Posh seafood restaurant at Colwell Bay that has grown both in reputation and size in recent years, although this is now really reflected in the prices. It’s a great spot for watching the sun go down as you wrestle with a lobster, but on balmy summer days you will need to book well in advance. It's great for people watching too, and not hard to spot that many of the customers arrive by yacht in salmon pink trousers, drink pink champagne and depart a few hours later with pink faces and in rather jolly wobbly spirits.

The Hut is also a great place to spot celebrities, if sitting at the table next to Simon Colwell while munching on a Dover Sole is your thing. It’s also a good spot for delicious but pricy post-beach cocktails, if you can get in, and don't mind being in the background of a lot of Instagram photos

Colwell Bay

Totland Pier

The restaurant at the George Hotel offers the best dining experience in Yarmouth at the moment, thanks to the involvement of 2-Michelin-star chef Claude Bosi, who as chef director has focussed on accessibility (rather than fine dining), and brasserie-style cooking with a strong emphasis on seafood.

Eating in the conservatory is pleasant enough during the wooly jumper months, but this location really comes into it's own during the summer, when you can dine outside in the fantastic garden, sandwiched between two historical sites: Yarmouth Castle (built by Henry VIII) and Yarmouth Pier. The garden also has a 'beach club' pizza kitchen.

Yarmouth Castle

Harvey's

The other really fantastic restaurant in the West Wight these days, and arguably one of the most critically-acclaimed eateries on the island, the Terrace occupies a fantastic location on top of the Wightlink ferry terminal in Yarmouth. As you'd expect, there is a large terrace for pre-dinner drinks with your best friends Gin and Tonic, watching the sun set over Yarmouth Harbour.

The Terrace also features large glass dining pods which insulates diners not only from the unlikely possibility of inclement weather, but also the noisy chat at the table next door. There's an incredibly good wine list here, which is really not surprising, as one of the co-owners Tom is recognised as one of the top 20 sommeliers in the UK. 

Yarmouth Harbour

The Wheatsheaf

Off The Rails has been our favourite place to have breakfast for some years, although recently the menu changed to become more of a brunch venue serving an eclectic mix of worldwide dishes. The setting is really lovely, overlooking the marshes and a brook where well-fed ducks elicit squeals of delight from visiting children. Because it's quite obviously set in Yarmouth's former railway station everything here is train-themed, including the dishes on the menu. That quirky vibe really gets a first class upgrade as you realise what kind of container you're expected to eat out of.

During the low season, the venue often hosts some great TV series-themed evenings (think, Allo Allo, Fawlty Towers), so definitely check the website regularly if you fancy having your burger in a box served by Basil. The owner is famous for his responses on Tripadvisor, much in the style you can imagine Fawtly would have if the web had existed in 1975. This restaurant is also probably the most dog-friendly on the island.

The River Yar circular walk

Mill Copse & 'The Den'