Ok but rather chilly atmosphere. Main course chicken was very ordinary and polenta not very nice. Deconstructed millionaires shortbread fab.
Melanie
St. Ives is gorgeous, but Alba did not meet our expectations. we had pre-booked a table and were placed half a floor above the 1st floor, right next to the dish washer. It was very hectic the whole time as the staff kept walking back and forth behind us. The food was ok. Not bad, but nothing special. We had to send one meal back because it was oversalted - although we were told that the chef said it was fine. The staff and service was rather condescending.
All in all, not quite the dining experience we had been looking forward ot.
daisy
Lovely food, beautifully cooked in a great location. Service was brilliant and it was an all round winner that I would go back to frequently if I lived in the area! We went for the pre-7.30 special, which was amazing value for money. The staff were not snooty about the fact we were eating from the special offer menu, either. Highly recommended!
Adam Booth
Yes St Ives is a great little place to kick back for a week but the main attraction has to be the excellent seafood. Alba is always our first stop on our first night and every year the restaurant delivers the goods. I am not going to drone on but will say that the composition of the food has a wonderful light touch, which comes from food cooked by a chef with natural talent who lets his food do the talking.
Bart
One of the best meals I have had here, perfectly cooked, tender, salt & pepper squid followed by an awesome fillet steak. Great puddings, dessert wine and a superb bottle of Burgundy. Perfect food on a wet night.
SS
Ate there on a cold February Saturday-had to book they turned lots of people away. Excellent food had a mix of early evening menu and a la carte, very good rose half bottle of wine. Ask for one of the tables in the window upstairs, for a stunning view of the harbour.
Bart
Lunch on an overcast Jan day was cheered up with a hot generous serving of Monkfish Cassoulet and an excellent crab risotto.
Roger Pearce
The mussels with kaffir lime were an inspiration; the venison sublime. Just another reason to wish I lived in St.Ives. No view to see on a winter evening but who cares!
Tim
Great food and a fabulous view of the harbour. Service OK but not quite so good as the cooking.
Bart
Most towns have a chef-run AA Rosetted restaurant these days, if your lucky there is a 2 rosette place, typically these restaurants will not have much of an atmosphere and are rarely full, it's a food thing. Alba in St Ives seems to have got something very right; it is the busiest restaurant in the town, my thoughts on this are that this AA seafood restaurant of the year has not lost sight of its roots, its not chasing rainbows and still looks after its locals. So if you are looking to spend top dollar and have a blow out in the right sort of relaxed yet elegant atmosphere you can, just book a mid week table at the height of service upstairs. If you're on a budget and want the quality, you can eat here early doors more cheaply than you can cook at home. In short Alba has achieved this success by cleverly playing to a broader market, an not alienating its core of locals. Thank you Grant and Julia.
