Martin Clunes has spoken about his favourite restaurant in Cornwall and said it wasn’t just his favourite in the county, but his top choice on the entire planet
Christopher Sharp Trendswatch Reporter
07:00, 28 Nov 2025
Martin Clunes named his favourite restaurant in the world – and it’s in Cornwall(Image: ITV)
Actor Martin Clunes, known for his roles in Doc Martin and Men Behaving Badly, once said that his favourite restaurant in Cornwall was not just his favourite in the county but his favourite in the entire world.
The actor, who turns 64 today (Friday, November 26), highlighted one iconic venue in particular as he discussed his love for Cornwall. He went into detail about his favourite dishes at the special venue, one owned by another famous face, before admitting that he knew the menu very well.
Speaking to the Independent in 2017, Martin admitted it was Rick Stein’s Padstow venue that he felt was one of his favourite places to go and eat.
He said: “My favourite restaurant in the entire world, and I’ve been to a lot of restaurants, is Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. I love the room, I love the paintings, I love getting the boat across from Rock, I love everything about it.
“This year I did my nut over the hot shellfish. It’s a starter, but it’s enormous – it comes on a griddle, and they just sear mussels, oysters, clams and razor clams, all my favourite stuff. I know the menu very well.”
Martin Clunes loves Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant(Image: ITV)
Martin isn’t the only celebrity to discuss the impact of the Padstow venue on them, with Rick himself also giving his thought on its legacy. Padstow was where Rick’s culinary empire began and from where he built his reputation for being one of the nation’s greatest chefs.
Speaking to the London Standard, Rick was forthright in response to criticism of the impact of the restaurant and tourism on the area, claiming that locals weren’t bothered about it.
He said: “If people don’t want to come to Padstow, they won’t. It’s just somewhere that’s nice. People going on about ‘Padstein’ and that kind of thing, I’m past being pissed off about it, and I don’t think a lot of people in Padstow are bothered about all that anymore.
“I understand that property prices in somewhere like Padstow are too high for the locals, but without tourism, what would they do anyway? It’s a Catch-22 situation. There’s no answer to it, so you just do your best.”
Rick Stein is synonymous with Padstow(Image: Getty)
Despite his pushback against the critics, Rick has repeatedly expressed how much he loves the area, telling the Telegraph that he couldn’t see himself retiring anytime soon.
He explained: “I love getting people enthusiastic about eating. If I gave up the restaurant business tomorrow, perhaps Stein’s 70s disco could be revived! Truthfully, though, I can’t see myself retiring.
“I’m lucky enough to have two properties, one in London and a Cornish fisherman’s cottage in Padstow—my spiritual home, where most of my businesses are.”
Meanwhile, whilst Rick is supporting Padstow, Martin has recently announced his intention to revive the Buckham Fair to raise money for Dorset County Hospital’s new emergency department alongside his wife Philippa Braithwaite, reports the BBC.
In a statement, Philippa said: “We recently went to a fundraising evening for the DCH Emergency Department Appeal.
“We thought it would be good to reboot the fair as a one-off, specifically to raise money for the cause. We have all had to visit DCH over the last few years and it is a wonderful hospital which we are lucky to have.”
