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Dining with a sea view - Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling, St Ives, Cornwall

Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling

4.9
4.9
1313 Reviews
£41 and over
British
Carbis Bay HotelCarbis Bay, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2NP

Make a reservation

2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7:00 PM
Booked 4 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for scenic views
  • Innovative
Ugly Butterfly, located in the iconic Carbis Bay, just a mile from St Ives in Cornwall, opened in August 2021. In keeping with Adam’s ethos, there’s a strong focus on sustainability.
There’s no such thing as an Ugly Butterfly, in the same way as there’s no such thing as food waste.

The restaurant and bar offers a relaxed experience, with surreal surroundings. We are lucky to
have one of the most beautiful views of the Cornish coast, overlooking the ocean so that guests can
watch the dolphins and seals. The sound of the ocean and the innovative utilisation of our local
ingredients makes guests forget they’re even in the UK.

Our afternoon tea experience takes guests on a journey around Cornwall, celebrating the
best of Cornish produce. The tea itself is grown on the Cornish Tregothnan Estate – the first tea fields in the UK.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    £41 and over
  • Cuisines
    British
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–1:30 pm Afternoon Tea Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–5:00 pm Dinner Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    01736 805800
  • Website
    http://www.uglybutterfly.co.uk/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    Adam Handling
  • Private party facilities
    Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling lucky to have one of the most beautiful views of the Cornish coast. Our open plan restaurant lends itself to semi-private dining, as well as large private hire events and weddings. No matter the celebration, Ugly Butterfly is the perfect location.
  • Private party contact
    Nick: 01736 805800
  • Location
    Carbis Bay HotelCarbis Bay, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2NP
  • Neighborhood
    St Ives
  • Parking details
    Parking is available within and next to the Carbis Bay Estate
  • Public transit
    BY RAIL The nearest station is Carbis Bay on the St Ives branch line. There are frequent regular connecting services to St Erth station (on the London to Penzance main line). From the train station it is only a short walk down the hill to the Estate.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Outdoor Smoking Area, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Private dining

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 1,313 people are saying

Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9
4.9 based on recent ratings
  • 4.9Food
  • 4.9Service
  • 4.9Ambience
  • 4.5Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

  • Cornwall

    Best Overall

  • Cornwall

    Best Food

  • Cornwall

    Best Ambiance

  • Cornwall

    Innovative

  • Cornwall

    Great for creative cocktails

  • Cornwall

    Great for fine wines

  • Cornwall

    Romantic

  • Cornwall

    Great for scenic views

  • Cornwall

    Good for special occasions

  • West Cornwall

    Best Overall

  • West Cornwall

    Best Food

  • West Cornwall

    Best Service

  • West Cornwall

    Best Ambiance

  • West Cornwall

    Good for special occasions

  • West Cornwall

    Lively

  • West Cornwall

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling offers a memorable dining experience with breathtaking views of Carbis Bay. The attentive staff and exquisite presentation make each dish a delight. Guests rave about "amazing food and great service" and the restaurant's strong sustainability ethos. Don't miss the "best afternoon tea in Cornwall," a true treat!
1,313 Reviews

  1. Ruth

    Surrey1 review

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A wonderful experience! Highly recommend the afternoon tea, thoroughly exceeded our expectations that were already high. The views are breathtaking, the service was exemplary with very friendly staff. The food was incredible, now we know what it’s like to be a judge on a professional cooking show. Highly recommend this for a special treat or celebration. An excellent introduction to the Ugly Butterfly restaurant too.

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  2. Ian

    Devon5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Thank you to the team at The Ugly Butterfly that made our visit a special experience. Amazing food and great service in a stunning setting. Difficult to chose a favourite course as there was something special about each step of the journey backed up by informative detail on the dish and locally sourced ingredients. What’s not to love. Thank you to a very talented team.

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  3. Ian

    London2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What a stunning experience. The food is incredible, I’m not going to describe it because you should be surprised by it - the presentation, the Ingredient's, the flavours. Yes it’s pricey, but it smashes the value for money. The staff are amazing, Justine and Mikey really made the evening, friendly, so so knowledgeable. Then you have the location, views. Can’t recommend the place enough.

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  4. Nicola

    Dorset1 review

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A beautiful afternoon tea set in beautiful surroundings. Luckily the weather was on our side. So we sat overlooking the lovely beach and relaxing on a Saturday afternoon in the sunshine. From the minute we arrived the service was impeccable. The food was exciting, tasty and sometimes unusual. The presentation was beautiful too. Overall a really lovely experience

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  5. Gemma

    Cornwall2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 3, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The staff were incredibly attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. The food was amazing, tasty and beautiful. We had a lovely, lovely afternoon tea.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Jane

    Norfolk/Suffolk3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful time at the Ugly Butterfly, fantastic view over the bay, delicious food beautifully presented and the staff were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and made the meal a memorable experience.

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  7. Karen

    Yorkshire2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A really great afternoon tea. Presented exquisitely along with fabulous tastes we had a super afternoon. A little more expensive than the average afternoon tea but worth every penny

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  8. Caroline

    Cornwall1 review

    3.0

    Dined on March 30, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    We visited for afternoon tea for Mother’s Day. 2 adults , 3 children. We had to pay the full price for the children the same as an adult £45 each. The service was let down by some of the staffs attitude didn’t seem like they wanted to be there , not the same atmosphere as when the boss Adam is around as we visited a few weeks before and it was a totally different experience. The scones were also very over cooked . It’s a shame as the first visit was amazing spot one.

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  9. Michele

    Devon2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A fabulous experience from start to finish! It just ended too soon! Highly recommend. The staff are wonderful and the food exquisite.

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  10. Kerra

    London1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 29, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A wonderful afternoon tea experience - excellent food brilliant staff and a lovely view.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling is rated 4.9 stars by 1313 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United Kingdom
  3. Cornwall
  4. West Cornwall
  5. St Ives

Make a reservation

Booked 4 times today
Google Map for Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling

Carbis Bay HotelCarbis Bay, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2NP

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    St Ives
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–1:30 pm Afternoon Tea Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–5:00 pm Dinner Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    £41 and over
  • Cuisines
    British
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Parking is available within and next to the Carbis Bay Estate
  • Public transit
    BY RAIL The nearest station is Carbis Bay on the St Ives branch line. There are frequent regular connecting services to St Erth station (on the London to Penzance main line). From the train station it is only a short walk down the hill to the Estate.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Adam Handling
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Outdoor Smoking Area, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Website
    http://www.uglybutterfly.co.uk/
  • Phone number
    01736 805800
  • Private party facilities
    Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling lucky to have one of the most beautiful views of the Cornish coast. Our open plan restaurant lends itself to semi-private dining, as well as large private hire events and weddings. No matter the celebration, Ugly Butterfly is the perfect location.
  • Private party contact
    Nick: 01736 805800
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