Black Cat Restaurant in Isle of Wight

Unreal food as always. Family-ran restaurant that I have been visiting since I was six years old! We always talk about The Black Cat as being the best Thai restaurant we have ever been to and say that all other Thai food pales in comparison. Finally back on the Island this week and immediately booked into the Black Cat. We were not disappointed. Lovely, warm ambience, just as we remember, and stand out food and flavour. If you are thinking of coming, you will not regret a visit. Dreaming of the next time we can come back!

What a little gem of a place! Food was amazing and very reasonably priced. Would love for it to be our local this restaurant and if we visit the isle of wight again we would definitely come here again.

We all enjoyed our meal with a variety of starters, including a delicious satay chicken and prawns in batter. Main courses were, a very nice pad Thai, a spicy green curry, beef with broccoli and a noodle stir fry. We felt the meal was very good value for the food quality and quantity. The setting is not traditional Thai, the wooden shelving, which I believe was once a grocers and wooden pew seating is kept polished and makes an interesting place to sit. We will be returning.

Good service in traditional Thai surroundings. Lovely starter of spring rolls a Thai green curry for main all very tasty and cooked well. Would def recommend .. thank you

Takeaway. Friendly staff and restaurant looked nice with good atmosphere. My Order was wrong. Food bland. Chicken was under cooked so didn’t eat it, prawns over cooked so couldn’t eat them. Very underwhelming

We phoned up to make a reservation. They wouldn't take our booking due to having 3 children.. What an awful way to run a restaurant 😳 he sounded like an absolute horror of a man too, I'm pleased we didn't part with our money here.

Lovely location in Shanklin, quirky decor. The staff work extremely hard to deliver delicious food. We chose a number of starters & just one main meal between us & everything was quality - I would definitely recommend.

Great service & great quality food… we had numerous starters which were all delicious, then shared a main meal/rice. The house wine was great value for money. I would recommend & they’re always busy so book if you don’t want to be disappointed.

We had a delicious meal at this quaint little restaurant. We had wanted to visit after reading other reviews and weren't disappointed in any way. Good value too only £3 for a beer (330ml) is very reasonable.

Eaten here twice in four days. Both meals excellent. The service is efficient and courteous and attentive to detail. The atmosphere is cosy and warm, with guests clearly enjoying the amiable interactions. Thoroughly enjoyable and well priced for couples and groups.

Myself and my partner had a perfectly pleasant meal here. At first the interrior seemed a bit dated and different. However, the Thai food was very good and enjoyable. If we're ever in the area again, we will definitely return.

Unusual ambience for a restaurant, like stepping into a Victorian house. Ordered prawn crackers which were stale and came with no dipping sauce. Chicken satay starters, too salty and bland peanut sauce. Main course ordered, beef massaman curry with sticky coconut rice. Very bland, salty curry with raw potatoes. Rice was ‘wild rice’ which was so sticky it had to be prised apart in chunks. No flavour of coconut at all. Also ordered Thai green curry. Again very bland. If you’re into you’re Thai food as we are then you will be disappointed!

My wife and I booked a table for 2 for 6pm on the Saturday night and the staff were so friendly and helpful and the food was amazing. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Lovely food. Ordered a bottle of shiraz which is usually a 13% wine. Disappointed to get such a cheap 11% bottle. Very quiet when we arrived. Perhaps could do with some Thai music playing a bit more loudly to give some atmosphere until it fills up. You need to book. Service good.

Great food. Very tasty and well presented. Good service and very friendly staff. Would definitely come again. Highly recommended.

Really tasty food and reasonably priced including the drinks - it is in a prime location as well, which was a nice surprise. Good service although possibly lacking in talking to customers but this may be a language barrier possibly. Nice surroundings, our first visit but we will return.

Loved both the food and service, with some history of the place as well

Maybe the best Thai green curry I’ve ever had, really spicy and I warming !! The spring rolls were crispy and delicious and the service from John was warm, personable and extremely accommodating. We’ll be back in a hurry

Absolutely brilliant Thai restaurant. The food was fresh and amazing. One of the best Thai restaurants I have ever visited. Definitely the best on the island. 5 stars all round. And highly recommended. The staff were friendly and efficient. I can't recommend this place highly enough.

Upon arrival at the restaurant we were greeted with a friendly smile and were made to feel instantly welcome. The menu was full and varied with the staff on hand to explain the food choices as required. When the food arrived at the table it was hot, clearly freshly prepared and deliciously authentic. This was our first visit to this little gem in the old village and we'll definitely be back. Whether you live here or are just visiting, this is a must for a delicious meal.

Amazing family run restaurant in Shanklin that really care about their guests and hospitality and provide delicious food! Best Thai food in Shanklin!

What can I say, it’s just a lovely little place. I think it’s a small family affair and very lovely feel about the place. We have been twice with friends and family and we both had different things each time. The food is absolutely amazing! The spring rolls are the freshest I’ve ever had. I like a nicely spiced curry and decided I’d have the English heat. If you don’t like it to hot have the mild and even then it may be to hot for some, but the flavours are absolutely delicious. I’d eat here every week if I could. I can’t recommend this place enough we love it.

We arrived on Sat evening close to 11pm but they still offered us a table and were very friendly with us. The food was very good and the vibe of the place was very pleasant. Will definitely repeat if I go back to the isle.

Wonderful Thai cooking, good restaurant. Great atmosphere, very friendly host and staff. Also very reasonable prices, decent wines and beers also sensibly priced. If you are on the number 3 bus route between Newport and Ryde, you are in luck as the bus stop is right outside the restaurant. We travel from Ventnor to the black cat by bus, it only takes 15 minutes and there is a bus every half hour. Perfect as you don't need a designated driver!

We went as a party of 6 Friday night could not fault anything service was amazing 💯 food was first class highly recommend a visit..

On arrival at The Black Cat said they were fully booked !! On return from having a meal a Mukda Thai Restaurant. The Black Cat was not fully booked. Their was only 6 people dinning in their.

Arrived at 6:30 and was asked did we book ? No, then was asked if we were an islander ? No. We was told we were an islander and it was fully booked and to come back in the week. So we walked up the high street to Mukda Thai Restaurant. Was greated with a warm welcome their. And the food was excellent. When we finished are meal at Mukda Thai Restaurant we walked passed The Black Cat , an hour later. And it was not fully booked they just didn't want us in their.

Claimed was fully booked walked past after going elsewhere 1h later and empty. Simply didn't want us in there

Ask if they had a table for 3. We was told that they were fully booked with only 3 tables that were reserved. Walk past 50 minute later ony 3 tables used very unwelcome We used the Mukda in the high street, woo what a welcome and vert attentive I would give them 4.9 but to be fare they were spot on and the only reason for 4.9 is we all could do better give the black cat a miss and be treated like Kings and Queens at the Mukda

We ate there last week and enjoyed it. The young chap serving was very polite, helpful and efficient. It’s a comprehensive menu and the food was very good, perhaps not the best I’ve ever had but still very good and it all was reasonably priced. If you are in Shanklin it’s certainly worth a try.

Wonderful authentic Thai food :)

Best ambiance. Good food & flavours. Staff was friendly. Proper Thai flavours.

We went to the Black Cat on a Tuesday evening and while the food was very good the service was just odd. We asked for some prawn crackers to nibble on whilst looking at the menu and we were told that we were not allowed prawn crackers until we had ordered just in case we made the menus greasy (the menus are laminated) found this to be strange. When placing our order we asked the young lady a question about one of the dishes and she simply said I don’t know I don’t eat the food. Apart from having our food placed in front of us we didn’t see any waiting staff again until it was time to pay the bill, as I said before all the food was really good just an odd mix with the service

Highly recommend! Excellent Thai food and the service was 10/10! Really friendly staff. Look forward to visiting again.

Lovely meal, lots of flavours, good size portions, great service, good value for money, king prawns in batter were the best I've had. Highly recommended

Absolutely amazing food at The Black Cat. We all ordered different things and they all tasted so different and fresh. Prices are good and the hospitality excellent. Definitely recommend here if you want authentic Thai food.

Superb hospitality, exquisite food, impeccable service and all at very reasonable prices. High St location in the attractive Shanklin old town. Highly recommended but book ahead!

Food was excellent, service was faultless. The only small criticism I would have is they don’t really cater for kids. We gave it a try and would go back but without kids.

Good Thai menu, great food, great food & service in pleasant surroundings. Set meal for two was excellent Can't ask for more.

The service & food were outstanding - so glad we booked. The food was so authentic & tasted divine. You must try if your in the area & will not be disappointed.

On arrival we felt like it was issue that our 85 year old mum had a walker to aid her walking. The owner/head of house was rude about it, asked if the step was an issue for us. The young waitress was very friendly but was obviously struggling with a cold and kept on sniffing. Food was nice, but the main came out very quickly after the starter.. not great on the welcome or being made to feel welcome. Like not being local was an issue.

Excellent thai an interesting old styliish restaurant decor

A very comfortable and tasty restaurant with authentic cuisine. I recommend the set menu for a nice try of the menu. The staff are kind and attentive. The chef made the food fresh and delicious. You can order it to your liking of mild, medium, English Hot or Thai Hot! A lovely dinner!

A delicious and authentic Thai restaurant in the old town of Shanklin Beautifully decorated interior, friendly and attentive staff, and super tasty food. Also good options throughout the menu for vegans or vegetarians!

Excellent food, good service, good value. Went here as family of four for dinner and all of us thought it was excellent. Kids now say their favourite food is Thai. Top nosh.

Best restaurant on Isle of Wight and best Thai food that we have had in UK. We live in Shanklin and are lucky to have this restaurant near by. The food is authentic Thai, reasonably priced and friendly and efficient service.

Excellent food and wonderful staff. Shame there wasn't any back ground music. Very clean Would definitely visit again if in the area and thank you for making us feel so welcome

Lovely food and good service. If unsure about any of the food ask the chef and he will explain the flavours and heat etc. we had a lovely dinner :)

Super Thai meal with very friendly service. We had the set meal for 2 which we thoroughly recommend.

YOU NEED TO UPDATE YOUR GOOGLE PAGE. It says open but when we arrived it's closed for winter

Tasty fresh food with very friendly service

We were very impressed with the food at the Black Cat Restaurant. It was delicious without being over spicy. The owner, Joe made us feel very welcome. I would suggest booking, however, as it was not a large restaurant and it seemed very popular.

Aside from the food which was excellent, the dining experience was made so much better by the excellent gentleman who served us. He made us feel very welcome and was very knowledgeable about the menu and nothing seemed to be too much trouble. The menu was varied with a good vegetarian section too. Would definitely return when next in the area.

Friendly efficient service from the moment we walked in. Food was very good and spiciness adjusted to your taste. Starters of battered prawns and marinated chicken. Mains prawn thai red curry and spicy mixed seafood - all very fresh and delicious We'll be back

Nice Thai food freshly cooked And friendly staff good value 👌

Would highly recommend this lovely restaurant. Best food ever, first class service had a lovey evening. Can't wait for next visit.

The lovely restaurant, with very pleasant staff. We had starters and mains and loved the authentic Thai food.

Great food very spicy, pleasent staff and interesting decore, it was out first night in Shanklin so this got us off to a good start , worth a vist, thouth you will need to book

This was our first visit to The Black Cat in Shanklin. The minute we stepped in the door we were made to feel welcome by Joe. We were given a lovely cosy table in a corner and offered menus. The dishes are made to order...

My wife and I went there for our anniversary and we were not disappointed. The staff were really friendly and welcoming and the food was excellent and really reasonably priced. I would recommend to everyone, but I would advise to book in advance.

This is a great friendly restaurant with knowledgeable staff. The food is great with advice on the courses informative.

They have lovely food and staff

Had a lovely authentic Thai meal - the staff were charming friendly and helpful, I would recommend asking for Thai hot as we had English hot but was not spicy enough but I suppose that depends on your taste! Set meal £20pp which was a...

Every dish we had was wonderful with a depth of flavour. The service was relaxed, friendly and professional. Thank you for a great evening.

What an amazing experience! The menu was extensive and extremely reasonable. The service prompt but not intrusive. All dishes were offered at various ‘heat’ options from mild to authentic Thai spicy. Our starters were tasty and plentiful. We ate chicken Penang (spicy), chicken Mussaman (mild),...

First time having Thai food at black cat Perfect place food was amazing staff were kind and so inviting and the atmosphere was great thank you to all

Lovely Thai food - beware “Thai” hot. We went as a family of four including 7yo 12yo. All had things to order. Kids loved noodles. Beef curry nice. Wife went for “Thai” hot described as very hot; there was also “English” hot which was above...

Excellent tasty food, great service by very friendly and courteous staff. Great value. Would recommend you book as does get busy

We visited here for the first time after a few years and were not disappointed. On arrival we were asked if we had eaten Thai food before and if we had any allergies. The food was excellent and we would definitely visit again

Great food let down by patronising and lackluster service.

Quaint premises, old tea shop, but dont let that put you off. Very attentive staff and well prepared food made a very good combination. Recommended.

Fantastic meal and really good staft a short notice meal.freshly cooked real Thai food. Nothing too much trouble we witnessed couples being turned away so book. Our food was hot and served at our pace.

Absolutely exquisite! Delicious food, plentiful size servings, helpful service, and an authentic atmosphere. The food is seriously good, evidence of true traditional Thai cuisine, to add to the experience the staff are informative and efficient. Highly recommend here for the best Thai on the island!

Tried to book a table for two adults and two kids but told that they don’t cater for kids. We tried to explain that our kids are older and that they like Thai food, but told they’re not interested in having kids. Very bizarre and unwelcoming.

Great choice of dishes, very helpful staff. Food delicious. Drinks and food reasonably priced! Best meal of our stay highly recommend, forgot to take pics of food too yummy to wait. Only quibble was asking for jug of tap water a couple of times. Kids...

Friendly staff, very accommodating. Food was absolutely delicious and a great selection. Will definitely visit again when I’m travelling for work.

Lovely place, great service and food. 1st time and would definitely recommend you try it.

The food was absolutely lush and the wait staff were super helpful. We were served by Daniel and he was very accommodating. He was open to conversation while we waited for food and genuinely gave a good vibe. Will 100% be going again next time...

Great food, outstanding service and extremely friendly people. Highly recommended 👌 👍

We couldn't get in to the restaurant we had planned to. One of the staff there recommended the Black Cat restaurant, a short walk up the road. It felt quite dated inside and we were concerned as it was very empty in comparison to other...

Great food, reminded me of Thailand. Service could be better (more attentive staff) but still worth a visit. Been back again food just as good a staff better, great night out.

Superb Thai restaurant. Friendly efficient service and great food - highly recommended. Great flavours and efficient service.

We were on the island for a few days break so decided to book this restaurant after reading the reviews. Friendly staff greeted us. The main criticism we had was the meal was very rushed. Our main course arrived before we had finished our starters...

We had a really tasty and good quality Thai meal here last night. I like my Thai fairly spicy and I was asked about my heat preference and it was spot on for me and really yummy. A lovely chilled atmosphere. The only slight downside for some but was fine for us is that you do have longish waits for your food from starter to mains. But we chilled over a bottle of wine. I will def go here again and as a foodie happy to recommend.

We have visited Shanklin many times over the years and I’ve lost count of the number of times we have looked in here but not bothered to eat. We did this week and I’ve no idea why we haven’t before. The Black Cat is a...

We had a beautiful meal here. We ordered a selection of dishes and they were all very tasty. Excellent service! Thankyou.

Simple food cooked very well. Friendly staff, not too expensive and authentic. A small restaurant which is well worth a visit, a great meal out. Thank you.

Decided to pay this restaurant a visit with my partner as we had always wanted to try Thai food and my word, we were not disappointed! We were greeted upon arrival by a friendly member of staff who showed us to our table and was...

Beautiful Thai food at its best. The red Thai curry was fiery and tasted beautiful. We also had some Thai beef and garlic and ginger rice. All of which were perfect. Starters were prawns in batter and crispy beef. This is by far the best...

A fantastic Thai restaurant with outstanding food and exquisite service. A must visit in Shanklin

The food is fantastic. We have 5 days break and eat out every night somewhere on the Isle of White finding this restaurant on the last evening. I would have gone there every night-the food is very good.

Had a fantastic meal. Really good quality food and excellent service. I would definitely recommend a visit!

Great food! And friendly staff! They were very accommodating! A must everytime we visit the island.

Fantastic Thai food with great service. We’ve had quite a few Thai meals over the years and this was definitely one of the best. The menu is typical Thai food and all the food we had was delicious. Crispy chicken to start was freshly fried...

Excellent service and food Owner helped when choosing dishes and were perfect - we especially loved the broccoli dish If in Shanklin worth a visit really lovely atmosphere and food delicious

Fab evening, great food with excellent service . We had the set meal for two as we didn’t know what to order as it all sounded so good washed down with a house bottle of red at a very reasonable price

Two days out of lockdown. This family owned restaurant rose to the restrictions Fresh, hot beautifully cooked and served with love and care. Truly the best experience of the week.

Great little Thai. Though sadly closed until "after Covid 19"

Superb thai food with great service. The service was quick and we totally enjoyed the green and red Thai curries with their jasmine rice.

Such good food, friendly service and lovely traditional decor - highly recommended! This is at the top of our Thai restaurant tree for the IOW