Short answer: For breakfast in Launceston, try The Coffee Pot in the White Hart Arcade (usually from 8.30am, 4.4 from 221 Google reviews), Malcolm Barnecutt Bakery on High Street (usually from 7.30am) or Proper Ansome on the Scarne estate (Saturdays from 7.30am). For coffee, Liberty Coffee on Northgate Street. The Cowslip Cafe, outside town, is a brunch stop from about 10am.
If you are coming into Launceston on the A30 with the whole day ahead, you do not need to climb to the castle on an empty stomach. Where to get breakfast in Launceston depends on how early you start: a couple of places serve before 8am, the rest wait until 9, and the best views come with a short drive out of town. Times below are the usual weekday and weekend openings, so check opening times before you go.
Three options start early, and each suits a different kind of morning.
It is tucked at the end of the White Hart Arcade off Madford Lane, The Coffee Pot rates 4.4 from 221 Google reviews and usually opens at 8.30am, or 8am on Sundays. Reviewers praise poached eggs with avocado and call it the best value breakfast in town. One reported a gluten-free fry-up for £5 and another said it is usually busy at typical breakfast hours. The seating is tight and the decor gets mixed comments, so it suits a quick, good-value meal, not a long lingering one. It is easy to miss because you walk into an arcade, not a shopfront.
On High Street, Malcolm Barnecutt Bakery (4.7 from 120 Google reviews) usually opens at 7.30am and is closed on Sundays. Reviewers describe a bacon and sausage bap as one of the best they have had, plus Cornish pasties locally known as steaks, and cakes mostly under £2. Breakfast rolls are supposed to run until 2pm, but one reviewer found them sold out before then, so go early if you want one.
Proper Ansome sits on the Scarne industrial estate, adjoining Maunder's farm shop, and opens at 7.30am on Saturdays and later on other days, so it is the Saturday early bird. It rates 4.5 from 404 Google reviews. A visitor called its hash brown the best they had eaten, and reviewers mention "dinky plate" smaller portions for lighter appetites. It is just south of the centre, so it works as a first stop if you are driving in from the A30. Scores elsewhere are less warm, with some older reviews complaining of slow service, so go with an easy morning in mind.
For coffee-first mornings, Liberty Coffee on Northgate Street is the one to pick. It rates 4.8 from 247 Google reviews, and reviewers praise the coffee, house-made cakes and a lunch menu with frittata, salad and homity pie. It usually opens from 9am Tuesday to Saturday and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Gluten-free cakes are mentioned in reviews. It is a small shop, so do not expect a long cooked menu. Seating is limited; many people take away and walk to the castle.
Rated 4.8 from 199 Google reviews, the Cowslip Cafe at New House Farm, just outside town, usually opens at 10am, so think brunch, not breakfast. Reviewers describe soups, quiches, flatbreads and breakfasts, cakes, a garden with outdoor seating, countryside views and a "shed" to sit in. One reviewer recommends booking. Farm cafes can change their hours in winter, so check before you go.
South of town at Lezant, Tre, Pol and Pen is a deli, butcher and breakfast restaurant, rated 4.1 from 690 Google reviews. Reviewers praise afternoon tea, cakes and a pasty from the shop, though others find the counter service uneven. It suits a break on a longer drive across the county.
Launceston packs a lot into a small centre. Launceston Castle is a short walk from every café above, and English Heritage lists it open Wednesday to Sunday and bank holidays, 10am to 4pm, so a coffee at nine and a castle climb at ten fits. Lawrence House, the National Trust property and town museum on Castle Street, is currently closed for repairs, though a pop-up exhibition is normally open Tuesday to Saturday at 13 High Street, next door to the bakery, with entry normally free. The Launceston Steam Railway only runs on published dates, its first train leaves at 11am and its café opens at 10.30am on running days, so it is a late-morning stop, not a breakfast one. If the weather turns, our guide to Launceston in the rain has a full wet-weather plan.
The Coffee Pot, Liberty Coffee and the bakery are all in the compact town centre, within a few minutes' walk of each other. Our Launceston parking guide covers the car parks. Proper Ansome is on the Scarne industrial estate and the Cowslip Cafe is on a farm outside town, so you will want a car for both. Ask about parking when you book.
Work backwards from your day. If you have a long drive ahead, the bakery bap or a Coffee Pot fry-up gets you moving fastest. If you are meeting friends and want to talk, Liberty Coffee is the better room, though small. If you have children, a farm café with a garden gives them space, while the arcade café is cramped at peak times according to reviewers. And if you simply want the cheapest cooked breakfast, the reviews point to The Coffee Pot. In every case, arrive early if you want a table, because reviewers describe The Coffee Pot as usually busy at typical breakfast hours and one recommends booking at the Cowslip.
If breakfast turns into elevenses, see our best coffee in Launceston and best cream tea in Launceston guides, or baby-friendly cafes in Launceston if you have a pushchair. The Launceston town page lists the rest of the town.
Malcolm Barnecutt Bakery usually opens at 7.30am, Proper Ansome at 7.30am on Saturdays, and The Coffee Pot at 8.30am (8am on Sundays). Check opening times before you go, as they can change.
Reviewers call The Coffee Pot the best value breakfast in town, with one reporting a gluten-free fry-up for 5 pounds. Check current prices on arrival.
A reviewer says The Coffee Pot has a gluten-free breakfast, and Liberty Coffee's reviewers mention gluten-free cakes. Ask staff about cross-contamination if you are coeliac.
It usually opens at 10am, so it suits brunch rather than an early breakfast. Reviewers recommend booking, and farm cafes can change their hours in winter.
English Heritage's page lists Wednesday to Sunday and bank holidays, 10am to 4pm. Check winter opening days before you go.
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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