I visited the Derry Inn on Saturday 17th June for an early Fathers Day meal. I was looking forward to visiting the #1 restaurant in Stockton-on-Tees (according to TripAdvisor) and felt fortunate they were able to take my booking only two days before, and had been able to accept an increase in the number of covers from 4 to 8 on the day. It had the potential to be a new favourite for family meals out.
God help Stockton if this is the #1 restaurant. As my wife said, it would not make the top 200 in Edinburgh. Even if the service had been adequate, the food was no better than average. But the service was atrocious: drinks were slammed down on the table; there was a large gap between the delivery of the mains and accompaniments; we waited an age for the table to be cleared; then a further 10min before the dessert menu was provided; then the staff ignored us whilst they cleaned and tidied the entire restaurant around us.
Eventually we gave up and paid the bill. Even that they messed up, bringing only the drinks bill to the table; I had to ask for the food bill when I went to the bar to pay. I was sorely tempted to not to bring the mistake to their attention. read more