If you are after a meal with a bit of theatre attached, Restaurant 1865 is worth a look. It sits inside The Queens Hotel in Southsea, and the room does half the work before you have even tasted anything: fifteen-foot ceilings, intricate plasterwork and chandeliers that lean more Edwardian than modern, with south-facing views out over Southsea Common and beyond. It is the kind of place that works as well for a proper dinner as it does for a long lunch, and it is open to everyone, not just guests staying at the hotel.
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The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Simon Hartnett, and the focus stays firmly on local produce and fish, which is where the restaurant has built its name. The à la carte menu runs Monday to Saturday from midday through to 9pm, and on Sundays it switches to a roast lunch from midday to 6pm, with pork and chicken at the centre of things. Dinner is the obvious draw, though, where a good roast dinner, a rib-eye steak and a well-made cocktail make for an easy evening. Breakfast is also highly rated and runs from 7am on weekdays and 8am at the weekend, so it is as much a place for a slow morning as it is for a celebratory dinner.
Afternoon tea is the other half of the business here. It is put together daily by the hotel's pastry chefs with a seasonal mix of sweet and savoury made from local ingredients, and there are several champagne versions to choose from if you want to push it, alongside gluten-free and vegan options. There is even a children's afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones, cakes and unlimited squash, though that one needs to be booked in advance. The tea runs Monday to Saturday from 1pm to 4pm, which makes it an easy option for a mid-afternoon treat rather than a full meal.
For something more casual, Dukes Bar is the other room to know. It opens daily from 8am to 11pm, looks out over the Solent, and comes with a veranda and private garden seating, so it is the natural spot for a drink before or after dinner. Between the bar and the dining room, the place covers a lot of ground in a single building, from a quiet breakfast to a full dinner.
Location helps, too. Southsea is the coastal community just off Portsmouth, named after its castle and barely two miles wide, and the restaurant sits right in the middle of a thriving cultural area. Whether you are coming for the food or the room, Restaurant 1865 is one of the more polished tables in the city, and it carries a Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award to back it up. It opened on Thursday 20 May and has been open to the public and hotel guests ever since, so it is well established and easy to book into.
