Having never been to this pub either as Colliery Inn or Coppermine, I had heard some good reports…read moreof its reputation. My daughter took me out with her in-laws & family for a birthday meal. Total of 7. On arrival there seemed to be plenty of staff, adults not kids to serve food, some music was playing somewhere in the background. Plenty of room between tables and plenty of tables to seating areas. Table booked for 12.30 & the place was steadily filling up around us. We where presented with the Sunday lunch menus, which were clean & easy to read. A drinks order was taken, which included tea/Coffee/Soft drinks & alcohol, this arrived pretty quickly. Next the food order of mainly Beef was ordered but 1 had lamb & 1 pork. This again arrived on large oval plates with a Yorkshire pudding, mash, roast spuds & gravy already on. 2 large platters of Vegetables, extra gravy boat, large mushy peas bowl. This was followed by a few deserts for some of Banoffe cheese cake, apple/Rhubarb Crumble. Looked home made. Table cleared quickly on completion of each course. I must say the reputation it has gained for food quality, staff service & overall ambiance is thoroughly deserved. Well deserved 5 stars for this establishment in my opinion

After a previous disastrous visit last year, this pub is now superb! New owners since the end of…read moreApril and boy have they turned the place around! The food was out of this world, my husband had scampi and I had lasagne, both were off the 2 for £10 menu and the portions were huge. Real chips too :) A major point for us is a good landlord, and the landlord and landlady here are superb, extremely friendly and really bent over backwards to make sure that we had a good experience, especially when we mentioned it was our wedding anniversary. We will be back regularly now and can't recommend highly enough. Just hope the bad reviews caused by the previous owners don't put people off.

Recently been to this pub twice. For a meal for two and group Xmas lunch…read more The meal was for 2 was chicken parmo, no béchamel sauce just plain old cheese melted on a breaded chicken breast. The group meal for 20 was a complete disaster. From going in at 12 noon until leaving at 3.30 was mainly waiting for the delivery of food. Which was ok for some but cold for others. At no point did management come to explain why, our meal organiser went to speak. All of a sudden several bottles of wine appeared. That to me doesn't make up for very poor service. Having lived locally for 30 years, it's not the best pub around and can't be turned around overnight. Iv been generous with 2 stars but I will not be returning.

Fantastic little pub, Went here as visiting inlaws who live close by…read more Great pub small but nicely decorated and a snug in the back with comfy chairs and a log burner. just had mains, Fantastic quality of food and good portion sizes too. Am not usually a fan of traditional pub food but this was really well done. Great food in a lovely atmosphere. Staff great too, nothing too much trouble. 2 of us had steaks and both cook exactly as we liked, Massive bonus!! Definitely recommend, I will be going back.

All fur coat and no knickers, very dull pub, lost it's soul since the refurbishment, as nicely as…read moreit's been kitted out. However in it's defense it's a nice place to take the family or partner for a quiet drink / bite to eat.

Excellent atmosphere and staff. Very friendly. Good well priced and tasty. Huge beer garden…read moreprobably the biggest in Boro. Very well maintained. All round just a great place to visit and stay a while.

Excellent country pub serving first class cask ale and hearty meals. Our party of 5 visited on a…read morebusy Friday night and really enjoyed everything. I had a lamb kofta starter and for entree had the chicken breast stuffed with haggis. The plum porter was also excellent accompaniment and replaced pudding course!

the three horse shoes is situated in the hamlet of leamside which is very near to the A60 durham to…read moresunderland road and houghton le spring. I have recently visited here for lunch and was very impressed with the hospitality and warmth of the place. the menu was varied and portions were plentiful. the desserts were wide ranging and although i was somewhat full i was tempted to indulge in a pudding. value and quality was excellent and i will not hesitate to return again. The public bar is somewhat dated and i suggest that you enter the restaurant if it is food that you are after, by the rear entrance.

Called in for a quick bite and a pint. The pub has been done out beautifully by the new owners. It…read moreis modern with a fresh feel. Staff are friendly too which is not always the case in pubs! Had a steak pie with chips and veg and a pint of Carling £12. The steak pie was great it actually had a load of beef in it. Chips were proper chips and the veg (courgettes, mange touts and carrots) crisp and tasty. Couldn't eat a dessert as I was full but will certainly go back there it was great. They also do starters and desserts. A good menu reasonably priced. And the lager was good too. They sell a good selection of beers too but as I was going back to work I did not drink any more. A refreshing change.

Called in today after checking if we needed to book or not. On this particular day we didnt have…read moreto. We were a party of 2 adults and our grandaughter and it was mid afternoon so was expecting half the menu to be off. I saw they did a good range of Parmos, not having had a decent one since moving out of the area, it got my tastebuds going. My grandaughter - aged 10 - wanted one as well as me, my partner had sausage and mash. The meals were served in good time, hot and everything was cooked. The parmos were absolutely delicious by far the best I have ever had and was plentiful but not too much, chips and served with small salad. After all that we had sticky toffee pudding which again was mouth watering. Woud definately recommend calling in to Blue Bell, its been a few years since I was last here for a meal and can honestly say they have improved if thats possible.

The Blue Bell is a local's local. It is filled with happy men from the village chatting over their…read morepints, and sundays are busy with local families in for their roast. The food is basic but reasonably priced, and is traditional pub fare. The atmosphere is great, and step inside in the Christmas period and you immediately feel like one of the family.

Been Here a few times for breakfast and dinner. Portions are large and filling, taste good. A…read morepopular place gets quite busy but plenty of seating as it is a large place. Order and pay at the bar. Has an outdoor smoking section with tables.

Having been to few weatherspoons this is not the worst but the kitchen needs to start peeking up…read more Cold plates Luke warm food isn't the most appealing-thing about it. Yes it was busy but get the basics right. Staff great service good, kitchen/chefs poor. That counts for nothing when you go for food and not the cheap beer. I only had coffee. Lucky to get 3 stars.

My parents live in the street next to this pub and have watched it change over the past year or so…read more From a place that none of the locals wanted to visit it's evolved into somewhere that you can once again take family or visitors to. The 2 for 1 meal deals are a very good offer at the moment and means that people can afford a night out. Regular music and other specials help to reinforce the value for money they offer. A big plus is that the noise level has been reduced too!

The Brinkburn is located in the Denes area of Darlington and is a great local pub. It offers cheap…read moredrinks, as well as food. They offer 2 for 1 on a selection of meals, it is not the best food, but is a good place to grab a bite to eat if you don't feel like cook. The Brinkburn is usually busy and lively, with a good crowd.