The Taverners in Isle of Wight

One of the best pub Sunday lunches we've had in several years. The meat was succulent - and if you can't choose beef or port you can have half and half. The potatoes were crunchily roasted with soft interior. The Yorkshire puddings seemed a step above most pub versions being neither greasy nor, like so many places, perfect roundels straight from a freezer. There wasn't much green veg but the kale - normally not something I like - was salty and well prepared. Great with the beautifully prepared red cabbage. Big shared portion of cauliflower cheese included too, and - on request - extra gravy and really tangy horseradish. Frankly not much to criticise here and the desserts were brilliant too. We had heard someone say that the change of ownership a week or so back had caused a drop in standards but it's hard to believe that it was ever much better than this. Highly recommended.

My family were treated to a delicious roast dinner with beef - great spuds, incredible red cabbage and homemade Yorkshire’s . The only critique was the beer selection was limited but this was likely due to the pub going through a change of ownership at the time. This was all forgotten later when I had the sticky toffee pudding which was one of the best I’ve tasted. Make sure you book to not miss out!

Unfortunately we didn’t have a good experience. No heating, it was cold. No atmosphere. No pies available, god knows why the place was nearly empty. We all had Fish n Chips. It was Ok but nothing to write home about. All food was very basic in its presentation. All very underwhelming. Beer was expensive also. Young man who took our order was very polite and apologetic. Such a shame. The Island has hardly any nice eateries. When will someone actually realise this and capitalise on it.

What a shame we were recommended this place on arrival at our holiday cottage so we booked and went for dinner on the second night of our stay Monday 14th October, it was amazing the food was wonderful home cooked fare and the service was brilliant so good in fact that we decided to end our holiday with a meal this evening Saturday 20th not sure what has happened in 4 days but unfortunately although the food was ok the service was a complete shambles nobody working there seems to have the first idea about customer service. Having received our drinks and main course we then had the plates cleared and were just left sitting there, no mention of us maybe wanting a dessert, eventually my husband went to the bar to get a menu and was asked by a young lad if he could help when my husband said is this the right menu for tonight the young lads reaction was as if he had no idea what the word menu meant, my husband then explained that we had been sitting for quite a while and no one came to ask about dessert he said that was ok, to which my husband explained that this definitely was not ok. We paid the bill and left. Come on guys you have a lovely Pub/Restaurant don’t let poor customer service bring you down, please get the staff some proper training.

We visited this lovely pub twice whilst on holiday the last week of September. What a find! The staff were so friendly, welcoming and really knowledgeable about the local area and Isle of Wight. The food (Sunday roast for us both on our first visit then cod & chips and mussels meunière special which included with a glass of white wine) were superb both times and the choice of drinks was great. It’s just a shame it’s such a long way from home for us! I have already recommended this wonderful Pub to colleagues who are visiting next year.

We had very high hopes from The Taverners after reading the reviews and yet our experience did not reflect this at all. We were greeted and shown to our table and given menus. We waited along time for our order to be taken and noticed other tables who had arrived after us had their order taken first despite our menus being closed so it was clear we were ready. They did apologise for the wait when they took the order eventually.We had the pie and the veg curry for Mains. The pie was good but the curry lacked depth of flavour and when asked if they had Mango Chutney…they had none. For the puddings we had crumble &custard and also asked for the Blood Orange tart…of which the reply was Sorry we forgot to make it’ So needing to see the menu again the gentleman said he would return with it.We waited some time and eventually i got up to go and get one and rather than go back to the table - to save time ordered there and then with the same man…I choose the ice cream and honeycomb.When the dish arrived - it was just ice cream and I asked where was the honeycomb….and was told they didn’t have any. So i asked if they could take the desert back ,they said of course and that they would take it off the bill. The custard with the crumble was cold in the side jug it came on and the crumble has 0.5cm or less of crumble topping on it…which was a huge disappointment to my husband. My husband went to pay the bill and asked if the custard was suppose to be cold (maybe creme anglaise?)and they said no….so they took that off the bill. The icecream had also not been taken off the bill , so that had to be pointed out too. It was our first visit to the taverners after quite a few years and i don’t think after this experience we will ever now go back. We heard the man who took our order to say to few people that they had had stock takers in and that from other bits he said…sounded like they were selling up….so maybe this is a ‘winding down ‘ kind of service that we had experienced…which is no excuse as people are still paying full price for meals etc there.It doesn’t leave the new owners in a very good position to take over sadly.

Absolutely delicious Sunday dinner, attentive friendly service. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. We were sorry to learn that the current incumbents are leaving soon, after many years in the Taverners so we were delighted that we got to experience your warm hospitality, in your lovely pub before you left. Good luck to you and to the new team.

Very friendly and welcoming service. Great atmosphere and delicious ale. Proper pub!

A characterful village centre pub serving a good range of drinks as well as tasty home made food. Staff are welcoming and cheery and the pub is full of old style charm.

The steak pie was absolutely superb, genuinely one of the best pub meals I've ever eaten, excellent service and very reasonably priced for the quality of the food

We went for Sunday lunch on Aug 18th 2024, the staff all mainly young are a breath of fresh air, they are chatty, very polite and knowledgeable of the menu, we had Sunday lunch which was either beef or pork or you could have both! Homemade yorkshire puddings, the carrots were excellent slow roasted, my daughter who dislikes carrots ate the lot, a mixture of red/ green cabbage beautiful spiced , overall will go again and certainly recommend, well done taverners

Great specials including Brisket of beef which further enhanced the regular menu with generous portions and lovely atmosphere.

5 star. Considering this is such a tourist area it would be easy for a pub to relax a little and rely on the tourist trade to supply them business but this is the third time we’ve eaten there over the years and whilst they have always give us a lovely meal, this time is was pretty incredible. I had the brisket which was beautiful & I had to laugh as my partner said it was the best sausage and mash he’s ever had lol The kids woofed all their food down. And the price is SO REASONABLE - which makes you even more impressed as they’re being very modest. Thank you very much

Lovely pub, great food. Friendly staff, fish and chips was great.

Visited last week with my family, ordering took quite a long time due to some menu items not being available and the waitress not returning to take our amended order. When the food arrived my meal came with veg instead of the advertised salad, I started eating while the waitress came back to check if everything was ok but she never did. When someone finally passed I asked them and they offered me the salad to take away in a box! Disappointing experience overall.

Fantastic Sunday lunch. Atmosphere, staff and food all excellent. We'll be back. Good value wine as well as reasonable roast dinner cost.

Ok then. WHAT A ROAST! Flavourful, value for money and the cutest setting ever! There is an option to sit outside as well. I was visiting the Isle with my friends and the village itself is so cute. A moment for the young servers. I asked a million questions to a young lad who was one of the servers. And he replied back to me with such politeness and charm, I may have lost my heart to him in that minute. Moving on, the vegetarian food options were equally delectable. I would love to return here some day.

We booked a table as we read the Sunday roast was great and the positive reviews were right! I had the two meats roast and my husband had the roast polenta option as he’s vegetarian. The food was beautifully presented with additional cauliflower cheese. This was the perfect amount of food, really well cooked and so much better than a carvery. The wine we had was perfect and the welcome we received was really friendly. All the staff were great, the service was astonishingly quick with no compromise on quality and the pub itself is lovely - situated in the picturesque village of Godshill. We would definitely return.

Very obliging staff ,the young man was very pleasant.

Food and service was excellent. I have family living on the Isle and we come for a few days holiday to meet up. Reservations were made so we could enjoy a meal together. I'm pleased to say that the right choice was made to eat here. Will definitely be eating here again on our next visit!

Fantasmag0ricle a great place of taste food atmosphere A GREAT DAY AND TIME HAD BY ALL.

Food good, nice to have a garden.

Has plenty of tables but small car park. Service and food were great and staff lovely so we'll visit again

Found this little gem quite by accident, the meal was beautiful and the couple running it were super helpful. When visiting the island next I would definitely be popping in .Thank you

Visited on a Saturday lunchtime with a party of six. Used to love the owner's restaurant in Ryde, and The Taverners now gives us a first choice on the Island for the place to take visiting family and friends. First class service and all six meals were superb. The choice of dishes is excellent, particularly with a dedicated vegetarian menu. We're looking forward to visiting again soon.

If you come to the isle of wight you have to come here. The best food, warm, friendly service. My daughter had macaroni bake and cod nuggets. I had beef and pulled pork burger 🍔 😋 best I've ever had.

Had lovely Sunday roast, beef was superb, apple crumble also was really tasty if a little small Service quick and efficient

Lovely pub to have lunch in. The table was nice and clean and the menu was good. I had possibly the best veggie burger I've ever had and my husband had delicious beef brisket that was melt in the mouth. Staff were friendly and attentive and the price was right for great food.

Super lunch here after a Godshill walk. Food exceptional; lovely cosy pub and friendly service. Wonderful! Thoroughly recommend

We had dinner twice this week as we liked it so much the first time. Good selection of vegetarian dishes available. Great service and very friendly staff. If we were staying here longer we would certainly go back again. Looking forward to our next visit.

A really lovely meal here after a cold day out. I had macaroni bake which was delicious. Great pleasant service. The locals were in playing cribbage so Must be a good pub!

This evening my family group of 5 had a lovely meal. We had the brisket which melted and was a very generous portion, sea bass, shepherds pie, steak and ale pie and the curry. All plates were completely cleared and thoroughly enjoyed. The food was fabulous, service was excellent and we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. We will be back.

Best meal we have had on the Island this week well done everyone this is a place you must try. Pork belly fantastic / Curry wonderful/ Burger show stopper

Lovely local pub serving homemade delicious food. Very friendly staff and excellent service. Would highly recommend.

Excellent food and noticeably cheaper than most of this standard.

One of the best meals on the island. Always a pleasure to be there!

Great food and attentive and welcoming staff

Wonderful dinner with our family in this lovely restaurant … friendly service & food was excellent. Thank you!

Food tasted amazing. Was slow to come out and didn't get the order right to begin with but quickly made up for it

What an incredible pub, with outstanding food. We were a group of over 20 people needing feeding at short notice and they were so helpful. Quite possibly the best gluten-free menu I've ever seen; so much choice! By far the best meal we have had on the IOW. Massive congrats to the team. Keep doing what you are going!

I enjoyed Sunday lunch at the Taveners yesterday with my family. It was very busy but even so the staff were very friendly and helpful and the food was good quality and delicious. I would recommend.

Lovely meal , brilliant service from Jackie , highly recommended .

Absolutely wonderful evening for my friends birthday xxxx Jackie recommended the Baby Guiness xx

The Sunday Roast beef was as good as mine .. delicious . Great meat , lovely big Yorkshire and veg all excellent

Absolutely brilliant place, staff were so friendly and accomodating, especially of our labrador who enjoyed some pork off cuts. The roast dinner was the best we have ever had out and we will be back next time we visit the Island. Thanks so much for a lovely ending to our weekend visit!

First time here for a Sunday roast and it was delicious, best roast dinner out in a long time. Staff were extremely friendly, nothing was too much trouble and they were very accommodating of our labrador who enjoyed some pork off cuts. We will be back next time we visit the Island. 5⭐⭐⭐

A real gem of a place, food lovely and service great

Definitely our ‘home from home’ venue. We get wonderful service especially from Jackie and the food is always first class. Our lunch time favourite.

Lovely food and cosy atmosphere. Great service. We had a very good time in the pub :-)

Lovely fresh salad, we sat in the garden,at bench tables. With sunshades. There are steps from the restaurant, but easier access from the car park. Pleasant and helpful staff.

What a wonderful place to come for Sunday lunch. The roast was perfectly cooked. My Mum aged 88 wanted a kids portion and had a great sausage and mash. Jackie our waitress was lovely. Its a gorgeous old pub in a pretty village with low beams and flagged stone floors. Go you will not be disappointed !

The fact that we come here every weekend is testament to this fabulous pub! The staff are amazing, especially Jackie!!!

Cara was absolutely delightful and the food was lovely

We had a lovely Xmas day meal. We visit regularly for drinks and Tim, Emma and the team always make us welcome especially Holly and Beth .

Beautiful food, lovely atmosphere and friendly staff

An excellent evening with friends at the Taverners. An interesting, creative menu beautifully prepared and delicious to eat! Can thoroughly recommend 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Lovely pub, always lively and full of smiles. Our server Holly had lovely customer service and made sure we had everything we needed no matter how odd the request 😂. Would recommend even for families with small kids and dog friendly!

We had a lovely evening at the Taverners. The food was delicious and the staff were attentive. Amelia was great - thank you! We will be back.

Excellent all round at this lovely pub with friendly service from Cara.

Lovely pub, excellent food, all beers kept too a high standard, best pint of Guinness with out a doubt, the staff are brilliant especially Holly.

I can't find fault with anything here. It is easily some of the best food on the Island and in unpretentious surroundings which is a breath of fresh air aswell. Felt very welcome and all the staff are great. We all chose different dishes and we were all happy! The prices, considering that everything is made in house is amazing value. Will be going back regularly Small plates available too.

A warm welcome followed with excellent, fast, attentive service. The Taverners bitter was delicious and slipped down very well after 6 weeks off the booze 😃. We really enjoyed our Sunday lunch and would heartily recommend this pub. My mother in law ended up paying but not having seen the bill I felt it was good value too from the menu prices.

Good food, great service from our waitress. Completely let down by the sneaky, undisclosed "service charge" shafted on you by the owner during payment. Only noticed after payment had been completed. Naughty boy and very bad for repeat local business. Advice: Check your bill and take control back on your tips...

It's our local and we love it. The Taveners Ale is delicious and adds to the happy atmosphere with the 5 30 set. We love Moules-fretes Fridays! Yum

We had a great Sunday roast with homemade puds and a very warm welcome. Can’t fault the service or the food, really good value for money for locally produced meat with all the trimmings. What really impressed us was the interesting children’s menu, both daughters enjoyed muscles with toasted sourdough for dipping…. Much better than chicken nuggets and chips! Highly recommend for a family Sunday roast on a wet November day.

I didn't eat here but the food looked good and there wasn't any complaints from people I spoke to in there.

Very nice Sunday traditional lunch Roast Beef with all the trimmings and Vegetables including cauliflower cheese Beef cooked nicely and the carrots were a nice taste surprise! Excellent value and happy and friendly staff

Another outstanding meal at the Taverners. I really cannot fault the experience in any way. Great Service and Great food. Thank you all 😊

Food is good here, pub is lovely and still feels like a traditional pub. Beers were limited and Moretti as expensive as I have ever found anywhere. Nice for a visit but won’t be my regular haunt.

Service was great and very friendly! Food was fantastic! Last minute decision to come and had never been before. Drove out the way to come here but was not disappointed and would recommend to anyone!

Another successful 'mission' to The Taveners Godshill for dinner. The service was excellent, the food superb. Plenty of choice for all on the menu. A fantastic, relaxing atmosphere. Suggest you book in advance to avoid disappointment. Also dog friendly. Enjoy.

Sunday lunch. Delicious food with a great selection. Wonderful homely atmosphere and friendly proficient staff. Great Sunday lunch. Great selection of wines too.

Excellent food, the staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. Really nice menu and great atmosphere.

Lovely place, great service and a superb Sunday roast lunch.

Six years ago I said: Proper food in the middle of Godshill. Great differentiated grub. Don't stand out on the pavement hesitating - do it Not in 2023 - walk on by and get food elsewhere. The quality of the food is very poor now.

Lovely, charming decor, very friendly, helpful staff and the best Sunday roast I have had for years and years! Delicious! Thank you! I had the veggie tomato and herb polenta cake roast and every thing on my plate was excellent! Seriously 10 out of 10! Your chef is a gem! And what a great treat to have an unusual veggie option! My mum loved her fish and chips and I pinched a chip or two [of course I did] and they were superb! Had to write this rave review... you guys so deserve it!

Visited Godshill just to have a look around, walked past the Taverners and it looked a nice clean place for a quick drink and snack. The food is very very good. Beef pie in a duet pastry with mustard mash was excellent. Currently sitting here post meal considering Sunday lunch options for tomorrow and to be honest it’s hard not to book here!!!

Delicious food and excellent service in a beautiful old pub. Dog friendly.

Popped in at lunchtime without a booking and was able to get a table without issue. The staff were very friendly and helpful, we had great service overall. The food was delicious, I had the beef burger and my son had the kids burger which was massive and well appreciated. Can easily recommend this place to anyone.

Nice place and good service, though waitress forgot to mention the specials. Tasty food, but why o why there was so little meat on the beef short rib. Not exactly an expensive meat. I had £20 sirloin steaks that had double the meat. The sauce was very good.

Great Sunday lunch! Top quality main and desert. Book ahead as really popular which is a good sign

Brilliant staff, excellent menu especially gluten-free. Quality food and service... we'll be back!

Lovely location and surroundings. Staying in Godshill for a week from Sussex. Popping back here before travelling home. Love the food & the service.

We were visiting Godshill while on holiday and called into The Taverners for lunch. What a lovely experience. The staff were friendly and the sandwich we had was fresh and tasty. We enjoyed it that much that we went back again another time for an evening meal. It was a very good atmosphere. The food was good. We are both vegetarian and there was plenty of choice. My husband had the Goan Style Vegetable Masala, which was very good and plenty of it. I had courgette and tomato tart, it was very nice, but could have done with more vegetables on the plate. There was a few potatoes and spinach. A lovely place to go for lunch or evening meal

What an exceptional experience! From the welcome at the door and throughout, the staff were so helpful, cheery and efficient! The food was beyond compare - and excellent, generous portions … and the extra crackling with the Sunday Roast was sublime. If you’re visiting Godshill or the Isle of Wight, definitely make time for a visit. Book ahead. Thank you to all the staff and team for making such a special family memory!

Absolutely wonderful experience. Superbly helpful, kind and efficient staff who couldn’t do enough to make sure all was well. Food was extremely tasty and good portions. And extremely good value for money! If you’re visiting Godshill, this is definitely a place to visit.

Great atmosphere, service and next level pub food . Live music and relaxed but fun atmosphere. Thank you to a great team for a lovely evening.

Called in after a visit to the model village and were very glad that we did. On arrival we were welcomed and shown to a sunny table in the rustic setting of the old bakery which houses this traditional pub. As vegetarians we had an impressive choice of options. I decided to have three sides as I spotted cauliflower cheese on the menu which is my favourite. This was perfectly cooked and delicious with the right amount of sauce. The glazed roasted carrots I had with it were amazing, and the fresh greens complimented it all. All three portions were very generous and sufficient for two people. My husband ordered a portion of chips which were perfect: crunchy outside and fluffy inside just as we like them. Service was excellent too.

Fantastic food . Welcoming staff . Excellent service . Will be back

It was my parents 45th wedding anniversary the other day and after being turned down at another place (it was after 20:30pm) , we happened across The Taverners a few miles from our accommodation and we couldn’t be more grateful for what we found. I must thank Holly and the team for fitting us in so late - the food was excellent and the atmosphere very relaxed (but still buzzing). Needless to say, service was spot on and really friendly. We had a fantastic and memorable time. Highly recommended. One negative; parking slightly limited, but there’s parking about 200 yards away so not too much of an issue.

We had a lovely evening great food. Greatservice, lovely atmosphere.

The food is great here and the drinks customer service is very great meals out of this world customer service is very great its worth coming here

Great meal, we will be back again.

So wonderful to revisit The Taverners😊Wonderful food and superb staff. 👌

How very disappointing the 2/9/23 was. We travel to the IOW a couple of times a year and look forward to popping in to The Taveners for a meal or two while there. However this time something was definitely not right. We ordered the special, which is normally a very succulent brisket and we were presented with some assorted meat which looked like the evenings left overs which had been cooked until unidentifiable. We obviously complained and it was agreed it was not what we had ordered. We were also told the brisket was off and so we opted for another dish which was also disappointing. It was only cod and chips, but the fish had been over cooked to the point it was chewy and the chips were just ok. We didn't complain a second time, just drank up, paid, and left. Staff didn't seem as concerned as I thought they should have been, just relieved we had left. Will we go back? 🤔 really don't know 😕

Highly recommend this beautiful pub. Food was excellent and the service superb, attentive without being intrusive

Unfriendly staff, very long wait to be served even though not very busy. Fish and chips soft and soggy. Had to find someone to pay as no one came back to take card payment. Wouldn't recommend, plenty of other places to go

We went for some drinks, the menus were great but we were too stuffed from the Garlic Farm! The waitress was pleasant and personable, drinks were great and the venue is lovely. Will try to go back!

I popped in for a 1/2 pint following a visit All-Saints Church. The barmaid pulled the drink then asked for £2.85, checked price it was £4.50 a pint. The manager came over for me of not paying, I said no queried price. He then said its the cost of washing the glass and the staff that's added to my 1/2 pint. Did not tell him but was looking for a venue for my group of friends visiting the Island in October believe me this is the last place I will go!!!!!

Heard good things about the roast here and they definitely didn’t disappoint!