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The Steamer Inn Restaurant
Review
About
Situated right on Shanklin Esplanade, the Steamer Inn overlooks the beach and is the perfect spot to enjoy some fresh pub classics and some of the Isle of Wight’s best, fresh seafood. With five en-suite rooms, four of which have balconies, and a small self contained flat, it is also the perfect place to stay for a holiday or business trip on the beautiful Isle of Wight. Enjoy a drink from our hand-picked wine list or sample a pint from our fine selection of real ales and beers, including some local brews, or our extensive collection of spirits and soft drinks. The Steamer is extremely family friendly and also has a dedicated kids menu. Nautical memorabilia adorns the walls of the entire pub, from the giant propeller that stands by the main entrance to the traditional fisherman’s glass floats that decorate the veranda and the ships wheel on the wall.
Features
CUISINES
British
Meal types
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
FEATURES
Accepts Credit Cards
American Express
Dog Friendly
Family style
Free Wifi
Full Bar
Gift Cards Available
Highchairs Available
Live Music
Mastercard
Non-smoking restaurants
Outdoor Seating
Reservations
Seating
Serves Alcohol
Visa
Waterfront
Wine and Beer
Save this restaurant
Hours
Open until 10:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Monday
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Tuesday
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Wednesday
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Thursday
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Friday
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Saturday
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
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4.2
2,519 reviews
Excellent
1,274
Very good
750
Average
268
Poor
109
Terrible
118
David M
Maidstone208 contributions
Sept 2024 • friends
Met a former colleague, who has retired to the IOW, for lunch. He had stayed and eaten at The Steamer before, so the recommendation was tried and tested. However, I was very impressed by the whole experience. The decor is lovely, the staff were very welcoming, the lunch menu offered a wide variety of dishes, and when the food came, it was delicious and very well presented. We had a very pleasant hour, catching up, and I can thoroughly recommend this eatery. Parking is very easy, along the esplanade, on the opposite side of the road, but you do have to pay. There is also a car park nearby for the busier times of the year.
Written 5 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robin T
Newport12 contributions
Feb 2025 • couples
This was our first visit to dine at The Steamer Inn at Shanklin and it certainly won’t be our last. To be honest I would have dropped half a point if it were possible because of the rather frosty greeting from one female member of staff, however what was to follow made up far more than that half a star. The atmosphere was great it was busy the food was excellent and the wines very good value. My friend had the scampi which she reported was well cooked and flavoursome the accompanying sides were also well cooked and of fresh and tasty. I chose off the specials menu and I was so glad I did. I had the chicken breast rolled in bacon with a spinach stuffing served with roasted baby potatoes and a vegetable medley which came in a beautiful cheese sauce. The chicken roulade was served with a mild pepper corn sauce which complimented it perfectly. All in all we had a fantastic time at the Steamer Inn and like I said earlier we will be back!
Written 4 February 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen C
West Sussex197 contributions
Aug 2024 • family
I've visited The Steamer many times over the years, owned as it is by the same family as other great IOW pubs The Spyglass, The Dairyman's Daughter and The Bargean's Rest. (All also recommended.)
This time we stopped in for a family meal, gathering seven of us around a spacious table with a view over the beach. Ordering at the bar was simple and there was plenty on the menu, including lots of gluten free options for my wife. The food came quickly and was excellent. The pub itself has a well decorated nautical theme and is very well presented. It's somewhere that's always worth a visit - although parking can be a challenge at busy times, when you may also have to wait to be seated.
Written 10 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel G
7 contributions
Aug 2024 • couples
Traveled here for dinner on recommendation for the evening. Had to sit indoors ( understandable) lots of fruit flies at the window though which was annoying. Was disappointed with food, for 15.95 chicken was very dry and very small, chips were tastless and undercooked and came with minimal amount of peas. Was asked what sauce we would like, hubby said ketchup for him and as i went to ask what for the sauce I wanted she walked away. Asked her for a different sauce for my meal when she came back with ketchup for both of us and she didnt seem happy. Expected half decent food for the price and could do better with presentation. Shame really as seems a nice place. Wouldn't mind if not for the price, for chicken and chips.
Written 4 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
paul s
3 contributions
Feb 2024 • family
Booked a table here with my mum for my Birthday. We both have coeliac disease and so food has to be strictly gluten free. Really looked forward to dinner as there appeared to be so many GF seafood options on the menu. Upon ordering the bar man came over 5 mins later to inform me that I couldn’t have what I ordered as half the things were in fact not gluten free. When asking why it was labelled as a GF he wasn’t really able to answer, wasn’t particularly friendly or apologetic. What really riled us both was when he mentioned that even if we were able to have this dish we would be charged more somehow as it’d be gluten free. Ended up ordering something else which was disappointingly small
And not particularly good quality. Very seldom write reviews but we felt so angry after this experience don’t want others to have a similar experience. Not particularly friendly staff and a very misleading menu. Sort it out guys. A lovely interior and a great location but everything else
Is a huge let down and afterall we came here for dinner. We were to be fair offered a free desert but by this point were pretty annoyed. To top it off I am now feeling like I’ve had gluten as don’t feel great. Hopefully not, as I don’t want to spend the rest of my evening being sick. 🤢
Written 19 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
georgina gibbs
It is disappointing to hear you had such a terrible visit that you would advise others to avoid the Steamer like a plague, on TripAdvisor, and on Google.
We are well known for having lots of dishes on our menus that are either gluten free, or can be adapted to be so. We put a lot of effort into trying to cater to everyone's wishes and needs and are quite proud that most of our customers are delighted with the choice we provide. On this occasion you ordered the Seafood Board, but we had just sold out of smoked salmon and did not have a gluten free seafood item to replace it with. The extra charge you refer to would be for a gluten free roll. They are of very good quality and expensive to buy, so we charge 50p if someone would like one. Once again I am sorry that you had such a terrible visit and will not be visiting the Steamer Inn again.
Written 10 May 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
broganmc
Plymouth592 contributions
Sept 2024 • couples
This is by far the best place we have eaten on the Isle of Wight. The location just looking at the ocean is amazing, and the staff are so friendly, helpful, attentive whilst remaining polite and professional.
My hubby was a little disappointed they had ran out of the fish pie he had set his heart on, but the bacon and mushroom tagliatelle was a good substitute. The right size portion as pasta is filling, and it allowed us room for sticky toffee and apricot bread and butter pudding, with custard of course. Absolutely yummy.
The restaurant has inside and outside seating, spotlessly clean as they are continually cleansing the individual tables. The wooden table boxes hold all the menus, cutlery and napkins, and the cruet sets are full.
Our special thanks to all the members of staff that made our evening meal so enjoyable. They were: Jodie ( hug for Toby), Claire, Damian and Nick. You are a superb team.
Written 16 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lucy F
6 contributions
July 2023 • family
So the apperol spritzer was disgusting was clearly made wrong, don’t get me started on the gumbo it was not gumbo !
It tasted like the tinned mackerel in tomato sauce no body asked how the food was or cleared our plates and I didn’t like the staff. Go to the waterfront next door way better !
Written 2 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fearless15228944225
3 contributions
Aug 2024 • family
They do not take bookings in peak season unless you are staying with them, so be prepared to wait at busy times. Having said that, for our group of 14, whilst they were unable to seat us together, we were all close by and the staff were very helpful in ensuring we had a good time. Once seated, the food and rinks are ordered with via their App or at the bar. The food was good value for money. I had the Falafel burger which was a little bland, but only because I prefer my food to be flavourful and on the spicier side. The place is big & right opposite the beach with outside seating, so the views are incredible too. The best part is you are not rushed to vacate the table.
Written 27 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christopher A
Birmingham52 contributions
Sept 2024 • couples
This is a great pub, food is excellent and so is service, eat here five times recently
as this is one of the few good eaterys in Shanklin. Food is served well, prepared, and plentiful, by attentive staff with as little delay as possible being a busy pub.
This place offers outside seating in warmer weather this would be brilliant as right on the promenade. Great keep up the excellent service.
Written 30 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SaSaph28
Yorkshire13 contributions
July 2023 • family
Having arrived in Isle Wight we picked up a copy of the guide magazine on flicking through we came across a couple of advertisements for here and as we were staying in Shanklin so it was close to us we thought let’s try it tbh I really wished we hadn’t
Arrived to a queue to be seated and thought ohh must be good, got to the front and was seated by a friendly enough staff member if not a little flustered, sat looking at menus getting ready to order when 2 guys approached our table to say this is our table, to which we said we had been sat here by lady to which they replied so had they and had just ordered food to it.
We moved and there was no other tables at that point, and could we wait until they found one….. wish we had left then
Table found fairly quickly and we proceeded to order drinks to which you have to go to bar which is fine but only take orders at one till which is the same as food orders which can be really busy.
Back to order food which tbh is the most expensive of all meals we’ve had this week which again would be fine if the quality was great but sadly was just ok not what we was expecting at all I had gumbo, fish was mushy and and just small frozen prawns pretty underwhelming, hubby had fish and chips (he has them a lot and said 5 out of 10
Would I go back
No
Would I recommend
No
Written 12 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charlie C
Rushden49 contributions
Oct 2024 • family
We had a lovely lunch, the service was excellent and considering we were here out of season, we had excellent food and excellent serving sizes!
I had the soup of the day (Sweet Potato and Pepper), plus Whitebait between us, which was lovely and fresh, my husband IoW sausage baguette which was really tasty and my daughter a hunters chicken baguette and it was all perfectly cooked and piping hot. We’ll definitely be back as soon as we can, thank you.
Written 2 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hirschie
185 contributions
Aug 2024 • family
Love this place. Been here so many times and it never disappoints. Great location and good service. Louisiana fish stew was so tasty and we ordered chips with it but warning it comes with a whole mini baguette as well. So good. The gammon was a massive portion but cooked really well and my son got 4 little sausages with his meal. Such a good portion. Sandwiches also come with chips. Really lovely lunch. Will definitely return here on our next visit.
Written 19 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luke O
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • family
This restaurant has a great selection of food and drinks. The food came out in a very good time as well great portions nice home cooked food. All round a great place to eat and drink highly recommend
Written 13 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Angie Fry
12 contributions
Oct 2024 • family
Very disappointed after we were told we could not make a reservation for 2nd November after coming over to the Isle of Wight for my dad’s wake on the 1st. Even after explaining this and the fact we are a party of 12 adults and 2 children I was told we needed to just come along and wait until enough tables become available.
Really! This is not good business acumen as I cannot believe any hospitality business would turn down this amount of revenue.
Written 24 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SamIOW
Isle of Wight2 contributions
Apr 2023 • couples
We are here as a treat for Easter having not eaten out much lately because of the rising cost of a meal/drink. I have to say we’ve eaten here in the past a few years ago and absolutely loved it, last year wasn’t that impressed and this year I wouldn’t bother going back. We both had lasagne which was a tiny portion of cheese with about a tablespoon of minced beef and some bread (which was nice) and tiny salad on the side. We luckily ordered chips to share else we’d have had to go to the local takeaway for dinner on the way home as it was so small. It wouldn’t have taken much/cost much to fill the dish to the top and put a bit more meat in to make it closer to value for money than a total rip off. We will definitely not be returning
Written 9 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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