Alfresco

I have been living back in St Ives since May and I have eaten at quite a few restaurants here and this is the best!!! The mussels were the best I have had — beautiful and tender and the broth was so goof. The hake I had for my main was cooked to perfection and the salsa verde was scrummy!

St Ives is very pretty but very touristy. Chips, pasties & ice cream are the grim order of the day in these parts but Alfresco served quality food in their little fenced off area by the harbour. It’s a couply place & portions are a little light but what there was was cooked with flair. I enjoyed a risotto & Mrs Idler pork belly and scallops. I’d happily visit again.

I tend to assume the places along the harbourside are pretty rubbish (except Alba). But this is an exception. Very glossy modern décor and furniture, but someone in the kitchen knows what they are doing. The service is quirky to say the least, as though diners were an inconvenience (but she may have been trying to ease the load on the kitchen, in a graceless way). We booked in advance for lunch, and so got a prime table with a great harbour view. I had Provencal fish stew, with fennel, tomato and mussels, which was terrific and came with lovely doorsteps of crusty brown bread. My companion had chicken with potato and tomato pesto. We rounded it off with a couple of cappuccinos as we watched the world go by, and the traffic wardens at work. With wine & coffee, the bill was £31.85 for two.