Platform 3 Cafe in Carrickfergus

I'd a lovely morning at Whitehead Railway Museum and Platform 3 cafe. Delicious breakfast bap with tea served on China cup and saucer. Lovely staff and food delicious. This is a great place to eat and enjoy some history about railway.

This is the restaurant at the famous Whitehead Railway Museum. The volunteers of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland run the museum and keep a wealth of industrial heritage alive and literally running. Their steam train rides are very popular. I was at the restaurant in the evening. The menu listed a choice of four starters, eight main courses, a kid’s meal option, and three desserts. I had the cod in batter, which came with a little salad, a bowl of mushy peas, a bowl of tartare sauce, and a big basket of chunky chips. For dessert I had their apple crumble and custard. I liked my meal a lot. The night was a bring-your-own alcohol event. They had little jars on the tables with Christmas lights inside. Service was very good, we enjoyed chatting with our host. The dining area is spacious. I like the building a lot. Whitehead Excursion Station is only nine years old, opening back in October 2013, but it was built in the style of an old train station. They managed to find a lot of vintage wooden interior wall furniture to give the place a Victorian feel. They have lots of handsome reproduction period travel posters around the walls. Their door sticker says they score a maximum 5 out of 5 for their Food Standards Agency hygiene rating. They’ve added a defibrillator just outside their main gate. A few metres from their door is a huge, free car parking area. If you eat here in daytime there are great guides offering free tours of the railway museum. A musician often plays live music on Fridays.

Went for the first time for their Steak Night. Two of us had the steak. It was done to our liking. The steak came with onion rings, a big mushroom, a hearty half a tomato, triple-cooked chips and peppercorn sauce. For dessert I had the Baileys cheesecake with ice cream. Their coffee was really nice. This was a bring your own bottle evening, and it was very popular; there were nineteen people dining there. The place had red and white tablecloths, with lights in jars on the table. Service was superb. Altogether a very enjoyable evening. Hopefully I get to come back very soon.

After a tour round the railway museum we came here for a meal. Have to say for the price of the menu the portions are not that big. Staff were friendly here and cleanliness was top notch. Just hope portions would be bigger on a potential future visit.

Loved this quirky restaurant and the friendly staff. Prices are really reasonable and the food tasty. Can't recommend it highly enough.