Really great restaurant in the centre of town. Cool setup with the menu being a fixed, sharing style, delicious food and great portions... Service is also excellent. Have been several times and would always go back when in Cowes.
Nick Farley
Honestly incredible - would totally recommend to anyone visiting the Isle of Wight. Visited with my girlfriend, my sister and her fiancé and advised in advance that we were all vegan. The flavours that they managed to get out of the vegetables was unbelievable, and the broccoli was so, so smoky - seriously impressed.Not only this, but the owner was one hell of a laugh and really made the entire experience top tier. One of those places where the ambience and premise completely reflect the character of the owner. Can't wait to come back.Vegetarian options: Full vegan and vegetarian offering is available when booked in advance.
Jane True
Food was great. Service great. The atmosphere was spoilt by sharing the table with some very loud women and it was a tad cold. I loved the ethos and not having a choice. A quirky and enjoyable experience.
Jon Mills
We visited this restaurant as a family early in 2024, and by far it’s the best restaurant experience that we’ve shared in several years.With no menus, leaving the owner, Mark, to serve a huge array of beautifully cooked food to the table, served in a large skillet, we were blown away by both the quality and quantity of the food provided.And don’t get me started on the drinks options, but just to say they were rare, special and plentiful.Thanks Mark. We loved our visit and will be back next time we visit the island (we may even make a special trip over just to visit your place - it’s that good!!)
Pete G
Unique service, excellent food - absolutely cannot fault it at
Rebecca Jennings
Quirky experience with amazing food. The chicken is to die for !!
TimmyN_11
Popped in on the off chance as I saw a review extolling the virtues of the restaurant. Although he was due to be busy shortly he managed to find a table for the two of us. First impressions, bearing in mind I had read the word ‘quirky’ in a review, was that it was an old butchers shop and retained that vintage charm with original floors, walls and fittings, and add two rows of bench type tables within to sit at. We were sat and asked what drinks we would like, I went for a rum and my other half just a water. We were further asked if we ate everything. My partner does not eat pork and this was not a problem as we were informed the pork products would be served on a separate plate for us. There is no menu, which makes things much more exciting but our host mentioned ribs, chicken, and brisket. I would imagine we were waiting about 15 minutes before the food was brought out. A very large dish full of breaded chicken, brisket, mushrooms in a garlic(?) sauce all sitting on a bed of delicious rice and tender stem broccoli all in portions large enough to set in mild panic that I wouldn’t be able to eat much of it. In a separate dish came a large portion of cauliflower and broccoli cheese and another bowl containing the ribs and belly pork as promised. I don’t know where to start or what was my favourite. The pork was cooked to perfection with a great taste but so was the chicken and brisket. The mushrooms were just divine and the rice perfectly flavoured and cooked. I’m not a fan of cauliflower but did take a few spoons of the sauce and it was also lovely. The food was also piping hot throughout. We ate from paper plates and my partner half joked it was good for the environment, the host retorted that it was simply to save on washing up. Fair enough! ?? Our plates were cleared away when we were full (and there is certainly enough served to fill up the hungriest person) and my partner asked to pay. A figure was tapped in to the card machine and with my rum it came to a very respectable £55. While yes, you could get a meal for that price anywhere, I challenge you to find unique, home-cooked food for that, especially that amount of food and with the personal level of service. I was more than happy with the price, and I felt that when I was shown the price the host was asking me if that’s what it was worth! Two very satisfied customers, thank you so much for great food and the experience. People - do book in advance, seats are limited and we were just lucky. You’re not going to be disappointed!
John Boero
Amazing even in low season.
Manny Singh
Food is out of this world! Mac and cheese was the best I have ever had! What makes this place even more great is the owners hospitality! Don't think it's possible to say anything bad about this place! MUST TRY !
pete rangeley
Unique dining experience..most excellent food and service from the front of house.. go visit and enjoy.. we did and shall return without a doubt.. most enjoyable.. keep up the Unique experience...Pete and
Went for "Christmas Dinner" with a group of friends. Really unique experience. Food is served in a wok for a group and there are layers of flavour. The base was a rice dish that was topped with slow braised beef, two types of ribs, pork belly and southern fried chicken and topped off with a cabbage coleslaw and tenderstem broccoli. There were two Christmas themed side dishes, a cauliflower, leek and sprouts cheese dish to the left, and to the right we were served a plate of turkey and stuffing topped mash. All delicious, and watch out for those shots!Dietary restrictions: There is no menu here, you are signing up to be served the dish if the day. Be clear when you book of any restrictions!
Pierre Osterrieth
Could not be happier with our choice of restaurant. We were sceptical about cajun food in the UK but everything was perfect.Trust the chef - he knows how to put together a great menu.
emeraldgreen96
How this is number 1 in Cowes is a mystery. Maybe the owner is writing his own reviews! Positive; vegetarian meal was tasty. Negative; no menu, no price of food or drink. Paper plates Owner constantly offering rum shots, how much were they? Made up a price at the end on calculator. £43 for a vege meal, 2 beers and 2 shots. Outrageous
Mrs-Viterinary
Mark, we love your place & always visit every time we stay at our house in Cowes. This time was different - we sadly lost our Labrador after a long illness & needed to try & have a bit of fun. You came up trumps & we enjoyed a fabulous evening & met some lovely new friends. The food was exceptional as ever, but its your hosting and putting the right people together that makes CIWYW so special. Thank you! xx Nicky & Dave
Tony Grace
The host Mark was a character and did his best to entertain 18 people, the food was very tasty.
Really great restaurant in the centre of town. Cool setup with the menu being a fixed, sharing style, delicious food and great portions... Service is also excellent. Have been several times and would always go back when in Cowes.
Honestly incredible - would totally recommend to anyone visiting the Isle of Wight. Visited with my girlfriend, my sister and her fiancé and advised in advance that we were all vegan. The flavours that they managed to get out of the vegetables was unbelievable, and the broccoli was so, so smoky - seriously impressed.Not only this, but the owner was one hell of a laugh and really made the entire experience top tier. One of those places where the ambience and premise completely reflect the character of the owner. Can't wait to come back.Vegetarian options: Full vegan and vegetarian offering is available when booked in advance.
Food was great. Service great. The atmosphere was spoilt by sharing the table with some very loud women and it was a tad cold. I loved the ethos and not having a choice. A quirky and enjoyable experience.
We visited this restaurant as a family early in 2024, and by far it’s the best restaurant experience that we’ve shared in several years.With no menus, leaving the owner, Mark, to serve a huge array of beautifully cooked food to the table, served in a large skillet, we were blown away by both the quality and quantity of the food provided.And don’t get me started on the drinks options, but just to say they were rare, special and plentiful.Thanks Mark. We loved our visit and will be back next time we visit the island (we may even make a special trip over just to visit your place - it’s that good!!)
Unique service, excellent food - absolutely cannot fault it at
Quirky experience with amazing food. The chicken is to die for !!
Popped in on the off chance as I saw a review extolling the virtues of the restaurant. Although he was due to be busy shortly he managed to find a table for the two of us. First impressions, bearing in mind I had read the word ‘quirky’ in a review, was that it was an old butchers shop and retained that vintage charm with original floors, walls and fittings, and add two rows of bench type tables within to sit at. We were sat and asked what drinks we would like, I went for a rum and my other half just a water. We were further asked if we ate everything. My partner does not eat pork and this was not a problem as we were informed the pork products would be served on a separate plate for us. There is no menu, which makes things much more exciting but our host mentioned ribs, chicken, and brisket. I would imagine we were waiting about 15 minutes before the food was brought out. A very large dish full of breaded chicken, brisket, mushrooms in a garlic(?) sauce all sitting on a bed of delicious rice and tender stem broccoli all in portions large enough to set in mild panic that I wouldn’t be able to eat much of it. In a separate dish came a large portion of cauliflower and broccoli cheese and another bowl containing the ribs and belly pork as promised. I don’t know where to start or what was my favourite. The pork was cooked to perfection with a great taste but so was the chicken and brisket. The mushrooms were just divine and the rice perfectly flavoured and cooked. I’m not a fan of cauliflower but did take a few spoons of the sauce and it was also lovely. The food was also piping hot throughout. We ate from paper plates and my partner half joked it was good for the environment, the host retorted that it was simply to save on washing up. Fair enough! ?? Our plates were cleared away when we were full (and there is certainly enough served to fill up the hungriest person) and my partner asked to pay. A figure was tapped in to the card machine and with my rum it came to a very respectable £55. While yes, you could get a meal for that price anywhere, I challenge you to find unique, home-cooked food for that, especially that amount of food and with the personal level of service. I was more than happy with the price, and I felt that when I was shown the price the host was asking me if that’s what it was worth! Two very satisfied customers, thank you so much for great food and the experience. People - do book in advance, seats are limited and we were just lucky. You’re not going to be disappointed!
Amazing even in low season.
Food is out of this world! Mac and cheese was the best I have ever had! What makes this place even more great is the owners hospitality! Don't think it's possible to say anything bad about this place! MUST TRY !
Unique dining experience..most excellent food and service from the front of house.. go visit and enjoy.. we did and shall return without a doubt.. most enjoyable.. keep up the Unique experience...Pete and
Restaurantji Recommends
Went for "Christmas Dinner" with a group of friends. Really unique experience. Food is served in a wok for a group and there are layers of flavour. The base was a rice dish that was topped with slow braised beef, two types of ribs, pork belly and southern fried chicken and topped off with a cabbage coleslaw and tenderstem broccoli. There were two Christmas themed side dishes, a cauliflower, leek and sprouts cheese dish to the left, and to the right we were served a plate of turkey and stuffing topped mash. All delicious, and watch out for those shots!Dietary restrictions: There is no menu here, you are signing up to be served the dish if the day. Be clear when you book of any restrictions!
Could not be happier with our choice of restaurant. We were sceptical about cajun food in the UK but everything was perfect.Trust the chef - he knows how to put together a great menu.
How this is number 1 in Cowes is a mystery. Maybe the owner is writing his own reviews! Positive; vegetarian meal was tasty. Negative; no menu, no price of food or drink. Paper plates Owner constantly offering rum shots, how much were they? Made up a price at the end on calculator. £43 for a vege meal, 2 beers and 2 shots. Outrageous
Mark, we love your place & always visit every time we stay at our house in Cowes. This time was different - we sadly lost our Labrador after a long illness & needed to try & have a bit of fun. You came up trumps & we enjoyed a fabulous evening & met some lovely new friends. The food was exceptional as ever, but its your hosting and putting the right people together that makes CIWYW so special. Thank you! xx Nicky & Dave
The host Mark was a character and did his best to entertain 18 people, the food was very tasty.