One of the most popular questions we are asked by our charter guests is ‘Where are the best places to eat?’. Luckily around Solent Water, there are some great places to stop and enjoy food. Some offer an experience and others are great for a quick bite.
Below are the places that the Bluetooth crew have enjoyed and are happy to pass on our personal recommendations*.
Cowes
Other than a bag of chips at the chip shop in the high street, we haven’t recently enjoyed a warm meal in Cowes.
We have however enjoyed really tasty ice creams from Paradice. They also serve a cup of tea if you are gasping for a brew!
If it’s not an ice cream type of day then 2 doors down is a gorgeous bakery called Well Bread which offers a lovely variety of cakes, bread and savoury treats. It’s one of those bakeries where you may have to toss a coin to decide which of their delicious treats you’ll be taking away with you.
Award for “The best sandwiches ever” comes after Nic enjoyed a takeaway lunch from The Food Hamper.
One of the best views has to go to Pontoon View, the cafe/restaurant at Cowes Yacht Haven. Where you can sit and enjoy a snack or lunch whilst overlooking the marina. A great place to while away time in the sunshine – or in the gazebo if the weather isn’t playing ball.
Where to moor in Cowes for lunch. You’ve got two main choices. You can moor at Town Quay. If that area is full then moor at Cowes Yacht Haven. The latter have Bluetooth registered on their booking system to make payment nice and easy.
East Cowes
We enjoyed lunch at the Lifeboat at East Cowes. It’s a pub offering good food. You are able to book tables inside but not the tables outside which overlook the River Medina, a lovely suntrap on a sunny afternoon.
Recently we visited the newly refurbished Folly Inn. Long gone are the days of dancing on tables. Now it’s a smart nautically themed restaurant with a decent menu. They have also introduced an outdoor dining area where in season and in the right weather, they’ll be serving fish and chips. We haven’t tried this yet so will update you when we or one of our charter guests tries it out.
Where to moor in East Cowes for lunch. For lunch at the Lifeboat you’ll need to moor at East Cowes Marina. The Folly have a pontoon in front of the pub for visitors. or if busy a dedicated buoy for RIB’s.
Yarmouth
The Terrace Restaurant is right next to Yarmouth Marina and is a gem offering a great menu with really delicious food. They have indoor and outdoor seating and we do advise booking.
If it’s a light bite you are after then take a walk over to Gossips Cafe, Yarmouth’s only waterside cafe. Decent sandwiches/baguettes and they have a licence for the non-RIB driver!
During Covid, we enjoyed a tasty takeaway from Harbour Fries at The Wheatsheaf Pub. When we’ve passed by recently, it looks like takeaways are no longer on the menu (pardon the pun) so we hope you can enjoy a tasty bite in the pub itself.
There is a lovely ice cream shop in Yarmouth, Scoops can be found in Wheatsheaf Lane, the same lane you’ll find the pub. We can highly recommend the lemon shorbread in a chocolate-topped cone. Zingy and tasty on a warm day.
Where to moor in Yarmouth for lunch you’ll need to moor at Yarmouth Harbour. When busy you will be rafting up on the harbour wall or you can pick up a buoy outside of the harbour wall and be bought in by the marina water taxi. Bluetooth is registered on their booking system to make payment nice and easy.
Colwell Bay
The Hut is the most popular restaurant in the Solent and is incredibly hard to get into. If you do manage to get a reservation then expect views and an atmosphere similar to being on holiday in the Med. We’ve managed to enjoy brunch and lunch over the past couple of years. The service is very relaxed so expect to be in the restaurant for at least 2/3 hours. (This is why we don’t offer half-day trips to and from The Hut!)
Where to moor for lunch at The Hut. You have two choices for dining at The Hut. You can either moor in Yarmouth Harbour (see above) and take the Hut’s land rover transfer to the restaurant. The second option is to drop an anchor in the mooring field in front of the restaurant and be picked up by their tender. If the weather is not great then the restaurant will opt not to run their dinghy service, so you’ll need to moor in Yarmouth Marina.
Hythe
Hythe is a great village with lots of choices for places to grab a bite to eat. Our favourite for a sit-down meal is at Seashells. If you visit on a Sunday and enjoy the roast, savour the gravy – it’s amazing!
Where to moor in Hythe for lunch. Moor at Hythe Marina – no charge on Bluetooth RIB
Gunwharf Quays
Gunwharf Quays offers “over 30 places to eat” – you have a wide variety of restaurants to choose from. Most are chain restaurants so you know what to expect before you arrive. Take a look at their website for up-to-date listings of opening times and details on how to book a table.
Where to moor in Gunwharf Quays for lunch. The marina at Gunwharf Quays will offer you short-stay mooring for your visit.
Hamble River
At Hamble Point Marina, the home of Bluetooth we have the Ketch Rigger. A really lovely restaurant where you can enjoy a drink, ice cream, snack or full meal. Contact them before your charter and they’ll even create a picnic to enjoy on your trip. (Moor at Hamble Point Marina – no charge on Bluetooth RIB)
The Ketch Rigger’s sister restaurant, the Gaff Rigger is based at Mercury Yacht Harbour. It’s a great location as you get an elevated view across the marina. We always find something we fancy on both the Rigger’s menus. (Moor at Mercury Yacht Harbour – no charge on Bluetooth RIB)
At Port Hamble Marina you have Banana Wharf. Then it’s a short walk into Hamble Village where there is a great selection of pubs (not for the skipper!) including the King and Queen – offering great food, Jenny’s Cafe and Pirate Pasties. (Moor at Point Hamble Marina – no charge on Bluetooth RIB)
Fancy eating where the 1980’s TV series ‘Howards Way’ was filmed? Then pay a visit to the Jolly Sailor pub. (At high tide moor on the pub’s own pontoon. At low tide, moor at Deacons Marina and walk 10-15 mins to the pub)
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*Please note all recommendations above are based on our own personal experiences. We truly hope you have an enjoyable meal wherever you decide to eat. If you’d like to let us know of any great places you find when out on your adventures on Bluetooth RIB, we’ll be sure to include them.