Short answer: Head to Charlestown rather than the town centre — the harbour has open space and the pubs there have room. The Eden Project is the wet-weather answer, with genuinely vast indoor space.
St Austell town centre isn't the draw. With a baby, the places worth going are a couple of miles out.
A large gastropub with a big outdoor seating area two minutes from the harbour. Space is the point here — room for a pram without blocking anything.
Light and airy with more room than most Cornish venues. Dog-friendly.
The best-value option in St Austell itself, with genuinely friendly staff. Small, so better outside peak lunchtime.
Not a cafe, but the honest answer for a wet day. The Biomes are enormous and warm, paths are level and buggy-friendly, and there are proper facilities. Your ticket converts to a year's pass.
Cornish cafes are mostly small, old buildings on narrow streets. Very few have dedicated play areas. What matters more, and what's worth checking before you commit:
The practical approach: phone ahead if it matters. Cornish cafes are small enough that the person answering will know exactly what they can offer, and they'd rather tell you than have you arrive with a pram and nowhere to put it.
Between about 8:30am and 10:30am, most Cornish cafes are genuinely quiet and staff have time. From midday to 2pm in season, the same cafe can be standing room only with buggies queuing outside.
If you have a choice, go early. You'll get the corner table, the high chair, and space to put a baby down — none of which will be available at one o'clock in August.
The harbourside is level and open with tall ships to look at. Good for walking a pram, and there's room to sit without being squeezed.
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