Eating out

The Isle of Wight is a food lovers paradise, with many fantastic restaurants, both in Ventnor and throughout the Island.  Matt and Cat’s Restaurant Guide will help you to navigate through the myriad of opportunities. It really is a fantastic resource for finding the perfect restaurant or cafe on the Island.

Our Ventnor favourites include

The Hamborough - the Island’s Michelin starred restaurant, a stroll away from the house.

The Spyglass Inn – on a sunny day, unrivalled for al fresco dining with spectacular sea front views.

The Met Bar – located on the esplanade, a great selection of Tapas and one of the best wine lists in Ventnor.

Ale and Oyster - again located on the Esplanade.  A real ‘gastropub’ offering superb cooking and an excellent selection of seafood dishes.

Phileas Fogg – in the town centre, offering an eclectic selection of international dishes guaranteed to keep the whole family happy.

El Toro Contento - has two branches in Ventnor, the main branch is in the Town Centre and their second branch, open on sunny days, is on the Esplanade.  Whichever you choose, a feast of Spanish Tapas awaits you.

Tillys and the Thistle Café in the Town Centre offer good home cooking for all the family and great value.  For a superbly cooked English Breakfast on the seafront, and the friendliest staff on the Island, don’t miss the Ventnor Bay Café.

Dining at home

For your groceries, both Tesco and Sainsburys offer online shopping with deliveries to Ventnor.  There is also a Co-operative store, two minutes walk away in the Town Centre and a large Morrisons in Newport and in Sandown.  There is a Marks and Spencers with a good sized foodhall in Newport and a large Tesco Extra in Ryde.

Whilst we appreciate that the large chains makes life more convenient during your stay, we do encourage you to shop locally and discover what an outstanding range of Island produce is available.  By doing so you will also be supporting the local community, which we feel is also important.

Real Island Foods delivers to your holiday home and have an excellent range of Island Produce in their on-line store.

Ventnor High Street has two lovely delis:

Goodman’s Deli has an excellent selection of cheeses and other goodies and a small coffee shop.  

The Island Deli has a good selection of Island produce and lovely fresh bread and will make picnic hampers for you with some advance notice.  Island Foods also has  a small coffee shop.

The butcher’s shop on the High Street is excellent and sells a range of cooked meats and cheeses as well as our favourite sausage rolls and pasties, perfect beach food!

Ventnor Haven Fisheries is a two minute walk from the house, where you will find a good selection of fish and shellfish; the fish is sold fresh from the boats and is excellent fare for your holiday BBQs!

There are excellent farm shops at the Garlic Farm and Briddlesford Lodge, both of which also offer excellent cafes.  Godshill Organics provides a comprehensive selection of organic groceries.  

Benefiting from the Island’s mild climate, Rosemary Vineyard is one of the largest producers of English Wine where you can see the production of wine from Vine to bottle and (if you purchase a few bottles) to table