The Ruin Beach Café

As you approach The Ruin, you’ll know you’re in the right place; the smoke curling from the kitchen chimney a heady blend of delicious dishes fired by island-grown wood.

It is the wood-fired oven that sets The Ruin apart, sitting right at the heart of the restaurant and the menu, producing delicious pizzas and roasting succulent meat, fish and vegetables for our tempting sharing platters.

Enjoy morning coffee overlooking the ocean, a long and lazy lunch on the beachfront terrace as the children play on the white sand below, or sundowners and a special evening out as the sky outside the window cycles with the reflected colours of a Scilly sunset.

The beachfront restaurant takes its name from the ruined smuggler’s cottage that forms part of its terrace, overlooking Raven’s Porth. The Coastguard boathouse next door – now Watch House cottage – must have made smuggling from here a precarious business.

The Ruin has been awarded two AA Rosettes, and Conde Nast Traveller magazine has also awarded The Ruin the Gold Standard in its listing of favourite hotels, restaurants, bars and beach clubs from around the world.

Booking is strongly recommended for lunch and dinner at The Ruin.

However, only indoor tables can be booked ahead, so if it's nice weather, we'll usually have space outside if you want to be more spontaneous.

Online booking is available for up to 6 people; please call or email for more.

Please see our full table booking terms and conditions below.

You can book online for up to 6 people; for more, please call us. We cannot accept additional party members in the 'Comments' box. We also recommend calling if you're making multiple bookings. Please note that we charge a 10% service fee for tables of ten or more people.

Please let us know on booking if you have any dietary requirements.

If you're dining with us early evening (bookings starting 6 - 6:30 pm), you will have your table for two hours.

We take indoor bookings only, but you're welcome to move outside if there's a table free when you arrive.

Dogs are welcome on the terrace but not inside, so if you're bringing a dog, you'll be unable to book ahead.

We reserve the right to charge £25 per person if you forget to cancel your booking or do so less than 24 hours before arrival. We always prefer not to charge, so we will do our best to re-sell your table. Your booking confirmation email details how to change or cancel your booking; do let us know if this doesn't reach you.

If you're running late, please call ahead, and we'll try to hold your table. While we can't guarantee to do so for longer than 20 minutes, we'll do our best to work something out.