We like | Matt and Cat's Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide

The Cottage, Shanklin Hot

Reviews 6th November 2018
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Dining out with us could be a bit of a chore for our friends. You’re invited out a for a fun night out, yet your dining companions are constantly fiddling with notebooks and hustling their camera phones up and down at every course. Luckily we have some very tolerant... Read more

Blue Crab, Yarmouth

Reviews 29th October 2018
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Imagine popping into your local village chippy only to find yourself bumping into a peer of the realm. That was our diverting experience when we were waiting for a table in Yarmouth’s Blue Crab. ‘Takeaway for Michael?’ was called out, and we passed local celebrity Lord Grade of Yarmouth... Read more

ADA Meze Kitchen, Carisbrooke

Reviews 26th August 2018
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You’ll have heard us harp on about how Ryde is the international cuisine capital of the Island with its varied world food offerings. But what’s this? Is sleepy Carisbrooke snapping at its heels? The village is already home to one of our favourite English pub roasts, plus what must... Read more

Seapot, Ventnor

Reviews 14th August 2018
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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

High Street Bar Co, Ventnor

Reviews 6th August 2018
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With Cat unexpectedly incapacitated, Matt had to find himself an alternative dining-out companion. First in line was barbeque-enthusiast Kieron, an old pal who has many times plied Matt with more perfectly-grilled meat than a normal human should ever eat. The well-matched duo set off towards Ventnor on the hunt... Read more

Ryde Tandoori Hot

Reviews 23rd July 2018
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Although we don’t claim to have our fingers on the pulse of all the zeitgeisty food fashions, a recent trip to Bristol showed us that ‘raw’ food, sliders and nose-to-tail eating are still very much on the mainland’s (artfully-chipped enamelled) plate. Islandside, we’re all over The Rise of the... Read more

Chessell Pottery Cafe, Shalcombe

Reviews 1st July 2018
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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

White Lion, Arreton

Reviews 10th June 2018
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One of the great things about having mainland visitors is proudly showing off the Isle of Wight to them. Whether they are staunch monarchists, transport buffs or competitive children, you will find something to impress them. And so it was when we took recent guests to Osborne House, the... Read more

Pizza Express, Newport

Reviews 1st May 2018
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One drizzly Newport afternoon, post-cinema, we wandered into town with dinner in mind. Passing Thompson’s we paused, as ever, and pondered the alluring bill of fare outside. Was this the day that the £24 two-course set menu was going to draw us in? Apparently not. The siren of Pizza... Read more

The Bandstand, Sandown

Reviews 16th April 2018
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After considerable investment and what must surely have been a labour of love, in 2016 Sandown’s Bandstand welcomed diners through its doors. Matt particularly was intrigued to see inside this iconic building, such a landmark of his Sandown childhood. The conversion is remarkable; from an open-sided bandstand, its ironwork... Read more