Cowes is a gorgeous little seaside town on the Isle of Wight that attracts thousands of visitors each year. To make your trip to Cowes even more spectacular, we have put together a list of the very best restaurants in this Isle of Wight Town. That way you know where to eat in Cowes and what Cowes restaurants are worth your while. Here are the best restaurants in Cowes, Isle of Wight.
Table of Contents
Call It What You Want Restaurant Cowes
Call It What You Want is the best reviewed restaurant in Cowes. This restaurant offers a modern twist on American and Cajun classics, bringing The South to the Isle of Wight. This beautiful little restaurant in the historic centre of Cowes has been serving Creole soul food ever since 2019.
As there aren’t that many tables in the little restaurant, it might be best for you to reserve a table online or to call ahead in order to make sure there is space. In addition to mouth-watering lunches and great dinners, Call It What You Want restaurant in Cowes also serves a great breakfast combining Southern smoky flavours with local staples and the best Isle of Wight produce.
As Call It What You Want prides itself on its amazing menu and the use of the best seasonal ingredients, you can expect seasonal food and quality ingredients in a lovely setting.
Prego Italian Restaurant Cowes
As many people LOVE Italian food, it would be amiss of me to not include a nice Italian Restaurant in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Prego is an Italian-Style Restaurant working from the heart of East Cowes. Because of its location – very close to transportation links such as the ferry to Southampton, this is the best restaurant to go to when heading home from a lovely holiday on the Isle of Wight.
The Owners of Prego Italian Restaurant in Cowes envisioned a warm, welcoming, and modern restaurant serving delicious food near Cowes Marina. On the menu you will find delicious pizza and a nice selection of Pasta and Risotto such as Penne Amatriciana with bacon, onion, tomato, garlic and Parmesan for £9.50 and Risotto Porcini with wild mushroom sauce, truffle oil, garlic and parmesan for £11.50 Be sure to try one of their acclaimed pizzas!
Celiacs will he happy to hear that all the pasta’s except for the lasagne and the mac ‘n’ cheese can be made with gluten free fusilli!
On the desert menu offered by Prego Italian Restaurant Cowes you can find Baileys Tiramisu at £4.50 and Sticky Toffee Pudding £4.50.
On the drinks list we find quite a nice selection of wines and beers as well as a couple of house cocktails such as the Strawberry Bellini and the Espresso Martini, all reasonably priced!
Number 3 Restaurant Cowes
Number 3 restaurant in Cowes is a small and intimate restaurant tucked away in the old cobbled streets of this Isle of Wight Town. And when we say Intimate – we mean Intimate! With only a select number of tables available, Number three offers a very personal haute cuisine dinner experience. In fact: they even offer a 5 course tasting menu for those who want to treat their taste buds.
Number Restaurant prides itself in using local and high quality ingredients that are in season. Because of this, the menu often changes. Don’t be taken aback when you receive a hand written menu on a clipboard or disappointed when certain menu items are currently unavailable.
In addition to the traditional style menu, Number 3 restaurant in Cowes also offers a day board with starters and mains. On the day board you will mainly find fish which will be the catch of the day, or seasonal meats such as lamb or game.
Harbour Kitchen Restaurant Cowes
Harbour Kitchen Restaurant in Cowes is a family-owned bistro that opened its doors back in 2017. This is one of the best family friendly restaurants in Cowes, and I would highly recommend having lunch of dinner at the Harbour Kitchen Restaurant in Cowes.
Additionally, and this is important for those bringing their four-legged friends, the Harbour Kitchen Restaurant, also welcomes well-behaved dogs on leads. The restaurant offers a relaxed, comfortable and very friendly environment for you to have a burger or even a glass of wine.
On the menu you will find a selection of light bites such as Tomato with avocado and onion (£4.75) or even Mac and Cheese Croquettes (from £4). The Harbour Kitchen also serves dumplings and Nachos such as the Nachos with homemade beef chili for £10.95.
You can also head to Harbour Kitchen Restaurant for a good old ploughman’s, a nice selection of salads, nice mains such as the African Peanut Pot for £13 or the Crab Cakes for £18. Their award winning burgers (by the Isle of Wight Good Food Guide) can be enjoyed from £8.50, and add some speciality fries from £5.
If I would make a vegan restaurant guide for the Isle of Wight, this is a restaurant I surely would have to add as they have a nice selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes!
All in all, this is a great restaurant with a friendly atmosphere making the most of regional ingredients. This contemporary restaurant is a great place to head to when looking for wholesome food on your Cowes visit!
Murrays Seafood Restaurant Cowes
If you are up for a but of seafood during your Cowes visit, you need to head to Murrays Seafood Restaurant. This little restaurant on the high street of Cowes is only 2 minutes away from the Cowes Ferry and the Cowes Yacht Club, making this a great location to get your fill on seafood.
Murrays seafood is a real staple here in Cowes as the restaurant has been the place to be for seafood lovers for the past 40 years. Indeed, reading through the reviews of restaurants in Cowes, I felt like I needed to include this restaurant, just for its amazing menu alone. Although a bit of a classic menu with a great wine list, this restaurant changes dinner menus quite often to reflect what is in season and to offer its customers the freshest and best fish and seafood available – whether this is lobster or a nice bit of crab.
Murrays offers a set price lunch at £18 for two courses and £22 for three courses – and let me tell you: the menu looks amazing! Definitely look into this when craving some seafood as you will be able to choose from dishes such as Crab Pate Ciabatta Melba Toast or Salt and Pepper Squid with Pesto Mayonnaise for starters, or Cod Filet with Prawn and Lobster Sauce and Salmon with Samphire and Lemon Butter for mains. As I mentioned before, these menu items change often depending on what is in season. That is why it might be a good idea to check the website before booking a table!
The Basque Kitchen Cowes
The Basque Kitchen in Cowes serves delicious Basque food at a reasonable price close to the Cowes Yacht Haven. You will be able to munch on delicious tapas as well as order some of their famed gin and tonics. In fact, the Basque Kitchen in Cowes stocks no less than 30 gin. They will happily guide you into ordering the gin that fits best with your palette or even tapa’s – whether you prefer a fruity, floral, spicy or even earthy gin!
When looking at the menu or a la carte lunch offered by The Basque Kitchen Restaurant in Cowes, we see that they offer bits to nibble on such as the speciality olives at £3.50 or even amazing Iberico Ham at £14 or a complete cured meat platter including Iberico ham, Iberico Chorizo, Cecina, and Iberico Lomo – for £19.
The Basque Kitchen in Cowes offers a nice selection of amazing tapas such as stuffed roll lamb at £8 or white asparagus at £6.50. The restaurant is also famous for its 1kg fore-rib on the bone steak prepared in the original Basque way for £50.
If you are going out for casual lunches or want to have a nice and relaxed afternoon eating tapas and drinking wine – then The Basque Kitchen in Cowes is the perfect place to be!
Jolliffes of Cowes
Jolliffe of Cowes is a gorgeous little retro restaurant based in a beautiful tiled house near the centre of Cowes. Indeed, it is hard to miss the beautiful, exterior of this restaurant and café with its large art deco window on the first floor.
Located on shooters hill, this beautiful restaurant serves nice comfort food such as home made pates or a nice tomato soup. You can enjoy cooked meats and traditional dishes from the South of England in one of the most beautiful locations of Cowes.
Indeed, the owners of Joliffes of Cowes took the time to find and collect beautiful vintage items and antiques to line the restaurant with. Be sure to head in for a cup of coffee, or try one of their artisan cakes presented on their beautiful afternoon tea stand.
Moocows restaurant in Cowes Isle of Wight
I have hardly ever seen a 5 star review with more than 150 reviews, yet Moocow seems to be one of the exceptions! This beautiful little family restaurant is a perfect place to if you are looking for a gorgeous restaurant in a previously empty Victorian penny school!
This beautiful urban space serves home-made food and amazing drinks and even organizes Friday and Saturday Mezze evenings which are very popular with the locals (book a table!).
When looking at the different menus offered by Moocows, we notice that they offer a nice selection of bar snacks including the famed Baked Crab Pot for £7.50 and a nice offering of mezze which includes a gorgeous seafood tagine for £8.95 or even pulled pork in mini brioche buns for £7.95. If you are heading to Cowes with friends and want to spend your evening in the weekend nibbling away at mezze, then Moocow is a great choice.
Moocow also offers an set menu for mezze and a set 3 course menu for those with a big appetite. On their website you can have a look at an example of these menus, although these change a lot depending on what is in season.
Want to seat outside? Moocow has an enviable terrace for al fresco dining. With barbecue items and beautiful paella dishes or even a home made pizza – you cannot go wrong when dining at Moocows Restaurant in Cowes.
The Lifeboat Restaurant Cowes
The Lifeboat in Cowes is a bar and restaurant located close to the Cowes Yacht Haven serving traditional dishes and wholesome food at a reasonable price. As the Lifeboat Restaurant in Cowes is located right next to the Cowes Yacht Haven, you can expect a terrace with views over the boats and beautiful water views in the evening when the sun goes down.
This bistro restaurant with a pier view and captivating sea views serves breakfast lunch and dinner, and is known for having a nice wine list. The menu for lunch and dinner changes depending on what is currently in season. In fact, The Lifeboat Restaurant in Cowes changes its restaurant every summer, autumn, winter and spring to make sure they can use the freshest ingredients available.
On the breakfast menu you can choose from well-known and classic food items such as a full English breakfast with meat, but also a vegetarian breakfast or a vegan breakfast. Additionally they also serve a mighty bap with smoked bacon, a pork sausage and a fried egg and hash brown, or a selection of cereal and granola. The Lifeboat Restaurant in Cowes is the perfect place to book if you are looking for panoramic views over the sea!
Shoreside Cafe Cowes
Are you looking forward to panoramic coastal views over an English Sea Port? Then the Shoreside Café in Cowes is the place to be. You know I cannot resist adding a good café to the list of best restaurants in any given English town or region – mainly because cafes are known to serve the absolute best breakfast. That is no different at the Shoreside Café near Cowes beach. This little face with outside seating on a sun-filled terrace happens to serve amazing English café food with gorgeous views over the Solent, Southampton and part of The New Forest!
Lieze Neven is a globetrotting travel writer and expat currently based in Nepal. With a passion for exploration, she has lived in Dubai, the UK, and Belgium, alongside her international teacher husband. Her parents live in France and she tries to visit Paris at least once a year. Together, they travel the world looking for the best hotels, experiences and food locations have to offer!