Newport, the Isle of Wight's county town, has a great mix of independent cafés. There's a tea room in one of the town's oldest buildings, a coffee roaster in an old department store, a walled garden hidden behind a hotel and the UK's best board game café. These are our favourites by category, from our regular Saturday trips into town.
Looking beyond Newport? See all our Isle of Wight café reviews.
Best for coffeeSection titled Best for coffee
Sheer PinkSection titled Sheer Pink
Probably the smallest coffee shop in Newport, with space for about four people. They take their coffee seriously, and it's a great place to grab one on the go.
Best for cream teaSection titled Best for cream tea
God's Providence HouseSection titled God's Providence House
God's Providence House at 12 St Thomas' Square is one of Newport's best-known historic buildings. Today it's a tea room serving homemade cakes, scones and a great cream tea, plus breakfasts, lunches and Sunday roasts. There are outside tables on St Thomas' Square, which are perfect for people watching.
Best for cakeSection titled Best for cake
Richmonds BakerySection titled Richmonds Bakery
Richmonds Bakery on St James' Street is an independent bakery and café over two floors. There's a great selection of cupcakes, traybakes and pastries, and it's dog friendly.
I recently had the millionaire's shortbread from Richmonds, and it was decadent and delicious. I'd highly recommend it.
Read our full review of Richmonds Bakery.
Best for brunchSection titled Best for brunch
Caffè IsolaSection titled Caffè Isola
Caffè Isola is run by Island Roasted, the island coffee roaster, and is in a former department store in the middle of Newport. You can watch the roasting on the first floor. For brunch there's smashed avocado on toast, pancakes and savoury croissants, with Italian-influenced dishes made with local ingredients.
Best café gardenSection titled Best café garden
One HolyroodSection titled One Holyrood
If you want to get away from the bustle of Newport's busier cafés, go to One Holyrood. It's the café at the front of a small hotel on Holyrood Street. Out the back is a walled garden that's lovely for a coffee on a sunny day, and the afternoon tea is well worth booking.
Best for workingSection titled Best for working
Quay Arts CaféSection titled Quay Arts Café
A café can be a great place for a meeting or a few hours on the laptop, and the café at Quay Arts is our pick in Newport. It's in a converted warehouse on the quay, with big tables, good food and a relaxed atmosphere, and we've always found free wifi. It's open 9am to 4pm every day, and it's dog friendly.
Read our full review of the Quay Arts café.
Best for familiesSection titled Best for families
JR ZoneSection titled JR Zone
OK, so it's primarily a soft play centre, but JR Zone has a good café where parents can put their feet up while the kids play. It's the largest indoor soft play in Newport, with separate toddler and baby areas. That makes it a lifesaver on a rainy day, and there's parking on site.
Best waffles and comic booksSection titled Best waffles and comic books
ComiCoffeeSection titled ComiCoffee
ComiCoffee on Pyle Street is a comic-book-themed café. It's covered in graffiti murals and comic pages, and it does sweet and savoury bubble waffles, themed milkshakes and Island Roasted coffee. There's also a branch in Cowes by the Red Jet terminal.
Best for people watchingSection titled Best for people watching
The Blue Door CaféSection titled The Blue Door Café
The Blue Door is a small independent café on St James' Square. It serves locally sourced food, homemade cakes and speciality coffee, and has a great view of the square. It was shortlisted for County Press Café of the Year in 2025. The long-standing owners handed it over after 14 years, so it's under new management.
Best for entertainmentSection titled Best for entertainment
Snacks and LaddersSection titled Snacks and Ladders
Honestly, I think of Snacks and Ladders as more of a bar or restaurant than a café, but it does serve plenty of food and drink.
The real attraction is the board games: over 850 of them, at its bigger home at 69-70 St James' Street. You can play something completely new or revisit an old favourite. It's been named the best board game café in the UK by the gaming site Dicebreaker.
A word of warning: if you start a game of Kingmaker in the afternoon, check what time they close first. You might not finish it. Trust me, I know.
More in NewportSection titled More in Newport
- The best pubs in Newport, for the evening
- French Franks, for a baguette at lunchtime
- The Man in the Moon, Newport's Wetherspoons, open from 8am for breakfast
- Our guide to Newport
If you think we've missed a great café in Newport, let us know. We're always on the lookout for new places to try.
SourcesSection titled Sources
- Our own visits (photos are ours)
- God's Providence House, Caffè Isola, The Blue Door Café, JR Zone and Snacks and Ladders: Visit Isle of Wight
- Blue Door owners bid farewell and Blue Door makes top 10 list: Isle of Wight County Press
- Snacks and Ladders tops list of best UK board game cafés: Isle of Wight Radio
- ComiCoffee, Newport and One Holyrood, Newport: Matt and Cat
