Off the Rails

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#3 of 18 Restaurants in Yarmouth$$ - $$$, British, Vegetarian friendly

+44 1983 761600+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Fri

9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Sat

9:00 am - 4:00 pm

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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,086 reviews

#3 of 18 Restaurants in Yarmouth

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, British, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

“I had the vegan nut roast, and my husband the haddock chowder dish.”

Special Occasion Dining, Romantic, View

“We visited for a silver wedding celebration.”

“Staff are always lovely, Can’t wait to visit again oven the Christmas period...”

Location and contact

Station Road, Yarmouth PO41 0QT England

+44 1983 761600

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Is this a Central European restaurant?

Yes

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About

Off the Rails Yarmouth For a truly unique experience, come and join us in our Award Winning Railway restaurant situated perfectly beside the beautiful Mill Copse. We provide first class service and a mouth-watering selection of hand prepared dishes for breakfast, lunch & dinner. All within a warm friendly ambiance with a real log fire. - Most dog friendly restaurant on the Isle of Wight!

PRICE RANGE

$15.00 – $44.00

CUISINES

British

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Street Parking, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Dog Friendly, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

1,086 reviews

Excellent

794

Very good

181

Average

Poor

Terrible

Stewart C

Chatham1106 contributions

Certainly worth a visit if you are in the area

Aug 2020 • none

We visited ‘Off the Rails’ at Yarmouth having completed our cycle ride along the old railway track bed from Freshwater and in search of a cup of coffee. There is no car parking associated with the restaurant and intending visitors can make use of a good sized pay & display car park a short walk away in Yarmouth, public busses also serve the area. We have not used this restaurant before although we have visited when it was closed, so it was nice to see it operational. The owners have made an excellent job of sympathetically renovating the former Yarmouth station building and the interior decoration is a train enthusiasts dream with many photos of the island’s railway in years gone by. Both the exterior and interior look to be very well maintained and clean. The building lies alongside a small stream from the River Yar and families with young children will no doubt enjoy watching the water fowl who inhabit the area. We believe that bags of pellets may be purchased here specifically to feed the ducks. ‘Off the Rails’ has both inside and outside seating (on what would have been the old platform) and when we visited on a Friday mid-afternoon the restaurant was very busy. We were lucky enough to get a table outside and these were relatively well spaced from other tables in that we did not feel too close to other customers. I entered the restaurant area to order our drinks. At the entrance there was a hand sanitiser dispenser and a signed one way system to the building. The order area was completely enclosed behind a sheet of Perspex, I even made my contactless payment through the screen which was a ‘first’ for me. Our drinks were delivered to our table by a waitress soon after we ordered them and the cups carrying the ‘Off the Rails’ logo was a nice touch. I ventured inside later to use the customer toilets admiring the interior decoration at the same time and also noted the several large floor to ceiling doors giving access to the outside area and letting in a good deal of daylight and fresh air. If you are lucky enough to get one of these tables in these locations on a sunny afternoon it would almost be like eating in a Parisian cafe on the Champs Elysees! As noted above, the venue was very busy and I had to wind around the tables and seated diners to reach the toilets. In summary, the restaurant is certainly worth a visit if you are in the area, particularly if you are looking for something ‘themed’ or ‘quirky’ or you just like trains. The number of diners here suggest that it is already a popular venue and if you are cycling or walking along the old track bed it is a convenient place to stop for a drink and a snack.

Written 13 September 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DAVIDMS20050

Emsworth1317 contributions

Great food ion an old Station platform in pleasant countryside .

Jul 2020 • none

Our first meal out in our social bubble. My daughter had booked this restaurant for lunch before our visit to Osborne House gardens. A great find situated in the old Yarmouth train station and on such a lovely summer`s day the only platform too. The platform overlooks a stream chock full with very hungry or greedy ducks. The menu is in the form of a newspaper the Station News. This includes a dog menu too. A great range of coffees, drinks, wines and cocktails. We enjoyed pink lemonade, ginger beer and bloody Marys. The mains cost from £13 to £17 and all our choices were well presented, well cooked and extremely filling. None of us quite finished our main courses and extra order of chips was hardly touched. It was all a bit different and the chef or owner has a bit more imagination than most places. All 5 choices were excellent and can be recommended such as Thailand Fishcakes , charcoal coated fishcakes with chili fries, lemon grass, and a great ginger and lime dip. My Spain stationmaster was great a bit like a paella with chorizo, grilled chicken , crab, peas and bell peppers with a spiced lime/ paprika rice. The chowder, off the rail burger and Argentine brisket, and grilled cheese with guacamole were also voted hits. No time or room for dessert or a local ice cream tub as we had a timed booking at Osborne House. Time was passing. Well done OFF THE RAILS different and great. Good to see your policy on kids meals most places just offer something with lots of chips- as an easy way out.

Written 26 July 2020

carolinny71

Oxford30 contributions

Waxing Lyrical

Feb 2020 • none

Oh my- a week on the island and I had three breakfasts and one lunch that's how good Off The Rails is. Its not just toast its Off The Rails Griddle Toast. One inch thick slab of yumminess lies underneath the freshness of local superbly cooked produce. Back to the toast, cooked in butter, the bread soaks up the butter and doesnt become soggy but crispy and tastes like its been cooked over a wood fire. You have to have it to know you will be going home to try and replicate. Coalmans break breakfast is a very hearty - deconstructing the stack is part of the fun. The baked beans has a nice flavour of smokiness without overpowering, the sausage very meaty, the bacon thick cut and any fat crispy without overcooking the meat. I found that this breakfast set me up for the day and I did not need to order extra toast (sadly). Another day I had off the rails eggs- a lighter breakfast but still a slab of that delicious toast at the bottom, but it still kept me going until mid afternoon Reubens Sandwich was a welcome sandwich after a morning of walking and lives completely up to its hype. The location is right on a walking cycle track how anyone can walk/ ride past is beyond me, its a go to place. Away from the centre of Yarmouth but well signposted so its east to find, only a 5 minute walk from the ferry. The staff welcome you like an old friend and I was aware there were regulars there daily, and then there is station master, the most friendliest dog who wanders to say hello but asks for nothing more I know when I return to the Island this is my first port of call Thank you Off The Rails Team for adding to a very memorable holiday

Written 29 February 2020

Emma

3 contributions

Disappointing

Sept 2020 • friends

Having heard lots of good things about the food, took friends for lunch. Just really overpriced for quality of food received. Seafood chowder had hardly any fish in - I would argue about the “bisque” base as mainly tasted of cream and overpoweringly acid from lemon. Friends has a bowl of overcooked crab pastA for £19 a pop - £5 extra for a side salad. After sitting for a while Noticed outside tables weren’t being wiped down between guests. Saving grace was a glass of tasty pink lemonade - that’s about it.

Written 17 September 2020

Pauline

Newport4 contributions

Dog Friendly?????

Jan 2020 • family

1. Poor value for money. Food was ok but lacked garnish and chips were £4 extra. Soft drinks also dear. Probably 20% more expensive than comparable establishments. 2. Poor service. We waited 10 minutes before we had to ask for a menu whist staff bustled around. (They weren’t busy) Other customers with children served before us despite arriving afterwards. 3. They have won numerous awards for being dog friendly but see photo of front door. “No Muddy Boots & No Muddy Paws”. Obviously the award judges don’t visit the nominated sites.

Written 2 January 2020

offtherailsYARMOUTH

Ouch! someone is jealous, sounds more like Pauline is a competitor! 1. You obviously spend a lot of time at Wetherspoons? We check our prices regularly and we're still cheaper than most places in Yarmouth. 20% more expensive? This is so unfair. 2. There is no way anyone would wait for menus or service as we seat every customer with menu in hand and as for being served after another table, have a little think, maybe they ordered before whilst having drinks outside? 3. Doesn't take a genius to appreciate that if your boots are dirty, take them off or clean them a bit before coming into a clean establishment. It's just common courtesy 4. Yes we have won many prizes just because we do what we do and the judges "have" visited us, so don't get upset! 5. We have spent so much time and effort into every dish having it's own theatre. So your opinion of our food lacking garnish is just wrong

Written 2 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Theresa V

Isle of Wight1 contribution

Don't go there

Jun 2021 • none

Terrible Service and mediocre food. We went for breakfast and were treated like we were an inconvenience rather than paying customers. The food is overpriced for what you get but the worst part was the over officious Maitre D and the appalling service. We were sat at a table far too small to hold all the plates etc for a breakfast for two people so we asked to be moved to one of the larger tables as plenty were empty. One of the staff told us they would go and ask if we could be moved and did say that they were fully booked, however, she never came back to tell us that she had checked so we just assumed we had to stay were we were, even though some of the larger tables remained empty throughout our meal and were still empty when we left. The table itself was unsteady so when you went to cut your food the table wobbled quite a bit, we asked for a bit of cardboard or something we could use to prop it up. A young lad was sent over with a napkin! No surprise that did not work. We asked for more butter for the extra toast we ordered (3 pounds for 2 thin slices of bread) but that never arrived. When the meal arrived we asked for tomato ketchup, that never arrived. I ordered another coffee, that never arrived. We tried to ask for the bill, that never arrived so in the end I went up to the counter which was in chaos with some people trying to order (which should have been done at their table) and some people trying to order take away drinks and me trying to pay. There were lots of staff on duty so I have no idea how it was so chaotic as the restaurant was not full. It really was off the rails. We live on the island and this was our second trip there, the first was similar to above but decided to give it another go, but after this terrible and disappointing experience never again. Go somewhere else.

Written 6 June 2021

mwtrips_Stamford

Stamford459 contributions

Railway theme, good food with an interesting twist.

Aug 2021 • none

The main thing about this restaurant is its decor, to fit its occupation of the former railway station at Yarmouth. Evening meals are only served on Saturdays and as we were never in Yarmouth for lunch, we came here on a Saturday - booking essential as it's very popular. All the dishes have railway-themed names, have a slight twist to them and use fresh, local ingredients. Service could be quicker but was more than acceptable - it does get busy. Can be cold if wind blowing in from platform on a sunless day, but that is all part of the atmosphere. Loved the place and will probably go again if convenient if I am in Yarmouth again.

Written 21 August 2021

ChrisPaulson

Freshwater5 contributions

Great coffee and breakfast

Dec 2019 • solo

Great location in old railway station refurbished to a very high period standard, overlooking a wetland and marsh, great selection of breakfast fare from Croissants and Pain au chocolat to eggs Benedict. They have visiting thespians on some Saturday nights, ‘Murder on the Orient express’ Farty towels and other comic delights. Always a sellout.

Written 18 April 2020

Pyrobod

Worcester41 contributions

Fantastic Food, Very Disappointing Service

Aug 2020 • none

We booked a table and turned up at the appointed time to be told that they had no record of the booking and so were invited to sit outside. We were very much made to feel that we were lying about making a booking and if I had thought that I could have got a table elsewhere at short notice I would have left at that point. Having settled down outside a member of staff came out and advised that they had found our booking and they could 'squeeze us in' inside. We were given directions to our table, not shown to our table, and there was no apology for their mistake. Once we were sat inside things did improve though. The food was great. I opted for the chilli which was presented in an unusual manner but was absolutely delightful. My wife's pasta wasn't as unique but was very nice. Part way through our main course our server (who wasn't the member of staff we initially dealt with) did apologise for the initial confusion, but this was far too late and did not make up for the initial member of staff's attitude towards us. The desserts were as equally good as the main courses. So in summary, the food was fantastic. The location is great, it's a lovely spot and the building has character. The service however, not so good. If we had received a genuine apology to start with, or perhaps the offer of a free drink, then I think the initial problems would have been forgotten about, but it is now doubtful as to whether we will be return.

Written 9 September 2020

Adsett Travel

Bath172 contributions

Loved it!

Feb 2020 • none

We tried Off The Rails for lunch on a wild, wet and windy day during Storm Dennis and the food and warm welcome made it all worthwhile. The staff were friendly and hospitable and could not do enough for us and our dog, who was offered a biscuit on arrival. There were two other dogs present during our stay, both well-behaved so no problems for other guests. We tried the charcoal box- fantastic tasty bbq chicken; the seafood chowder which was very tasty, rich and incredibly filling, with plentiful ciabatta and butter; and the Reuben sandwich, which featured fantastic slo-cooked salt beef and cheese, a tasty mouthful. The only tiny criticism I would make is the Reuben would have benefited from a gherkin or similar. Great coffee and milkshakes too! Thank you Off The Rails, we will return in the summer.

Written 17 February 2020

The Reynards

Isle of Wight520 contributions

Recently booked for one of

Jan 2020 • couples

Recently booked for one of their comedy dining experiences. We had a lovely time. We were greet by friendly welcoming staff who took our soggy coats, and seated us promptly, taking our drinks order immediately, which arrive within seconds of us sitting down. The food was delicious hot and served promptly in between the comedy shows scenes. A different dining experience delivered, in this wonderfully well renovated old railway station. Would recommend a visit any time they also serve delicious cakes, to go with your pot of tea, should you be out for a walk in the area. If the weather allows sit outside on the old platform, to watch the bird life, or better still buy they some duck pellets and feed whilst you take your pit stop. Check their website, or FB page for opening times.

Written 1 February 2020

Gourmandsouth

Southampton919 contributions

Pleasant Lunch at a Pleasant Venue

Jun 2021 • none

We were three adults and two children lunching on Fathers Day. We were very disappointed to find they no longer serve Sunday Roasts, despite them being advertised on their menu and website. The children had Fish Fingers, which came without the pea puree, and an adult Burger. Two adults had Burgers which they enjoyed, and I chose Crab and Smoked Haddock Chowder, which was nice but a very expensive bowl of soup for £19! The waitress offered us their dessert menu, but never returned with it, so we didn't have any ... The owner/manager was very pleasant and diligent.

Written 22 June 2021

Kmkj1

8 contributions

Nice food for adults but would not recommend for young children

Jul 2021 • family

I recently visited with my parents, husband and three year old daughter for lunch. I was surprised to find there was no children’s menu but instead a note in the menu to say that the main meals would be made smaller for children. This is apparently to keep the meals healthy for children. I struggled to see how this would keep it healthy as the main meals all sounded very tasty but not what I’d call ‘healthy’ with them coming with chips, coleslaw, relish etc. I also think the main meals were all too heavily flavoured with garlic, chilli and other spices for young children so really struggled to find something appropriate for a three year old! Anyway, I ordered the burger for my daughter and had to remove the coleslaw, relish and pickles from it which resulted in an overpriced plain burger and chips. My daughter is not a fussy eater at all but like many young children do not like overcomplicated and strong flavours in their meals like an adult would. I really don’t understand why a burger or homemade fish fingers served with chips/potatoes and vegetables or perhaps a nice pasta meal could not be offered on a children’s menu without all of the spices etc?? That would be far healthier than what is currently offered. When the burger arrived it was pink in the middle which I was surprised at when it was cooked for a child. I asked the waiter if we could have a fully cooked burger instead. He said yes and later came back with a new burger. He also proceeded to say that the burgers come ‘medium/rare’ unless you ask for them to be cooked differently. I think it goes without saying that if you’re serving a burger to a young child it should be fully cooked and not ‘medium-rare’ as it might be for an adult! There was also no children’s cutlery offered which made it a bit more difficult to eat than it should have been. Off The Rails dedicates a whole page of the menu to a ‘Dog Menu’ where you can order various things for dogs which is a lovely idea but seems odd to have a dog menu when they don’t even provide a child’s menu! We also felt that the restaurant was overcrowded and the tables were arranged as if it was a pre COVID restaurant, sitting very close to other tables and being a Saturday it was incredibly busy. I really wanted to love this restaurant as the theme is very fun and quirky and the adult meals are very tasty and filling but it lets itself down with the lack of options and catering for children.

Written 4 July 2021

watchleader

Wiveliscombe4 contributions

Full Streaming delights

Oct 2020 • couples

Stationed, just a stone throw from Yarmouth Harbour a step off the old beaten railway tack a unspoilt former countryside station presents a menu fit for the orient express. From the cleverly presented menu, the amazing choices of tantalising dishes (at excellent value), this unique cafe provides the perfect place to stop todays hustle and bustle to imagine a country station experience spending a moment, waiting for a train. You will love the food, the attention to detail, friendly service. In the words the reviews from the four legged menu, this place is a definitely five "woofs"!

Written 17 October 2020

m3dolly

Hertford14 contributions

One of the worse brunch experiences

Sept 2021 • friends

We arrived on time and we’re shown to our table with menus. I very bizarre breakfast/brunch menu, that states you are unable to change any of the options. So for a full English as over £10.00, you can’t choice to have scrambled egg instead of a fried one. What we all wanted was a bit of bacon some scrambled eggs with toast on the side, very simple. We were advised that if we ordered the salmon and scrambled eggs with chives we could have have it bacon rather than salmon. Great. I clearly asked for our toast be on the side so we could have it with marmalade. When it came, it was a soggy piece of toast with cream/green eggs on top, bacon on top of that with smoked salmon next it to. Bearing in mind my friend does eat seafood and does not deal well with it, it was incredibly disappointing. We removed it immediately from her plate and others. We then had to order another toast order to have with our marmalade. My friend didn’t eat any of her food having been turned off by the salmon arriving on her plate and the food being tasteless. I ate my egg and bacon and have been regretting it all day. We told the staff we were unhappy and that the food had been not really up to the price or really what we had asked for. Our bill was not reduced and we were even charged for the toast we ordered after we had to order it due to the fact the staff completed messed up our order. To be honest when we questioned their errors through our meal, we were not offered replacements or an alternative. To the question of the bill, they said they would feed the information back. They just don’t really care. Bad food, carelessly delivered, poor quality, and completely over priced. There are plenty of other options that would offer you a better menu, quality and service. Shame on you

Written 12 September 2021

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OFF THE RAILS, Yarmouth - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews