Rustica Trattoria & Inn in Sunderland

Pre ordered food as there was 8 of us although a couple of people joined on last minute and they still got all our food served together and on time! Food was scrummy. Staff friendly. Welcoming atmosphere and real fires burning. Lovely feel

Christmas day 2024- the food here was excellent and we will all definitely be returning again for food and drinks, wonderful!

We've been coming here for our annual family Christmas Eve meal for a few years now because of the quality of the food loveliness of the staff however.... really quite disappointed this year. Table of 11 booked weeks ago. Food order was pre-booked... but we waited quite a long time between courses & the majority of the food was definitely not up to their usual standard...not as stated on the menu, not very hot & quite bland to be honest. Sadly, I think you may have lost our custom...

Visited here on Christmas eve and we couldn’t have had a better experience! Service was brilliant and food was delicious. Will definitely be visiting again☺️

Came here for Christmas dinner and the food was outstanding. Lovely staff and great service. Money well spent. Will definitely be booking again next year.

Beautiful food tasty and cooked to perfection. Staff are friendly always smiling the service was second to none. Our waitress Emily could not do enough for us. Highly reccomend.

We came here at the weekend and had a fabulous time staff Carly and Emily were very friendly made us feel very welcome and food was amazing already booked up for our next outing highly recommended

Hadn’t even sat down and not everyone was there but the waitress was asking what we wanted to drink. After we did order drinks she was straight back to take food order, I mean give us time to look. Once ordered the food took at least 40 mins to come, considering there was hardly anyone in the restaurant too. Pizza had a smell and taste like disinfectant - didn’t bother mentioning this as wouldn’t have wanted another anyway. Had to pay extra for chicken in the pasta too - which personally I could have made better myself. Other meals were fine. Been here many times before and never had any issues but your only as good as your last meal and this was pretty dreadful so wouldn’t return. Restaurant also had a musky smell to it when we entered, it’s definitely went downhill.

Food was amazing, steak cooked to perfection. Unbelievable customer service from Emily, funny, chatty as always be back soon.

Another excellent meal at Washington/Sunderland is best kept secret. This is a family favourite and would totally recommend it for meals and family celebrations But shhh, don't tell everyone. Ha ha

Excellent meal, service and value. The food was absolutly goreous, the wine was lovely and good value and the service from Carley was first class. This has got to be the best Italian Resteraunt in the area. Cannot recommend it highly enough. Many thanks.

Carly was our server, lovely women, food came out piping hot, full of flavour. 2 x starters 2 x mains x 2 wines x pints and a tip £55. Unreal value, food is amazing, music just at a nice level upbeat and really friendly. We will be back

We went to Rustica on the 1st of August for my husband’s birthday the portions were really large and plenty on your plate the staff were brilliant nothing was to much trouble we can safely say when we left we were all really full including my granddaughter

Service was shocking, only one member of staff on duty, food lacked quality or taste, pasta was undercooked, we were there for over 2 hours, never again!

Absolutely unbelievable food! Shout out to John the chef, the best chicken Kiev I’ve ever had. Also lovely staff Carly and Joseph. Thanks so much for a lovely birthday meal - would highly recommend!

Last minute decide to nip out for tea. The restaurant wasn’t busy. We were seated straight away. Our waitress Emily was lovely, very friendly & helpful. I opted to eat from the special menu, I went for the garlic bread for us to share, soup, it was lovely, very filling and the chicken pasta My partner had the arrinchi balls & the mixed grill, it was very impressive, they had ran out of gammon but made up for it with other stuff. The white wine was very nice & they sold Stella, so he was very happy. No room for desert Lovely restaurant, we are a fan of flaming sweet the sister restaurant in Castletown. Looking forward to returning again soon

Would definitely recommend this place. It is a cosy restaurant, very welcoming from the moment we arrived. Josef the manager was very attentive and friendly. Excellent service. We got the bruschetta and potato skins for starter and the spicy chicken parmo for main. Food was freshly prepared, tasty and of generous portion size. Prices are very reasonable. Will definitely return.

Another beautiful meal at Rustica. Thanks to all staff for a lovely welcome and service. We visited on a Saturday night and food and atmosphere were brilliant

We visited Rustica tonight for tea with our two little Daughters and it was so lovely! Food was amazing and the Spring Menu has so many options it was hard to choose. I got the chicken parmasan with chips and my partner got the mixed grill and they were both delicious! The kids meals were both great too! If you enjoy home cooked chips then this is your place to go!! The service was great and our server Joseph was exteamly friendly and welcoming, not only to us but to our children aswell. A very family friendly restaurant with amazing food! Would highly recommend visiting here.

This was our first visit to the fantastic Italian restaurant. The fist thing we noticed when we entered was how clean, tidy and well presented it was which we feel is a must in any eating establishment. As it was just opening time we were asked by Joseph if we could just take a seat and gave us menus to browse while we waited. He returned and showed us to our table. Again the restaurant area was very clean and well presented. My wife decided on having the Kiev pizza and I opted for the calzone pizza and we also ordered a bottle of the house white wine. When our meals arrived they were pipping hot and looked fantastic. My wife's pizza was cooked perfect and just the right size and amount of topping. The base was nice and soft not like some pizza that we have had which are very hard. My calzone was also cooked to perfection and with plenty of filling. Again nice and soft which is just the way I like it to be. A ramekin of sauce to pour over was great rather than having it all over the calzone as some restaurants do. The house white wine was very palatable and accompanied the pizzas very well. Service was first class and could not be faulted in anyway. The prices are also very competitive, pizzas were £8.95 each and the house wine was £17.95. Overall we would rate this restaurant 10/10 for everything. Thank you Joseph for a great dinning experience and when we are in the area next we will be back. If you have not tried this restaurant we would definitely recommend you do.

Sites a number of times and the staff are always happy to see you and couldn’t do more. Joseph especially is a great character and seems to try his best to make everyone enjoy their time there. We’ve been for food and for drinks. The pub area is good with a cracking selection. Dogs are welcome (and even got their water bowl before we got our drinks 😎). Food is absolutely superb. Great flavour, generous portions and perfectly cooked. For somewhere so close it feels like you are away from it all.

Love coming here the food is amazing fantastic quality and so reasonably priced. Joesph is one of a kind and will make anyone’s night a fantastic one he charming amusing personality puts a smile on anyone’s face. Can’t wait for my next visit I know it won’t be long.

First time visiting Rustica, absolutely outstanding food and service. Cannot recommend enough, it's hard to find authentic Italian cuisine but these have it spot on! Our server Joseph was very attentive and made our visit even more enjoyable. Will definitely be back. Thankyou

From the moment we arrived for our reservation we received a warm welcome from Josef who did his best to treat all customers as friends. Through out the night the food was great, with good size portions for the money you pay. Josef and the team genuinely made us feel like nothing was too much hassle. Will definitely be returning

Had a great time as usual! We've come here a few times now and always have a great time. Food was amazing as always, staff are lovely and very friendly.. especially Joseph, I don't think my partner is going to forget his experience any time soon! ❤️ Thank you again for another lovely visit. We will definitely be back again soon.

I've tried the pizza and the pasta at Rustica and you can't go wrong with either. Very friendly service from Joseph and prompt service. Can't fault it.

Another great meal with great service from Joseph. Would highly recommened to visit, especially when Joseph is working! We laugh from start to finish and he certainly makes our meal and evening enjoyable 😊

Had an amazing experience. Joseph is amazing and so professional. Will come here again soon! Had the Calzone pizza and steak and tasted wonderful.

Absolute amazing food and great friendly service. Definitely recommend to all family and friends. Would advise anyone to go and try.

what a lovely welcome from joseph and the staff, even the chef came out and spoke to us, service was very good and the food was really good nothing left on our plates, joseph came and sat with us for a chat he is a very funny man, we will defo be visiting again

Great environment, amazing staff and service, really feel like they go the extra mile, and lovely food. What more do you need. A real hidden gem.

Absolutely fantastic service staff are so friendly we went for late afternoon early dinner - food was lovely was very clean - highly recommend recently been took over and you manager and staff are so friendly

Me and my partner come here often as it's local but the food is always amazing! We've been coming here for a few years. We loved the old management and was a little gutted to hear that it was taken over by new management. However first time with the new management and Joseph was lovely and so friendly! The food is still just as good and so is the service. Joseph couldn't have been any more helpful if he tried. We will definitely be back!

very good restaurant great service, to try without moderation pizza, pasta or other dishes to discover

I have been for a meal tonight and the food is absolutely wonderful lovely atmosphere Joseph is very helpful it is a complete turn around the staff have went above and beyond with the service. Nothing was a problem and have went out of the...

Came for some dinner with family all had something from the specials menu food was absolutely beautiful no complaints for anything , service was even better staff were very friendly and attentive even stood and had a laugh with us for a little bit really...

We always come to rustica food always delicious service definitely amazing specially wen the new manager joshef he absolutely good at looking after gest he's funny make use laugh and very welcoming every time. We definitely com back.

Was in Rustica this afternoon for our traditional Christmas Eve family get together. There was 13 of us. Food was excellent as always, hot, tasty & served quickly. Joseph the manager was great fun, jokey but very attentive. Thank you & a merry Christmas to...

Great Sunday lunch , been serval times and not been disappointed , good value and good quality food

Lovely food very reasonable, staff very friendly, Joseph the manager just a real character very good with the grannies etc , would recommend for decent Italian food at good affordable prices.

Joseph was our server and he was very friendly and approachable. Couldn’t have done enough for us.

My colleagues and I popped in for lunch, we'd booked a table for 8 and we got seated as soon as we arrived. We were greeted and served by Joseph, who was full of energy, but looked after us from start to finish. We ordered...

Just visited tonight, excellent service, lovely food, Joseph was very friendly and welcoming with excellent rapport with customers. Highly recommend.

We have been here a few times. Both the food and service are great. We've been for Sunday dinner and pasta. Both lovely. Joseph was friendly and welcoming throughout. Highly recommended.

Great service of Joseph made sure we were happy with that we had ordered and lovely food well presented

What a lovely time we had..faultless staff are amazing especially Yousef so great with my kids..food great..definitely back again

Excellent food and service from a lovely girl. Starters and mains were pretty quick coming out, although the what I would call (boss/manager) being nasty towards another member of staff.unacceptable

wow, i had my birthday meal there tonight, service was great,our waiter Josef was attentive and full of chat and made us laugh. Food was prompt in coming and was piping hot. it was delicious thoroughly enjoyable. I had a lovely night and my friends...

Been here a lot for meals. Food is outstanding, the quality of service from Joseph and the staff was brilliant. Would highly recommend to anyone in the area or visiting.

For full disclosure, we have visited this pub / restaurant on a few occasions over the last few years and found it "ok" Its off the beaten track so our previous experience you have no issues getting a table. This evening, we just fancied a...

Very welcoming, brilliant food, had bruschetta and a seafood pizza, the homemade base was smashing.

We visited here for a family meal, 7 adults and four children. The whole experience was perfect from start to finish. Joseph was very friendly, great with the children and nothing was a problem to him, very friendly! The food was lovely, we had starters...

fantastic food and service. joseph very friendly and welcoming. seafood pizza was amazing, dough fantastic. Will definitely return and recommend

Tried here for first time after recommendations from friends. Can’t fault it. Food was delicious. Excellent choice on menu took a while to decide what to have. Prices are reasonable too. Joseph, the manager, served us. What a lovely friendly man. Very welcoming. Will definitely...

Excellent food and service as always. Joseph was very attentive and made surw we had a lovely experience. Have been here many times and it is still our favourote place in the area by far. Highly recommend trying it if you haven't been before.

Joseph and staff lovely. Very accomadating. Food very nice. I had chicken Kiev and with fresh vegetables. We will definitely be back. Couldn't fault anything.

First time coming here Joseph made us feel very welcome and staff were friendly ordered the Chicken Kiev pizza was very nice I would highly recommend, have being back many times since!

Called in with my wife and our dog Made to feel very welcome Ordered meals and drinks Food very good , drinks well presented Our host Joseph very friendly and efficient Overall a very enjoyable visit Will definitely call in again

Food was lovely and hot, came out a good time. Good friendly service from our server Joseph. Would definitely recommend.

Food was incredible and staff were so lovely. Everyone enjoyed both the food and amazing service. Super family friendly too. Joseph is a great member of the team :)

Really nice place. Only went there for a couple of drinks but felt really great. That’s thanks to the really friendly staff, particularly Joseph! If only all pubs/restaurants had staff like him.

Outstanding place, food is always brilliant! Very friendly and Joseph is awesome. Nice atmosphere and well layed out areas for large groups.

Just visited for my annual birthday meal with my partner and as usual the food was delicious! Especially the garlic sauce 😉 Joseph was a great host and made us laugh. Nothing was a bother. We will definitely be back again. Would definitely recommend!

Delicious food, friendly staff and lovely atmosphere ✨ we will definitely be back & would recommend to everybody!!

Great Italian food at a reasonable price, Joseph who served us was very helpful and accommodating. Food and drinks came quickly and the interior is very clean and nicely decorated.

Wow wow wow, what can I say. Just left the restaurant and everything was lovely. Surrounding lovely, comfortable and smart. Food was excellent and value for money, £77, for 2 starters, garlic bread, 2 mains inc a steak, 2 pints and a bottle of wine....

Brilliant service and the food was amazing as always been going here for years also Joseph was brilliant waiter

I went for dinner with my spouse we waited 40 minutes for our meal at no point did anyone ask us if we required another drink when our food arrived they delivered it to the wrong table and the lady at this table decided to...

Lovely restaurant, fabulous food and friendly staff. My OH and l called in for lunch yesterday. It's so cosy and welcoming especially on a day like yesterday ( Storm Babet). We shared Picante Pizza and Prawn & Churizo Linguine, generous portions and so tasty. Well...

One of my favourite places to visit. It's very reasonably priced, with a great atmosphere and fantastic service. The Guinness is always well poured by the bar staff (Charlotte and Sophie) and the food is very good compared to local alternatives.

Staff were rude and had bad attitudes. Service was shocking and very slow. We had to chase our order numerous times. Family members were charged for drinks they didn’t order and was met by “well it’s only £4.10” instead of being offered a refund. Food...

I visited here today with my family as I've been before for food and it has been great with good service but unfortunately on this occasion the food was ok and the service was terrible considering that there were only two tables of people. The...

Visited here for the first time on a work night out and can’t fault the food. I ordered potato skins with garlic dip, and penne pollo e funghi without mushrooms. The portions were massive, tasted great, and were good value for money. We also had...

This was our first visit and certainly won't be our last! Restaurant is lovely with a very warm and welcoming atmosphere. Staff were fantastic and very helpful and knowledgeable about the menu. Food was outstanding, our very picky son describing the pizza as the best...

All bar staff lovely polite and pleasant well mannered at serving meals and drinks have chat to customers when not busy 😕

Fabulous day/night celebrating a family members big birthday. Chose to have buffet. Food was fab as always . Everyone enjoyed and demolished it. Big thank you to the boss Si for sorting everything. Not forgetting Chef & his kitchen staff and fab bar staff for...

Quiet pub excellent for meals selection of drinks and small play area outside patio seating also you can take your food out

Visited Rustica with my family, all of our meals were fantastic. Great staff and service. Will definitely be returning.

Been there several times, great service and great food! 👍👍👍 Andy super chef and Arlen very nice waitress !

I have found the food and service excellent, the staff are very friendly and you are in a comfortable restaurant which also makes it quite homely. You never feel rushed to eating a meal and in my experience, i have never had a disappointment meal

Could not fault staff si /Karis/Daisey all excellent kitchen staff brilliant all new girls who have just started great place to visit for food

Excellent atmosphere and friendly staff. Drink prices are very reasonable with good choice. Food is always delicious with little waiting time.

Another weekend in our favourite local pub. Fab service from staff, always friendly & welcoming. Great choice of drinks & food is always excellent. Big shout out to Si & all the staff!

I had high expectations of Rustica, considering this is a Tavistock restaurant which has never failed to deliver based on previous experience. On this occasion however, we were really dissatisfied. On arrival the waitress took our drinks order and starter choices along with the mains...

Quite a disappointing experience. We waited over an hour for our meal by which time our party were all ravenous. Meal was mediocre nothing special. Staff were very good and apologised several times for our wait. It seems that takeaway meals were taking priority. Unlikely...

The premises are warm cosy and comfortable. The staff are very professional. The food is very tasty and the prices are very reasonable. What more could you ask for. I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone. I would be surprised if you left disappointed.

Great restaurant, starters, mains and desserts were faultless. Great tasting high quality steaks. Staff were also welcoming, friendly and efficient. Would definitely recommend.

I have had a really nice Sunday lunch dinner and lovely dessert this afternoon with my mum and my dad I will be back again sometime lovely food and lovely staff xx 😀

Went here as was recommended by friends to try it out Not gonna lie well worth the visit staff are all really friendly food was great came out in a reasonable time aswell certainly won’t be our last visit

Been here before no problems however starter was small and scabby main course steak and ale pie was the left overs from Sunday lunch disgusting

This was a first time visit .From walking in all the staff were friendly and quick to serve you.The restaurant and toilets were immaculate. The food was amazing hot,well presented,good portion size and tasty.Definitely be recommending this restaurant to friends and family.

If you want a restaurant with pleasant atmosphere in the restaurant and food that is reasonably priced, you will probably enjoy a visit to Rustica, it feels really cosy. When booking for a group of 16, the manager was really helpful. He sent me over...

I booked a table for 10 people to celebrate a 50th & 30th birthdays. The welcome by the staff was friendly and with a smile. Everyone chose different meals from the a la carte menu. We were attended to all evening with a smile. The...

Sunday dinner lovely tasty and a good portion, I had lamb and Mam had chicken, nice good food, also very friendly staff

Had a wonderful Saturday night with a friend. Food was delicious and staff were really friendly. A fantastic local restaurant.

We visited as a family of 9, we were immediately shown to our table and a drinks order taken, the food order was taken as soon as we had all decided what we were having, not an easy task as there is a great selection...

I was looking for a nice, easygoing but good quality restaurant in the Washington / Sunderland area to take my grandparents to and I found it! The staff were lovely and patient with my grandparents who are struggling with dementia. We had halloumi and potato...

Went last night for food before Ed Sheeran, quick service, lovely staff, lovely food! Would 100% recommend

Food is highly recommended. All staff are very welcoming but the bartender Charlotte is a credit to the team, with her warming smile. I would not visit without her!

This is a hidden gem Great food & lovely staff the staff can’t do enough for you always service with a smile.