Positive Tripadvisor reviews from our satisfied diners have helped us to secure a major accolade for our Restaurant 1865.
Every year, Tripadvisor celebrates restaurants that consistently deliver amazing experiences with a Travellers’ Choice Award – and this year, we’ve made the list.
We really value feedback from our customers – and of course, glowing reviews always make us 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.”
Here are just a few of the recent Tripadvisor reviews:
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. Dinner at Restaurant 1865 in The Queen’s Hotel Ports
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 First Class food and service
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 Amazing
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. Superb Restaurant
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to leave a Tripadvisor review – we really appreciate it.
Southsea Food Festival is fast approaching and the Queens Hotel is an official sponsor of the event. Therefore. we spoke to Chloe Barter, our Head of Pastry, who will be preparing afternoon tea tasters on the day.
Chloe loves the alchemy that results from mixing simple ingredients to create mouth-watering teatime treats.
“Afternoon tea is the perfect meal. It’s fancy but not too over the top,” confided Chloe. ”Afternoon tea is something you can look forward to and a great excuse to get together with friends and family. It’s very British and the perfect mix of sweet and savoury.”
Since Chloe joined the Queens Hotel, her afternoon tea has earned multiple plaudits and ecstatic reviews. Every element of the tea is created from scratch, with only the clotted cream and jam being bought in.
“And I’m looking at making my own jam too. I love that everything is baked here and you can taste the freshness,” explained Chloe.
The Queens Hotel is sponsoring the Southsea Food Festival on July 16 and 17. Visitors to the hotel’s stand will be able to sample our ‘afternoon tea in a box’.
Chloe explained: “We wanted to give visitors to the Southsea Food Festival a taster of what our afternoon tea is all about. I’m hoping to spend some time on the stand too.”
For more information about Southsea Food Festival, please click HERE.
Chloe’s passion for pastry is palpable – and when you ask her to explain, the reason becomes clear.
“I love the fact you can take simple ingredients like milk, butter and flour and depending on the way you mix them, you can create so many different things. I love the variables.
“To me choux pastry is a beautiful thing – and then there’s a macaron. Simple ingredients and together they make something incredible,” she declared.
As a child growing-up she learned to love baking. This was largely as a result of watching her Mum create extraordinary celebration cakes for family and friends.
Skills she learned at home were further honed over three years studying at Highbury College in Portsmouth specialising in pastry. She then bagged a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on an all-expenses paid year in America.
“It was the most extraordinary year. I spent four months in Nantucket and then the next eight months in Florida working in the restaurant of a country club.
“It really helped me learn my trade. I learnt everything from bread-making and confectionery to desserts and cakes.
“We even got to do sugar-sculpting which was amazing. The display I worked on had a sea theme and I got to make a rainbow parrot fish just like the ones I saw when I went snorkelling,” she said.
Her love for baking runs so strong, Chloe even boasts a cupcake tattoo.
Looking to the future, Chloe has just put the finishing touches to a festive afternoon tea offering that will take Christmas to a whole other level.
She’s also working on a strawberry custard tart that promises to be a pink perfection on the plate.
“The colour is so beautiful and it tastes sublime,” she added.
Chloe’s Afternoon Tea Top Tips
Chloe’s favourite Victoria Sponge recipe
8oz butter or Stork margarine
8oz caster sugar
4 medium eggs
1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract or paste
8oz self-raising flour
3 splashes of milk (tablespoons)
.