Restaurant in Padstow, United Kingdom
Padstow's seafood benchmark. Broad menu, serious bar.
Rick Stein's Padstow flagship has been operating since 1975, holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and a Pearl Recommended rating, and remains the strongest all-round case for seafood dining in Cornwall. At £££, the range of classical French and Asian-influenced dishes justifies the price — though wine mark-ups add up fast. Book four to six weeks ahead for summer visits.
If you are weighing The Seafood Restaurant against Paul Ainsworth at No.6, the decision is simpler than it looks. No.6 is the more technically ambitious kitchen, priced at ££££ with a tighter, more formal experience. The Seafood Restaurant operates at £££, seats more covers, and trades on breadth rather than precision — a large, pewter-topped bar anchoring a room that feels deliberately relaxed rather than reverential. For most visitors to Padstow, that is exactly the right trade-off.
This is Rick Stein's flagship, operating continuously since 1975 — one of the longer-running seafood restaurants in the UK and, by any honest measure, a venue that shifted how a generation of British diners thought about fish. It holds a Michelin Plate (2025), a Pearl Recommended Restaurant (2025), and ranked #412 in the Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in Europe (2024). Those are not the credentials of a coasting heritage act. They suggest a kitchen still performing at a level that justifies the journey to Cornwall.
The visual anchor here is the bar , a large pewter-topped counter that makes the room feel more like an eating bar than a formal dining room. If you are travelling solo or as a pair and want a looser, less scheduled experience, booking bar seats is a legitimate strategy. The format supports it: daily menus change with supply, service is described as first-class, and the atmosphere reads as bright and relaxed rather than hushed.
The wine list deserves specific attention. The list opens by the glass with a Muscadet Sur Lie , a deliberate, intelligent pairing choice for shellfish and white fish that most comparable lists have quietly dropped. That single decision signals a drinks program being curated by someone who actually thinks about what goes in the glass alongside the food, not just what sells. For food-and-wine travellers, this matters. If the opening pour is well-chosen, the list is usually worth exploring. Mark-ups are noted as high across the board, so budget accordingly , the wine spend can add significantly to an already £££ bill.
Menu operates on a daily-changing basis, driven by what arrives fresh. The documented range spans Provençal-style fish soup with rouille and croûtons, fruits de mer platters (cold and hot), casseroled hake, chargrilled sea bass, and lobster thermidor in cream and Noilly Prat with skinny chips. Alongside the classical French-influenced dishes, the kitchen runs globally inflected plates , Indonesian seafood curry with green bean and coconut salad, Singapore chilli crab , reflecting Stein's long-standing interest in Asian coastal food traditions. That combination of solid classical French technique and well-executed Asian-influenced dishes is the distinctive characteristic of this menu, and it is not replicated at the other Padstow Stein restaurants.
Desserts run to lemon tart, chocolate fondant, and passion-fruit pavlova , bistro-standard, competently executed, not the reason to book but a reasonable close to a long meal.
Booking difficulty is rated Moderate. For peak summer weeks (July–August), book four to six weeks ahead. Shoulder season (May–June, September–October) allows for three weeks' notice in most cases. The large pewter bar does create some walk-in opportunity, particularly at lunch on quieter weekdays, but do not rely on it for a Saturday evening in August. Chef Pete Murt heads the kitchen; the restaurant operates as part of a family-run group, which means the broader Stein hospitality infrastructure supports front-of-house consistency.
Accommodation is available on-site , New England-style rooms with quality furnishings, some with terraces or balconies and estuary views. If you are planning a food-focused trip to Cornwall and want proximity to the restaurant without a drive, this is a practical option worth pricing up. For broader Padstow accommodation context, see our full Padstow hotels guide.
| Venue | Price | Cuisine | Booking Difficulty | Pearl Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Seafood Restaurant | £££ | Seafood | Moderate | Pearl Recommended (2025), Michelin Plate (2025) |
| Paul Ainsworth at No.6 | ££££ | Modern Cuisine | High | Padstow's tasting menu benchmark |
| Rick Stein's Café | ££ | Seafood | Low–Moderate | Lower-cost Stein entry point |
| Prawn on the Lawn | ££ | Seafood | Moderate | Compact, market-led alternative |
| Caffè Rojano | ££ | Mediterranean | Low | Casual, good-value, non-seafood option |
Yes, with caveats. The Seafood Restaurant is the right choice if you want breadth of menu, a relaxed room with a serious bar, and the kind of seafood cooking that draws on both classical French and Asian influences without feeling inconsistent. It is not the place for a tight, intimate tasting menu , that is No.6's territory. And if budget is a constraint, Rick Stein's Café or Prawn on the Lawn will get you closer to what you want at ££. But for the full Padstow seafood experience , the room, the list, the range , this remains the address that makes the strongest case. The wine mark-ups will test your resolve, but the cooking justifies the visit.
For more context on eating and drinking in the area, see our full Padstow restaurants guide, our full Padstow bars guide, and our full Padstow experiences guide. If you are comparing against destination seafood restaurants further afield, Gambero Rosso in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica and Alici on the Amalfi Coast represent the European benchmark for the format.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| The Seafood Restaurant | £££ | — |
| Paul Ainsworth at No.6 | ££££ | — |
| Caffè Rojano | ££ | — |
| Prawn on the Lawn | ££ | — |
| The Pig at Harlyn Bay | — | |
| Rick Stein's Café | ££ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Four to six weeks ahead for July and August. Shoulder season (May–June and September–October) opens up at two to three weeks. The restaurant has been in continuous operation since 1975 and draws visitors specifically to Padstow, so summer demand is high and last-minute tables are rare.
Yes — the large pewter-topped bar is the most practical solo option in the room, giving you a focal point without the awkwardness of a full table. At £££ per head, solo dining here is a meaningful spend, but the daily-changing menu means the investment covers genuine variety rather than a fixed format.
For most visitors, yes. Documented dishes span Provençal fish soup, lobster thermidor, and globally influenced specials — that breadth at consistent quality, backed by a Michelin Plate (2025) and Pearl Recommended status, justifies the £££ price range. The caveat: wine markups are noted as steep, so factor that into your total.
The large pewter-topped bar is a defining feature of the room and the most relaxed way to eat here. It suits solo diners and couples who want a less formal experience while still accessing the full menu.
It works well for occasions where the focus is on quality seafood in a relaxed rather than ceremonial setting. For something more technically ambitious and with a more formal occasion feel, Paul Ainsworth at No.6 in Padstow is the stronger choice. The Seafood Restaurant is the right call when the group wants breadth of menu and a convivial room over a tightly curated tasting format.
Paul Ainsworth at No.6 is the go-to if you want more technical ambition and a structured tasting menu. Rick Stein's Café offers a lower-spend entry point into the same kitchen ethos. Prawn on the Lawn suits those who want a smaller, counter-focused seafood experience. Caffè Rojano is the practical choice for a lighter, more casual meal in town.
The Seafood Restaurant operates on a daily à la carte menu rather than a fixed tasting format — the menu changes based on what arrives fresh. If a tasting menu is the specific format you want, Paul Ainsworth at No.6 is the more relevant booking in Padstow.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
