Sambucas Italian Restaurant in County Durham

Food was nice and plentiful. Sunday Carvery. Atmosphere was loud, service was a tad slow, however, it was very busy.

Excellent cuisine, very nice room, low prices, easy parking, very professional staff. At the top 100% on all tables. To recommend.

Great night with the girls! Food and service are always great here. Nothing is an issue. Thanks again. We will be back.

We visited this restraint this afternoon with the family . To say we were disappointed would be an understatement . We had the dinner menu. First of all the potato skins were cooked well and looked as usual . However the dips looked as if they had been on the plate a while and had a slight dry crust as if it had been standing for a while . The usual pasta dish I ordered was no way near their usual standard from others of the chain . We all were not happy with the food and will defiantly not be going back . This is the only negative review we as a family have made but really feel this restaurant is not up to the standards others are .

Great place and staff and nice food.

We are regulars to this Sambuca and we always leave with full stomachs after a great experience. What stood out this time was the exceptional customer service skills from a server named Michael! Absolute credit to the restaurant!

Had the mussels and now we are ill

Cheap and cheerful. For the cheap princes it's obviously all frozen food but it's reasonably priced and clean and easy to get parking

Ordered Sunday lunch it was lovely and well worth the money will definitely be ordering again

Great place great staff took lac with ld children everyone was great with them

Love it best place to eat and all of the staff are super friendly and helpful been a few times now never had a bad meal yet we'll done to all.

Beautiful hot food excellent staff and service

Had pizza, it came on a plate which I was happy about. Now I’m overjoyed to live in Chester-le-Stret !! :))

Good food and good polite service

Excellent throughout. Food great,service great and nice relaxing atmosphere. . Will be going back again very soon. Definitely 5 stars 👍 ## Update 17/2/24"" visited today along with family including 2 babies one of which has allergies. They cooked some of the food differently to avoid the items which she was allergic to so that was really good of them. As per the last time I was there everything was first class food staff service and atmosphere

Food lovely as usual. Staff super friendly.

Nice meal, but chips, little underdone, corrected with new ones, but nice overall

Great food, lovely staff, definitely recommend 👌

Portion sizes are amazing, good food. Staff were super friendly and helpful considering we were a huge group.

Love this place we go often, but this time, our waiter went above and beyond. Unfortunately, I don't know his name. But I think he is Italian.

Really lovely place to eat. Both times we have been we have been served by peter. He stood out, the service was brilliant. He made us feel so welcome. Always made sure we had everything we needed. Give my daughter a selection box the first time, then the second time she got a lolly. He is very professional and quick service. Food is very good 👍 5 stars. Thank you.

Called into this previously visited restaurant for tea recently @ 4pm.They have special menus up till 5pm for 3 course pizza/pasta dishes for £8 and a chicken/burger one for £12.We went for pasta ones with a side order of garlic bread.The food when it came after about 25 mins was lovely with the garlic bread the size of a pizza.The potato skins,pasta dishes and bread were all very good.The service was very friendly and excellent value.Book ahead as they get large birthday parties in - two when we were there. We shall return as it is very good value with quality food.

Food was lovely. Function room isn't the best furnished and toilets are downstairs.

Great food and attentive staff. Ambience was good too.

We got meat feast pizas chips margarita piza garlic bread plus cheesecake was delicious, staff very nice quick serve compliments to the chef we all enjoyed food cheers Maria Russell, c you all again in December

1st time went and def be back.lovely food and staff are great

We booked the function room (The Loft) for a 40th birthday and it could not have been better! The food was delicious and the room was fantastic- lots of space for people and for the children to play, but what really made it was the staff. They were so helpful and attentive- helped with decorations as well as organisation. They were also amazing with the kids. They could not do enough. I would recommend to everyone and anyone looking for a function room in the area. We will definitely be back and they really did make our occasion extra special.

First time here with my son and his girlfriend. As we are not from the area we didn't know what to expect. The restaurant was almost empty when we entered which was a little concerning but we needn't have worried. The food was lovely and the service was first class. I'd recommend the calzone and the chocolate orange cake. Competitive pricing was also welcome. We will definitely be back when we are in the area again.

First time trying this place and it was awful, service was terrible took ages too deliver food and when the food did come they gave us the wrong pizzas, the chips were not even cooked properly and the cans were warm as anything, they then charged us too get the pizzas we actually wanted so prices were rediculous, and when they ended up bringing the pizzas we wanted they were burnt as crisp, honestly so disappointing with this as I’ve heard so many people say it’s supposed too be really nice, it’s fair too say I will not be eating from there ever again.

Didnt realise until I went to pay that children's carvery on a Sunday is free with 1 paying adult! Fantastic.

Had tea @ this restaurant recently.We chose off the 2 x special menus which are available till 5pm.They are both great value @ £8 and £12 for 3 courses.We ordered pizza and pasta and they were great when they arrived.Potato skins/pasta and coffee/ice cream for £8.Pints of moretti/Stella are £5. The service is very friendly and the food is really nice.I would advise booking ahead as it does get busy with birthday parties.Highly recommend a visit.

The food was excellent. The staff were very friendly and efficient. We had a great time and would highly recommend a visit . Got to know all the staff by name will definitely be back .

Booked my daughters 18th birthday party here. I can't recommend this venue highly enough. From start to finish the staff were absolutely amazing, nothing was too much trouble. The buffet was delicious and plentiful, they even provided pizza boxes filled with leftovers for us to take home. Fantastic evening all round. The only minor criticism is the room was a bit warm.

If you've been to a Sambuca before it is more of the same. Excellent value for money and tasty menu. Venue is

Lovely food and staff Peter was really nice and helpful.

Nice restaurant good food, good service could not fault it

Went for a 8yo birthday party,6 adults & 3 kids for sunday carvery. Attention to service was first class as was the food,well done guys & Girls,we will be back

First time visited today, nice food, fast service. Will come again

Excellent service and food. Sunday carvery under twelves eat for free with paying adult!

Just wasted £50 on a delivery from this disgusting rancid place. Pasta was vile, pizza was like a slab of soggy wet slop, chips were dry as the desert, chicken tasted like it was a month old...... ended up throwing it all in the bin. Never again! Wouldn't even eat their food for free.

Great carvery lovely food 😋 Service was a bit slow Definitely will go again

Worst piza i have ever had very noisy

Ordered pizzas, they were ok, cheesy garlic bread, very dry, and the tirimasu....Well the portion was small, definitely not worth £4.50.

A sambuca which is so different to any other I have visited. They have a massive selection of different meals to any other Sambuca I have visited. Lovely food and a lovely waiter who was very helpful.

Cheap and cheerful Italian food. We enjoyed our visit and would happily go again.

Very generous with the Carvery and amazing food, and the staff are friendly and helpful

Thursday lunch with the girls was lovely. Got there just after opening and seated near the window. The room soon filled up. Service was brilliant and attentive. Food was amazing 3 course for £15, Inc minute steak, this was the size of a normal steak and was cooked to perfection. Definitely go again. Lots of choice on menu and special menus

Alot of good food for not a great amount of money

Fantastic meal, let us come in just before last orders even though we were the only customers (others like Fabios don’t do this). Excellent food and excellent service, and good value - thank you

As ever a perfect evening The food was beautiful, full of tastes The presentation was on point the staff, although very busy still had time for all customers It was great to see Emily again a fabulous member of the team who couldn't do anymore to make our evening a perfect one Many thanks to Carl the owner Top class person

Wat an amazing experience from start to finish... Best restaurant.. I no regards Ray and Lynn

Lovely Food and drinks.Three course chicken meal for £17 and it was very nice.The only reason I marked it down was that they only had two waitresses working the food and it was very busy so waiting time for food,tables cleared etc suffered.Dont know if the rakeaways going out delayed the food orders.The food is lovely but ensure more support is given to the servers.We will return as its food is lovely.

Really friendly staff and great food. Have really enjoyed every visit here and will definitely be back as soon as I can.

Absolutely fantastic. My husband and best friend held me a surprise baby shower in the function room upstairs. The room was lovely, the food was amazing! We had an large buffet which was beautifully cooked, plenty of choice and even offered containers for us to pack up anything left that we wanted to take away. The staff were truly outstanding. Peter, I believe the gentle man was called, what a guy! He was the life and soul, he couldn't do enough for us. Thank you all 😘

Great value for money, waiter was very funny and friendly. Decent place for a quick meal and lots of choice

Great food and friendly service

Called in for a bite to eat on an afternoon plenty of choice 2 course £8 a 3 course £12 plus other choices I got potato skins as a starter then a jalapeño burger with chips and coleslaw very tasty will be returning

Massive let down got seated straight away I ordered Sunday lunch my daughter pizza . Went to carvery ordered beef lovely meat nice mash then downhill from there.opted for sausage and stuffing got stuffing chef said I will send your sausage over he apologised however no sausage arrived.toast potatoes were a few remains carrots cold broccoli a mess Yorkshire pudding cold with bits of foil stuck on £10 for a mediocre sun lunch Pizza cheese tasted plastic No one came to ask if everything was ok sat for 15 mins when finished and no one came to clear up or ask if we wanted dessert

Having eaten at restaurants on five continents this one is in my top three of all time Service was immaculate as soon as we entered, the food was presented beautifully and tasted even better than it looked and the waitress and all staff were friendly , polite, professional but with a great deal of humour. Simply fantastic

great meal in Chester le street

Food was absolutely amazing first time been here and burgers was unreal. Best ones I've ever had. 10/10 and 100 % be back

We had a family meal today celebrating my grandson's birthday. The food was lovely and the staff were excellent. The atmosphere was relaxed and family friendly, thanks to the lovely staff who looked after us.

Excellent service Peter our server was friendly and very informative we choose the early menu we all had a starter main and dessert for £20 starters were very tasty and the steaks were cooked perfectly will definitely be back

Highly recommend the food was perfect steak was cooked to my liking, very good value for money, staff were lovely and friendly and a special thank you to Peter the waiter who went over and beyond to make sure everything was perfect, can't wait to go back thankyou.

Great value food with friendly service and nice atmosphere

First visit for a long time and the food and service were great. Staff very friendly. Definitely would go back.

Really nice food and so friendly

Food is amazing Staff friendly Atmosphere is class

Popped in for a quick bite to eat on our way home. Oddly, although listed on the daily set menu, chicken dianne was missing from the main menu. I requested chicken dianne and was told that would not be a problem. But what i was actually served was quite strange and certainly not a dianne sauce. It tasted very much like a chicken gravy, of which, unforunately, i am not a fan. We ate and left without complaint, although sadly the meal was not enjoyable due to the gravy in place of the dianne sauce. If i had been told dianne sauce wasnt available i would have ordered something else.

The food is lovely , however took children to toilet, this was disgusting, toilet seats broken, wee on floors all wet, one toilet was full of waste

My wife and I called in for lunch one afternoon recently.We had not booked and were seated by a very friendly employee.We looked at the menus and ordered our drinks.We decided to go for the 3 course afternoon/lunch menu for £8 and ordered potato skins /pizza and pasta.The food which we were served was fabulous and well worth the money we were charged.The service was efficient and polite at all times and I would highly recommend this restaurant for a day/night out.Top job by all concerned with this restaurant - we shall return with friends again.

Went for a meal with my partner and two children on Sunday Evening. Service was brilliant and the food was great! Servers were more than accommodating for my son who is a picky eater and even stayed after closing (sorry for this, didn't realise you shut at 8) Will definitely be returning!

This restaurant used to be amazing and I can only say from tonight’s visit , Absolutely shocking! After sitting 20 minutes and still not having a waitress take drinks order let alone food order. While the staff laughed and yapped behind the kitchen. We decided to leave and mentioned when going to one of the staff that we weren’t happy. Only to be ignored and they carried on yapping and laughing. Terrible service! The last time we were in it was shocking but we thought let’s give it another chance incase the last visit had been a one off!! TRY THE SHIELDS RESTAURANT ITS FAR BETTER STAFF ARE AMAZING!! Very disappointed!

My son had the belly pork starter which was lovely, garlic breads with cheese also a fab value starter. New smashed burgers were great, cooked perfectly. Chips were fab and a really nice lasagna for one of our family. Staff attentive and couldn’t have been better. Thank you

Food was lovely and family enjoyed our pizza all round a good night , staying with family in the area , give the place a try impressed with the little town so far , nice to see your food being cooked

Excellent and service very good .Meal excellent and kids eat FREE most of the time !

We had a great Christmas dinner it was excellent and the four of us would highly recommend it great variety with each of the three courses and plenty to eat,the staff were lovely and friendly especially Harry our waiter and when l was going out to the car one of the men from the kitchen took my wife’s arm and helped her as it was quite slippy so wasn’t that nice.

Cheap but not cheerful. Pizzas poor quality and undercooked. Toilets filthy. There are much better Italian restaurants in Chester Le Street so would give Sambuca a miss

Staff where very helpful and friendly. Service was really good 👍.

Cheap & cheerful. Food was nice and at. A great price. However staff never checked back to check everything was OK or x check if more drinks we required.

We got the special which consists of a starter, main and desert all for £8 served mon-sat 12-5 and wher very happy with every aspect of our visit. The staff were amazing very friendly and polite. The restaurant itself is very nicely set out plenty of space between tables and lovely and warm with nice decor. Food was amazing could not believe the size of the portions for the price and was all freshly made and very tasty. We got 3 specials, 4 pints of coke, a garlic bread and extra portion of chips all for £39, we left with full bellies and smiles on our faces would definitely recommend excellent value for money overall 10/10 could not fault a single thing!

Love it here, foods amazing, waiting staff are lovely and price cannot be beaten

Lovely friendly staff. Food was great as usual. Has a lovely time , will be visiting again soon .

Great place for good quality food at a good price.

Staff are lovely, food was delicious and prices are good, just wish they didn't play the music so loud. Felt like I was in a nightclub, not a restaurant, very hard to have a conversation

Have visited and used the takeaway service on a regular basis and have always been happy with the food but disappointed tonight. Just picked up a four seasons pizza. Very sparce topping and no ham. I've been done out of a season.

Update 13/12/22 - The below review is still valid. Standards are being maintained well! Only gripe is that the men's bathroom is absolutely freezing! Original review: Food was amazing, brilliant service too. Would recommend this place for families and large groups! The steaks are really good, any of the pasta dishes are awesome!

Beautiful meal.All the sauces in this place are delicious!Staff are pleasant too,very helpful..Love it!Hot chocolate was a bit of a let down however as it was watery and looked more like hot milk,but that was the only thing wrong.

Came here for a family meal tonight. Service was initially good however as the volume of the music increased, the level of service drastically decreased. The food itself was just ok however we won’t be back because of how poor the service was. It felt to me like they had too many guests for the number of staff, so we were left for a good 20/30 minutes with empty main course plates on our tables. In the end we had to ask them to clean the tables so we could order dessert. It’s a shame as the restaurant itself is nice and airy, had the service been better, we may have considered coming again, but not now.

1st visit to this restaurant. Very impressed, friendly staff who made us very welcome. We had the lunch special menue, it was great value for money. Beautiful surroundings and rest rooms impeccable. We will be back👍

We went to this restaurant on a Saturday afternoon and it was really busy.We ordered drinks after a short wait and all had starters and mains.Three potato skins and one pate were all lovely and then two pizzas and two pasta dishes came out.Again all lovely and washed down with Moretaine.The bill came to £80 for a group of four which was great value for what we had( 2 rounds of pints inc).We shall return.

Had a brilliant time food was amazing, staff were very tentative singer was great

Good service and food, friendly staff.cold beer, tender steak and crispy chips yum yum.

Had a Sunday lunch there The meal was terrible I had beef neded a power saw to cut through it Veg was barley warm Loked like the food had been standing about for hours Unhelpful staff Over priced drinks I think they should just stick with Italian meals Would never go back To many other good places to go Ie Woodlands in edmesley

What a much better sambuca then the one in consett. Great service freindly helpful staff. Didn't have to wait long. Place is do much bigger and great atmosphere. It was a customers birthday and the staff got everyone to sing happy birthday to him. Only let down was my burger, it was ok, I've had better.

Very good, meals were generous portions and enjoyed by us all. Would recommend it.

Much better than my last visit a few years ago. Good value for money, but like many places drinks are expensive

We order 3 filters steaks and asked for them to be medium and they where over cooked it was very dry

Ok food in a good location. Cheap too.

Fantastic meal but chose the wrong night, just too noisy