Maximo's Italian Restaurant in County Durham

Mash was lumpy and very peppery, roast potatoes were so hard could not cut with the knifes provided, coliflour cheese was mushy. The lamb was fantastic, rest of veg OK, desert very average.

Well going into year 11 can be tough so to take my daughters mind off going back the next day we visited a local restaurant we had not been to in a while I booked a table by phone and within 20 minutes we were seated Great warm welcome and offered to take a table of our choice Within minutes a drinks order taken and menus produced we decided to share potato skins to start and I took the Surf and Turf with separate Diane sauce and my daughter ordered a burger medium cooked The skins here are to die for perfectly cooked and the same with the garlic dip then onto mains Steak cooked well as was the burger melt in the mouth all served with chunky homemade chips The Diane sauce was outstanding and also the Garlic Prawns that topped off my lovely steak The owner also came over to chat and catch up which was a nice touch and a reminder to eat here more often The service was faultless and friendly a great local gem My daughter laughed and this night out helped to relieve the stress of going back to school for her last year Moments like is are to be cherished thank you all to the staff who made a lovely night Regards & Respect Colin

I've eaten all over the world done Italy from tuscany down to napoli this was the best food I have had in years highly recommended been back again tonight for my wife's birthday had the mussels in white wine for starters black pasta with king prawns and crab was absolutely fantastic food staff are excellent and very attentive was also very reasonably priced again highly recommend for a great Italian meal been again today for Sunday lunch usually would not associate Italian restaurant with Sunday lunch how wrong was I 2 meat dinner best I've had in years fabulous

Drinks warm very flat !! Food ok service has a lot to be desired considering they had 5 waitresses , heat in restaurant was unbearable had to keep going outside would I go back sorry no

Had a meal here last night for a friends 60th. Lovely clean relaxed atmosphere, service was great and quick, food was absolutely delicious and great quality. They were very considerate and even moved the large boxed flowers to prevent them being intrusive and knocked. We'd already had a personally decorated cake made, so didn't require desserts, yet they happily provided plates and cutlery for us to enjoy it. Thank you for helping to create a fabulous evening, we will most definitely be back.

Two Sunday lunches and two chicken & mushroom dishes with sides of chips. Sunday lunch’s-pork was tough and veg just a little too far on the al dente. Potatoes were also poor. Chicken dishes were absolutely fine however the chips were shocking, if they’re going for the twice cooked idea they need to realise this doesn’t mean they should be dark drown in some cases black. Staff could do with smiling at least once during service, it really does go a long way. Don’t go here too often and unfortunately won’t be going again for a while.

Food was ok but not exciting. Service was slow but friendly. It was very quiet and so there was little atmosphere.

We popped for Sunday dinner, was absolutely yummy, we had garlic mushrooms and potato skins , then roast beef and roast pork mains, 😋 stuffed, no room for desert. 😅

Fabulous Sunday Roast today. I had pork, my mother had Lamb and daughter had vegetarian. The meat was so tender, must have been slow cooked as it melted in your mouth. Selection of hot veg in a separate turine was a lovely touch. 3 lots of potatoes, mash, roasted and baby boiled potatoes. Gravy plentiful. An overall successful Sunday roast. Price including drinks £40. Large portion sizes too. We will definitely be back.

Fabulous Sunday roast was served. Plentiful portions. I had roast pork, my mother had lamb and daughter veg dinner with no meat. The meat was so soft and tender, it was easy to chew not tough. Separate turine each of a variety of vegetables including, cauliflower cheese, parsnips, carrots green beans and red cabbage. 3 lots of potatoes. Mash roast and baby boiled. Reasonably priced £40. Nice pleasant staff, service with a smile. Will definitely be coming back. The place was impeccably clean also and plenty of parking. A huge successful Sunday lunch.

Disappointed. Ordered veggie lasagne and was given meat, I’ve been vegetarian my whole life so this knocked me sick. Asked to change to veggie lasagne and was told it would be a wait of 25 minutes while my husband was already eating his meal. My husband ordered a parmo with bacon and black pudding and despite repeating himself 3 times was still given the alternative topping of pepperoni. Despite this he said his parmo was nice, but service was extremely poor for all this to have gone wrong.

Always a lovely place to go. Been going since it opened.

Gorgeous food. Not busy so served quickly

Lovely lunch, food always good. Very quiet, would be a shame to lose.

What a shame. We've been before and LOVED it. Starter came nice and quick (cheese garlic bread to share). The mains came, my steak was over cooked and tough. No body came to check back on the table and I didn't want to get up and complain as I didn't want to draw attention to it infront of other diners. When clearing out plates the waitress offered to get me a new steak (doing thier best in the situation). I paid full price without an apology or even a mention about it from who I assume was the manager. I know the kitchen was informed as I saw them looking at us through the kitchen door window. Also, every customer had to go to the bar to request the bill. Almost £60 I won't be getting back.

What a shame. We've been before and LOVED it. Starter came nice and quick (cheese garlic bread to share). The mains came, my steak was over cooked and tough. No body came to check back on the table and I didn't want to get up and complain as I didn't want to draw attention to it infront of other diners. When clearing out plates the waitress offered to get me a new steak (doing thier best in the situation). I paid full price without an apology or even a mention about it from who I assume was the manager. I know the kitchen was informed as I saw them looking at us through the kitchen door window. Also, every customer had to go to the bar to request the bill. Almost £60 I won't be getting back.

I have been visiting this resteraunt on various occasions over the last year with friends and sometimes family. I live a few miles down the road so fairly handy for me. This resteraunt is great. The food has always been fantastic. Really good choice and I have loved everything I have had. The food is very reasonably priced and it's a really nice resteraunt. Can't fault the service which has always been very good. I would highly recommend this resteraunt to anyone.

First visit, despite living only 15 minutes away. The restaurant had a lovely Ambiance. Table of 6 adults for the family. The food was excellent, despite it being a Friday evening it was not too busy, so wait time was ideal. Plenty of staff to serve us. Good parking as the car park had plenty of spaces. However for me to rate this 5 stars, attention to the following was needed. Staff were efficient but miserable. There was no smiling or welcoming, not shown to table just told which table it was. My husband got a pint of San Miguel and it was flat as a pancake despite pouring it into another glass it was undrinkable, so he got a bottle of white wine which was really good. On asking for the bill, which was reasonable for 6 people £136, one waitress brought the bill and another came with her with a card machine, I did not have chance to study the bill to ensure it was correct. I would definitely come again, as it was a really nice restaurant, but as we regularly go out for meals, good customer service is high on my list.

Toilets are the best feature here. Menus had happy hour in when finished 30 mins earlier. Mussels starter in a microwave cream no bread served. Steak tuff and served with a gravy boat of sauce no mushroom or half a tomatoe Risotto only had mussels in it and over powered with chilli. Joke of a place No wonder haven’t been for years and won’t be back till it’s sold

Excellent food and value. Will be returning again

Atmosphere was good, service was excellent, potato skin starter was lovely, I had a steak for main course which unfortunately was quite tasteless and quite fatty and my coffee was nearly cold.

Good range of food for dietary restrictions.

Shares toilet facilities with business centre adjacent. No baby change facility. Needs attention. The baby had to be changed on disabled toilet floor.

Haven't visited for a while but glad that I did make the visit on Tuesday 02/01/24. Lovely food & service in a nice setting. Pizzas bases and topping perfect, tried seafood risotto very nice. Didn't try salad but presented nice and otter person enjoyed the salad. Will defo eat here more!

OK gone slightly down hill since it's earlier days average now

Absolutely amazing place to eat! The food is fab

Maximo’s is perfect for lunch, the staff are very friendly and attentive. The lunch specials are great value. My risotto was perfect, in both taste and portion size. My friend’s chicken with lemon and rosemary was flawless too. We’ll be back soon

Best Italian I’ve had for some time, very reasonable prices

Went there today for the first time ever. Food was really nice, the staff were very nice and I would definitely come back

Always a great experience and service

5 stars across the board. The menu is extensive and everything on it sounds delicious. Our meal was fantastic and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Jason was the perfect host and we enjoyed the polite banter without it being intrusive. Great place, go there!!!!

Brill restaurant with great staff n nice food. Everyone enjoyed the meal. Drink and ambience .

First visit, and thoroughly enjoyed everything about the evening. Would highly recommend the food, portions and service.

Very rare I comment using the word fantastic . But today I got the Sundays lunch with two meats absolutely fantastic . Every bite of the food had amazing flavour. 10 out of 10 definitely be going back.👍

Have to say I am so disappointed. Came here for anniversary dinner, wife has dietary requirements due to medical issues so checked in advance and was assured a suitable dish was available. Turned up to be told they couldn't actually provide the dish as previously agreed. Ok, found another one, not a problem. Waited SO long for some bread that was allegedly going to be brought over straight away, turned up after TWO reminders nearly 1 hr later. Daughters pizza with anchovies turned up, with no anchovies. Wife's mixed veg turned up in 3 separate bowls, more than we expected but not necessarily an issue. Quality of food was not great, portion size also quite small. Service was slow and forgetful, appreciate it was quite busy but not sure what the 2 girls chatting at the bat were doing, were they meant to be working? Was really looking forward to coming again but it has really gone downhill.

Absolutely fabulous food service fantastic cannot fault anything about our visit will be back time and time again

Friendly busy place, sometimes a little busy for its own good and most of the food good. Great local Italian.

Fab food lovely staff . Need some soft furnishings / curtains is very noisy and echoes. But my only complaint

Out first visit and definitely our last We had a table booked for 7.30pm eventually got our to our table at 20.05 after having to ask when will it be ready. The restaurant was busy and a lot of noise from other table. You couldn’t hear yourself due to the loudness of others. No fans in the restaurant it was baking hot felt sorry for the waiteress who was non stop and absolutely red hot! The owner manager who took the order had very little engagement with us apart from getting our order. After waiting 40 minutes our starter arrived which was average. We had to wait an hour later for our main course. Unfortunately two of our guests had to leave in an emergency. We asked if their meals could be cancelled. We were informed they had already been cooked and still had to pay. We were never offered to take these meals as takeouts! Eventually our food arrived. Very average and tastless brandy cream sauce. Fortunately my brother had some bolognese sauce with i added to my brandy cream sauce. This ended up a disaster of a night. I have eaten better microwave meals for a lot less ! We won’t return. Very poor

Need air conditioning!! Food gorgeous as usual but you need air conditioning both myself and my partner had to leave several times to cool down!

Im giving this two stars, because I haven’t got anything bad to say about the servers as they were very friendly but the experience overall was sadly awful. I ordered the garlic mushrooms and I got a literal slice of baguette cut to about half a cm thick with baby button mushrooms and some wilted mixed leaf. Didn’t get the food until an hour and a half after we ordered and the restaurant is too noisy and uncomfortable. The peppercorn sauce was essentially the same sauce as the Diane with something else added to it to make it seem different. Lovely venue with a lot of potential but the staff were rushed off their feet as there are too many tables for such a small space and not enough staff, however there’s not enough room to employ enough staff for the tables. I think if the menu was reduced slightly and improved in quality, the capacity was reduced and the menu prices were increased it would be a much nicer place to eat. I don’t know the chefs but I’m sure they’d be able to put more care into the food if the capacity was reduced. And im sure the food would be a lot nicer before it dies on the pass waiting for the waiting staff to get it who simply can’t because they have 100 covers worth of drinks orders between the two/three of them plus table service. I think it would be a perfect romantic evening meal place if the capacity was reduced, there was a bit of atmospherical music, the prices were bumped up and the chefs had more time to create a high quality menu. People are willing to pay for good quality. The chef specials seem really good and inviting too and I strongly believe if the chef is willing to think of those ideas that cutting the menu down to focus onto his passion for food and allowing the food quality to bring in the money would make maximos really successful in a nicer way that just average food for a cheap price. This is maybe a bit of a long review but rather than sit and bash the place I’d rather offer constructive criticism. Coz we’re all employed to do a job and in hospitality it’s never just one factor that contributes to the over all product. But well done to all the staff that served us because having to keep all the tables happy must be exhausting and customer facing jobs are exhausting and well done to the kitchen team for managing to pull off cooking that many covers too because you all deserve recognition for your hard work especially from the customers that you’re doing it for.

Popped here for lunch haven’t been for a while but just as good.as ever. Service was good and food very nice, good choice on menu with also a happy hour lunch menu.

Excellent food, friendly staff, and a lovely dining experience will definitely be back.

Adhoc meal and drink with my wife. The meals and the drinks were beautiful and the service was excellent

Had a lovely early evening meal. The early bird menu is great value for money. Clearly a popular local restaurant. Good service, friendly staff and great food! We were visiting the area from Leeds and the restaurant was a nice addition to our visit.

Met a friend for lunch here - really lovely decor and plenty of parking. Lunch menu was extensive but opted for one of the daily specials - mushrooms in a creamy gorgonzola sauce with ciabatta, and my friend had lasagne; both were freshly prepared and delicious, and great value. Very friendly and helpful waiter. Will visit much more in the future - already arranged to go back next week

We received a really warm welcome at this delightful gem of a restaurant . The food was delicious without being overpriced. Great place.

Although the place is busy and has a good vibe, three of our four meals were mediocre. As in toughish steak, dry chicken breast and what seemed like cheap processed cooked ham in the pizza. This is the second time we have been there, and last time was a little better.

Fantastic food and service here. I’m extremely fussy and difficult to please so cannot compliment this place enough. We certainly will be returning. Food was cooked to perfection and red hot which I love. The staff were lovely and couldn’t help enough. A special thank-you to Jason too. See you soon

Great staff lovely venue and lovely food

Food was good, very tasty and hot, service left a lot to be desired. We ordered drinks and it took 30 mins to get them. It was noisy and packed and not enough waiters/waitresses on, spoilt the evening as it was my birthday and was fed up of waiting to be served. Cannot fault the food when it finally arrived though. Don't think we will be returning unless they get their act together with the service.

Just returned home after a fab meal at Maximo's. Food was fantastic, staff were friendly and attentive. Best lunch (mother's day) we've had in a long time. What a treat.

First time visit, nice ambiance and helpful Staff. My partner had the Sunday lunch which was very well presented and overall the Bill was reasonable.

Well worth a visit. Lovely place for Saturday afternoon lunch. Excellent staff who were really happy to accommodate. Great menu, at reasonable prices, we thought. For 4 mains plus drinks £80. Comfortable, clean restaurant and plenty of parking. We will definitely be making a return visit.

Very nice meal and surroundings. Good staff too! Booking recommended!

Came for a 50th birthday meal. Excellent night

Excellent food, me & my partners starter & main were so tasty, especially the mains, so rich in flavour, will defo be returning

The food was OK the staff were great. But i won't go back. £60 for 3 mains and a bottle of white.

Food was good, but we waited well over 40 minutes for drinks which we asked for several times,, We had to ask for steak knives with our steaks It was a busy Saturday night, but there was no table service, we had to repeatedly ask for service. The food was good, steak was lovely, shame about the service.

Waited 2 hours for bang average food

Very accomodating, friendly and great tasting food.

Food was superb and Jason was very accommodating. Thankyou. Will definitely be back again

This is an affordable and pleasant dining experience. Staff are nice, food was 6.9/10 and the price is affordable. Overall 7.5/10 experience. Bosh.

Absolutely delighted with our first visit to Maximo’s, and hopefully not the last. The choices available met all our tastes, and a very pleasant environment. In spite of reported concerns the service was excellent. Steady, but not slow, giving time to enjoy the food and not feeling rushed. A great way to enjoy meeting up with friends at a steady pace.

Really nice fresh food, would recommend

Fillet Steak cooked perfectly, pepper sauce had a good kick and they serve double maxim, no complaints here.

Went here with the family for Xmas lunch. Despite being packed out, the staff were all really lovely and made it special for all of our party (from 4 to 79). Food was nice across all three courses and it all came out together. We will call again in the new year when it's not as hectic. Thank you x

Was only at this place to drop daughter off.

food not great .... expected more for price

Staff were lovely but the night we went it was understaffed which added to wait times. Food was delicious, pasta was a little undercooked for me but thats just my preference I like my pasta softer, so when I return I will definitely ask them to cook it a tad more.

Went for a birthday lunch with family. The food was very nice and the waiter that served us was very personable, but the experience was ruined by having to wait over an hour and a half for our main courses to arrive. I wouldn’t come back.

Excellent staff and great food. My only complaint, is that I didn’t go the follow night. The food was excellent and the service was dead friendly.

Most impressed beautiful place lovely food and very helpful friendly staff

Lunchtime meal very enjoyable. Food was great .

The guy who took the orders was fab. I had cannelloni which was very poor, the venue is small and full and then they decided music would be a good idea.

Food was great staff were friendly the only letting them down was the delay in getting our main course

Booked for lunch today, the standard of the food was great cooked fantastic the staff were very friendly, but, what let them down was the delay in delivering the food over a 30 minute wait for our main course there was no apology for the delay just a comment from the waitress saying “oh the chef forgot” not what I would expect for the amount we were paying two people £74

It is OK, it's a decent location and the staff were all pleasant but service was really slow. I'd visit again just without the pressure of feeding kids 🤣

Good food and drink aswell as good service and atmosphere.

Lovely food and very helpful staff, highly recommended.

Great food, at reasonable prices, and good service from attentive staff .

Lovely food at a reasonable price

We are often here but the latest time has been one of the best visits. Great set of staff. V friendly and efficient. Lovely meals. Not rushed. Definitely recommend.

Had a great night catching up with friends. Food was nice, mussels were very petite and sauce quite thin. Portions were plentiful. Service was good and the staff were very friendly.

Went here for dinner, first time while staying in Thornley, the menu was good, we had a chicken pasta with a creamy sauce, & my husband had a starter of black pudding, bacon, & pepper sauce, which he said was absolutely delicious. There was a happy hour menu which we went off for our meals, but our friends wo are regulars there told us the portions are just as big as standard menu. There is no air conditioning, which was unfortunate as we were there on Tuesday eve on the hottest day, i think some form of cooling air would be a good addition any time. Friend had the steak which looked lovely, all food we saw come out looked very good, i would not hesitate to return.

Value for money. 3 of us went for a dinner time special, plenty of covers to get a table, the waiters seemed very friendly and experienced, just how they should be. The bairn got a margarita pizza which he ate all up, I had carbonara and Kiev halfy half which both were delicious, my friend got pizza and lasagne which he equally enjoyed just as much. Overall experience its 5/5 good food, good serice, top marks.

Always a pleasure, Thomas and I dine here at least once a week, and always 5 star, down to service and a lovely welcoming atmosphere everytime we come. Food exceptional always if you haven't already been why not.....

Lovely food service is quite slow however

I had the carbonara and the roasted veg. This was delicious with a tasty latte afterwards. The food is decently priced and the staff are very quick and lovely.

Fabulous atmosphere. Delicious food 💕

Amazing food and brilliant service to match. You definitely won't find a better restaurant locally. P.s try the black pasta. Devine.

Absolutely lovely place didn't even have time to take a picture of my food I eat it that quick which is good for me cos I'm slow. Meal was unreal.

We booked in advance for a table of 8 and when we arrived we were asked to wait outside until the table was ready. It wasn’t long before we were asked inside and taken to our table where we ordered drinks. Shortly afterwards we were...

Fantastic food, in nice surroundings and very good prices too.

Excellent food the staff were lovely first time eating here will definitely be back .

Very nice lunch from the happy hour menu and a very reasonable price. First time here and will definitely visit again. Service was good too friendly helpful staff.

Faultless from start to finish warm welcome Then drinks & menu in quick succession Starter of fish cakes very good great dipping sauce followed by Steak perfectly cooked medium rare for myself & Chicken for my wife, the Steak was great and a decent portion...

The food was brilliant and we definitely got our money's worth and the staff are very friendly the atmosphere was cozy and alot of parking would recommend for a lovely evening out :)

Much better than on previous visits. The servings were a good size and perfect for a 3 course meal (or single course, really). Not sure if there's a new chef since 2 years ago, but we were much more delighted this time!

My husband and I visited Maximos for Sunday lunch on 27th of this month. Would just like to say it’s the best Sunday lunch we have had out in a long time. Food and presentation were excellent and very reasonably priced!