The Sportsmans Rest in Monmouthshire

My latest visit, after many, since my first review. It's heartening to see this country pub going from strength to strength with an expanded, but still simple, ' pub grub' menu. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. We returned with four friends just for a drink during the afternoon of Easter Sunday with three dogs after a walk at Newtown. Despite the road closure which limited access to only one route, the pub was full of customers finishing their Sunday lunches plus walkers like us with their dogs and those who had gone out of their usual way to enjoy a drink. The warm, friendly and relaxed ambience makes The Sportsman's Rest special. Our friends, who had 'gone off the pub' when it was under previous management were very impressed and, like us, will be back.

Had a great meal 😋 we had main’s & a dessert & both were spot on. friendly people with a great atmosphere a proper old village pub 🍻🥂 there are very few of these little places left on the island so go along give it a try I’m sure you’ll love it as much as we did also has a great garden perfect for the summer, will definitely be going back 🍻🥂 M&T

Just had an amazing afternoon tea warm and friendly pub. Pleasant staff and surrounding, value for money. Highly recommend.

We had the Suday roasts, one beef and one lamb. Very nice, both meats were tender, vegies, Yorkshire and stuffing, lovely and with extra gravy if you like. Very fair price and cool service. We'll be back for sure ☆☆☆☆☆

A warm welcome on a chilly day. This pub has fairly recently changed hands, and the menu continues to develop. Local beers Tennyson or Islander on tap. Beef and Stilton pie was tasty, and tuna baguette sound. Cheesy chips may have benefited from being under the grill to melt the cheese. Above all, as nearby locals it was good to find the pub thriving.

Just as a spur of the moment we decided to go for a roast dinner and it has to be one of the best roasts out I have had for a long time 5 veg lovely beef and super roasties. The pub is coming on leaps and bounds with Nikki at the helm. Its nice to see a breath of life into a lovely old pub. Will definitely be going back on future Sundays for roast dinners.

If you like a sophisticated gastro-pub with up to the minute decor, hard floors and wide screen tv, then The Sportsman's Rest is not for you! If, however, you like a simple, unpretentious country pub, a warm welcome to you and your dog, , stools at the bar, good conversation if you are inclined, extremely good freshly cooked pub grub at reasonable prices then look no further. We have enjoyed numerous visits to The Sportsmans Rest over the last seventeen years and have seen its fortunes rise and fall. It was a delight to visit in the summer during the first week that the pub re-opened under the professional hand of Nikki, ably assisted by her daughter and lovely staff. At last the pub is in capable hands and is going from strength to strength. Ladies, we wish you every success.

Please do not underestimate this lovely pub, Tanya and Nikke have placed their Hearts and souls into resurrecting this priceless place. Asmany people as possible need to support this place ..... keep it alive for the next generation! When its gone its gone .... don't let that happen!

Very pleasant little pub, lovely tea & coffee, shame we didn’t have time to try the food, it all looked lovely. Will definitely go back.

Friendly pub with helpful welcoming staff. Dog friendly, nice for a snack lunch on a hot day's walk.

Four of us came here for lunch. All of us extremely happy with our food and the service. We obviously wanted to talk to each other and hear each other with out the usual ear splitting noise in the background 👍 the atmosphere is comfortable and welcoming. Great that this is only a few miles from us, able to visit often 👏

We had the most wonderful roast chicken and roast pork Sunday dinner, with 5 vegetables plus cauli and brocoli cheese, a large yorkshire pud with a lovely ball of stuffing. Plus extra gravy. Just wonderful.

Great Sunday lunch. Not too Pricey. Very welcoming. Thoroughly recommended . Newcastle nearly beat Man City!

Super fun night! Great meal followed by the pub quiz. It was lovely to combine the two. Food was fresh and plentiful! Quaint pub in the centre of a lovely village.

Greeting was friendly my wife ordered the Greek salad and I ordered the fish and chips. Batter was overcooked but fish ok on the inside. My wifes salad was a disaster limp lettuce only a little tomatoes and feta cheese and a few olives. Will never go back.

We visited 3 times( at different times of day ) during our weeks holiday. The staff were welcoming and very helpful. There were 4 of us and the 3 adults had a different meal each time and the quality and quantity of food ( the...

Found this lovely pub and decided to have a beer and lunch,my wife has very severe food allergies but the chef Alan came out to us and sorted something she could eat,the food was delicious and the welcome really friendly.Thanks to all the staff, brilliant.Mark...

Came here 2018. Was amazing the comfy brown leather sofa board games displayed to play. Open fire. Told everyone how amazing it was here. Visited June 2022. New owners. The place didn’t seem welcoming or friendly. A huge change around. can’t really fault the food...

I'm on walking holiday on the island by myself so I decided to treat myself to a nice meal on the way to my next stop off As I entered the two young girls behind the where warm and welcoming . I was seated and...

I visited the pub Sunday the26th with a group of friends 8 in total . We all ordered sepperatly at the bar and the staff said it wasn't a problem they would send it all the food together . We sat in the sun on...

Visiting the island with some freinds happend upon the friendly local pub. Welcome was wa.r and friendly. The portions are huge had fish and chips a d it hardly fit on the plate every ing was great couldn't have asked for a better place to...

The Sunday Roast just presented to me was awful. Potatoes not crispy and hard in the middle, veg was clearly out of a frozen bag and not what I’d call traditional vegetables for a roast dinner and not warm. Carrots also hard. The only chicken...

The food here was exceptional - we went for the Bacon and Cheese Burger which is locally sourced from the butchers in Cowes! It was incredibly filling and the chips where great too! The owner was incredibly friendly and welcoming.

Hadn't visited previously on holiday however this was a very pleasant surprise. Arrived around 2pm, only couple of families outside but we sat inside. Although only two people around the meal for me was superb value, excellent for kids, very good service and all round...

Great to see the SR open again and still offering fantastic food. I had the batteredHalloumi, fries and mushy peas, which were beautiful. Having given up fish this was a real treat and surprisingly close to the real thing. My son loved the lasagne and...

If your looking for character in a pub and amazing food, then the sportsmans rest is a 100% must. All our food was homemade from scratch, and was top notch! We will definitely be back!!

Lovely and friendly welcome upon our arrival. Made to feel quite at home Lovely chicken fajita to share (very large wraps) Followed by lemon cheesecake Will return soon

Me and the other half were looking for somewhere for a bite to eat and came across this little diamond of a place, I opted for the mix grill which was cooked really well and a cheeky brownie to finish. We both enjoyed are food...

Excellent meal and nice atmosphere. Love the log fires :) Was pleasantly surprised at how lovely this place was. Really nice atmosphere with warm welcome. Food choices were really good and not expensive at all. When the food arrived they were presented lovely and tasted...

We visited this pub based on a recommendation from friends and we are so glad we did! The lady behind the bar was really friendly, lots of room for parking and a nice warm comforting old pub. Hubbie had fajitas and said they were lovely,...

Amazing pub . Lovley garden and play area for the kids nice cold refreshing chilled drinks and friendly staff .

I’ve be coming to this pub since November I can safely say the food is perfect every time My favourite dish is the sportsman’s burger . The menu is of a high standard and lots of choice . Even better the weekly specials are a...

Went in with no booking five of us in total staff were very freindly and accomadating when food came out looked great and tasted better top marks guys thankyou

we stopped for a meal after a walk.My wife had the cod in lemon butter with new potatoes and green beans. We were told it was now with mash, came out with little or no lemon and butter sauce, big dollop of mash and a...

I’m glad the sportsman’s rest has reopened, but I’m almost certainly not as glad as the locals, for a village like Porchfield the pub really does take on its old timely role as Public House; somewhere for the village residents to meet, something for them...

We visited after a long absence and new management. Staff extremely friendly and efficient. Prices reasonable by Island standards. Good size portions and quite tasty. Glad we visited.

Down the winding lanes from Shalfleet you come to the heart of Porchfield. Here you will find this gem of a pub. I had fish and chips. The largest fish you could want. only just fitted on the plate. With very hot chips and mushy...

The lady who was serving was very friendly and had the right attitude and even closed the door for us to spare us a draught. The food was good, an interesting take on toad in the hole. Dessert was also nice but portion sizes were...

I have always loved my visits to this great little pub and was sorry when it closed , however it has reopened serving really nice meals, especially the fish and chips, my wife and I have visited several times since it reopened and the fish...

We went as a family of nine with small children and ordered a wide variety of food which came without a hitch and was perfect. Good attentive service, two roaring log fires and plenty of space. We were after a reasonably priced pub dinner and...

Visited this pub for a place to chill with the other half and really enjoyed it, the atmosphere and staff were very warm and welcoming and the food was great. Would return again when we return to the island on out next adventure.

Lovely little pub , very friendly atmosphere , scampi and chips was lovely , my husband had a small fish and chips which completely filled the plate and said best fish he had tasted . Well worth a visit

Had a lovely impromptu lunch with friends. We sat in the Larfe Garden whilst kids played in play area. So lovely to see the place open and looking clean and bright. Prices were good and portion sizes good. A lovely village pub on a nice...

Probably the best fish and chips I have had and a massive portion. Perfectly cooked and fresh and juicy inside with crisp and light batter. The Mac and Cheese was home made and delicious. Could not fault the food, friendly fast service or value for...

We took advantage of the eat out to help out scheme for a lunch during last week of August Very generous portions, really delicious, well organised and friendly staff. Only disappointment was you didn't have any porter on tap!

A great pub to relax and chill out the food was great and the staff are very welcoming and helpful definitely would recommend

Wow we found out about this pub when it came on isles of Wight radio Fantastic good quality food very tasty huge fish and chips Well prepared for COVID 19 fantastic staff I must visit pub we can’t wait to go again

Not sure what to say about this pub, there’s so much promise and it could be a real money maker in the right hands but the clowns who currently call themselves the landlord and landlady are running it into the ground The landlady was quite pretentious and forthright she made sure we knew that they had only been the owners the last couple years and that they’ve bought it up from the ruins “like the Phoenix rising” (yes her exact words) she told us this three times in approximately 2 hours she also “bigged up” her husband and son as top “top class chefs” it takes a lot more training to be a chef than just cooking steak at a beefeater restaurant (as she later let slip) - hardly a top class chef!!! And son is a student who went to school with our daughter Firstly the whole place needs a good deep clean the outside is tatty with all the chalkboards n garish coloured cheap rickety tables and trellice with paint chipping off.the bins were over flowing in full view of everyone the inside didn’t fare much better (think 90’s working mans club with grubby snug area in the corner and sticky tables & chairs) Giving the Benefit of doubt as looks can be deceiving, We ordered a steak med rare and a scqmpi and a side salad and some onion rings Scampi was decent size portion, chips weren’t my cup of tea The steak was a a bit tough was more like well done again the chips awful, seriously who doesn’t know how to cook chips this “chef” needs to go back to cookery school or catering collegeThe oil had a funny taste, could be that it needed changing or it was a fancy oil they trying to promote that shouldn’t really be used for Deep fryingThe side salad was a joke small pieces of brown edged lettuce pieces of soggy tomato and some curled up cucumber I think we would have had a better meal at one of the sizzling pubs or hungry horse (and that’s saying something) definitely not worth the nearly £50 we paidI dread to think what the kitchen is like, looking at the state of the so called chef/landlord sauntering behind the bar in filthy tracksuit bottoms dirty trainers a dirty t shirt with a filthy apron one cloth over his shoulder and one tucked into the back of his bottoms! helping himself to a bottle of beer to take back into the kitchenThe waitresses didn’t look much cleaner in faded stained dark polo shirts hair loose and hanging all over the place that they kept playing with we asked a couple of questions about the menu and the local area, they didn’t have a clueTo watch them clean a table was comical (put it this way can see why the tables are all Sticky - I don’t think the cloth was washed once just the table sprayed and wiped this is why the place seems to be infested with flies)As a previous post mentions there was teenage kids loitering round the bar which isn’t a good sign if the landlady sorted her high and mighty better than everyone else attitude out that would be good start,Give the “chef” some trainingfollowed by a deep clean and refurb of the whole inside and outsideget rid of the silly immature waitresses and the teenagers loitering around the barI’m sorry but I won’t be returning and I’d find it hard to recommend to anyone Like a previous post I did post this review on the sportsman’s rest Facebook page and again it was deleted not once but twice there is also two review pages sent up for this pub/restaurant – ie left my review on both!!!I don’t think these clowns like criticism

Staff are always friendly, the food is amazing and the portions are generous will always come back. It's an amazing atmosphere and very homely!!!

Only our third visit to this little gem of a pub great food and friendly staff on honeymoon with my new wife and when we arrived for sunday lunch balloons bunting and drinks were set up how lovely thankyou so much to the owners and staff we will remember you all for a very long time Food was freshly made and very tasty at reasonable prices will visit again on our anniversary again Thankyou a great experiance and so unexpected all our love steve and mo

We pooped in the other evening after walking our dog, knowing it was a dog friendly pub as we had drank here before. As it was late we decided to eat at the pub, the first time we had with our dog. The staff could not have been more friendly or welcoming to him, even getting him his own bowl of water for under the table in the restaurant area.We chose from the specials menu, my wife had Maccaroni Cheese, which she said was very good. I had the USA Stack. OMG it was fantastic, Belgian waffle with maple syrup, breaded chicken Houston’s, bacon and a fried egg, all stacked on top of each other. A culinary and engineering masterpiece.We love it here.

I love this place. It feels like a proper, small local, pub rather than a glorified restaurant. Warm, cosy and friendly. The food was very nice, good portions and reasonable price.

We have returned from the Sportsmans rest well feed and pleased. The order of two roast beef lunches was delivered hot with the plate chock bloc with food. The beef was delicious very tender. The staff are very friendly and we fully recommend it.

Love this pub! Ideal setting, close to Newtown harbor and lots of walks. Excellent pub food Inc. Basket meals and a well kept cellar providing great beers. Home from home.

Nice atmosphere in a traditional pub ,with good friendly service.The food was nice and fresh ,and the double burger stack more like a family meal.We will certainly go back

Went for a walk down the public footpath from the main road to the shore, and back. We then had a drink and fish & chips in a basket at the pub. Food was excellent, chips home made. Would definitely recommend.

Miserable weekend so we called in for lunch Husband delighted to find they served London Stout! We both had a jacket potato with cheese and beans. Lots of fresh salad on the side Lovely cosy log burner, proper old pub, no gimmicks, perfect

From the outside the pub doesn't look that impressive but don't let that put you off we stopped one day just out of interest and have been back 3 times in the last few months which is a lot for us. On this visit there were a few friendly locals in the bar and a few people eating lunch .The atmosphere was very happy and pleasant and the lady behind the bar (think her and her husband own the pub) is always very welcoming and kind. We had 3 meals, steak and ale pie, steak baguette and chips and a cheese jacket potato with homemade coleslaw. All of the food is very nice, traditional pub food, a good price and a large portion size, drinks are reasonable too. The chips are proper homemade ones like my parents make and are very nice, as is the coleslaw. I thoroughly recommend a visit.

Surprisingly good traditional pub food. The atmosphere is very much local English pub and very friendly with a open fire and sofa to lounge on. Really pleasant all round.

We made a late family booking for 18 while on holiday at the Isle of Wight. The staff were friendly and attentive. The locals had a chat with a few of us and we had a bit of friendly banter over our football teams.. the food all arrived together and was cooked well, apart from one of the children's meals, which had a cooking implement inside the burger.. the staff were most apologetic and deducted the cost of the meal from our bill. Overall we had a great time at the sportsmans rest and the price of the food was most reasonable.

Mi familia de vacaciones en la Isla de Wight y fueron después de un pub que sirve comidas de la noche - sin que cuesten una fortuna.

Went last Wednesday after a four hour wait we were both exhausted and were hungry . Thought at last we could go back to my wife's hometown and have a mealall the old character had been taken down thus destroying its history.we both had fish and chips in a basket the chips were very rustic that they forgot to cook them properly the fish was a precrumed piece that wasbought in not prepared by the chef.In all the experience was poor hopefully they can sort it out or they will have to close.

Proper english pub with good food and great service. Steak was cooked exactly as asked and the portion was huge.

Una cálida bienvenida le espera en este acogedor pub de madera climatizada fuego. La comida del bar estaba delicioso. Teníamos casa sopa hechas y una cesta de comida de pescado y patatas fritas. Las patatas fritas eran sensacionales! Bien cuidado de cerveza. El propietario amable...