Merry Monk in County Durham

Staff were rude came and pud lid on pool table in the middle of a game attitudes were shocking.

Good atmosphere, brilliant place for late drink and good music to dance the night away 🎶 👌

Very good pub and great drinks with friendly staff

Can't beat the merry monk on a Saturday night. Its where everyone comes together at the end of night and is the only place open late. Staff are always friendly. Only downside is its very narrow and you feel squashed but it has a big garden, that also has a bar so you can get sorted from outside, which makes up for it. Canny music, alright prices, what more could you want. Does cost £1 to get in which is honestly fair as its the place to be.

Keep well away they will try and short change you on a night out .

Wonderful Town Centre Pub with great atmosphere,friendly Staff and a Jolly Landlord ! Sample the Sunday Lunch and you won't be disappointed!

A fantastic place to spend the night.used to be like it years ago.just what Bishop needs after all the other early morning pubs closed

Sell beer so we are happy nice music nice beer don't need anything else

Now called The Sportsman. Only toasties available at a very reasonable £2, but no other food and the coffee machine was out of order, otherwise ok.

I went here for my 18th birthday and I loved the place they do WKD Beers and all sorts of other things

Excellent venue, friendly and helpful staff, good food and drinks, first class.

Back to being the sportsman bar for locals

A great blend a modern/traditional pub. Good atmosphere and good beer ( also good gin, according to my other half). Wednesday night is open mic night hosted by Neil Gibson. Always an entertaining experience. Go on, give it a try. You'll not be disappointed.

1st class staff and 1st class crack ...would highly recommend......🤔😉😉😉1st clads

Visited with my wife and other family members last Wednesday lunchtime. First visit for quite a while and was pleasantly surprised with the improved cleanliness and the friendly, cheerful staff. There were five of us in the party and we all chose something different from the menu. The staff were very attentive and the meals arrived in good time despite some difficulty with a faulty oven in the kitchen. ( the oven was replaced as we ate) The quality of our meals was excellent and the portions more than adequate. So much so that we are going back today. I would heartily recommend the Merry Monk and suggest a visit before it becomes more popular as it surely will.

Quality food at very local prices - highly recommended. Great service.

Great night good door staff too

Fantastic atmosper I will be going again

Good prices, rough clientele, saw 3 fights in one night

Management have really got bad manners and have no disabled access at all or disabled facilities

Burns night,fantastic,great pipers,involved everyone ,great venue ,food was nice ,really enjoyed the evening, thanks

Live music and good toasties-! And lots of dancing

I have a stoma bag and went to the loo and had to change my bag there was no bin in the toilet to put it in and when I went to staff for help the lady pointed out the window and said to go down the street and put it in the public bin never have I been so umilatated in my life never will I visit there again

We had our Christmas Dinner for Armed Forces Veterans here. Warmly welcomed by the Landlord, staff were helpful, service was good and the Turkey dinner with all the trimmings was very good. My only slight gripe was the Christmas Pudding, with Brandy Sauce. Everyone else said it was lovely, but as a non drinker, I wanted cream or custard, or a sauce without alcohol, but none were available, & Christmas pud without sauce No thanks, so I declined, and was not offered any thing else. But the meal was good, & will go again.

Decent drink need a new d.j music can be dismal

I went in and was instantly attacked by the smell of cheese, could only stay in for about 10 minutes couldn't even finish my pint because the glasses even tasted of cheese.. but I am lactose intolerant. Long story short ended up going to AE to make sure cholesterol was okay.

Great night with the DLI Association.

Super food, excellent service & decor. Good value with a family atmosphere. If you go for Sunday lunch, people start queuing half-an-hour before it opens, it is so popular.

Great pub, friendly staff and good selection of beers.

Brilliant atmosphere, Christian the host is a gent 👍

Probably the best of an average bunch in the marketplace.

Walked in for a pint. We live in the States and unfamiliar with beers so asked for a taste of one. Bartender asked ‘boss’(?) at adjacent table ‘do we do tasters?’ He said, as if we weren’t there, ‘heck no, he can’t taste the John Smiths’. Incredibly rude and unfriendly. As for the rest of the place; dirty, scruffy, tacky, nasty. Will never go again. Hope ‘the boss’ reads this and changes his attitude.

Great night and u know ppl from ther

Favourite pub in Bishop Auckland with Great people & atmosphere

Always good company and good drinks.

Waited a while for dinner to come out

we have met up with friends several times for Sunday lunch and just last weekend had friends from USA visit and didn't understand concept of Sunday lunch-so brought them to The Merry Monk the price cant be beat-a small plate is well enough for even healthy appetite-would never be able to finish a large plate! staff friendly and attentive and our friends commented it was like a thanksgiving lunch for them[a big celebration for them in November

Good beer good service and sports on tv

I come in here quite often to play darts with my son early on in day . It's a really good darts set up. .I have never been in later at night when it's a night club. The beer is really, really good. I drink Guinness and its the best pint in bishop Auckland , and I would say as good as the pints I have had in Ireland . It's comfortable and the staff are also friendly. I thoroughly recommend it.

Great night.Great bands. Pub was bouncing..

Great entertainment and friendly pub

Great jazz session here today - last Thursday of month at 12 .30

Good love music and friendly staff

Good entertainment Tonight with a elvis tribute on .+ friendly atmosphere

Very quiet till very late. They have singers on , but was still quiet not very busy.

Great had a smashing time I will be back as Arrie said x

Brilliant service. Lovely pint. Well priced. Warm and welcoming.

Great pub bar staff friendly good atmosphere

I had a good experience at Merry Monk. I was spending the day in Bishop Auckland, waiting for the Kynren performance and needed a snack and drink. I popped in and got a ham and cheesy toasty and a pint of a pale ale. It was very quiet that afternoon, so just enjoyed the space and refreshments.

Lovely pub. Gets really busy some nights. Excellent pint

Lovely pub. Quiet early in the night. The glass collectors had us dizzy walking round but very friendly. Good music pub

We visited the merry monk on the 29th July for Sunday lunch ,which I had won on facebook. We thoroughly enjoyed it . The staff were very friendly and efficient and could not do enough for us and our lunch was delicious. Unfortunately at the moment they only do Sunday lunch but hopefully this will be extended to other days

Good beers, friendly staff and a properly run pub.

Good old fashioned pub with fantastic Beer/sunday Lunches & Atmosphere/Staff & live music at least once a week 😊😊

Decent pub in Bishop. Good choice of ales and very friendly staff.

Poor door staff, attitude and health & safety a definite issue. Re training urgently needed, avoid if possible.....

One of the most lively and friendly pubs in the North East. Friendly efficient bar staff who make you welcome at any time of the day. Music in abundance from local artists who give %100 in their musical talent. Sunday lunch is delicious and plentyfull. Give The Merry Monk a visit if you are in Bishop Auckland you won't be disappointed.

Good time to be had good music and friendly

Cosy, spacious pub with 3 pool tables but also space to sit & chat while enjoying a pint or 2, or a glass of wine for the ladies

Has three pool tables, nice log fire. Great staff. Great atmosphere. Good selection of wine and beers.

Great staff, nice surroundings log burner

Lovely Sunday dinner and great service

Tried the Merry Monk for Sunday lunch for the first time and was very impressed. Very friendly and attentive staff brought the food within a few minutes of ordering. Choice of beef pork or chicken which you can order large or small, 2 Yorkshires with the large. Overall it was a very enjoyable meal and a good pint will definitely be returning for more.

Its not the sportsman but its alright ...

Great prices and atmosphere. Good day or night time and good events. Staff are really friendly

Excellent food and beers, with outstanding service, 5 🌟 recommendations.

After visiting the amazing Mining Museum next to Bishop Auckland Tow Hall, the five of us were ready to get into somewhere warm and eat. We saw this pub just over the road and thought we'd give it a try. Sunday lunch came in two sizes, large and small at £6.95 and £5.95. It was delicious . Plenty of it, extra veg and gravy. Service very good and waitresses very pleasant. I will definitely go back. Only criticism ... Plates were cold.

good night live singer spot on no red bulmers tho :(

Having visited the town for the weekend from Doncaster. The Sunday Lunch here was recommended to me by a friend, so we visited last Sunday the 17th. The Lunch was spot on. Lovely proper homemade dinner. I had the Beef Lunch and it was lovely, generous, filling and excellent value. This pub has a fantastic friendly staff serving behind the bar. Nothing was too much trouble and the welcome they give is warm and relaxing. Food was A+ However, the experience was spoiled by the negative atmosphere from who I was told was the "Boss". The rest of my visit there was marred by his, what I can only describe as disrespectful, rude and unprofessional bullying of one particular girl behind the bar. He berated and belittled her so much that I spent most of my time there watching her run past me in tears to the toilets. Safe to say his actions forced me to cut short my visit at the Merry Monk. We finished our drinks and spent the rest of my visit elsewhere, it was just too stressful to sit amongst and have to listen to. Shame............

Good Sunday Lunch,pool tables and live music

Excellent place to be. Live music, great beer and great staff/management.