Positive reviews from satisfied diners have helped Restaurant 1865 at The Queens Hotel, Portsmouth, to secure a major accolade from TripAdvisor.
Every year the online review site celebrates restaurants that consistently deliver amazing experiences with a Travellers’ Choice Award – and this year, Restaurant 1865 has made the list. This means they are in the top 10% of restaurants worldwide – and The Queens Hotel General Manager, Paul Playford, said he was delighted with the accolade.
“We are really pleased that Restaurant 1865 has been singled out in this way. It is great recognition for the kitchen and restaurant staff who are part of a wider team at the hotel working to deliver the best possible service for visitors and guests,” he said. The hotel really values feedback from customers – and of course, glowing reviews always make them happy.
Executive Chef Simon Hartnett, said: “It’s always great to receive recognition for what you do and we always take note of the reviews that our customers take the time to leave. Our latest seasonal menu is proving really popular – and as you can see from the reviews, Sunday Lunch gains plenty of plaudits.”
Ever since he was a child Simon Hartnett has had a fascination with flavours and a calling to make his name in cuisine.
“I’ve always been interested in local produce and with experience I have learned the importance of letting just a few elements on a plate speak for themselves.
“My ethos is to buy the best ingredients locally and draw on the modern food influences to create British food that reflects the melting pot of cultures and flavours,” he explained.
Simon trained at Highbury College and worked in top hotels (most recently the five star Harbour Hotel in Southampton) and two rosette gastro pubs before taking up his role at the Queens Hotel.
Cooking must be in the genes as his uncle Gary Mehigan is a celebrity chef in Australia working on MasterChef Australia.
“I am Pompey born and bred and have always seen the Queens Hotel as a sleeping giant, with so much potential. We have assembled a great kitchen team and together we have created a menu that changes seasonally and reflects the wonderful produce we have on our doorstep,” he said.
Here are just a few of the recent reviews:
1) Dinner at Restaurant 1865 in The Queen’s Hotel Portsmouth
My sister and I had cocktails and dinner at the Queens Hotel on Saturday evening. The atmosphere was lovely and there was a good vibe in the bar earlier on. The cocktails were excellent and great before dinner. The food was excellent, simply wonderful and we felt we were somewhere very special.
After our meal we had a nightcap in the bar. Honestly, the staff could not have been any more professional or friendly with superb food and a magnificent setting.
Booking again for next month.
2) First Class food and service
Good range of dishes offering choices to suit all palates. The food was first class and the service matched. The staff were all attentive and friendly. I would highly recommend.
3) Amazing
I had friends visit for the weekend and we were looking for somewhere that served roast dinner. We’d gone to multiple restaurants, which had all stopped serving, though it was only 7pm(ish) I remembered the Queens hotel had restaurant 1865, so we popped in, and thankfully they were still serving. They say things happen for a reason, it was quite possibly the best roast dinner. I had pork, which was perfect, and my friends had the beef, which they said was delicious. Deserts were
delicious too. We all loved it so much we went back the next night. We all ordered the rib-eye, possibly the best steak we’d had, the knife went through like melted butter it was that tender.
Everything about restaurant 1865 and it’s surroundings was 10/10 in every way. The staff are friendly, surroundings amazing, food exquisite, and prices really reasonable, in fact unbelievably reasonable. I couldn’t recommend this place enough, truly well worth visiting
4) Superb Restaurant
We had Sunday lunch and it was excellent, a nice choice of dishes, I had the pork and my wife had chicken, both were excellent and superbly cooked. The waitresses were fantastic, so friendly and helpful, we felt we had known them for years. Service was very prompt, but not to the point of feeling rushed. An added bonus was the excellent saxophone player, very pleasant music and not too loud.
As we were staying at the Hotel, we also had the pleasure of one of the best breakfasts I have had at any Hotel, it is worth visiting the Restaurant just to have their breakfast.
We will definitely be back we are already booked into the Hotel in September, so the restaurant is a must.
