Santonios in County Durham

This is a tricky one as I have to leave my review on quality and quantity as it's the whole thing. First of all place was lovely and staff were amazing, I went for the Sunday lunch chicken breast which was really nice and would definitely have again. But this is where I was let down, I had the pate for starter and was it nice yeah but am sorry for £6 the quantity was shocking. One slice of toast ( seemed small), the tiniest bit of jam and I mean tiniest and probably 2 forks of pate, and yes you have to pay for quality I get that but am sorry this was ridiculous for the cost and 100% wouldn't order again. Would I go back yeah would I have a starter definitely not sorry .

We go to santonios 8 or 10 times a year. The food and service is exceptional. Very Very good. The staff are so pleasant. Would recommend to anyone.

This place is totally amazing. I have intolerance to garlic so usually give Italian Restaurants a miss. However I rang this place to book a night in advance and told them my concerns. The lady I spoke to was so lovely and helpful and assured me that there would be something suitable for me. We arrived the evening after and were immediately greeted by the same lovely lady I had spoken to the night before. She went through the menu with me and advised me as to what would be best considering my I intolerance. I chose a creamy chicken dish and I wanted veg and roast potatoes as a side but all the potatoes were garlic roasted, she told me that they would do me a separate portion, non garlic. Absolutely nothing was too much trouble, the meal was outstanding as was the service! For once I could eat out, have something a bit different and not be worried about the after effect, thank you so much to everyone at Santonios!

Something for everyone definitely be back regularly

Always amazing food and service here. Our favourite restaurant!

Dropped by here very last minute to grab a Sunday dinner after hearing good things about the place. We didn't have to wait long for food after we ordered it. The beef was amazing. Fell apart in my mouth, and the gravy was delicious. It came with a decent sized Yorkshire pudding, but I ordered an extra too. The veg was nicely cooked, and there was a decent amount. I would 100% recommend and return for another Sunday dinner.

Had heard good things about Santonios ...we had a lovely Sunday dinner :the half portion as opposed to the full portion meant we could have a lovely cheesecake after.Great value for money ,great food and service plus a nice atmosphere too !

Food and service were both very good, cheesecake was fantastic 😊

Great food and very friendly staff.

Staff amazing. On a bus route!!

An excellent place, highly recommend. I attended for the first with a group of friends . I shall definitely be back.

First visit. Food absolutely delicious. We had Garlic bread with Tomatoe (shared), Lasagne (sizzling), Salmon Carbonara, Eton Mess and Cheesecake. Service excellent. Looking forward to going back. Best restaurant in the area.

Perfect ad always. Favourite family supper stop.

Lovely evening meal at Santonios, rather quiet which is very unusual for a top quality Italian restaurant. My wife ordered Carbonara Penne which was delicious, I had Pollo Strogonoff also amazing. Sticky toffee pudding was lovely with ice cream. Excellent quality food in pleasant surroundings. Will be back.

Great value, friendly staff. It was busy and service was stretched but had a great time for our wedding anniversary. Just chose to take advantage of the early bird menu, great choice at great value before 6 pm.

The food at Santonios is always first class, as is the service. In my view, the best handmade pizza's in the area!

Came this evening, am from the moment we opened the door the staff were so friendly and accommodating!. The place was so clean and well presented, the food was out of this world, maybe abit more than other local Italians but well worth the money and will definitely be back! Thanks

Just been for lunch with my son well happy value g to or money do important these days Jxx

Food was lovely. Created own pizza which was cooked to perfection. Waitress was very attentive and went above and beyond to make sure we were all happy and that the food was to our liking. She had a great personality and was easy to chat to. Overall a fab experience and would recommend 100%.

Really nice, lovely food and great staff.

Wonderful evening, full Tapas menu with great selection from meat, fish & vegetarian. First class food, service & live music from "Let's be Frank" swing & magician Paul Inness.

A great restaurant, which we visit regularly. Our last visit was for Sunday lunch. The food was delicious as always, and the portions are generous. Between us we had lamb, beef and chicken and every meal was perfect. The main menu has plenty of choices for everyone and they always have some lovely specials. The staff are really friendly, service is great and it has a relaxed atmosphere. Can't wait for our next visit.

Always a pleasure to dine here. Come very often and would highly recommend.

Great value, nice staff and venue

Went to Santonio’s as a family of four and loved it! The food was very good (very hearty portions) and staff friendly and attentive. The Lasagne was delicious and husband had steak which was cooked perfectly. Will be back!

Cosy environment due to lighting, decor, colours and music that added to the ambiance without making conversation difficult*! 👏🏽👏🏽 It looks and felt like an upscale place to meet with friends yet we had a comfortable, relaxed visit. Clean bathrooms, too! Warm staff. Good drinks. You know a place has great coffee when even the decaffeinated is fresh and delicious. Though I hesitated to mention we had a small snag, I decided I must allude to it because it was handled so well. Credit for high quality customer service is due here. Staff dealt with it and made it right with easy hospitality and rapid check in that all was sorted. Coffee Drinkers: If like me you are particular about your coffee, ie, you seek to avoid bitter, over-roasted/burnt flavours of a popular large chain (anyone?), then try the delicious, fresh * coffee at Santonio’s. You can ask for it extra hot. Perfect 👌🏽 * Fresh grounds and freshly brewed. ** We had a person with hearing difficulties who cannot hear with moderate background noise but who enjoyed Santonio’s low level music. We also had a person with autism who has sensory difficulties but found it fine to be in this environment.

Thank you Michael and Staff for accepting our takeaway order tonight we really appreciate it. Pasta dishes and garlic pizza bread with cheese was lush as always, you go above and beyond. Thank you again and see soon you all soon.

Enjoyed a lovely meal on a quiet Wednesday evening. Our order was a little unusual but the staff were really helpful and the food was perfect. Excellent customer service and you feel like nothing is a bother for the kitchen team - which is something we really appreciate. I would highly recommend this lovely restaurant.

My friends and I had a delightful meal here. Great service and some of the nicest food we've had on a night out! We'll definitely go back again 👍😊

This was a lovely little find 😊 food was amazing there was 4 of us eating 2 where vegetarians and there was a great selection of Italian food for all of us . We will definitely going back again.

Owner managed and it shows in the service and welcome. Food really good, decent portions without being ridiculous, just quality.

It's been a few weeks since my hubby and I visited Santonios but we were there last Thursday. And I have to say its still as impressive as always. Not only is the food first class but the staff are so friendly but equally professional - we just love this place. I can't recommend Santonios enough!!!!

We live close by so we have been here quite a lot since moving here 3 years ago. Every single time we have come, it has been absolutly delicious. There’s a big menu but also specials on and a range of offers (steak night and 3 course deal) and a great kids menu which our girls love! Sunday lunch is great and there’s a range of other food available alongside the lovely Sunday lunch options. We very rarely venture further than here, all staff are really friendly and accommodating! Definitely worth a try!

Superb food and excellent service in this smashing restaurant. We’ve been several times in recent months and always get a warm welcome with some of the best food available locally. Sunday lunch is particularly good and we would recommend the chef’s special steak diane which is always cooked to perfection.

Great Christmas lunch, great food, great staff

Yet another great visit. We are never disappointed when we come here. The staff are brilliant and so friendly. Nothing is a problem for them. Every dish is delicious and there is a great variety of options. Garlic prawns and garlic mushrooms are favourite starters of ours, while main dishes are hard to choose from. Whether it's pizza, pasta, fish or meat, everything we have tried has been a winner. And the home made bread is divine! Out favourite "go to" place.

Came to this restaurant with my partner as we were staying at Vindomora lodges nearby and thought we would make use of the 10% discount they have with Santonios. The pate starter was a great start however i was extremely unhappy when my partner was questioned about his small food choice by the waitress and questioned as to why he didn’t want anymore food etc. He has an eating disorder and this is the first time we have had anyone question why he’s ordering what he’s ordering, and it made both him and I extremely uncomfortable and angry. I feel he shouldn’t have to explain why he’s getting what he’s getting to anyone. The waitress made him feel belittled and almost laughed at him which I thought was shocking service. We will not be returning.

I have been here twice now, first time for Sunday dinner, could not fault the dinner it was absolutely gorgeous. It was so good we went back to try the normal menu the next Friday night and again couldn’t fault the food. The menu is great, there is something for everyone for sure. To top it of the service is absolutely brilliant. The staff are very friendly. All around a great restaurant with a lovely atmosphere. Will definitely be back and would 100% recommend.

Celebrated my Golden Wedding at Santonios. Food was delicious, service was excellent. Staff are very friendly. By far the best restaurant in the area.

This lovely atmospheric restaurant is consistently, week on week serving beautiful Sunday roast. Staff are very attentive and professional. Can't recommend highly enough

Very helpful staff. Lovely place. Unfortunately for me the food was only average.

absolutely fantastic the food was delicious my partner had the beef dinner i had the chicken in pepper corn sauce could not fault it. wine was chilled to perfection beer was just as good but last but not least the cheese cake what can i say it's the best

Family took us here for Sunday lunch. Absolutely beautiful. Roast lamb dinner was faultless, staff are so friendly. Definitely recommended.

I will never stop recommending this place. Always a 100/10 experience. Food is fantastic and I would eat there for every meal if I could. Service is always great too. I always leave happy and stuffed.

Lovely place and food is always brilliant. Get booked up and give it a try.

We have stayed in the area 3 times on holiday in the last 18 months and have used the restaurante on 4 occasions. The food has always been high quality and the staff very friendly. If your in the area make sure you visit you won't be disappointed.

John and I have been a few times and food is spot on always hot and well prepared definitely recommend

We visited on Wednesday 23 August for our 10 year wedding anniversary while staying nearby in lodges. Some of the best food we've ever eaten, fast and fresh. My wife had prawns in garlic and carbonara and I had goats cheese followed by a perfect steak with chips and the best blue cheese sauce I've ever tasted. We then shared an amazing slice of cheesecake. All staff were lovely. We're planning on returning for a meal even though we live 100 miles away. Thank you for giving us such good memories.

Very well catered for, superb staff and very helpful all the time. Great for both groups (we sometimes go with around 8-10 period) and couples.

We're a local couple who are so very lucky to have a restaurant of this quality on our doorstep. We have been coming for years now and it is consistently very good. Sunday lunch can't be beaten, week on week the roast is fall apart good, and being a gravy fan I'm hard to please bit they definitely manage to please every week. Themed evenings ie Turkish nights etc are amazing. The staff are always friendly and attentive and very professional. This is really worth a visit, you will not be disappointed I guarantee

We Visited Santonios on two evenings during our week's stay at a local working sheep farm. It is a great restaurant with friendly and attentive staff. On both occasions I chose a steak in a pepper sauce - such a lovely meal and beautifully presented. My husband enjoyed a chicken dish and sea bass. The restaurant is very inclusive and our grandson loved his suppers also. So glad we found such a lovely restaurant during our County Durham adventure. Thank you.

Great Food and Service A Good selection on the menu Food was well presented and waiting staff were excellent Would highly recommend

Been here tonight for the first time. Myself and the wife were looking for somewhere quick and easy so decided to finally try Santonios. Decent Italians good selection on the menu Nice little vibe when you came in. Staff were attentive without being to in your face.My ONLY grip and this is me being picky is the pizzas come out uncut and trying to wrestle a slice off whilst extremely hot with a serrated steak knife made it a bit of a messy experience and a few oh ah ee moments trying not to drop napalm cheese all over myself. That said we would definitely go back.

We love this place Staff are great, they instantly know if we walk in with my son who has verbal tourettes to put us up the back of available. Just a really nice place with outstanding food. Prices ? Well you get what you pay for, I wouldn't return to eat if it wasn't worth it, I've paid more for worse food, simple as, keep it up.

We had a fabulous Sunday lunch, one of the best for a long time. We all had something different from menu and all agreed 👍.

Couldn't have been made more welcome by Michael and his staff. Food was delicious.

A "GEM" that my cousins introduced me to while visiting Newcastle, the Santonio with Steak strips was amazing absolutely amazing, still enjoying it the next day. Definitely one of the top 10 dishes l have eaten. The Cheescake again was amazing melts in your mouth, if you want to try it, make sure you ask the server to save you a piece.

11 of us went for a meal. The service was quick and efficient but didn't feel rushed. The food was very good and decent portions. Very good value for money. I would recommend a visit.

Lovely meal, very quick service and friendly staff when we visited!

Went for a Sunday lunch and had a wonderful meal. We have the beef Sunday lunch followed by the chocolate brownie. Great value for money and a delicious Sunday treat

Great place for Sunday dinner. Lovely, friendly staff.

Food nice but service was a bit slow.

Wonderful surprise party. Enormous prawns and delicious pizza. Massive portions.

Had a very nice dinner here today (April 8th 2023). I had a great Pizza Romana, great taste and a full meal. My friends had a pizza and a pasta and were also very satisfied. If you can't finish your pizza they offer you take it with you to eat later. If you are just taking a main menu you already get filled pretty good and you have to waste less food

Had another brilliant gathering here for a birthday

Another great meal, love the place

6 of us had a very good meal here, I loved the Roma sauce and they were very accomodating with my gluten free diet. Prepared to make lots of things gf. When we got to pudds, they very kindly made a really lovely ice cream sundae. Such a change from the usual choc brownie. We will be back, this is excellent, reasonably priced food with outstanding service .

Always great here! Been reluctant to leave a review as I preferred keeping it a secret for myself. The food is beautiful, service staff are very polite and pleasant and the food is very well priced. Deserts are homemade and delicious. No complaints from me. Every time I've been it's been spot on.

I ate the food to fast it was sooo good! We went for a group date but the other couple cancelled they were happy to accommodate for just the two of us instead and you know what the service was amazing, the cocktails were amazing and the food was superb I can't thank them enough for the special night 🥳 thank you!

Fabulous food and service as usual. Thank you.

Food was gorgeous and service was great... allowing just the right amount of time between courses. Already planning to go back for my birthday

Food was ok. Service was quite slow and average.

Great service, fantastic food chilled and friendly atmosphere 👌

Great restaurant tasty food and friendly staff always enjoy my visits here

Booked a table for 8 of us girls for 2 birthdays , lovely staff very pleasant , food spot on , portions amazing , def recommend , lovely place A**

Excellent service, beautiful food , only thing u would recommend would be the locks to be fixed in the lady's toilets. This did not effect the amazing night our table of 13 had. Thank-you

Excellent meal lovely attentive staff . Booked again for next week .Thank you

Steak was terrible burnt and hard on the outside , returned it and the replacement was as poorly cooked chewy, veg cold will not be returning !!!

Great service & great food. Would definitely visit again when in the area.

The surf and turf were delicious according to my wife and son. The fish that I have had too. According to my daughter in law chicken is great as well. In all fantastic meal. Could only recommend.

Great place! Always lovely friendly atmosphere and great food and service. ***

Fabulous food, lovely atmosphere, great place for a catch up with friends 😊

I've been here a lot and I've never had any complaints. The service is excellent the food is superb and the atmosphere is lovely

Visited twice lately going outside my usual comfort order zone and twice its been faultless. Well priced, excellent service, nice beer and wine highly recommended

Food excellent along with Staff

Staff are very welcoming and attentive. Food was excellent, highly recommend the chicken Kiev.

Whilat staying at the vindamora lodges, we have been twice for a meal, the food is excellent and the staff are fantastic, highly recommend a visit for a superb meal

excellent meal, huge portions great staff and atmosphere

Sunday Lunch was absolutely Top Class. Melt in the mouth Beef, beautifully cooked veg crispy roast potatoes and perfect Yorkshire Pudding. This is far the best Sunday Roast in the area for £10. Value and quality at its best.

On Sunday I and my family went here for lunch and by god it was well worth waiting for l. My daughter and I had Chicken kiv and it was gourgous my husband had Chicken in a creamy sauce even that was gourgous. Would recommend this restaurant to anyone 😋😋😋👍

Beautiful restaurant, great staff delicious food

Fantastic food. I like my steak medium and not many restaurants seem to get this right. Santonios gets a big thumbs up from me as got my steak perfect and my girlfriend said her meal here was top notch also. 👍

Been a few times and loved it every time

Only been a few times but every times food was great and great service

Fantastic food, great friendly service. Can't fault this place.. Amazing ❤️

We had a lovely Sunday dinner here, the beef melted in your mouth. Excellent table service, friendly welcoming staff.

Great food, relaxed ambience with excellent service. Will keep coming back

Absolutely fantastic food. Cooked to perfection and huge portions. Very good value too.

A lovely restaurant lovely food and staff very friendly

Had beautiful food and service. Staff were very friendly and we will definitely be going back !