Maxine's Restaurant in Darlington

We had a booking for Sunday lunch as a party of four to celebrate my mum's birthday. We were given a menu which included two courses for £15 or three for £22, which we thought was excellent value. One of our party ordered the ham hock terrine and shortly after ordering, a staff member informed us that this menu item has been changed to "pâté", which we accepted. Our starters arrived, and when a staff member shouted "cucumber", we were confused and somewhat amused as to what this dish was. One of our party had ordered what was listed on the menu as 'trio of vegetable cups filled with hummus, red pepper hummus & sunblushed tomatoes'. It transpired that this was also not on the menu and had been changed for "cucumber bites". The dish that was placed on the table can only be described as something a teenager would make in a GCSE Home Economics class (see photo attached). It consisted of three cucumber rounds with what appeared to be a shop-bought blob of hummus and a piece of cherry tomato on each one, with a heap of dry salad leaves and onion in the middle of the plate. Amongst the confusion, we laughed as we could not believe that this was deemed to be an acceptable dish to serve. Upon reading "the new menu", this dish is described as having two types of hummus and sunblushed tomatoes, which is false advertising based on what we were given. Another member of our party ordered the soup of the day, which was described as vegetable. Three members of our party tasted this dish and agreed that there was an unusual taste (mixture of chemical/vomit) rendering it inedible. The prawn cocktail starter and the pâté starter (subsequently discovered on being given a different menu for pudding, to be game) were both enjoyed. When asked by a manager if we enjoyed our starters, one of our party began to explain issues with the cucumber and soup starters, to be told somewhat flippantly that we had been given "the old menu". It was difficult to articulate the problem with the cucumber starter as the manager seemed to struggle to listen to the problem being described. When informed about the soup, she did offer to get this member of the party another starter, but we declined due to limited choice and this would have delayed our mains. Mains consisted of roast pork, roast beef, and chicken supreme. There was nothing supreme about any of these roast dinners, and we agreed that we could make better at home. Everything tasted bland and unseasoned, and gravy lacked flavour. Yorkshire puddings were hard. On a positive, all meat was nicely cooked and our dishes were nice and hot. Puddings were the highlight of this meal. We enjoyed brownie, crumble, chocolate tart and a cheese board. Due to our experience of this meal, the manager charged all four of us for two courses instead of three, which was appreciated. However, this was initially relayed to us by a young staff member, after the manager had originally walked away without resolution other than the offer of one new starter which was declined (to replace the inedible soup), when we complained about two of the starters. We agreed that it would have been more appropriate for the manager to apologise and relay this information. Overall, the food appears to have gone downhill since previous visits and whilst we appreciated the manager knocking our starters off the bill, we would be unlikely to visit again. It is concerning that they didn't seem to realise how poor the cucumber starter is. Every now and then there are hospitality experiences that are so bad, they are actually funny, and this cucumber offering has to be one of them!

Our Grandson and his Fiancée were married in a local church at the End of August and held their after-church celebrations at Maxine’s' at Banantine Hotel. This 5 star review is a much deserved reflection of our experience of the daytime meal. (We were not at the evening event). The waiting staff, led by “Kim”, were extremely professional and well organized and efficient. Kim was brilliant!! The food was all good quality, well prepared and well presented. We have no hesitation in offering our congratulations to Maxine’s for a “Job well done”. We definitely intend to return soon to sample their evening or lunchtime menu. (or both! ) Incidentally, comments which we have received from others, who were at the evening event , and those who stayed overnight, also match our opinions.

Lovely setting but poor and over priced Afternoon Tea! Scones were so hard you couldn't cut them in half. Poor amount of sandwiches - three small triangles per person. Cakes were very small but nicely presented. 10% service charge also added without consent.

The menu was disappointing but tasted fine. Everything seemed slightly low budget and microwaved, however the taste was not bad. Not good, but not bad either. For the price, you'd expect more for your money.

Please read and it could save you a lot of wasted money. A cream tea with prosecco was purchased for me and my sister as a gift. To start with on entering hotel we stood at reception and were not even acknowledged by either of the two staff. Ok - one of them were serving but the other was writing on a note pad. She could see us waiting and rather than acknowledging us she let us stand. Immediately my thoughts were - not a good first impression! We were then sat down at a small table which was placed so close the the next table that I felt I was dining with them! I called the waitress and said I didnt appreciate sitting next to a table of diners that I didnt know. She said it was due to the restaurant being busy. So, we were squashed in between two tables and we really felt we were with them. However, that was nothing compared to the so called 'afternoon tea'. The sandwich had rubber cheese and the bread bun was stale, the scones were that hard they were impossible to cut. However, I thought it was probably just a bad batch so I tried another scone only to find that was the same. I gave up. There was no butter and no jug of water. To top it off, we were then advised that as we were dining in December there would be no prosecco unless we paid fextra or it! I was speechless. I spoke to the waitress (which was the only good thing about this place) and said this voucher included a prosecco. The lovely waitress acknowledged this but said if we dined in January they would honour it but not in December. The waitress could not apologise enough but I said it was not her fault. I said I appreciate if that is the rule but one would think that such a hotel would have honoured the voucher in full and served the prosecco since it had been paid for in good faith and it did not state it had to be used before December. The waitress then said she would speak with the Manager. Indeed she did but he refused to honour the voucher but said would could claim 10% back (£4.10). I then approached the till, confirmed my dissatisfaction with the tea and asked if the £4.10 could be given to the lovely waitress. I was then advised it could not but would remain as a credit for next time I visited. I explained I would never visit again so would rather the waitress got it then the hotel. The answer was no. So, you have all been fairly advised here - if you want a beautiful cream tea and you want quality food then look no further than the Dolphin Centre. Yes, indeed the Dolphin Centre. It is half the price but definitely quality with lovely staff.

3 course menu 20 pounds early bird menu very good food and service have bean about 3 times now very good.

We went for Father’s Day Sunday Roast, probably the worst we have ever had, this was 3 courses for £18 including a free pint for the Dads. The deal was fantastic but the roast dinner main very poor quality. Staff were exceptional shame the food let them down.

Booked here for our staff Christmas party. Have been to Bannatynes many times before and it has always been lovely with great food. However, the Christmas party night was severely lacking. £35 per head for a two course meal and disco. The meal was dreadful. The portion was so sparse. Each piece of the meal had space around it on the plate with a drizzle of gravy over it. I genuinely sat there for a few minutes waiting for my veg to arrive. I chose Christmas pudding for dessert which was fine. The disco however was not. I don't know how old the DJ thought the people were in the room, but he managed to half empty it by half past 9. The music choices were dreadful and nothing up to date was played. Of the five tables in there we were over two of them two tables vacated very sharply as did half of our party so three tables were vacant by 9:30. We had been looking forward to this event for a few weeks. It certainly let us down.

We dined here as a group of friends for Christmas fayre. The decor and setting were very Christmassy and well laid out - not too crowded or close to other tables. We had the 3 course Christmas fayre. Service was quick. Portion size was excellent for a lunch fayre. This enabled us to eat and fully enjoy all three courses. Food quality was excellent, Tasty and hot food. They catered wonderfully for one vegetarian and one gluten free guest without any hassle. They also catered well for two guests who wanted a cheese board instead of the pudding. First time we have eaten in the restaurant although we stay in the hotel regularly. Will certainly dine here again. Thanks Maxine's for a lovely start to the Christmas season :) Only negative for us was the table layout - a round or square table instead of a long rectangle would have facilitated better conversation for a group of friends who have not seen each other in a while.

My friend visited from down South and brought me breakfast on Sunday the the 2nd of October we sat down had a coffee waited quite a long time for the breakfast and all I can say is it was absolutely disgusting uncooked sausages uncooked bacon hash browns were not cooked in the middle eggs with poached but all runny and snotty on the outside black pudding was not crispy and not cooked properly what a waste of £10 my friend had to pay an I am an ex chef and that was probably one of the worst breakfasts I've seen in my lifetime... I will not be going back there and I'm absolutely shocked at ballantynes hotel. Disgusting unprofessional cooks because they are not chefs do not have breakfast here. 🤮

The whole restaurant and the experience is just underwhelming. The tables are scratched and old, the bottom of upholstered chairs are hanging in rags, and looks like nothing has been updated in 20 years. We had Sunday lunch which could have been much better. Nothing was seasoned, no salt or butter, just plain, boiled veg, and the rest of the menu lacked imagination, (again, perhaps not updated in 20 years). The staff were very friendly, attentive, and accommodating, just a shame the rest of it is a let down. I think if they brought in a really good chef they could make it a fantastic place to go - it has all the bones of a good restaurant.

Had voucher for meal and overnight stay Enjoyable meal, service was friendly and informal. Food was a tad in adventurous but still well prepared and seasoned well

Just been to Maxine’s to celebrate my sisters birthday. We were a party of sixteen. Staff were great, especially Holly, very attentive and friendly. Food was excellent and atmosphere relaxed and comfortable. We’re looking forward to returning.

Me and 2 friends had afternoon tea here bought for us as a Christmas present, it wasn’t good at all the food came out as soon as we sat down it tasted like it had been left out ready for us bread was hard the scones were crumbleing you couldn’t put butter on them, we sent the wine glasses back as they were dirty, the waitress I think Victoria was lovely really nice girl couldn’t do enough for us,

Absolutely beautiful food, even the welcome drink was lovely. Nothing I ate or drank could have been improved on. My ideal meal. Also - sensible portion sizes - not ridiculously large as in some places - I was able to have all 3 courses without feeling overloaded. Nice restaurant and nice staff.

We visited the restaurant for a pre-booked Christmas dinner in mid-December. After being seated we had a long wait before we were asked what drinks we would like, and they them took ages to be brought to our table. The starter and main course was "ok", but the desserts were very below average, and the apple pie looked it had been dropped on the floor and scraped back into the bowl. We were planning to have coffee after our meals, but the service was taking so long we would still have been waiting now? We expected a lot better from a Bannatyne Hotel.

Christmas Day lunch. Excellent food and staff. The staff are friendly and on the ball. Can’t wait for next Christmas.

We had a lovely Christmas lunch here on 21st December. The food was excellent, as usual, we felt very well looked after by the staff and the cocktails were a brilliant idea! The best start to Christmas!

Can't fault the venue, food, staff or location - had a great evening in a private room with 20 people - food was excellent, hot, tasty and well received by all. Staff polite, professional and courteous. Service was excellent from start to finish. Even more impressive given the restrictions that Covid is having. Thank you - will definitely be revisiting :)

As mentioned under the hotel review: I entered the restaurant for my evening meal not what you would expect from a 4* hotel No heating and the tables had no tablecloth and were not set up. As the tables are viscously cleaned it had become very sticky. The atmosphere was very bleh. The staff were polite when approaching you, however once they are back to their stations it is quite obvious they do not wish to be at work, giving off an unwelcoming vibe. At times was made to feel a bit of an hindrence as I was sat alone. To be fair the food was very nice. The breakfast again was also very nice, but again staff were polite but appeared bored, now I must bring something to attention here, I saw at least 3 members of staff with hair hanging loose down the back (to the waist) and very long false nails, I have to say if health and saftely officials had been present they would have a field day, you must realise what is required in a food industry?? I hate to state this, hair tied back above the collar, nails clean, unpolished and cut short, Im hoping the chefs adhere to this.

Booked afternoon tea for four people as a birthday treat for my Mum. The food was 'OK' and looked better than it tasted - the cakes were very disappointing. At £15.00 a head it was not cheap - but a service charge of 10% being...

We visited for my birthday this month and after a mix up when we got there the staff worked hard to resolve it. I have to say a special thanks to Ashleigh who was so great and understanding!! Thank you

Nice menu range - possibly too large to be cooked on the Premises`. The pork based pate was excellent and the fish and chips well battered and fried in clean oil. Great chips!

I booked afternoon tea as a catch-up with my friend for my birthday, and we were not disappointed. The afternoon tea was delicious and we tried our hardest to eat it all ! The restaurant manager Andrea was excellent and made sure we were very...

Booked in for dinner and breakfast, food was lovely and good portions, breakfast was great and the staff were very pleasant and helpful.

I decided to stay at the hotel partly on the basis of the menu for Maxine's, as it sounded on paper really good. Unfortunately the dishes fell slightly short. I started with a prawn and avacado salad with a yuzu dressing. The dressing was so...

Menu given was not was was served, food appalling most staff not bothered with customer service kitchen cant even cut crusts off bread! Would have let it go if it wasn’t for mould on fruit served in a cocktail, the awful experience left my autistic...

After waiting for such a long time to meet up with friends it was disappointing to have a poor meal. The restaurant had a smell of dirt about it and the tables looked as if they needed a good clean. The food was not great....

Visited Maxine's for lunch and afternoon drinks. Staff were very welcoming and socially distanced whilst making us feel welcome. The food was AMAZING! I would highly recommend the ribs. We sat outside which again was very well socially distanced and made us feel safe. Masks...

Visited for lunch (the garden menu). The menu was very limited and all of the meals were disappointing. Would not recommend! (salmon, ribs and beef burger) However, the staff were friendly and it was good for social distancing.

Very expensive for not very nice food, It used to be great but last night's experience was very disappointing. The staff were lovely but the food was awful

Enjoyed meal. However, not clear that they add a service charge to your bill. Didnt realise until I left and because it was only £5 I could not see the point of travelling back into Darlington to dispute it and claim my refund. It was...

went for a surprise 60th birthday party last night to Maxines restaurant in Bannatynes hotel. We had a lovely large room to ourselves, the service, food & overall experience was excellent. Thankyou to all for making it a memorable occasion.

I’ve been here a few times and have always had a good experience but after tonight won’t be rushing back! The food that came was nice as usual however service was painfully slow so much so we had to abandon ordering desert after waiting nearly...

It’s been six years since we dined here. We took advantage of the 2 for £10 offer linked to Darlington restaurant week. Good quality food and good value for money. The only issue was an additional £10 added to the bill, which was deducted after...

had lunch at the hotel with a friend. very nice staff.entrance looks shabby and needs a good redecoration - chipped paint everywhere and not looking clean for first impression as an entrance and hallway. a bit off putting at first sight.resturant looking tired and shabby - needs a good redecoration . wooden tables have not been revarnished in ages and look tacky because of this .no tablecloths .menu ok but food looked pre prepared and reheated for serving. soup tasty but served lukewarm. copious amounts of salt in the food - needed jug of water to get rid of the salty taste afterward. amount of salt tasted spoilt what was reasonable food.please try and spend some money on redocoration to show the building at its best for darlington and given its great history with the pease family. state of décor is starting to let the place down a bit and makes things hard for the very good staff.

Very nice restaurant for romantic, quiet dinner. Tasty food, good menu options, very pleased with the service. Place to go if you want to escape crowds and noise.

Attended hotel for Sunday lunch - only 2 people in restaurant for 20 minutes after ordering, us - order taken and asked for jug of water which never came. Starters came after 30 minutes , Lukewarm vegetable soup that the waitress spilt a 1/3 of when she put it down and a dry chicken terrine which tasted of the fridge with salad leaves that had cooked from standing too long in the dressing - sadly that was the highlight. Main courses arrived after another 15 minutes ( by this time there were 4 more people who , they hadn’t been served but they were there)both had asked for rare roast beef and received well done - I explained that I couldn’t eat it that overcooked and the waitress took it back only to bring it back saying that it was overnight roasted so that was as rare as it can be - which is nonsense and why you would need to overnight roast sirloin unless poor quality. I said that I would do without and let my son have his - only to find the vegetables were cold and the beef on his plate could not be cut with the table knife. We said we were leaving and was then told that they were not allowed to cook beef any less . I don’t mind if the kitchen can not cook but I am offended to be told absolute nonsense as an excuse. Combination ovens can very well cook all meats including prime cuts like sirloin to any cooking level , giving perfectly red meat if desired and what do they do if someone wants a rare steak . The food was very poor and the meat inedible.They then charged me for the starters we had eaten, which I agree had been eaten , even if not enjoyed, but £4.00 for half a bowl of cool vegetable soup is taking the Micky , especially when the rest of the pantomime is considered.A hugely forgettable experience an one that I will not be in any hurry to repeat

Took a friend for afternoon tea as a birthday treat, unfortunately it was very poor, I love afternoon tea but this probably was the worst I’ve had, the scones were so bad so dry and hard (think small cobble stones ) sandwiches were ok ,1 of each, ham ,tuna and salmon, piece of quiche ok very small pieces of cake, ( one all wet from defrosting I think, I don’t know if we went on a bad day, but from what we had I wouldn’t go again and I wouldn’t recommend afternoon tea t Maxines.

Great value for money, chose the Pork dish, it was delicious. Service was fantastic so friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Thank you to Nicole who looked after us. Would highly recommend a visit.

Didn’t stay but popped in for a bar snack during an overnight in Darlington. The hotel looks good and just on the edge of the town centre. Staff were ok and so was the food but seemed to take along time to be served, maybe they were busy in other bits of the hotel for Christmas.

Too many people crammed into small space. Getting greedy. Long tables instead of precious round ones couldn’t move once sat down due to number of seats at each table. Not an enjoyable work Christmas party.

1) over priced food 2) all jammed into a small space, unable to mingle with rest of work colleagues due to the table layout 3) male waiter very rude 4)disco rubbish 5) over priced drinks at the bar Profit making at its best!!!!!!

Fantastic christmas lunch. I'm gluten free and actually had choices for each course! I'm back again later this month and can't wait. The service was great throughout the afternoon.

A regular visitor at Maxine's and again, no disappointment at all. The food and the staff are just amazing. The room was set-up for us, for a private dining and everyone of our party of 16 were catered for perfectly. We will visit again soon.

We went on Friday 8th November for afternoon tea...3 adults and 1 child. I can honestly say that it was excellent all round. The venue, selection of food, drinks and friendly, efficient staff could not be faulted and all for £10 per adult and £5 per child. Not to be missed!

A group of us went for dinner as we previously have over the years and it has been historically good value food but this time !!! It was dreadful, not only has the price increased the quality has gone down. I felt as though I’d been robbed. The young staff were lovely but the food really poor, Thai chicken curry watery green stuff and sticky rice the redeeming factor was the dessert at least! I won’t go back as I don’t want to waste my hard earned money.

A group for a business lunch. Long wait for order then our drinks. mixed up starters. Chicken was just warm not even hot, possibly not cooked properly. Sage risotto had parmsen and cream - even though our guest made it clear they had a dairy allergy. Service too slow and errors for charging for drinks we did not have. staff overworked and manager not helpful. We will not return with any client and not recommend to office of over 100 staff.

Where do we start? Very much agree with Alan.W comments! We visited Maxine's with two friends for a birthday treat, the welcome to the restaurant was ok! However, firstly, we had to wait and eventually had to ask to place a drinks order. The menu was nothing but a pub menu and far from 4* hotel standard and different to the menu on their website. My lamb wellington was fine but the potato & vegetables were terrible, (as Alan. W stated) the fish was served skin side up making it very difficult to fillet and as for the burgers, I've seen better at the seaside.Only two of us had desserts which were OK I suppose! The drink prices were way over the top even for a hotel. We felt very unwelcome come 9 o-clock (ish) when the staff started to set up for breakfast around us only to strip the tables and reset for resident diners. Table clothes on dinner tables would have upped standards like they used to be! Will definitely not ne returning!

Went with friends to celebrate a birthday and it was such a disappointment to say the least. Spoke to our friends later and we agreed that we had felt like getting up and leaving and that we will never go again. Food was nothing exceptional, especially for a 4* hotel and the drinks were way over - priced. Glass of wine was £8.50.....could have bought a couple of bottles for that at the supermarket! We have been to lots of places for meals together but that place is definitely not on our list for another visit.

We had a family meal on Saturday 3 August for my mums 80th Birthday. We had a table in the library which was great for the ten of us.

We have eaten here many times since moving to Darlington 14 years ago. We've had family birthday meals in the restaurant or private rooms, drinks with friends in the elegant, sunny garden and always had a great time.

Dined last week with friends. Will not be returning. The quality of the food was disgraceful. I had Thai Fish cakes to start. The fish cakes were acceptable but served with limp soggy salad. Main Course chose Lamb Wellington which incurred an extra charge. The lamb was over cooked and tough, served on a bed of tasteless mash and three tiny strips of vegtable which were so overcooked it was impossible to cut them. Luke warm coffee was then served approx. 10 minuets before the dessert. Tropical Eton Mess for dessert was disgusting. The worst I have ever tasted. The only people who enjoyed any food were those who chose the Fish and Chips. Drinks are very much overpriced.

We visited we high expectations but we're disappointed with poor service and tasteless overpriced luke warm food.

Came here as we live in the area and hadn't been before. It was very disappointing. The staff were rude and not helpful. Took very long to be served and when the food did come it was below average. My meal was luke warm and tasteless, others said similar about the temperature and did not enjoy theirs. It didnt help that the music in the restaurant was loud and pop/chart music, not ususal for 'nicer' restaurants. For the price and reputation of the restaurant, we were very disappointed and wouldn't be returning.

Terrible experience! We have been to this venue several times over the last five years and every time is a real disappointment........ we have been patient and hoped we would see improvements every time we visited, but no, still the same poor quality.

What an absolute brilliant night! £25 for a two course meal plus an outstanding Kylie tribute act and a fantastic disco until midnight- amazing value for money.

Couldn't really complain about Sunday lunch. Usual beef, chicken pork variations for main course as well as fish. 3 course runs out at around £18. Not particularly busy but for a chilled afternoon lunch it was fine.

One of the worst I have ever been offered. Notice I did not say eaten. Would not visit again ever. Terrible

Maxines in banantyns hotel darlinton. We had afternoon tea. Very poor indeed will not go back sandwhiches only 1 quarter on tray.snd limp. Cakes tiny and scones very dry. Procecco flat. No staff

Just wanted to say, thank you so much for a fabulous evening on Saturday night. Our son had a lovely 21st birthday evening and we couldn’t have wished for more. The library was the perfect venue for our small party, the staff very polite and courteous, and the food was not only beautifully presented but it tasted fantastic too. We were delighted with our choice of venue and will definitely recommend to friends.

We visited on a busy Tuesday night and were seated swiftly. The menus are well priced, with the Early Bird menu offering great value. I opted for BBQ pork belly to start, followed by fish pie. Both cooked perfectly and were wholly enjoyed!

Visited (28/01/19) Maxine's for a meal to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary along with two friends and we could not fault a thing. The ambience, The Staff and of course The Food and the New Zealand white wine was excellent. In fact on arriving home we managed to order a case of it and a lot less expensive. The only thing that spoilt the evening was a 'lady' who was very loud and we assumed very drunk. This of course was not of any fault of the management/staff, if anything they could have had a 'polite' word with her as she was disturbing other customers. However, this little issue will definitely not prevent us from dining here again and recommending to others. Great value at £17.95 for a 3 course meal.

Me and my work colleagues came for our Xmas works party here, and I can quite honestly say it was the worst Xmas meal and entertainment I’ve ever experienced. First off the drinks were overpriced, but if the meal had been good that would have been ok. The meal was terrible, small portions and cold, I don’t expect to pay £30 for two courses and tacky entertainment and then have to call at the takeaway on the way home because I was absolutely starving. Complained on the night, staff not interested, would not recommend and won’t be back.

A group of ladies from work booked for our Xmas Party as several of us have been to restaurant before for meals. However, after our experience this time none of us will be returning. Meal was tiny barely enough on a very small plate to feed a 4 year old. After a long wait and requesting extra gravy two small bowls of vegetables and extra gravy arrived. Unfortunately we had all finished our meagre portion by then. The extra vegetables didn`t even have enough in for one portion each, 4 carrots pieces, 2 pieces of broccoli, 4 parsnips & 8 green beans as there was 9 of us it wasn`t really worth sending. Still uncertain as to these were extra of part of meal but as they arrived 20 mins after plate seemed like an extra!! Dessert was no better they could not even send a bowl of edible vanilla ice-cream, it was disgusting with no taste of vanilla and not even a wafer. For the £30 price for two course and some terrible entertainment it was the worst xmas party I have ever been to. Would definitely never return, and it would be wise if they had somebody of responsibily to work on a Sunday night as when we tried to complain nobody seemed interested, just to say there was not a manager there.

A group of us booked our works Xmas party here in December. We were all extremely disappointed with the meal. It was served on plates not much bigger than a tea plate .We received two dishes of vegetables between 9 of us. Not even one piece of broccoli each.When we asked for extra to didn't arrive until we had all finished. The meals were cold. The Xmas pudding like rubber. We complained on the night and were told someone would be over to see us. Nobody showed. Terrible night out. Terrible service!!! We were regulars. Never again.

Stayed here with the wife for a couple of nights, a nice change. The food was good and the relaxing atmosphere was just what we needed. enjoyed it.

I went with my wife and father. The quail was unappetizing, the brisket must have been 50 years old it was so tough and the sticky toffee pudding was cold. We have been there many times and the food has always been good but this time it was awful

Visited with the rest of the team from work for our Christmas lunch, to drink I had he spiced long island cocktail which was a really nice take on a long island iced tea, very tasty. The food was very good, for starter I had the tomato and roast pepper soup and found it delicious, for main I had the vegetarian mushroom wellington and really enjoyed it. Overall the experience was very good, the only downside was the wait we sometimes had between courses, it seemed the wedding going on while we were there sometimes distracted the staff from us, also some of my colleagues weren't entirely satisfied with a few of the portion sizes in the Christmas dinner main course,

Just amazing. The food is faultless and just perfect, every time I have stayed/visited. As our wedding venue, this is a firm favourite in Darlington, which we visit whenever we can for either business or personal events.

Very good meal I had a trio of fish and it was very tasty with asparagus. My friends had the fish and chips which looked excellent

Visited with friends and enjoyed the early bird menu. Great value and the food was delicious! The service was impeccable and we will be returning soon. Special shout out to the restaurant manager (I think she was called Alex) for been so helpful regarding my friends allergy.

There were several problems we had but were dealt with but they shouldn't have happened.The hotel building was a lovely old property but like a rabbit warren inside.

Ordered from the early bird menu and the food was lovely. Well presented and generous portions . Good service. Excellent

Delicious lunch for my husband's retirement celebration.Excellent service and a wonderful personal touch..thank you so much.

Excellent food compliments to the chef, first class service. Fantastic value and menu choice, definitely recommend, well worth a visit

A favourite and never a let down. This place is beautiful with a gorgeous hidden garden for those Summer night cocktails on the lawn. The food is amazing and the team are all so professional and provide a fantastic service.

I can’t speak highly enough about the patience & help that Jade, the event organizer for Maxine’s gave me while I was organizing this surprise party for my mum. I live in USA and I was sending emails back and forth trying to figure out the surprise. Jade was with me the whole way and took care of everything and we all had such a great time. The meals were all lovely and the staff were very attentive to our party of 20.

Terrific restaurant eaten here twice both excellent meals. Great steaks and desserts very nice staff, great warm and friendly service.

Recently had a small family gathering in the restaurant to celebrate my mam's 90th birthday. The meal ws enjoyed by all of our party as was the wine. The service was good and they even surprised us all by making up a plate with 'happy 90th birthday' written in chocolate. Only slight downside was the fact that the bar area was very busy and very noisy with people from a wedding (not sure why they weren't in their own room)

Had my mam's 90th birthday meal at this hotel and it was excellent. Great service by the staff and good food at a good price. Only slight drawback was the noise from the wedding party who seemed to all come into the bar next to the restaurant instead of remaining in the wedding venue

Well I was very disappointed with our meal here. I had been told very good things... everyone had a starter but unfortunately they all came out at different times to the point most of us had finished and one person was still waiting for hers... the soup eventually came. I do have to say the starter I had mussels in a garlic sauce was very nice. Then it came to us being served a main meal. Again the people sitting next to me had finished their main meal before I had got mine. One person got fish and chips mmm 6 or 7 chips...I felt this was very poor service. I will not be returning and unfortunately the other 13 who had meals won’t be either.

I came here with my work colleagues for a staff night out. We had ordered our meals prior to coming here so you would have thought the staff would have been prepared. Well they weren't. I ordered a simple soup and chicken salad, which should have been an easy menu, but it wasn't. The staff brought my over seasoned soup out so late that my colleagues had finished their starters by the time I had mine. In addition to this, the staff decided to start clearing my colleagues plates away whilst I was still eating so I felt like I had to rush. I thought this was really rude and very poor customer service. My salad was better though, apart from my extremely dry chicken, and I did enjoy my desert, however, we should not have received the overall service that we got from staff.

We stopped in the hotel and I ate in here 3 times. The 3 courses for £19 was superb value with really good quality food. For an extra. £4 you could have steak which was just beautiful. The superfood salads were popular in our group and the king prawn tempura was also tasty. Plenty of good desserts to choose from and the sticky toffee pudding was by far the best. Service was very good and it has a nice atmosphere. Breakfast is equally good. Worth a visit or 2.

We went along to try the new dinner menu that had been advertised online, on arrival we were greeted by a restaurant supervisor Andrea who took our coats, explained the menus and asked if we wanted drinks in the bar, we had a couple of cocktails and then were seated by Nicole who asked where we would prefer to sit in the restaurant.

Went for dinner one evening this week as it had been recommended to us by friends. Tried to get a drink in the bar prior to dinner but there were no seats but we headed into the restaurant. Took ages to get a drink and...

Booked the library room for a table of 6 on Saturday 10th March 2018. The customer service in the restaurant was fabulous. Special mention goes to Kathryn, reception manager and Josh, senior waiter. All of the staff were attentive and at the same time discreet. The food was scrummy and the value for money was amazing - two courses at lunchtime for £9.95!,, wine selection was great and you were not totally ripped off with the price of the wine. The atmosphere was fab in the library and as a private dining room it was just what we needed as a group of ladies to sit and chat, have a drink and a good giggle without feeling awkward. Big shout out to all of the staff at Bannantynes. We will definitely be back. Great day to spend a Saturday afternoon. Thank you.

Maxine’s is the restaurant with the Bannatyne Hotel in Darlington and we were staying here whilst visiting people in the area.

Maxine's is the restaurant 'inside' Bannatyne's Hotel where we were staying that night. We had dined there before on a number of occasions,and this was one of the best. I started with a tasty crab dish, then had beef stroganof with prawns, a great combination.The dessert featured a cherry sorbet on an amaretti biscuit with a chocolate mousse on oatmeal, delicious!

Sorry to be late with this review .

My granddaughter has taken me for afternoon tea today a belated Christmas present. We were both made welcome by the lovely staff at the hotel reception.

Went here for first time and had xmas menu, had fish cake to start - bit bland and disappointing, but nicely presented. Then mushroom wellington for main, which was divine! Staff pleasant. Nice ambiance, quite romantic on an evening with lower lighting and candles for example. Hotel itself nice from outside, however on closer inspection really does need a bit of TLC which is a bit of a shame really. All in all i would go back, but i wouldnt rush.

Too few staff, not very comfortable ,cold . The food was of poor quality and the produce used appeared cheap The portions were small and lacked eye appeal the “vegetables” were cold and hard ,all six of the sprouts which were between 3 of us To say hard they reminded me of my dogs teeth cleaning chew. To sum up I expected something better from this hotel and the pudding was obviously bought in and again poor quality Would I go back , would I recommend it never .

My friends and I attended a Christmas Party Night at the Bannatyne Hotel. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. The food we had was lovely and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We stayed overnight too and our rooms were lovely, very clean and comfy bed. Well done all round. Thanks will be staying again.

Dined her as a group on Saturday to celebrate a family birthday. Everyone said there food was delicious and my steak was gorgeous. It was a very busy evening in the hotel and restaurant however the staff were excellent and delivered a seamless service. A great evening at a fantastic restaurant!

We were staying at the Bannatyne Hotel in Darlington, and had an offer which included dinner, so we booked in for the night...

I visited on Sunday afternoon with my fiance and two generations for the family to celebrate our engagement. The service was really good and friendly, but the real star is the new Sunday lunch concept. I would describe it as a sharing tapas Sunday lunch experience. You get to try all the starters in miniature, all the meats on a Sunday roast and all the desserts in miniature, that is if you go for the full 3 course (but for only an extra £2 it's silly not to get the 3 course option) despite being a lot of different food it is all expertly cooked and all 3 generations loved it! Brilliant idea and if I lived closer I would go every Sunday!

24 went for Sunday Lunch yesterday (22nd), was a little apprehensive when they advised that they had changed there service to sharing platters for all 3 courses, from the beginning everything went well, there was a good selection for everyone to try and plenty of it, perhaps a little too much but I guess Chef wanted to please all 24 of us and not have any complaints, would certainly recommend this new Sunday Lunch, a special thankyou to the young man who worked the bar, his handling of my wine order was first class and he was not phased when I miscounted the number of people wanting a glass of champagne for the toast.

Stayed her over night, and grabbed dinner with an old friend. We were looked after very well, by the whole team, but especially their Restaurant Manager Alex. Would really recommend the steak, was a massive piece of meat and beautifully cooked. Will definitely come again!

My friends and I meet monthly or there abouts on a Monday evening, usually visiting a different venue each time - just as well as we wouldn't rush back here! My Latte which I asked for extra hot was lukewarm when it arrived after 20 mins. Ì found the choice very limited so had a small steak which to be fair was really nice and rare as requested and came with 6 chunky chips, onion and tomatoes and an (optional) Diane sauce, i cant say that i was full. We waited a long time for our food and while the staff were pleasant they were young and inexperienced and there were long periods when we saw no staff so did not order 2nd drinks, the bill came quickly when we asked for it though! There was no atmosphere unfortunately but it was early evening so maybe this is an unfair observation? The bill also already included a gratuity, which I don't approve of and im fairly sure some people wouldn't notice this - a bit naughty!