The Blue Bell in Stockton-on-Tees

We ordered 2 Parmos the price went up in 6 weeks by 7 pounds asked for more cordial in our drinks and wanted to charge us extra food was awful chips were frozen not good won’t be going back

Boring and bland. One size parmo and it's quite small. At this point I'm sure it's kept going solely due to its location and appeal to the elderly. Used to be my favourite and go to restaurant. These days though... Meh. ------------------------ My 5 star review from years ago: Giant pulled pork parmo. Great for a date, and a good start to a night out in Yarm.

First time here and wasn't disappointed the food was lovely and good portion sizes. There were 11 of us, 4 with additional needs All the staff were lovely, Jordan especially as he was our server and he was absolutely fantastic with the group, especially the 4 with additional needs.. very patient, attentive and funny which we all liked. Made us all feel very welcome. Thank you for a nice evening we will definitely be back

Review: 2018 Best parmos iv ever had and iv had my fair share. Just a shame about the price going up. Edit: 2025 Parmos aren’t the same as they used to be quite bland. I asked for the hot shot without the chilli’s it came with basically a full onion cut up, under my cheese 🤮 won’t be coming back. Tasted like a cheese and onion toasty 🤣

Currently sat outside having just finished our main courses. On a hot spring evening, we decided to have a wander down for tea. We ordered from the main menu, 3 main courses, but the girl behind the bar failed to inform us that there was offers on for 2 courses for £16. Main courses arrived quicker than expected. I was very surprised to see the tiniest portion sizes. I queried this with the guy from behind the bar and he advised that it’s due to the brewery measuring portion sizes and auditing stock monthly. The food was lovely, just not enough of it. This pub used to serve an extensive parmo menu and the best chunky chips (I’m a Hartlepool lad and parmos aren’t my thing, but these used to be superb). To be served a miniscule portion of frozen skin-on fries that cost £1.60/bag up the road at tescos is outrageous. The new brewery need to sort this out asap otherwise they’re going to ruin a cracking pub. As for the staff, I can’t fault them, friendly and helpful as always but when I queried the portion sizes you could see it didn’t sit easy

This place is fabulous. The food is amazing, beautiful Sunday roast. Piping hot and very very tasty. Jordan is absolutely hilarious and I could sit laughing at him all day. He literally made our day, we witnessed him refusing to serve a really drunk older man but instead called him a taxi and waited with him outside to make sure he was safe, how lovely. All of the staff were great, Ali has a great team and runs a right ship. We will make this our go to when visiting family in Teesside. Thanks again Kel and Paul xxxxx

Good service, nice food, I had the parmo for £14.95 and the wife had chicken n ham pie, both really tasty. Lots of seating and nicely decorated, dog area also indoor with seating.

Only popped in with the dog and we wanted a drink and to sit in the beer garden. Staff are nice, just a shame they didn’t have enough on to cope for a Saturday afternoon, waited at the bar 4 deep for nearly a lifetime

No more home made chips? It’s been a while since we last visited (last summer) but now just skin on fries. 15 chips in total 😂 Nice place for a drink but the food is a non starter.

Called today at lunchtime after hearing it had opened again. Always loved this pub and location is one of the best spots you can get in yarm. My daughter and I had the lunch time menu which included a drink which I thought was good value,till it came. The size was on like a same place and although it said chips with skins it was oven chips which was very disappointing. Always had great chips before. Unfortunately my wrap was filled with chicken that seemed like thigh and the worst cuts of meat. The filling was good with cabbage ect but the quality of chicken let it down badly. My daughter enjoyed her steak sandwiches which was a bonus but presentation leaves a lot to be desired. We called to another venue later that day and the food was looking the standard you expect from a popular pub so unfortunately unless it improves I think my business will be taken elsewhere apart from a drink as the location is worth that.

Myself, husband and son have just had lunch. First time since refurbishing, absolutely gorgeous, the food was gorgeous, couldn't fault a thing, staff very attentive and polite, will definitely be going back.

Gorgeous staff, lovely bar and great food. Parmo is delicious - bit pricey, but lovely all the same.

The location is picturesque along Yarms river, with both indoor and outdoor seating. I truly loved my visit to this great little spot. The pints were well poured, and the Parmo's second to none, as im sure is other food. The atmosphere is relaxing with real log fires and plenty of seating. During my visit, it was relatively quiet. However, I can imagine it gets pretty lively at times. A must stop location when in Yarm.

Called in this lunchtime. First time since the new owners. Ordered the Steak Sandwich from the lunchtime menu. Excellent and attentive service from the staff. Food was excellent. In an area where service standards are dropping was a refreshing experience and I would highly recommend.

Great food, beautiful views and dogs allowed.

Visited here with family for mother's day. Service was impeccable (particular shout out to Jordan). Atmosphere was welcoming, and although busy not noisy. Food was lovely, we had starters, mains and dessert. Will definitely return!

We have been today for Mother’s Day Meal really very disappointed and very slow service dirty plates on your table for far to long . No cutlery supplied with my starter / only a spoon with my sweet / no butter knife . Only two fork and knife’s on the table we had to take the cutlery from the next table . Couldn’t find anyone to complain to I would of been up and down to the bar to complaining. The pub is trying to up grade the standard’s but failed miserably. Food tasteless and not worth the value. The prawn cocktail was laughable So cheaply done for the price it was a disgraceful . My Daughter sweet was over cooked in the microwave. Been before 3 courses for about 15 pounds far better. Won’t be back Not even worth trying again .

Service great by Jordan, food was very well presented prices as re very reasonable on some items expensive on others beef Sunday dinner was great 4 adults 2 kids on Mother's day

New Landlady (Alison) a few weeks ago... I can only go of my own experience and all the staff were very friendly and welcoming... Even accommodated my visit early morning. The pub was bright and clean (photos) with many seating options including a covered patio and garden tables. The blue bell is in a great location just over the bridge in Yarn. Plenty off free parking but you must put your Registration in on the machine !! Thank you Alison and the team for your assistance during my visit today... Best wishes and good luck for the future. Damian.

Good attentive service and decent food

Exceptional steak pie!.and a very good pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord!

Popped here on a whim on that extraordinarily warm Saturday on March 7th (2025) to sit out overlooking the river whilst having a spot of lunch with my 10 year old. It was great. Cheapish grub, well cooked & presented, and a reasonable pint. What more could you ask for ?

Would be in here every few weeks for a meal, and it had (in my opinion) the best parmos in Teesside. Went in yesterday for a birthday meal only to find the menu has been changed and the cajun and sweet and sticky parmos we would usually get are now no longer available and all you can get now is plain or hotshot. We would have left had we not needed to feed the little one but wish we had in all honesty... It's not even clear they do parmos anymore as it's not on any of the 3 different menus (not sure why this many) on the table and I had to go ask if they still done them. Proceeded to get a regular parmo and a mixed grill. Parmo only comes in one size now? It's totally different from any parmo previously and not in a good way. Salad is not the same - no dressing anymore is a bizarre change. Chips, as you can see from pictures on other reviews here, used to be proper cooked chips... they're now frozen chips, which weren't any good. Paid extra for salt and chilli chips, which consisted of a different salt basically, what a waste. I left for the first time feeling disappointed and unsatisfied. It seems like a new owner has came in, wanted to do their own thing and then things like parmo, which surely was a menu staple previously, have been an afterthought the new owners have tacked on, but badly. I'm sure there are business decisions for removing the parmo selection and changing the chips etc. But it's no longer a place we will be going because of this. What was a lovely pub with a great location and fantastic food is now just like any other run of the mill pub. I'd rather save the drive and go somewhere more local now for the same basic menu. At least I'll get proper chips and a decent parmo. A real shame.

Decided to try out after seeing a few reviews. Husband had 2 set menu - great value for money- pate and then fish and chips. I had the Scampi - best ever! Excellent food- will be back!

Natalie our server was wonderful, very knowledgeable with the menu and friendly ☺️ The food was amazing and brought out quickly. I had the parmo which was incredible. Will be back again!

Price of Beer is high . Food was poor . I wouldn't recommend this place .

First time back here since it re opened.The refurb has definitely been a success which I can't say about the food.We ordered the cheese and bacon burger and the chicken burger and a salad as you now don't get salad with your meal unlike before it came as standard.The portion sizes are definitely smaller and although we don't want massive portions the price was far too high for what you got my husband had literally about 12 chips with his burger so I ended up giving him my chips in order that he actually had a reasonable size portion.Iverall very disappointed with the new menu and definitely no where near as good as before and we won't be rushing back anytime soon.

Came for lunch today, queued for a long time, staff not serving in order, walked out. Shame. Will try again on a colder day when staff are more prepared hopefully?

Called here on recommendation from a friend and wish we hadn't bothered. This place for me is somewhere you go for a quick bite before you head off into Yarm. Not a place to take your wife for a quiet meal after a long week at work . The menu is very limited. Not up to the standards as expected. Having said that the hospitality was very high . Lovely staff and excellent bar service. Sorry but for us wouldn't return simply because food not to the standards it should be .nothing on the menu would be of recommendation sorry 😞

Used to love going here for parmos they were the best around. However since it’s been taken over it’s gone down hill the parmo we had last week was by far the worst from a pub we have ever had absolutely gutted as it was one of our favourite pubs to visit.

Nice experience apart from being asked to move our table and helping staff with chairs which wasn’t a problem, but, I do think we were very accommodating. Then when I ordered my ‘not very cheap’ meal, it did not have all the ingredients it said it would on the menu. Nothing was mentioned about this at the time of ordering and no substitute was offered. I am a great lover of samphire and would have preferred to have had this, but it was brushed off by the kitchen staff which I feel annoyed at as I now probably won’t eat there again. A simple remedy has cost one customer straight away. It takes nothing to acknowledge you cannot supply everything your charging for, but please , have some sort of option in its place after your customers have been more than accommodating with you!

Went in on Sunday 23rd of February... Never been before so decided to try somewhere new.. Plenty of parking just have to put your reg in the I pad inside... me and my wife had the Sunday dinner.. I had beef and my wife had chicken... Service for the dinner was about 20 minutes which we didn't think was to bad... Both of us enjoyed our meals which were very good and while not huge portions they left plenty of room for a dessert... Because no one had noticed we'd finished I decided to go to the bar and order them.. Ordered and returned to my seat and after about half an hour a waitress noticed us sitting there and asked if everything was OK. I pointed out that I'd ordered 2 desserts about half an hour before.. She said she would chase them up and they were bought out about 10 minutes later... So altogether a 40 minute wait... Desserts were both delicious and would definitely visit again although I hope the service would improve next time. Very nice atmosphere and the views on a summer day outside would be great I think.. Looking forward to this in the future 👍

Haven't been here for years but we gave it a try for a quick lunch and it was pretty good. Service was a little slow - order taken straight away but food took a while. Always the same when you are in a rush! Food was good and reasonably priced. Also has free parking- especially important now that Yarm high street makes you pay for 3 hours.

Lovely menu and polite staff! New returb looks fantastic!

I have just been for meal since it was reopened my first impressions was good as we were great on arrival waited on at the table it was like I was in a restaurant not a village pub. The staff were very friendly and nothing was a problem if you asked for anything as for the food that was excellent and would recommend good here to anyone as the bar has been lifted since the refurbishment and change of management. Can not wait to return.

Just been in this afternoon Friday 14th Feb food excellent drink prices really good staff very efficient really good atmosphere

love it here! nice food, affordable drink, lovely location especially in the summer. such a shame it closes at 9 or earlier most days. quiet because people can’t see the point in making the trip to only get one drink in at the start of a night out.

Good selection of mains but post Christmas supply issues left quite a number of items unavailable. Not normally the case and can highly recommend.

Just been for Sunday Lunch,had the three course Turkey dinner,for £15,it's a no brainer,excellent food and service,would certainly recommend.

Very large pub with lots of seating for meals and n area with a snooker table. Chatty and friendly bar man and a good beer on keg. Would have liked a few more beer choices but I realise beer isn't a big seller in a lot of pubs. Would be happy to go back and try some food.

Absolutely fabulous food, really tasty always great value. Lovely staff and one of the best beer gardens on teesside. What's not to like!!

Food wasn't as good as last time we visited

We had a birthday celebration meal at the Blue Bell, and the staff were fantastic. Everyone enjoyed their food, which came out all together (pet hate when you wait 10 mins for the table to get it's food) the pub has one of the best pub gardens with river views. A must visit if you're in Yarm.

No longer have any vegan options so unfortunately I couldn't eat here with my Grannie, who has always loved it here. Very busy and understaffed (although the few staff were very kind). 50 minute wait on food, so it was almost a good thing that I couldn't eat here.

Went to Yarm fair yesterday and called in for lunch with a friend 2x parmo. The food was delicious, and service was great as always a lovely pub thank you x

Ages 86, 82,n68 and 41. Don't be deceived by the entrance and car park as the main part is at the other side. Large car park. Disabled entrance from car park to inside pub but 2 steps down to go outside. The back of the Bluebell has 3 small steps down with handrails to the covered veranda which has tables and chairs and furtur steps and seating areas going down to the riverside. River and viaduct can usually be seen from each level. Toilets are clean and odour free. We ordered Ham and egg with chips - 2 eggs lots of tender ham, plenty of chips. Chicken in mushroom sauce with chips. Food was delivered fairly quickly. Ham and eggs got a 5 One chicken got 4* One chicken got 3* The chicken had been fried until it was browning on the outside. This made the chicken very chewy on the outside, I've got my own teeth and couldn't chew some of it it was saved for the dog. It would have been nicer boiled or in foil in oven. Likewise some of the chip bits were so hard it was like eating a boiled sweet. 3 pints Pepsi Max and 1 tea Total cost £46.15 Would I go back ? Yes I would. Last time here everything was great.

Best pint of Guiness I've had in a long while. You've got it perfect. We called for our Sunday Lunch, very very nice. We'll definitely come again

Great Classic British pub, northern style! Just simplify the parking rules...

My friend took here for my birthday lunch the food was excellent will be back.

Not as good as usual Asked waiter if chef had changed He said supplier of chips was new Chips were pale and not as good as usual Parmo was different and presentation of Peppercorn chicken poor Pile of rice no veg not enough sauce

I have visited the Blue Bell a few times in the past, the parmos are renowned and I have always had a good time, so I booked a table for 12 people for my birthday meal as I thought it would be in good hands. I was throughly disappointed with our experience. After insisting on a £5pp deposit for the large party, when we arrived the staff had not even arranged a table for us to sit together and had simply placed a few reserved signs on three separate (albeit close) tables, meaning we had to arrange these ourselves to make it so no one was sitting apart. There was literally no one else sitting around so cannot understand why. The music was on very low and there was no one else sitting inside so the atmosphere was depressing and we had to ask for the music to be turned up a little. There were minimal staff who seemed inexperienced on the bar meaning the queue was ridiculously long to order food or a drink, despite the bar being far from busy. The toilets were blocked and dirty in both the ladies and I am told the males. The food was ok, but one party member received the wrong order and two others ordered a sharing platter which consisted of two items each and was inadequate for two. I don’t know how this place has gone so down hill, but staff made little effort to make this a fun or pleasant experience for me, and it put a dampener on my birthday celebrations. Luckily afterwards in other bars made up for it. It is clear that on a Saturday there needed to be more staff on with experience or better training. I will not be booking food here again and will probably avoid for the foreseeable.

Attended on a saturday 6pm for a birthday meal with a group of 10 others. We had to arrange tables ourselves as staff hadn’t sorted the booking, the atmosphere was more like a wake rather than a birthday party we actually had to ask for some music to be put on, the staff were so unhelpful with a distinct lack of social skills, ordered a Texas Ranger parmesan to be brought out the wrong parmesan after waiting an hour (there were around 20 people in the whole building). Overall absolutely shocking and definitely will not be attending again.

Beautiful location, happy friendly staff good selection of drinks.

Great pub on the riverside at Yarm we had 2 meals for £16 super value and delicious I had lasagna and my granddaughter had Cajun chicken seasa

Really nice pub with a good selection of beers, largers and wines . Good service and pleasant staff worth a visit

An hour to wait for food but they don’t tell you when you order your drinks. The place is practically empty too. I don’t know how they stay open

Lovely location. Spoilt by lacklustre and rude staff. More signs that are acceptable . To the owner, more staff training needed. Very or experience indeed

Visiting relatives and was shocked by the dirty furniture, poor quality food.and questionable bill. We arrived late, and family had already ordered for the children so we continued with the meal.. Last summer when visiting relatives we always sat outside and enjoyed lovely meals. This year was a totally different story Chairs were filthy. Portion size - tiny and poor quality Add ons when not requested. Only discovered when meals arrived. The staff don’t understand that the majority of customers go for a meal for enjoyment not to leave disappointed and deflated.

We (three of us) called in last night at 9.30pm for a drink. It wasn't busy but there were a few customers in. We had just ordered a bottle of wine and sat down when they announced they were closing at 10pm. Not a great introduction for my brother in law who has just moved into the area. The wine was also not very good quality.

Great pub, terraces overlooking the River Tees at Yarm.

It's a model of a castle stuck on the gatepost of a house

Went to Yarm yesterday 19th may 2024 for a foreigners journey back playing at the princess alexander auditorium. Decided to go to the blue bell for a drink. my husband joined an extremely large queue waiting to be served . he had to stand exactly 15mins as there was only person serving and 1 other person taking food orders and cleaning tables. this carried on throughout the day .then after 2 hrs he joined the queue again to order our lunch again it took 15mins to get served and was informed that our lunch was going to take a further 1 and a half hours . we eventually got our lunch after an hour it was nice but not worth waiting all that time wont be going again .they need to sort out priorities such as having staff serving drinks and another solely on the food. really disappointing

Great place stops servicing food at 730 though

We have been here a few times for meals, especially in the summer months when it's warmer(hopefully 😁) and have never been disappointed. On this occasion we both had the steak and mushroom pie with home made chips and peas and we both agreed that this was probably our best meal yet. 👏👏 And even better was that it was served to us after a very short wait, which was just as well because we were starving, lol 😁 The barman/staff was exceedingly helpful and cheery.

Lovely food. Outside dining area has wonderful views over the river. Went again tonight ( 13th Feb 24). Had steak pie and chips and cheesecake. Food was lovely staff friendly. Had a lovely night there

Very quiet when we went, food is nice at a good price, drinks were expensive, staff spot on, just make sure you put your car Reg in the tablet/pad inside or you will get a £100 parking fine like I did, althought the staff are going to cancel the charge with parking eye.

Sunday lunch here was excellent,good service, and really good value,didn't have long to wait for the meals to arrive,would certainly return.

Booked a table for 6.45, arrived and they said an hour and a half wait for food which we decided was fine, got a drink sat down and picked what we wanted, went to go and order at 7ish, 5 of us deciding we all wanted various parmos, they had ran out of chicken and where closing the kitchen I don’t know if this is a good thing they’ve sold out or incompetent ordering, 7pm on a Friday night lol I imagine one of there busiest money making nights, we won’t be returning, shambles, went to Peking gardens 10mins away instead

My son and I popped in here for some lunch. Upon ordering our meal I was told by the bar staff we had to take our own sauces and cutlery to the table which I did. Our food arrived, and when I was about to add a little salt I realised I hadn’t picked up the salt and pepper as my hands were full of other things. I politely asked the waitress who delivered our food if she wouldn’t mind bringing us the salt and pepper? At this her response was “your meant to do that yourself “ which I found to be poor hospitality, rude , undignifying and un welcoming I could understand if they were busy and staff were rushed if their feet, but actually 3 staff were stood at the bar chatting and there was me my son and 1 other couple in the whole pub. I waited 10mins and I’d still not received any salt and pepper so I went to go see what had happened and to fetch the salt myself as my food was getting cold. At this as I walked in, I saw the waitress stood at the bar chatting to her colleagues As you could imagine, this made me furious so I’d asked to speak to the manager. The manager came out to see me. I explained the above situation and apologised for not taking all my condiments to my table, however it was not going to break anyone’s back to offer some good customer service and good courtesy in grabbing a little salt. The manager then said, the waitress had been to see him, and at that the decision she made as to not bring a bit of salt was with her manager’s blessing. When I think about it, it’s such a shame that people lack so my human compassion and that they would out of stubborn behaviour treat a customer in such a way. I will NEVER return to that place. I don’t think I’ve ever been disrespected and treat like such a dumbo in all my 44years of life.

Went in today for a classic, however really disappointed with how thin the chicken was on the parmo, which is a shame as I know if it was thicker it would have been loverly.

Parmo cost me £15 and it came and it was pink so disappointed in it staff wouldn’t give me a refund coz I had a few bites won’t. Be returning back at all it’s a disappointment

We had a lovely 3 course meal last night 🤗

We went for a Christmas meal here on the 6th December. The food was excellent. You couldn’t fault it . Piping hot too ! Well done all and Thankyou for a great evening.

We visited on 23rd Nov, table for 3. Lovely mixed grill, chips were amazing, tomatoes were cooked very well done as requested, so really soft which is perfect for me. Looking at the photo I think they forgot my egg but there was one my colleagues plate, so never mind. Would defo go back again. Only downside is the pub shuts at 9pm, so it was really quiet in there, except the birthday party table that gave us free chocolate birthday cake before our meal 🤣

3 courses for £15 and the food was superb 👌 will definitely be back 😋

It was a Sunday lunchtime. Arrived at 12.20 had booked in advance. Pub almost empty,but barely any staff. Ordered by 12.40 and food finally arrived at 1.50…no warning of any delay. We had a three year old with us, so that was great ! They advised when we ordered they had no sausage, no pigs in blankets. One of us wanted a mixed meat Sunday lunch, just half and half. Advised it would be £4.50 more. They had no large Parma’s and the regular ones were tiny. Food finally arrived. The fellas Sunday lunches were served like this ….. a plate with the meat and a spoonful of mash on came first…. A 10 minute delay then the veg, advised then the roasties would be another 10 mins as were in the oven ! Brought out 4 roasties and we asked where are the rest. We were advised there are two each…. By this point I started to laugh. The roasties were obviously aunt Bessie’s…. Absolute joke… will never go back

couldn’t recommend more lovely food, had classic parmo and biscoff sundae dessert. great prices with a 3 course deal and nice staff 🙂

Very poor we walked in and my daughter had the last bit of Fanta and was told she couldn't drink it, although we were buying a round of drinks , we were told where to sit but what really appalled us was a Mum and her small daughter asked to use the toilet and she was told NO we were shocked! Very very poor and must certainly will not visit again!

Really disappointed I've came here for years but has just gone downhill over time, to the point the parmesan now no longer has breadcrumbs on it along with poor quality potatoes used for the homemade chips, instead it's a thin film of batter which I could only compare to as a frozen battered piece of chicken? it used to have a good atmosphere, seems like there's no thrive in the place anymore and they're willing to let such a beautiful pub/restaurant go to waste, such a shame won't be returning.

Delicious food at a very reasonable price for a lunch time meal. Whenever l'm in Yarm this is where I choose to eat

Been here several times, always great service

MUSHY LASAGNE/GAMMON WAS FAR TOO SALTY . VERY POOR FOOD THE PUB COULD DO WITH A DEEP CLEAN AS IT LOOKED VERY DUSTY.

The meal was fantastic, and the service was great. Staff were very helpful, free car park remember to put reg in the console inside 👍🏻

One of the best pizzas I've ever had!!!

Beautiful location on the river and plenty of space but sadly the food was not good at all.

Lovely meal whilst sat on the verandah. Such a beautiful view over the river to Yarm.

Nice Pint, Great Parmo, Understaffed though.

Excellent food good service food piping hot friendly staff

Great staff, good food well priced :)

Lovely outdoor area, but took ages to be served at the bar the whole time we were there so left.

We were a party of 14 and there was also another group in but sadly there weren't enough staff on. Waiting time to get served wasn't good. Whilst the food was nice there were at least 3 items on the menu that weren't available. Spoilt the birthday celebration a wee bit. Will still go again though.

Lovely grub but very busy at Sunday carvery...

Nice setting but £15 for a wine and a larger I found Very steep , and not nice wine. Went as a family and one group orded right after the other and one set of meals came and we finished before the next set of meals came . Nothing any different than you can get anywhere .

Visited at lunch time for a quick meal. Ordered the classic burger, service was quick and food tasted great. Homemade chips are a massive selling point and I asked for my fries to be swapped which they did no problem. Portion size was great and excellent value for money.

Nicely appointed large pub with lovely views and outdoor space.

Lovely place, fast friendly service, great pint, nice atmosphere, beer garden, recommended.

Excellent service,lovely little pub,good grub

We went on a busy Saturday.... unfortunately there was a long wait in the queue to be served...40 minutes...

The food is very nice and good service

Good local pub, came up for a work trip. Tried one of their Parmos, wasn't disappointed👍