Darlington, a historic market town in North East England, is known for its railway heritage. Typical foods include sausage rolls, parmo, and stottie cake.
Pubs • Food • Dessert • Restaurants
"Easy to find, handy parking and great food presented by attentive staff. Much to recommend it always enjoy our visit here. Had a wonderful mushroom risotto for starters, the pheasant main and sticky toffee pudding. Friends had the beef dinner which looked delicious too. Volcanic sized Yorkshire puds though. They also recommended the fish cake starter."
Asian • Delis • Indian • Seafood
"During our first visit to Darlington, we decided to try out a curry restaurant based on positive reviews. However, there were some notable drawbacks that we noticed. The restaurant only had six tables, similar to the Wee Curry House in Scotland. Unfortunately, we were seated at one of the cramped tables right next to the toilets. Service was friendly but slow, likely due to the kitchen and bar being on the ground floor while the dining area was on the first floor. Despite these issues, the food was good but the mains we ordered were quite similar and the chicken was a bit dry. On the bright side, the prices were reasonable and there was a large public car park behind the restaurant. Overall, we would still consider going back, perhaps on a less busy midweek evening."
Kebab • Sushi • Seafood • Mexican
"temptation and lingerie wafted through the cold stifling doors that stood at the start of a journey. A mission. A passion. A duplex packet of flavour ready to be ripped open and devoured, something my cold fingers had not touched for quite some time. As my food cat walked towards my nose hairs a colage of emotions took hold. Ensnaring my taste buds in a fox trot of lust. I could wait nolonger, it must be now. Spooning the mound of spice herbs and meat gently towards my chapped dry lips resentment came over me. I can’t. I’m married. As if in an instant the enjoyment from the stench of curry and naan became sickening, what was I about to do? Ruin my life for what? Passion, prejudice and parliamentary persecution of emotion. Nolonger could I edge on the hope of gnawing on the teets of ambition while suckling on the derier of defeat. And to you my friend my omage goes to you, in faithfulness and succulence I leave you to make your own journey. To make not become fingered by temptation."
Wine • Steak • Drinks • British
"Food is of course amazing, tried hard not to compare with other Micheline star restaurants I ate before. The decor is too bright and cleache, we understand that we asked for substitutes and they kindly did provided for most part of the menu, I think that would have cost them more hence they didn't give us one dish, would have appreciated if they had substituted with another small dish or could have atleast given complementary water (water isn't cheap . The food is a great experience, world course is amazing faultless. Can't say the same for the signature dishes (may be not for my pallet . When it's 2 stars it's not just about food it's also about the whole experience. For a 2 Micheline star and at that price point, you would expect it to blow you away, but it comes a bit underwhelming, I must say. But definetly an experience, If you can you must try this place worth the drive and a visit."
Drinks • Seafood • British • Fast Food
"I placed a large order for my workplace today, we spent well over £100. i would not recommend to anyone looking for a new place, cheap soggy chips, and other food over priced for portion size, its a real shame as the flatbreads seemed to be okay, but let down by the chips. majority of the orders were chicken/beef burgers which were extremely disappointing, we will not be placing a second order, which is a shame as we regularly spend over £100 every Friday."
Pizza • Cafés • Asiatic • Fast Food
"Great food, friendly service and excellent value. After visiting the theatre on a Friday night we found that this was the only restaurant still open in the area (it was only 10pm). The staff were very friendly, the food arrived relatively quickly, and was delicious. All the staff seemed very friendly and keen to make us feel welcome. Would definitely recommend."
Pub • Steak • Vegan • British
"It is with great sadness that I write this review. We visited on the 30th August 2023, and I was looking forward to it. Firstly, the venue has been nicely redesigned, however the dining room is small and very cramped. We asked to be seated in the covered area outside and that was really nice with some nice living flame centre pieces. The staff were really helpful, and we ordered out meals. Having followed the owner from his two previous venues we expected a similar standard, however we were very disappointed. Four meals ordered. Steak pie was just ok, the vegetables were quite hard and inedible, the chunky chips where a disappointment with lots of small bits in bottom of the serving basket. The Chicken skewers were really good and no complaints there. The peppercorn sauce with the grilled chicken was gloopy, and clearly either a packet mix or the awful jar you get from Makro, no taste and very little peppercorn flavour, very poor, however the chicken was well cooked and presented. The Fillet Salmon with prawns was nowhere near a fillet salmon with four small salmon chunks and a bowl full of salad which looked like it has been tipped straight from the bag. All in all a very below average food experience. I have always rated the food from the two previous establishments the owner managed, I am so sad to see this poor standard. There was a small wedding party with a guest in a wheelchair and there was no ramp to enable the chair to exit the eating area, so one of our guests helped the other three people life the chair over the step, not sure where this stands with the Equality and Disability Act or indeed the liability on the establishments insurance should an accident or inquiry have occurred. However we only to happy to help the gentleman maintain his dignity to exit the dining area without any fuss. Sorry Chris, but we will not be coming back anytime soon, I know you are better than this, and you can provide a very high standard of food, sadly this was not what we are used too. please accept this review in the spirit in which it is given and I hope you can look to seek improvements, where necessary, as I believe you deserve success."
Pizza • Spanish • European • Vegetarian
"Fabulous food. Definitely some of the best tapas I've ever eaten. Loved that there were so many Greek tapas options and how good they were! The atmosphere inside was really charming. I particularly enjoyed the little paragraph of history on the back of the menu. Service could have been better ordering by marking your choices on a piece of paper is certainly more efficient, and I did enjoy that aspect, but is also pretty impersonal. More importantly, we did have to wait a long time on a relatively quiet night with our coats on indoors for our dishes to be cleared. Menus were pretty sticky. The waitresses were pleasant enough though, and it didn't really impact too much on the night Overall, I'd definitely recommend and would love to go back."
Pub • Pasta • Steak • British
"Wish I 'd found this place sooner... Located in the quiet village of Sadberge, The Tuns is an ideal excuse to have a drive or even a wander out! Very welcoming staff, warm, clean and cosy atmosphere is a perfect combination for a nice cheeky beverage or 2 by the log burner. The food is delicious and cooked by people who clearly know what they 're doing. It 's refreshing to see a place that changes their 3 course, reasonably priced menu every month, which coincides with what is in season and what is available locally helping the local economy. I 've eaten here many times and never left disappointed. I ordered off the set menu and the Pub Classics menu, which is also a nice touch that you can mix and match dishes to suit you. I had the Korean Belly pork to start which just melted in your mouth and then being from Middlesbrough I had to go for the parmo. And to any of my fellow boro folk reading this, definitely in my top 3 favourite parmos of all time the chicken to bechamel ratio was spot on and I had a pork belly topping which again was so tender it just melted. 10/10"
Pub • Vegan • British • Vegetarian
"Such a great pub! We came here for my husband’s birthday and enjoyed every moment, beautiful stuff, very interesting interior and delicious food. All the members of team were very friendly and service was great!!! Dietary restrictions: Menu includes calories count and all the waiters asked if we had allergies. Parking: Massive car park Kid-friendliness: They have kids menu and crayons, very nice with children team members Price per person: £20–30"
Wine • Steak • Cakes • British
"Our party of 3 were handed crumpled lunch menus and though I requested a wine menu apparently there isn't one. I asked what was available and from the three first mentioned chose a Rioja at £21. It was acceptable. I chose a 16 oz rump steak. On being asked how I wanted it cooked I suggested that the chef would know how best to cook his product and that this would be ok with me. I was met with a blank stare. After two more tries I was told I had to choose myself so chose medium rare. When it arrived weighing no more than 10 oz, gristly and rather thin, it was dry and cooked hugely beyond well done. I can honestly say this was the worst attempt at a steak I can recall. My fellow diners restrained my desire to complain even though their meals (a steak pie and a thai red curry) were mediocre. No one bothered to ask if our food was ok. After a coffee we left. I am surprised that this place is still trading."
Pizza • Mexican • European • Vegetarian
"Went there with my family. It was my third visit. Even though it was early evening, there were a lot of customers there, so it’s best to book. The pizzas were fabulous and large and there was a good range on the menu. The staff were friendly and helpful. If you can’t eat it all, ask for a ‘doggy bag’. The only slight disappointment was the time it took to get the bill as my grandchildren were getting a little restless. If it were not for this I’d have given 5 stars all round. Dietary restrictions: When booking we were asked if there were any dietary requirements. We noticed they also have gluten free and vegan options on the menu. Parking: There is on and off street parking nearby."
Fish • Steak • Coffee • British
"Arrived 4-45 on a 18/11/22 without booking got a table for 2. Very pleasant attentive staff. Drinks order taken delivered promptly even though they where very busy. 3 different menus to choose from we choose 2 courses for 12-95 or 3 courses for £15 -95. Starts mains ordered. After a short wait starters arrive nicely presented, well prepared very tasty. Mains arrived after a short wait after finishing starters everything is freshly prepared cooked so a short wait is good. Main courses where nicely cooked very nicely presented. Everything was very nice tasty. We found space for a desert each they where both very tasty. A great meal in nice surroundings, pleasant attentive staff. Great value for money. This is available 12 till 5."
"We stayed here for the weekend and the staff made us feel very welcome on arrival. The rooms were clean and spacious with all the facilities you need. We had dinner on our first night and it was delicious, the staff were attentive and friendly. Would definitely recommend this pub. Rooms: Modern, cosy, spacious and clean Rooms: 5 Service: 5 Location: 5 Hotel highlights: Luxury"
Pub • Steak • British • European
"We booked a table for 4 with a young baby for Sunday lunch. We received a very warm welcome on arrival and were soon seated. Our drinks and food order was taken by a very friendly waitress. When the food arrived it was piping hot and such generous portions. My son opted for the extra large portion and my husband an extra Yorkshire Pud and they were overfaced. The pigs in blankets had been recommended to us by a friend and they were ordered as an extra and were the best that I had ever tasted and we had to take a couple home! We all had the roast beef which was very tender and all the vegetables including the roasties and mash were perfectly cooked. The gravy was perfect and just enough, no need to order extra. Only very small comment was that the yorkshires seemed slightly overcooked to me (a bit dry and darkish brown). We ordered desserts (apple crumble and custard), raspberry and white choc cheesecake, chocolate fudge pudding with cream and a choc melting brown pudding with ice cream and these were all delicious (sorry forgot to take a pic as we all tucked in and forgot). Including drinks out bill came of £83 which we thought was great value for money. The food was delicious and the service first class (all the staff were so pleasant and smiling). Toilets lovely and clean too (which says a lot about a place to me). Thank you for a great visit"
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"
Grill • Seafood • British • Steakhouse
"Additionally, the service was painfully slow, especially considering we were the first guests in the restaurant when it opened. It took us 45 minutes just to receive cutlery and drinks. The biggest letdown was that this was meant to be a celebration for my partner and me’s civil partnership ceremony party, and with all the rave reviews about Tomahawk, we thought we couldn't go wrong. Unfortunately, we were mistaken. It felt like the biggest waste of money I've ever spent at a restaurant. And don't expect a classy atmosphere; they had a broken window that they attempted to conceal with cardboard boxes. It was also freezing inside on what was a cold, snowy winter afternoon, indicating a tight budget when it comes to heating. Overall, we will definitely not be returning."
Cafés • Pizza • Asiatic • Mexican
"Impeccable food here. Went for Sunday lunch and had the belly pork, with some pigs in blankets on the side. The portions were fantastic and the price was very affordable. The belly pork was beautifully done and full of flavour. The staff were very friendly and accommodating (we were being a tad difficult) and it was a wonderful atmosphere. We sat outside due to it being a very nice day and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. I would highly recommend as it was the best Sunday lunch I have had in years."
Pub • Wine • Steak • Brunch
"today for birthday dinner with my fiancée, he had the mixed grill and I had the steak and sampi. steak was perfectly cooked, my rare and daves blue. Not very often they get a steak boiled blue to perfection, but it was beautiful. the personal was also fab and friendly and also real chips!"
Pizza • Spanish • Lebanese • Vegetarian
"I’m not sure where to start with this. I’ve been here a couple of times in the past so thought nothing of booking it for a Christmas meal. There seemed to be some confusion when we arrived with a member of staff saying something about putting tables together (downstairs) which was strange as we’d booked a table. Then someone came to direct us to a table upstairs. It was toasty warm when arrived and I would recommend if this is the case when you visit that you don’t do anything silly like taking your coat or jumper off as later on ALL the heating will go off. The waitress seemed to have amnesia and completely forgot one of the drinks orders. When serving another table she said “I’ll write it down” as though this was a revolutionary idea. The lady delivering the food looked like a she wasn’t quite there and she seemed to have real difficulty holding the plates and setting them down. This confused me as it seemed to be a core part of her job. The food was a mixed bag. Some of the Tapas was very good and part of our party was very happy. Unfortunately one of the vegetarian dishes was so salty that two of our party couldn’t eat it. Whilst they were offered an alternative they’d already had some Tapas so fortunately were full enough. I mention this because the table behind us had also had problems and were given some free drinks to make up for it. It was they who first complained about it being cold and that the heating had gone off. To be clear it wasn’t that the heating had simply gone off rather the sockets which they were plugged into had been turned off. There was apparently no way to turn it on again. This happened relatively early in the evening and it seemed bizarre as presumably providing some heat when the weather is cold would encourage people to stay and perhaps order more drinks. I don’t understand their business plan. The other table opted to go downstairs but we were made of sterner stuff and stayed upstairs. I liked the fact that they had a set menu as well as Tapas and you could mix and match the two however I felt it was apparent that they’re not getting the basics right. When the Tapas arrived they came very quickly to ask about the next course yet when we ordered drinks the order was completely forgotten and we had to remind the waitress that we had ordered them with her. Anywhere else you dine out seems to know the order of things so not sure why it was beyond them to be on hand but not intrusive like everywhere else manages. Overall it’s a shame as this is in a great location and I’ve not been disappointed in the past. I see lots of positive reviews but none seem to be recent so I don’t know if this place has changed hands or is staff have changed. As I say it really is a shame as it could be great, as it was on previous visits. A good reputation is easily lost so they need to understand what’s going wrong and act to improve on it."