Grub Hub: Railside Bar and Grill serves man-sized portions

NELSON – When people trickle into Railside Bar and Grill in the small town of Nelson, co-owner Christa Hicks says she always hears the same thing.

“They will say they did not know we are here,” Hicks says. “People always say we never knew you existed.”

Not only does Railside Bar and Grill exist, it has been serving large portions of food for the past 12 years.

“This used to be a railroad town,” says Hicks, who co-owns the bar with her husband, Allen. “We are also located right next to the railroad tracks.”

Railside is the only business in Nelson, and the only place within 5 miles to get food.

Hicks says the restaurant has a lot of motorcyclists in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter.

“That keeps us going,” she says. “This is a destination for a lot of people.”

When I walk into the bar and look up, I see a wooden toy railroad track that surrounds part of the bar. There also are small trains and bridges, and tiny railroad crossing warning lights near the train track.

There are train artifacts and old photos in the restaurant.

The menu is stocked with favorites – shrimp, chicken breast, deep fried chicken and hamburgers.

“We are a reasonably priced restaurant with high-quality food,” Hicks says.

People can eat in the restaurant, or they can come in for a drink. You can eat at the bar, if you want.

There are specialty days scattered throughout the week.

On Tuesday, for example, you can come in for tacos or nachos from 5 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday is Wild N’ Wacky Burger day. Specialties include the Western Burger, which has Swiss cheese, grilled mushrooms and barbecue sauce topped with an onion ring.

There also is a pizza burger, which is toasted on a Parmesan bun with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Hicks says the restaurant serves large portions because a lot of men visit the restaurant, especially during the day.

“This is a working man’s bar and we want them to leave full,” Hicks says. “There are no little plates being served up here.”

Once Hicks makes that comment, I take a quick glance around the restaurant. Sure enough, there are five men eating at the bar.

The only females in the restaurant are a waiter and Hicks.

I order a regular half-pound cheeseburger with lettuce, onions and a pickle. It comes with kettle chips.

Hicks is right about the large portions. The burger is huge, and leaves me feeling stuffed.

She says women occasionally visit the restaurant. During the evening hours, Hicks said, more couples come to her business to eat.

“It’s a whole different deal at night time,” she says.

Hicks says the restaurant is worth the short drive to Nelson.

“We are a little town with a good restaurant in it. When there is good food and a good product, people will travel for it.”