The Mermaid Bar at the Isle of Wight Distillery — Restaurant in England

We were really looking forward to this lunch out, unfortunately the experience was very disappointing.

We booked two days before and discussed vegan options with the venue on the phone. Despite the limited options (one main, one dessert) we booked anyway.

After placing our order at the bar, the waitress came to the table to returned explain the vegan burger was not available and shouldn't have been listed on the menu. The waitress suggested I could have the haloumi and mushroom burger. We politely explained that this contained diary so wasn't an option but suggested maybe just a mushroom burger instead. We asked if the waitress could talk to the chef and suggest what might be possible.

Upon return, we were advised that burger came in brioche bun and there were no other buns, but pizza was an option. We asked for the mermaid pizza with no cheese, no parma ham and added olives and spinach. Upon arrival the pizza arrived with cheese on. We waited some time for the waitress to come back with ketchup for my partners food and ended up taking the pizza back to the bar for a remake, only to be told the bases are pre made with cheese on but they did have some without so would re make. To be honest at this point, I didn't feel like waiting any longer so I asked if the order could be cancelled and instead be refunded. The waitress (a different one) went to talk to the kitchen and processed the refund. The waitress who we spoke with at the table then appeared and told me the kitchen had just found a gluten free base. Again, I explained, (as did the waitress processing the refund) that gluten free didn't mean no diary.

My parters regular burger was very dry and overcooked and we also overheard a bar staff member explaining what scampi was to another customer. "Scampi is just another type of fish" ... this was a little concerning to hear given scampi is shellfish and one of the 14 major allergens.

Overall disappointing and a concerning lack of understanding about food and allergens from two of three members of staff we encountered.

We had intended on purchasing two bottles of the gin but didn't really feel like paying out after the experience, what at £39 each a bottle plus the refund, that's nearly £100 missed...

Wow! What a find! We thought we’d pop in to check out the gin and we ended up spending the whole afternoon and evening there! We were greeted by the lovely Josh who was so knowledgeable about gin and really made us feel welcome and after a guided tour of the distillery he suggested we try the gin tasting paddle. It was only £9 and worth every penny, we shared the 8 little shots and the bar supplied us with complimentary Fevertree mixers! The gin and rum selections were sensational and we just had to buy a couple of bottles to bring home. We then spent a few hours chilling and chatting to Josh and the rest of the staff and decided that we couldn’t go home without trying their gluten free pizzas! So we headed over to the restaurant area and enjoyed pizzas and loaded fries. We then made our way to the comfy leather sofas in front of the welcoming log burner and ordered a Banana Rumba cocktail ( lovingly made by Josh who was a real master cocktail maker !!) and an Affogato with a shot of hot coffee and spiced rum! We didn’t want to leave and honestly it really made our visit to the Isles of White memorable. Couldn’t recommend the Mermaid bar enough! Honestly it’s fab and we can’t...

Food not rated as we did not eat

Popped in to try some of the spirits and was pleasantly surprised to find they did a tasting board for £9 which covers all of their spirits, with a shot of tonic to go with it. I'd recommend sharing one with a partner if you plan on driving, as the board is roughly a shot and a half of spirits each - better yet, get a taxi!

Personal favourite for me was the spiced rum, but couldn't justify the price for a full bottle (even though it would make a nice lamp when empty).

The bar and outdoor area give a great atmosphere to unwind and enjoy a drink. The staff were all very friendly and even offered a treat to our dog.

Speaking of which, dogs are welcome in the entire bar and we were offered treats on arrival by the bar staff and again by another staff member later.

The Distillery itself isn't dog friendly (fair enough!) but you can look through the viewing windows if you wanted to see the process in action from the comfort of your table.

We very much enjoyed our hour in the sunshine tasting spirits and would...