The newly refurbished The Railway Hotel, formerly the Grand Victorian, is ready for its public opening tomorrow (25th August 2023).
We were fortunate enough to be invited along for a preview dinner on 23rd August where we met some of the friendly team and took a look around. The Victorian style hotel and pub has had a £3 million overhaul with a fresh new menu and refurbished hotel rooms.
We were warmly greeted and seated in the spacious bar area with our dog Charlie. Well-behaved pooches are welcome in the pub’s garden and bar and Charlie was soon making friends with our lovely servers.
Owners, Portobello Brewery who have several other pubs including three venues in Brighton and the Inn On The Beach in Hayling Island have tastefully renovated the interior in a Victorian style with railway memorabilia very much suited to the building and its location opposite Worthing’s main train station.
We loved the dark wood and blue/grey walls which lend a cosy feel to the large rooms. The retro style fixtures and embossed glass are genuinely reminiscent of the ‘proper’ pubs my parents used to frequent. Thankfully, The Railway Hotel is up to date in every way and our children were not banished to a dingy ‘children’s room’!
The menu is varied and not overly complex. To start we enjoyed succulent Halloumi fries, crispy squid rings and zesty crispy chicken bites with a Korean chilli sauce. Portion sizes were generous and there were also sharing boards and other tempting starters including plant based options.
For mains we tried pan-fried bream – the fresh and creamy fish fillet was served on a tasty Mediterranean style bean stew. My 13 year old son opted for the double patty cheeseburger and chips which was a sensible size and didn’t fall apart. The maple cured gammon was juicy and served with a poached duck egg, watercress and chips – the 11 year old gammon connoisseur was impressed and even ate the watercress! My ribeye steak was tender and delicious, with a punchy peppercorn sauce on the side and well-seasoned, crispy chips.
There’s always room for dessert, right? With favourites like sticky toffee pudding and chocolate brownie – with the unusual but highly recommended addition of strawberry jam – we couldn’t say no. Both the aforementioned were wolfed down by my boys whilst I savoured the mango and passion fruit cheesecake which came with a tangy mango salsa.
There’s a good choice of wine from £5.25 a glass and the brewery’s own Portobello brewed beers sit amongst premium world beers and local craft brews. We will make a return visit, it’s good to find a premium Worthing venue where we can take the children and dog and expect quality food and service in a pleasant and comfortable environment.
The Railway Hotel has 35 rooms and freshly prepared food is available throughout the day – breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Contact Information:
Amy Wonnacott (Area Sales and Marketing Manager)
Liam (General Manager)
Email: railwayhotel@portobellobrewery.com
Phone: 01273 987011
