The Bear Cafe in Isle of Wight

Came here with a friend and our 2 toddlers. Both ordered the bacon sandwich, came out within minutes - a red flag in hindsight. Both have since suffered with 24 hours of vomiting, diarrhoea and food poisoning. Luckily our two toddlers didn’t have any of the sandwich.

Lovely staff. Good selection of food - both hot and cold. Generous portion of chips. Plenty of cakes and scones. Food arrived very quickly. Plenty of seating. Blue Badge parking is very limited - often need to wait some time for a usable space. Heavy hinge on door to accessible WC.

The one thing to note if you have any food intolerance this is not for you. No gluten free bread no non diary milk. Very nice cafe and my partner breakfast was very good.

An excellent lunch time venue, where a combination of well cooked food, pleasant surroundings and hospitable staff make a visit to remember. It is a delight to be served by helpful and understanding servers. The beef steak pie was made from very tender cuts and would have cost twice as much had it been in some local establishments.

Well...... we would never bother coming here again. Nice environment and nice staff. I will sum up the mediocre food by saying that two slices of thin nondescript bread containing two thin very nondescript sausages, with plenty of open space around them and a small quantity of nondescript crisps does not constitute a £5.95 sausage sandwich in my opinion. Very poor example of food in today's world. The two stars are because the staff who served us were hard working, busy, but friendly and nice. If I could give the food no stars at all, I would have done. As I said at the outset, we'd never come back here again.

A pleasant place to visit with reasonable price food and great staff. The staff can't do enough for you and are always happy. The lovely manager Nigel runs a very good team and they are always happy and efficient. Cheese scones and Bakewell tart are absolutely to die for .

Went for lunch yesterday and we were served by two friendly members of staff. My son ordered the bacon and sausage baguette which he was very happy with. My mum has had a cheese scone here many times-her favourite and was not disappointed. I had the gammon ploughman’s and it was perfect. Well presented with lots of variety. The cafe was clean and staff were quick to clear tables. A very pleasant experience.

I have been going to this cafe many times, the last visit is my last! We arrived slightly early and ask if it was okay to sit as we know the cafe doesn’t start serving till 9.30am. When my partner went to get three coffees, the manager called Nigel said to one of his staff it was too early, the poor lady started to make the drinks, he again told her it was too early! He then told my partner, you keep doing this I will not allow you to sit in and get served! We had our drinks, which we normally have two and something to eat, we left and told the poor lady that served us and handed our receipt over to give to nasty Nigel to look at the time that we was actually served as it shows the time on the receipt, guess what? 9.30am!!!! What a totally miserable manager, he has lost our custom as we will not be returning !!!!!!!

I had a lovely Sunday lunch a the Bear Cafe, the food was plentiful and hot so I am looking forward to going back tomorrow for a repeat performance.

Review of The Bear Café, Newport Road, Sandown We’d driven from the heights of Brading Downs through Alverstone and joined the Newport Road turning in the direction of Sandown. We’d earlier skirted Sandown Airport from a distance, but then began to close into the flight path with light aircraft doing circuits and approaches. Just a short distance along the road – all distances in the island are short – we turned into the Honnur & Jeffrey Garden Centre where the Bear Café is located. In front of the Centre was a large carpark containing half-dozen cars. We could see/hear aircraft overhead. Enter beneath the ‘Welcome’ sign under the extended roof overhang and you’re into the garden centre with the Bear Café to one side. Inside the modern glass building it was spacious, light and … empty. The café was large with seating for estimated 100+ people inside and outside (in the shade and the open) but with just a couple of tables occupied. The L-shaped counter is to the left as you enter, and there were a handful of people standing in line and ordering/collecting their meals/drinks when we arrived. It was well past mid-day and time for lunch. High on the wall behind the counter there were 10 different menus lists – baguettes, jacket potatoes, sandwiches, kid’s meals, ploughman’s, salads, etc. - in fact all the popular foods that you’d expect to find in a well-organized local café. There was also a drinks menu as long as your arm; you name it - they would sell you one. Through the doors into the kitchens behind the counter we could see a couple of wait staff walking back and forth preparing/carrying the foods/drinks that had been ordered. There was a woman servicing the counter/till. We stood in-line while she handled the people in front of us. Then there’s this thing about ‘reviews’. Had we read what others had said about eating at the Bear Café before heading there? No. The couple with us were island people – occasional visitors, and they’d recommended the place as good value, great menu and, crucially, convenient for our return journey home that afternoon. I guess that we rarely consider reviews … until, that is, we come to make an occasional comment ourselves. What do other people think about a place … and why? How does/did it compare to personal experience? Typical of most places there were both high and the low ratings for the Bear Café on the web – as we subsequently found out. There is an occasionally middle of the road approach – people finding both good and the not-so-good things to say about a place. The other extreme – all negative reviews for example – would quickly be picked up by ‘management’ or worse. It’s the negative reviews that always raise the issues and dissatisfied clients are quick to write about things. In the case of the Bear Café you can read the broad critique - rudeness, dirty plates, cold air temperatures, poor food quality, etc. Interestingly, there’s never been any comeback from the cafe to counter/justify this critique. By comparison, the positive comments are a pleasure to read – satisfied people complimenting the services, food and atmosphere (with headings, for example, that say: ‘Lovely Sunday lunch’ & ‘Fab breakfast. Friendly team’). That said, there has consistently been more negatives than positives – seven negatives for every five positive reviews (58% & 42%) – for the entire six-year period (45 reviews) and for 2023 (12 reviews). No ‘averages.’ Why? Why these broad swings? Our review? Focus upon the positive. It comes with compliments to management and the floor team … the cafe was our kind of place – spacious, light, clean, empty, many seats/benches/tables/etc. intermingled with a tasteful mix of plants for sale. Service came with a smile too. For lunch we ordered some fine-looking (and, subsequently, some fine tasting) ham and tomato sandwiches made with whole meal bread, 2x quiche, bacon baguette and some crisps to share. There was tea and coffee to follow. We had enjoyed a light lunch in a pleasant setting and the costs were reasonable, for example, ham & tomato sandwich for £5.75. The entire lunch cost £38.65 – so around £10/person. Peter Steele 15 January 2024

Ordered 2 sausage sandwiches and 2 coffees the sausages were heated up rather than freshly cooked the bread was mediocre with a handful of crisps on the side and presentation was dire and the filter coffee was luke warm overall disappointing breakfast and expensive won't be returning and to many staff

Take your coat! The food and drinks are average but the cafe is absolutely freezing and uncomfortable!

Has the cafe changed hands? After being regulars throughout the summer somethings changed. Breakfast was very well cooked, no grease on the plates and tasty food BUT the plates were stone cold making the food luke warm. Easy to fix and then a perfect breakfast. The price of tea and coffee always was included in the breakfast price for as long as we've been coming but the last 2 times we have been charged for drinks. Increasing the great price by £4 which is a great shame.

One star because there was no option for minus stars. So disappointing! Poor quality food thats over priced. Dont know why they bother. I won't in the future.

We stopped here for lunch arriving in the IOW, the staff were very friendly and good choice of menu, the jacket potato’s were so good very big came with salad coleslaw and your choice of whatever you wanted in a glass dish I had bacon & mushroom with cheese and it came separate so you could put on the potato yourself I liked that way I’d doing it, the baguettes were also good, very good price

Came here today as was visiting the zoo in Sandown! A super lovely cafe,very clean and tidy and lovely decor! I had the lamb roast(I got the last one so be quick) and it was really lovely! Staff were really friendly! Thank you!

Sunday lunch, beef melted in your mouth, all fresh veg, not frozen, roast potatoes lovely. Sandwiches freshly made. Cakes and deserts all made in house, summer crumble and cheesecake both amazing, staff friendly, will def return during our holiday

We stopped here on the way back to catch our ferry for breakfast but sadly left hungry. There was only one breakfast option available, the full English meat version which consisted of beans, sausages, bacon, fried potatoes, eggs and toast. No vegetarian breakfast or children's option so three of us couldn't eat. The vanilla late was too sweet. The one meat eater did enjoy his full English breakfast but would have enjoyed it more if it had tomato and mushrooms. Had to feed the little one but the scone was very dry. Disappointed.

Visited 2.45 pm the majority items could not be served as at 2.30 fryers griddle etc turned off. Must be 8-10 staff yet too busy. The cheese sandwich on thin cheap catering bread was filled with again catering pre sliced tasteless catering cheese I would suggest( cheese substitute).That on a plate with a few crisps £5.25. Impressive menu boards if they have it or if they are doing it.

Please do something for diners that are gluten free!! The staff are friendly here but apart from the same ole “paradise cake” yawn 🥱 they don’t even keep gluten free bread/rolls! Or any other cakes or scones like a lot of other places. Must be one of the only cafes now that do not cater for gluten free! Shame really as it’s a nice location and size cafe but my mum and another friend are both unable to have gluten so I won’t be going there anyway as just feel in this day and age you should be catering better for dietary requirements…

Popped in just for a quick bit for lunch. And they do B'fast until 2:30 so we went for a small breakfast. Service was very quick seeing it was busy. The breakfast was lovely, nice and hot. All the staff were very friendly and polite. Will definitely be going back.

Poor quality, expensive and tasteless. Same prices a Busybee but not even close to the same quality and quantity.

We came for breakfast, which is becoming a regular thing ☺️. Breakfast was full of flavour and hot. They didn't mind making changes due to allergies. The restaurant area is kept very clean and tidy with tables being wiped down between guests. We've not had Roast or other hot meals here yet, but they and the sandwiches, salads etc all look exceptional !! Would thoroughly recommend 😁.

We've been a few times in the last month or so and have to say we're impressed. Portions sizes are decent and well worth the money. My favorite is jacket spud with salad. They give you a choice of a salad garnish or a salad, when it arrived the salad took up the majority of the plate! Enjoyed the Coronation Pasta. We'll be visiting again as we're locals :)

We arrived shortly after they opened and we had fresh from the oven cheese scones. The tea was excellent and the coffee really good. The cakes looked lovely. Everywhere was clean and tidy. Nicely priced too.

We have been on the Island for 3 weeks so far and had some lovely meals - but this was without doubt the best so far. Larger portions of beautifully fresh cooked food at superb prices. We were served by Jenny at the till and she couldn’t have been more helpful. We spoke with a number of the team there and every single one was kind, friendly and super professional. Do not miss out on this wonderful cafe, we are already working out when we can go again!

Went to the Bear Cafe Used to be a great cafe a number of years ago Cappuccinos were very small and tasteless, expensive for what you get. Cakes were ok, sadly won't be going back in a hurry.

Couldnt pay me enough to deal with customers like the lady below, 10/10 would not be able to deal with that Karen

The most vile place. The garden centre is really lovely and the fish place is okay. Can’t believe management are running this kind of cafe next to a expensive garden centre. The cafe has to be the dirtiest place I’ve ever eaten. I took my...

We have been going to the Bear cafe for the last 5/6 years and can honestly say that the scones are the best on the IOW. All of the food is freshly prepared and service is really quick Excellent coffee, with hot milk if required,...

Just got back from having a late lunch at the cafe in this lovely garden centre, we ordered the macroni and cauliflower cheese and I seriously have never come across such awful food. It was a square of solid overcooked pasta with no discernible cauliflower...

Met a friend here and what a disappointment. The staff looked as though they’d rather not be there and were so disinterested in serving us! Not a pleasant place to be, horrible coffee and very overpriced. I’ve never liked the place or atmosphere but my...

Food and drink were really good, but tainted by the rudeness of the ladies serving. A real shame as I live locally and would of used on a regular basis

Very nice as usual. Warm cheese scones, good coffee, friendly staff. Very good service. The cakes are yummy and a good variety.

We use this cafe regularly for hot and cold food the selection of cakes is great and the coffee is excellent the staff are very friendly and would recommend to anyone

We came here today for breakfast, wow absolutely yummy yummy in every way. The Sausages where so lovely and tasty and so was the bacon. The service was excellent and all the staff were friendly and happy . We will be going back again and...

Lovely Cakes & Coffee, really friendly cafe team. Not had hot food, but what we've seen looks delicious with nice sized portions. Restaurant is kept very clean with tables wiped down, properly. Will come again. Highly recommended.

I cannot praise the cheese scones and friendly staff enough so do not understand why there are so many negative reviews! I visited a number of times whilst on the Island and always had good service. Would definitely recommend.🙂

Came here for breakfast and lunch and was not disappointed. Great food and lovely staff. Would really recommend this lovely place.

Called at lunch time but choice was either quiche, sandwiches or breakfast. The food was of poor quality and tasted terrible. We had visited this cafe some years ago and the menu and food was of much better quality. Staff rude; no please or thank...

Ordered Earl Grey tea with my lunch and asked for extra pot of hot water, as I always do in every cafe. However this time I was told that if I had a lid on the hot water it apparently incurs a charge. This I...

I had the full English breakfast as a brunch. The entire plate of food was a poor quality. The bacon was just cooked the eggs were hard and the toast was cold. Not impressed. I come regularly. No staff available to complain to. Left and...

Slow service as only one person serving at till. Had to wait a while for the food. Coffee was nice. Baguettes should have some come with crisps and I ordered the special - BLT baguette but it did not arrive with crisps. It was extremely...

How can you have a cafe and not be able to use the toilets. When asked to use the toilets was told they are not open as we do not have the time to keep checking them. As the staff are standing around chatting. would...

Stopped by chance at this small independent garden centre. Pleasantly surprised by lovely breakfast. Friendly helpful staff in cafe. We have two dogs and they brought over some water as soon as we sat down.

Popped in here as in the area. Had the jacket potato with cheese and beans it was ok but not that big and they never melted the cheese on top. Partner had a baguette which he said was ok. Bit pricey for what you get.

The menu was very basic, and the prices were beyond expensive for such a basic offering. If you find yourself desperate for a coffee whilst shopping for plants then go for it, but I'd suggest getting back in the car and going somewhere that doesn't...

Perfect place to grab a bite to eat with friends and family. The staff are really friendly/welcoming. The cake selection took my eye straight away with an amazing selection of well presented cakes. I had the lemon drizzle which was mouthwatering and the cappuccino I...

My partner and I were on a drive around the island and we were looking for a spot of lunch. On our journey out of lake I came across this cafe on the left hand side of the road. We were only planning on having...

How is it so difficult to get a bacon baguette so wrong. All I asked for was a bacon baguette and a BLT sandwich which you'd think would be relatively simple. On being presented with the 2 choices is was patently apparent that the baguette...

Came for a drink. Had all the staff (mainly teens but even the older staff were joining in too) shouting to eachother over the other side of the cafe, bragging about how bad one of the younger girls language is "should have heard me in...

The menu advertises "Thick Milk Shake' which comprises milk only, no cream, no ice cream and an overly sweet powder for ''flavour" served at room temperature for £1.95!. Go here for emergency food only.

Visited for coffee and cake. The cakes on display had no indication of what they were or any dietary information. Avoid if you are vegan. Very basic food on all menus. Wet busy cafe and it took us 20 minutes to queue up and have...

Clean. Friendly staff. Quick service as normal. Coffee was hot. Although on this occasion no food was consumed what was on view looked nice and other customers seemed to be enjoying it. On previous visits when I have had food it has always been hot...

I have been visiting this cafe for many years. Sadly, the service has gone downhill in recent months. I went here last week; the woman, aged late 50s was totally disinterested in serving me. There was a lack of friendly customer service, smile, politeness. I...