Whether it’s fine dining in Durham, an Italian restaurant in Darlington or an Indian in Hartlepool, Sugarvine has an extensive directory of the best restaurants and places to eat in County Durham, covering every type of cuisine. Use the Sugarvine guide to point you in the direction of the finest eating places in Durham and throughout the county.
i definitely would recommend the joiners arms for Sunday lunch.the lamb dinner is absolutely beautiful and and excellent value
Joiners Arms – CrookThe food was gorgeous,it tasted freshly prepared.The staff were lovely too and the atmosphere was very friendly.I would definitely recommend this to others,in fact i am going to book for my birthday in 3 weeks time
Mohujos – BillinghamFantastic food, can't be beaten. Lovely location, staff very attentive. Great night out
Cinnamons – HartlepoolI have eaten at the Black Bull three times over the last six months. The food has always been excellent (especially the shoulder of lamb). Real ale (well kept) friendly service and 'interesting' surroundings with a real fire in an original range. Highly recommended.
Black Bull Inn The – Bishop AucklandThis was the biggest disappointment ever!!!!!!!! called in for lunch today and the manager had clearly not considered the fact that it was a May bank holiday as the staff ratio was not enough to deal with the amount of diners , on top of that the food was inedible , clearly the kitchen could not cope either. The pasta dish which I complained about to the very Fractious Manageress was actually more like egg noodles , I was informed it appeared "in her opinion to look ok" and she then informed me it was fresh pasta , clearly then it had been cooked TO DEATH . YUK!!!!!!! My companions meal was meant to be a steak, OMG WHO ARE THEY KIDDING.the first bite said it all, it ended up in a napkin revolting and inedible , like an old shoe To top it all , I asked for the Manageress and I explained the starters were fine as was the wine, but unfortunately the mains were just inedible , this is where you see customer service at its worst, she was actually trying to justify it by looking at the full plates we had left on the table she also mentioned we should have told a waitress ,considering no one came over to the table this would have been an impossibility , I realized she was clearly missing the point, i offered to pay for starters and wine and that was not good enough, still waiting for the apology , i tried to explain that WE the customers could not eat the main courses , Ms Fractious then stormed off, eventually i walked out to be followed by the lynch mob waitresses , SO PROFESIONAL.................i REMINDED THEM OF THE CONVERSATION AT THE BAR AND THAT I WAS NOT PAYING FOR FOOD I COULD NOT EAT,they then accepted payment for the rest and belive me I WILL NEVER GO BACK AND WOULD SAY TO ANYONE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME IN THIS PUB .
Mill House – Chester-le-StreetI had high expectations of this place when I visited as usually restaurants within hotels, in my experience, are usually of fairly high quality. My partner and I decided to try the fixed price menu and we were heavily displeased. It was £29 for two people to order 2 courses each and have a bottle of wine. We do not drink wine, so we asked if we could replace the wine with something else. We were informed that we could not and the soft drinks we ordered were added to our bill. Our starters were quite dismal, especially the prawns and melon, where the prawns had obviously just been plopped from an defrosted Iceland packet, and the melon poorly hacked with no sign that there was any thought into presentation. These were followed by clumsily made main courses. The seafood tagliatelle contained crabsticks(!), rubbery squid, cold pieces of fish, all in a bland sauce and topped with large flakes of unmelted parmesan (as the dish was not even hot) trying to cover it all up. The pork loin "steak" was two thin pieces of pork that barely made up an entire steak , with heavily salted, stodgy potato mash, served with vegetables that clearly looked as though they were the microwaved leftovers from the lunch period that day. Or maybe even from yesterday. We were very quick to pay our (overpriced) bill and left no tip. Definitely not worth it.
The Havelock at Blackwell Grange Hotel – DarlingtonOne of the first places I tried when I moved to Darlington. A lovely tapas restaurant that is hidden behind the front of a typical pub.. It has a great selection of both Spanish and Greek tapas dishes and the quality has been both excellent and consistent. So much so that I have introduced other friends to this Darlo treat!
Old Yard Tapas Bar The – DarlingtonSticky toffee pudding was the best I've ever had and I've tried LOTS of different kinds so people who know me will understand the magnitude of this accolade! The staff were very helpful and courteous, actually the best hospitality we received whilst we were in the area -in comparison to the local competition we visited. We shall certainly be back to the Blue Bell for food (and laughter) again.
Bluebell Inn – StanleyWe have been so disappointed by only other 2 mexicans in the area that on my birthday I drove from Newcastle to Durham and drank Coke just to try Tia's out. What a fab place, decor a bit cafe-like but the food and service were fab. Everything was excellent and we will come back again and again. At last a decent Mexican restaurant in the NE!!!!
Tia’s – DurhamI went to this restaurant yesterday with my friend as we were staying in darlington and were unable to eat at the hotel as it was fully booked. We walked round the town looking for venues and liked the look of the menu so chose the blue lagoon. So pleased we did. The food was delicious, portions huge and all the staff were lovely. I was full after a starter and main course but my friend opted for a pudding too, well it was her birthday. She was definitely not disappointed when a huge portion of treacle tart and custard arrived. I'm sure that next time we're back in town will be heading straight there.
Blue Lagoon – Darlingtonreally nice well cooked food very helpful friendly staff that make you feel welcome once your inside the door.
Shuttle and Loom The – DarlingtonI went last night before going to the nearby theatre. An ideal start to a evening. Real homemade tortilla chips and salsa arrive at the table immediately. This was followed as a huge plate of Nachos with lots of cheese and sour cream dotted with jalapenos. The standard fare of tortillas, stuffed and fried were available either with rice or chips. The re-fried beans were to die for. This was really good Tex Mex food at great price. The service was was really good. With a jug of Margaritas i could think of a better way to spend an evening in Durham.
Tia’s – Durhama lovely place to eat, the food always good and the staff very helpful and friendly, garlic nans are to die for.
Cinnamons – Hartlepoolreally enjoyed your pudding and pie night last month- also pleased to see the new menus have a good choice of food and certainly a fan of your monthly wine offers!!
Austins Bar and Bistro – Chester-le-Streetwonderful new menus! we haven't been for a while and have recently moved back to the area. So pleased to find this place is still serving fantastic food with a friendly, relaxed setting. see you soon and keep it up!!!!
Austins Bar and Bistro – Chester-le-StreetJust reopened seem to be trying really hard. Always got a decent guest beer on soon be doing food and also local community activities.
Vane Arms The – Stockton-On-Teessmiths arms i highly recommend this restaurant for its outstanding food and service and also not forgetting the great wine
Smiths Arms – Chester-le-StreetHad a meal here on Sunday and it was lovely, the restaurant is decorated to a high standard and the food was great especially the Thai Green Curry and Caramelized Bananas. I would recommend that you give this place a try!
Fat Buddha Asian Kitchen – DurhamLunch: 2 courses, £15.95.
1 course, £10; 2 courses, £14; 3 courses, £18. Available Monday to Friday 12pm-6.30pm, Saturday, 12pm-6pm, Sunday 12pm-6.30pm.
1 course, £14.95; 2 courses, £18.95; 3 courses, £22.95.
We have various drinks offers available during the week.
