York’s Grand Hotel celebrates its railway heritage with a first-class dining experience
York’s Grand Hotel is paying tribute to its railway heritage with a new fine dining experience inspired by the golden age of train travel.
Throughout 2025, Railway 200, the UK’s nationwide celebration of 200 years of the modern railway, has swept across Britain. Many events have taken place right here in York, unsurprisingly given the city’s significant role in its successful development, as it is almost midway between London and Edinburgh.
In the then "Golden Age" of the railway, York boasted the world's largest and most beautiful station, and in 1906, one of the city's most cherished buildings, the headquarters of the North Eastern Railway, was opened.
The power of NER as one of the largest employers in the North at the time was reflected in the iconic Edwardian Baroque Revival-style building, designed by architect William Bell.
I remembered being saddened when it closed in the noughties, but I was delighted when it reopened after a four-year, £15 million investment, becoming The Grand Hotel. What a grand hotel it is, and it remains York's only 5-star hotel.
So, it is no surprise, and fitting, that The Grand has joined in the Railway celebrations to commemorate the role the building has played in the history of the railway in York.
On October 2, they launched a 'come, dine, plus stay' offer themed around rail travel, which intriguingly includes first-class travel to and from York. Ironically, this did not work for me, as there is no railway where I live. I had to find out more.
The hotel is still recognisable in its former purpose, with high, wide, carpeted corridors.
The elegant, sweeping staircase remains intact, as do the intricate woodwork and panelling. I even got a peek inside what once was the Chairman's office. There have been many new additions, including a whole building with modern bedrooms, where their hugely popular Cookery School is housed.
But it is the food I was keenest to explore. The Grand boasts two restaurants: The Rise Restaurant, Terrace & Bar, and the more formal, fine-dining three-rosette Legacy restaurant, where the Railway dinner is served.
Food across the Grand is in the skilful hands of the acclaimed Executive Head Chef Kevin Bonello, with Ahmed Abdalla, head chef at Legacy - if you are, like me, a fan of Great British Menu on the BBC, you will remember his stunning fish dish and superb cooking.
Legacy is a small but exquisitely decorated dining room with only 26 covers, and has a sustainable policy so keen that they even have their own beehives on the roof – you can't get fresher than that.
The ten-course menu pays homage to the past, when dining cars with six courses were served by staff resplendent in white tie – although my memories as a kid are more of curly British Rail sandwiches. So, I was excited to discover what I had been missing out on.
Two gorgeous canapes of a hash brown filled with Lincolnshire Poacher and an exquisite, teeny tiny Whitby crab tart set us off. In between, we feast on the softest white milk bread, and my forever favourite of a whipped Marmite butter.
We begin with one of the classic dishes from the dining cars of the past: smoked salmon, which has been smoked in-house and is topped with smoked pike roe and a buttermilk and garum sauce (a fermented fish sauce, I am told, widely used in Ancient Rome)—an excellent, powerful dish for something so small.
Hand-dived Orkney Scallop with a sake sabayon, topped with fermented turnip, and served with Sturia caviar, crisp white Kombu, and Japanese seaweed, came next. This is a dish so beautifully balanced in its taste and texture, with a neat kick from the turnip, I am already thinking this might be my dish of the night.
How wrong I was. Ahmed presents us with his dish from Great British Menu (hurrah), and now I totally get why this was praised so highly by the judges. Small but thick pieces of the most delicious Monkfish sit in a deep bowl, swished with a silky Thai red curry and a thick purée of coconut and coriander chutney (a word too heavy for the lightness of this), and tiny julienned candied grapefruit peel. Unbelievably fabulous piece of cooking, and I'd love to know where the dish it was served in came from.
Brown Windsor Soup, another stalwart of the past, though beautifully poured from glass teapots, didn't quite do it for me; there was something not quite right, one aromat or ingredient that skewed the taste, losing what should have been a punchy beef tea.
The final savoury dish was another stunner, featuring a meltingly soft Yorkshire smoked venison loin, a tiny potato block sandwiched with venison haunch, a wedge of celeriac and truffle tart, and the most decadent chocolate-infused Grand Veneur sauce. Alongside them were two tiny crumpets, which were recommended to dip in the Blackberry Ketchup – excellent classical cooking.
I could have stopped there, but Grand Honey (thank you to the bees on the roof) with preserved Yorkshire rhubarb and ginger. And, the most delicious thin slice of plum pudding with custard and candied peel ended what was a memorable and exciting dinner.
For sure, the team at Legacy and the Grand did true justice to the heritage of railway food of the past, bringing it back to life in 2025 without compromising any of its integrity. We loved it. Alongside the food, it is imperative also to mention the sommelier team. There were many excellent pairings, but the Monkfish with a stunning glass of Domain Road, Pinot Gris from New Zealand, was sublime. Thank you.
If you want to experience some of this, the Grand is continuing a bespoke package, the price of which is available upon request, as it depends on travel arrangements. The package includes an overnight stay and the Steel Tasting Menu in Legacy, inspired by the railway through the ages, and can be booked through the concierge or via the website below.
Grand Hotel, Station Rise, York YO1 6GD Tel: 01904 380038. Legacy Lunch: Sat and Sun 12:00 – 14:00, dinner Wed – Sun 18:30 – 20:30. www.thegrandyork.co.uk/drinking-dining/legacy