Cowes Restaurant Guide

The building has a history dating back to the 1780s, and its current occupant has developed into a real local staple since launching in its current guise in 2003: an airy bistro with a conservatory and terrace. Adam Maker has headed up the kitchen for the past few years and, while he no longer seems to be doing small plates mentioned in last year’s edition, has settled on fixtures like fish ‘n’ chips, pizzas and a popular Sunday roast: cooking that’s “always reliable”. Oenophiles NB: Camber Wines sits above the restaurant, so top tipples are guaranteed.

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.

“Still amazing after all these years” – “Andrew & Marjolaine Du Bourg are excellent hosts” and continue to win high esteem at this quaint fine-dining venue, in a pretty street near the harbour. “A real foodie restaurant”: choose from four-, five-, or seven-course menus where “every course is a surprise and you don’t get the actual menu until the end”: “inventive, delicious food and wine throughout”.

This two-year-old restaurant in a “boutique hotel on the main street of Lymington” specialises in “simply prepared and beautifully presented fish, straight from the local boats”. Experienced chef Matthew Tomkinson, previously of The Hambrough on the Isle of Wight, took over the kitchen in early 2024.

The “idyllic New Forest location” is the big draw at the original Pig, where Robin & Judy Hutson set the template for their shabby-chic country-house hotel group that had grown to 11 branches by the time they stepped back into retirement at the end of 2024. The “food is perhaps not quite as adventurous as it used to be”, but its basic premise of “fresh local produce, cooked perfectly” still passes muster for most reporters. Black marks, though, for some “poorly trained staff” and “seriously overpriced wines”.

“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.

“I might have walked past if I hadn‘t been looking for it” – David Wykes opened his small contemporary fish bistro supplied from a “small, one-man open kitchen” in 2010. Despite its modest size, it’s nowadays one of the top-100 most commented-on venues in our annual diners’ poll thanks to its “exceptional fish dishes, presented with flair and imagination”. “You choose the number of courses you want, and say if there is anything you don’t like and then the most amazing fish just keeps coming” to create a “unique and outstanding food experience”. “Chef is keen to emphasise at any opportunity, everything is made in house with lots of interesting spices and flavourings, many made from his own foraging expeditions”. “It’s quite simple in décor and unpretentiously welcoming” (but while “the space is comfortable, when a large group arrives it can become near deafening”). Many reports suggest that “all fish lovers need to experience Verveine at least once”… “I live a couple of hours away, but I’ll certainly be back again soon!”

“Hard to fault the food” according to the numerous fans of Angela Hartnett and Lime Wood’s Luke Holder’s retreat – a 33 bedroom property tastefully updated and with a “beautiful New Forest location”, where the menu puts an Italian spin on quite a conservative country-house menu (with main courses such as guinea fowl or Dover sole for £45-£55). At these prices, though, the odd reporter feels “it has good food, but the à la carte is overpriced: opt for the good-value set lunch”.

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’.

Near the seafront in Southampton’s Ocean Village Marina, this modern venue inspired positive feedback across the board in this year’s annual diners’ poll. In September 2024, though, it ‘temporarily closed’, with its Facebook promising: “after 4 wonderful years… the restaurant will temporarily close, this marks the start of something even better! When the restaurant reopens, a refreshed Blue Jasmine will make your experience even more memorable”. So we will watch this space.

This “special Chinese” in an “attractive” and “spacious building on the main shopping street” (an old outpost of HSBC) was launched in 2017 by a former chef of acclaimed international brand Hakkasan, and features ‘wow factor’ interiors including chandeliers and cherry blossom accents. By all accounts, the “excellent” cooking (classic Peking duck is a signature but the menu is notably extensive) is a “real treat” – and if you are in the mood to party, they also offer high-tech karaoke.

“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).