Rating
In a word
Sandy
Cuisine
Finger lickin’ burgers on the beach. I mean like really sand-between-the-toes kind of on the beach.
Appeals to
Situated right on the beach, next to a holiday park, this is a true all rounder. I mean that in the sense of doing what it does really well, and at prices that are affordable for families. That said, its location promises to make it a popular spot for locals too. With a relaxed vibe and some seriously good burgers, I’ll be going back to Hub Box when I next visit my Mum.
Life’s a beach
Well, every other beach cafe in the whole of Cornwall uses that pun, so I thought I’d roll it out too. But for the staff at Hubbox Pentewan, life really is a beach. Hubbox actually have a few different eateries including this one, Truro and Exeter, and have some pretty good accolades as far as the food goes. No pressure then.
The venue
So called a box because in its origins, Hubbox started life in a shipping container. Having outgrown this, and moved to bigger premises, this one is in a wooden beach shack with outdoor tables that are rooted in the sand. Tingling sandy toes, warm sunshine, and cool craft beers made the Hubbox stand out as one of Cornwall’s most on-the-beach venues.
And it was pretty fuckin’ cool inside too.
The menu
So much more than just burgers, the menu is a slice of Americana with waffles, dogs and BBQ pulled meats. So summer, so Cornwall. What really impressed me, and I can’t stress this enough, is how there were 4 burgers I could choose from. 3 for vegetarians! This is pretty much unheard of. So, being the pesky piscatorial fanatic I am, I had the St.Ives mackerel burger, and my Ma went for the Bella.
Bella is a grilled goat’s cheese, roasted red pepper, crispy courgette and beetroot mayo stack, using tempura for crunch. For the rest of the menu, see their site at hubbox.co.uk
The meat is super high quality, being sourced from Warren’s butchers in Launceston. This is a butcher favoured by chefs from Cornwall, Devon and as far along the line as London, at the Cornwall Project.
Each burger comes in Baker Tom’s bread, which is some pretty fine artisan bread, again spreading its way across the county. There’s been a shop here in Falmouth for a few years, and I can verify that not only is the bread good, but cakes and pastries are pretty darn sweet too.
As well as burgers, we ordered some fries and beef chilli cheesy fries. It’s good to see hand cut fries being respected. These remind me of childhood, so it seemed kinda fitting that I was sitting there with my Mother.
What’s it taste like?
The mackerel burger came with beetroot jam and horseradish mayo, combining three classic flavours. With a really fresh smoky taste, the mackerel had a crispy skin and tasted of woodsmoke and summer. Chips like me nan used to make, and a finger lickin’ chilli made Hubbox stand out.
The verdict
Basically, this is on the beach at Pentewan, so it’s hard to miss. There are several others across Devon and Cornwall; all using Baker Tom’s bread, St. Ives mackerel and Warrens’ meat. This attention to really good ingredients shows perfectly how just getting goof ingredients and letting them speak for themselves is the best way to build a good following.
The deets
Open every day from 11.30am – 9pm
hubbox.co.uk
Phone 01726 844189
pentewan@hubbox.co.uk