Darlington
The Oak Tree Inn

The Oak Tree Inn

Yarm Road, DL2 1RF, Darlington, United Kingdom

Pub • Steak • Vegan • British


"Boy has this place gone downhill. It used to be my ‘go to for a special Sunday lunch’ place! Went today with a friend and a 5 year old child and despite the 3 degree temperature they sat us outside in a ‘tent’ sort of structure with a 6” gap between the floor and the start of the thin material that was all there was between us and the elements. Despite a whole load of heaters, it was FREEZING. Grey, pinched faces huddled in their outdoor coats whilst they ate the rapidly cooling food. When it came to the food obviously it wasn’t just space that was an issue. They clearly hadn’t increased their food order but instead just shared the food between more people . If they were hoping for a loaves and fishes event, I’m afraid they will have been disappointed. You might have thought the plates had been prepared by the borrowers, the portion was so small! The spoonful of gravy, didn’t even manage to cover the one, charred roast potato but, when we asked for extra gravy we were charged £1.50 for a tiny pot! What restaurant charges for extra gravy??? We ordered a child’s sausage, mash and peas, but got, sausage mash carrots and broccoli. The child won’t eat vegetables except peas, so that was wasted. The ‘adult’ meals were supposed to come with a bowl of vegetables. Half way through eating we reminded the waitress that we still hadn’t got the vegetables. She said she was sorry, but didn’t bring any. My friend ordered a glass of red wine that, after a reminder, finally turned up as my friend finished her meal. We complained at the end that we hadn’t been given the bowl of vegetables and the child’s meal wasn’t as ordered. The waitress said she was sorry. Clearly greed has replaced quality. Cramming in more people to increase the takings at the expense of comfort and a decent meal. So disappointing."

The Old Yard Tapas

The Old Yard Tapas

98 Bondgate (at The Old Yard), Darlington, England, DL3 7JY, United Kingdom

Spanish • European • Vegetarian • Mediterranean


"Heading to the Hippodrome I looked for somewhere we could have a pre show dinner but not too heavy. The Old Yard Tapas Bar was sporting a tempting Spanish Tapas and Greek Meze Vegan Dinner Menu so gave it a bash. In the evening each table is candlelit, intimate but can be open for good chat for groups. Bar is well stocked, music was pleasant and staff attentive with a nice ambience. There is a different vegan lunch and vegan dinner menu which are extracts from the main menu with some dishes changed to suit vegans. The vegan dinner menu sported 9 Spanish Tapas and 8 Greek Meze choices, with 11 sides (see picture). Unlike many places which brag about a good a menu but in reality they don’t have half of the ingredients, only 2 were not available due to being let down by suppliers. We choose carefully to ensure the tastebuds had a different sensation or texture and we were not disappointed. The ‘Breadbasket’ to start with had soft olive bread with vegan butter, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A lovely appetiser while the food was being cooked and very cheap too. Spanish ‘Patatas Ali Oli’ was warming comfort food consisting of tapas fried potatoes topped with a vegan ali oli (see picture) Spanish ‘Morcilla Y Chorizo’ tasted just like real black pudding, but was a vegan black pudding with soy chorizo, topped with red onion. Amazing. Spanish ‘Chorizo Con Pimentos Asados’ delighted our tastebuds. Rich with no obvious indication it was vegan at all. It’s a soy chorizo with roasted red peppers and pan fried in brandy and garlic. Delicious. Greek ‘Boorekakia’ was really tasty and while the texture may put some off (very soft and slippery) it tasted really nice. It’s sliced aubergine, rolled and stuffed with vegan feta cheese and topped with tomato and vegan parmesan. We also ordered the Greek ‘Halloumi’ but it was off the menu so they served at feta version instead (and never charged us for it it was on the house). It’s is pan fried vegan halloumi (feta for us) served with oregano lemon on top. Refreshing and real palate cleanser. Washed down with a jug sangria, it felt like we were on holiday. Without doubt we’ll be back next time we’re in Darlo try the vegan lunch menu next Updated from previous review on 2022 03 31"

The Orangery

The Orangery

Hurworth-on-Tees DL2 2DU, DL2 2BQ, Darlington, United Kingdom

Steak • British • European • Vegetarian


"Took my fiancé here for her birthday for a spa day at the Rockliffe Hotel. The restaurant serves food at Michelin star prices but food doesn 't quite cut it. Service is fine and brought up allergy note on reservation at the beginning of meal, but staff should try to smile a bit more and try to be more engaging. More annoyed than anything else as the restaurant engaged in the age old sin of set menu/taster menu sized dishes on the à la carte menu. As expected left feeling extremely hungry despite spending over £250 for two three course meals and a bottle of wine, left the hotel premises a couple hours later to get McDonald 's. As for the food itself, okay, but just didn 't quite cut it. Lamb was bland, the risotto nothing to shout about (unoriginal), and nothing that I couldn 't get at a French Bistro in Edinburgh or Newcastle for half the price and twice the quantity. Bakewell tart for desert was somewhat redeeming. @Chef check out l 'escargot bleu in Edinburgh for three courses done right, or do what Hjem in Northumberland does and get rid of the à la carte menu so people know not to come if they don 't want to sit through 8-10 courses. Not sure about the mix of English and French dishes either, local ingredients but no local inspiration. Feel free to invite me back when you 've fixed this, and please fix this as you are obviously quite talented. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: £100+ Food: 2 Service: 4 Atmosphere: 3"