After a recent visit to 'The Oven', I wrote them the following and have yet to receive any response. Guess they couldnt care less Dear Sir/Madam, It's been said that listening to customer feedback is a vital part of any successful business venture. With that in mind, I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of the more memorable points of my dining experience at The Oven with you. Please feel free to act on this, or alternatively share it with the staff. I'm sure they can all have a good long laugh at the moaning customer with too much time on his hands. Having eaten at (and being very impressed by) the restaurant previously, I was looking forward to the evening. It started in a somewhat chaotic manner when upon walking through the door we were immediately directed to the bar. I was expecting to be asked if we'd booked a table, but no, in we went. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Surely if we had just walked in off the street we would have been taking the pre-booked table from someone else? I digress. Off we went to the bar. I use the term bar loosely. It actually seemed to be an area for the staff to have a natter. Expecting to find some tables, maybe even some bar stools (bar stools? In a bar? Whatever next) I made my way over to the seating area. Some would call it a seating area. Some would, perhaps more accurately, refer to it as 'the corridor leading to the fire escape'. I whiled away the time looking at the wall inches from my nose, perusing the menu Id been given. I also began to plot my escape route in case there was an actual fire and a particularly overweight diner I couldn't help but notice, stampeded towards me like a startled African Elephant. The menu contained a fine selection of dishes. But, no mention of the evening special advertised on your website. As we were directed to our table, I mentioned this to my ever helpful waiter/ess (I shall keep this non gender-specific we all have bad nights). Imagine you awoke one night. Awoke to find a neatly coiled dog turd on your pillow. Millimetres from your face. Now imagine that someone took a picture of your face at the very second you made this discovery. The face you are making on that picture is pretty close to the one pulled upon my request to see the other menu. Anyway. We cracked on and ordered. This in itself became an epic task as the evening special menu includes a glass of wine. And we already had a glass of wine. Trying to communicate that we would like another as part of the menu was akin to describing the minutiae of nuclear physics to a hamster. The starter arrived. Very nice too. We were then asked if we would like to dive straight into the main or have a break. I went for the break option. After ten minutes or so, I informed the waiter/ess that we would now like to have the main. A look of confusion swept across their face. Almost as if the 'break' conversation hadn't happened. For a second I wondered if Id crossed into some kind of parallel dimension. I mentioned this to my girlfriend, but she assured me that I was still present at the table and that I hadn't disappeared into a freak gap in the space/time continuum. Imagine the relief! The main came and was, frankly average. Not great. Not bad. Just average. Although I could only make that judgement after picking my way through the skin on the sauce, which I'm assuming was a direct result of the 'break'. Onto coffee and then the bill. Predictably, this was wrong, with four coffees being listed, rather than the two ordered. I contemplated mentioning this to our ever helpful waiter/ess. I really did. However, I was genuinely concerned that this would confuse said member of staff so much that they would be unable to stand whilst concentrating so hard and may fall over and hit their head. Weighing up the £3 overcharge versus the need to perform CPR on a total stranger, I swallowed my pride and paid. To be honest, in retrospect I think that was a good decision. As we left to the sounds of 'Coldplay by Piano' (shame he wasn't selling copies of this on C90. I'm sure he would have cleaned up), I made a mental note not to return. I used to love the restaurant, really I did. Any chance of getting it back??? read more

We dined at Oven as a party of four in on Saturday 18th June 2011. I would strongly urge you spend your money elsewhere - Pizza Hut may well offer better standards of food and service. Some of Saturday night's "highlights" included: Space: The tables are pretty much on top of one another in there. Everytime a guest at the table to our right or left wanted to get up, two of us on our table of four had to move and vice versa. Service: I've found the service brusque at Oven on a previous occasion but on Saturday evening it bordered on rude. Our waiter prefered to look in the other direction while taking our drinks orders and then on returning to take our food order his only utterance was "Starters?", "Mains?". Please and thank you clearly not in his vocabulary. Food: My husband ordered the fillet steak well-done without sauce. It arrived on a 3" thick square wooden bread board (serving hot food on a wooden surface does raise hygeine questions!) looking pleasant enough but on cutting into it, it revealed it self to be on the rare side of medium instead of well done as orderd. It was returned to the kitchen and arrived back within 2 minutes, minus the chips. Chips soon recovered, my husband hungrily cut into the second steak. Sadly this one was almost blue and was therefore returned to the kitchen again. After another 10 minutes he was presented with two steaks, one of which was "with the compliments of the chef" both of which resembled charcoal. Rather than sending it back a third time, my husband did eat some of his meal but it was safe to say that his chips were the highlight of his plate. Pudding and I opted for the mango parfait and the other 3 went for chocolate brownie. Now I know a thing or two about pudding and cake making. The brownies themselves we OK but the sauce around them was bitter to the point of being inedible. To my palate this was down to the use of a cheap cocoa powder, instead of chocolate to make the sauce. Fire: Just after ordering dessert I went upstairs to the Ladies and noticed a strong smell of what I thought was cigarette smoke. When I got back to the table the others had commented on the smell of smoke. It was clearly visible around the light fittings in the ceiling. The staff thought it was all a huge joke and refused to accept that there was a problem. We were not the only diners to leave complaining that their clothes now smelt of acrid smoke. Price: Dinner for four with wine & beer (no starters) was £149. Not unreasonable had service, ambience and food been up to scratch but a downright rip off under the circumstances. We won't be going back. read more

Having been a regular customer of the Oven Restaurant since it open we had got used to being served good food slowly. When we arrived last night we did not recognise any of the staff. We were told our table wasn't ready and would have to wait 5 minutes or we could be relocated to a table upstairs. We decided to wait. We then had to force the staff to serve us a drink while we waited and was slightly bemused to be served a pint of smooth when I had asked for lager and amused when he subsequent said "is it" when I told him it was smooth and not lager. Surely most people would know the difference. As we sat our table cleared quickly. Another couple arrived and were taken upstairs to their table. We sat for a while longer as our table was prepared. The staff were in disarray and did not have a clue what they were doing. At one stage someone had asked for sparkling wine and the staff decided that wine and lemonade would taste the same, because they didn't have any sparling wine. Another person asked for a bottle of wine that they didn't have so they were served a different wine in a carafe so they wouldn't know. They also decided it would be a good idea not to take any more food orders because the kitchen was backed up and couldn't cope. As all of this was going on the couple that had arrived after us suddenly appeared back downstairs and were shown to and seated at our table which we had now been waiting 15 minutes for. When we questioned the waitress we were abruptly told that they had arrived before us and was shocked when she continued to argue the point before leaving to sort out our problem. We sat and sat for another 5 minutes without anyone even trying to explain how or when we were going to be fed. The whole staff and service seemed to be in utter disarray. We promptly rang Foffanos who were able to fit us in and went there for what was an enjoyable mean and excellent service. There was no sincerity, explanation nor proper apology when we left. We can only assume that this restaurant has changed hands and that would explain the full change in front of house staff and shocking service. It was like taking part in one of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares Kitchen programmes. All we can say is good luck! read more

We haven't been to Oven for a while because of our previous bad experiences, however, we thought we would give them another chance once they had completed their extension. So we thought we would give it a try on Friday evening. I must say that apart from the additional space from the new extension, we were, again, very disappointed. You are greeted by a pleasant girl, who takes you to either the bar or your table. It all goes downhill from there. We were shown to a table with plastic chairs in the new section, which was right next to the kitchen pass. Bright, hot and noisy with only 2 tables. We complained to the Maitre d' and he kindly moved us to a normal table !! You are still cramped, not as bad as before, but you can still enjoy your neighbours conversation & vice versa !!! There is a new, but rather limited, Tea Time menu, which bears no resemblance to the one on their website. The prices have gone up too!! £13.95 for 2 courses or £16.95 with a small glass of house wine. We ordered the Fishcakes for starter & the Whitby Cod & Chips for main. The starters eventually turned up, at the same time as the breadbasket. The Fishcakes were a little bland & only cool in the middle. We had another long wait for the main course, which, I must admit, looked good when it turned up. However, there was more batter than fish & the chips were soggy. This batter was so bland we both had to season with salt. Something I haven't done for years. We had to ask for the salt 3 times as there was none on the table. The portions are definitely smaller than they used to be. There seems to be lots of staff, none of who we have seen before, running around like headless chickens. Obviously, they still have had little or no training. The Maitre d' was not in control at all. When we got the bill, it took 3 times to get it right. Overcharged again, so no changes there !! Overall, poor service, OK food & overpriced. Gordon Ramsay would have a field day here !!! I doubt if we will go back. read more

Have to agree with Chrissywe have just returned from a horrendous night at The Oven.my OH booked as a surprise for my birthday and we were really looking forward to it. When we arrived there was noone to greet us, we were then told to go and wait by the bar. Table booked for 8:309:05 we're still waiting, along with another 15 people now. Service was horrendous. The bar was so crammed with overbooked customers we were constantly asked to move our chairs, leant on, talked over by the staff. Some people waited nearly an hour to be seated. Finally got served and OH steak, ordered as well done, came and was rare in the middle. Sent it back and the same steak came back after a short spell in the oven and was now like cardboard. When bill arrived, asked to speak to the manager who wasn't willing to remove the steak from the bill as the chef said it was perfectly cooked said we weren't willing to pay for something we didn't eat and they finally took it off the bill. As we were leaving we were stopped by the head chef who then continued to argue with us about the food and when I mentioned the service he saidand these are his words it doesn't matter about service, people will wait if they want to eat here, if they don't, don't come back Nice attitude. We will NEVER EVER be returning and will never recommend it to friend or foe! read more

I've been to Oven quite a few times and the food has always been good. Unfortunately something has gone wrong as my last visit was terrible. Even if you book you don't get a table and when you do the service is awful. We were given a table that was only suited for one. There were three of us. We had to ask for napkins, drinks and the wine menu. We didn't get the wine we ordered and no explanation to go with it. We were given three menus but one was taken away. The bread came around 3 minutes before the mains. The food didn't fit on the table. My plate was hanging off. The wine bottle had to be kept behind the bar (maybe to hide the fact it was the wrong bottle!). We had to ask for our plates to be cleared. We had to ask for the desert menu. We had to ask for someone to take our desert order. We are still waiting for salt, pepper and a cup of coffee. After 4 hours of people squeezing past our table and not being able to eat our meal properly I lost my temper (I thought I did quite well to last this long) However there was a queue to complain! The owner had the cheek to say that I should have complained earlier and asked me why I ate the food which wasn't as good as it used to be. Needless to say I didn't pay for what little I ate and will never go there again. read more

What can I say, first time visit last Saturday evening (16/08) and have to say what a major disappointment. Had been so looking forward to it after hearing such good comments from freinds etc but from the moment we walked in it went from bad to worse. Service was none existent no friendly greeting just shown to the smallest table ever (upstairs) which was so close to other tables might just as well have all been sat together. Around 20 people then descended on the bar area almost standing around our table which was very off putting to say the least. We were convinced the food would make up for the lack of everything else but when it arrived again I have to say we were very disappointed, may sound silly but there was far too much food for it to be of the quality expected in a top class restaurant, and was poor overall. Maybe we hit on a bad night but I for one will not be visiting again we had much better service and felt much more welcomed when we went to Mint previously. Perhaps we were expecting too much but at the very least you want to feel welcome and comfortable so I won't be recommending Oven to any of my friends and family. read more

Went here on a busy Friday night; slight delay in being seated and served but not detrimental to the overall experience. I went on a double date with my boyfriend and our best friends. We wanted to get there for the Specials menu but were 10 mins late, and by the time we were seated and our order taken we were just shy of 20 mins late despite this we were still offered the Specials which was a really nice surprise! I felt really mean as I am a picky eater so after being told we could order from the Evening Specials Menu I went on to ask for this and that to be added and taken away from my order, the girl who took my order smiled at me and went into the kitchen to get the chef, even though it was a busy night he took the time to come out to talk to me and sort out everything with my order! Absolutely fantastic! Definitely be coming back and recommending to friends and family, second to none for customer service!! read more

This is the first time I have wrote a review about anywhere the reason for me doing it now is that before I booked a restaurant for my nans party I wanted to make sure I got the right place. I was surprised at what I read posted here as it was in contradiction to what my friends and family had been saying. After reading these reviews and listening to friends and family I decided to go with the Oven for my Nans 80th. There were 20 of us and we were taken to the lounge area which is a nice sized room away from everyone else which made the night more personal. I wanted to write this review to give praise where praise is due, we were greeted warmly, seated promptly, once all of our party had arrived we were asked when we would like to have our starters , plates were cleared quickly and quietly and our drinks were ordered and served without prompting. All in all a very relaxing and enjoyable evening; 5* read more

I was part of a party of 6 who went to the Oven on Tuesday the 12th July after our meal we were asked the usual, 'Was everything to your liking' etc, the owner then asked if we would mind writing a review on Qype due to the referb they have just gone through; so this is my review of our evening. We had booked a table for 6 people, nothing special just a night out with a meal to kick things off. Everything on the night went really smoothly, no wait for our table, a good 5 mins relax before we were asked if we were ready to order food or drinks, I hate it when you get 'jumped on' to order straight away. We all had starters, mains, deserts and drinks which came to around £153.00 (approx. £60 on drinks (£25.50 a head)) which I think is good value considering the quality of food. I've been to the Oven before and will continue to go as it is one of the best in Darlington. read more

Abysmal experience. Went with fiends to celebrate a double birthday. Booked several months ahead and they cancelled our original booking with no apologies. Rebooked a few days later. Restaurant was cold with diners having to wear coats. First table we were shown to didn't have enough seats (we were a party of 4). Red wine was freezing. Ones of the glasses was smeared with lipstick. Waited ages for the order to be taken and then the bread came with starter. One of the starters had a thick black curly hair in it. When we sent it back we were given the same starter back again. When we asked to speak to the manager/owner a very apologetic member of staff came back and said the manager said he was busy and if we wanted to speak to him we had to go to the kitchen! We left without eating. Considering how good Oven was what a monumental fall in standards we won be back. read more

i have recently been for a meal at the Oven and they have exceded my expectations, i was welcomed by friendly staff on arrival, who then led me and my partner to the best table in the restaurant. Unlike other restaurants i have been to in darlington the service is very good, the staff are always attentive and very helpful with the menu. we had a glass of house white wine, and then we ordered, my partner having a fillet of steak and me ordering swordfish, and i have to say the food was absolutely awesome!it was perfectly cooked and we did not have to wait long for it to arrive. we would definitely recommend it to anybody who wants a sublime and perfectly cooked meal with a nice atmosphere and great service, it is definitely something not to miss. read more

Been to the Oven many times, and, must say, super food and well attended to by staff. Agree with the last reviewer though. Something dreadful has gone wrong. Booked a table for Sunday Lunch for my son's Birthday. Arrived to find a bustling restaurant to be told, yes you guessed, no table. A very young girl expressed her apologies and suggested we come back in 20 mins. I suggested we wait upstairs in the bar if it will be only 20mins. The girl said this was not possible. Suggested we call at Mint just down the street. It is now our restaurant, she declared. We did. It was shut! We were so upset, thought it just a ploy to get rid of us we did not go back. We were booking a table in November for a party of six, but it just makes you wonder. read more

Lucky to get one star in my opinion - i have tried and tried to forgive Oven every time I have been there for the overcrowding and small tables - however I can't do it anymore and won't be going back! At least in the beginning the staff were great - now they have poor customer service from the staff (who admittedly appear hopelessly overworked and undertained) and they have tried to cram even MORE diners in at once!! Steer clear - there are plenty of other choices in and around Darlington where you can eat in relaxed, informed surroundings and enjoy super food (Otter and Fish at Hurworth, Raffles at Croft, The Bridge Inn at Whorlton to name but a few off the top of my head) read more

Well its really annoying to hear this place being slated so much, especially for its service. We have dined there several times in the past few weeks and cannot fault the place at all. After reading comments made on trip advisor we decided to give it a go and now we cannot get enough of the place. On each occasion we have been very fortunate to be served by Anthony, he was mentioned in one of their comments and I think deservedly so. He has been polite, attentive and very friendly on each occasion, something which is a rarity in the young these days!! Our food has been first class and so worth the money. Keep up the good work oven and you will be seeing a lot more of us. read more

I've been to Oven recently and what can I say The food was not too bad for such an overrated restaurant, but there were too many 'buts': 1. Too many tables too close together in such a small place 2. Far too long to wait for your food (longer than I would expect in a restaurant) 3. Wasn't very pleased when I was passing the kitchen on the way upstairs and saw the chef (i think) not only shouting at the top of his voice (actually swearing!) but throwing something at one of the staff I felt sorry for them for the rest of the evening which spoilt to be honest 4. Quite expensive read more

I booked a party for 15 people and had a pre-order ready but due to some unforseen circumstances I had to change the booknig to 20 and we didn't have time to change the pre-order as it all changed just an hour before we were due to go; despite this after phoning them and letting them know of the chnages their wasn't any problems or knock on effects the guys took it in their stride; everyone was served together and it was like we had pre-ordered for 20! Fantastic job guys, I will be booking again soon, Christmas is just around the corner! read more

Well, I have to say my experience on Friday night at The Oven restaurant was superb! I've been to many restaurants in this area and around Newcastle and it's on top form with the new layout and service! We were taken into the brand new suarve lounge for drinks and cocktails before we were taken to our table to dine. The service was very good and the food was excellent, and very reasonably priced for the high quality you recieve. Definately the best restaurant in this area! I recommend to all. We will be returning! Thanks Oven! read more

After hearing good things about this place, we decided to have a look for ourselves. Well what a dissapointment!!! The staff very very dosile and looked as though they didnt have a clue what day it was! We also heard alot of shouting coming from the kitchen which didn't add to the ambient atmopshere they were trying to display with the decor. I ordered the seabass and it was overcooked to say the least!!!!!!! Absolutely vile!!!!!! Stay well clear! RUBBISH read more