Cowes Restaurant Guide

This “pleasant” and “airy” bistro on the seafront has shaken up its offering thanks to new head chef Adam Maker, who has introduced small plates and ambitious locally sourced cuisine alongside ongoing fixtures such as the “excellent fish ’n’ chips” and pizzas. Oenophiles are also well served as “in partnership with Camber Wines, there’s plenty of choice for all tastes and budgets” when it comes to the tipples.

2023 Review: Chef-patron Kevin Bingham has presented his “excellent” ‘global French’ cuisine at this consistent performer near the Southsea seafront for more than a decade – and at restaurant Montparnasse (RIP) before that. The tasting menu goes down well, “with a well-chosen wine flight to complement it”.

2023 Review: A “glorious summer lunch spot” – “if the sun is shining you could be in the South of France drinking rosé and eating lovely – if somewhat pricey – seafood to the soundtrack of Dmitri from Paris”. The seventeenth-century hotel is run by Prince Harry’s pal Howard Spooner, who last year won a High Court battle against his former business partner Sally Johnson, following the pair’s failed attempt to turn The George into a celebrity retreat for A-listers, including old rockers, yachtsmen, polo players and wealthy Americans.

“The new kid on the block”, this ambitious new restaurant opened in November 2022 in a “boutique hotel on Lymington’s High Street” that had been closed for a year-long renovation. It has quickly established a solid reputation for its “simply prepared and beautifully presented fish, straight from the local boats”.

“The setting is off the charts” at the New Forest original of Robin Hutson’s shabby-chic country house hotel group (which was sold to private equity in late 2022) – “a beautiful manor house with incredible gardens and a fascinating, walled kitchen garden”. “Finally made it here for my wife’s birthday this year: we’ll definitely be returning!”. The food (better rated this year) is generally considered “fine” or better, albeit “with the continuous expansion of the chain, the meals become a little more hotel-like – though we certainly enjoyed our visit”.

“Situated on the seafront at Bembridge”, on the eastern side of the isle, this early nineteenth century gastropub-with-rooms provides “a nice range of delicious seafood dishes”, including the trademark crab and lobster.

“Constantly innovative, super-fresh fish dishes” from chef-patron David Wykes have established this “small, warm space” with an in-house fishmonger as a true “destination restaurant”, invariably hailed as a “great discovery” by first-time visitors. The “outstanding tasting menus” are presented in an unusual format, with guests nominating the number of courses but not their content. They arrive with “imaginative accompaniments” and “charming, attentive service”.

“The Italian-style food is a treat to behold” at this out-of-town retreat from Anglo-Italian chef Angela Hartnett (of Murano in Mayfair) with chef Luke Holder, in a New Forest hotel that’s “a place to be seen in, for a special occasion”. “Full of character and brimming with fine furnishings”, it’s “a beautiful venue for a (pricey) treat”, although lapses drag the ratings down: more critical diners feel “it’s a very good restaurant, but it never seems to get everything completely right at the same time!” and service in particular can be “surprisingly varied”. Top Tip – “ask for a table in the more attractive main room when booking”.

2021 Review: “TerraVina’s resurrection” – “in its new guise as a boutique B&B and café” – “has become a real favourite in the beautiful New Forest”. Founder Gerard Basset, the famed wine expert behind the original Hotel du Vin, died in January 2019 after a two-year fight against cancer, and his widow Nina has kept the business going. There are “no evening meals now, but breakfasts and lunches are splendid” and “in summer it’s lovely to sit in the garden”.

2023 Review: In July 2021, GC Giancovich – with the help of family and friends – opened this sibling to his Ventor original, with a similar pan-Asian, fish-heavy menu, plus sushi and cocktails. Fans say it’s “not perfect yet but well on the way to being a must-go place”.

2022 Review: “Worth crossing the Solent for!”, say fans of this local staple, which turns out “amazing fish ’n’ chips” featuring “crisp batter and pearlescent fish”. Cart it away to the nearby seafront or tuck in on-site (“the little dining room is attached to the back of the shop”).

2023 Review: Chef-owner Charlie Bartlett’s “little gem serving lovely food cooked with imagination” is “well worth a trip” – and by some accounts offers “close to the best cooking on the Island”, although not everyone is convinced by “a mishmash of clashing influences in the dishes”.

2023 Review: This “fab” harbourside wine bar-bistro “with gorgeous views across the Solent” has three glass shelters on its eponymous terrace, so you can eat outside in all seasons. The menu highlight is steaks from retired dairy cows from the island’s Briddlesford Farm, hung for 40 days and cooked to medium for the ‘tangy, rich and yellow fat to melt nicely’.

An “excellent culinary experience” is again reported – if on quite limited feedback – at this very contemporary four-year-old venue in Southampton’s Ocean Village Marina. Chef Daren Liew – whose CV includes Hakkasan – aims to create ‘Asian gastronomy that’s been elevated to fine-dining standards’.

“An absolute gem of an Indian” that’s “always busy with a great atmosphere” and “well worth a visit” for its “fantastic food” and “superb staff who really know their menu” (no wonder it has snaffled the Asian Curry Awards’ ‘Best Asian Restaurant on the South Coast of England’ title for five years running).

2022 Review: This “intimate restaurant” occupies a site on the high street that in days gone by housed Phileas Fogg and a Mexican pop-up. Its rotating menu (affordable, and fairly conventional in style) is strong on local sourcing and – as per the name – cherrypicks from global cuisine. A couple of London-based diners reported their best meal of the year here.

2023 Review: This “pleasurable small town-centre bar/bistro” serves a “short but exceptional Asian-inspired menu” that “would put many well-known central London restaurants to shame”. “The staff were welcoming and extremely knowledgeable about the food.”