Rick Stein’s Café is one of several Stein restaurants in the small fishing village of Padstow, Cornwall. The café is smaller and less expensive than the flagship Seafood restaurant.
The interior is pretty and cosy.
There’s also a small coutyard.
We originally booked for 6.30pm and then realised that there was an offer called ‘Early Supper by the Sea’ 2 courses 19.75 | 3 courses 23.95 between 5 – 6pm, so changed our reservation to 5.45.
All the staff were friendly and professional. Prices correct as May 2026.
A 0.5l carafe of Malbec, Kaiken Clasico, Mendoza, Argentina 2022 £27.10. Tap water is free.
First course: Salt and Pepper Prawns with cucumber, spinach and a soy and sesame dressing. These were grilled prawns and so much better than the boiled variety – they’re also less messy to peel.
Second course: Pondicherry Fish Curry. A fragrant southern Indian curry with basmati rice, a poppadom and dips. Absolutely delicious, with a lovely piece of fresh fish.
We didn’t have the third course, which was a lemon and yuzu posset.
The bill arrived and it was possible to pay by QR code and leave. Only one person charged, albeit for three course and no wine – a £46 discount!
We advised the waitress of the error and she thanked us for our honesty – although not thankful enough to offer us a complimentary digestif!
On our next visit, the first course had changed to Tibetan Noodle Soup with pak choi and chilli sauce. This was a delicious soup, but we felt cheated by the removal of the Salt and Pepper Prawns. We heard other diners complain that the website still showed prawns and that they weren’t happy to receive soup.
On our next visit, we asked if we could have the poppadom and dips before the curry and I’d recommend you do the same.
Despite some issues, we really enjoyed our visits Rick Stein’s Café. Of course, if you have only one night in Padstow, you should visit The Seafood Restaurant, but for the second night, the Café is the best choice.
Rick Stein’s Café
10 Middle St, Padstow PL28 8AP, United Kingdom
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