White Lion in Isle of Wight

Beware 1 star food rating be very careful

We went on a Sunday as a family and it was an awesome experience. We were served quickly by a very friendly waitress, and our food was great. We had a selection of the food available (which is specials from day to day, sunday menu and a general menu) and we would definitely go back. Everyone we saw was having a good time and the atmosphere was really good. Decent value for money but we would go again. The servers are very kind (one of them told us what Affogato was, which means drowning in Italian - they serve a dessert with that name! The only fault was they did forget the espresso ☕️ we had orders but it was fixed quickly. Would defo recommend a visit!

THE BEST roast beef I’ve had in a long time! Should have ordered a much bigger portion! Seems to be one of a few pubs (if any) that has Plum Porter (the local shop is also the only stockist). Highly recommended!!! Lovely pub to end a walk at - there are quite a few walks about. Our walk started in Godshill.

Super friendly service, interesting menu. Caters for all tastes. Was a recommended place to eat and it was reasonable. We shared the Arancini. Looks like the rocket that it should have come with wasn’t available as we had a salad mix instead! ;-) ordered a haddock and chips and a scampi. Got 2 haddock. Realised they’d put in the till wrong, apologised and came back with haddock and a scampi. Food tasty. Service friendly. Points to mention. I’m old fashioned but not used to seeing someone walk behind the bar, serve themselves a drink then stand talking to the chef behind the bar whilst the other staff wait on people. Surely chef should in full on service on a Saturday at 8pm? If you want to have a meeting, maybe do it out of sight of your customers? Also check your salt please. Salt cellar nearly empty and damp salt. Will return, good choice menu all round. Could just do with being busier!

Great place to eat,good service, and reasonably priced. Recommend.

So impressed with this place. Service was excellent, the barman was so friendly and so helpful. Food was very good and the kids loved the garden area with play area. Thank you so much for a great start to our trip to the island

Had a lovely lunch and owner was very helpful with the parking as my wife is disabled, Our lurcher Bertie was made welcome and enjoyed meeting Daisy

Friendly service and fantastic food . Highly recommended.

We spent 1 night at the White Lion and was greeted by helpful and friendly owners and staff. We had 2 bikes with us which they kindly secured and charged. Room was immaculate and bed so comfortable, would highly recommend.

Food was good but service was slow. Seemed more worried about getting bookings onto their schedule than looking after the people dinning in the restaurant

Great food friendly staff and fab beers apparently We will be back

Staff brilliant and helpful. The bar tender even came out to help with our bikes. Toilets are super clean and well maintained. Food excellent 👌 We had chicken sandwiches and salmon sandwiches. A good halfway stop if you are cycling the island. A great friendly pub.

Honestly the food was insanely good! Friendly staff. Didn't take to long to arrive and it wasn't that busy

Great food and excellent service highly recommended

Just sat here having the most amazing breakfast on our last day of stay had the most amazing time wonderful staff brilliant food and drink Definitely recommended

Only stopped for a pot of tea on a bike ride round the island. Delightful pub, very welcoming. Service was amazing, fast and very friendly. We didn’t have time to eat but the food looked fantastic

Had a lovely Sunday afternoon roast, staff were extremely helpful and attentive, lovely garden which the kids enjoyed! Well cooked roast dinner tasty sides! Had beef and pork belly, pork belly was lovely well cooked and crispy skin! Beef was tasty and tender although a little cooked for me. My son decided he didn’t want gravy and it was changed no problem no extra charge ! It was extremely good value for money ! Would highly recommend!

Excellent service and nice setting, but food expensive and not great. Chips were tasty but my steak my was chewy and sticky toffee pudding was tiny.

Excellent service and menu. Despite being very busy with no reservation, found table for 3.

Great food nice atmosphere really understated pub on the island

We have stayed and eaten here a couple of times. Nice rooms. Always very clean and service is brilliant. We will be back

Been on staycation on IOW. We had dinner at The White Lion. Food was excellent, great service

Good food and service. A wide variety of starters and main courses. i had mussels which were well cooked. Service was good.

We visited a few times over the week. Lovely food and drink. Staff were polite, helpful, and the place was spotless. Definitely worth a visit

Sunday dinner service far too slow. No stuffing with roasts, roast potatoes too hard to cut. Tasted nice unless most of your beef was fatty. The restaurant room we were sat in was very very noisy. Those who ordered from the classic menu enjoyed their meal. Desserts were good, but overall dissapointed.

Food was on point. Service a little slow but food makes up for it.

Charming little pub, clean, friendly. The food was great and there was many vegetarian options and choices for the breakfast.

A big thank you to all at The White Lion for their warm welcome, great service and delicious food. Discovering this gem made our Isle of Wight stay all the more enjoyable. We’ll definitely be back! Ian and Claire x

Family was delighted with the choice and quality of the food. The service was efficient and friendly and the menu varied and suited all ages. My daughter who is a vegetarian said her linguine was one of the best pasta dishes she’d ever had. We immediately booked to return for the delious looking fish and chips.

Lovely village inn. Great food. Comfortable, clean rooms. Friendly staff. Fabulous breakfast.

As some of the previous reviews have stated the dining experience was average. Staff were friendly but it took a while to get our food. Once seated in the dining area we were then going to the bar to get another drink as we were not asked by waiting staff. Scampi was a good portion but no better than a takeaway and the kids meals were okay. No bowl for the mussels which had arrived overcooked and the broth was simply cream which hadn't been reduced. We wouldn't come back as we had much better meals elsewhere.

Went for Sunday Lunch and pub selling Beavertown Neck Oil is always a good pub

We visit Niton for our holidays each year for the last 4 years. Each time I have booked 2 meals at the White Lion as we loved the food and service so much. After last Saturdays visit we were so disappointed that I cancelled our second booking and we went elsewhere. The service was poor. Seemed to be very understaffed compared to previous visits. We were moved from the table we had been sitting at to accommodate a party of 6. Then a party of two was seated at the table we had been moved from. Then they had to move because a party of 6 had arrived! We waited 40 mins after our main courses were finished and when we got fed up of waiting for a dessert menu or anyone to clear our table (gentleman in charge? walked past us numerous times) we went to the bar to pay our bill. Only after we were collecting our things to leave did the waitress start to clear our table and asked if we wanted dessert! Food was ok, not as good as it used to be and portions slightly on the mean side. I had the mussels and didn’t get a finger bowl or a bowl for discarded shells. We eat out a lot and had enjoyed previous visits here. Sadly not up to scratch this time.

First impression: lovely and friendly staff. They asked us if we needed help with our luggages before showing us our room. In short they gave us a cheerful welcome. Rooms: 5 stars on all things.. cleanliness was top notch..very clean and crisp smell you feel like no one has slept there before you. They already had made the bed for our son for us. Family room has a big bathroom and a nice deep bathtub (me and my son took turns to enjoy it 🤩) . Luxury faucets ✨✨. Good and enough lighting. Enough storage spaces. Air Con available too. Service: very good. My experience is we didn’t have to wait very long before our meals arrived. Price: reasonable considering the location, service and what you get. I will definitely visit again!

Great restaurant! Super tasty food and very nice service. Top class!

Room stay, pub service and breakfast were amazing. Room was a bit cramped but as can be expected from an old building, everything in the room as well presented and perfectly clean, modern and up to date. I would have benefited from some choices of pillow squishyness having a cricked neck during my visit. Breakfast came in ample helpings, with a choice of cooked stuff and the usual cereals. I would have liked to see some pastries as I'm not a big breakfast person but I understand it being a small capacity inn they would be wasted if no-one ate them.

Fantastic service from the very friendly bar staff/waitresses. A bit of road noise early morning. Overall a great stay and would definitely recommend this pub.

Awesome food good customer service

Popped in for lunch. Food was great and the staff were genuinely fantastic.

Excellent service, and a delicious lunch.

Excellent food! The Lamb special was fantastic.

Just had a night on the Isle of Wight with no real plan to do anything other then explore a little. The White Lion was ideally located. Our first interaction with the staff was friendly, laid back and informative. We also ate in the restaurant in the evening which was lovely and reasonably priced. Our room was comfortable and had everything we needed. Surprisingly quiet and I slept really well. Topped off by a very nice breakfast and again, friendly service. Would return and recommend!

Comfortable, clean and homley.Good food, adequate parking .Service a tad slow.

great place for drinks friendly staff good pub food

Nice pub, well maintained interior. The pint I was poured unfortunately was bad as the barrel and pipes needed a good clean.

The White Lion is a lovely place to go to in Niton. Mum and I were staying in Niton and went to the pub one night for dinner. The food was yummy and mum, who is always looking for a good fish and chips, really enjoyed the one she ordered. The staff were amazing and helpful. I ordered the mussels (which were on the Specials board for that week) and rosemary fries and also enjoyed them. Everything, down to the salad, was made with care and fresh ingredients.

Newly refurbished rooms, amazing food and friendly, helpful stuff. Ohh and all of that for very reasonable prices. Definitely one to return to.

Lovely staff. A very tasty fish and chips...A huge piece of fish! Excellent.

First visit but will be back again. Seafood linguini gorgeous 2nd visit and whole plaice was delicious

Just popped in for a refreshing pint on a sunny afternoon

First class pub food is brilliant and all of the staff and especially the manager top notch bloke hes a credit to himself and all his team that work there.i will recomend his pub to all my friends and people I no to go there especially the food brilliant and to all the staff who work there first class place to visit

Beautiful food, great staff, highly recommend

Amazing food, really friendly staff and very dog freindly. The Sunday lunch is amazing

What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon in a lovely Beer Garden, in a lovely friendly pub, in Niton. Staff really friendly and welcoming, good selection of lunch and dinner options. Wow we chose well as both meals tasted and looks super tasty. Perfect half way point on our walk , so rested and ready for our second half of our stomp back to Blackgang. Definitely make it a stop off point on your journey, you won't be disappointed.

A very pleasant environment awaited us upon our arrival, with the staff very welcoming and patient with us as we took a while to get seated. The drinks were sorted very competently as we then perused an interesting menu. I decided on the homemade beef burger with dressing and chips. A very sumptuous burger that I thoroughly enjoyed mainly because it was so tasty with an excellent flavour. My wife had the homemade pie with seasoned veg. The pie was chicken and ham, and once again very tasty with the yummy gravy adding to the many flavours. I being full up shared a sweet, Eton mess strawberry cheesecake with my wife and boy it was gorgeous. A great restaurant to go to for meeting with Friends or a meal for two, with fine ale and friendly staff. We shall go back again soon. Very reasonable price as well.

Really nice country pub. Friendly. Good food and beer. Plenty of parking. Reasonable prices.

Incredible food, genuinely the best fish and chips I have had. Kids menu is great value. Service brilliant, super friendly. A lovely pub, not overly busy on a Friday lunch time. Highly recommend.

Came here with high expectations. Sadly were not so. Roast beef was awful, slimy and seemingly uncooked just could not eat it. Roast potatoes seemed to be either from The day before or frozen. Half a carrot which was odd. Yorkshire, gravy and cauliflower cheese was okay. Such a shame considering the pub looked lovely and was clean throughout. - I did have my meal removed from the bill.

Gorgeous pub. Friendly service.

Lovely pub, friendly staff and tasty food at reasonable prices.

Very tasty Sunday lunch and pleasant staff

Lovely experience! Lovely friendly staff. Toddler friendly

Love this pub / hotel for an overnight stay. 2nd visit while walking the coastal path. A haven for a mid-way refresh!

Haven't been since new owners but certainly did not disappoint. Still the great pub it was with excellent choices on menu and specials board. Staff and locals friendly. Missed saying hello to the sheep, think it was past their bedtime. Definitely one to return to !!

We had a lovely stay after a long day of walking. The room was lovely and all of the staff were so friendly and helpful!

Good food. Good location. Parking available at the pub. Reasonable prices.

Lovely traditional country pub with first class accommodation. Ideal location for walking and touring in the south of the Isle of Wight. The staff are particularly friendly and attentive.

Very quaint pub, lovely food and welcoming staff. My partner lives in the village and she often goes with the kids for a meal.

We stayed here for 3 nights, we had the large family room and two double rooms for our family. All rooms were nicely decorated and very clean with plenty of facilities including coffee machine. We had breakfast and evening meal every day of our stay and all meals were delicious. All staff were friendly and accommodating- especially for our youngest daughter who has a dairy intolerance. We would definitely recommend this as a place to stay and eat!

Lovely meal had at the White Lion, I can recommend White Lion Pie, no soggy bottom on this one, with creamy mash and beautiful veg. Mother had ham, egg, peas and chips, which she said was wonderful. Lovely pub and service with a smile, friendly staff. Will definitely be back.

Just had a fantastic meal at the White Lion in Niton. Highly recommend it. Lovely sea bass and homemade burger. The ginger parkin was delicious. Really cosy atmosphere and friendly staff.

Had a wonderful weekend away on the Isle of Wight. Had a bit of trouble finding the pub as a lot of the roads were closed on the island for some reason but the sat nav soon re-directed us. Pub was great. Great staff and the accommodation was quite spacious with all the amenities you could ask for. We ate in the pub which was good, breakfast was lovely. Easy to park in the car park, which was never too busy. Definately recommend.

White Lion was very charming, comfortable and welcoming. Very friendly and helpful staff. We will be back!

This place is cosy, clean and beautiful. We only stopped for food not to stay in the hotel. The service at lunchtime was amazing and the servers were both very kind and lovely. The food was delicious and well presented. We didn't have to wait long at all for our food. Our children had tasty food that they enjoyed. Really glad we stopped.

Had a Sunday roast meal - very small portions even with the "large", and although each one came with a side of vegetables, they gave us 2 pots of vegetables (thinly sliced carrot and swede) between 3 people (and 2 cauliflower cheeses). It also took a while due to a computer glitch. Initially one meal was missing a yorkshire pudding and we had to ask. The meal itself (roast beef) was not fantastic in flavour either unfortunately and for the price it was not a great roast. My meal which was vegan sausage and mash however was amazing, really tasty and a reasonable portion, the staff got the name of the brand of sausages for me as it was so good I needed to know. But I can't give them higher because the roast was disappointing compared to previous years.

Good food let down by poor service..we waited 30 minutes for them to clear our main course plate after finishing..not only did this mean they lost 4 pudding orders but they also ended up giving us a discount to make up for it...and they only actually started clearing the plate when my wife actually went and asked them too...we nearly left! Felt a bit sorry for the manager who was friendly but had young and inexperienced staff!

Love it here. The food is a notch above your standard pub fare, the staff are friendly and Friday night there's a singer or a band. Who could ask for anything more?

So glad we stopped here for dinner. Really lovely pub - food was gorgeous, and vibe very family friendly. The staff were all really friendly and helpful, we'll definitely be back!

Just wanted to write on here quickly to say that the staff and owners are so welcoming and such wonderful hosts! The food was amazing and quick to come out and the vibes made the whole experience so wonderful. Thank you so much for having my family and myself, and thankyou so much for making us feel at home. 1010.

I have just left the white lion in arreton with my partner I would like to say that we would rate this as the best in the area and we have been to a few in the same area....Julie and Ian are great landlords and a very good service with fantastic food. It is certainly worth booking a table and coming along to tomorrow's live music and quiz night

Pub/restaurant with little atmosphere and expensive drinks

Absolutely brilliant service, top class food and amazing welcoming atmosphere. 5 stars 🌟

Great pub in a fantastic location. We stayed one night and the staff were fabulous. Room was modern and so well priced. Breakfast was really good with a lovely varierty. We would recommend and we will be back!

Went out for Mother’s Day, we pick the pub as it dog friendly we had a great meal the food was lovely and we have booked for Xmas, would recommend to anyone

Stopped for lunch, which was wonderful and delicious. Very good service by friendly staff. First visit in 27 yrs , and your pub made it worth while, especially as weather awful.

Took my mum here for a mother's day meal, our meals were absolutely delicious, the beef cooked perfectly. The pub itself was quaint, very pretty and to top it off there was a gentleman singing the likes of Dean Martin... We will definitely return 👍

Really good food and cosy atmosphere.

Fabulous food, served quickly after we ordered. Super fresh veg and tender meat made for a great roast dinner. The best thing about our visit was the staff. They were really welcoming and friendly. Great service with a smile, nothing was too much trouble. We will definitely be back 😁

Stopped for lunch and the food was fantastic. We had two fussy children and they cleared their plates. They had a vegan menu, the butternut squash risotto was incredible! Staff were great, we took our dogs and I'd definitely recommend eating here. We didnt stay here over night.

The food was not great. Kids burger was the size of a fifty pence piece, and taco came as a wrap? Usually great food? Did rectify the burger but used the original cooked burger and squished an additional one on it (has hash brown remains on it). Kept fries under hot plate while doing so, and chips were hard. "Taco" was a wrap so massively disappointing. Usually great food. Unsure what's happened? Did take the taco off the bill, which made things a bit better but still gutting when you plan a dinner out.

January supper with friends. Excellent service and food. Plates well presented with interesting twists. Delicious food, cosy and relaxing atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Booked a table for an early New Year’s Eve meal whilst staying at the Old Signal House near Niton Not sure what to expect. Fantastic service, and food and really good service but not over bearing - really helpful staff and fantastic food for both the vegans and vegetarians in the group and us carnivores 😂. Really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. Thanks to Piers for great service and the rest of the team

Had a family dinner here on the 27th, pub was extremely quiet, often the case between Xmas and New Year but the service was excellent, food was really good and beer on tap was great! Amazing they opened really but very glad they did!

Great lunch from the Christmas menu. All three courses were faultless… great quality ingredients, beautifully cooked and nicely presented. Really top class food. The waiting staff were a little diffident and took a while to warm up and the pub itself was a little austere and lacking atmosphere, but it was a Monday in December so what did I expect! We will return for the highest quality food.

Very disappointed with my meal. I ordered beef cheek from the Christmas menu which was £23. The meal looked very well presented, but when I tried to cut the beef it was so tough,my knife wouldn’t cut through it. So I didn’t even get to taste it. When I called the waiter over about it, he said was the beef tough and wasn’t surprised. By the time my meal was replaced everyone else on the table had finished their meal. Also one of our party needed gluten free options. Non were listed on the menu. After a long wait she was told what her options were, including a Christmas pudding. When challenged on this it was rechecked and turned out not to be gluten free. We won’t be visiting again, which is very disappointing as it is local to us all.

This food here is fantastic! It is great value for money and the quality and taste of the food is even better. The service was friendly and attentive. A wonderful lunch we will definitely be back!

Went for my Birthday meal. Web menu was different to menu on the night but the Manager was incredibly accommodating and personable. It is quite obvious after having 3 beautiful courses why they deserve the AA Rosette. Highly recommend.

Visited here for lunch today, it was absolutely delicious. We had a burger followed by their version of a bread and butter pudding. It was so good, I highly recommend a visit here, great service and amazing food. Thank you guys for a great meal we can not wait to return.

Car park. The food we had was delicious and was very reasonably priced for the quality. Would definitely recommend.

I recently stayed at the White lion for a personal reason bit sad but mark and his team really where so nice and friendly it made all the different and the food was really great the room was clean and tidy bed was really good breakfast time was lovely to if you meet the charming lady who serves you know what i mean so thanks for a nice few days John Cameron