The Old Coastguard

The story

The Old Coastguard, Penzance – Michelin Recommended Seaside Dining in Mousehole, Cornwall

The Old Coastguard: A Seaside Restaurant in Mousehole

The Old Coastguard sits above the fishing village of Mousehole, looking out over Mount's Bay to St Michael's Mount. It is a family-owned hotel and restaurant, brought back to life in 2011 by the team behind Tresco, and part of the EatDrinkSleep group. The kitchen, led by head chef Olly Gardner, works with the day boats and trawlers of nearby Newlyn, so fish and seafood are a natural focus—but game, meat, and inventive starters hold their own.

The ethos is simple: serve well-executed food that follows the rhythms of the season and the coastal landscape. The dining room is decorated with art, and the outside terrace sits above a tropical garden, offering one of the finest spots on this coastline for a drink. There is also a bar built to match the setting, with a drinks list that stands comparison, and a Crab Shack for those who prefer their seafood with salt air.

What to Eat

The supper menu changes with the seasons. Recent starters have included burrata with rhubarb ketchup, grilled asparagus with sunflower seed butter, cured pollack with citrus ponzu, and octopus with labneh and green olive salsa. Cornish mussels, brown crab pappardelle, and nettle and Westcombe ricotta pansotti show the kitchen's range.

Main courses run from beer battered haddock and whole Cornish sole with seaweed butter to a 250g ribeye steak with beef fat hash brown, char siu monkfish, and pork chop with suya butter. There is also a vegetarian option—hispi cabbage schnitzel with almond cream and kimchi salad—and a Lunch for Less prix fixe menu for lighter midday meals.

A Michelin Recommended Restaurant

The Old Coastguard has been awarded Michelin Recommended status, a reflection of the quality and consistency of what Olly Gardner and his team produce. The cooking is Mediterranean in spirit, deeply rooted in Cornish ingredients, and always seasonal.

The People Behind It

General manager Louis Vanhinsbergh has been with the hotel for over fifteen years, and the team is drawn largely from the local area. The restaurant invests in training and offers year-round careers, with a commitment to being at the heart of the community. Suppliers are local where possible—Harvey Brothers Butchers, Cornwall Fish Direct, Bosavern Community Farm, and Yallah Coffee among them.

The Old Coastguard is open every day and welcomes everyone—locals, visitors, dogs, children. It is a place to eat, drink, and sleep, but above all to eat well, with the sea in view.