Restaurant in Padstow, United Kingdom
Destination fine dining. Book well ahead.
Paul Ainsworth at No.6 is the strongest case for a special-occasion dinner on the north Cornwall coast, combining technically accomplished modern cooking with service that consistently earns its £195 tasting menu price tag. The two-course à la carte at £85 per person offers a lower-commitment entry point to the same kitchen. Book well ahead — this is a hard table to secure, especially in summer.
If you are making your first trip to Paul Ainsworth at No.6, know this before you book: the service alone may be worth the drive. Guests who return annually — some travelling six hours each way — do so not just for the food but for a room where staff treat every table as the most important one in the building. At £195 per head for eight courses (plus treats), that consistency of welcome is a meaningful part of what you are paying for. The two-course à la carte at £85 per person gives you access to the same kitchen and the same floor team at a lower entry point, which makes this one of the more sensibly structured fine-dining options on the north Cornwall coast.
No.6 occupies a Georgian townhouse a short walk from Padstow harbour, and the two dining rooms are modest in scale, which keeps the atmosphere close and the service attentive without feeling crowded. Cool artwork and a carefully chosen soundtrack keep things from tipping into stiff formality , this is not a hushed, white-glove room. The tone is warm and precise, and the floor team are consistently cited for their professionalism and, notably, their sense of humour. For a first-timer, that matters: the tasting menu format can feel pressured in rooms where service is ceremonial rather than conversational, and No.6 avoids that trap.
The eight-course menu draws on Cornish produce and classical technique, with a genuinely playful streak. Signature moments include the crossover course before dessert , a "Yesterday's Scone" that blurs the line between savoury and sweet , and the near-legendary "Fairground Tale" finale, which arrives as three edible sideshows: a bitter chocolate and coconut soufflé, a hand-painted wooden carousel bearing a chocolate bar and a crunchy brown-butter choc ice, and a muscovado-glazed doughnut with raspberry curd and butter-roasted peanuts. These are not gimmicks layered over thin cooking; they land because the technical foundations are solid. The sommelier operates without any pressure around price point, giving useful advice regardless of where you sit on the wine list , a detail that removes one of the more common anxieties in this price tier.
2026 marks the restaurant's twentieth year in operation, which gives you a useful calibration point. La Liste ranked No.6 at 87.5 points in 2025 and 86 points in 2026 , consistent placement in a respected global ranking of leading restaurants. The Google rating sits at 4.8 across 793 reviews, an unusually high score at meaningful volume. Repeat visitors are a consistent theme in the review record, which is as reliable a signal of genuine quality as any award.
At £195 per head, No.6 sits in the same conversation as destination fine-dining rooms elsewhere in England. What separates it from comparable spend at, say, Gidleigh Park in Chagford or Hand and Flowers in Marlow is the specific combination of playful cooking and service that does not condescend. Some fine-dining rooms at this price point deliver technically accomplished food in an atmosphere that requires the guest to perform seriousness back at the room. No.6 does not ask that of you. The wine list leans heavily on France but covers global producers, and the by-the-glass selection is described as genuinely considered , useful if you are not committing to a full pairing.
For context within the broader fine-dining tier in England, rooms like CORE by Clare Smyth in London, L'Enclume in Cartmel, and Moor Hall in Aughton operate at or above this price tier with stronger national profiles. No.6 does not compete for that tier of recognition, nor does it need to. Its La Liste scores and its volume of loyal returning guests suggest a restaurant that has found its level and executes it reliably. The Fat Duck in Bray offers a more theatrically constructed version of the playful-fine-dining model if that is your priority; No.6 is the better choice if you want that energy in a room that feels genuinely personal rather than produced.
Reservations: Hard to book , plan well ahead, particularly for weekends and the summer season in Padstow. Hours: Tuesday to Thursday dinner only (5 PM–11 PM); Friday and Saturday lunch and dinner (12 PM–11 PM); closed Sunday and Monday. Budget: Tasting menu £195 per person; two-course à la carte £85 per person. Dress: Smart casual is the appropriate register for the room , not black tie, but not beach-casual either given the price tier. Getting there: Padstow is not on a rail line; driving or a pre-booked taxi from Bodmin Parkway station (the nearest mainline stop) is the practical approach. Groups: The dining rooms are modest in size; contact the restaurant directly for larger party enquiries.
If No.6 is fully booked or you want to build a longer stay around it, see our full Padstow restaurants guide, our full Padstow hotels guide, our full Padstow bars guide, our full Padstow wineries guide, and our full Padstow experiences guide.
Book as early as you can , a minimum of four to six weeks ahead for a Friday or Saturday is a reasonable baseline, and further out during the summer high season in Cornwall. Padstow draws a lot of destination dining traffic between June and September, and No.6 is the most sought-after table in the town. Tuesday to Thursday evenings are more achievable at shorter notice but do not assume availability. La Liste placement and a 4.8 Google score at nearly 800 reviews means demand is consistent, not seasonal only.
Yes, if tasting menus are your format and you are travelling to Padstow specifically for a serious meal. At £195 per person for eight courses plus additional treats, the value calculation depends on what you are comparing it against. Against other destination tasting menus in the South West, No.6 competes well on both cooking quality and service warmth. If you are not sure about committing to a full tasting menu, the two-course à la carte at £85 per person is a legitimate alternative that accesses the same kitchen without the full length or cost.
Lunch is only available Friday and Saturday, so for most visitors dinner is the practical option. If you have the flexibility, a Friday or Saturday lunch is worth considering: you are less likely to be exhausted from a long day of travel, the light in summer is better, and you avoid the peak dinner rush for bookings. The tasting menu and à la carte are available across both services on those days. Tuesday to Thursday dinner-only opening means the room has a more singular focus on the evening experience those nights.
Yes, and it is one of the stronger choices in Cornwall for exactly that purpose. The service model , where guests are treated as the centre of attention throughout , maps well onto celebrations and anniversaries. Staff are consistently praised for making the experience feel personal rather than transactional. The tasting menu format suits occasions where you want the evening to have structure and momentum. For a lower-stakes special meal, the à la carte at £85 for two courses still delivers the same room and floor team.
The tasting menu is the intended way to experience the kitchen: it includes signature crossover courses like "Yesterday's Scone" and the "Fairground Tale" dessert finale, which are the dishes most associated with the restaurant's reputation. If you are on the à la carte, the menu is divided into four sections and changes seasonally, drawing on Cornish produce. Past signatures have included "Crabsticks and Scones" and the "Compañero baba" , ask the floor team what is current when you visit, as they are well-versed and will give you a direct answer rather than a rehearsed pitch.
The two dining rooms are modest in size, so large group bookings are not the natural format here. For parties of four to six, the standard reservation process applies. For larger groups, contact the restaurant directly , the venue database does not specify a private dining option, so confirming availability and format in advance is the practical move. The tasting menu works well for groups where everyone is eating the same format, which avoids the pacing issues that can arise with mixed à la carte and tasting menu tables.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Ainsworth at No.6 | ££££ | Hard | — |
| The Seafood Restaurant | £££ | Unknown | — |
| Caffè Rojano | ££ | Unknown | — |
| The Pig at Harlyn Bay | Unknown | — | |
| Prawn on the Lawn | ££ | Unknown | — |
| Rick Stein's Café | ££ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
The two dining rooms are described as modest in scale, so large groups are likely to face constraints. No.6 does not publicly list a private dining room in available data, so check the venue's official channels at 6 Middle St, Padstow if you are planning for six or more. Smaller groups of two to four are the natural fit for this format, and the tasting menu structure suits a shared-pace evening rather than a flexible group meal.
Yes — the combination of attentive service, a set-piece dessert course, and a Georgian townhouse setting makes it one of the more considered options in Cornwall for a milestone meal. Reviewers consistently single out the service for making guests feel like the priority, which matters for occasions where the room needs to deliver beyond the plate. At £195 per head for the tasting menu, set expectations accordingly and book well ahead.
Lunch is only available Friday and Saturday, which makes it the harder booking of the two. If your schedule allows a Friday or Saturday lunch, it offers the same kitchen with slightly more daylight and often a quieter room than weekend dinner service. Dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday from 5 PM. For a special occasion where the full evening pacing matters, dinner is the natural choice.
At £195 per person for eight courses plus extras, it competes with destination tasting menus across England, and the consistent reviews suggest it delivers. The 'Fairground Tale' dessert sequence alone has near-cult status among returning guests. If the format suits you, this is one of the stronger cases for the price point in the south-west. Guests who prefer flexibility should note the two-course à la carte at £85 is also available — a meaningful saving if you want to experience No.6 without committing to a full evening.
The 'Fairground Tale' dessert — a multi-part fairground-themed finale including a doughnut with raspberry curd and a chocolate soufflé — is the dish most referenced by returning guests and food writers, and is reason enough to choose the tasting menu over à la carte. Signature dishes like 'Crabsticks and Scones' and the 'Compañero baba' are documented as menu anchors. Specific current dishes change seasonally, so check the menu ahead of your visit.
Book as far ahead as you can — several weeks at minimum, and further out for Friday or Saturday evenings during the Cornish summer season. No.6 is closed Sunday and Monday, which limits availability to five services a week, and the two modest dining rooms mean covers are finite. If you have a fixed travel date, check availability the moment your plans are confirmed.
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