Red alligator in County Durham - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Excellent home cooked food. Really friendly staff and a nice variety of meals on the menu. I had corned beef pie - a local specialty and the pie was made fresh whilst I waited. My husband had the chicken parmo another local dish which was excellent. Highly recommend a visit

We visit here regularly for Sunday lunch as it's our local. Meats are always tender and melt in your mouth. Homemade yorkshires and roasties along with mushy peas, carrots, cabbage and leeks, turnip, cauli cheese and creamy mash potato. Absolutely lovely, can't fault it, would highly recommend.

Stopped in here on our way to an event nearby. The food was absolutely awesome, with generous portions. Would highly recommend.

Not really a good experience. We went for carvery on sunday (never been before) and the food and choice was not really up to scratch. There were 2 meats you could have, the veg consisted of carrots, mash, swede, mushy peas (who has mushy peas on sunday lunch) and leeks. There was no green veg like normal sunday lunch such as green beans, cabbage, sprouts, or broccoli (any of these would have been sufficient) There should have been at least one green veg and garden peas instead of mushy peas. I did not thoroughly enjoy it at all. Best bit was at the end paying for the meal was that it did not have a payment machine for cards, just a contraption of a phone and if your card would not go through and you had to put a pin in, it could not be done easily. Not an enjoyable visit yesterday. Don't think I will go there again for carvery, there are more nicer ones out there.

Having to give a 1 star because can’t give a 0. The girl who took our drink and food order was lovely. However when we went through to the carvery the young girl who served us picked our puddings up by hand when tongs where there, and kept wiping her hands on her trousers before picking my partners up with her hands. Stood for a few mins before having to ask for mashed potatoes it came about 5 mins later. Never will return

Great food, Parmo with bolognaise was gorgeous, chicken was juicy and moist great flavour and fries cooked perfectly, wife had the Cajun chicken linguine, full of flavour again chicken was moist and juicy, great portions and great service.

Lovely meal. Our meal choices were chicken and king prawn sweet chilli sizzler with half rice/half chips and a 1/2 bolognese parmo with skinny fries and coleslaw. Both meals were really nice, great value for money and generous portions. Would highly recommend a visit if you have never tried here before. I can also vouch for the Sunday dinners. Absolutely beautiful with melt in the mouth meats. Great village pub for food and drinks.

Superb lunch, two plates of freshly prepared and well cooked fish and chips and a good portion. Very tasty and at a very reasonable price. Friendly staff willing to help if needed. Definitely recommended.

Excellent Sunday carvery lunch 2 for £20 , good meat choice and lovely fresh vegetables

We came here for the first time, to try the Sunday Carvery. All I can say is it was well worth the wait. The price was good and the amount of both meat and selection of vegetables was great. Left with my plate over flooding.

The food was cold .Some of the food was still raw. The plates where chipped and cold. The staff where unorganised and asking customers what they ordered because they had written it down wrong.

Always guaranteed a warm welcome and lovely food in a very relaxing atmosphere

Very good pub grub. Prices reasonable.

very friendly and helpful.. fot the mixed grill.whoxh was gorgeous... Will be back

Lovely fish x chips staff so friendly

Sea Bass cooked to perfection with proper homemade Chips.

Only been once, but will definitely go back, lovely food, good all around, can't fault 🥰

Excellent food Excellent service and very friendly

Great food at reasonable prices, great helpful staff

Nice food and lovely bar staff.

Aboutsloutly lovely, complements to all the staff, food is brilliant... always try to book in advance as its popular 🙂🙂🙂

Popped in for lunch, good value lunch menu and the food was very enjoyable.

We went and had Sunday carvery it was absolutely beautiful and the desert was lush! The staff are lovely and friendly too!

Nice place, more of an eatery than a pub

Very nice meal recomend the sticky toffee pudding well nice.

Great place. Very comfortable and canny atmosphere.

First time at the Red Alligator for Sunday lunch . The meal was lovely, they didn't skimp on meat or anything else.

Generous portions, very friendly, happy staff. Lovely, won't be the last visit

Nice night out. Good food, service and beer.

Excellent service from the girls, couldnt do enough for us, food was amazing!! Brilliant place will definitely be visiting again soon!! Highly recommended!!

Had some lovely meals lately. Much better than previous owner. Lovely Lasagne, very tasty, also over heard another table commenting on the homemade corned beef pie "best they had had in a long time " even took some home for their daughter.

Tasty Ceaser Salad and the fries were very good. A bit too salty for my taste, though. Waiting time was approx. 25 minutes, but only because it's all cooked from fresh. Overall, a good experience, I recommend this place.

Menu limited but very nice food. We went at 7 PM very quiet. I'd definitely visit again maybe Sunday lunch next time.

Went to The Red Alligator for a birthday lunch very quiet only us in,the lady took our drinks order and the coffee was luke warm,so then she took our meal order when it came chips were burnt and the batter on the fish was very hard over to what it should be.Very disapointed with it this was there new of the new lunch menu.Needless to say will not be returning there are better restraunts out there.

Booked for a family lunch, having been recommended by one of our party who said the carvery was lovely. We ordered drinks, had to ask for glasses to pour the contents of the bottle into. We ordered starters then were told we needed to order mains, we said we thought it was a carvery but were told it isn’t now! The starters took ages to arrive (our table was booked for 12:30, we got the starters at about 1:45), the soup was sent back due to it being disgusting, no butter for the pâté, despite asking twice! We waited ages for the main courses, a few of us were served, then we were given a dish with carrots in - because they’d forgotten to put them on the first plates. Watery gravy, I had lamb, which wasn’t very tasty at all, the roast potatoes were greasy, as was my Yorkshire pudding, we ordered cauliflower cheese, which was an inedible plate of mush. The 2 girls who were taking orders and working behind the bar were friendly, and did apologise for the delays. Hugely disappointing as we were looking forward to a proper home cooked Sunday lunch without the washing up (as you advertise). We won’t be returning.

Over priced, poor atmosphere, food wasn't good

A simple lunch time menu, good value, good home cooking, and cheery service from, as far as we could tell, the lone waitress fielding orders from an almost full pub.

Enjoyable visit to the Red Alligator for Friday lunch, well presented and perfectly cooked meals for both of us. Very generous portions, freshly prepared and served with a smile.

Went for a drink but private party on no mention on Facebook or at door not good should at least let people know this is a local pub so come on you want us to support you then you let us down

The food was stunning and such great value and the atmosphere was so lovely and relaxing with a great view of the church. Plenty of grear choice on the menu with something for everyone. Would definitely go back again.

Went to The Red Alligator - South Church with a group of friends this afternoon. The table was booked for 12pm but bearing in mind the pub didn't open till 12 so was impossible to be eating lunch straight away. At 1pm the person who was apparently in charge asked us to vacate our table as the next party had arrived! Now I know that busy eateries sometimes stipulate how long you can stay in this case 1.5 hrs which would be fine! However this person made us feel very uncomfortable and was extremely passive aggressive when pointed out that the table was booked for 1.5 hrs and insisted it had changed, despite having the screenshot of the booking. Also reprimanded a staff member who had brought a dessert menu like we asked and insisted she got back to work! Such a shame as the food was very nice. Not reccomended if you are looking for a relaxing Sunday lunch in a welcoming atmosphere. (We left without having a dessert)

Hey folks! Just wanted to drop a quick note about The Red Alligator over in Bishop Auckland. This place is like a hidden gem that's got a super chill vibe and some seriously tasty grub. First off, the staff here are legends – super friendly and they make you feel right at home. It's like walking into your mate's house where there's always a good time waiting. Now, let's talk food because, let's be honest, that's what we're all here for, right? They've got all the good stuff you'd want from a British pub, and it's all delish. The beef is melt-in-your-mouth good, and if you've got room for dessert, the Baileys cheesecake is a game-changer. They've got options for everyone, so if you're veggie, vegan, or gluten-free, you won't be left out. And if you're looking for a deal, hit up their steak nights – great food without breaking the bank. It's not just a place to eat, though. It's where you go to catch up with friends, have a laugh, and just enjoy the moment. Whether it's a special occasion or just a random Tuesday, The Red Alligator's got you covered. So, if you're ever in the area, do yourself a favor and swing by. Trust me, you'll be planning your next visit before you even leave. Cheers!

Had a wonderful meal with family tonight. Food was really tasty and well presented. The cheese scone starter was amazing. The lady that served us was friendly. Would thoroughly recommend.

Absolutely beautiful fish and chips on good friday 👌👌 lovely crispy batter with homemade chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce. Our party ordered 1 small, 1 standard and 1 extra large. The extra large was an enormous amount and well worth the money. Absolutely beautiful meal.

The food was fantastic. You could tell it was fresh so it was worth the wait as all cooked to order. The chef's steak choice today was venison and it was cooked to perfection. The mussels for starters were perfect, not too chewy or garlicy. The menu choice is limited so best check beforehand if you have fussy eaters. We would go again.

Food disgusting. Would never return . Steak was in edible wedges were dried out and hard. Never return . A waste of £90 .

Great place. Very comfortable and canny atmosphere.

Fabulous friendly service, dog friendly and the food and drink excellent. Recommend the lunch menu shall come back again it is that good. Spent too long looking for a dog friendly place to eat where we didn't have to sit outside. This place was a fab find.

Visited the alligator one Saturday evening and opted for the 2 courses for £20. Scallop starter was unreal. For main I chose chicken and ribs with fries, coleslaw and salsa. The chicken was so succulent and juicy. The ribs dropped off the bone. Beautiful food.

First visit and pleasantly impressed. Lovely welcome from attentive staff. Food was great with that home cooked touch. Excellent choice of beers and exceptional value for money. Will definitely be going back 👌👍🤘

First time at the Red Alligator for Sunday lunch . The meal was lovely, they didn't skimp on meat or anything else. Generous portions, very friendly, happy staff. Lovely, won't be the last visit

Very damp smell .menu rubbish food 😑 would never go again !

Lovely Sunday lunch.. one of our guests is gluten free and you guys couldn't do enough for us... very worth a try

Went for roast dinner new year day was told on phone we would get 1 , but the chef said no. Ordered perfect pie, seved with plastic mash RAW veg pie was crap DOOMED for me

Visited the Alligator for a Xmas Fayre meal and it was beautiful. Opted for 2 courses and got the featherblade of beef for main and baileys cheesecake for dessert. The main meal was delicious and the meat dropped to pieces it was that tender and soft!! Cheesecake was homemade and very nice also.

Nice night out. Good food, service and beer.

We had a lovely meal. We both had mushrooms for starters. I had the Sea Bass and my husband chicken kievs. The food was piping hot. Well presented and very enjoyable. The atmosphere was lovely, just Christmas music playing in the background quietly.

Sunday lunch yesterday 3rs Dec, busy when we went in , took a short while to get our table but Lizzie behind the bar was working her socks off. Once at the bar we were shown to our very clean table already set for us. The 2 waitresses cleared tables away, cleaned and refreshed them incredibly quickly . The carvery area was spotlessly clean and the food quality was excellent. Very tasty , great choice and was getting replenished efficiently. All in all a very nice Sunday lunch.

We did Sunday lunch ..which was ok but we were confused ,next table were asked if everything ok we weren't we were charged twise for drinks we'd already paid for ( plus whilst at carvery waiter knocked out drinks over but did replace them ,,we were asked in advance if we'd like a pudding my husband said yes waited and wasn't busy but never came ,no ticket to get it gave up in the end food ok ..help yourself to veg meat ok ..good value ..but unorganised I'd say

Undèr new management, but sorry sunday carverys not nice,at least they weren't when we went weeks ago beef was unbeatable, nothing had much taste,most left on plates,we complained all we got was il tell chef,this isn't good enough,nobody came and asked what problem was,6 meals we all couldn't be wrong. This review most likely removed as they don't like truth.hope it improves but we won't be returning

Loved our meals today and the terrine was unreal with a great customer focused experience from the girl serving, easy 5 🌟 and defo coming back

Under new management and boy does it show, what a spectacular improvement. Our lunch was freshly cooked and good quality. Well presented and delicious. Without doubt Dean is doing a fantastic job to return the “Alligator’s” reputation to the level it was last year. No hesitation in recommending the pub.

Very nice meal recomend the sticky toffee pudding well nice.

Fantastic meal all freshly cooked beautiful will definitely be back you must try this pub lovely staff very welcoming

Under new management. Visited with my mam. Very impressed with the carvery. Choice of standard or large meal. Plenty of meats to choose from. Very tasty. Will go again.

Beautiful meal at the red alligator. Under new management and a new menu. Bacon chop was so tender and juicy. Homemade cheesecake was to die for. Can't wait to try other things off the menu.

The food here is delicious. New owner, new set menu. Will be going again very soon. Xmas fayre starts December 1st.

We have just eaten at the red alligator,the food was amazing,the cheesecake was freshly h9me made and so so tasty,the staff are so friendly and welcoming. Definitely will be back.

Called to book a table for Sunday lunch was told to come along for sunday lunch there will be a table for you ,when we arrived we were told there wasn't any tables we would have to sit outside, Good Sunday lunch we have been a few times ,but when we travelled 30 mins and turned away is very unacceptable

Sunday carvery was delious. Will certainly be going back. Friendly service by all staff.

Service was was almost non existent. Eventually after ten minutes we were served our drinks. Went to get the wife's carvery. No roast potatoes ready. Yorkshire puddings had been burnt. The meat was so dry. I then went back for my carvery, guess what still no roast potatoes. No cauliflower cheese. So I refused to have my dinner. We had a table booked for 1 o'clock so there was no excuse for running out of vegetables. No choppy mint left and I had to ask for gravy. There were 7 of us not one us enjoyed our meals.

Arrived for our pre booked meal, 7pm. The pub was closed. Nothing to state why. Nobody bothered to contact us to tell us they weren’t opening. Highly unprofessional!

Lovely quaint Pub/Restaurant. I haven't eaten here yet. Very reasonably priced drinks. Great atmosphere, everyone was so friendly. We enjoyed the quiz this evening.

The pub is now under new management and after popping yesterday for a drink with my son, I returned today with my husband for lunch. The lunchtime special wed-sat is 2 for £14. My lasagne was lovely and you could tell it was home made....

Brilliant service Brilliant food and drinks Will definitely go back

Cracking pub this named of course after the famous Red Alligator horse, the bros and i enjoyed a really good meal and drink here and apparently the evening meals are even better

So good, amazing food and great service, friendly pub to just sit and chill in. Friendly helpful staff nothing is too much trouble.

Sadly the last visit didn't go to well over cooked the stake the young staff didn't seem to know what they are doing we were told since the change of ownership it had gone down hill but we thought let's try it for our selves and we're let down it's sad to say but I enjoyed my pint of Guinness

First time visiting The Red Alligator after a few recommendations and I definitely wasn’t disappointed! Sunday carvery was exceptional (and very affordable) The meat was cooked perfectly and there was a fabulous selection of veg. It wasn’t really busy when we arrived and we were served by two lovely, polite and very helpful young members of staff quite quickly. After stuffing ourselves silly, we sat for a while letting our food digest, before ordering the best cornflake tart and custard Iv had since I was at school!! Would definitely recommend this lovely pub if you are in the mood for an excellent Sunday lunch.

We came here for a Sunday carvery at 12. 2 kids, 2 adults. All of the staff were really lovely people, friendly, helpful and very polite. Really couldn't do enough for you. The food was delicious, I had the standard carvery and my husband had...

All I can say is the food is excellent I have my roast dinner from them every Sunday without fail.. Even by extra for the next day for bubble & SQUEAK highly recommended AAAAAAAAAA.. CHECK OUT SIMONS CREAMY SWEDE AND MASHED POTATO... 😘😘😘😋😋😋

We were drawn in with the seafood friday menu, we hadn’t visited for a very very long time & now we know why. On arrival pub was empty we were seated in the corner to the right of the entrance, we sat down & the...

Great chips, raw carrots, average pie with soggy bottom. No ale available to go with my steak and ale pie. Friendly bartender, but not enough to make me go back.

We were a group of 6 dining at 7pm, not that busy. The food was average but the service was horrendous! Long wait for drinks to be brought to table, long wait to be served even with a few reminders. When food eventually arrived only...

Tried this place for the first time as fairly new in the area. We were attended to very swiftly and our order taken for drinks and food. Our food came promptly and was overall nice. Once we had finished our main course we waited with...

Being to this place many times with family and friends recommend this business so many times. Unfortunately tonight was disspointing, having my order wrong 3 times my partner receiving his steak cooked wrong. I will not be returning or recommending this place again opposite avoid.

Just been for the steak night this evening £15.00 for 2 steaks & drinks. HOMEMADE biscoff cheesecake for dessert - delicious! Fabulous food, value & service. Will definitely be returning.

This was my first visit even though I am local. I decided to try Sunday Lunch (2pm). First impressions weren't too bad but as soon as we sat at the table my arms were sticking to it. The middle of the tables are clearly cleaned...

We wanted to have lunch with the family. Unfortunately, the soup of the day and other starters we were interested in were not available. The staff didn’t know which dishes were available, and the table wasn’t cleaned.

Two friends took me to this restaurant for a midday meal. We arrived on time and told by the helpful young lady to take a seat at a nearby table. We were given a thin sheet of paper showing a menu. I asked for the...

Was there the other night , they hired one singer , atmosphere was lovely , a very active lady was charming the whole pub, inviting people to dance..having good time.. she stole the scene.. I had few drinks..I was going to Wheterspoon but I have stopped there on the way, I have heard music and I thought , you know....why not ? Only thing I was not happy was a kid working at the bar .. with kind of " I have just finish my puberty look at my moustache attitude".. not cool..he was charging me more then the lovely blonde behind the counter with no apparent reason. Same drink. Just a couple of pounds extra, not really about money, but seeing his sneaky cheeky smile just cause he was robbing me a couple of pounds disgusted me. Thinkin he s smart donnhe? I ll definitely come back but I don t want to be served by that guy . I d love to hear some rock n roll as well, or 80's music , i d love that. Also willing to try some food. Seemed yummy 😋 Owner was very kind ✨️

Called for a carvery at 2pm on Sunday 2nd July 23 . Cut a long story short puddings cold meat cold veg cold staff apologised expected bill to be paid please do yourselves a favour don’t go .Try Mac Donald’s instead.

What has happened to a local favourite?! It went from a superb eatery to one of the most depressing and unwelcoming places I've ever been unfortunate to enter. The staff were pleasant but young and clueless on customer service. If the manager actually had an decency about him he may have atttemped some training when it's clear the servers are experiencing their first job. Before we had managed to order food (thankfully didn't waste money on the poor quality!) our party asked to use their baby changing facilities and both servers looked very confused asking as to what I meant. One went to ask the manager and confirmed they didn't have any. The child had to be changed on the top of a toilet as the floor was so disgusting and sticky I could have peeled in to become glue. Whilst this was happening another party member informed us that a server had come out of the kitchen quite upset as she'd been shouted at by the chef. This was followed by a stream of profanity being shouted by the chef (heard throughout the restaurant), the reason: he'd been informed a mere 8 people had come to order food all at once. To the waitress staff - this isn't behaviour and attitude you are experiencing isn't acceptable. Please leave and find somewhere you are respected and spoken to in a professional manner. To the chef, go find the nearest gutter and make home there for that's the closest thing to your disgusting attitude and low level of humanity. For further details about the attitude of the management...I would highly recommend reading the appalling recruitment post on their Facebook page. I'd never allow a trash bag to enter that place for a job never mind a member of my family. This pub will be closed before the end of the year, a true shame to the previous owners who had built a pinnacle of taste and quality within the North East. Save yourself the time and money by visiting one of the many local restaurants in Bishop Auckland that have an actual interest of being part of the restaurant trade - and some respect for both their staff and customers!

Appalling!!!! We have been here before and it was lovely. Tonight we walked in at 5pm and there was only one table of 4 outside, and then us - We are 4 adults and one toddler. To start with we asked where the baby changing...

We have been before and thought it good value 2 for £12. Portions were good. Went back this week only to find the portions were smaller and the price had gone up. Wouldn't rush back.

Food okay. Enjoyed but service very slow. Tables are cramped, you feel you are eating with your neighbours. Staff friendly but had to keep asking and waiting for things. Couple next to us left after waiting longer than us.

Service unfortunately has deteriorated significantly since our last visit in January. Staff appeared forgetful and immature.

Old staff have left , new staff are not worth minimum wage , the food is now rancid and to top it all off you've got an owner who can't accept he's wrong. I felt sick immediately after leaving ,spent the next few days huddled...

Beautiful home made food and plentiful was delicious we will be back ,highly recommended

went last night for a medium rare stake it was cooked to perfection! Service was fantastic as usual . Been here a few times and the young girl who serves us was fab , i think she has been there a while as she’s been...