ABOUT

Situated right on the waters edge
The Old Fort is a privately owned and operated free house nestled in the heart of Seaview, a picturesque Edwardian sailing village on the north eastern tip of the Isle of Wight.

A cosy, welcoming pub with fantastic food, The Old Fort is an iconic landmark within the village of Seaview and as the only pub in the village, is one of the main hubs of village life. That is why, in July 2020, lifelong friends, Justin & Will took it upon themselves to take over their local pub. Despite the various obvious challenges, the duo persevered and couldn’t be happier with the overwhelming support & response to what they have been able to achieve so far. Within the first year The Old Fort was crowned ‘Best Destination Pub’ and received a ‘TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Award’ with a staggering 42,000 people going through the doors just in the first season alone.

Having grown up on the other side of the bar, Justin & Will knew they wanted it to continue to be exactly the kind of place where they would like to enjoy their time off and holidays by the water. This meant it had to:

• be a proper pub, serving proper food;
• offer a friendly, comfortable atmosphere, where everybody’s always welcome;
• focus on simple, unpretentious cooking using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients;
• feel professional but with approachable service from people who love to eat out as much as you do.

We take huge pride on each and every one of our awards received to date. We want to thank you all for your continued support and each and every one of the team for all their hard work, we literally couldn’t have done it without you! - thank you!

Serving fresh, locally sourced, seasonal produce
The island has so much to offer along its shores, coastal waters and woodlands. With an abundance of foraging, fishing and farming, the Isle of Wight is renowned for some of Britain’s best produce. With this in mind, we have appointed a new Executive Chef, Bam Smith, who together with his talented team aim to offer a mix of delicious pub classics and mouth watering daily specials, using fresh, local, seasonal produce wherever possible.

During the winter months you can expect delicious Sunday roasts and winter classics. We’re talking Roast Sirloin of Beef with Yorkshire puds, Slow-Cooked Pork Belly with Apple Sauce, Chicken Supreme or Walnut and Parsnip Nut Roast each served with with all the trimmings. During the warmer months we focus on fresh fish including plenty of fresh IOW crab & lobster, which remain firm favourites among our customers and we have become rather famous for our delicious Crab Ramekin.

Enjoy refreshing drinks & delicious food
We may be biased but it really is one of the best views and with a wide range of drinks on offer, we’re sure you’ll find something you love. That’s because we are a privately-owned free house, so have no restrictions imposed by a brewery.

The Old Fort is run by Justin & Will (The Proprietors) and Charlotte & Bee (The Managers) and all their friendly team, who endeavour to make sure that each and every visit is as enjoyable as possible. The downstairs bar can get quite lively, supported by an interesting array of locals with many a tale to tell, so if you are looking for a quieter night, we suggest booking the all-new, open-plan restaurant and bar space upstairs, with sweeping panoramic sea views of the Solent & beyond.

We are passionate about food & drink; especially beer (it’s in our blood). That’s why we have invested heavily in our new purpose built cellar; kitted out with the fantastic Heineken SmartDispense system which maintains the beer in the pipes at a cool -4°C, ensuring all of our draught beers are fresh, ice-cold and perfectly poured; all the time, every time! We now offer a total of 10 delicious draught beers to suit all tastes, including 4 lagers, 2 pale ales, 2 ales, 1 stout & 1 cider. These are changed and added to according to season and demand, meaning we’ll always have something you’ll love.

We are the first and only pub on the island to serve the new Sale di Mare by Birra Moretti.  Inspired by the vibrant character of the Italian coast, it's a refreshing, unfiltered, premium lager with a distinctive ingredient: Italian sea salt.

We are also the first the first pub on the Isle of Wight to receive the prestigious Beer Marque award… that’s right folks, we have been awarded our first accreditation specifically for our beer!! The Beer Marque stamp of approval is only issued to “establishments that pour and serve the best quality beers and deliver a great beer experience across all draught products, whatever the method of dispense, ensuring our customers continue to receive a better beer experience from knowledgeable staff.”

If beer isn’t your thing, fear not as we have an extensive wine list with plenty available by the glass and coming soon ‘The Director’s Cellar‘ – a collection of special bottles, in small quantities, aged in our private cellar under lock & key. Last but by no means least, we have our Signature Cocktails including an ‘East Wight Martini‘ and a ‘Seaview Spritz‘ as well as our take on classic cocktails such as ‘The Party Starter‘ – our version of an Espresso Martini – which someone recently reviewed as “The Best Espresso Martini they’ve ever had!”. ‘The Sun Downer‘ is also another favourite to enjoy whilst watching the evening dinghy race…

This is seaside dining at its absolute best – all in a relaxed, cosy environment served with a smile. This is only the start of our journey – as we have many more exciting plans to help put The Old Fort, Seaview on the map – watch this space!