Short answer: The best pubs in Port Isaac are the Golden Lion on Fore Street for harbour views, The Slipway for fish and chips on the water's edge, the Old School Hotel for a quieter table, and Port Gaverne in the next cove for a post-walk pint. Dog policies differ by pub, so ask when you book; arrive early for lunch.
The best pubs in Port Isaac come down to a short list, because the village is small and steep and most of what you can sit down in is within a few hundred metres of the Platt. There are three pubs and pub-style hotels on the way down to the harbour, and a fourth in the next cove at Port Gaverne. This guide takes them in the order you meet them, so you can plan the walk instead of the menu.
Everything here is reached from the main car park at the top of the village, which means a steep, cobbled walk down and a harder one back. If you are driving, sort out your designated driver before the first pint. Our Port Isaac parking guide explains the climb.
4.4 from 1,309 Google reviews. The Golden Lion is at 13 Fore Street and overlooks the water, and reviewers talk about sitting watching the tide come in. The same reviewers say the food is good value and the fish and chips (about £20 in one recent review) and a 6oz cheeseburger and fries (about £18) both drew praise. It is also Port Isaac's best-known filming location: it plays the Crab and Lobster pub in Doc Martin, as covered in our Doc Martin filming locations guide.
Practical points. Tables go early, with one reviewer advising you to arrive for noon to get a seat. A recent review also says the food menu felt small and more like a lunch menu in the evening, so if dinner is the plan, ring ahead and ask what is on. CAMRA lists it as dog friendly, and a local guide says dogs are welcome in the ground-floor bar area. Our guide to dogs at Port Isaac's harbour restaurants covers the detail.
4.2 from 625 Google reviews. The Slipway sits on Middle Street at the water's edge and is a pub with rooms, so it works for a long lunch or an early evening. Reviewers praise the peas and the fish and chips, and one coeliac diner says the chef understands cross-contamination, with gluten-free fish and chips that taste like the real thing. That is worth knowing, because gluten-free options in a fishing village are rarer than you would hope. One group who had not booked says staff sorted out a table even with a large party upstairs. If you want a table on a sunny day, arrive before the lunch rush.
4.6 from 667 Google reviews. It is a hotel bar and restaurant rather than a pub in the strict sense, but it works as one: a reviewer who wanted something casual "but not the typical pub atmosphere" chose it for dinner. Reviewers praise the views from its car park, and one reviewer says it serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and cream teas. A reviewer with a dog says dogs were welcome outside and in the bar-level dining area, but not upstairs. Cocktails are described as the weak point, so stick to wine, beer and the fish.
You do not need to be a Doc Martin fan to enjoy a quiet table by a window here.
4.4 from 976 Google reviews, in a sheltered cove east of the village. A pub with rooms, it is where walkers on the coast path tend to stop, and where reviewers rate the beer and the cooking: crispy Korean-style chicken and gnocchi both get a mention, with mains reported between £20 and £30. A separate listing for the hotel scores 4.8 from 63 Google reviews, and one guest describes it as extremely dog friendly, with a bowl, treats and a ball waiting in the room. A local guide says both the bar and restaurant welcome dogs.
The cove has a small pebbly Port Gaverne Beach (4.7 from 216 reviews) directly across from the pub, with rock pools at low tide, and one reviewer says it is dog friendly all year. Reviewers note that there are no lifeguards or public toilets and only limited parking, and say the walk back to Port Isaac is about ten minutes uphill. Our guide to the best beaches near Port Isaac has more on the cove. Reviewers say parking at Port Gaverne is hard in summer, so walking over from the village is the better plan.
For more, our guides to dog-friendly indoor dining in Port Isaac and Sunday roast in Port Isaac compare the same venues for particular occasions.
Winter hours shift and kitchens often close earlier than the bar, so ring if you plan dinner. Our guide to what is open in Port Isaac in winter lists what stays open, and Christmas in Port Isaac covers the carols on the Platt. See also the Port Isaac town page and the neighbouring Tintagel page, and for a pub stop on the Camel estuary side, our best pubs in Wadebridge.
The Golden Lion on Fore Street is the best known (4.4 from 1,309 Google reviews) and overlooks the harbour. The Old School Hotel (4.6 from 667) is quieter, and Port Gaverne in the next cove suits walkers.
Yes. CAMRA lists it as dog friendly, and a local guide says dogs are welcome in the ground-floor bar area. Tables go quickly at lunchtime, so arrive early.
Reviewers say The Slipway's chef understands cross-contamination and serves good gluten-free fish and chips. Confirm when you book.
Yes. Reviewers describe it as about ten minutes uphill from the cove to Port Isaac. Parking at Port Gaverne is limited, so walking is better in summer.
Tables at the Golden Lion go early at lunch, and dinner menus can be limited, so ring ahead. In peak season book anywhere you want to eat.
Winter opening and kitchen times change, so check before you walk down the hill. Our winter guide lists what stays open.
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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