Merrie Garden in Isle of Wight

⸻ I recently visited The Merry Inn Farm on the Isle of Wight with a friend, and we had a lovely experience. It was a perfect spot to enjoy dinner in the sun, and it was conveniently located—less than a minute’s walk from the Premier Inn where we were staying, practically right next door! This was just a quick trip to the Isle of Wight, but we enjoyed it so much that we ended up returning to The Merry Inn on Sunday after an 8-mile walk for a much-needed and well-deserved lunch. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and it was a great part of our visit. We’d definitely come back again

50 wait on sausage and mash and a soup....restaurant was half full. Joke, and the food was only average. If it was great I wouldn't have minded waiting.

Good Food, friendly staff and we were not rushed.

At first we were not going to attend as the prices were a little steep, but something made me change my mind. When we attended the place was empty the staff were friendly the food was served nice and quick and very hot I throughly enjoyed the dinner. The pub itself was lovely place it looks modern on the outside but when you go in it felt old but classic. So I do recommend going out if you are visiting IOW

Good parking. Waited an agent to be attended to and seated. Not told that it was bar service only. Ordered the Special pie. Waste of money. Pie was only 1/3 full. £20 for a pie that would cost £4 in shop or chippy. Mash was instant.

Kev and the team were great and welcoming , food delicious too

We booked, but there were plenty of tables. The service was fast and very friendly. The food was really nice. However, it was spoilt by a lot of flies bothering us while we were eating, we had to keep swatting them to stop them landing on our food.

I was visiting relatives over the weekend they took me out for a meal here and the was amazing and really good atmosphere while we were there will back next I visit

Had a lovely drink in the garden with a light bite. Great selection and very friendly staff. 10/10 would recommend

Typical of most pubs these days which heat up a lot of items rather than cook fresh. The service was good, the place was popular and clean

Wow the food was amazing!!! The cheeseburger and lasagna was the best we ever had. Ever!!! The garlic bread was to die for! Actually came back for dinner the following day. Couldn’t get enough!!! Amazing food honestly!!! Thank you!

Decent food and service, very quiet when I went so atmosphere not great.

The food and service was absolutely fantastic. All freshly prepared and tasting amazing. The staff were genuinely friendly as well. I would 100% come back again. I cannot praise them high enough

Really friendly bar staff. Nice environment, good music. Food was very good and a reasonable price due to the offer. We were bothered by the flies that would not leave our food alone. It's a hazard all over the place, but it detracted from the full enjoyment of the evening.

Food was ok, I was expecting a bit better, but maybe it was the day we visited. Average priced for all. The next time I was wanting to get food while I was staying at the nearby Premier Inn, we went to the next door KFC. Both seemed about the same quality. Nothing was really bad , I was told it was a bit better. We went to the Diary Man's Daughter later and that really out shined many other places we went on the Isle.

Amazing service and a great place for a Sunday roast would recommend

Dreadful menu Just had cod or haddock never new that they were pink in colour

Good food, served hot, but wine prices astonishingly high. £8 small glass of average Barolo!

Nice setting but the food was poorly presented, prawn cocktail well just very poor, the whitebait was undercooked and needed a bit more help that mayonnaise dip, the steak was supposed to be cooked medium and got cremated the peas were like bullitts, best bit was the chips, we won’t be visiting again.

My husband and I visited last night specifically to try Tom Shepherd's 'best ever pub pie', plus we had a voucher for 30% off main meals (posh pie and a good discount - what's not to love?!). We thoroughly enjoyed the meal (jury's still out on whether or not it was the best pub pie we've ever had!), although we would both have liked more gravy with it. We would have asked for some more, however our waitress, whilst very friendly and smiley, never came back to our table after serving our meals. She should have returned shortly after serving us to enquire if everything was okay (the pub wasn't busy, so not run off her feet). I did also have to keep my jacket on, as the pub was cold. We did enjoy the meal and our experience enough to recommend it to our friends. We will be back.

Quiet place to eat as hardly anyone there, was told when we sat down only one chef is working that night. Food was pricey for what you got. Wife's food had no taste, mine was OK at best but at least my daughter enjoyed hers. Staff were good though, friendly and efficient

Very helpful staff, made the evening special for a. 60th birthday, great Indian buffet for 25 guests, warm and welcoming environment

A big thank you to all at Merrie garden for putting on a fab curry buffet for a 60th birthday, all 25 guests very happy. Also thanks for letting me bring cake Will definitely be back .

Cold and unwelcoming. Food order not correct(only 2 meals ordered). Very disappointing. Lunchtime menu poor value. Pre-booked for 1.30pm really didn't need to book..........

We booked to get out of the poring rain and had a meal 4 of us it was top class service fromthe two gents in this lunchtime the food was piping hot and looked great and they tasted really good well worth a visit

It Was really nice experience, food was all lovely and staff very friendly. We had a great evening and the food was brilliant. Will return in the future!!

Terrible. Food took over an hour, steak cooked incorrectly, chips burnt, nothing hot. Kids good awful. Won’t be going back.

Cosy pub with well cooked food. Friendly staff and quick service. Will definetely come back.

Unfortunately the fryers were broken when we arrived. Not a big issue, but we reserved a table for 15.15. upon arrival we were told that no food was being served after 15.30. so we quickly tried to order food. Aswell as being limited from no fryers there was no beef for a roast dinner option, so no triple meat option either. So I ordered the lamb rump and mini pie duo, also out of that aswell. So I ordered a simple pork roast dinner. It was cold including the meat, the actual plate was hotter than the food. The veg was cold and wrinkly, was missing the crackling and the stuffing. I asked for the crackling and it came out chewing and cold again. At no point during our meal or upon leaving we were asking if everything is ok. This meal was for my mum's birthday, she also received a cold turkey roast. Mt partner did enjoy the sea bass, but the "king prawns" were very small and massively over cooked. It's a shame as we've eaten here a few times and never had a complaint. Regards Matt

Booked a table as had been passing almost daily whilst on holiday nearby, looked nice, menu looked good. Turned up to see a sign in the doorway saying (words to the effect) some fried food unavailable due to fryer malfunction. This wasn't such a bad thing, was then greated by a staff member who said what items were affected by the fryer, this didn't seem too much of a problem, until they informed us that other items were off the menu too, then proceeded to list what must have been half of the remaining menu. With such little choice available we abandoned hops and went elsewhere. They were able to offer full menu and a table without booking. Sadly we won't get a chance to give this restaurant a second chance as we will be heading home 14th April. The only impression we were able to get is one of total failure to deliver anything meaningful!

We came today as a family of 4. We were greeted to two signs one of which said the kitchen was closed between 3.30 & 4.30 (our table was booked for 3, so what if we wanted desserts?) and another saying that they were having fryer issues so were unable to cook part of their menu. They had only been serving roast dinners for 3 hours but had already run out of two out of 3 meats? There was no stuffing, no crackling (on the pork roast) no red cabbage on any of the plates and 1 tiny bit of carrot when it states ‘carrots’ on the menu with the smallest amount of green veg. Overall it was £58 (on 2 adult roasts 1 child roast & 1 child fish goujons - which were actually cheap fish fingers) wasted in our opinion. The ‘roast’ potatoes that were meant to be garlic & herb were in fact bland with no flavour atall; they were pale like they’d been boiled & maybe deep fried for that extra texture. The Yorkshire puddings were homemade (I think) but they were very thick/batter-like It wasn’t busy there was maybe 2 other tables in the whole restaurant, okay it’s half term but they should be aware and cater for more. We had this booked so they should have made sure they have enough food to cover all bookings, or am I wrong here? The meat was nice & the gravy was really nice but apart from that it’s a no from us.

We came today as a family of 4. We were greeted to two signs one of which said the kitchen was closed between 3.30 & 4.30 (our table was booked for 3, so what if we wanted desserts?) and another saying that they were having fryer issues so were unable to cook part of their menu. They had only been serving roast dinners for 3 hours but had already run out of two out of 3 meats? There was no stuffing, no crackling (on the pork roast) no red cabbage on any of the plates and 1 tiny bit of carrot when it states ‘carrots’ on the menu with the smallest amount of green veg. Overall it was £58 (on 2 adult roasts 1 child roast & 1 child fish goujons - which were actually cheap fish fingers) wasted in our opinion. The ‘roast’ potatoes that were meant to be garlic & herb were in fact bland with no flavour atall; they were pale like they’d been boiled & maybe deep fried for that extra texture. The Yorkshire puddings were homemade (I think) but they were very thick/batter-like It wasn’t busy there was maybe 2 other tables in the whole restaurant, okay it’s half term but they should be aware and cater for more. We had this booked so they should have made sure they have enough food to cover all bookings, or am I wrong here? The meat was nice & the gravy was really nice but apart from that it’s a no from us.

We only had drinks, dog friendly. Very clean.

The staff were welcoming and very accommodating to some food intolerances. The restaurant was clean and tables nicely set up with pretty flowers on the table. The food arrived in good time and the burger was especially tasty - we also had the mixed grill and a prawn cocktail both of which were very nice.

myself and the family had a really nice time, great food and reasonably priced , great with a voucher money off.

Absolutely god awful, ordered drinks all came out flat went to check gas but no offers of a replacement, then ordered food including 2 steaks both medium rare came out well done and wasn't what we wanted in the first place but had to change mind due to limited menu availablity, sent the steaks back waited 15-20 minutes still nothing come out, I've worked in hospitality for nearly 10 years and never seen as bad service came for a birthday celebration and absolutely ruined the day, steaks came out and we're both over cooked AGAIN!!!!

I didn't have any food, only because I was stopping in for a drink or two before the bus (but never been here before). Was first served at the bar by a gentleman and then by a lady, both friendly and nice, made me feel very welcome.

Have always recommended Merrie Gardens to visitors (own a holiday lettings property) and visit whenever my family/friends come over to visit. I know you have to be competitive but have become disappointed with the menu. I am vegetarian and some family are vegan. We always said we could find tasty food to suit everyone, meat eaters and us, in the restaurant. It may be unfashionable but to be able to get a well made cheese omelette and chips was always a winner for me. There is now so little choice, separation from meat/fish products is not guaranteed (a shock, didn’t realise) and is usually too rich for us. Has made me reticent to recommend you now. What a shame.

Popped in on a busy Sunday afternoon and wow we are so glad we did! From the moment we walked in the service and experience was unmatched. Credit to all the staff, they are a value to the company. Thankyou again.

Lovely place good food lovely staff will come again

Went for for dinner tonight. Wow I had the pan fried sea bass with crisp clean veg and the bass was cooked to perfection. Sauce was seperate which was great. My wife had the steak and mal bec pie. again was really nice. With crisp clean veg. We will definitely be back. The staff were really friendly.

had a nice time when they were under difficult circumstances at the time we went and the staff tried their best

Staff lovely just not enough of them

Availability of food was poor, lots of main items were put of stock, even when we eventually got our order placed, staff came to the table to change something because that wasn't in stock

Shockingly bad. Only visited because of discount vouchers.

Good place for having testing beers and some snacks

Enjoyed a late lunch. Food was good quality

Great food, pleasant welcome & an overall enjoyable experience

Excellent meal, good value. Very pleasant atmosphere during our meal, peaceful and not noisy. Staff very helpful.

My wife bit into her food and found a piece of plastic. My Medium steak arrived solid and dry, well beyond well done with no flavour (worst steak Ive ever had). No one come to check if our food was ok and when we told the waiter clearing the table about the plastic and showed it to him there was no apology, he just said he will let the chef know. This place used to be alright but has gone down hill in recent years.

We stayed here twice in a month . On returning the second time , the staff all knew us and welcomed us us back I cannot fault anything . All staff members were friendly and nothing was too much trouble . Special mention to Dan who went above and beyond . You should be so proud of what a great team you have working there .

I had the vegan curry from the new menu, it was delicious ( I’m not vegan!). Ami and the team were very attentive despite my ‘difficult’ friend!

Amazing experience, couldn’t fault a single thing. Staff were excellent and service was fast and quick. Overall I will be returning, thankyou

Fancied some lunch on a chilly February so went to what looked like a nice place ,once there a notice informed us the heating wasn't working, never mind a decent meal and a hot coffee will do the job . To cut a long story short 6 of us ate and all agreed the food was bland and tasteless, it all came out at different times even though we were all on the same table , oh and the coffee machine like the heating was also broken ! Awful place ,avoid at all costs 😢

Fancied some lunch on a chilly February so went to what looked like a nice place ,once there a notice informed us the heating wasn't working, never mind a decent meal and a hot coffee will do the job . To cut a long story short 6 of us ate and all agreed the food was bland and tasteless, it all came out at different times even though we were all on the same table , oh and the coffee machine like the heating was also broken ! Awful place ,avoid at all costs 😢

Visited last night with a small group of old friends, who I hadn't seen for 37 years. Made to feel very welcome, the food was very good and great value. We had a great time. Thanks 👍

I visited Merrie Gardens expecting the usual experience, but it was completely different this time. The staff were incredibly welcoming and bubbly, and I loved the comfy chairs and bar area. The music was at a perfect volume, and there was a great selection of drinks. I was very impressed! The layout is well-sectioned, so noise doesn’t carry, and there’s plenty of parking available. My only suggestion would be to remove the 'Wait here to be seated' sign during quieter times. They even sell Hawkstone Lager which was fun to try.

Warm welcome initially, bar man that took our order was a bit abrupt, older guy. Food was correct and good came out quickly and was nice same guy that greated us initially wished us a good evening young ish guy with beard

We went here for a birthday get together.we had a nice welcome at the door.quick service and tasty meals.would recommend.

My wife and I both ordered the 10oz ribeye steak at a cost of just over £44 for the two. When it arrived, I was shocked by the extremely poor presentation, the food looked as though it had,quite literally, been thrown on the plate. There was half a tomato the smallest mushroom (singular) I've ever seen, a handful of chips and the steak which had curled up at the edges. These edges were burnt black, whilst the centre of the meat was extremely rare. It turned out to be full of gristle and lacking in flavour, unlike any ribeye I've ever had. Our dogs seemed to enjoy it once we got home. This was the second time we've eaten here the first was years ago when it first opened, that was an equally disappointing experience. We only gave it another chance as it's local and we hoped it might have improved. We will never go back again. The chips were nice (the few there were).

Food was lovely but took a while. Nice relaxing atmosphere

What a beautiful find this was in our way to Sandown..... We stopped by here on a chilly Tuesday morning, we were welcomed by a lovely woman man who showed us to the table and gave us the menu. The menu is excellent and has something for everyone, we used the disabled toilets as my husband is in a wheelchair they were extremely clean and had some lovely soap and hand lotion in. We ordered our food and after a short while it arrived the steak was delicious and perfectly cooked and everything was perfect with our meal and our drinks. The staff were very happy and very helpful. The car park is free and large. Dogs are welcome too! Would definitely recommend to everyone!

No criticism of the pub or staff but went during an event which was not really supervised . The chips are delicious however . Toilets very clean. Staff friendly.

Great but not brilliant food. Service was friendly.

Very good pub food and very good service too.

Great food and service, will definitely be returning soon😊

We had a lovely evening and we all enjoyed our meals.

Staff are always friendly and the food is excellent!

Nice food and drinks at a competitive price.

Came here last night and the night before with work colleagues. Very welcoming staff and the food was delicious. staying the week at the premier inn and it's great to know this is right over the road

Came for dinner here with some colleagues from work and wow! Absolutely fantastic! Food was delicious and massive portion sizes and hot. Would definitely come back here again. Reasonable prices on the menu.

We popped in here for drinks after work,a couple before Xmas we were really surprised with the great service and selection to boot we had a great time. We will visit again

We went for the festive menu pre-Christmas, we were served quickly, the food was piping hot and the portion sizes were well worth the money.

Super dinner out - I would recommend.

Had an Anniversary meal. We were given complimentary prosecco with strawberries on arrival to mark the occasion which was a nice touch. Food was delicious with excellent service.

Had a very tasty pie. Nice decor and not too busy.

Very clean ...and lovely friendly staff

Was my Birthday lunch with a few friends. Weather was horrid but pub was comfortable and we enjoyed ourselves. 3 of us had the fish & chips which was great. No complaints from the other two either. Can't comment on prices as the others paid the bill and wouldn't even let me buy the coffees. Your staff were polite and the service decent. Thanks for a lovely time.

Nice warm atmosphere, typical pub type food ...not badly priced...I go back from time to time.

The only good thing about this place is the staff, cannot fault the service from them, efficient and polite. (It was completely dead so maybe they were just happy to be able to do something) Unfortunately the food is disappointing A trio roast missing half the items, undercooked potatoes (I can't even call them roast potatoes because they certainly were not) watery gravy, soggy "roasted" carrots A melting chocolate bomb served with cold caramel sauce so you have to whack the chocolate open yourself revealing an apparent brownie that just crumbles apart and is completely overdone couldn't even eat it, dry and tasteless. The pornstar martini 7/10 half full (I'm a mixologist my cocktail standards are higher than a normal person)

My wife and I had a wonderful meal on the Friday evening The signature burger was absolutely wonderful The restaurant is lovely very well run and the staff are excellent

The place was very quiet when we arrived. Despite this, although very friendly and welcoming, the staff seemed to be sitting around most of the time that we were there. When I worked in similar establishments, there was always something to do, cleaning or checking dates on stock, etc. Staff member didn't know what the soup of the day was! It took the best part of an hour from ordering to being served! I ordered the cod loin special. The fish was barely lukewarm when it arrived and dried out on top, but not quite cooked underneath. My friend had the Hunter's Chicken which was slightly undercooked! The desserts were smaller than we'd anticipated for the price. Reasonable value with the 30% off mains, but poor speed of service and poor cooking of food left a bad impression.

Yet again outstanding in food and staff

As a regular visitor to the island have passed this venue on numerous occasions but have always been put off by the view of what we thought was the pub from the road. This time we had a discount voucher so gave it a go . The main pub is to the back almost out of sight of the road. The inside is comfortable and welcoming and the young lady who served us was friendly and helpful, adjusting the menu to suit my wife’s dislikes of tomato and pineapple. Food was excellent and typical IOW style large portions. Now we’ve discovered the “real” pub we will call again. Excellent all round.

Staff are excellent, food very good.

Lovely visit Friday evening. Main meal pure perfection 👍 Excellent friendly efficient service from Dom and Caroline and the team. A good social catch up with friends too. 👍 Would totally recommend The Merrie Gardens for a Solo visit, Family visit and Social with friends. Dom, Caroline and The Team are a total credit to the place.

I really enjoyed my vegetarian meal today, the leek, cheese and potato pie, this has to be one of the nicest pies i have tried. I am glad had a voucher for 30% off as it is quite expensive otherwise. Will definately be coming back and recommending here. Normally i do like to choose where i sit, which we did really, when we were shown to a particular area. I have heard a few bad things about here but i will be correcting that for sure. Staff nice, love a spacious area too and dog friendly. Good, good,good, always love seeing this, as i am a dog lover, desperate for a dog but meanwhile i can enjoy other peoples!

We often visit here and it never seems to disappoint the place is always very clean the staff are all very polite and the food is great well worth a visit

Great location for those staying in the premier inn nearby. Lovely food and service today. The restaurant is clean and welcoming. Excellent range of food to choose from for all the family to enjoy. We really enjoyed our meal.

The older man behind the bar (possibly 60s) was very rude and needs teaching some people skills. When you work in a service industry your job is to serve the public, not be rude and arragant to them.

Wow amazing food amazing staff so friendly food was 100% great highly recommended 👌 will bring family back for more .. will be back

Nice pub but the beer is really expensive

Need a good shake up and a decent chef. Very disappointed, food was cold. Staff standing around chatting that's how dead it was. About 10 people , plus a largish group. But nowhere near what could be in this place. It could be a fantastic busy place with the right menu and new chef.

Inedible food, rude manager who refused to refund the cost of a meal that I couldn't eat. I'd ordered sausage and mash and the sausages weren't just over cooked, they were burnt black. I think they were left over from breakfast. I showed the waitress who agreed they were badly burnt but the manager refused to refund saying its company policy to not offer refunds. They offered me a coffee or a pudding, we hadn't enjoyed any of the other meals enough to want a pudding. They would not refund. In the end we got the price of a soft drink refunded. Manager is rude. We definitely don't recommend and wouldn't return..no wonder it was virtually empty on a half term Sunday lunch time. Only 3 other tables and they had not had their meals when we left

Was impressed. Food good. Pub very clean Toilets very clean. Reasonably priced. We all enjoyed our food. Never been before but will return

If you are in the area drop in great place to eat

The food is overpriced for what it is. I wouldn't choose to eat there again. The sticky toffee pudding is incredibly sickly. A fairly large square of quite dry sponge, drowned in sauce. It needs to be served with custard or vanilla ice-cream, not salted caramel.

We arrived on time, seated quickly and given menus. Ordered at the bar. A very good beer, 2 beautiful pies with fries, lots of veg and good gravy. Steak and ale and chicken and leek. Really tasty. The sad part was the expensive drinks. A glass for the price of a bottle. Wrong

We wanted to have a Sunday roast dinner and had visited a few weeks previously. The food was delicious with vegetables that were cooked properly rather than ‘crunchy’ which we do not like. The meat was a generous portion and, again, cooked to our liking and NOT sliced wafer thin.

Didn't like food menu but a nice pint