My Favourite Coffee Shops In St Ives Cornwall
For those of you who know me, you know I’m a BIG real coffee drinker. My idea of heaven is a mug of strong coffee so big you could almost dive into it!
It is no surprise then that I have frequented many of the lovely coffee shops in St Ives. It is VERY note-worthy to mention that ALL of our coffee shops in St Ives are INDEPENDENT ones. We don’t (at the moment and please let it stay that way) have any chain coffee shops.
Just in case you are wondering, the nearest chain coffee shop is a small Costa coffee shop in the Tesco supermarket at Carbis Bay.
Hub St Ives
The Hub is a wonderful coffee shop (who also do great food and drink too). It is on Wharf Road, over looking the harbour and is in possibly the best position in town for a coffee shop!
The look of The Hub is a sort of trendy warehouse style. Lots of wood, metal and leather. They have both upstairs and downstairs seating with outdoor seating at the front and on their balcony. We love sitting on the balcony upstairs when the lifeboat is having a practice, you get a great view of the action!
The Hub is both baby/child and dog friendly. There is plenty of space for prams and they have high chairs and baby changing facilities.
Their coffee is supplied by Origin and The Hub have a superb coffee making machine and baristas really know how to make a good coffee.
Coffee prices range from £2.30 – £3.00 and there is often a tempting selection of locally made cakes to choose from.
The Hub St Ives opens every day at 9am until late.
Cafe Art
Cafe Art is slightly more tucked away at the front of The Drill Hall in Royal Square. It is quite a vintagey, eclectic mix of a cafe, with loads of art and colour everywhere. The furniture is all mis-matched, in that vintage sort of way (the sort of look I aspire to but can’t quite pull off!).
It is a fairly small cafe inside, but you can usually find a nice little space to have your coffee and relax. They do have a seating area outside which overlooks Royal Square and is a real suntrap (when it is actually sunny!).
They do fabulous coffee and cake and also lots of lunch things like sandwiches and paninis.
Cafe Art opens daily at 10am.
The SILCo Searoom St Ives
The SILCo Searoom (formerly know as plain “Searoom” and “The Tearoom”) is right on the harbour overlooking the beach. It is a lovely, modern but rustic looking cafe with chunky wood furniture.
Their coffee and cake is wonderful (I highly recommend their coffee and walnut cake) and the staff are extremely lovely! Their other food is so amazing they have won a Good Food Award.
They also produce the award winning St Ives Gin (SILCo stands for St Ives Liquor Company). I’m yet to try their gin but I’ve been told it is rather good!
The SILCo Searoom opens daily at 9:30am
The Pier Coffee Bar
The Pier Coffee Bar is on the corner just before you get onto Smeaton’s Pier. It is slightly away from the busy main town but well worth seeking it out. The shop itself has gone through many transformations, from a grow your own shoots business to a paint a pot type of cafe. It is now an Italian coffee shop that does AMAZING coffee – so fresh and balanced it is delightful. Their food looks great too but I’ve yet to eat in there.
The Coffee Lounge
The Coffee Lounge is on the corner of Tregenna Hill and Street-an-Pol (near The Guildhall by Wetherspoons). It is run by the holiday lettings company Cornish Gems and is a sort of hybrid office cum coffee shop.
I’ve only ever popped in there for a takeaway coffee, but it is always good. On a sunny day when I have a spare hour in the morning, I grab my takeaway and take it down to the benches over looking Porthminster Beach. Say hi if you see me there!
Scoff Troff Cafe
Scoff Troff is at the top of Lifeboat Hill, near Jo Downs glass on Market Place. It is a pretty new cafe but is quickly getting an excellent reputation for great coffee and good food.
They do great coffee and cake – again I’ve not eaten a meal here but I’m told their pizza is amazing!
My kids know it has the cafe that does milkshakes in little bottles. They love it!
Olives Cafe St Ives
Olives Cafe is a really little gem of a place, tucked away on Island Square. It is pretty small inside, but, as they say, perfectly formed in every way.
Their coffee is most excellent and their scones are the largest (and very homemade) of any I have ever seen!
Olives is closed at very quiet times of the year, so you do need to check their website to make sure they are open.
Porthmeor Beach Cafe
I love having a coffee at Porthmeor Beach Cafe. The view is beyond gorgeous and the coffee is nice and strong. They don’t do the BIGGEST coffees (I would like them to be maybe double the size), but the combination of taste and setting still makes this a great place to have a coffee.
I love to sit outside on a sunny day on the terrace. If it is raining or cold, grab a heated pod built under the cliff road. It is SUCH a treat to sit there all warm looking out at the rainy sea.
West Beach Bakery
Ok, this is another one who only open in the busy season. It is, however, one that I eagerly look forward to re-opening. It is in the long building at the far end of Porthmeor Beach. To get to it you need to either walk across the beach, or go through Porthmeor Beach car park and down the steps.
It is primarily alfresco dining, but there is a really nice little covered area if it is raining. They do brilliant coffee, cakes and baked goods, plus a range of food like pizza. You can get the coffee to take away, which is perfect if you are having a beach day.
Which are your favourite coffee shops in St Ives? I’m always on the look out for recommendations!
Have you read 101 Brilliant Things To Do In St Ives Cornwall?
It will give you so many ideas of things you can do on your next visit to our lovely town!
Have You Heard About Our St Ives Game?
If you like St Ives you will love playing it!
