The Rum & Crab Shack

Wow – what an experience! The food was absolutely amazing. My sister said the ribs (coated in a rich BBQ and rum sauce) were the best she’s ever had. I went for the jerk chicken, and my wife had fish and chips – everything was fresh, full of flavour, and perfectly cooked. The drinks didn’t disappoint either. With such a huge rum selection, happy hour was definitely enjoyed! A big bonus for us was how warmly our two large dogs were welcomed – that alone makes a huge difference. Add in the breathtaking beach view, and it all made for an unforgettable visit. The staff were outstanding, very friendly and welcoming. We’ll definitely be coming back, and I can’t recommend this place enough!

This is an absolutely cracking place. The view of St Ives harbour is second to none and the service that we have been lucky enough to receive from Yvonne has been amazing. The food here fantastic especially if you like truly fresh seafood. Even the background music has been first class. This place is a true Cornwall gem.

Fantastic Experience at The Rum & Crab Shack! We had an absolutely brilliant time at The Rum & Crab Shack! From the moment we walked in, the staff made us feel incredibly welcome – their friendly and attentive service really set the tone for a wonderful afternoon. And the food? Simply delicious! We enjoyed every bite. Plus, we were lucky enough to get a table by the window, and the sea view was just stunning, adding an extra layer of enjoyment to our meal. Highly recommend The Rum & Crab Shack for anyone looking for great food, a warm welcome, and beautiful scenery! We can't wait to go back.

Staff amazing, atmosphere amazing. They don't make hot coffee but I have tasted an amazing iced coffee. Devilish whitebait, we were expecting to be spicy hence the name, chowder was a let down not my personal taste, lobster ok. Food wise there is still work to do.

We came here and had rum & crab. My expectations of having rum & crab at The Rum & Crab Shack were thoroughly met. It was fun picking out a random shot of rum to try from their large selection of rum - over 100 rums apparently. I opted for a cherry flavoured rum which went down a little too easily. I wished I could try some more, but unfortunately couldn't because I was driving. The staff were super friendly & knowledgeable about the rums on offer. They seemed perfectly happy to make recommendations if asked. I guess they are also knowledgeable about crab, but I did not ask for any crab-related advice. They were very accommodating for our dog. We were able to choose a suitable table out of those that were available, which was a nice touch. The food was good - presented in the style of a seafood shack, also as expected! Would definitely recommend this place if you like rum & crab.

This is my favourite place in St. Ives having been here several times over the past few years. We spent almost almost 6 hours here on a Sunday afternoon. The rum list was extensive and we tried a number of them. The staff were great and very friendly and knowledgeable. We did have some food, I thought the shack burger was really nice. Would definitely go back and it was great to have the best table in the house. It's also very dog friendly.

Absolute gem of a place staff were super friendly and accommodating we had what must be the best table in the restaurant overlooking the harbour. Cocktails were out of this world and the biggest list of rums to choose from I've ever seen. The bread is baked fresh in store daily something they are proud of and rightly so. We had the crab and haddock burger and the rack of ribs, the presentation was as good as the food tastes to die for. Portion size was very generous and couldn't finish it all. Couldn't recommend this place enough and will go every time we're in St ives

The food here was amazing. Massive tasty portions and my Dad said he they did the best ribs he has ever eaten. Despite being very busy, we were able to get a table after just a short wait. They also had a good selection of drinks.

I came in on my first night in St Ives thinking I better have some good seafood. I got the crab linguine and it was good, I wouldn't mind having that again. But it was kind of pricey, especially considering it didn't come with bread or anything on the side. Flavorful and well-made, though. I waited about a half hour between finishing my entree and getting my bill. I heard others being asked if they wanted dessert, and I might have been interested in that (which speaks to how non-full I felt after my meal), but I was ignored for too long. That was annoying, but they've got a vibe here that makes it a pleasant place to hang out. Great location on the Wharf. Worth checking out, especially if coming in just for drinks on the pub side.

Nice enough restaurant slash pub..divided Down the middle, food on one side, watering hole the other side. Nice ales and ciders on tap. The service was friendly but slow. The burger was pleasant, the ribs had a nice smokey flavour to them but were a bit dry. My husband had the steak and he said it was too salty.

I went here with my family. Grandparents and Mum to be prised. Me and Grandma are Vegetarian and Mum is Vegan. When we have been the last cpuple of times they have not had a Vegan option available. We went yesterday however and they 4 different options it's was fantastic my Mum had been wanting to try the Tofu and Chips for ages. So me, my Grandma and Mum had that. It was really nice didn't bang on like fish but it still had that tasty it which was the staff were very friendly to we even tipped them. 4/5 in my opinion

Meh, the theme here is great, but the actual food is lacking. The crab ball started were really good - fresh crab and lightly fried. The rum and crab soup was a disappointment. It's a basic tomato soup with barely any crab in it. The soup was quite bland as well. For mains had the crab salad, which was really light and refreshing and had a lot of crab on it. The crab shack burger was quite impressive to look at, however was lacking in flavor as well. The rum cocktails were excellent as was the view. Would stop into other places before coming here again.

As a tourist canvassing around Cornwall, I can't say I know where the "best" seafood places are, so we just stopped by this fun restaurant by the St Ives shore. The Crab Shack has been around for about 2 months, and it definitely has potential. The atmosphere was nice and cozy: one half of the restaurant was set close to the fireplace, with big leather couches and chairs, and small wooden tables (and I think I saw a trunk box as well). The other half was standard wooden tables and chairs, with a nice view.. we opted to sit by the window. The menu prices for seafood were very reasonable, and there was a good variety of food there. I should have taken a pic of the menu, but I forgot... and since there isn't a website up yet, I"ll try to run off a few items that I can remember: Calamari (£5), clam and Smoked haddock chowder (£6/£10), rum and crab soup (£5), Crab sandwiches, crab cakes, soft shell crab burger with fries (£13). For the mains, you could order a whole crab for £12, and from what I read on Tripadvisor, its a fun + messy meal :) In the end, we decided on: Jambalaya with Crab, Ling Cod and Shrimp - £13: Of all the items, this was the favorite, flavor-wise. There were little chunks of crab, and baby shrimp, but the cod was mashed up - couldn't tell it was even there. Rum Shack Gumbo with tomato based okra stew with tiger prawns and crab, side of rice - £13: This was a bit spicy, and had large prawns, though the crab and okra was largely undetected. The crab was shredded up, and I'm a big fan of Okra - unless it was blended up, I couldn't find this in the dish at all. Maybe they didn't have any in?? Mac n Cheese - £2.50: my least favorite dish. It tasted like a standard flour-based cheddar cheese sauce, but I think it needed to use a sharper cheese, as the flavor was quite weak. A big improvement would be to stick the mac n cheese into the oven for a bit, topped off with some cheese and breadcrumbs for a nice crispy crust. Clam and smoked haddock chowder - £6: a standard "small" size bowl came with 3 clams in a creamy potato chowder. While the flavor was good, I think it lacked any smokey taste of the haddock.. it tasted more like just a potato and leek soup. I also think it could have used more clam juice / nectar. The haddock was also crumbled into little bits, almost nonexistent. Again, this restaurant has only been open for 2 months, there are a few things they could work on, but the food was decent. The big thing I would say that needs improvement is not to "mash" up the seafood into little bits. I would have liked to enjoy eating pieces of seafood, not searching for it in the soup/sauce. The server was very nice, gave us some suggestions, very accommodating. To be fair, this is called the Rum and Crab shack, so maybe I should have ordered a whole crab instead? Will come back to try :)

Good restaurant, with a nice view over the port. While booking ask for a table next to the window. We ordered crab claws and a Shack Burger. All was very good and tasty. Staff was very friendly. I recommend this place. Even if we only ate there, there is a nice bar with lounge and coaches.

Ok, so i think this one was somehow overhyped. It sure does look enticing - the menu sounds good and every night we tried to get in there for dinner, we were told we had to wait for at least an hour for a table. The place was rammed! Intrigued and thinking we are missing out on the best crab in St Ives, we went there for lunch, and hey presto! - free table. The food is VERY VERY average, i left hungry and unsatisfied. Sorry, would not really recommend of rave about it. There are so many other good fish places to eat in St Ives - go explore, don't wait for an hour for sure

Not too bad a place. We went for lunch & had the prawn gumbo & the shack burger, a beer & glass of wine. All in all not to bad for £20 all up.

Such great crab, such great rum. The crab balls were mostly potato, but the soft shell crab burger was the best we've had. Also go for the popcorn shrimp, 10/10

Sad day....I am usually very understanding of service staff when they are paddling hard underwater but trying to remain serene on the surface, but being accused of making rude remarks and rolling my eyes when I was simply waiting to be served was a too far (neither of these things was true, and yes she was busy, but there were 4 other staff who ignored us and were standing around until she got to our table). Complained to the manager on the way out and the server was already there defending her actions. Food and drink may be great, but we did not get a chance a to try them. Good quality starts with good service and there is a lesson to be learned here.

We were just walking past looking for somewhere for dinner and came across this option. Lucky that we did as we all had a great meal. The staff were all very friendly and food came out quickly. The steak was cooked to perfection. Highly recommend this spot!

one of the few places we got a table without reservation. we enjoyed a very casual dinner for a very reasonable price with great quality (and quantity). the atmosphere is quirky busy and lively but we loved it and the view across the Barbour was very beautiful. the crab sandwich was very delicious, the sweet potato fries were a wonderful treat and the mussle pot was awesome. sadly it was too much for desert, but we will come again for sure.