Red alligator in County Durham

Oh dear, we have just been for the Sunday carvery for the first time after reading the reviews & we definitely will not be back, we were so disappointed. PRO’s Free parking Easy place to find Friendly staff CON’s Some of the seating area was too close to each other, but we understand when pubs are trying to make as much money as possible in this day & age. Between us we tried 4 different meats & they do look as if all of the pre-sliced meat is reheated, as the meats we had were curled around the edges. The turkey was thickly sliced, but tough to chew. The lamb was sliced very small & was very tough indeed. The pork, again was a tough chew with very little taste. The beef was a much softer slice, but did have a sour taste to it. It’s the only carvery we’ve tried where you can’t help yourself to your own roasties or cauliflower cheese. The rest of the veg did leave a lot to be desired & one veg we couldn’t ID. Gravy was a lovely consistency, but again, not much taste. One of the syrups on the cold drinks machine also seemed like it needed to be changed or it wasn’t mixing properly. None of these comments will come as a surprise to anyone working in the pub, as they will have noticed the amount of food left on our plates & drinks left in some of our glasses. Such a shame our experience was so poor, as it does seem like a friendly pub, so maybe if you only want a drink on a Sunday, this would be a nice place to visit! Shame it spoilt our personal Easter Sunday lunch trip out, but we did cheer ourselves up slightly when we popped in to Greggs for lovely cream cakes & really nice coffees.

We stayed local to the pub. 6 pensioners enjoyed the excellent food there 3 times,including the best Sunday lunch. The staff were very friendly and we would highly recommend to anybody in the area.

Called on the way back from shopping, we all had different meals and everyone was delicious, will definitely return

I got a takeaway because I didn't have time to sit in before work and omg deans dinners are actually better than I remember them. Only tiny complaint is the turnip needs blitzing a little more but that's personal preference and you can please everyone. Everything else was cooked perfectly

Booked a table for a Saturday evening and the food was absolutely beautiful once again. New menu and specials board available. We ordered the chicken forestiere and this was served with creamy mash, veg and topped with crispy onions, and the sticky sesame chicken sizzler which we chose to be served with salad and rice. Both meals were lovely and we didn't leave a thing on the plate. Would definitely recommend visiting this lovely village pub.

Great service with lovely value for money food and you can get your car valeted while you enjoy your stay!

Visited on a Friday evening and it was very busy with an entertainer singing later in the evening .The service was quite slow and we actually felt sorry for the young female who was serving as she was very friendly but obviously under severe pressure and trying her best on her own and at one point became overwhelmed. No obvious support from the owners was visible and it was quite upsetting to see her emotionall. The food was good and after our starter we had quite a wait for the main course which again was good .The place needs more staff on busy evenings .Not sure if we would return unless they sort out the staffing

We were here for New Years eve and we had a fantastic night.our daughter is a singer/songwriter independent artist who was booked to sing for New years eve. Charlotte Forman she's a fabulous entertainer superb vocals and lots of fun and banter. The customers and the staff loved her she gave us a great night and the people in the pub were great supporting her,The Red Alligator did a great hot buffet from hot roasts to burgers ,trimmings and a selection of desserts and cheese and biscuits even had fireworks at midnight! We will be supporting the Red Alligator as the staff are really lovely and friendly as it is our local pub so yes we must support our local pubs when we can. We'll done Red Alligator and Charlotte!!!

We celebrated new years eve at the red alligator which included 3 hours of live music, hot and cold buffet and fireworks. Buffet consisted of lasagne, mince and dumplings, chicken curry, peppered beef, hot beef and turkey in gravy, noodles, steak pie, potatoes, mini burgers then some cold items such as sausage rolls and sliced meats including gammon. There was also a dessert table which offered a wide range of cakes including cheesecake and chocolate cake as well as a range of cheeses and crackers. Buffet was absolutely delicious. The singer was Charlotte Foreman who performed for 3 hours taking us into the new year. Brilliant singer covering a range of artists and songs. The place was buzzing all night and everything was perfect from the company, to the staff, to the music. Well done Red Alligator!!

The complete five star package. A friendly welcome and shown to our table with a smile. Our drinks order taken at the table and quickly delivered. Every course was freshly prepared and delicious. All seven of us couldn’t fault anything during the meal. Dean and the rest of the staff did an excellent job.

My sister booked this restaurant for a family Christmas Dinner and it was excellent. When we first arrived we weren’t sure what to expect as the pub was extremely quiet with what felt like the regular Saturday night crowd in. However, after we had all arrived and our drinks order taken we were treated to an evening of excellent service and brilliant food. The three course Christmas dinner I had was lovely and extremely reasonable in price (£26) and the drinks were equally enjoyable. As a quite large group of ten adults we were all served in minutes of each other allowing us to enjoy fine food and good company. There’s plenty of parking on site which I hope is increasingly used when people realise what a gem of a place it is. I think we’re all planning on going back in future for either a mid-week meal or carvery.

Attended a "breakfast with Mrs, Clause" event this morning with my daughter and I'm highly impressed with such a warm welcome and very attentive staff nothing was to much bother, food was absolutely beautiful which both my self and my daughter enjoyed. Very clean and very well maintained little pub. We will definitely come back.

Popped in on Wednesday, they do a great deal of 2 steaks for £24, I wanted a curry & the curry of the day was Thai red which was very pleasant, hubby had the mixed grill, the young lad serving behind the bar was really friendly & set up a table as we arrived at 7.53, couldn’t fault the service, staff or food, really nice, thank you 🙏 a couple of customers at the bar engaged in friendly banter which added to a very positive experience.

We often book a table on a Sunday for the carvery and find the whole experience very enjoyable. The vegetables are not coated in butter as with some establishments. All food is cooked on the premises. There is a variety of meats to choose from and there are 3 different sizes of dinners from child to extra large. Drinks and food can be ordered at the bar or at the table

Fantastic meal, great entertainment 😋 👌 😀 👍. Pop in it a good day for a pint or a coffee

Food was delicious, we had the Sunday Carvery. My little girl wasn't well so we requested desserts to take home & they packed them for us without a problem. The staff are very friendly and helpful & nothing is to much trouble. I would highly recommend.

Cannot fault the hospitality from everyone. Good beers and great food, with some northern specialities that come highly recommended at good prices and portions! We were also welcomed to park up in our campervans overnight as we'd travelled to see the fireworks show at Kynren. We will definitely go back when we're next in town!

The absolute worst carvery experience ever. Cold plates, cold food and frosty service. The staff behind the carvery moaning at each other about work. Tables too close together. You’re practically on top of the next table. On top of that, we were overcharged for an extra glass of wine we didn’t have. On raising this issue, girl on till rolled her eyes and just gave the money back, no sorry, nothing

What can I say! Wow! Came by chance on a Wednesday apprehensive in remembering how poor service I had received previously, but really glad to find out that new owners have transformed the atmosphere and menu. Steak night is amazing value at £24 for 2 steaks and a drink! Food was well presented, high quality beef and very well cooked and prepared. Will definitely be back to try the fantastic looking burgers and parmos! Thanks

Absolutely stunning homemade, fresh food. I will be visiting again soon. The lasagne and homemade garlic focaccia was sensational. All of our meals were great and staff were really helpful and happy to help.

Lovely meal, good value, best chips will definitely be going back 😂

Very Quiet place food was ok a bit salty, but good sized portions servers were pleasant.

Lovely food all home made Service was great

Once again our lunch time visit was met with a warm welcome from the friendly staff. Shown to our table and our order for food and drinks taken quickly. Our meals were freshly cooked and well presented and a full plateful. Certainly recommend the Red Alligator for the superb food at a very reasonable price. Oh and a good pint 😁

Absolutely beautiful lunch time meal. We opted for half parmo and lamb chops and both meals were delicious. Fab service and great value for money.

Food was all fresh and delicious, compliments to the chef the bar staff and waiters are very friendly along with the owners. Highly recommend and we will return.

Two young women behind the counter were very welcoming and polite, and the food was freshly cooked and tasted amazing. The portion sizes are well worth the money. Massive compliments to the chef. We will definitely be coming back. Highly recommend the parmo with garlic mushrooms and the steak and ale pie.

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.

Very nice food friendly staff excellent service

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.

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

Lovely pub. Great drinks and prices. Also serve food. Lovely atmosphere and tastefully decorated.

Food was beautiful. Staff were really friendly and helpful,they even made us a prawn cocktail even though it wasn't on the menu. Eill definitely return x

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

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

The restaurant managed to get 16 of us seated in the back dining room just a few days before New Years Eve, which was brilliant. The meals were all served at the same time, they were delicious and the prices were spot on. Great food, great service and a cosy atmosphere.

Fantastic food!!! Couldn't fault any of it will be returning very soon.

Found the food excellent across the board adult's children, staff very helpful cheerful ..

Very good value for money. Pleasant staff, recommend it👏

Great value food, good beer, pleasant surroundings, attentive staff ... the fish is enormous!

Excellent food. Very friendly service. I would definitely recommend

Lovely meal at dinner time all home made food & tasted delicious..we will definitely go back...

The carvery area was spotlessly clean and the food quality was excellent. Very tasty , great choice and was getting replenished efficiently.

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 .

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Very good pub grub. Prices reasonable.

Sea Bass cooked to perfection with proper homemade Chips.

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

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

Lovely fish x chips staff so friendly

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

Excellent food Excellent service and very friendly

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

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 🙂🙂🙂

Very nice meal recomend the sticky toffee pudding well nice.

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

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

Nice night out. Good food, service and beer.

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.

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.

Great place. Very comfortable and canny atmosphere.

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

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.