The best restaurants in Isle of Wight South East

We had a wonderful seafood feast delivered by Emma last Saturday evening Potted prawns to start ( super yummy) Bouillabaisse to die for next ( we ordered for five but was very generous portion) Chocolate pots and strawberry pavlova for dessert! All completely delicious, we had a wonderful effortless dinner party thanks to you! Will be back to order again without a doubt! Thanks so much Emma x

Have been here before and been better impressed. The food was OK, quite good even but I'm not sure how good a bagel has to be to be worth £14 and I'm not sure this was it. . The service was pleasant and engaged but the tea, one de-caf, one peppermint, were a long way short of piping hot.

My family and I stayed for 3 nights over Christmas 2024, The hotel is like Downton Abbey .Stylish yet from another era .Loved the heavy brass bedroom keys .The staff and food Could not have been better . Loved the whole experience .Living on the Island I have only heard great reviews . Can highly recommend this hotel and staff .

The Chocolate Apothecary has such a lovely vibe, a blend of vintage with modern. I had a mocha and it was so velvety and lovely consistency with the blend of there organic chocolate and coffee. The homemade cookies are so moreish! The chocolate apothecary is a must visit. Amazing customer service

A gem of a place. The food is all home made with ingredients sourced locally. A good menu of light bites, sandwiches etc. I had a pork & leek sandwich & my wife had a large sausage roll. Both were delicious. They also run a charity “Kafuta Tumbung School Trust. Building a nursery school & another school for the local children of the village in The Gambia. An amazing story. Beside the cafe they also have a gift shop, with proceeds going to the charity. Well worth a visit.

The food was certainly delicious in this cosy, very busy restaurant. Staff are friendly and attentive. The restaurant is small and tables close together which gives a shared experience and intimate atmosphere. Definitely a dining must, with sming faces everywhere.

We were looking for a nice restaurant in Cowes for lunch on Saturday and found this one through TA. We had the most delicious meal served by the two sons (owners). They told us the restaurant has been in the family for over 30 years and you can tell this is an owner-run restaurant. They put such care into everything. Will definitely visit again.

Nice friendly service, all cooked fresh to order.

The food was fantastic, the cocktails were delicious, the staff were friendly and helpful. All round we had great evening and wouldn't hesitate to go back.

What an amazing experience we had for my birthday. This restaurant really is a classically typical Spanish family restaurant with that wonderful, relaxed cosy feel. We were looked after so well by the staff and with so many grandchildren, nothing was too much trouble. Now the food experience was something else with the array of tapas to start with, from fresh caught, sliced and smoked scad to stuffed squid, octopus, grilled peppers, sliced pork loin, iberico sliced ham etc etc etc to the star of the evening, besides myself, whole sucking pig and sliced rib of beef, absolutely perfectly cooked. I was with a couple of the island’s top chefs, and their reactions were to doff their caps to the kitchen. Amazing evening, thank you.

Besty & Spinky create the best breakfast on the IOW, have been goi g for years! Quick, hot, yummy and the Besty! And fantastic for training first class staff x

I dont really know what to say positive except the cake and coffee was nice but considering we were the only people in there it took so long. Took the girl serving 15 mins plus to make two coffees and put some cakes on a plate. Also staff hoovering and doing jobs around us, we weren't made aware it was closing only that they weren't serving lunch so we got coffee & cake offered and accepted as were already inside. Main thing...Really uncomfortable that the chef came out of the kitchen and started touching my infant daughters hand in her pushchair?? I'm sure this was harmless but really not okay to do that and I dont know why he thought that was appropriate, it made us feel very awkward. Wouldn't go back which is a shame as seems like a nice place.

The Aqua is now luxury apartments, ive stayed here for the past 3 months while working on the island. I found that the owners are just as lovely as the apartments are. This is a great location and would highly recommend a stay at The Aqua to anyone visiting Shanklin.

I had not been here for several years, but the surroundings were re-assuringly the same, and the quality of the experience was just as good if not better! Staff were welcoming, helpful and pleasant, and there was a good range of food choices. The atmosphere was great, and suitable for people of various age-groups. Those with mobility issues were well catered-for. The main course was really an object-lesson in how to concoct something without being elaborate or pretentious, but really fits the bill by carefully blending subtle flavours in a totally satisfying way. Beautifully prepared and cooked as well. A big thanks to all involved!

Sunday lunch 29th September Decided to give their pub another go as reviews looked hopeful. Even spoke to a couple the next table who said you won’t be disappointed. Firstly the table was a little sticky and the reserved sign has dirt on it ! Looked like gravy. Chair was wood and no cushion so uncomfortable for anything longer than a few minutes. I had to go out to my car to get my coat as I was cold. My husband ordered at the bar and returned with a very flat looking beer. Apparently they are unable to get a head on it ! Something to do with the machine. Food arrived and I was shocked. The child meal or mini roast was on a the smallest plate yet they had piled it with vegetables that you couldn’t sort it so my son could actually eat with any decorum. There was a Yorkshire pudding on top that was limp and doughy- not crispy as they should be. Potatoes are clearly deep fried as crispy but just a tad too and no flavour as you wouldn’t want to ruin the oil would you. Mine and my husband’s Yorkshire puddings unfortunately looked the same so I asked for some cooked ones. They came out the same. The potatoes were appalling as well. No salt and pepper on the table to add some flavour. Had to ask. Both my husband and I had asked for double meat which you pay a little more for. Even when the server brought mine out he said ‘chicken ?’ I said I ordered ‘chicken and pork’ !! Oh yes he said there is pork as well. I’d have to forgive him for not seeing it though as it was almost non existent. No crackling which was clearly being eaten by half the other diners as you could hear them but not on our plates. To enjoy cauliflower cheese you can order this on the side at a cost. It looked like it had been dipped in mustard and there was little sauce but a dry coating of cheese tang to the cauliflower. It was just weird. You can order extra stuffing, potatoes and even limp Yorkshire’s at further cost. Thankfully we did not. So we spent over £60 and was left wanting. The server was in his own and not checking his diners. We left within 40 minutes. Shamefully I feel I have to write this as the other reviews are misleading. I really wouldn’t waste your money.