Drift: Hayling Island

I visited the Drift last week at lunchtime. There were five of us in total, plus two dogs. Everyone liked the venue and the food and service were very good. It was good to see that there is now a greater choice of gluten free items, as this was the need of one of my guests. The Drift is the place I visit when I have guests. I always find the staff very helpful in arranging for any extra requests you need to make. I had the ‘fish of the day’ when I was there. It was delicious, and I throughly recommend it.

Quite a private location on the marina near the fishing boats which was nice, the staff were very friendly and informative! The place is dog friendly too which was great. Not too many choices on the menu but i loved that the fish was locally sourced and freshly caught. From what i remember there wasn’t music and it did get quite loud with the other customers but that’s to be expected. After reading a review about long food waiting time i was a bit sceptical but for us our food came in quite good time! The desserts especially came within ten minutes of ordering so very pleased about that. Overall great experience!

Good food, service a bit slow, and I was very disappointed that they weren’t doing cocktails because they looked to have great options for them. However, the service overall was good. Mains and starters arrived at the same time, which is not traditional, however it was welcome from me as we had been waiting a fair while after ordering. Great for locals with a nice indoor and outdoor aesthetic.

This fantastic restaurant is a hidden gem that we were so happy to find. We had the best meal we’ve eaten in a long time and it was great value too. The staff are so friendly and make sure you’re well looked after, we really felt welcome. A wonderful place to have a great meal and views of a great marina too! We can’t wait to go back.