Matt and Cat\'s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide
Dimbola, Freshwater

Dimbola, Freshwater

Reviews 1

We are often asked where the best place is to eat. That, of course, depends on the circumstances. You might not want to hold your toddler’s birthday party in a venue which is mostly populated by vertical drinkers yelling football-related expletives at Sky Sports on a muted telly. Similarly,... Read more
The Bakery, Bembridge
We’re often asked where is the best place to go for a specific type of meal; a roast dinner, say, or a cream tea. The other top request is breakfast. Cat’s – and the hipsters’ – particular favourite is smashed avocado and poached egg on toast, a surprisingly difficult... Read more
The Lounge at Monkton Arts, Ryde
One thing the global pandemic has taught many of us is how to be flexible. Today the government announced the possibility of a ‘last resort’ lockdown to thwart a winter wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, this might simply mean business as usual; laptop ensconced on the dining... Read more
ComiCoffee, East Cowes
One thing which the Isle of Wight does, and has always done well, is be an incubator for enterprise. Much has been said about the death and resurrection of the high street, but if you were hoping for a return to the butcher, baker and candlestick-maker, the old model... Read more
Jolliffe’s Eatery, Cowes
We recently spent a few days in Southsea. That stormy weekend which whipped Cat’s hair into even more of a nest, and caused Matt to peer at the wind and rain through the fur-trimmed hood of his snorkel parka. We stayed in the Queens Hotel, a landmark building in... Read more
Leal’s Tea Gardens, Godshill
At the tail-end of a scorching Bank Holiday weekend we had seen the Island at its best. Hedgerows nodding with fresh flowers, sun glinting on the gorgeous blue sea, beaches full of happy holidaymakers and of course some great meals out. Gathering a few friends we decided to make... Read more
Gurnard Press

Gurnard Press

Reviews 1

Let’s say you’re stuck with a traditional newsagent’s shop in Gurnard. It’s been trading for years but frankly, the writing is on the wall. Nobody buys fags any more, printed media is not really a growing market, and as for sweets and toiletries, darling, we all get them from... Read more
Seapot, Ventnor

Seapot, Ventnor

Reviews 1

At the outer edge of England lies the Isle of Wight; at the Island’s southerly perimeter is Ventnor – and clinging to its shoreline is Seapot. We approached the cafe from the Bonchurch end, pausing to read about how, when Victorian celebrity Tennyson popped into the village, local girls... Read more
Chessell Pottery Cafe, Shalcombe
Now that David Bowie has shuffled off this mortal coil, the memory of him will surely eventually fade away. But for old codgers like us, there is no greater shorthand for reinvention than the conceiver of the Thin White Duke and Ziggy Stardust. And, just as the erstwhile David... Read more
Caffe Isola, Newport

Caffe Isola, Newport

Reviews 1

Has Newport reached ‘peak coffee shop’? Back in 2015 we wondered this in our review of the then brand-new Coffee Room at Skintrade. People probably asked the same question when the venerable God’s Providence House opened its doors back in the last century – yet seemingly the demand for... Read more