Rose Tree Inn in County Durham

Called in for a meal service was perfect the waitress was so helpful and friendly the dining area was nice clean and homely.meal came out and it was unedable a dumpling that was as hard as rocks meal microwaved beyond redemption. Then found out the kitchen is only a two star hygiene which explains the shocking meal .will never return

Had a lovely meal here. Friendly staff excellent service The beef ,mash and Guinness gravy special was delicious and a huge portion. Excellent value for money

Sunday Lunch with Family. Off to a poor start with a sticky table that had either not been cleaned or had not been cleaned very well. Food arrived quite promptly and pretty much all together but a distinct lack of veg which was served in separate bowls. Soon rectified after asking for more - turned out it was not required! On the plate was SIlverside beef, mashed potatoes, Roast potato, roast parsnip and a yorkshire pudding. All only luke warm at best and covered in a gravy that could only be described as brown wall paper paste! After mopping most of the gravy off the beef - it was a couple of slices of nice lean, beef. The roast potato was undercooked, the mash lumpy, the parsnips burnt and the yorkshire pudding inedible due to being swamped with the gravy. The veg served separately was cabbage, cauliflower cheese, carrots and mushy peas all served in a way that meant you could not really have one without the other, no separation. Trying a few carrots at one end of the dish, they were overcooked and "sloppy" so I did not continue. I would not recommend this place and would certainly not be returning. Seems I have awarded them as many stars as the food standards people have.

Came up from the Midlands to celebrate our son's birthday. We have a saying that we never have a bad meal in the North and that still stands. Portion size is more than adequate and the quality is amazing, as is the price. We will certainly be back.

Thank goodness for the improvement, finally! We used to go to the Rose Tree almost weekly until it went incredibly downhill a few years ago, hence we didn’t return. Today we bravely returned out of hunger and sheer desperation, and we were very pleasantly surprised. A beautiful Sunday lunch! Good, tasty, wholesome food. We’re so pleased we can come back here again and that clearly some changes have been made. Recommend for a decent, filling, not ripping you off lunch!

The staff were great, but this was probably the worst burger I have ever eaten. If I'd wanted two pieces of leather, I could have taken my shoes off and the result would have been more tasty. This pub used to be really good for food and I suspect they are still coasting on their former reputation. Note to the landlord - you don't deserve your helpful and friendly staff.

A lovely pub, we had a great meal - though I've never had mushy peas on a Sunday dinner before! Really good portion sizes. Staff were lovely but we were left waiting at times, the pub wasn't full so this was unexpected. We weren't asked for a second drink and we had to go and pay rather than the bill coming to us. Overall the restaurant was nice and clean, we didn't go through into the bar. Would go back again just for the raspberry cheesecake!

Fantastic food and great service. Celebrated a 'Wakes' and had a really great time. Thanks so much to all the team! Lovely stuff.

Huge portions but poor quality and bland tasting. Yorkshire pudding was charcoal and inedible. Almost no vegetarian options.

This is our third visit in as many months, the food is always fabulous and the staff are very welcoming. My husband loves the steak and ale pie and has had it every time. I’ve tried the oven baked cod, black pudding stack and the stroganoff which were all amazing. Highly recommend a visit

We all enjoyed the Sunday roast, both beef and pork. Made very welcome with our dog

Just received a 2 star hygiene rating.Won't be eating here again in a hurry.

A lot of these reviews are over a year old ..except the July 2024 one . So here is our experience. Sunday lunch £12.45 each...one chicken lunch, one roast beef lunch 12.00pm lunch time . A good selection of vegetables and meat .The Yorkshire pudding reminded me of the one's my mother used to make .. uneven a little charred on the edge ..but definitely not frozen . The vegetables were fresh ...you can tell the difference . Lots of tasty gravy ..we didn't like the mushy peas . BUT it was excellent value . OK you can pay £27.00 (or more) per person at some restaurants for Sunday lunch . For a good , filling , hot , tasty meal the Rose tree tis excellent value .

Just had dinner here for my dads 70th. The food was beautiful but what really made the night was the fabulous attentive service from the two ladies serving us. A huge thank you from all of us, and we will definitely be back soon :)

So dissapointing about the food main course on both meals lukewarm and tasteless not fresh,also dry. Dessert no better pudding was dry and the custard barely covered the pudding and came with a thick skin across the top sorry will not be going again. On a good staff we're absolutely lovely

This is a hidden gem. Lovely old style pub, plenty of parking. We had our dog so it’s bar only, but has lounge too. Lovely staff, very attentive and informative. Good choice of beers, food and dog meals. Steak & ale pie was in own dish rammed with beef. Veg assortment and gravy came separate. Wife had mince and giant leek dumpling. Both loved the quality and quantity. Our dog Rosie had an amazing sized bowl of chicken pieces. We intended a pudding but we’re just too stuffed. Rosie had the dog ice cream and wolfed it down. All in all a great pub, dogs very welcome. Led to believe Sunday is very popular and they have just launched their Xmas menu.

The Guinness was good, however trip was spoiled by one staff member - bearded guy, who refused to let us sit at any of the 5 tables unoccupied (from 6 in the bar) as they were “reserved for diners” - and even if we left, if and when they arrived he’d have to “wipe the table down” 😂 ….it was 2:15, reserved for 2pm. There was 5 of us. I had paid for all the drinks so couldn’t simply leave, so all huddled at the bar. We were planning on staying but left after that one drink and still 5 from the 6 tables were empty. Blonde landlady was nice but that fella needs to learn some customer service skills. Lost a decent chunk of custom today.

The steak n ale pie, just go for the pie! Nuff said! X

Great home cooked food and service. Prices reasonable. Portions are massive. Corned beef pies are the local must have, also fish Friday is a great meal choice.

Nice food & great, friendly service.

My husband phoned Sunday morning to book a table for 4.30 the person who took booking sounded like a child answering the phone. We arrived just before our time slot we ordered drinks then told the lady behind the bar we had a table booked she could not find our name on the sheet ,but then she said could it be booked in another name ? Our reply was no. Oh yes I have found you That is your table at the end of the bar. The table was next to the passage way from kitchen and toilets where people were going backwards and forwards. It was not good that the empty glasses were been "Clanged" down on the bar. We ordered 2 beef dinners. When they arrived my My Yorkshire pudding was flat soggy and soaked in gravy my husbands looked far more appetising. They then brought the vegetables they consisted of carrots cabbage cauliflower swede and mushy peas. They were served in a bowl so small (4 inches round if that) all crammed in we could not get them out with the spoon had to use a fork also. What would of happened if we did not like one of the vegetables ? They brought cheese sauce and gravy in boats. The was 2 pieces of cauliflower so did not need all the cheese sauce. And no more gravy for me Mash potato was lumpy Roast potato was that hard you could not cut them The 2 fingers of parsnip was also hard to cut The food was not hot one bit The table near us had ordered 2 beef dinners the same as our order. When there food arrived the puddings were like my husbands crispy. There vegetables were served in a oval gratin dish and the with steam coming off them. The only nice thing was the 2 slices of beef. The lady came to clear plates away. We did not want a dessert The lady who was behind the bar came past and I asked why our vegetables were served in a small bowl as others had oval bowls ? Her reply was we always serve them in those bowls I pointed out the table near us did not have the some bowl. She tried to fob us off saying they had ordered extra vegetables. My husband asked was ours a senior meal her reply no If you want a senior you need to state when ordering. it is not as much beef and vegetables. There was not enough vegetables for 2 in the small bowl so pity help senior portions. We paid the bill on leaving the table I looked at had loads of vegetables left in the dish as did others when walking through the bar. We were really disappointed as looked forward to it having been recommended by family

The food was excellent, a lovely place we will be visiting again

Generous portions, traditional pub grub. Good beer. Very dig friendly. We will be back

Great food lovley beers the staff are very friendly and attentive, a must if you are visiting Durham or if you live here, great Sunday quiz, Greame does an excellent job, as do Sofie and Satti, and Dougall and all kitchen staff thankyou for all your hard work.

Absolute gem of a place, staff are always friendly and helpful. The food is amazing, the chips are proper chips… the best! Coffee is really good too. Beer garden is relaxing and lovely.

Great pub, lovely staff, and equally lovely food!

A lovely dog-friendly pub with sheltered outdoor tables in the beer garden too. Car-park attached (note - this gets pretty full when the pub is busy... but short -term roadside parking can often be found in nearby Shincliffe Village). The Sunday Roast dinners are recommended @ £13/head.

Best bar meal we've had in a long time, steak and ale pie was beautiful, loads of tender meat. Fish and chips also impressive, crispy batter and a big portion, our dog loved the doggy chicken dinner, will definitely be back for more

We often have a meal at the Rosetree Shincliffe well not anymore. Tonight my partners starter had a fair sized stone in it enough to break a tooth ( although he didn't thank goodness) They brought me a meat dish when I ordered vegetarian. When the vegetarian option came it was line slop on a plate. There was no lime juice at the bar and the two doggie dinners we ordered never came. To top the lot they expected us to pay for the starter until I protested. Very poor service , simple food orders which they couldn't get right. We won't be going back and would advise people to make sure they have a dentist!

Terrible. We waited for nearly 2 hours for the food. The person behind the bar let a man vape in the pub. The kids pasta was far too over seasoned and therefore inedible. When we mentioned it, all we got was "Sorry I will tell the chef". Extremely disappointed!

Fantastic place. Staff are very very friendly, food is excellent, great portion size. Even Walter dog got a big bowl of chicken, rice and veg.

The beer garden could have done with being a little further off the main road but otherwise a perfect stopover on your trip through Durham.

This pub serves the best home cooked food in Durham. The portions are massive. Great value for money.

Would not go back here. The party I was with had loads of complaints about the food, delivered after an hour long wait for our orders to be taken. The food was very substandard and expensive for what we got. Two meals returned as inedible. So disappointed I will not recommend this place.

Lovely family birthday meal. Food was great.

Went for lunch today food awesome as usual and staff very friendly will be back again had lambs liver mash and veg the apple and cinnamon crumble and custard really good and lovely pub 👍👍

Nice pub about an hours walk along the river from Durham. Food seemed popular although we didn't try. Very doggy friendly. Hobgoblin Gold was spot on

Very busy Saturday. Food lovely and friendly atmosphere. Would recommend

Food was excellent, big portions so bring your appetite or a doggy bag, garlic chicken with king prawns, cooked perfect and very tasty, the steak and ale pie was deep filled with very tender steak, and baked cod outstanding, we were 3 ladies lunching and catching up, food, company and restaurant were excellent, defo be back

The service was very quick and the staff very friendly. There was plenty of food and it absolutely delicious. We both had the slow pulled pork.

Nice and cosy ,Food was delicious,Will definitely be visiting again ⭐️

Good food and drinks, lovely location

Really nice pub staff where great i will be going again at some point

The lady behind the bar was very rude but the lady coming outside cleaning the tables and fetching food was nice and polite

Good food at 2 meals for £16. Lunchtime/afternoon special weekdays.

Foods good great service great beer garden

Called in during a walk with a friend. Ordered coffee and a BLT for each of us. Both were delicious, served promptly, and by very friendly staff. Sat outside in the patio area. Very pleasant. Hope to return soon.

Lovely venue 👌 and they allow dogs

Smashing food, good company. Atmosphere brill.

What a fabulous place this is. Accomodated us (a party of 10)with no problems. As it was a busy Mothering Sunday, Staff were very friendly and attentive. Nothing was a problem. Service was excellent!

I had the Rose Tree burger, bread bun dry, burger,chicken and bacon all over cooked and very dry. I did mention this and was offered a free sweet but refused it, I was there 2 weeks previous and it was lovely, different chef maybe? Husband had fish and chips which he enjoyed.

Food was lovely. Had a special off the board which contained pork & leek sausages, pork belly, Yorkshire puddings, black pudding, mash, red onion gravy 😋

Great service and decent pub grub. Will be back for sure.

5 stars across food, service and atmosphere, but a total rating of 4⭐️? Go figure OK so the food was lovely. Daughter had lasagne which was obviously scratch made. No frozen rectangular dish here, absolutely delicious. I had the steak ale pie, again scratch made. Beautiful pieces of meat, pastry just right, the ale taste coming out of the pie was awesome. Amazing. Decent prices, lovely pub. However. Dropping a star for...... The chips. Dropping a star for the chips? Absolutely I am. Because hopefully the chef, or the owners are good enough to receive a lill criticism and ask the question. Why has this customer dropped a point for our chips. Let's cook up some chips and see what's what. I've no doubt I'll be back in at some point in the future. Hopefully ticking the box that's got the 5th star in it

Called in by off chance for lunch. Couldn't fault the food, staff and their service. Will definitely be returning.

What's not to love, this classic pub delivers restaurant quality food and food beer. Warm friendly atmosphere, dogs get spoiled, cool staff, cannot recommend it enough 👍

Went for the two meals for £18.95. Both were inedible. Complete waste of money.

Reasonably priced food, decent portions. Friendly staff. Dog friendly.

Had a Christmas doo there was 29 of us and the food and service was spot on. Will be back.

Great country pub with a decent sized car park and close to the centre of Durham. Food was decent, most of the group were happy. Chilli con carne with rice needs some work though, it was a let down and the lemon meringue pie and salted caramel cheesecake weren't great. The room to the right of the bar is a bit squashed and has quite a strong dog smell. Probably not noticeable if you're dog people though and it is a walking pub so not rating down for that. Staff were lovely, really attentive. There's a cool collection of old mobile phones adorning the edge of the room which is something interesting to see.

Stopped in for lunch on a walk along the river. We were actually heading for another pub nearby based on a friend's recommendation, but it was closed so we came here instead. And luckily we did - the food was amazing! Everything was freshly prepared, good value and delicious. Will definitely head back here on our next walk!

The food is excellent, Very tasty & well presented with good portions. there is an excelent range of choice on the menu. Nothing is a trouble to the staff who are very friendly & helpful. There is also a good range of beers at the bar & pricing for food & drinks is good value. Highly recomended.

Fabulous Place. Not too Big, So you Get what feels like a Very Personal Service. Staff are Always Fantastic. One of My Go to Places

Best Sunday roast I've had in Durham. They are not shy with portions and the cheese sauce is delicious! Great value for money 💰

Had the fish and chips Friday deal. You don't go home hungry, well worth it

Dog Friendly. good quality food, northern portions 🤣. A good wide range of menu options, a few specials, frankly was spoilt for choice. Service was friendly and not in your face which was perfect when catching up with family and friends. was quiet when we were in and not too busy (a thursday at 6.30pm).

Sunday lunch was really tasty and hot; well above average. I would have chosen lamb but as it wasn't on the menu had beef which was good. Really delicious roast potatoes and parsnips. We would recommend Sunday lunch here.

Passing by and popped in on off chance , got the last table , service was fantastic , great waitress , sunday dinner was amazing , parsnips and roasties best ive ever had , fantastic price , cant recommend highly enough

This is a lovely, small, and dog friendly pub in a beautiful part of Durham next to the river. The menu is fairly typical of most pubs and is well cooked and well presented. The fact that it also has a menu for dogs makes it stand out from the rest. However, we didn't find out about that until we were about to leave, which was a shame. My pooch would have loved the chicken breast. Unfortunately, she doesn't doesn't tolerate gluten well, so no sausages for her. Never mind, we will know for next time.

An excellent steak-and-ale pie at lunchtime in the dining room.

What can I say what a lovely dog friendly pub. If you want to eat in a pub where your dogs are made to feel as welcome as we were. Went for my sons birthday a party of 7 with 2 dogs. Booked the night before. Excellent table service which is a rarity these days. Food was lovely, drinks as you want them staff very attentive. Great find and will be back keep up the good work.

Honestly blown away with service and food. Chips were lush, im sure they were handcut. All our meals fishnchips/scampi+chips/classic burger meal were amazing. Thankyou Rose Tree for looking after us.

So enjoyed lunch today in this proper ‘pub’. Good food, reasonably priced & nice service with kindness for my poorly but recuperating friend. Liver & Onions not often seen these days & my personal fave! VERY pooch friendly but separate restaurant if you’re dog-less!!!

Quaint little pub we visited for Sunday dinner. The food was very tasty. Only criticism was it could have been hotter.. Still enjoyed it, though.

For £12.45 I suppose I should blame myself, but there was always a chance this would be a hidden gem… Not to be. The service was pleasant and friendly, the surroundings are nice enough, but the food was atrocious. Frozen Farmfoods chicken, boiled into a white fibrous paste. ‘Roast’ potatoes, deep fried within an inch of their lives. A SLICE of stuffing, again fried until oily. Sad and tired looking vegetables, long past their best. Mash potato reminiscent of care home leftovers. A Yorkshire pudding, a mystifying mixture of both cremated and almost raw. We’ve been for drinks before a walk into Durham several times, and will probably continue to do so, but we’ll never again dare to pick up a menu - at least not while the cook (‘chef’ would be laughably generous) insists on playing practical jokes with his food.

Good size portion. Veg was nice. Plenty of choice

This pub is really nice with a great atmosphere. You can always get a great pint from here. The food is nice also. I would recommend giving the Rose Tree Inn a visit if you are in the area.

Had a family Sunday dinner here today and it was OK. I opted for the Mince and Dumplings. Was very disappointed. Dumpling (singular) was rubbery and very small. I think it had been fried in advance and by the time it was served it was not good.

We are regular visitors to the Rose Tree eating here at least twice a month but mainly for Sunday lunch which I would highly recommend. Today we visited for a late lunch and we both decided on the cod and chips but my fish was a thin piece of cod that was over cooked making the fish very chewy. At £50 for 2 lots of fish and chips and 2 chardonnays, it was very poor value for money. In future we will stick to Sunday lunch. Very disappointing, should have had a burger. I was asked if the food was ok and they offered a new piece of fish but we were half way through our meal. My wife’s was ok but her piece of fish was twice the thickness and therefore didn’t get overcooked.

Lucky they could squeeze 2 in for Sunday lunch without a booking. The lunch was excellent and service was very good. Lovely ambiance so can recommend.

Very pleased staff even charged my phone!

Lovely cup of tea. Didn't have food, will do next time.

This was the first time back to this place in years I'm not giving it a bad review but I will not be returning. The food was very nice it had no atmosphere and lastly I have a allergy to everything in the allium family plus garlic and celery, when I asked what I could eat on the menu the reply from the chef was I can do you a salad. I didn't get a choice.

Very pleasant staff. Interesting displays inside bar area.

Light bite good,had to wait awhile ,drinks were superb.

One of the best pubs to have a post walk drink outside in the sun. One of Durham's hidden gems ... Didn't have food, so can't comment (unless you count the Nobby's nuts)

Steak pie was overcooked couldn't eat it , couldn't cut through pastry

Serving staff are great, food and drinks are decent

Quite expensive otherwise, but 2 for 1 at £19 was good value for great food. Friendly staff and dogs welcome

Great food and even better service. Waitress could not do enough for us. Dog friendly with their own menu.

Great meals and very attentive staff.

We often pop to the beer garden for drinks with friends and the dogs but have never eaten here before. The whole experience tonight was amazing from the friendliness of the staff to the quality of the food. There were 6 of us for a birthday celebration, the menu has something for everyone and the portion sizes are well sized. The food came in good time and was piping hot, our waitress couldn’t do enough to make our visit enjoyable and they even accommodated a special request on the desert menu! Highly recommend.

I had a lovely meal in the Rose Tree today . The food was superb and I even had room for a home-made cheesecake. Service was exceptional.

Always a great place to be with friendly, attentive staff, good tucker and a welcome pint of Guinness. Cliff the Aussie....

Great Sunday lunch at a reasonable price. Very dog friendly.

Enjoyable Sunday night quiz. Friendly staff, good service.

Lovely place great staff, Sunday lunch was great,dog friendly 😋

The food was amazing. The mixed grill was beautiful. I asked for medium rare and the steak was more medium but still delicious. The other meats were perfectly cooked and the chips were amazing. The burger was also very tasty and juicy. Really wanted a dessert but we were too full! It is a little pricey but well worth it!

Very pleasant pub, outstanding customer service, nice food and huge portions, very reasonably priced, a nice spot to stop

Very nice called in for a pint with my dad expensive at 10.80 for 2 pints