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Pubs and restaurants with a sea view on the Isle of Wight (2021 guide)
A friend recently complained to me that there’s not a great deal of choice for good quality seaside dining on the Isle of Wight. I immediately told him he was wrong, kicked him out of my house and unfriended him on Facebook.
In hindsight, I may have been better to give some suggestions.
We've just included pubs and restaurants which offer evening meals. There are plenty more if you include cafes for lunch etc. I’ve included links to food hygiene ratings, since many of these places specialise in seafood and I’d rather not spend a week’s holiday on the toilet.
We've mostly just included those with a TripAdvisor rating of at least four (as of October 2020).
In hindsight, I may have been better to give some suggestions.
We've just included pubs and restaurants which offer evening meals. There are plenty more if you include cafes for lunch etc. I’ve included links to food hygiene ratings, since many of these places specialise in seafood and I’d rather not spend a week’s holiday on the toilet.
We've mostly just included those with a TripAdvisor rating of at least four (as of October 2020).
Pubs and restaurants with a sea view in Sandown and Shanklin
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Shanklin has a good choice of seaside restaurants and the Esplanade has three large restaurants in a row. At the time of writing, The Aqua gets the best reviews (4.5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene rating) closely followed by The Steamer (4/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene rating) and The Waterfront (4/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene rating). Last time I checked, The Aqua only served food inside in the evenings whereas the other two have inside and outside dining.
The other one we like is the Fisherman’s Cottage (4/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene rating), which is a thatched pub at the far end of the Esplanade in Shanklin. It’s so close to the water that you might get your feet wet. Elsewhere in Shanklin is The Hideaway, which is a shorts and flip-flops sort of place which has live music from the clifftop path (4.5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene). They do serve food in the evening but not as late as some places. Thanks to Ian on Facebook for the suggestion, and for the info that they provide binoculars for peering at passing ships. |
A sunny day in Shanklin (just like every other day in Shanklin)
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In Sandown, our favourite is The Bandstand (4.5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene). As you may have guessed, it’s on the site of the former bandstand at Sandham Gardens. It’s raised up slightly so you get a good view of the waves at high tide. It's right by a minigolf course, so some of the windows overlook a moving dinosaur and a volcano which puffs out smoke.
There are some other seafront restaurants in Sandown, which we haven't tried yet. Surfside Diner, The Reef and Ocean Deck are all in a row and have large outdoor seating areas.
Surfside Diner scores 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor (see food hygiene) as does The Reef (see TripAdvisor, see food hygiene rating). Ocean Deck scores 4/5 on TripAdvisor (see food hygiene rating).
There's also Sandown Cliffs Cookhouse and Pub, which is attached to the Premier Inn on the seafront. It's open to non-residents. It is quite new so hasn't had many reviews but was scoring 4.5/5 at the time of writing on TripAdvisor.
There are some other seafront restaurants in Sandown, which we haven't tried yet. Surfside Diner, The Reef and Ocean Deck are all in a row and have large outdoor seating areas.
Surfside Diner scores 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor (see food hygiene) as does The Reef (see TripAdvisor, see food hygiene rating). Ocean Deck scores 4/5 on TripAdvisor (see food hygiene rating).
There's also Sandown Cliffs Cookhouse and Pub, which is attached to the Premier Inn on the seafront. It's open to non-residents. It is quite new so hasn't had many reviews but was scoring 4.5/5 at the time of writing on TripAdvisor.
Restaurants and pubs with a sea view in East Wight
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In Ryde, our favourite was the Three Buoys but that closed in 2020. The Cadet Beach Club took over the building. At the time of typing, it didn't have many reviews to go on as it has just opened but the location is great. There’s nothing special about the building, but it’s got a balcony with views over the wide sandy beach.
During the summer months, The Dell Cafe in Appley also does evening meals on some nights. It gets good reviews, but you have to book as it's not huge (4.5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene). Thanks to Helen for the suggestion, via Facebook. |
The sandy beach at Appley
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Elsewhere on Ryde seafront is Harbour House. It's quite new, so didn't have many reviews when we checked but it was scoring well (4/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene). It's at the pricier end of the market (£15 - £25 for a main). Kudos to Annabel on Facebook for being the cool kid who heard about this one earlier than me. I expect she's into bands I've never heard of too.
Round the corner in Seaview you'll find The Old Fort (4.5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene) which my mother raves about (I think that's what she was talking about, I drifted off after a while).
Meanwhile, you get impressive cliff top sea views from Culver Haven Inn, which is a relaxed pub overlooking Sandown and Shanklin from a spot near Bembridge (4.5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene).
Round the corner in Seaview you'll find The Old Fort (4.5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene) which my mother raves about (I think that's what she was talking about, I drifted off after a while).
Meanwhile, you get impressive cliff top sea views from Culver Haven Inn, which is a relaxed pub overlooking Sandown and Shanklin from a spot near Bembridge (4.5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene).
Pubs and restaurants with a sea view in Ventnor and South Wight
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Ventnor has a long row of cafes and restaurants on the esplanade. Most of them are the kind of place you’d go for lunch rather than an evening meal but there are some evening options.
The biggest and busiest is The Spyglass (4/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene rating) which is a pub with an abundance of raucous laughter, live music and chips on a summer’s evening. There's also a pub near to the Spyglass called Mill Bay Inn (4/5 on TripAdvisor, see Food Hygiene). We've not been to that one and I can't find a website, so I can't offer much insight. Also on Ventnor's seafront is the Smoking Lobster, which is another one specialising in Seafood (5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene). Thanks to Jess on Facebook for recommending that one. A little further up the hill is The Hambrough, which is a hotel with a restaurant which is open to non-residents. It's a posh and pricey one but reviews are very good and a few years ago it won a Michelin Star (4.5/5 on TripAdvisor, see Food Hygiene). |
View from The Spyglass at night
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Restaurants and pubs with a sea view in North Wight
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The Woodvale pub in Gurnard is in a prime location (4/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene). It’s a bit pub-like with flashing fruit machines and a pool table, but the view over the beach huts is one of my favourites.
At the Cowes end of the Esplanade is The Yachtsman, which is a family-friendly pub. We've not tried this one, but two courses are about £15 and reviews are currently 4/5 on Trip Advisor. See Food Hygiene. There is also a relaxed pub/restaurant on the marina at East Cowes called The Lifeboat (4.5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene) where we've had a couple of good meals. It's hidden away at the bottom of a housing estate, so you'll think your sat nav has gone mad for a few minutes. |
Gurnard's beach huts
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Pubs and restaurants with a sea view in West Wight
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It's been many years since we went to The Waterfront in Totland, so not too sure what it's like nowadays (4/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene). However, the location is fantastic. Also in Totland is Bay Cafe on Totland Pier which opened in 2021 as part of plans to revive the rusting pier (4.5/5 on TripAdvisor, see Food Hygiene - most reviews refer to the old cafe on the site).
The Hut sits in a prime position on the water's edge at Colwell Bay (4/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene). Chris Evans and Michael Buble did a fundraising thing at this one in 2019. Last time I checked it was in the Michelin guide. That's not the same as having a Michelin star, but it's still impressive. Another restaurant in the Michelin guide is The Conservatory within The George Hotel in Yarmouth (4.5/5 on TripAdvisor, see food hygiene). It has sea views towards the town's pier. It's one of the more expensive restaurants on the Isle of Wight. If you book an upstairs table at The Cow Co Restaurant at Tapnell Farm (4.5/5 on TripAdvisor, see Food Hygiene) you get a lovely distant sea view towards Tennyson Down in one direction and the North Island in the other. It's a couple of miles inland so don't expect to hear the waves whilst you eat your burger. |
Colwell Bay
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Finally, a couple of curveballs...we like The Blacksmith's which is on the Middle Road quite near to Carisbrooke (4.5/5 on Trip Advisor, see Food Hygiene). Sure, it's about four miles from the sea but you can see the Solent from its dining room and we've had really good meals there. It's currently Mrs Guru's favourite Isle of Wight pub/restaurant.
Along similar lines, the Beefeater in Newport doesn't have a sea view but it is right next to the River Medina which heads out towards the Solent (3.5/5 on TripAdvisor, see Food Hygiene). They were very helpful when we've had to deal with allergies whilst eating out. |
The Blacksmith's isn't by the sea but it has nice distant sea views
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