The food was artfully presented and ingredients expertly combined. The ambiance couldn't be better…read more(being located next to a near-ancient cathedral in the town center). As dictated in my previous reviews about coffee in this country, this restaurant got the hint that theres not much luck in acquiring good beans or training people to brew, so instead they gracefully and intelligently opted to serve Illy brand coffee. I was very pleased. Also its a place apparently popular with the local Russian population. I suppose thats supposed to tell you how posh it is or at the least: travelled people who've experienced better food in other countries wanting to bring a little bit of that luxury to southern England.

Well decorated attractive looking place with good lunch menu…read more Staff are friendly, efficient, and appear to be italian which all goes with the place. Plenty of waiting on staff plus extra staff on the bar which works well. Had an excellent spagetti carbonara with cibatta garlic bread. good wine selection too. Priced about what you would expect for the middle of a tourist area but worth the experience and the food.

We had planned to have an afternoon tea at this lovely little café while visiting Newbury. We…read moredecided to go for a quick lunch, a couple days before the planned afternoon tea. Well, it was a good thing we did, since we didn't get to go back for afternoon tea... Just as the name suggests, it is located right by the canal. It was very picturesque, peaceful and relaxing. They also have seating upstairs, and had histories on the canal, with photos posted all around the wall. Their cakes looked amazing, but I decided not to order any dessert on this day. Yes I know, a big mistake! Our friend ordered Heavenly Hot Chocolate, and it looked so pretty! We went with Teashop House Blend Tea, and Earl Grey. The young boy who brought the teas (I hear this is a family-run business) was trying to very careful not to mix them up. But the funny thing was, he totally mixed the tea up! LOL. We didn't realize until half way through... I thought the House Blend tea tasted so much like Earl Grey. For lunch, we had Ham, Cheese & Chutney Sandwich and Eggs Benedict. They were both tasty, nice portion, and filling. Our friend went with something healthier, and ordered one of their vegan sandwiches. It is nice to have that option if you want or need vegan dish. We had a nice quick lunch here. It was adorable and cozy. The food was good, not amazing, but good. I think the sweets might be better than the actual food...I will never know, unless I go back! Lesson learned: don't never expect your plan to go just the way you planned them...and have your dessert first!

I love this cafe It's a wonderful location; you can sit along the canal watching the swans, the…read morebaked goodies are delicious, the staff friendly and the cafe itself is quaint with beautiful painted china dotted around

Great coffee and delicious brunch…read more Tried the beans and avocado on toast, both very good! Also had a flat white, V60 and aeropress. Great flavour, friendly staff

In this world of vast and yawning uncertainty, poised perpetually on the precipice of oblivion, it…read morecan sometimes feel like there is little in the way of constancy or reliability in our turbulent lives. So thank Yahweh for Mettrick's, a Coffee house for the 21st century. While this review focuses on the high street House, it could just as well apply to any of the four Mettrick's franchises scattered around our fair city. These local kings, nay, TITANS of the Coffeesphere are dedicated to bringing us that premium black juice, and doing so in an environment that could be best described as "hella chill". Naturally, the coffee is top notch. My personal favourite is the filter coffee, which has been known to temporarily evoke the fantasy of being in a roadside American diner in the 1950s, with my glamorous Beatnik girlfriend, Susan. If you are the kind of person that enjoys eating and digesting food, they have that too and it's not bad. Frankly though, the Joe is this cafe's main focus and what they do best. Combined with the cosy atmosphere, warm temperature and friendly staff, this young chain has all the right ingredients to compete with the big boys. As a local and independent business, it is one we should tirelessly support, rather than forking our hard-earned cash over to other less than favourable big name high street purveyors of mediocrity and tax avoidance that stick to the streets of Southampton like an old crusty scab. Let's just hope as the chain expands it does so sustainably in a fashion that stays true to its original vision. Peace out.

The Bats Wing is a great little teahouse situated across from the famous five star Koala Cottage…read more They have a variety of home baked cakes and scones available with all the necessary teas and coffees. Between a certain time they also have a meal have a day, cooked at home by the owner and throughout the day offer jacket potatoes, sandwiches, and various other nibbles. It's a lovely little stop off before you head up to the church, and highly recommended.

My husband and I have just had a meal in the delightful Bats Wing. We really enjoyed the home made…read morepies. As a Londoner my husband tried the good ol' London dish of pie and mash with liquor. He said it was 'lovely jubley' and will have it again. I had the pulled pork and apple with cider pie with chips. All delicious, with special mention to the wonderful chips. All followed with homemade mince pies. The service was very friendly and welcoming. We will return.

Oasis is a fantastic shop that I have visited on a couple of trips to the Isle of Wight…read more They sell all sorts of furniture, ornaments, gifts and much more. Some of the teak furniture they import from Indonesia is just stunning. I have also bought some well priced and unusual items such as ornamental cars made from wire, and candle lanterns made from recycled bottles. Prices are very reasonable and stock changes all the time. This place is definitely worth a visit if you are on the island and is well located between Sandown and Bembridge

Wish there was one on the mainland! Oasis was great! So much I wanted to buy and some pieces were…read moreso low in price I had to double check them! We got tea lights, 2 packs of simmering scented beads (for burning in an oil scent burner) and a Indian inspired oil burner for £8!!! I would have expected the burner to be at least £10 on it's own! So much amazing furniture! Just a shame it's only in the IOW

Nobody does hot chocolate quite like Thornton's. The cafe…read morewithin the shop is very small with limited spacing between tables but it has such a warm and welcoming atmosphere. It is always clean and tidy and the staff friendly. There is a wide variety of coffee's, teas and hot chocolate available that you are spoilt for choice. There is also a selection of cakes to enjoy with your drink. My favourite drink is hot chocolate with whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate strands accompanied by chocolate fudge shortbread. A luxury indulgence.

I tried several of the teas here and they were all delightful- not too strong, but made well to…read moreaccentuate the different flavor tones of each tea. The only ones I didn't like were the fruity ones, but I'm not a fruit tea kind of person. The carrot cake was absolutely scrumptious, perfectly moist and fantastically textured. It was the perfect vessel for cream cheese. All in all a wonderful experience. Note that I am American and this is my first time in the UK. Seating was a bit crowded, but the service was great.

Very quaint! The breakfast was really good (a little too much oil in the fried toast). The…read moreselection of teas were amazing - we tried the lavender which was so bougie! Highly recommend this place - no bookings are taken for breakfast so you need to wait a bit for a table to become available (defo worth the wait though).

Found this place whilst working in the area and needed something quick and simple. It's an American…read morediner style with the retro red booths and chairs and a menu to match. It's in the town centre so pretty close to shops etc. It's a decent menu with all the classics like burgers, hot dogs, fries and shakes. Honestly I first thought the food would be ok at best but was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it. I had the NY club sandwich which was really filling and tasty. Everyone else said their food was just as good! If you're feeling that sweet tooth, try one of their freakshakes which look amazing but if you're counting calories, I wouldn't go near them as it looks intense but great! Service was great and very friendly and would recommend Phils Diner for anyone wanting a bite to eat.

Being that I come from America, I know what to expect. Having said that, I found the food to be…read moresimilar to an american diner but much better! I absolutely loved the Freak Shakes and the Mac 'N' Cheese. With excellent service and fantastic food, I highly recommend visiting it at some point. Well done Phil's Diner!

Omg!! This is so the cutest place ever!! Had some great coffee and cake. Really nice and good…read moreprices. Not in the main city centres but definitely worth the effort to get here. If I'm ever in Portsmouth, will definitely come back.

Went here during the afternoon of the 1st day of our IOW holiday Sept 2010. Sat out in the garden…read morenext to a fig tree. Fairly busy & better than average cream tea. I'm sure I visited some years ago on a Reading CTC biking weekend & enjoyed it then as well. Nice inside.

Beautiful cozy green garden with added fairies. Inside is like a 17th pub decorated by the worlds…read morebest grand mother. Recommend the Victorian Cream Tea with cake the size of a doorstep. Strawberries on steroids. Great.