Here goes! We're back from IOW now, so a few bits and pieces for you...
We didn't find loads of seafood restaurants, but I think most of the 'foodie' places are in villages around the island where you need to drive, and we didn't want to do that.
In Shanklin itself, we went to The Hideaway, which is up on the cliff top, at the far end of town (towards Sandown). We were staying very close by, but it's worth the walk. Menu is more 'pub classics', but we had excellent fish and chips there, and enjoyed drinks too. It has great views over the sea/beach, and a lovely relaxed vibe.
We also ate at the Fisherman's Cottage at the other end of the beach, near Shanklin Chine. Also 'pub grub', but good.
There were a few places recommended in the old village, but none of them offered anything different from what we can eat at home, so we didn't go there - the appeal of the previous 2 was very much the location.
I strongly recommend the Smoking Lobster. I think there are 3 on the island. We couldn't get into the one in Ventnor, but went for lunch in Cowes - it was delicious (although they didn't have any lobsters that day!)
We also ate at The Cow (at Tapnell Farm park) - fantastic burgers, and great cocktails.
Off The Rails in Yarmouth is a great cafe/restaurant. We had brunch there, but the evening meals looked great too.
The Smuggler's Inn (or Smuggler's something) in Ventnor was a good spot - we had nice crab there.
We had a meal at Aqua in Shanklin. It was hilarious. We felt like we were on a coach holiday, and were the youngest there by some margin (late 40s!). But the food was delicious - I had amazing crab and lobster ravioli. Once we'd eaten, we were 'allowed' to go outside for drinks, so enjoyed the sunset on the front.
In terms of things to do - we basically went from beach to beach, walking and stopping for refreshments! Steephill Cove (walk from Ventnor) was my favourite spot - there was a great-looking cafe at the end of the beach, where you can't book, but looked great. Also a cafe with the best ice-cream.
If you go to The Needles, there is a farmshop/cafe 600m from the car park - we spotted the sign for it as we were walking back from the Needles. It was a great place for a cuppa and cake, and they had nice goodies for sale too.
Freshwater Bay was a great way to spend half a day. We sat on the beach with coffee and cake (do you see a theme emerging?) and then had a lovely walk up over the cliffs and back. We didn't go to Freshwater itself, but The Piano is apparently good there.
We also had a long beach walk in Ryde, and there was a lovely cafe at the far end of the beach, not long past the tower. A great spot for drinks (they had a good looking cocktail list) - sadly we weren't there at the right time of day for that.
I wouldn't bother with Newport. We went on our last day, when we were killing time, and there was nothing of note there at all (that we could see). The only place (apart from beaches) that we visited was Carisbrooke Castle, which we enjoyed. We were going to go to Osborne house (walking from the foot ferry in East Cowes), but we didn't have time after our big lunch!
Gurnard Bay has amazing sunsets. Lots of people gather to watch them. There is a pub there, where we had drinks, and a bowl of nachos, but I'd combine it with a trip to Cowes, and just walk around the headland in time to watch the sunset.
One key thing I'd say is BOOK. If you don't have food reservations, you may well struggle to get in. It's reduced capacity everywhere. It's a shame, because it takes the spontaneity out of things, but otherwise you'll end up in the less good places.
Any other questions, fire away!