With another summer of UK staycations on the cards, Cornwall will undoubtedly be more popular than ever this year. If you’re heading to surfer’s paradise Newquay during the summer months, there’s a new name you need to know when it comes to dining out.
Cove24 may have first opened briefly last summer and between the various lockdowns, but having now wedged open its very elegant doors for good it still feels refreshingly new. It’s an elegant experience in the heart of Newquay, with an open-spaced restaurant downstairs and a cocktail lounge gracing the upper floor.
Downstairs focuses around a central bar, with cosy corner banquettes set away from the main floor making it the perfect spot for an intimate dinner. Decor is chic and elegant with an art deco edge, while faux foliage hanging from the ceiling brings the feel of the outside in. Just across the road from Towan Beach, it’s the perfect spot to indulge in lunch and then roll out the door for an afternoon sunning yourself on the sand.
The menu takes advantage of the abundance of fresh ingredients from local fisherman, farmers and Cornwall’s bounty of natural ingredients, including local crab, prime cuts of meat, and samphire which adorns the Cornish coastline. This is fine dining accessible to all; we visited for lunch and it was buzzing with a mix of family diners, girls on a boozy brunch and cosy dates. The lunch menu includes a selection of hearty ciabatta sandwiches – we recommend the tender beef with rocket, garlic and aioli and the utterly moreish baked mozzarella with tomato and herb dressing, while if your stomach allows it there are also mains including a fantastic burger, marinated halloumi with roasted pepper, tomato, balsamic, rocket and a slightly spicy sweet potato, and a deconstructed Caesar salad with grilled baby gem lettuce, chicken breast and a perfectly boiled egg to finish. The dinner menu makes the most of the local seafood, with grilled mackerel, cured sea trout and moules marinière all featuring, accompanied with a map of all the local suppliers Cove24 works with, a lovely local touch.
We’d recommend booking in for dinner, if not for the stunning views out over Towan Beach and the sea from the upstairs cocktail lounge then for the cocktail list itself. One of the largest in Newquay, Cove24’s creations are lovingly created by a team of expert mixologists who can conjure something up to suit any taste, season or occasion. Our money is on the refreshing O’Natural with Brentingby gin, mint, cucumber bitters and lime juice, or if you’re brave enough try the aptly named Sudden Headache, with Trebbiano white, Belvedere vodka, Cointreau lime juice and orange juice (maybe just the one though…).
The perfect location for both lunchtime people watching and whiling away the evening watching the sun go down with a drink in hand, Cove24 its sure to book up fast this summer. We’re secretly smug we managed to get in when we did; book now and you won’t regret it.
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