El Pincho - Mediterranean Bar in County Durham

Absolutely disgusting experience. Sat at a table minding our own business when a bunch of women claimed we were in their seats. We sat at those seats for close to 45 minutes. These women who are clearly used to getting their own way made lies about our group to the security. Luckily a random person noticed the disgusting behaviour of this group of bullies and come to our aid with security. Unfortunately it was a waste of time as I was taken outside to be told that these women know the bar staff and owners! Clearly knowing the owners means that you can bully and gang up on people who are just trying to enjoy their night! Security was clearly scared of these people and was fine to let my sister be emotional with the experience! What an absolute joke of a place, clearly knowing the bar staff and thinking they own the place means more than everyday normal people trying to enjoy their night! **UPDATE** No more than 30 minutes ago, please check your cameras. You’ll see everything to the left of the entrance.

Was actually having a wonderful time in here on Saturday as party of our works Christmas party, until we went to the bathroom. The lady cleaning the toilets started to spray over and under all the cubicles and then straight into the faces of us who were standing at the sinks. The door team was also in the process of removing someone from the ladies bathroom for also making a comment about this! Me and two of my colleagues now have laryngitis which I believe had been caused by this irritant being sprayed directly into our faces.

I didn't food but I saw loads meals being served,they looked delicious. The atmosphere was fab

Lovely bar. Very helpful staff. I think the day i visited it was extremely quiet with more staff than customers. Food was lovely, but it was not tapas style or portions. They were huge plates. Great prices, though. would definitely visit again

We came here for tea on 6th November and we will definitely be back. The young man that served us was so polite and friendly and the food was delicious. I had the chicken flamingo and it was so tasty and my partner had the shredded chicken kebab. Portions were big too. Lovely decor and atmosphere ☺️

Just returned from a surprise bottomless brunch for 12 people .It was my 70th birthday and a total surprise! Everything was timed to perfection and the food was beautiful, my compliments to the chef ! Our service was second to none .Liam was an excellent host and had everything under control and very professional but still gave it the personal touch. He gas a great future in hospitality and made my birthday celebration perfect ! A great asset to El Pincho .will highly recommend 👌

We visited El Pincho for the first time last Friday for lunch. It had been recommended by a friend and we were well pleased. The food was excellent, and the waitress who served us was very pleasant. Unbeknown to us was that all the tapas were reduced to £5 during the month of October. Even better!

Sunday afternoon is so chilled , live music and great company!

The bouncers at this venue are some of the most aggressive people I have ever come across.

Came here for a friends birthday, drinks, dance a bit food. Staff were brilliant. Service was great. The music is always good and everyone always seems to be having such a good time. It's our go to place whenever I am in Durham

We were here yesterday and had a really lovely time , the lady who waited on us was lovely , never got her name lady with curly hair , the food was absolutely amazing. I had beef stifado and was gorgeous bottom less brunch too , lots of choice , sat outside in the sun ☀️ overlooking the river and castle , just perfect for my friends 60 th birthday

Probably if not the best afternoon tea I have had, there was a massive amount of food, very well presented and the taste was exceptional. Staff were lovely and smiley and made sure everything was perfection. I would recommend this place 100% for afternoon tea. Pricing was perfect and I will be going back. Keep up the good work and well done. Outstanding!!!!!!

Tapas was exceptional. Great service. Bit noisy for me but didnt spoil it.

Called in here after been for a meal.it was nearly closing time.but both staff were very nice and friendly. Thankyou for the explanation of the written phrase on the wall👍

Fantastic food atmosphere was lovely beautiful friendly staff x

Food was lovely! The menu wasn’t labelled amazingly for dairy free items, but the team were really helpful when ordering and delivering the food. Big portions for the tapas and sides, so didn’t need to order as much as we did, but everything was lovely

Stopped here whilst having a day trip to Durham. What a cracking place, we sat outside near the river, on a warm sunny afternoon. Some refreshments and some awesome food. Will definitely recommend and come back when next in the area.

Great pub drinks bit pricey like

Food Wow! I thought being a city it would be OK shocked me in the best way possible, ALL freshly made, Beef Stifado blew me away, Meatballs (homemade wow) de lish, even dirty fries real potatoes n the cheese combo on top mmnnn, DEFINITELY a return is happening. Service impeccable nothing is too much bother. Great place

My friend and me had had a really good experience in this Restaurant. The food was cooked in the moment that we ordered them, not reheat before serving them. Also we liked the women toilet for the plants, mirrors with a bottom to press to have more light and was very cleaned. I hope come back sooner than is possible.

Great food and fantastic atmosphere

Far to many people in could get the bar or toilet without running a gauntlet. Took 15 mkns to get my wine from ordering as could not get cork out bottle

Came here for a bottomless brunch on our hen do. The place is like I like the devour of it. The staff were good for checking if we wanted a drink when our glasses were empty, but I do feel like they were a bit iffy with us, reason being they just kept putting our drinks down on the table as if they were pissed off at us for not hearing them when they arrive. They also seemed pretty strict in the fact you have to have finished your drink or nearly finished to get another which I understand, but we had a drinks order and when it come the girls were At the toilet and the lady wouldn't putt hem down because she said they can't be their drinks, but they was as another member of staff took their order. It was tasty food and the drinks were nice too, but we didnt feel like the staff were 100% polite. We was 15 minutes late and we did ring them to tell them, so we may have gotten the wrong end of the stick. Only 1-2 women seemed nice to us the other 2 came across strict and a bit mean

Best place in Durham for atmosphere!!!

Nice place for a bite to eat and a drink, could easily be so much better though!

Great atmosphere, good music, friendly staff

Great place for a night out. Didn't have food so can't comment there

Food was great, turned up quickly, and it looked and tasted fantastic. Staff were very helpful and polite. We will def return

In my entire life I have never felt the need to post a negative review until now. We had been there a couple of years ago and it was fine but this time my dinner was pretty inedible. It was a form of fried chicken and it was charred to a crisp, hard as a rock and the meat inside was dry. I pointed this out but no offer was made to replace it. When we left I showed a photo (see attached) to the cashier and she grudgingly took my meal off the bill. The music was deafening (and I have hearing loss). The waiters did their best but we won't be returning.

Very nice cocktails served by lovely guy. Food bit OK, could've been more tapas on menue and smaller plates. Quite noisy and people were sick in toilet.

Nice bar it was very busy when we visited the atmosphere was just ok not the biggest of bars the sound system was not very good we could hardly hear the music at the back of the place and the gents toilets are to small, if I did return I would pick a quiet time like midweek.

Great atmosphere but service was a bit slow for how many people were at the bar.

One of the best bars in Durham.great bar great people who own it must all make a visit, quiz starting on a Sunday afternoon be great get along.

We went in for a drink as there was a band playing. The atmosphere was really good. The staff were friendly and efficient and the cocktails were really nice. I would highly recommend giving El Pincho a visit if you are in the area.

Lovely. Will definitely be back.

Really nice place with good food and generous portion sizes. Well recommended, lots of choice for different people.

Had a meal for one here with a cocktail. Food I ordered was simple (elaborate toast with tomato on and salad) but took ages to arrive, something like 40 minutes so I sipped my cocktail trying to make that last. Wouldn't go back here, unless they came up with a festive special or something. Maybe they were short staffed.

Popped in for some quiet drinks after a meal elsewhere, was actually bouncing will come back when on a proper night out

Wow. Outstanding! Quality of food, portion size, price all amazing. Great service. Will return and recommend. Thank you chef and front of house for a great dining experience.

Only can say EXCELLENT SERVICE ALL ROUND 5 *

Great place for eating.Lots to choose from.friendly staff.

I've never left a bad review for anything or anywhere I've been before and never felt the need too, but felt like I needed to say something for this place. Me and my friends visited for a bit of a baby shower for our friend who's about ready to pop. When we eventually got seated a lady came over about the pre order we made, I'd ordered a chicken burger and had asked for vegan cheese as an extra to add to it since im dairy intolerant. She rolled her eyes and had a smirk on her face saying 'the one who ordered the chicken burger with vegan cheese, you can't be vegan then' laughing while saying it and continued asif I didn't know what a vegan was and made me feel so small and uncomfortable infront of my friends. After that the meals came but one was missing for around 10 minutes, my friend who put the order in panicked she'd missed one off the pre order email so checked to find we did have it on it was just a mistake on their end (mistakes happen). when we informed them one was missing it arrived 5 minutes later, with another snotty young waitress holding a receipt in her hand that told us it was our fault for not adding it on the email, we told them we had and got the worst attitude back of another eye roll and a sarcastic 'ok then' and she walked off. We were in shock that it had happened so my pregnant friend went to see a member of staff to let them know we were upset with the service and got cornered by nearly every member of staff working in there and got just more rude comments back. We then had to sit and eat our food while they all took it in turns behind the bar to talk about us and laugh in our faces with each other. Totally unprofessional and uncomfortable for us. To them we were just an awkward table complaining about a meal missing when infact we didn't care there was a meal missing, these things happen all the time it was a mistake, we were upset about the service and rudeness towards us for no reason at all. None of us will be going back unfortunately and I would imagine they couldn't care less.

Loved it....Thank you so much you where brilliant at everything

Only popped in to see what it was like only had a couple of drinks really nice inside staff really friendly

Always a great time in El Pincho, the atmosphere is great with brilliant music played. We have visited on a weekend when it’s been busy and also visited when quieter, it’s just all round lovely. There is an extensive list of cocktails all reasonably priced. One of my favourite bars in Durham!

Beat place to go.... such a friendly atmosphere with staff that are super awesome and the crowd that go there are amazing 👏 best place in Durham..... my new go to place ..... always have a brilliant time ......music is phenomenal 😍

We walked past and the place was jumping, so had to go in Darren and Mellanie are doing a cracking job on running this bouncing bar .

Was so lovely what a great place to blow off some steam

The pizza I ordered was too big to finish but they provided a box for me to take the rest home. It was as delicious cold the next day as it was hot in the restaurant. Good service although it took a while to get served, the food was well worth the wait.

Had a fantastic night on Friday. Food was fabulous, staff fantastic and the singers were great. I 100% recommend visiting this place

Fabulous place, yhe stifado was lush

The best music & great atmosphere!

This place can get absolutely packed but the music is bouncing and there's a good atmosphere.

Went for bottomless brunch. Your glass has to empty before you can order your next drink (rightly so) but good luck catching a staff member for a top-up. I asked one and nearly 10 minutes later I was still waiting so I had to ask someone else. The bar staff weren’t very welcoming either.

If you want a quiet drink don't go here on a Saturday afternoon cos it was absolutely heaving. Strangely it never seems as full midweek nights ?Situated on the river walk it naturally looks over river! Multi storey car park and cinema just next to it. Had 1 drink with friends and then left as far too noisy for us oldies!

Lovely bar... great location... great drinks... can't go wrong ... did not have food

Great place with a fantastic Dj and music

Beautiful food and service to match. The mini items aren't mini.

Great place for food and music.

Great food river side bar & restaurant really good position

Terrible service, ignored by staff. Very outdated music and staff do not answer questions related to service. 0/5 but that is not possible to give

Nice bar and place to be, but expensive.

Lovely vibe. Limited mocktail choices.

Not enough staff for a Friday lunch time. Service was poor. Food not as good as usual.

A beautiful day in Durham sat outside El Pincho, staff are excellent, up beat and happy, many thanks to all of them for their help and for making it memorable. Food is excellent and portions are larger than expected. I would highly recommend a stop by to anyone.

Very popular pub situated near to the oden cinema, very popular, if you want a table you will have to book it, not tried the food but it's very popular, music is great, but drinks are a tad expensive. Bern in a few times and have really enjoyed it. Staff are friendly and you get served quickly.

Had a couple of pints, yes Mediterranean feel about the place.

Our server Steven was so lovely kept checking on us all the time making sure we are okay and wanting any more drinks such a lovely bubbly man will definitely be back to be served by him

Well just had a lovely botemless brunch at El Pincho Mediterranean Bar First time there cocktails were amazing and food was outstanding . Service ambience views were fantastic weather great . And the owner Melanie Bell was amazing thank you for a lovely afternoon we will be back don’t miss out this place is amazing

Lively bar serving plenty of choice and fantastic cocktails. There was an acoustic duo on, on Friday and the bar staff/security were all really friendly. Got pretty busy on Saturday night and the music went up a notch or two!

Lovely spot for a bit of lunch and a couple of drinks ,waitress was very accommodating in moving our table on request, lively .

Good place to get a couple of drinks

Vibrant bar and restaurant with djs on week end paying 60.70.80.90sand rave music .gets very busy on Saturday and Sunday afternoon mixed crowd all ages worth a visit

Food was delicious lovely lively bar with a great atmosphere

My favourite bar in Durham, Great food & drinks, great service & atmosphere, Great deco & spotlessly clean 👏🏻

Eh I haven’t even been doing stunts

Great food and atmosphere. Interesting dishes

Always a blast in El Pincho! Saturdays are so busy and the perfect way to party! Fridays live music from 7pm Weekdays perfect for date nights, food and cocktails with friends or the family!

Great atmosphere, great food and lovely service! All the food are great (although the pork in the pork skewers are slightly dry, but not a huge issue) Recommended to everyone! And would definitely come back again.

Second time here loved it the first time I had the beef dish was unreal this time I had the lamb with bbq chicken pizza was absolutely beautiful food is always hot staff really nice and attentive recommend it to anyone try this place it's beautiful

Great atmosphere and music good mix of people. Drinks a little on the expensive side, but love the vibe so happy 😊

We been there first time it was nice atmosphere we ordered stater very good 👍

We had a really great meal here. Every choice was excellent. We were recommended 2 main dishes and a side each, and this proved exactly right for us. We enjoyed every option we chose, especially the Moroccan lamb. Loses a star as it took 50 minutes plus to get the meal from the order being taken as it was very busy with minimal staff, but the staff were apologetic about this. In general the staff were excellent. Friendly and helpful. We took advantage of a Sunday daytime discount which was on offer so it was not expensive either. The toilets were excellent, very clean. The atmosphere was friendly. We would certainly go again.

Fantastic food every time we've been, but the past 2 times we tried to go on a Tuesday at 4 or 5 pm and it's been closed, shame, as we both love the place

Really tasty authentic Mediterranean food. Nice atmosphere and service

Perfect food drink and entertainment 😋 👌

Nicely busy and a very attractive venue. Our food was delicious and very fairly priced. Very friendly hard working staff. Thank you!🌹

Amazing vibes, fab service, lovely decor, great food xx

Great place to meet and have a few quiet drinks

Great food, atmosphere reasonably priced will be returning .

Great atmosphere and the staff are amazing.

Food was great and staff were lovely

Music much too loud for the size of the place.

Food is lovely and good portion sizes. Down side is music so loud you can't have a conversation and a 90 minute wait from table booking to food arriving with no apology despite complaining after a full hours wait from order being taken. Would consider returning mid week as food was very nice and reasonably priced but would avoid wk ends

Weird place. Doesn't know if it's a bar/club or food establishment

Great bar in a nice location on the Riverside would defo recommend

Been a few times. Have had a couple of issues when they've brought out meals mixed up but mainly when they've had née staff. Bit too loud on weekends if wanting to go out for a meal, more a nightclub vibe then but great mid week. Good menu with a lot of choice.

Great location, walked in no reservation not an issue. Decor really nice food really enjoyed could not fault. Plenty of choice at reasonable prices. Great for a celebration

The owner is rude and obnoxious. Possibly the rudest person we’ve ever encountered in hospitality. Food is alright but saw the expensive drinks being poured out of a carton. Will not return.

Amazing food. Sooooo much to choose from. Dan did an amazing job serving us and making us cocktails. Totally recommend 10/10