Hillside Bistro in Isle of Wight

Had a fantastic sunday lunch. Really tender roast beef. A great selection of vegetables and roast potatoes complimented by a huge Yorkshire pudding. Friendly and efficient service from the proprietors and the restaurant was busy so booking is a must.

Wonderful meal! We visited here in 2021 and were pleased to see return to equally good food. Great menu, delicious meals and such friendly staff. A really warm and welcoming spot

Lovely meal & lovely staff recommend this restaurant

Great restaurant, each and every dish we tried was outstanding.

Such a shame the food was not quite what I expected. The fish I ate was cooked perfectly. However, the so called risotto it was served on, was a disgrace to the Italian dish. It was not a risotto in any way shape or form. The wrong rice was used. It was extremely overcooked. It was a mush!! One should not offer a risotto or call it so, when it does not resemble it at all. I am of a family of Italian restauranteurs dating back to 1952!! The service was polite and courteous. May I suggest you do not offer dishes on your menu that you cannot adequately prepare.

A wonderful mix of delicious food and warm atmosphere. The best place in Ventnor.

Mouth watering food with such attention to detail. Warm friendly staff. Highly recommend and will definitely be back on my next visit to the lsle of Wight

Chance find when looking for evening meal as staying nearby. And was a good choice. Lucky to get a table as quite busy.

Exceptional. Best food of our week. A small venue and you should make a booking. The was amazing and we want to go back.

Great place to eat but make sure you book and great food 5 mins walk to beach

Had a booking which the restaurant didn’t honour. They said they put it on a different date and said they called me but there was no call (I have shown them my phone and all the calls I’ve got). Disappointing as we heard good things about the place and dragged two other friends with us. We won’t be coming back.

We should have sent the food back but were so hungry after a day of walking that we ate most of it anyway. BIG mistake. Both our dishes were drowned in SALT. I can still taste that salt 12 hours later. We should have sent the food back. We should have left, but if u don’t book places in Ventnor in the holiday season you won’t find room anywhere. My companion mentioned there was too much salt as we paid. The waitress manager did not seem to hear and did not respond. I drank loads of water. I took an extra blood pressure pill. I barely slept. Maybe it was a one off although the food combos were pretty weird also. If it happens to you, be brave enough to complain at once as we should have.

We ordered peppercorn steak each and they were delicious. Our server I think was the owner who was a lovely friendly lady. The walls are lined with art available to buy. The place was contemporary and in particular I appreciated the soundtrack which was all 90s indi music I used to listen to at college. Great find.

Went with friends for my 50th birthday celebration. Amazing food, lovely people, great atmosphere and a chorus of happy birthday with a candle in my cheesecake. We’ll definitely be going back.

This is a warm and friendly restaurant serving very good food at fair prices. It is clearly popular and so you must book. They deserve their good reputation and we would happily go again if only we lived closer.

This is my favourite place in Ventor IOW, amazing food, great service, would highly recommend, they stock a good range he if local spirits, beers and also use locally sourced produce.

From the moment we walked in (having not booked, but been made very welcome by the lovely couple that own the restaurant), to the moment we left, the whole dining experience was a joy. The service was very polite and friendly, the food was beautifully cooked and presented, and the restaurant itself was lovely. I would heartily recommend "The Bistro" and will make dining here a part of any holiday on the IoW.

We booked this restaurant for the Saturday night of our holiday, and we’re so glad we did. The welcome was friendly, and the food was really good, especially the lamb, and the salmon from the specials board. Unfortunately we were too full for pudding, but we had a great evening. If we were staying longer, we’d definitely go back.

Wow such great good and a lovely couple running the place. Extensive drinks and food menu and the coupling suggestion perfect. Not often do I have trouble choosing my food but so many options I would have liked to try, so hard plumping for only one of them. Then same issue with the sweet menu too.

OMG, the best meal iv ever ate! Absolutely amazing, found this place and me and my husband went for our wedding anniversary and I’m so glad we did, what beautiful food and staff are so lovely and friendly, it’s going to be a must everytime I come to the island.

Lovely fresh food, excellent service..

The food was amazing and our waiter was outstanding he was a lovely guy. I ordered the salt beef and was left in awe. the hot chocolate was also amazing. best one i have ever tried

Just had a delicious dinner here. The flavours were excellent and we would definitely recommend. Can’t wait to come back to try the Sunday roasts one day!

What a lovely little restaurant this is. The food is exceptional - I had a pork dish from the specials board which was full of flavour and just lovely. My husband had a mackerel starter followed by a sea bass risotto - he thoroughly enjoyed both dishes. The staff were friendly and efficient - they were very quick to assist without fuss when my husband managed to knock the table and tip a glass of wine all over me!! I'd recommend The Bistro to anyone who enjoys good food.

We are so glad we booked this place for our final meal in Ventnor as we saved the best for last. After a warm welcome we were offered a choice of table and delivered water for the table. This is a family business and it really shows with much love invested in the business. The food was amazing, full on flavours and offering some different options. We only eat dessert if the other courses are good and were so glad we did as they were amazing. The addition of selling local art on the walls was a lovely touch, adding the icing on the cake. If you stay in Ventnor or nearby this is somewhere you should visit.

We are so glad we booked this place for our final meal in Ventnor as we saved the best for last. After a warm welcome we were offered a choice of table and delivered water for the table. This is a family business and it really shows with much love invested in the business. The food was amazing, full on flavours and offering some different options. We only eat dessert if the other courses are good and were so glad we did as they were amazing. The addition of selling local art on the walls was a lovely touch, adding the icing on the cake. If you stay in Ventnor or nearby this is somewhere you should visit.

We came to the Bistro just walking by but what a find! We loved it for the food, the ambience, the staff, the setting! When we come back to Ventnor (at some unknown date) we will certainly book for dinner!

Spent a lovely evening with a friend in this small but stylish venue. Its a jewel in Ventnor's Pier St, you're Surrounded by beautiful Art, the service was lovely from the Cheerful Jane who looked after us so well and the Food cooked by Andy was just sublime. I had a generous portion of cod with a blissful creamy crab sauce as well as a generous quenelle of crab served with fries and a side salad it was so very very good Congratulations to both Andy & jane I look forward to returning soon

Jane & Andy ensured my husbands 60th Birthday meal was second to none. The food , service and atmosphere was excellent. As a party of 9 its never easy trying to cater for everyone but they did a fabulous job. We'll definitely be back. Thankyou both!

Absolutely gorgeous! Nice service and atmosphere, great menu and delicious dishes, fabulous dessert! Well done!

Amazing service & good food , very welcoming atmosphere

Friendly service, great food. As well as the main menu there were at least 2 specials for each of starter, main and dessert.

Thank you for accommodating us despite the ferry delay.

Great restaurant with a good menu and specials board. Welcoming and attentive staff who made some good recommendations. Food was good of a little pricey. One of my party ordered steak which came covered in thick gravy - would have preferred (expected?) this to be on the side. Everything else very good. Booking essential. Would go back.

Friendly knowledgeable staff, good food and wine and a relaxed atmosphere

Great little Bistro un afraid to go slightly ‘off grid’ with unusual flavour pairings. Great service and respectable prices. Now the Bistro Gravy……….. off the wall and so good.

This little restaurant is a gem in Ventnor. Friendly and professional staff and a great chef. The food was also well prepared and very tasty. They also have an interesting wine list at reasonable prices. We loved the happy buzz in the room. Well done guys.

We dine here every Sunday lunch time if we can. The food is always excellent and with a varied menu, we always have a good choice. There is always the traditional Sunday roast on the menu, but several other choices are available. My steak this Sunday was oustanding and cooked to perfection. The owners and staff are lovely people and we can highly recommend The Bistro - you'll never come out from here hungry!

We visited The Bistro last year whilst on holiday and were so impressed we went again last week whilst on holiday for dinner. Once again an excellent menu and excellent dinner. The staff are always helpful and the little bistro has plenty of ambience. Would definitely recommend a visit.

I dont normally write reviews but just had the most amazing meal here!!! Roast beef dinner-when I saw the size of the plate I thought I would never finish it all but was so tasty I polished off every bit and had to refrain from licking the plate.. Other half had the baked salmon on a chowder again so tasty said was the best meal he had had in A LONG TIME and we are frequent diners of restaurants. Highly recommend if you are in the area

Came here after great reviews and we weren't disappointed. We both had the Specials, I had the Red Mullet and my wife the Lamb Rump, both delicious and well presented. There was a lovely buzz about the place and the service was excellent. You need to book in advance as very popular.

What a lovely wonderful find , a beautiful family feel restaurant , the food was exceptional, that good we bought the chef a drink to thank him

Had the most wonderful meal, fresh fish for two of is, and meat for the others. Very informative and lively waiting staff, full of character. The owners (one is the chef) really friendly. Great ambience

Our absolute go to restaurant for a proper Sunday lunch. Started with crab and smoked salmon ramekins - just delicious But the roast beef main was the stand out, accompanied by celeriac, carrots, asparagus, parsnips, cabbage, tender-stem broccoli, Yorkshire, roast potatoes and rich gravy - just wow! Shared the pear and caramel cheese cake and toffee ice cream desert - again lovely Great service from a new member of staff Book, go and enjoy!

We have just had the most delicious meal for a very long time. Service was excellent too.

Excellent food & very friendly staff. We had a very enjoyable evening here. I would recommend booking as it's not very big (which is part of the charm) & it fills up quickly.

Small restaurant just off the seafront. Super atmosphere and attentive staff. Varied and interesting menu, the food when served was delightful. Would return without hesitation.

Having not been able to dine out at The Bistro since March, it was so good to be able to again. As ever, the food was excellent, and plentiful, and the welcome warm, with friendly efficient service. The duck and the lamb dishes were wonderful. We made sure not to eat too much during the day so we had room for the strudel. It is so good to have this gem of a restaurant in Ventnor.

Absolutely fantastic, good food, great quality, very professional service, lovely staff,so welcoming, glad it's open again, thanks for making my birthday treat so special for me

Slightly pricey, bit the chef has skill

Faultless...husband and wife team (Jane and Andy) make the best combination of culinary and frontbench house expertise. Never ever disappointed

This restaurant is amazing. The food was fantastic and we can really recommend the lamb rump served with beetroot hummus and feta. The owner was really friendly. Make sure you book.

Great all round experience :- Location,environment, atmosphere, good service , choice of menu , and very good food , ( sea bass, butternut squash en croute) , going again this week ,,

An amazing find. Some of the tastiest food we've had in a long time. Truly complements to the chef

Excellence is what best describes this restaurant. The service, the food, the atmosphere, everything surpassed any possible expectations. Gladly surprised and fascinated by such a great level of cooking. 100% recomend

So pleased that you are open again and we can enjoy the Bistro again. Our first visit after the re-opening last week was really good as usual with some new dishes to complement our old favourites. Looking forward to the next time already. Your new...

Stumbled upon this place and it’s a 100% gem. Food was delicious and great value too. Cocktails were dangerously good. All the starters were particularly first class. Would revisit for certain.

It was an amazing dinner! All dishes were terrific! Highly recommendable! A lovely waitress and our congratulations to the chef!

We had an evening meal here, however it was so amazing that we booked breakfast here for the following morning. For the evening meal, I had monkfish medallions which were on the specials board, they were cooked to perfection, my husband had sea bass risotto...

We loved our dinner. The crab starter and duck and sea bass main courses were delicious and well presented. The service was very friendly and welcoming.

First night opening and a fabulous find for our wedding anniversary celebrations while visiting the island. The duck was amazing as were the cocktails and desserts. Highly recommend.

Had a great evening with friends. Extensive choices and all amazing. Friendly and attentive staff. Would definitely recommend & would definitely revisit!

A lovely evening , the food was delicious such a great menu with a friendly attentive service especially in relation to one of our party’s dietary requirements. Specials wine was excellent can thoroughly recommend.

Our group of 6, walking the Isle of Wight coastal path, had a really lovely evening meal at The Bistro. The food was excellent and the owners were incredibly friendly and welcoming. We also enjoyed the 'special' wines which were well chosen and reasonably priced....

We were going to pop in for brunch as completely empty. Member of staff marched to the door and said we have to book and shut door in our face! Very rude staff and not friendly as website describes. Not able to comment on the...

A small restaurant serving great food. A lovely menu and also a Specials board offering more delicious options. Always meat, fish and vegetarian options on the menu from the open kitchen. The waiting staff are really good too so all in all it makes for...

We found this lovely place by chance. And went back twice! The ambience is great, locals love it and visitors like us are very lucky. We had dinners there, and a superb breakfast. Everything is cooked to order, a mixture of British and European dishes...

A lovely lunch at The Bistro- really friendly place - GREAT chef and varied menu- thanks We will be back!!

Had the most wonderful Sunday roast beef dinner today. Could not fault it , perfect and delicious in every mouthful. Best roast dinner in Ventnor 🤩

Plenty of room for children but they refuse to take them.

The biggest problem was deciding what to have, the second was to finish 2 courses and still have room for a dessert. ( I love the strudel) There is always a warm welcome and excellent food here.

Hands down the place to eat on the island. Jane and Andy are amazing hosts and the food is simply perfection. Our fourth visit and every time I leave wanting to return. In fact back on Sunday 😃. Love Gary, Louise and Stuart.

What a little gem this place is! We had a dinner during visit in Ventnor and we absolutely loved it! Food was delicious and generous, freshly prepared and well presented. Good selection of wine, staff very attentive and friendly. We had a great evening! Thank...

We called at short notice and managed to book a table for 2. There was a warm welcome when we arrived and our waitress was very attentive and friendly. We were made to feel at ease in a relaxing environment with no pressure to rush...

We ate here 2 nights running, a Friday and Saturday. All our meals were excellent, starters and mains. We did have to book in advance and certainly Saturday was fully booked. This is a husband and wife team, Jane serving and front of house and Andy in the kitchen. Our meals were plentiful and very tasty. Andy clearly knows how to combine ingredients. Jane was very friendly and informative. Would certainly recommend and wouldn't hesitate to go again. Thank you for great meals.

Would highly recommend the bistro, let's talk about the food it was filling flavoursome and delicious and a good portion size. The service was exceptional, friendly and the over all feeling of the place was welcoming, we didn't feel rushed and we didn't wait long...

Absolutely fabulous find. Hadn't booked but found us a lovely table even though they were busy. Food,wine,service,atmosphere all amazing. We both thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Well worth a visit.

A busy, bustling restaurant. Really good sized portions. My Crab ramekin starter was so filling, I couldn't eat all my main course. I chose the Coley, off the specials menu, and my husband had the Sea bass risotto. Open kitchen. Booking recommended.

Meal for four? Yes please. We booked for my birthday 🎂 and the food and service was amazing. 2 starters of the tempora prawns were amazing followe by 2 sea bass 1 jerk chicken and a steak. All were cooked too perfection. Perfectly served, plentiful...

Whole experience is excellent - friendly efficient staff, clean attractive surroundings, great food. Not cheap but worth the money. Have eaten at some pubs recently which charge nearly as much and frankly serve rubbish - no such problem here.

Such a friendly welcome from the moment I booked. We saved this restaurant for the last night of our holiday and clearly saved the best till last! Excellent food and friendly personal service for each table. Portions quite large, desserts beautifully presented. Need to book...

Exceptional food and service. The Bistro excels at locally produced food and fine dining but the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. Be sure to book, it fills up quickly.

Visited for a birthday evening meal; immediately felt welcome. We were on holiday in the area, but this is clearly a place frequented by locals which is always a good sign. Highlights of the meal included the jerk chicken with a pineapple salsa, and the...

Visited on holiday and recently opened for evening meals on some days. Food great quality and nice place all round - woudl go there again.

Went there 3 times last year it was good m, I would give 8 out of 10, but this time wasn’t good, i would give 5.5 or 6 out of 10. The quality of the food not as good as before, portions seemed smaller, considering...

Wow; the food is spectacular. If you like really good food, this is the place. We had crab baked in ramekin with croustini to start, then duck confit and sea bass main. Flavours were exceptional. Excellent, friendly staff team. Prices are steep; make no mistake;...

Fabulous place to have dinner. The gravalax was sublime and the steak was really cooked to perfection. Lovely wine menu and reasonably priced. Lovely staff and prompt service. We would definitely make a point of returning.

Eating here off the main menu is a delight. The flair is remarkable... all the dishes are endlessly imaginative, the combinations of flavours revealing real talent in the kitchen. Service is discreet and friendly. This is the kind of experience one used to enjoy at...

We walked here yesterday, and we were delighted we had booked this restaurant, it is smart but comfortable so we felt ok in our walking shoes. We had great, friendly and effective service, a fab bottle of wine and a wonderful choice of food for...

Great food, very friendly staff and a good atmosphere. Booking ahead recommended.

Outstanding We went on our first night and simply had to go back. Great food and lovely staff Highly recommended

Delicious and very high quality traditional breakfast.

Delightful small restaurant in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. The chef cooks all his dishes in an open kitchen and they are delicious, wholesome and good size portions. Many fresh local ingredients used and fresh catch of the day. Very friendly staff, a small tight nit...

Dinner at the Bistro was such a disappointment last night The jerk chicken was over cooked Tuna steak special overcooked when we sent it back was told it was frozen tuna Two steak meals were also not good 4 bad meals out of six Such...

We recently had dinner at the Bistro. It was excellent and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is visiting Ventnor. The food was superb. The menu is not extensive (that’s a positive comment) and they may run out of some items (proves that the...

Had an amazing experience here, good quality food and friendly staff and reasonably priced. Highly recommended shame I'm a tourist and not local.

Excellent food with lovely staff. Highly recommended! Well worth a visit

Had the most amazing meal at The Bistro tonight. Food was exceptional. Staff were lovely and very friendly. Highly recommended but do book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Fabulous dinner! Very welcoming front of house and food was exceptional. Thoroughly recommend the Jerk Spices Chicken Breast.

Really enjoyed an evening here with my wife. Couldn’t fault anything. We both really liked the decor with lots of interesting art on the walls. The staff were very friendly and the service was swift. We both really enjoyed the food and was definitely the...