Smoking Lobster Cowes in Isle of Wight

We visited The Smoking Lobster to celebrate our anniversary. The service was fantastic as were our meals. Our waitress helpfully guided us through the food and drinks menus. Highly recommended definitely 5*. Look forward to seeing you again on Christmas Day. John and Karen

Our evening was completely faultless. The staff were amazing, personable, knowledgeable and so friendly. Every dish we shared was superb, all dishes a complete flavour bomb. Beautiful plates with big flavours. Love this restaurant and will certainly be returning.

Superb Sunday lunch with a lovely twist of culinary choices away from the traditional Roast. The menu options are delicious and so so tempting. The fists freshly caught locally, the accompanying beverages more than complement the dining flavours. The service is very attentive and courteous. Set right in the heart of Cowes, within each reach of all amenities. A booking is essential on the usual peak days. You’ll enjoy 💯

The food and service was excellent and it was well patronised. We had the fish platter that had been previously generous but it seemed to be scaled back. Tasted fantastic but would do better to be more generous on the portion sizes.

My wife and I were invited for Sunday roast at the Smoking Lobster yesterday with all the grandkids. We went for a late sitting so as not to disturb the other dinners too much by booking the more private separate dining area. The staff were just so nice and friendly, and couldn’t do more to accommodate what I can only describe as a chaotic family experience, saved fortunately by the Spectacularly amazing roast. We had a platter, and what a platter it was. Our eyes popped at the quality of the fare. If you ever wish for a good roast, in fact, a Splendid Roast, go to the Smoking Lobster in Cowes, easily by a country mile the best we’ve had, and we have had a fair few in our time!

It’s just Ok The menu is at first interesting and once choices have been made the experience is average. The wine list is certainly on the high side and overall a bit buy for price rather than quality. The big windows are posers porn. Overall it’s too much to spend for not much !

Thank you to the team at Smoking lobster. The team and food were exceptional. The welcome we all received was fantastic, our three year old was made to feel so special it was lovely. The food was incredible, we were so looking forward to our meal and it didn’t disappoint. We can’t wait to come back again in the future.

Stupendous culinary artistry… a flavour journey to explore further. King prawns were rather large … hence the name. Lobster presented to perfection. Black cod … what can be said.

Really excellent food , service and attention to detail. Couldn’t fault it . We opted to make an evening of it,tapas style, 12 small dishes, but you could just go for a main and a glass of wine Would definitely return here.

We really struggled to choose what to have from the menu for our lunch - everything sounded so delicious. So we selected lots of small plates (around 4 each) and shared - and we were so glad we did. Every mouthful was an absolutely delicious blend of beautifully prepared and presented fish, seafood and veg in a rainbow of Asian flavours. All washed down with a great Albarino. Lovely friendly service too. It wasn't a cheap lunch but it was certainly a wonderful treat!

-Staff were on phones, in and out of the front door. -Friends of staff in for dinner and shouting across restaurant at each other from the table to the front desk -Very slow service at the beginning and another customer had to get up to ask questions about dietary requirements and to order. -Specials not forthcoming, we always look forward to these as we have eaten here several times -A lot of staff on and still slow service -Not very friendly, welcome bit lack lustre and pointed towards our table, rather than shown. We waited quite a while for menus to be dropped over. -One very helpful waitress but she was not there at the start of our meal. -Food good but not as amazing as our previous visits -Other tables requesting service several times, whilst staff chatting at front desk. -Check back was made at the end of our meals. -We always look forward to dining with you, as it has always been amazing food and service.

Great addition to the Cowes high street bringing something (very) different to the relatively standard IoW fayre… Food was excellent, albeit at London prices, and services was good. Room was noisy though and could do with some noise dampening furniture/ contents

Without a doubt, one of the best meals in my life!me! Why should you give credence to my review? Only 40 years experience in the hospitality and catering sector. Thank you to the talented owners, chefs and the very attentive staff for a superb lunch. Looking forward to our next visit very soon.

Our first night in Cowes, we arrived without booking a table for our evening meal. We thought we'd be unsuccessful as The Smoking Lobster looked very busy - but the staff were wonderful. They managed to find us a table near to the kitchen - away from the actual restaurant seating area and explained that we would have a short wait of 15 mins before ordering. We were more than happy as it was a much quieter table for us oldies. One of our party is allergic to fish (strange choice of restaurant you may think), but the other two in our party are fish fanatics and this issue was dealt with and without issue and we were informed that the peppercorn sauce with the steak that was ordered had been made using Worcestershire sauce (anchovies). Service was excellent - best night of our holiday. Shame it was our first night, because every restaurant has been compared with the Smoking Lobster ever since. Thanks guys for making our first night such a wonderful experience.

Our third visit to this restaurant in Cowes and everything was first class. Very good service by a friendly team, great cocktails and every dish was superb . Flavoursome, perfectly seasoned and beautifully presented plates. Highly recommend the crab bavois, black miso cod and sharing platter, great deserts too!

What a wonderful place! The food was absolutely incredible, and fairly priced for the quality. The staff were all super friendly and attentive even though they are clearly very busy. The atmosphere did feel a little hectic, but it was a very busy evening (probably because it's such great food) so it this was to be expected. We will definitely be returning

Imaginative food, nice ambience (if a little quiet on a Tuesday lunchtime in September) and great service from Emily. We opted for a mix of starters (lobster, beef carpaccio and turnip cake, all highly recommended) and the seafood platter which provided an excellent overview of the kitchen’s impressive creativity. Add in a decently priced wine list and good coffee and you have a perfect combination. We’ll definitely be back, maybe in an evening next time for a bit more of a buzz.

Had an absolutely fantastic meal here as a family to celebrate GCSE results. We had ribbed over from Hayling Island on calm seas. The food was beautiful both in its taste and presentation - seafood with an Asian twist - stunning! The staff were all fab and the atmosphere great too. Can also properly recommend the expression martinis 😉. Will defo return!

We were in Cowes on a business trip and booked the smoking lobster for an evening meal with our clients. Due to the size of the party we had the set menu and it did not disappoint. A delicious medley of sushi to start, followed by whole bass, steak and mixture of side dishes and beautifully light chocolate mouse/delice to finish. All prepared/cooked to perfection. One of our party was pescatarian, and when he told the waitress, she arranged to have more fish at their end of our table without any hesitation, showing amazing customer service. I will definitely return and highly recommend to anyone visiting Cowes.

Sublime food - the whole experience was terrific . The Lobster tempura is the best ever and I can honestly say that it was faultless - Thank you for making our trip to the Isle Of Wight so memorable with this fabulous place with friends -

The food here is amazing… every dish & every mouthful is bursting with different flavours. Some of the best food we have ever tasted. Memorable experience.

Excellent restaurant. Had the fish platter as recommended as was good value for money. Loved the Asian fusion. Delicious. Staff were great and would definitely recommend.

We arrived an hour early as the weather was awful, and it was no problem being shown to a table. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. Absolutely no problem with me being dairy and gluten free (which I always appreciate is a challenge). Food was outstanding - we both went for the lobster, and it was the most well prepared / easiest to eat we've ever had. Yes - it is expensive, but that seems to be the case everywhere nowadays. Service was great and it's just a lovely restaurant. Even when it started getting busy they didn't try to rush us. Highly recommend. We will be back.

Had a birthday celebration here with 25 friends/couples. We had the £65 banqueting menu. Every single person in my group loved the whole experience. The food and service were exemplory = well worth a visit

Not having been in Cowes for a little while, we were intrigued by this restaurant. Apparently, it's owned by a company which has fishing boats, so there is much fish on the menu. It is short with daily specials. The staff are well trained, if a little harassed during Cowes Week, but they are both very efficient and friendly. The food is an excellent blend of Japanese and good gastropub staples, but none the worse for that. Some of the dishes are gastronomic treats the others are merely darn good. If I have a very minor niggle is that - for me - there could be more wines by the glass. The cocktails are a tad unusual, but very nice with a subtle kick. We will be back.

Really good. Great lobster. Super starter and main. Nice service. Nice wine list. It was the lobster that made it a 5 expensive but nice.

The staff were very nice and attentive and went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. I ordered the lobster with miso butter, new potatoes, slaw and salad. Sorry but I was very underwhelmed, the lobster felt slightly over cooked, the miso butter...

Excellent food and service. Good choice of dishes and everything arrived hot. Good value wine. Visited on a Saturday evening and good atmosphere in the restaurant. Would definitely recommend.

Visited on a Tuesday night whilst on holiday. Great atmosphere with an attentive and well oiled team serving. Food was terrific (including the veggie options). Not the cheapest on the island but that isn’t why you would eat here. Highly recommended if you want a...

Excellent pan Asian fish and seafood inspired menu. Service was great and the ambiance sparkled. Everyone came for the fine food and received it! Each course was delicious. This isn’t a cheap eats but you get Hugh quality fine dining and it ought to have...

This is the first time visiting here and after hearing copious amounts of good reviews it was a must try for us & it even exceeded all expectations ! We like seafood but not massive favourites of ours and we can be very fussy with...

Excellent service, excellent food, friendly staff - only down side is the wine very expensive. It would be better if they provided some of the most popular wines in the lower price bracket, think £45 for a bottle of Pinot Grigio too pricey.

Second visit , the last time we went to the vitner restaurant . Amazing food , Emily your service is amazing… we will be back when we come back to the iow …..

This restaurant’s partner was highlighted on a tv program so we decided to check it out. The restaurant is in the higher price bracket but the food was absolutely fantastic. Really delicious, both starters and mains. The staff too were top notch and quickly dealt...

This restaurant is a little gem. We were a family party of 5 and pre booked for lunch. The service was good with attentive and friendly staff. The food was excellent, especially the seafood platter. Huge seabass! A very good choice of all courses, alcoholic...

Another absolutely delightful meal! I’m sorry, but I just don’t get how people don’t rate this as 5 stars!?!? Service was absolutely superb; professional yet friendly, knowledgeable about the dishes & ingredients, and we felt wholly looked after - particularly when it looked like I’d...

A lovely spot to sit and watch the world go by, sat outside in the sun and enjoyed 3 delicious dishes which I couldn't fault. The tuna sashimi was well presented and tender, the avocado Uramaki was so well presented and the mushroom gyozas are...

There is a lot to like about the Smoking Lobster - the decor's great, the staff are helpful, service is good and it generally has a very hospitable atmosphere. Unfortunately we didn't find the food matched up to this. We had battered monkfish and seared...

We had a nice meal here and would’ve given four stars as the service and location are good but the food lacked punch which was surprising given the price point. I see a lot of people love smoking lobster so we Will try again on...

We had very much looked forward to our meal at Smoking Lobster and we really, really wanted to love it, however, there were just too many flaws. The only reason this review is a 3 stars and not 2 stars is that the staff were...

What a treat. We were welcomed warmly by Cinzia and with no reservation she managed to juggle things around to find us a table for a little later on....The staff worked well as a team to deliver seamless, polite, efficient friendly service with good humour....

The chefs here are absolute geniuses. Each dish, whether vegan, meat or fish were brilliant. Incredibly well seasoned, wonderful combination of flavours and every mouthful felt like a treat. After two delicious starters, we opted for the sharing seafood platter and absolutely everything on it...

Wow - had an amazing time here. Food absolutely delicious. They obviously use only the best ingredients. Fresh tuna steak, tempari monkfish, a risotto and a steak. My son said it’s the best steak he’s ever had - and he’s from the restaurant business! Desserts...

Faultless meal. Hardest part was choosing what to eat. Try the cocktails you won't be disappointed! Definitely planning to go back

Finally got in and worth the wait. Seafood platter for 2 simply superb! Lovely atmosphere and service. Could possibly be more dog friendly!

Excellent food and service. Great steak , seafood platter outstanding, beef tarter uramaki brilliant, tempura fish of the day great and yuzu miso black cod to die for.

The service was top notch, great cocktails and excellent food. Really really enjoyed every single dish from duck parfait, through the risotto and onto the panacotta. Tole notch food

Wow… this is our 4th visit since this venue opened, we have had faultless service every single visit. The food is on another level to any other restaurant on the island… the flavours are exquisite. The staff are all friendly, polite and they have the...

The food was superb and the service friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. Always new specials and menu options to explore!

Had a amazing evening, we had a brilliant table. The food was exceptional and the service was fantastic. We will certainly visit again

Ordered the 2 meal lunchtime deal. The burger bun was burnt and I asked for a replacement to be given a plain bun on a plate with no dressing. Then the desert had the wrong flavour ice cream which I did not like! Food is...

On a Tuesday evening in March we thought we might be alone. Nope, it was buzzing. Many good restaurants make a big thing about the food and their chef; accolades and lots of back slapping. The Smoking Lobster just gets on with providing a wonderful...

This place is amazing on all levels. The food, the staff. Can’t fault it. We had part of the restaurant to ourselves. The staff couldn’t do enough and the food was excellent. Thank you.

I had a sharing platter to start and lobster main course it was all so tasty and delicious. Everything was well cooked and presented. The service was welcoming and professional. Just the right timing between courses . The prices were very reasonable.

The meal was excellent, but I'd like to recommend a Pinot Blanc, from Alsace, called Trimbach (2020). It's one of the best Pinot Blancs I've tasted.

We were staying in Gurnard for my wife's birthday and decided to book the Smoking Lobster in Cowes. We have their original Smoking Lobster restaurant in Ventnor and wanted to see what it was like. We were definitely not disappointed as our meal was as...

Wonderful. Perfect balance of delicious, refined menu with relaxed atmosphere. I absolutely love it. We’ll be back as soon as we can.

Second time in this establishment. Very high quality of food, attentive service, something special in cowes and you really feel they strive for perfection

We all had a fabulous meal with great service today all perfect , thank you. will be back very soon .

Brilliant food lovely atmosphere and staff all very professional and helpful also friendly:) Definitely recommend for date nights or friends & Family dinners!

The food is fantastic, really amazing flavours, put together in a delicate balance. Lobster is wonderful. The staff really are great, they clearly love their jobs. Thank you

A group of us celebrated a belated birthday with an excellent 3-course lunch for a very reasonable £25.00 per head. Very good food. Very good value.

Consistently excellent. The food is always fantastic, the cocktails sublime and the staff are friendly and helpful. One of the best restaurant on the island without a doubt, we love coming to this restaurant.

A reccomendion that did not disappoint! Delicious food, well presented and fairly priced. Very helpful and well informed staff who were happy to help with preferences and requirements. Would absolutely recommend and will return when next in Cowes! Thank you!

Smoking Lobster was recommended to me by all our friends. We popped in on a sunny day and were offered a lovely table outside under a canopy so it wasn't scorching hot. I am not very familiar with Asian cuisine but everything we ate was...

Birthday meal for 6 , great company, nice starters, but then the mains of which 3 ordered the £34 rib eye steaks who then described it as one of the worst and toughest steaks they had ever eaten, I tried some and it was awful...

Very nice food and good wine selection. A little pricey but would return, waiting staff attentive and very clean

The food was really nice. The service was fine and the server was very knowledgeable about the allergens in the dishes. We could’ve done without the server, who brought the bill, rolling her eyes as my partially sighted father struggled to put his PIN number...

Excellent visits again as usual!! Great menu, inspired “specials”, food was cooked to perfection for all our dishes! I had a strawberry “mocktail” and it was delightful!! The wine list was slightly pricey in our opinion though. Service was first class, and the bill reflected...

We met up 4 friends from 1982 onwards here after covid great food service and atmosphere and fairly reasonable

We had an amazing dinner at the smoked lobster. The starters of smoked eel and beef noodle salad were fantastic. Lovely flavours. We shared the seafood platter which was outstanding- every single element was exceptional. We loved the bream in the delicate black bean jus...

Had the most wonderful lunch here with friends. All the food was delicious, great atmosphere, lovely decor and friendly staff. Nothing not to like- 5 stars well earned

As always, without fail, the Smoking Lobster Cowes produced an outstanding family Sunday lunch. Four Adults and two Children, everything was faultless. We have been visiting this restaurant regularly since it opened and, it is rare indeed to find an establishment consistently maintaining extremely high...

Restaurant comes highly recommended on the island and didn’t disappoint. Grilled fish with an Asian fusion, what’s not to like. We shared 4-starters and delved in with our chopsticks. The market fish (main) options were all excellent. Perfect summer wine list, cocktails and mocktails to...

The smoking lobster left us with a sour taste in our mouths after it had been spoken about so highly and had great reviews. We waited 20 minutes before we were even offered some water, the drinks then took 40 minutes to arrive from when...

We had a meal with friends. The quality of the food was very good, but the service lacked a lot. We had to chase up a request for tap water (despite the wine we ordered arriving very fast) and all of the cutlery for one...

A beautiful restaurant, incredible food, absolutely amazing. Black cod was incredible and so was the banana bread. Do not miss!

This is our second visit to Smoking Lobster Cowes, the food is incredible and so fresh. We had the seafood platter with lobster and it was the best lobster we have eaten - my husband is not that partial to lobster and he has now...

Delighted to find a great restaurant which we know will become a firm favourite with us. Interesting menu with excellent specials. Staff were excellent, friendly & knowledgeable. The food was utterly fantastic & my starter of Black Cod was exquisite! Nice wine list with very...

I read a great review of the Smoking Lobster in the Times so my expectations were very high. However, the restaurant didn't live up to the hype and I left disappointed. Food was good but it felt like the staff were busy with others. Our...

My wife and I were looking for a special restaurant for our 10th anniversary and we found it! The staff were great, friendly and knowledgeable. The menu was professionally explained and we were made to feel welcome. We chose our starters and opted for the...

Went this evening with friends, the food was fabulous, everything was presented perfectly, and the Asian twist to the dishes was super. The service was very good well worth a visit.

Had the experience of both ‘lobsters’within a week- first with friends in Ventnor and later the week with my wife in Cowes Ventnor offers more of an island vibe and a ‘on the beach’ experience whereas Cowes offers an almost city restaurant seating and atmosphere...

Went here today with friends and honestly the food was fabulous. It's fairly expensive but actually everything we choose was presented perfectly and above all tasted fantastic so worth it. Service was good and whilst a little noisy because it was busy it still didn't...

Wow! Food from starters, to mains and to desserts, was amazing. Fresh and tasty. Empty plates all over, an enjoyable way to have a celebratory meal. Restaurant had a relaxed atmosphere. Staff were welcoming and attentive, even though our drinks order was forgotten, it was...

Well I’ve visited the venue two days running, service was great, food was fabulous, no complaints at all, was fabulous on the two occasions I have been this week Tasty and well executed food

Very noisy.Waited one hour for food.£10 for small glass of Pinot Grigio ! Forgot drinks order twice.Said they were busy.Portions small

Our first visit to the Smoking Lobster just before Xmas left us very enthusiastic to return. The asian seafood fusion style was exciting and well executed and the atmosphere rounded off a great experience. This time, less so. Whilst starters were good, with the same...

Modern restaurant fun by talented young staff . Warm friendly welcome, it’s bigger than it looks from the outside . A little noisy as there are no soft surfaces . The 2 dishes we had were superb tasty & beautifully presented . My glass of...

A real treat! The food was delicious. Asian seafood fusion which tasted amazing with really unusual flavours. The lobster sliders were yummy as was the miso cod. It was so nice to enjoy a nice Chablis alongside it as it seems now so many restaurants...

I had never been to the smoking lobster before wow so good . I could not fault it everything was superb . I had the black cod to start then the tempura monk fish . Fresh ,well cooked ,tasty and so well presented. It's worth...

Last night was my 5th time at the Smoking Lobster in Cowes and it was as good as ever. Having visited Cowes at least 3/4 times each year for the last 5 years, this certainly must be my favourite spot in town, ever since it...

What a wonderful place! Excellent food cooked to perfection, really friendly helpful staff, a definite must when visiting the island.

My 3rd visit. The staff are always friendly and accommodating. The food is of the highest quality and cooked to perfection. I do wonder about portion size. We had the 3 course special offer, which was perfect, however, if you just had one course, you'd...

This restaurant has been brilliant in previous visits but it appears to be losing its allure. We arrived on time for our table, but it was not available and so were asked to wait in the ‘garden room’ which seemed to be the corridor on...

We have been to the Smoking Lobster on numerous occasions and they never disappoint. Whether we are with a group of friends or just the two of us, we are always greeted with great hospitality. Even when the restaurant is seemingly packed, the staff go...

Without doubt our favourite place on the island to eat. We come down occasionally to visit my friends and Smoking Lobster never lets us down. Great food, smooth friendly service, a very enjoyable time. I had the risotto which was really delicious, moreish and comforting....

We came for a quick lunch before a business. meeting and wished we had rearranged our meeting for a later time! Why? You may ask, the food was so good we wanted to taste a few more starters and perhaps another glass of the excellent...

Popped into Smoking Lobster for a quick lunch whilst visiting the island for a work trip and was very blown away. Had the teriyaki salmon and crab starter followed by a salad with swordfish and tuna ceviche. Both dishes were delicious, light and fresh. Great...

Made to wait for a pre-booked table. Generally the service was really unprofessional. After expecting a "Pan Asian experience" neither my starter or main had anything that resembled Asian food at all. Then choosing turbot at £28 and being presented with a piece of fish...