurants fill quickly through the summer and over bank holidays. If there’s a particular table you want, reserve well in advance.
A proper fish supper
For something simpler, the harbour’s fish-and-chip counters and seafood bars are hard to beat — fresh, unfussy and best eaten looking out over the boats.
Local pints
The Padstow Brewing Company Tasting Room and the village pubs are a relaxed way to round off the day with a Cornish ale.
Easy nights in
Don’t fancy the drive? The onsite shop stocks daily essentials and local treats, and the park bar serves homemade food in the evenings.
Stay here to feast
Eat well, a short drive from Padstow
Base yourself at Atlantic Bays and the harbour restaurants, gastro pubs and village kitchens are all close at hand — in a lodge, a cabin or your own pitch. Check live availability for your dates, or call the team and they’ll help you find the right stay.