What a fantastic night, ten of us went here for a friends birthday meal and we were not…read moredisappointed. The food was amazing, the portions were big, the staff were friendly, nothing was too much trouble for them. We all agreed we would be back in the very near future! Thank you for an excellent night!

Staying, on two occasions over a short break, at the adjacent Premier Inn we decided to opt for…read moretheir meal deal. It seemed a good bet and we weren't disappointed. The restaurant is clean, open planned and, surprisingly for a Beefeater, has a bar area. This serves the local community admirably as there seems to be no pub within easy walking distance. First, let me review breakfast. Price £9.50 for an all you can eat breakfast. As we walked in, there before us was all the necessary offerings for a continental breakfast or first course in a full English. Bread, pastries, fruit juice, yoghurts etc etc. Nice coffee machine that ground fresh coffee. When ready the orders for Full English were taken. Every combination was available with an 'all you can eat' content. Quality was second to none. Our first breakfast was a lonely affair as we were almost the only people in (it was early Monday) but the second morning (a Saturday, a wedding day group) the restaurant was buzzing but that didn't alter the fast, friendly service. Now to Dinner. As I said we opted for the Meal deal at £24.95 (that included breakfast and two course dinner with drink). First night was quiet in the restaurant but the second night it was packed and we were glad we reserved a table earlier. The steaks were huge and cooked to our preferred medium rare. Service was fantastic and, I noticed, drinks were a more than reasonable price. Then again, I am used to London cut-throat pricing. We finished the evening with a few more drinks in the bar. Service was brilliant, professional, friendly. Thank you everyone, including the kitchen which is always forgotten. Unusually, I will mention one lady who served us on both evenings. Helen was an angel and that smile made the evening even better, thanks. A great restaurant.

Humble pie n mash is one of the most memorable food experiences we had on our trip to England. We…read morevisited this cute little place with family that came from Australia (we came from the US). We were all starving and had to wait maybe only 15 minutes for a table, and the wait was certainly worth it. The menu is limited, as they only serve meat pies (with two veggie pie options- one vegan and one vegetarian). Your pie comes with mashed potato and either peas or mashed peas. The pies are quite large and they're so delectable. Best meat pies we had on the trip. The portions of potatoes and peas are generous, too. What really brings the experience to the next level, though, are the dishes the pies are served in and the music playing in the background. It creates an "old timey" experience that is the perfect touch. I will be dreaming of those pies, and would highly recommend that anyone in the area go here. It's a MUST.

They had the most beautiful pies and desserts! We had great service and lovely atmosphere. I highly…read morerecommend this place. We had the steak pie and the goat cheese and veg pie, both delicious.

Foid excellent, service excellent, we go Sunday lunch, always great, staff wonderful, need to try…read morea steak one night.

Possibly the best steak in the North East?…read more They cook their steaks on a super heated stone at your table to perfection. While the chef does that he talks to you and that is half the fun. If you love your steak, this place is a must.

After nine eight days walking Hadrian's Wall we wanted to celebrate with a steak dinner. Sadly it…read morewas an expensive "meh". First, they sent me and our party to an address with our confirmation which took us to an abandoned area half a mile from the restaurant. Comically the restaurant wad three minutes from our hotel. Not ideal after walking 14 miles earlier that day. When I tried to call you cannot get a human being. All AI. No way to share our now late arrival. When we did get there the person greeting us was staring at a computer screen and barely acknowledged our existence). Upon entry I needed the WC. The stairs to the toilet smelled like a sports stadium urinal and the men's toilet looked like one from a bar at closing. Filthy and urine everywhere. Not an impressive entry. Our waitress Amelia, however was the highlight. Charming, attentive and one of the best I've ever experienced. Truly world class. She was a delight. The food however not so much. Starting with the burrata, it was a mostly satisfying start with decent tomatoes this time of year and a cheese that was delicious. Sadly however their famous aged ribeye was tough and had limited favor and no crust. It was unseasoned, and essentially without depth or nuance. My side, mashed potatoes with Camembert, was creamy and delicious but my dessert, crème brûlée, was a boring stale recipe. Very pedestrian. Wine choices excellent but only drank one glass. It was an expensive, not worth it, won't recommend experience and frankly a disappointment saved only by our extraordinary server. Place needs a hard top to bottom executive chef reboot.

First visit here as couldn't get in at Marco Pierre Whites decided to try elsewhere, superb move!…read moreThe service was friendly efficient and helpful, ordered the sirloin with surf and turf, the streak was cooked to perfection, melted in my mouth with full delicious flavour, the lobster thermidor and pawn side complimented it beautifully and they have peroni on draft! I'll be visiting again!

This Wetherspoon pub (Llyod's No 1 Bar) takes its name from the historic mill which stood for…read morecenturies adjacent to this site. First recorded in the Boldon Book of 1183, the Bishop's Mill was the place where the freemen of Durham could grind their corn. The corn mill was rebuilt in the 17th century, and stood here until 1972. The mill race was later used to power the adjacent ice rink. This bar was opened in Dec 2006. Started off a Friday night next door in the Love Shack but the place was dead (around 10pm) and I had little hope for Durham. Walked out of the Love Shack and looked next door and the place was hopping. Small queue on the Friday night (much bigger on the Saturday night!). Huge size and all mostly on the ground level with some smaller areas to the sides up 1 step for a carpeted seated area. Live DJ. Dance floor, place full of young friendly people (with some of the older generation trying to blend in but to no avail). Long bar with plenty of staff on both nights. Average price for drinks. Music a mix of dance both old and new, some main stream pop and classics. A good spot to end up in. Stays open until well after 1.30 on both nights. Enjoyed myself here. Outside beer garden and smoking area. Situated down some exterior step i the overall complex but they have external elevators in place which I thought was forward thinking.

I was underwhelmed but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The prices are great but the food not so…read moremuch. Tonight was "steak club" so I thought I would try English Aberdeen Rump Steak. It was bland and rather pedestrian. There really wasn't much flavor minus the salt added and the sear on the steak was ineffective. Don't get me wrong, I ate it all because I was hungry but I wouldn't order it again. The "new" macaroni & cheese looked and tasted a lot like Kraft Mac n Cheese out of a box with slightly bigger macaroni noodles. The onion rings that the young lady asked me if I wanted to add them to my meal 3 times had to have come from a freezer, were not crispy, and had no flavor. The "chips" (fries for my American friends) were equally undercooked and dull. The only thing that keeps me from a one star rating is the selection of cask ales on tap. The one great thing about coming to the UK are the cask ales. The artistry and precision with which these ales are drawn is fun to watch, creating the perfect head of foam, and the taste are epic! In short...great place for a pint...not even a good place for a meal.

We are regular customers at The Rat because it is such a great place with great food…read more Last night's visit was for my wife's birthday and except for one minor thing it was as good as usual. The Rat is the very definition of an English country pub. Open fires and a cosy atmosphere are exactly what you want from a pub, add in the great food and it is hard to beat. We shared a starter of smoked haddock fritters which was delicious if a little parsimonious for £7. Main courses were superb; slow cooked belly pork and 3 cuts of lamb; delicious, deep savoury flavours that are so hard to accomplish at home. My wife's warm gingerbread dessert wasn't warm which was a disappointment in an otherwise delicious meal.

Love, love, love this place! Have taken four or five different groups of friends or family there…read morefor dinner and Sunday lunch, not one person has come away disappointed or feeling hungry! This is a real gem of a pub, tucked away up the hill just a few miles from Hexham. Have heard this is walkable from Hexham on a nice day but most will need a car - one thing to bear in mind is parking can be a bit limited and a bit of a free-for-all at busiest times, but you should usually get a space somewhere. Alternatively, taking a taxi is a good option, should only cost about £6-£8 from the centre of Hexham itself. First of all, the location and setting is simply stunning. If you park across the road, the views over the Tyne Valley are fantastic. You then go into the pub itself via a lovely garden area with a pergola. Inside is a proper Northumbrian country pub, great traditional decor, roaring fires, with some unusual wall and ceiling decorations (will leave that for you to discover!) Each time we've visited to eat, we've been welcomed by the friendly staff who offer the right level of service, i.e. keeping your table clear, everything in check without being overly attentive. The bar offers a good range of real ales, usually with a local brewery on offer, all of which are very well kept. They have an excellent range of wines and spirits as well, so you could easily go here for a relaxing drink, although the bar area is relatively small. However, if you are here, you really must try the food. Honestly, the Rat Inn has served up some of the best food I've ever eaten, nothing fussy or complicated, just locally sourced ingredients cooked to perfection. What is encouraging is that there are no menus on the tables, instead you'll find the day's menu on a chalkboard, which indicates freshness and illustrates how much they care about what ends up on your plate. In fact, you can find out where the meats and veg have come from as the suppliers are also chalked up on the wall. As the menu changes fairly regularly, it is not really worth recommending any particular dish on here for fear of it not being on next time, but the Sunday roast dinners are superb and the Sticky Toffee Pudding is top notch! Bear in mind you do get hearty Northumbrian-sized portions here, it is difficult to leave here without feeling a tad on the full side... As this place features in the top 50 UK gastropubs, it can get popular and they don't have an abundance of space, which adds to its charm but is also a slight disadvantage - definitely worth booking in advance to avoid missing out. In summary, the Rat Inn really is a wonderful place and one to which I can't wait to have an opportunity to go back soon.

Okay, last two weeks I had a privilege of visiting this venue nearly every other day. Tried all…read moreburritos, parmos and variety of other meals that guys prepare with such an attention to details there... Food is in general very affordable and portions are great, can't go wrong to go on with lads for some serious bite... not to mention desserts on the way out . Dangerous place I'll give you that

We went to Man vs Food a couple nights ago. The service was pretty good. It was very good. The…read moreshareable dinners can definitely serve 2 or more and are worth it to try all the meats. The food was good overall however I thought the Beef was a little dry.

Similar to a Werherspoons. Open, clean, centrally located, family friendly casual fare…read more Breakfast, lunch, supper menus available. Full bar. Lots of meal deal options. Most items under 10 pounds. Not necessarily a local gem, but it's a decent chain restaurant.

I came in with my boyfriend a few weeks ago and we were served by joscelyn. Service was brilliant,…read morethe drinks came very quickly and joscelyn was very polite and friendly.