Vernon Cottage, Shanklin

Official site of Vernon Cottage - www.vernoncottage.co.uk

Official site of Vernon Cottage - www.vernoncottage.co.uk

Set in a beautiful old thatched cottage that dates back to 1819, this is a restaurant and tea rooms which has a public bar and large garden. The cottage apparently has a tunnel which extends all the way down to the bottom of Shanklin Chine and was used as a storehouse for smugglers for many years. Nowadays, it acts as a picturesque lure for passing tourists, despite being hidden somewhat from the main road. There are two main rooms here – a pleasant but surprisingly small dining room to the right on entering and a larger bar area to the left which is also used predominantly by diners. In fact, it’s difficult to know exactly where those just wanting a drink would be asked to sit – perhaps in the lovely garden on a nice summer’s day, or else on a stool at the bar any other time. There is a light blue and white colour scheme throughout and the décor is very much that which you might expect to find in a tea room – old photos of the local area, ceramic teapots and crockery, elaborately framed mirrors, fresh flowers and quaint little signs and blackboards. The bar is to the rear and has a blue and white counter front and plain modern bar back. We visited at night and found it tricky to fully appreciate this fine building and its many detailed external decorative features, but we left in no doubt that this is a very impressive building that merits closer inspection. Unfortunately, the bar doesn’t support a hand pump, so the next best option was a choice between Wells Bombardier or the house Vernon Bitter, both of which are on keg. I tried the latter, which tasted like any other keg bitter I’ve ever tried – not very pleasant. Thankfully, we were here for a bite to eat and we found some good options on their extensive evening menu. I ended up trying a pie from the specials board which was very tasty and filling whilst the staff here were all very friendly and attentive. I’d definitely recommend popping round here for something to eat, so that you can admire the lovely cottage, enjoy the garden and check out the menu. However, as a pub, there’s not a whole lot going for this place, which is fair enough as they don’t really market it as such.

This is described as a Tavern,tea room and restaurant.Called in around 9pm where a group of Morris Dancers were giving it plenty in the beer garden.Found one bar that had around 7 electric beer pumps and a few bottled beers but not sure if this was the Tavern part.