Black Cat Restaurant
This business is unclaimed.
Owners who claim their business can update listing details, add photos, respond to reviews, and more.
Claim your free listing now
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Black Cat Restaurant
Review
About
Features
CUISINES
Asian, Thai
Meal types
Dinner, After-hours
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
FEATURES
Accepts Credit Cards
Full Bar
Reservations
Seating
Serves Alcohol
Table Service
Wheelchair Accessible
Does this restaurant accept bookings?
Save this restaurant
Hours
Open until 10:00 PM
Sunday
Closed
Monday
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Tuesday
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Wednesday
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Thursday
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Friday
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Saturday
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Contribute
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.4
527 reviews
Excellent
340
Very good
122
Average
33
Poor
14
Terrible
18
smiler52
Hampshire660 contributions
Oct 2024 • friends
We all enjoyed our meal with a variety of starters, including a delicious satay chicken and prawns in batter. Main courses were, a very nice pad Thai, a spicy green curry, beef with broccoli and a noodle stir fry. We felt the meal was very good value for the food quality and quantity. The setting is not traditional Thai, the wooden shelving, which I believe was once a grocers and wooden pew seating is kept polished and makes an interesting place to sit. We will be returning.
Written 4 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.
Ukusa
Cambridge33 contributions
July 2024 • couples
Thai is one of my favourite cuisines. I’ve eaten many a wonderful Thai meal. But never before have I enjoyed a Thai meal with such fresh ingredients. You can literally taste that the ingredients are just chopped and cooked for you. Incredible. One of the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. Highly recommended.
Written 11 July 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.
Tracy C
Bewdley37 contributions
Sept 2024 • couples
Great service & great quality food… we had numerous starters which were all delicious, then shared a main meal/rice. The house wine was great value for money. I would recommend & they’re always busy so book if you don’t want to be disappointed.
Written 19 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.
Rj T.Che
2 contributions
May 2024 • family
I recently dined at the Black Cat, and it was a dreadful experience. The place was packed and unbearably stuffy, making it impossible to enjoy the meal. The food was absolutely terrible – bland, overcooked, and nothing like authentic Thai cuisine. To top it off, the customer service was abysmal. The staff were rude, inattentive, and seemed completely uninterested in addressing any of our concerns. I won't be coming back.
Written 31 May 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.
Wayne B
Emsworth64 contributions
Aug 2024 • couples
Unusual ambience for a restaurant, like stepping into a Victorian house. Ordered prawn crackers which were stale and came with no dipping sauce. Chicken satay starters, too salty and bland peanut sauce. Main course ordered, beef massaman curry with sticky coconut rice. Very bland, salty curry with raw potatoes. Rice was ‘wild rice’ which was so sticky it had to be prised apart in chunks. No flavour of coconut at all. Also ordered Thai green curry. Again very bland. If you’re into you’re Thai food as we are then you will be disappointed!
Written 14 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.
Jamie Wareing
Isle of Wight17 contributions
May 2024 • couples
Upon arrival at the restaurant we were greeted with a friendly smile and were made to feel instantly welcome.
The menu was full and varied with the staff on hand to explain the food choices as required. When the food arrived at the table it was hot, clearly freshly prepared and deliciously authentic.
This was our first visit to this little gem in the old village and we'll definitely be back. Whether you live here or are just visiting, this is a must for a delicious meal.
Written 21 May 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.
Healthtouch - Deirdre Carolina
London285 contributions
Sept 2022 • none
This was our first visit to The Black Cat in Shanklin. The minute we stepped in the door we were made to feel welcome by Joe. We were given a lovely cosy table in a corner and offered menus. The dishes are made to order giving you the ability to adjust them according to taste. Eating out has become more and more expensive - The Black Cat offers extremely good value for money.
We had battered prawns with sweet chili sauce to start. These were light, crispy, tender and piping hot. We shared two main dishes - prawns, pineapple and cashews and a combo of bean sprouts, baby corn and broccoli with garlic in oyster sauce……… fresh, flavoursome and delicious. The sticky rice that accompanied our main meal was the best I have ever had being light (I know I am using this word a lot but it is true) not over sticky or sweet – there was some wild rice among the white rice in this dish.
Throughout our meal Joe looked after us in a friendly professional way making sure we had what we needed without hovering.
Shanklin seems to have double yellow lines stopping parking on most streets, however, opposite The Black Cat there is a pay and display car park – with a flat charge in the evenings of £2. This makes the whole experience of eating in Shanklin easy.
I would most certainly return to The Black Cat to try more of their extensive menu.
Written 21 September 2022
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.
bv1980
Shanklin31 contributions
Sept 2023 • friends
We went to the Black Cat on a Tuesday evening and while the food was very good the service was just odd. We asked for some prawn crackers to nibble on whilst looking at the menu and we were told that we were not allowed prawn crackers until we had ordered just in case we made the menus greasy (the menus are laminated) found this to be strange. When placing our order we asked the young lady a question about one of the dishes and she simply said I don’t know I don’t eat the food. Apart from having our food placed in front of us we didn’t see any waiting staff again until it was time to pay the bill, as I said before all the food was really good just an odd mix with the service
Written 20 September 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.
Ann H
York2615 contributions
Oct 2022 • none
Aside from the food which was excellent, the dining experience was made so much better by the excellent gentleman who served us. He made us feel very welcome and was very knowledgeable about the menu and nothing seemed to be too much trouble. The menu was varied with a good vegetarian section too. Would definitely return when next in the area.
Written 12 October 2022
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.
daisy3099
East Midlands23 contributions
Nov 2024 • family
Unreal food as always.
Family-ran restaurant that I have been visiting since I was six years old!
We always talk about The Black Cat as being the best Thai restaurant we have ever been to and say that all other Thai food pales in comparison.
Finally back on the Island this week and immediately booked into the Black Cat.
We were not disappointed.
Lovely, warm ambience, just as we remember, and stand out food and flavour.
If you are thinking of coming, you will not regret a visit.
Dreaming of the next time we can come back!
Written 3 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.
RoebuckQ
Leicestershire97 contributions
May 2024 • couples
Having experienced the 'delights' of Pendleton's the previous day (see separate review) which is next door to The Black Cat, we thought we would try this Thai restaurant for something a bit different.
Despite not being particularly familiar with Thai cuisine, it was a most enjoyable experience. The food was freshly prepared and very tasty. An added bonus was that the prices were very reasonable. The staff were also very knowledgeable and particularly friendly.
We will be sure to return when we next visit the Island.
Written 16 June 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.
lesley4132
Southampton117 contributions
Oct 2021 • couples
We were on the island for a few days break so decided to book this restaurant after reading the reviews. Friendly staff greeted us. The main criticism we had was the meal was very rushed. Our main course arrived before we had finished our starters so that made it awkward. We would have liked a break in between courses and so didn't really enjoy it moving straight on. No heater to keep the food warm and no cover on the rice hence it all went cold very quickly. The waiter kept coming to see if we had finished so we felt the whole thing was very rushed and felt uncomfortable. The food was good but not the best Thai we have had.
Written 7 October 2021
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.
Katiec36
Birmingham2 contributions
Sept 2021 • couples
Decided to pay this restaurant a visit with my partner as we had always wanted to try Thai food and my word, we were not disappointed! We were greeted upon arrival by a friendly member of staff who showed us to our table and was more than happy to give us some recommendations on food. We went with a Panang curry and a Thai red curry and both were fantastic and full of flavour. My only recommendation is to book in advance as we lost count of the amount of people who had to be turned away at the door as the restaurant was fully booked for the whole evening and even for some days afterwards - this is clearly a reflection of how good this restaurant is. This is 1 of 3 Thai restaurants on the whole island and has been family run for a number of years - a must visit for fresh and tasty food whilst in Shanklin!
Written 1 September 2021
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 O
Blandford Forum91 contributions
Oct 2022 • couples
Friendly efficient service from the moment we walked in.
Food was very good and spiciness adjusted to your taste. Starters of battered prawns and marinated chicken. Mains prawn thai red curry and spicy mixed seafood - all very fresh and delicious
We'll be back
Written 12 October 2022
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.
Richard P
Worcester Park6 contributions
June 2021 • family
Fantastic Thai food with great service. We’ve had quite a few Thai meals over the years and this was definitely one of the best. The menu is typical Thai food and all the food we had was delicious. Crispy chicken to start was freshly fried and light with tender chicken. We had curries as mains and again were delicious and well presented. Service was really friendly and happy to help. They are happy to vary spiciness of dishes so good for families as well. Overall highly recommended.
Written 23 July 2021
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.
Showing results 1-15 of 526
Best moderately priced restaurants
See all
Best nearby
We rank these hotels, restaurants, and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Best nearby hotels
See all 
Best nearby restaurants
See all 
Is This Your Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Free Listing