Short answer: The best ice cream in Porthleven is Roskilly's at Nauti But Ice on Commercial Road (4.5 from 1,066 Google reviews). For something different, Feechi's in the Shipyard Market makes rolled ice cream to order with a vegan base, and Porthcew Dairy at Methleigh Farm has a milk and milkshake machine reviewers say works around the clock. Check winter opening and prices before you go.
Ask three people in Porthleven where to get ice cream and you will get three different answers, because there are three different kinds on offer: Roskilly's scoops at a harbour cafe, rolled ice cream made to order in the Shipyard Market, and a farm dairy with a milkshake machine on the edge of town. Here is how they compare, and how to fit them into a walk.
Nauti But Ice on Commercial Road is the default stop, rated 4.5 from 1,066 Google reviews. Its ice cream is Roskilly's, which a National Geographic Traveller family-trip piece describes as made at a nearby dairy farm, and the coffee is a Helston roast, according to a reviewer. Reviewers single out pistachio, mint choc chip, salted caramel and mango sorbet. The shop front looks modest, and one reviewer almost judged it by its cover before the children persuaded them in. Others mention the view across the harbour and clean toilets. It is also a cafe, so you can sit down with pancakes or a sandwich if the weather turns. The phone number is 01326 573747. For Roskilly's elsewhere, see the best ice cream near Helston.
Inside the Shipyard Market at the harbour head, Feechi's sells rolled ice cream made to order, which is the closest Porthleven gets to a show. It is rated 5.0 from 41 Google reviews. Reviewers say the ice cream is made with Cornish cream, that children enjoy choosing their own flavours, and that there is a vegan base for non-dairy customers. The same stall sells Thai food, bubble tea and condensed-milk roti. It is a small business, so days and hours can shift, and one reviewer warns it can be a wait when busy. Ask about opening days before you make the trip.
The Cornish Secrets guide to Porthleven recommends "immense ice creams" at The Square, and the restaurant's Google listing includes an ice cream shop category. The Square is on Fore Street and rated 4.6 from 626 Google reviews. It is best known as a harbour-view restaurant, so phone on 01326 573911 to ask whether the ice cream counter is running, especially out of season.
Porthcew Dairy at Methleigh Farm, rated 4.5 from 30 Google reviews, runs a vending machine for milk and milkshakes that reviewers say you can use at any hour. Reviewers describe fresh milk poured into a free cup or a glass bottle, flavours that change, including Cherry Bakewell and trifle, and cheese for sale. One reviewer was served excellent ice cream by a young woman at the farm and says to go early for cakes because they sell out. Another parent says their son calls in after school on Thursdays to see the new flavours. The machine is the dependable bit, so treat staffed ice cream as a bonus. A reviewer who read warnings about the lane says it is fine.
None of these businesses publishes a price list online, so we will not quote prices. Reviewers at Nauti But Ice call the prices reasonable, and Porthcew Dairy's reviewers call the milkshakes very reasonable. Check the board before you order, particularly in the school holidays, when queues at a harbour cafe get long.
Feechi's is the most fun, because children can watch and choose. Nauti But Ice is the easiest, with seats, toilets and a harbour view. The dairy is the best for animal lovers: a reviewer mentions cats on the farm and a horse in a zebra costume. It is a working farm, so keep children close, and treat the lane as you would any farm track.
It can be, but check opening days first. The National Trust kiosk at Gunwalloe runs only from 1 April to 31 October and may close in bad weather. The harbour cafes keep shorter hours in winter, so phone ahead before a special trip. Warmer drinks are in our hot chocolate guide, and Porthleven in winter lists what stays open.
The Shipyard Market is dog friendly according to reviewers, and a reviewer at Ced's Bagels in the same market brought a dog. Check Feechi's own rules at the stall. Dogs are banned from Porthleven West beach from 1 July to 31 August between 10am and 6pm, so keep that in mind if your ice cream plan ends on the sand. See dog-friendly Porthleven.
Park at Kittos Field, walk down to Commercial Road for a scoop at Nauti But Ice, then follow the harbour to the Shipyard Market and try a rolled ice cream. Eat on the quay and watch the boats, but keep clear of the pier edge in rough seas, and mind the gulls, which reviewers of both Philps and Porthleven Beach warn will raid your food. If the rain comes in, the market and the galleries are dry, as what to do in Porthleven when it rains explains.
Poldhu Beach Cafe at Mullion sells ice cream with a beach view (4.6 from 506 Google reviews), though you should phone on 01326 240530 to check winter hours. For something savoury afterwards, see pasties and fish and chips in Porthleven, and the full Porthleven guide.
Nauti But Ice on Commercial Road is the default stop, rated 4.5 from 1,066 Google reviews, serving Roskilly's ice cream and Helston-roast coffee.
Feechi's in the Shipyard Market makes rolled ice cream to order, rated 5.0 from 41 Google reviews, with a vegan base according to a reviewer.
Porthcew Dairy at Methleigh Farm has a vending machine for milk and milkshakes that reviewers say you can use at any hour, with flavours that change.
Yes, at Nauti But Ice, according to a National Geographic Traveller piece and Google reviewers.
Hours are shorter out of season. Phone Nauti But Ice on 01326 573747 or Feechi's before a special trip, as small businesses change their winter days.
Times, prices and dates are the businesses' and organisers' to change, so check before you travel. Spotted something we've got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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