Catering as it does for a huge influx of summer visitors, Mevagissey has a wide range of cafés and restaurants to suit most palates and purses. Every other building seems to have boards outside inviting you to come inside and sample the wares.
Easily the largest in the village is the Shark’s Fin Restaurant, offering everything from a scone and butter to a three-course lunch. The place appeared full, although I couldn’t fail to notice the vast deposits of seagull crap adorning all the front windows, obscuring the diners’ view of the harbour. Needless to say, this is a problem for all businesses in the place given the local gull population. But come on guys, this is a restaurant and I would be definitely dissuaded from entering a place like this that can’t be bothered to wash their windows. It made me wonder what the kitchens were like…
Moving on quickly, I found the Big’Un, which was very small, strangely with just a couple of tables outside and half a dozen inside. The menu looked appetizing, but I decided to continue and see what the village had to offer. Next was the Wheelhouse Restaurant towards the south quay, and so far, the best looking in terms of cleanliness and menu. Needless to say, fish is the order of the day here with everything from fresh cod and chips to grilled sea bass and lobster. It too was packed, and at least the patrons could avail themselves of the view!
Deciding to venture further up the lanes, I made a wonderful discovery. This was in the shape of Alvorada, a Portuguese restaurant owned and run by a Portuguese couple. This I couldn’t resist and, somewhat hungry after all this walking and beer sampling, decided to give it a go.
Well, it was superb, with local produce and fish done in a Portuguese style, served with a flourish by a girl in a crisp white apron onto a starched linen tablecloth with matching napkins. I couldn’t see these guys leaving bird crap all over the windows somehow. I settled for the Portuguese cheese and olives to start, followed by a wonderful seafood platter consisting of scallops, squid, mussels, local mackerel, John Dory, and prawns, and what a taste bud sensation it was! It was a bit extravagant really; if I hadn’t stumbled across this place, I’d have settled for a pasty!
I also felt a little guilty that I’d had a "foreign" lunch whilst visiting one of my favourite places, but I can always see those another day. With belly hanging over the jeans, I retraced my steps to the waiting car and bid a fond farewell to Mevagissey. This place never disappoints, no matter how often you call by.