Folly Inn — Restaurant in England

This review is as the result of two visits to the Folly Inn. My wife, who is American, and I, visited the Island for the first time in twelve years and chose the Folly Inn for lunch. I grew up in East Cowes and have fond memories of family picnics down by the river there. I’ve revisited the Inn many times over the years and it has continuously improved over the past decade or so. We had a great experience last time that we visited and weren’t disappointed this time. The improvements are very noticeable.

We chose different starters and main courses and every one of them was perfect. They were tasty, beautifully cooked and presented and good value. We even stretched our appetites to a dessert that was equally good. The selection of drinks and wines was great too. It’s nice that they have the best local beers and the Island’s own Mermaid spirits, for instance.

The service and staff were wonderful (That’s something that I don’t often have the pleasure of saying) - informative, attentive, friendly and timely without being intrusive. The location is beautiful, of course, and the Inn is in perfect condition, clean, inviting, spacious and tastefully decorated. We spent time looking at the many little features on our way out.

Things don’t always go as well on subsequent visits to places that you visit on your travels, but this was an exception. Having looked at a few other places by the sea and in the countryside, we decided to go back to the Folly Inn. It was the right decision. We enjoyed a perfectly balanced seafood “sharing” plate. The nicely presented combination of smoked salmon, shellfish, squid (calamari) and whitebait was excellent, as was the dessert, which we also shared. I’ve had inferior dishes in places with Michelin Stars.

We heartily recommend the Folly Inn for everything from a “pub lunch”, to a special occasion. It will be our first meal venue next time that we visit the Island and we recommended it to relatives on the Island. A place that was once a slightly weary hangout for the locals and a few mariners is now well and truly on the map. Thank You to the Folly Inn team for adding some extra lustre...

I used to go to this pub often, the food was excellent, they had a brilliant one-man-band on a Saturday evening and after eating everyone danced on the tables. It's obviously changed hands. We visited at lunch time on a Monday so were not expecting it to be busy and it wasn't. We explained we just wanted a bowl of whitebait, some chips and a couple of drinks. They had to check if they had any "blanchbait". Yes they did. But we couldn't order anything until we had a table number. We went outside, sat down and waited for the er, waiter. After a few minutes he arrived, faffed about cleaning a spotless table and then asked what we wanted. Apparently the "blanchbait" might be a problem as it as it was on the fish and chip menu and they might not have it. We explained that we'd already asked and it was available but he wanted to double check. Eventually we ordered the WHITEBAIT and a couple of drinks, by which time we'd been there well over ten minutes. The drinks arrived fairly promptly and the food a little while later. It was easily the smallest portion of whitebait I've ever seen, consisting of a total of five fish. They tasted fine and the chips were OK. I know we only wanted a snack but that was ridiculous. The Folly used to be known for serving proper sized portions. Well, not any more. Don't go there if you're hungry! In short, the menus are confusing and the staff are nice but they are also confused about what's available and when. The portions are pathetically small. My partner said that the ladies' loo was fabulous, so well...

Having been here many times over the years, we were interested to see the new, improved Folly after its makeover and what a difference, it is clear that a lot of money has been spent and it will be even better when finished. Visiting by boat is the preferred option as the lane is still as bad as ever. Not Greene King’s fault, but still off putting when you consider how many other eateries are around the area, with easy access. Comfortable chairs and well-spaced tables make for a pleasant dining environment. However, that is where the plaudits stop. Firstly, the beer, Abbot Ale on draft, chilled within an inch of its life and managed to run out early in the evening. Only real ale option was IPA, again chilled enough to kill any flavour. We ordered fish and chips for three and were served with two and it was only after we called the server back, we were told the other one was coming in two or three minutes. Eventually we received the third plate and it was noted that the portion size was far smaller than we were used to at a Greene King pub. All the more annoying considering we were charged a lot more for the meal than at the other Greene King pubs in the area. The food was ok, fish cooked well but one portion of the chips was awful, undercooked soggy outside and mushy inner. We did bring this to the attention of the server who said she would tell the kitchen. Last we heard about that. Overall, not the best dining experience and certainly not...