The Black Bull in County Durham

I write this review with a heavy heart, as The Black Bull, once a decent value pub, has succumbed to a drastic decline that leaves customers like myself utterly disheartened. Before the dark cloud of COVID loomed the pub had great opening times that were a genuine attraction for customers. Late opening kitchen and bar offered somewhere to go when other venues were closed. One of the most significant blows has been the slashing of opening hours, a decision that has left the once vibrant pub lifeless. Staffing cuts are ruining the venue, leaving employees demotivated and demoralized. As if that weren't enough, prices have skyrocketed, making every visit feel like you're paying more whilst getting a lot less. Despite enduring reduced opening hours in a show of loyalty, the pub has once again slashed its availability, closing the doors as early as 9:20 pm on weekdays. This renders midweek outings for a drink virtually worthless, a bitter pill for the numerous regular customers who enjoy meeting within the venue. There's a group of 4 or 5 of us who regularly drink here multiple times per week who no doubt will look elsewhere. The financial decisions behind these changes seem deeply flawed. With a gross profit margin ranging between 63% and 67% on beverages, even closing at 10 pm incurs losses. I've witnessed 20 to 30 people some weeknights unable to make purchases due to the premature closure, losing potential profits (not revenue) of £50 per round or more. All this to save 9 staff hours per week (£90) .. although this was before hours were reduced further. At £4.55 for a pint of San Miguel, the pub is sacrificing approximately £2.55 in profit per pint. Multiply that by the number of disgruntled customers, and it becomes evident that this mismanagement is driving away loyal patrons. The suggestion that reduced opening hours save money is unfounded when considering the lost revenue and frustrated clientele. Regular customers provide bread and butter revenue streams and have increased loyalty. They are often most affected by these changes which ultimately are trying to reduce costs from a reduction in patrons At other times of trade. It's clear retaining customers and then boosting sales is the key not cutting hours. As a customer who, on average, spends £100-120 per week at The Black Bull, these reduced hours are an insurmountable disappointment. Tonight, 2 of us redirected £50+ of our money to a competing venue simply because The Black Bull decided to close its doors prematurely. What's additionally frustrating is that both Google, the website, and social media still have the previous opening hours. This smacks of decision making without follow through. The final galling element is that apparently these decisions were made well before Christmas and haven't been communicated to customers. Indeed this evening, out of the two of us coming in for a drink, it was only myself that were informed about the opening hour changes as I'd arrived at 9.05pm It would have been significantly better to have communicated these changes to customers well in advanced thus better managing expectations. I expect that these decisions have been made at area manager level and above, by individuals who are not familiar with the venues. If they were they would see the incorrectness of their call. If someone is to reach out to me about this review I'd expect this to be an Area Manager not a venue manager. Here's hoping you can rectify these errors in the near future. EDIT. Dec 2024 Weekday hours are now 10pm close. Slightly better though it would be much preferred to see an 11pm return to closing. Weekend hours are good and Sunday is 10.20pm last orders. Which we would like to see back to 11pm There have been some good additions to the bar. New IPA's San Miguel, Peroni etc have definitely helped a lot and there are more customers in now than when I last wrote this review.

One of our regular bars, love the food and drinks. Great staff that are welcoming and accommodating.

Reasonable food at a reasonable price

Very nice place to eat, the food was excellent and the service was perfect especially by Chloe who served us and the chef Peter who cooked the meal. I do recommend

Lovely lunch, came quickly, presented really well and nice and hot! Couldn’t ask for more, served by Carol and Peter was in the kitchen.

We come here often with our friends and family. We always get great discounts off the sizzling app and the staff are always happy to help. Food is great value for money!

Food was spot on, great value for money. Amelia served us was great to see someone so enthusiastic. We will return again.

Me and my boyfriend went for the first time and will definitely come again. The chefs Stacy and Peter did such a good job with the food it was lovely and the waiting staff were so friendly and asked about any allergies.

Friendly pub for a quick pint and a bite to eat after shopping. I had an 8 oz rump with peppercorn sauce and chips, with a cheesey garlic bread on the side. The meal didn't take too long to come. Staff and pub dressed for Halloween and looking great, as usual. Staff as always friendly and helpful, especially Jade and Lesley

Atmosphere is lovely. Quality of food is exceptional. Great value for money as food portions are above average. Would definitely recommend going for a meal.

Had fish and chips but the chips weren't nice. Tasted rubbery. Fish was ok mostly. Food was slow coming in a not very busy pub. You get what you pay for, I suppose.

Service was efficient. Food was really good and all four of us enjoyed the meals.

Excellent customer service with great tasting food.

Welcomed our residents, very friendly, kind and helpful. The locals were also lovely and friendly

very pleasing atmosphere and staff very good

Wide menu to cater for all tastes. Not haut cuisine. Service was helpful but decisions had to be checked upwards which took time.

Very welcoming food was gorgeous

Called here on a Saturday afternoon for something to eat. Upon entry we were immediately made to feel welcomed and we were greeted by some friendly locals. They have plenty of tv screens with sports on and have plenty to choose from on the menus. Parking outside was easy. The service was very quick but the food was pretty standard for the price paid. Overall though would return but maybe not for a bite to eat. This seems like more of a local pub where you go to drink as opposed to have a bite to eat. (Everyone is so friendly though).

Food always lovely here and great value for money. Always have excellent deals on too. Staff are fantastic and always friendly.

Booked a table on a Monday eve in advance. Took over a hour for food, it wasn't busy either, food OK when arrived. Staff not engaging or very friendly.

3 consecutive times that I have now asked for food well before 9pm to be told NO (8:13). If an establishment advertises to serve food till 9pm then that’s what should be delivered. Purposefully didn’t have tea before coming out to eat at the Black Bull. Last time I will visit here on an evening. **** poor!

Took the wife and daughter and it was jammed packed today due to a discount promotion however the 3 girls,Sarah,Ashley and Lesley never stopped. Great service and compliments to them all. Jackie

Called into our local Black Bull for lunch and to use a voucher from our app. As we frequently use the pub for food I ordered as usual the sizzling Salmon . It was very disappointing a very small piece of salmon part if it was cooked and the end part of the fillet was cremated I couldn't even get my fork in it. I've recommended this particular dish to friends but after today I'll certainly not.

We popped in for tea whilst the footie was on last week. The food was great and so was the service in what was a very busy pub.

Great pu great food and a fantastic atmosphere

A really nice revamp and a better layout makes for a pleasant visit

Good value for money in terms of what you get food wise. Staff always go out of their way to make life easy for you.

It was clean, friendly staff good overall

Good budget pub for a meal, good atmosphere would recommend

Friendliest staff Table could have been cleaner but every

Went with my partner and the new menu is delicious as always! Will be back for certain

absolutely love the place staff are lovely and manger was really nice 😊 best food and drink I have had in a while

Good food and service with an excellent choice of drinks.

Great pub to bring the family. New menu is absolutely delicious. We are making our way through the menu so we can try all the new different meals. Staff work very hard when it's busy and we very much appreciate all their hard work.

Came in for some pints. Great service couldn’t have asked for any more

So we’ve dined in at the Black Bull on many occasions. However we got a delivery and it was awful, appreciate food doesn’t travel the same as a restaurant but the portion sizes were very small. I got a burger but it came with no salad etc and was squashed. I got kebab loaded fries but there was hardly any toppings. We got three hunters chicken and it looked like the chickens had been butterflied as were as thin as bacon which there was none on the chicken and were so dry as there was no sauce. Come on BB put the same care into your takeaways esp for the price. Won’t be ordering again which is a shame.

Staff are awesome, cant thank them enough for how lovely they are. Burgers are awesome too and hope they keep the fries as I love them!

1 out of 5 at best..Only 2 other couples in on a Saturday afternoon.. serving quick but poor quality food..Frozen/poor quality Chicken and mushroom pie, dry burnt onion rings… Chicken Curry was very bland/poor quality.. Cannot recommend you chaps from this meal.. Instant mash, never a good idea! Coors tasted very weak… Not Good‼️

Had a great time. Food was delicious. Would go back.

Loving the new menu. The food is great and the staff are fab. Great choice of drinks and snacks I will definitely be returning

Call in with my family for some food, atmosphere really nice, great place to have dogs in the bar, ourdogs loved their treats

Excellent food and friendly atmosphere

Go there every Friday service terrible staff unbelievable the way they dress gravey granules you pay extra and get a spoonful potato is mash taste like the stuff you put on the wall getting worse hartepool is £2 cheaper why

Visited for lunch and the staff were really welcoming and friendly. The service was really quick which was fantastic as we had three children in our party. There is so much choice on the menu and the food was really quick to arrive, generous portions and really tasty. Excellent value for money, we will definitely be back.

Visited for lunch and the service was really quick. The staff were very friendly and helpful and the quality of food was excellent. It has a warm friendly atmosphere and prices are very reasonable. Definitely good value for money. We will be back soon.

Friendly atmosphere. Family pub good food

My partner and I went and it was beautiful and the service was amazing! The tandoori chicken was delicious and my partner had the Greek burger which he said was very delicious also, great quality for the price

Good scran, staff are lovely and good price 👍

Well staffed and well priced for a good service

Lovely food and great staff, atmosphere in side was great

Great place for a take away on Just Eat… always piping hot when we receive it. Definitely becoming a regular :)

Would of given more for service but we ordered chocolate cake without the ice cream asked for custard the bar lady said yes but we will charge you for it so wasn't happy

Lovely place for food, new menu is amazing!

Had chicken gyros not proper chicken. 2 hairs in absolutely disgusting. Got it changed then all veg stuck to plate. Rotten

The menu has recently been changed and is fantastic. It has something for everyone. My husband eats all food types but I am veggie. I can often find menues very limited but this menu is the best. I had halloumi Skillet and it was sizzling and just fantastic. Hubby had chicken wrap. We both loved not only the food but the staff and service were amazing. Food was delivered quickly and sizzling hot and the bar staff helped carry drinks to table. I 100% recommend this pub. Staff are always lovely and food is always served quickly and hot.

First time visitor here. Ordered takeaway food for two. Ordered food for 1845 hrs but didn’t get served until after 1900 hrs. The food was poor. The Gammon I ordered came with a burnt pineapple ring, the gammon was tough and the chips and peas were cold. The other meal I ordered, Hunters Chicken had cold bacon, chips and peas. For the price the quantity and quality justifies the two stars I rated.

Our 3rd time at the Black Bull and it is going to be one of many more. The food was fabulous, fresh and piping hot. The staff are lovely. The pub is comfortable. We downloaded the app so we receive rewards. On this visit we received 20% off the bill! So we have more to spend next time. The menu is varied, something to suit everyone! Many thanks Black Bull see you soon

If you want a traditional Sunday lunch with tasty meats and delicious vegetables this is the place for you. Beware , make sure you are hungry before you go as you are sure to fill your plate with delicious mains.

We had a good meal here!! The service was fab, we had a lovely chat with the manager Jade. Lovely people

Booked table for 40th birthday meal. food was nice but portions on some a little small. Kids and big kids all enjoyed there burgers

New menu fantastic!!! Food awesome. Lovely atmosphere. Everyone of a party of nine enjoyed every last bit of their food. This is why we are regulars!!!

No longer on the meerkat app...the sizzler app offers don't really work as they don't apply to all restaurants so different prices from the app to the menu inside. And the tiny 10% off drinks offer is only on football days. So it's very expensive now for a family to enjoy a eating out day. I used to enjoy coming here but sadly I cannot justify the cost anymore. Foods lovely

Meal was lovely-Gammon perfextly cooked and Sausage and mash was tasty. Jade was on her own-but was very pleasant and efficient. The new menu looks amzing!

Fantastic food at a very reasonable price, made me, my 2 sons and my dog very welcome, staff very friendly and have time for you, been going here for years and have never had a bad meal / experience 5 stars

Love it here great food drink and staff

New menu looked great and tasted even better . We had the sirloin steak which melted in the mouth cooked perfectly and the laying it on chick burger which was very filling and tastes just how it’s described on the menu , it’s a definite must have . Love the new menu i will be going back for the other dishes . Overall the meal was fantastic as was the staff , very friendly and efficient x

Our first time at Black Bull ! AND it won’t be the last! Superb! Piping hot food. Lovely staff, friendly , warm and chatty. Good selection of bees and a decent wine list. The new menu looks fab can’t wait to try everything. A lovely lunch for our first visit. 5 star all the way. Thank you. See you soon

We went in a Wednessay afternoon it was fairly busy we ordered sizzling Salmon for my wife which was cooked to perfection would highly recommend it. I ordered an old fashioned beef burger very well cooked and tasty so a very nice lunchtime visit, the girl who took our order served our food and drinks was very efficient and friendly.

Fantastic friendly staff that are always happy to go the extra mile. Never had to wait too long for food and more importantly they always have a special offer or discount. The place has become our regular place to go for a great atmosphere with great food. Also on occasion brought a large group of of friends and family and they are happy to accommodate.

I've been a local in the Black Bull for over 20 years now. I've eaten here countless times trying many various meals. I've seen landlords, chefs and staff come and go in my time in there, and I will honesty say this is the best the Black Bull has been. The staff are always friendly and polite, from management all the way through to the kitchen staff. The chefs they have in there now are knocking the best food out that has ever left that kitchen in all the years I've been going there. Also, the sizzling app is brilliant for building up rewards. The amount of discounts, free food, drinks and desserts I've had is crazy ( I'm in there at least twice per week 😉 🤷‍♂️ )

Lovely place to eat out. Loved the tasty cheddar Mac n cheese macaroni dish. The other meals looked great. Everyone seemed happy with the food.

New menu is amazing I had the lay it on chick and it was amazing! Can’t wait to come back and try more of the menu. Get yourself in you won’t be disappointed

Really enjoyed my Cluckin Hot Stack and excited for the new menu tomorrow!

Booked for a party of 30 and added extra people last minute, staff went out of there way to make sure all food was brought out together. Service was fast and staff were excellent, thank you for making my mams 60th a night to remember 😁

Perfect every time, lovely food and lovely staff. Can't fault the place

Great Dog friendly experience, staff were very friendly and our pooch was offered treats before we had sat down in the bar, food was prompt and was very nice and well presented. The value was exceptional but a 40% off code did help. We will be back soon.

It makes me quite sad to be having to write this review, we booked to come for our Christmas dinner, was so excited but was let down by the quality of food. Starter was great but the main wasn’t. Couldn’t cut through the stuffing balls or pigs in blankets as they were severely burnt, Yorkshire’s were over done and so were the parsnips to the point they were really hard to chew. We had to leave quite a lot of the food as it was inedible which is such a shame as we paid over £200 for 4 people. I don’t know if there was an issue in the kitchen as none of the staff asked us how the meals were or if we enjoyed the food. On the up side the staff that were working were really friendly and caring. I thought the added Christmas card to our table was a lovely touch. Just a shame the food let everything down

Beautiful lunch can’t complain nice food-staff excellent lovely Christmas lunch all enjoyed very much

Kicked us out at 10:30pm on Christmas eve while we were waiting for our lift home. Opening hours say midnight. Wouldn’t let us wait for 5 minutes in the warmth so had to stand outside in the cold. Zero atmosphere and zero Christmas spirit. Wouldn’t go back to this place again.

Very friendly and polite staff and very helpful good food to and nice atmosphere

As usual with Sizzling Pubs: nice menu. Great value. Lovely food. Helpful staff. Food delivered quickly. Really nice restaurant and good, free parking. Just perfect.

Visited last eve. New menu, very good except burger choice, just wanted a cheese burger. Lovely fish and chips . Surf and turf and a very hot chicken dish. Atmosphere cosy. And very busy. Not been for a while. But will visit again soon., new spp for ordering from table. Price point very good.

The staff are really nice and friendly, made me feel welcome. The food and drink are fairly priced. I would recommend the black bull to anyone

We were able to go to our table as soon as we arrive. The lady who brought our food was lovely, polite and checked we had everything we needed. The only downside was the long wait for our food although we were informed of this. Food was very tasty. My sister said her steak was cooked to perfection.

One of the best steaks I've had. Cooked to perfection. Service was excellent and very friendly. Highly recommend.

Very tasty meal served by a lovely young lady. We were told 45 minute wait but it arrived much quicker. We have been a few times and always bring our visitors here for a good value meal. Will look forward to the next time.

Very attentive staff nothing was a issue food served on time very cheap and good quality would recommend the steak cooked to perfection also remember to download the app you get loads of discount codes to use

Expertly poured guiness, lovely friendly staff.

I attended with friends recently for dinner. The pub has a really nice atmosphere and the staff were extremely helpful and friendly. The food was served really quickly which was fabulous as we had children with us. The food was piping hot and really tasty....

Fantastic service, Fantastic food, great clean presentation family pub

Lovely place for a quick lunch and beer

Good food in a welcoming environment.

Nice place pop in for snack and a pint

the food was over cooked waited a long time for poor quality food was like a basic kids meal

We have been here twice now over the past couple of weeks and on both occasions we have not been disappointed. We used Groupon vouchers for 2 starters and 2 sizzling skillets for £18 which is very good value. The food is tasty and freshly...

Lovely food as usual 4th time of visiting and will be back. Download the app and get offers or if you have a blue light card you can get a discount that way as well. Definitely worth a visit. Waiting time can sometimes be 30-45 mins but it gets really busy and it's worth the wait and the staff work tirelessly to serve everyone the best they can

Enjoyed tonight seeing friends in a local pub

Tasty, cheap with a great pint and good music❗️👍 Well done chaps 10/10👍 Ever thought of introducing a Specials Board…???

Visit often to eat and / or drink, friendly relaxed atmosphere, kids are welcome and the food menu suits all of us ! Sammy is a star ⭐️

Booked a table for 9pm days in advance (Got there at half 8) To be told when we got there they stopped serving at 7:50pm. Ordered a coffee whilst we decided what to do for food inserted, server decided to go on his break for 20 minutes before he made and served it. Won't be going back of this is the service before they evenderbr you.