La Cantina in Isle of Wight

Wow!! What a find. We all loved this place and if we weren't going home tomorrow we'd be returning. After lovely food at The Garlic Farm and The Cow, this place smashed it out of the park with the best food we've had this trip. We visited for brunch and had the Swedish hash, smoked salmon, waffles and banana bread. The food was so thoughtfully prepared and delicious. Everyone was happy. I think it was probably the owner who looked after us and she was absolutely lovely. Really highly recommend and we can't wait to return 🧡🩷🧡

We first visited Cantina not long after it opened and now we alway pop in whenever we are in Ventnor. This time we had breakfast. I had a full English and my husband had a Spanish bowl. Both were excellent with high quality ingredients. However, my very favourite part of my breakfast was the coffee which is the best on the island in my opinion.

What an amazing find. This is why it pays to explore more your area and not settle as there are hidden gems out there!! Found the Cantina by pure chance. Managed to get an early table (thanks for fitting us in!), a large one just for 2, right in the window. Cocktails to die for (and she came back and topped us up as there was some left in the shaker), shared hummus, Kathryn had chicken and I had beef rib. Hints of fennel, the sauce was amazing, flavours layered as you dive in! Tiramisu to finish. Reasonably priced and definitely worth a visit.

Brilliant menu, nice and varied and freshly cooked. Warm welcome and friendly relaxed atmosphere. Great food!

Couldn't rate this cage high enough. The waitress that served us was so friendly and chipper she really brought a smile to us on a cold autumn day. Breakfast dishes from £8-15. We were both very happy with out smaller dishes for around £9. Well presented and good knowledge of common allergies.

Lovely as both a daytime cafe or an evening restaurant.

The best in Ventnor. The food is Michelin star standard. The staff was extremely friendly.

We headed here for brunch whilst staying in Ventnor and loved it so much we went back again the following day. Cantina is a lovely little restaurant, with a rustic but trendy decor and super friendly staff. We were greeted with a huge smile on both occasion's and served very quickly. The food was absolutely delicious and definitely the best veggie full english I’ve ever had. I opted for the banana bread french toast the next day, which was incredible and like nothing I’ve ever had before. Wish I lived closer so I could visit more often!

Lovely little restaurant that we went to for brunch, so good we went back the next day! The waitress was lovely and the food was excellent. I'd recommend the smoked salmon and potato rosti which I had the first visit if you want something a bit lighter. The full English is excellent and has it's own little twist with almost mexican style beans. Pay cantina a visit if you're on the island, I don't think you'll regret it!

A must try in Ventnor. Probably the best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had! We had a delicious brunch here and Dita was an amazing hostess, lots of choice on the menu. Highly recommend!

Always hospitable, always yummy food and great vegetarian options, amazing service and Dita is a fab host

Great food, both breakfast and dinner. Relatively small restaurant, so better get a table in advance. Lovely owner.

Visited for brunch with a friend over the weekend. She loved her spanish eggs, I really enjoyed my shakshuka. They were very careful with my allergies, super friendly, quick service and the music was really good. Definitely will come back again.

This is a brilliant find! Great food, very fresh and tasty. The staff are always so welcoming and helpful. Definitely worth a visit. Can get a little busy so make sure you book a table.

Had a great breakfast here with friendly service. Nice atmosphere with excellent, interesting breakfast choices including vegetarian and vegan. Locally sourced ingredients cooked to perfection

The best banana bread I ever tasted!!

Popped in for dinner this evening and what a find! We had been recommended for breakfast, but dinner was mindblowingly good. Simply the beat seabass I have eaten, ever. I sublime and intimate setting. Make sure you book!!!

Brilliant spot with delicious innovative food, great coffee and really friendly staff

Absolut gem of a restaurant!!! Fabulous service excellent food banging cocktails one of the best dinners I had in a while!! 11/10 recommend!!!!

What a little treasure! We’ve travelled from Australia, up and down the UK. Struggled to find anything anywhere in the UK up to Melbourne standards for coffee shop. This is the first we’ve found! Incredible coffee, really friendly service and the breakfast was really nice! Definitely recommend trying this place out if visiting the area. Any Aussie's missing good coffee, grab a coffee here! You’ll be right at home!

What a find this little restaurant is. It looks more like a cafe so we didn't anticipate the gorgeous food we had there. Dita Kristopaviciute is the warm and energetic front of house - we were there till about 11pm and saw her serving breakfast (still smiling) the following morning. Just thinking about that dinner is making me feel hungry!

We stumbled across Cantina while we were in Ventnor today and can honestly say it was one of the best brunches we have had on island. The Spanish eggs and Swedish hash were amazing and the service was very friendly would very highly recommend everyone to go when in Ventnor.

Delicious cosy food! Especially loved the crab rarebit. Really friendly staff. Would definitely recommend :)

Came here last week and had the sweet potato with beetroot hummus breakfast. I think it was possibly the best meal I've ever eaten! ( also it looked beautiful ! )

Spanish Eggs & Toast - A recommendation from locals lead us to Cantina, the meal has to be the best breakfast we have had in Ventnor over the past 6 years. No need to hunt for the best breakfast, it’s here at Cantina. Front of House you have the beautiful personality of Dota to welcome you to her home and she makes you feel welcome from the beginning. The smells from the fresh coffee and the open view kitchen is refreshing. See you next time for our next meal on the menu

Accommodate a group of 14 family members and friends. Good food, drinks and service.

Exceptionally kind and helpful people and lovely food

I was here for dinner last night - had the crab cacio e pepe and it was stunning, I was honestly so upset when I finished the bowl, it was so artfully and delicately balanced - their chef should be very proud. The owner was also super welcoming and friendly and you can tell they care about their customers and business. Highly recommend, this was the only more pricey meal I had on the island and it was the right place to splash out!! Felt like such a treat.

Delicious breakfast and great coffee

An amazing experience. 15 of us turned up and they couldn't have been more friendly or done more to accommodate us. On top of that the food was spectacular and extremely good value. Highly recommend.

We had a lovely birthday dinner here last night. The food is exquisite - clearly all freshly made on site and good vegan options - and the service delightful. And they allow dogs! We’ll definitely return when we’re next in Ventor!

Amazing breakfast food for adults and kids. Lovely and accommodating folks.

Really nice breakfast, had the smoked salmon with potato rosti and crème freche. Can definitely recommend Cantina

I visit Dita at her Cantina restaurant for both brunch and evening meals. My partner, friends, and I love the friendly atmosphere, delicious cocktails and fresh food! We/I will continue to recommend and return to anyone staying in or passing through Ventnor.

First accidentally found this place around 5 years ago. Never fails to touch the spot with some of the nicest food in the Island. Now we make a point of visiting every trip. Consistently good with a great welcome. Thank you team Cantina.

Had the pleasure of stumbling across this great cafe today. Service was warm and attentive while also being Dog friendly. The brunch was possibly the vegan breakfast I ever had and everything was reasonably priced for the quality. Needless to say I highly recommend Cantina. I will be returning on my next trip to the island. 5 stars

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast of Swedish hash and a latka dish, along with very nice coffee, juice and a superb Bloody Mary. A very warm welcome on a wet February morning with a relaxed vibe. Definitely be back when we visit Ventnor in the future. Very gracious hosts. Keep it up 🌞

Fabulous place for brunch (and dinner when open for evenings), delicious food, fantastic friendly service, excellent music. 100% recommended.

Superb Spanish eggs brunch and I’m now a Sriracha convert. Thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

One of the best, tastiest, full English breakfasts I've ever tasted. Excellent service, a great ambience, & friendly, happy staff 🥰

Excellent food and great service on all occasions I've visited. Thank you very much!

A lovely place for original food with a great atmosphere

What a delightful little spot. Perfect for a breakfast or brunch. Amazing owners/ staff and really lovely food, not too fancy, but with a little twist in every meal. Warm and cozy and great atmosphere. Loved it

Superb quality brunch - great ingredients, excellently cooked and very friendly service. Good quality, well-made coffee too. And good value for what you get. Our second visit and we look forward to going back again. They did have some walk-ins but booking at weekend likely needed.

Absolutely wonderful brunch and amazing Bloody Mary (get one...or two!). Friendly staff too. Will definitely go back.

Love this place! We came here for brunch as it had some more interesting sounding dishes on the menu and we wanted a break from the usual full English etc. We weren't disappointed. The food was delicious and full of flavour. Service was excellent too and they make a really good cup of coffee.

A great restaurant with a delicious & inspiring menu, lots of choice for all tastes & dietary requirements. Dita was amazing front of house she made us feel so welcome & her partner is a genius in the kitchen, the food was excellent & atmosphere convivial. No wonder it’s always busy, book in advance!

Outstanding food that was reasonably priced, amazingly friendly service, and a chill comforting atmosphere. The food really was divine, if you have a chance, go here. Only wish I had a bigger stomach to try more of it. Every customer was singing the praises of each dish and it's easy to see why.

A genuine place, we had such a lovely warm welcome - such a nice place to visit, food is top notch and people are so lovely. Don’t miss!

Small and friendly restaurant. Looked like a nice « bistro » in our country! Open kitchen, always interesting to see the Chef among his pots… Warm welcome. Efficient and amicable service. Mediterranean inspiration for the food prepared with love! Every dish was full of flavours and delicious. Humus (outstanding) , Eggplant Greek style ( delicious)… Good Italian wine! Thank you for our last dinner on the Isle of Wight!!

Loved everything! Fresh and delicious breakfast, oat latte, lovely staff and cosy atmosphere.

We stumbled upon this hidden gem when we were traveling on the Isle of Wight. Great food, even the beans for full English is specially made with chickpeas and tasty seasoning. Everything exceeded our expectations, food, latte art, even for tomato juice where they offered to make it virgin bloody mary! Delicious food, amazing service and cosy atmosphere. We were so lucky to have got the final table. Thank you! 😊

Amazing place for brunch. The food is great, the hostess was amazing, and the atmosphere is welcoming and friendly.

Seafood stew absolutely delicious 😎

Tried Cantina for the first time tonight…they squeezed me in last minute on a Saturday…and so happy they could!

A lovely brunch. Great vibes and tunes. Excellent gluten free options. Friendly service. Thank you

Booked table (recommended as small and gets busy). Food was fabulous & cooked with care. We had garlic bread& chorizo followed by fish dishes & tart to finish. Service good.

A really delightful find for date night. Beautiful food, delightful wine and really excellent service.

Fantastic find, a terrific brunch. The Spanish eggs -Chorizo, onions, pepper, potato with scrambled eggs mixed through was delicious and partners smashed advocado with poached egg, feta and tomatoes was lovely. Both reasonably priced. Worth booking as quite a small place.

Amazing food, great prices and very friendly staff. Would definitely recommend!

Amazing brunch and friendly staff. The only thing that lets Cantina down is the lack of space inside, therefore, they have to turn people away at the door often. It is a lovely little place and I would definitely return!

The lady there was very rude. We came asking for a place for 4 and she told us rudely no place despite there were two empty tables. We asked her if my wife can use the toilet and she told us rudely for customers only. My wife is pregnant and any commonsense would say that we are asking because my wife needed it. No tolerance for people that don’t show sympathy. Don't go there!!!!

The hidden gem 💎 on the beautiful IOW

Fantastic brunch menu and lovely vibes n staff! Swedish hash for the win!

We had an excellent brunch here. Really good food, and a friendly welcome for both us and our dog.

A cozy little place, with amazing food and excellent staff. We got to try just two things out of their brunch menu, and both were beyond amazing in terms of balance of flavours, presentation. The portion size was really good. The food is cooked with love and it shows. Highly recommended.

Three of us had a lovely Sunday brunch at the Cantina. Very warm welcome and well presented very tasty food. Will definitely go back. Our dog was very welcome too

Lovely little place, really friendly, beautifully decorated, great coffee and cake! Delightful

I promised Dita I'd post a review and it's only taken me nearly 6 months ... that's no reflection on the service or the food - we had a totally memorable dining experience. (Pleased to see my brother posted a review a few months back so I feel less guilty!) Amazingly Dita agreed to open La Cantina exclusively for our party celebration of my parents' golden wedding anniversary. She was so accommodating and easy going and flexible. The front of the restaurant is unassuming, and doesn't necessarily hint at the wonders that are on offer within. The menu had just a few dishes to choose from but every one was so very delicious. Really appreciate the mac cheese offer for the little people. Those chocolate and plum tarts were sensational. My husband and I also had brunch at La Cantina whilst on IOW. Everything served so fresh and hot and yummy. There was someone else other than Dita serving that day and she was great. Loved the wine choice, and the white albarino was divine. My only gripe would be that initially we were served bottled still water but they were willing to change to tap water when we asked. We hope we made up for that by ordering a cocktail or two. On street parking directly outside free after 6pm. Thank you so much Dita & Adam. We'll never forget out visit to La Cantina

Lovely food, service and chilled atmosphere for catching up with friends. Only small, so booking is essential in busy periods, but is indeed a little gem of Ventnor, and I'll definitely visit again!

Amazing food Swedish hash was so tasty the sourdough bread was great and my latte was proper!!! Definitely I’ll be going again very nice staff too.

Great place , great food , great host

Absolutely fantastic experience here - so good we ignored the owner’s recommendations for other restaurants in town and just came back the next night! We also ate breakfast here - can you tell we liked the place? 😄 Food was awesome - not fussy or pretentious, just very high quality ‘bistro’ type menu. Wines are very well chosen and a reasonable price. The star of the show is the owner Dita though. A better front-of-house person (and only waitress) you couldn’t hope to meet. Warm, genuine and incredibly competent. She really helps make your meal more than the sum of its parts. Restaurants so often get this wrong, but Dita gets this so right! If you want to eat in Ventnor, you NEED to go to Cantina.

Fabulous service! Food first class. Very professional but friendly too.

Excellent food and wonderful friendly service

Absolutely loved this place! Dita is so friendly, welcoming and fun. We went for dinner and had an amazing evening. Adam is a very talented chef, all our food was perfectly presented and tasted sensational. The food is very good value for money, we just pushed up the bill with cocktails and wine! It was so good, we want back for brunch the next day 😁

We had a delicious brunch here. Great service! I'd recommend the Swedish hash and the peppermint tea is made with fresh mint leaves which was lovely.

We were warmly welcomed. The front of house lady was super. We brought our granddaughter of 6 months to eat for 6pm. They supplied a special seat for the baby. Service was excellent. Food truly lovely. Everything cooked at the time. Good atmosphere. We recommend Cantina.

Visited today on the owner's 1 year anniversary since opening. Our breakfasts were delicious and freshly cooked. A highlight for me was the smokey beans. Reasonably priced and very friendly service too. Will definitely go back.

An amazing find. They were kind enough to give us exclusive use of the restaurant even though it was supposed to be their night off! Communication beforehand was great and the friendly, welcoming and attentive service on the night was just superb. Food was excellent - seafood stew being the highlight - with home made chocolate tart and plum tart a delicious surprise to finish the evening off. Even better than expected and definitely worth visiting, wherever you're staying on the Isle of Wight. The team looked after 3 generations of our family and made our parents' 50th Anniversary celebration really memorable. Thank you!

Absolutely loved Cantina. Amazing service and food, such generous portions and fresh ingredients. Would definitely recommend.

Superb food, excellent service and reasonably priced, loved the experience

Very helpful and good vegetarian choice. Lovely food.

Wonderful food and warm friendly service. Would definitely recommend the Welsh Rarebit starter & Mushroom Troife Pasta mains. Absolutely delicious!

Great food and a really nice atmosphere. The staff are lovely and so is the coffee. Definitely recommend

Stopped off for lunch, and tried the Shakshuka, which was part of the fiver fest. A great atmosphere, Staff were very friendly and helpful.

Top quality healthy food, clean and well-organised kitchen, warm and friendly staff, everything is nicely done. Five star breakfast & brunch bar.

Absolutely amazing vegetarian breakfast and good coffee!

Absolutely wonderful breakfast using fantastic produce with amazing flavours. The coffee was really good too, as was the hot chocolate. The atmosphere is great too, and service impeccable and friendly.

Lovely place. Booked 15 for brunch. We were warned only the chef and one front of house staff working. We were fine with that and prepared to have a long wait. This didn't happen, we were served our drinks first, amazing coffee, Virgin Bloody Mary's, plenty of tap water. The food was amazing, we probably chose almost everything from the brunch menu. Clear plates all round, food was delicious, something different to the usual full English (although you can have that too) great quality food. We couldn't fault the service. We week be returning.

Great veggie breakfast and coffee..... wonderful atmosphere and host

A wonderful place, if you are visiting Ventnor I promise you will have a good meal here. Highly recommend.

Real good breakfast coffee brilliant 😁

Had an enjoyable meal at Cantina a few fridays ago . Nice atmosphere and a very friendly host made for a most convivial experience . The menu is limited but obviously fresh and lovingly prepared .

OMG!Cantina is back-went there 5 or more years ago.It was fabulous-and now it is just as fabulous!love the passion!♥️

Cozy atmosphere, friendly staff, epic breakfasts. Highly recommended.

My husband and I often popped in while shopping on the high street or waiting for the bus. Service is lovely, quick and efficient. You never feel rushed and this cafe reminds me of a time gone by: surrounded by good, appetising food, polite staff and never feeling rushed.

Fabulous food ❤️❤️❤️ Just love eating there Excellent friendly staff and surroundings

Really beautiful food, a must visit

A fabulous place! We went for breakfast which was amazing and had gluten free bread perfect for my husband! Service a little slow but the food was delicious!