Poetic License Bar in Sunderland

no atmosphere - what a shame. We visited last week. We’ve been many times before for food and drink and even small events and the bar has been gorgeous. Food was good quality and choice the chunky chips were beautiful but when we visited last week the menu was changed since the summer and boy how different. A mediocre burger with chips i could’ve got from any chippy down the beach (and not as good). The place was dead which didn’t help by the few people who were there were spread out over the vast of the different areas making it feel empty. Maybe would’ve been better if they’d just been one area to sit making it feel busier. Shame because it’s one of the most beautiful bars in the area. What’s happened to the food in a couple of months ??

Great staff and food etc but spoiled by I presume a group of Albanian males speaking loudly in their language and unaware of people around them with how Lound they talked to each other and on their phones. Unfortunately I stay here for work but won’t use the public space again if they are there. It’s a shame.

Fantastic night , we had rooms booked in the hotel for a pre wedding celebration. We booked a table for 15 for food and drinks. We were served by a lovely young lady called Kate. Who was unsure on something but explained it’s her first night and she will be back in a moment to assist us. We all thought she was very professional explaining her self and going to find a solution. She was extremely professional, friendly and always had a smile on her face! You have it lucky having such a polite friendly girl to your team. She was thrown in at the deep end and done an amazing job! Also Jamie the manager was fabulous a very friendly person who was more than happy to help. He was also very thankful about the feedback for Kate! Thankyou to you both for making our evening as lovely as possible we will all be back in the near future. Good luck Kate you will an asset to the team 😄

Very disappointing!! I called before hand to ask what time the bar opened and was told 11 for drinks and 12 for food, arrived at 11.30 only to be told bar didn’t open at all till 12. When we could finally get some drinks and food, we ordered the salmon kebab and the shawarma chicken kebab. They came and looked pleasant but were tasteless, chicken was awful and had no flavouring etc and was fatty, chips were nice, but that was it! We used to love coming here but won’t be coming back in a hurry! This place has definitely gone down hill recently!

Called in for late afternoon dinner - they have a lovely view over the seafront. Great selection of small plates and the food was beautiful. Especially the crispy pork belly bites! Served by both Luke and Blake, who created such a welcoming environment. They were efficient and accommodating - lovely experience

Afternoon tea was lovely, but what made this visit special was the staff. James went above and beyond. Thank you so much for making my mums birthday special

Waited at bar for 15 minutes and still didn’t get served. Food was absolutely terrible. Warm wine 👎

The food, drinks and hospitality was great at this venue. My family and I go regularly and we have had no complaints thus far. I got married at let there be crumbs last November with poetic being a place to relax before the evening do. Beautiful views of the sea and a great place to go for a great time out. Highly recommend!

A fantastic place to go with friends, family or as a couple for some food and drinks. My husband and I got married in Let there be crumbs last year and both that part of the Roker hotel alongside poetic licence was extremely accommodating and friendly. The food was fantastic and the service also. Will definitely be back.

Friendly bar service, good choice of drinks. Plenty of good seating and with great views overlooking the sea. Welcoming and a place i would return to.

Don't bother with this bar for mid-week drinks. Visited on a Wednesday and last orders were called at 9.30!!

My wife and I come every Sunday and we are usually served by a lovely girl with curly hair who gives excellent service , her name is Tessa although it is a shame she has no name badge. This Sunday we were served by different staff who weren’t very attentive to us. Particularly the lady with red hair who did not even offer us drinks and so I had to order at the bar . Other than that the food was lovely , notably improving every Sunday .

Popped in to try there light bite menu, ordered 2 drinks while deciding what to have. 1st time the drinks came , my glass had pink Lipstick onit. So told waitress, to which she appoigised and took it away. Meanwhile, one of the barstaff was constantly coughing into his hands while serving different clients, not washing or gelling them. Obviously not heard of covid or basic hygiene. The second drink came back.. with food stuck on the inside of the glass. My wife was at the bathroom while all this was going on. I showed the waitress and she again appoigised, at this point i told her we would not be ordering food and not be drinking here aswell. My wife returned, and we left.

We had dinner in the bar as part of our halfboard dining option. The food was delicious but did take quite some time to arrive. The bar itself is quirky with lots of interesting odds and ends to catch the eye, but it was the beautiful scenic view that was the crowning jewel of the evening. The bar and beer garden look directly out over the sea and towards the lighthouse. Beautiful!

Firstly our experience with drinks at the 'cocktail' bar. I wanted one of the classic cocktails, a Bloody Mary. 'We don't stock tomato juice, it's not on the list'. Pink gin? Despite being produced at the hotel's own on site distillery it wasn't stocked. Bottle of chianti from the wine list? Of the five red wines only three were in stock, although the waitress wasn't aware of this when we ordered. To the food... I ordered the halloumi hanging kebab and husband the chicken hanging kebab, both of which came with triple fried chips. Yummy I thought. Whilst we waited the waitress bought our bottle of wine and put it in the middle of the table. I know screw top wine rarely is oxidized but as a basic service standard I expect the bottle to be unscrewed and invited to taste it. Not in Poetic Licence. The food arrived. The chips were in bowls and were dreadful. Overdone, soggy and greasy. Triple cooked should mean crisp outsides with fluffy middles. These tasted and looked as though they'd been cooked half an hour ago and left to keep warm and go soggy. To the kebab - the aubergine was not cooked - you couldn't even cut it. The halloumi was tasteless and the whole things luke warm and without any flavour. The chicken was tough. We ate a couple of mouthfuls each and called the waitress and asked her to take everything away. The experience only really deserves one star, if that, but Jamie (who we assume was the restaurant manager) did seem to take note of what we said so I've given him an extra point. All in all appalling food in an environment with absolutely no atmosphere and little to recommend it.

Had been staying with my in-laws for a few days & wanted to thank them for putting up with us. We arrived at the restaurant near 7 & were told last food orders are quarter to 9. So decided to stay. Asked the waiter had he food menus. He gave me 1. Asked for more & he brought another 1 & went away.. There was 4 adults & 1 child. Wasn't given a kids menu. We ordered chicken strips with no mayo for the child 2 chicken dishes 1 scampi & chips. Then the pork. A waitress arrived to say there was only 1 chicken dish left. My father-in-law ordered the scampi instead. Chicken strips arrived with mayo had to send it back. The other meals arrived except for my father-in-laws. We told the waiter but he never came back. Was busy giving other people food. Had also asked him to bring some more drinks. Which he didn't bother to do. Called the waitress who couldn't apologise enough. We were nearly finished our food by the time my father-in-laws arrived. Had to go to the bar but the waitress arrived to apologise again. She brought the drinks over. Food was lovely. Couldn't fault that. When I went to pay the waitress told me it was all free. Wasn't expecting that. So to her I thank. Sorry I didn't get the girls name. But has put me off going there again. The waiter wasn't helpful one bit.

Four of us decided to have dinner here whilst staying in the hotel as it was so convenient and the restaurant looked very clean and tidy. When we arrived the waitress told us we could sit anywhere as it wasn’t exactly busy, so we chose a table by the window. She immediately shot off leaving no-one in the area that we were sitting. Eventually one of the waiters appeared to take our drinks order and soon after brought the drinks to the table and unfathomably he turned to leave as well. We asked who was going to take our food order and he told us that he would get someone to do it. After another wait he came back and took the order himself. We were by now not living in hope that the food would arrive quickly or be what we had ordered, as until now our dinner seemed to be a bit of a farce. Luckily the food arrived quickly and was perfect, so my advice to this restaurant would be to train your staff to be attentive to whoever is sitting in the restaurant, as at one stage we were going to get up and leave, which would have meant a loss of the money we spent on the meals and drinks which amounted to almost £100.

So came in with my partner and two friends during a quiet afternoon and asked for a margarita. Not a particularly uncommon cocktail and a one you would expect to be easily makeable for a cocktail bar. I was told by a rude older gentleman behind the bar that they couldn’t make one as it wasn’t on the menu. Really has me questioning the staff if they cannot make a simple classic cocktail, could have easily googled a recipe. The man was no help at all and straight up refused to make it not suggesting anything else.

Came for tea while I was pregnant with my partner, we both order a burger meal I requested my burger to be well done for obvious reasons of being pregnant so no pink meat and explained the waitress wrote this down , meals came my burger still had pink meat so sent it back, came back and sorted , cut my burger in two and luckily after eating the first half realised the 2nd half had a dirty black hair in, (not mine I’m blonde) send back and got a free ice cream , it’s now august 22 and I haven’t been back since I used to visit every month a couple of times 😢

I think some fresh talent has had an influence on this bar , now dog friendly ( treats and water ) and a great lite bites menu , with beef stottie amongst some other northern classics , great experience, will definitely return

We decided to stop and have a drink after strolling along the sea front...There was bouncers on the front door, this was Saturday afternoon but they were very friendly....We ordered two glasses of wine, and were offered the bottle. The atmosphere was very nice for...

Very slow service wasn’t greeted, no one asked if the meal was ok, had to go to the bar to get drinks throughout our meal as we could never catch the waitresses eye! Seemed very short staffed and one very young girl serving a whole...

Visited with my wife and sister in law. Less said about the experience would be the way to go but that wouldn't get across to anyone reading this just how bad it was. First disappointment was the menu. I would imagine a lot of folk...

Visiting the area and a local recommended here for food. Great selection of cocktails, delicious, perfectly cooked food and all fairly priced. Really nice atmosphere and interior design too. Would definitely recommend

We ordered fr the new menu that had just launched and we were so impressed by the quality of the food and the speed of service. The food was brought out quickly, as too were our drinks orders. Piping hot and fabulous quality too. We...

Booked a table for 9 people to celebrate a 60th wedding anniversary on Thursday. Excellent service throughout especially from our server Jamie who continuously checked in and provided table service all night. The food arrived all at the same time and was hot which I...

I had a family meal here a few weeks ago and the service and food were good with attention to detail (making sure items that were not wanted were delivered as requested) was perfect.

I can’t rate the food or drink but only the service, or lack there of. After arriving shortly before opening time a male staff member informed me that the restaurant wasn’t opening until 12pm (time of arrival 11.50am). We were sat down and given menus...

Food was divine, staff very friendly and accommodating. lovely setting and area.Definitely recommend.

We came to poetic license for a few drinks and some food during the day and I drank quite a few of the cocktails, the gent with the beard wearing the tie and waistcoat making the cocktails looked like he knew what he was doing...

Wow absolutely stunning cocktails! We loved every drink we had and we had so many! Our only wish was that they still had the two for one cocktail offer on! Staff really friendly and so helpful. Would 100% recommend

Came here for a few drinks with friends and absolutely loved every second. Decor is rustic and welcoming and all the bar staff especially the bar manager were super friendly and helpful. Taste and presentation of the cocktails and drinks was fab! Will definitely be...

A place to call in for a drink in the conservatory after a dog walk on the beach. Went in early Saturday lunchtime and cigarette ends everywhere on floor and full ashtrays. Overflowing bin and fish and chip boxes (presumably they had heard about the...

We had booked a dinner bed and breakfast deal through Booking.com and our evening meal was provided through Poetic License bar. Unfortunately, our experience at Poetic License gradually got more and more like an episode of Faulty Towers as the evening progressed. Hope the feedback...

The place is not up to hygiene standards. The chairs look like they've last been cleaned in the 16th century and the glasses look like a drag queen made out with them frivolously. Went here for a business meeting with an associate and we spent...

We stayed at the Roker Hotel using a Groupon voucher that included a G+T at this bar. This was our second visit. The two Barmen who served us during our visit were amazing, I wish we had got their names. They were so skilled, talented...

On Saturday 15th January I called in with 5 friends for drinks and unfortunately they had no tables free. Thankfully staff member Thomas came to the rescue and went above and beyond to accommodate us by arranging a table next door with Let there Be...

Don’t ever ever do these reviews but felt that just telling the staff how good it was just was not enough. Came in for drinks with some mates and accidentally found ourselves sitting in the restaurant, the staff said this was no issues and we...

What can we say about poetic license.. to start with the gin they make on site is wonderful, the food is sublime! The monkfish just melts in your mouth and the chicken shawarma flatbread was so good I physically don’t have words for it! Me...

Lovely drinks and great experience, thank you Sam and Jamie for the great service, we will definitely try the food next time as everything on the menu sounds great

Went for lunch here on 31st December. We asked for a high chair amd when it arrived it was completely filthy we had to clean it ourselves. Looked like it had never been cleaned for months. When we eventually sat down the cutlery had food...

Not been for a while and saw ad. for new menu so thought we would give it a try. Empty bar at 200pm on a Sunday and ordered lunch. Very poor with limited vegetable and small quantities with inedible topside. Staff arrived and no offer...

We spent our night in Poetic License while staying at the Roker Hotel, we had the Gin Getaway deal so we got a three course meal and a free gin on arrival. The staff were amazing! Talking us through the food menu and giving us...

Had a lovely Sunday dinner at this restaurant with my family. You can select 1,2 or 3 courses and all tastes are catered for. I selected the Pork dinner which was lovely, however the beef was slightly pink for some members of the party. Along...

Came for a spontaneous mid week treat. The food was incredible. We had soup and chicken wings for starter. My husband got fish and chips and I got the rump steak. It really was delicious and the service was great too. We're definitely going to...

Lovely welcome here at poetic license restaurant. Good food prices and pleasant atmosphere. ( Wish we had gone for delicious looking High Tea - champagne corks popping all around us !) Our lunch lovely. Very good service from hard working staff. We will be back...

Normally not the sort of person to leave a review about a restaurant, but I have to say the food is terrible. The chef needs replacing or needs to address some serious problems with the food here. Take my advise and go elsewhere if you...

Ordered food here, 5 small plates for £18 all good apart from cold chicken wings. I took a bite out of the chicken wing which was served in a hot dish but the chicken was cold. I told the waitress it was cold, she apologised...

We have been regulars at the Bar for over 5 years. However since re opening after the last lockdown we are bewildered as to what has happened. Lack of choice in beers, no brandy, no Sauvignon Blanc wine. Filthy outside areas with bird dropping on...

Steak was over cooked , tasteless, salty and chewy, when we questioned it the waitress just wasn’t helpful or apologetic in any way possible the “manager” was rude and unprofessional in any way he argued and didn’t try and resolve anything and just said “...

Ate here whilst staying at the hotel. A varied and interesting menu with good-sized portions. Thoroughly recommended

Having had a ..... lets be polite and say poor experience, we were invited back for food and drinks. Manageress was lovely, very warm and friendly, the guy behind the bar was great. knew what he was doing and very attentative. Drinks were great, then...

Ordered the vegan steak , it looked like mush and afterwards found out it was vegan mince shaped into a steak shape tasted vile so oily , sent it back ordered a salad with chips as we waited 45 minutes already and didn’t have time...

Our waitress Amber, was very helpful, friendly, COVID aware. Always a good selection of food. They even adjusted the menu for my lactose intolerance. Definitely would recommend!

Hi, came for lunch with a friend. Chips are amazing !!!!! Thanks to our waitress Amber, service was great and cocktails delicious. Highly recommend !!!

Got potato skins which were nice but the sauce on the salad was not and it mixed in with the garlic sauce. Then got a ‘poetic burger’. The chips were average and the burger was not very nice - a VERY spicy tomato type sauce...

Fabulous evening with friends, good music, great weather and top class service from Steven thank you x

Fabulous visit with exceptional food! Fantastic views of The North Sea! Shout out to our waitress Amber, very friendly and great service !

We came for afternoon tea we were served by Amber-Mae. The restaurant was very busy but Amber was very helpful and checked that everything was ok with our tea. Would definitely recommend and come back again.

Called to book a table for three for the afternoon and got told for only 3 people just to walk in. So we walked in as advised. Then where told since we don’t have a table booked we would need to sit outside in the...

Came for drinks with friends lovely cocktails and fast service! Lovely waiter Sam was so accommodating to the groups needs! Really enjoyed my night!

Excellent service, friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere with good prices, great range of drinks from cocktails to spirits

Amazing cocktails! Service was really fast and very polite staff. Nothing was too much of an ask - they were fantastic.

Visited here as a walk in for lunch the first Saturday lockdown restrictions were eased. The outdoor area was great and the food was beautiful and really cheap for the quality. Dead easy to order on the W8R app, can’t wait to come again.

Had a brilliant time at poetic license, fab music and fab food, the waitress Chelsea was especially nice and really up for making our night the best it could be

Very good service, nice and fast despite being busy and food was great. Our server Chelsea was lovely x

Absolutely gorgeous food amazing service drinks on tap . Everyone must try this place great atmosphere .

Very clean place, COVID friendly, the staff were friendly and polite, we were also plesently suprised how good the food was, very good value for money

Third time this week my husband and I have visited . Fantastic serve on each occasion. My favourite is Amber and the lovely Kelly great team . Food lovely atmosphere great.

I visited poetic licence bar for a reunion with some friends - the general/duty manager was so friendly and welcoming and made us feel comfortable explaining the new norm for the Bar. Her team where a credit to her also. Polite and professional start to finish. We had a great afternoon and evening - so thanks and we will be back and recommend highly!

Came for food and drinks. Service was amazing, food and drinks arrived quickly. Staff was very friendly and professional. Will definitely come back.

I visited Poetic License on Saturday afternoon and would like to say how helpful the staff were. A young girl called Chelsea was so helpful when she realised we were sat outside in the cold. She offered to sort the heaters out for us, she moved and cleaned our table and then offered to keep an eye out for a table in doors and let us know. She was so so helpful! It was really busy but she really took the time to make sure the customers were looked after! A credit to Poetic License!

Love this place! been a few times now and never disappointed, Nick provides great recommendation and service. We will be back

I went with my family for a birthday celebration. The food was really poor and disappointing. The service was not much better.

Great friendly service from both Amber and Ethan! Very welcoming and helpful at all times. The bar was covid friendly too!!

Today was our first friend trip out for drinks after Covid. Obviously everyone had there concerns at this time, however the establishment has very good protocol in place feel very safe. Our barmaid Amber has been attending to our every need and we’ve not been the easiest party to look after. But she had been diligent and professional through out. I actually think she deserves a pay rise

So overrated and expensive won’t be going back cannot see why they charge so much and don’t realise why it was empty and will be probably going out of business soon

We enjoyed the service and the food. The mushy peas served along with the fish n’ chips were some of the best I’ve tasted. They are accommodating for gluten-free esters.

Came down on Saturday afternoon for a birthday and had a great time. Delicious cocktails, live DJ and fantastic hospitality - would definitely return.

Me and my partner booked last minute as fancied a few nice drinks and food, WOW! Everything was absolutely beautiful, the pictures do not do it justice, amazing staff and amazing atmosphere. would definitely recommend

I was a bit nervous eating out as I have not stopped away much recently but the staff have been excellent, kind considerate and attentive but managed not to be intrusive. The menu has been reduced as has the range of beers, but they have managed the reduced dining experience well. I had the steak medium rare which started brilliantly but wasn't uniformly cooked hence the score as I realize steaks can be a tender subject. Sorry

Lunch on Thursday afternoon ... faultless Amazing service great food . Drinks perfect . Thank you Scott Kelly Abby and new boy . Can’t wait to return . Extremely clean all staff and guests adhered to Covid 19 regulations .

We tried to call in for a drink and lunch a couple of times recently. However they have reserved tables all over the car park and the majority were empty but security said we needed to reserve a table. Drove past a couple oh hours later and still mostly empty. Maybe ok for a restaurant meal but a table under a gazebo in a car park!We went elsewhere for lunch both times and had a great lunch.

Had two visits Thursday and Friday on both occasions were shown the house rules about COVID 19 very well thought out . Table service was great and gins were superb booked in on Friday for the 3 hours allowed but it was a bit unorganised for example when they cleaned tables they forgot to clean the metal arms of the chairs probably the first and last thing a guest touches, on top of this staff didn’t adhere to the one way system taking the shortest route to get around and on more than One occasion bringing a guest the wrong way. However this is probably teething problems and again gins were brilliant will definitely recommend and return

I got the afternoon tea takeaway for a surprise for my mams birthday, great value for money and all food very tasty. The staff really did go beyond my expectations especially with the circumstances I'm very happy with the experience. Scott was a big help, and my mam is very happy too.

Had takeaway afternoon tea by recommendation for our belated 32 wedding anniversary it was absolutely gorgeous and good value for money actually fed three people.

The takeaway afternoon tea we had today from Poetic Licence was fabulous. I ordered it for collection at 1PM and was ready on time. Social distancing measures in place for safety. Food was amazing. Finger sandwiches, fruit and cheese scones (with butter, jam and cream) and 3 different dainty cakes. Food was packed up in separate boxes (2 servings of sandwiches, scones, cakes in each box). Will definitely be back for more.

Cannot fault the takeaway afternoon tea we had today from Poetic Licence. Social distancing as always. Food was amazing. Finger sandwiches, fruit and cheese scones and dainty cakes. Will definitely be back for more.

We ate Dinner here whilst away on business; its a really nice and relaxed atmosphere in the bar and restaurant area. The beers are well kept and they have a good selection of wines and of course Gins!Both had steak and it was cooked well and tasty, service spot on and not expensive really.

Always a warm welcome, A Special great big thanks to Nathan who’s always friendly and goes out of his way to look after us, keep up the good work, Colin and Jayne

We love coming to poetic license, the service is friendly, attentive but not intrusive. Staff make you feel welcome and nothing is a bother for them. Our sever amber was friendly and looked after us so well. Can’t wait till our next visit 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Learnt so much from Nathan Now know about different types of him and which gin to match with which tonic Brilliant fun and entertaining

Absolutely loved the gin tasting experience with Nathan. Learned so much about how to serve gin, pairing tonics and the history of gin. Definitely worth doing.

Excellent gin tasting experience by Nathan. Interesting facts and tips around gin and tonics and the full service of how it should be served. A few new favourites to be added to the gin cupboard!

Second time for a gin masterclass, excellent afternoon tasting all of the gins and learning about the history of both gin and the Poetic License brand. Will definitely come back!

I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon trying the gin masterclass. Our host, Nathan, was incredibly knowledgeable and I came away armed with lots of new information for future gin enjoyment. I would highly recommend both the bar and the gin masterclass.

Great afternoon doing the gin tasting masterclass with Nathan! Would definitely recommend to other people!

We enjoyed a pre dinner drink here before dinner while staying at the Roker Hotel. The bar has its own gin distillery so we both tried a gin, and very good they were too!

Had Nathan to conduct our master class great selection of gins and very informative. Lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon

We arrived early but were given a welcome by manager. It was a bit confusing as we came in via tea shop but lady there showed us through to bar for hot lunch. Cakes looked lush in tea room but we wanted hot lunch. Didnt get his name but male manager welcomed us and had no issues swaping sides on both dishes. Mum had steak pie but i had monster beer battered cod which was the best fish and chips I have ever had it was lovely