The Hat and Feathers in County Durham

My wife and I had travelled up from Leicester to stay in the area for a few days to visit relatives, and we decided to have our dinner at this pub. We use this chain quite a lot as we know that the food is normally fine and we won’t be charged the Earth for it. We’d never been in this particular establishment, so did not know what it was like, but were more than happy with what we found. Now, before I go into the review proper I would like to mention the clientele. My wife is temporarily in a wheelchair after having her foot operated on. As we walked down the street towards the pub and headed for the front door one of a group of young lads left the conversation they were having and literally rushed to the door to hold it open for us. We had the same experience on leaving where another young lad did exactly the same. Now, I’m mentioning this as I’m fairly certain that we would not have experienced the same treatment at any of our local Wetherspoons, so just some nice gestures that renew your faith in humanity and most especially in the younger generation of the North East of our country. We easily found a seat that we could get to with the wheelchair, and sat down to decide what to have to eat. The place was definitely a good choice for dinner, as it wasn’t too noisy or rowdy, which some of the Wetherspoons can be, and the whole ambience of the place was quite nice to have our evening meal in. We ordered our food and drink through the app, and soon after our drinks arrived. The food didn’t take long to be brought to the table and looked great. Now, just a comment here on my wife’s meal; she ordered the sticky Korean fried chicken bowl with coconut-flavour rice, but the meal wasn’t exactly as advertised on the menu, in that it was meant to have both chicken strips and balls, but only came with the balls, and it also had the chillies missing. I’m just stating this as it would have been nice to have been informed of this, unless of course no-one in the kitchen noticed their omission, but in any eventuality she still enjoyed her meal immensely. I had the mixed grill, which was also very good. We both agreed that we would unquestionably return here for food if we were in the area again.

Always know what to expect. Can be loud at times. Very quiet last time we've been in there. Short time to wait and piping hot

Great value breakfast, good service

Love the place great value for money staff friendly, great atmosphere wish they would do a selection of cold sandwiches on the menu

Standard Wetherspoons, open and bright. Just popped in for a coffee and ended up with a standard breakfast for not much more. To early for a beer.

Waited 45min for breakfasts which was warm yes it was busy but thats no excuse won't be buying food there again

Friendly and warm. Really nice local people with a warming welcome

Very reasonable prices.Quick service and friendly staff.

Ok spoons, cheap beer but the place is a bit depressing

Love the place. Beer is great , thanks for being here in Seaham

This place is really good have friendly staff ill recommend anyone to gi

Always busy, Great 3 for 5er on blue wkd 😂🙈

Can't believe how far numbers have changed 3yrs ago couldn't move at 10.30 last night 12 people in at 10.30 what a change

Clean. Great staff good food great coffee enjoyed experience very reasonable

I prefer table service / app. Service fab & Friendly, The food was spot on. Cheerful service today x

Have used establishment for ten years and am very happy with service and staff.

It's a Wetherspoons. Great value for money. Lots of seating. Sit outside for a view of the sea.

Just pub grub, cheap n cheerful..

1st time visit Weds 10th Sept2024. Was stayin on holiday just down the coast and visited Seaham for the morning. Its a Wetherspoon pub so know the menu. We opted for the sirloin steaks. Wife had chips and i had a lovely salad. Only let down was the steaks as they were very fatty indeed and we didnt enjoy them. david who seved me at the bar was a bit abrupt with me, i just coulnt make out what he was saying in his Geordie accent.

Food was excellent and very reasonably priced

Usual Wetherspoons experience. Nothing to write home about. Not cheap either.

Not one of the better witherspoons we've visited just popped in for a curry and a pint. Some of the locals were shouting quite loud, might have been because Sunderland had just had their 4th straight win of the season, I would return, but my wife's not so sure.

Walking in feels like Middle Earth, I expected to run into Frodo and Sam. However, we had no trouble and nobody tried to steal my ring. As usual with any Wetherspoons, the toilet was like my own journey to Mount Doom, only in this case I wasn't throwing a powerful ring into the hot lava, but pushing a poo through what felt like a lava ring. Highly recommended, will visit again

Very busy and noisy on first arrival but quick service, thinned out a bit about 6.30ish, nice staff and friendly so thank you

Very welcoming and friendly staff

It's Wetherspoons .... what more can I say. Cheap,and cheerful and you know what you're getting. Lovely breakfast to start the day.

We enjoyed Seaham food festival. Then walked upto Hat & Feathers for a icey cold drink very refreshing.

Definitely not one of the finest spoons. Not a great location, service decidedly average and not a great atmosphere.

We had a pleasant experience at Wetherspoons in Seaham. The food was lovely, with a good variety of options to choose from. Everything was served promptly and tasted great, offering good value for the price. The atmosphere was relaxed and not too busy, which made for a comfortable dining experience. The staff were friendly and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed. The interior is clean and well-maintained, and there’s a nice selection of drinks at the bar. Overall, it was a great place to enjoy a casual meal. We'll definitely be back!

Popped in for a bite to eat and a pint, good prices, food was good too.

Pleasant trip, enjoyed it in weatherspoons.

Lovely weatherspoons, well kept, lovely food, as usual & great service

Always enjoy having a pint of beer and taught into your friendly staff

One meal sent back not hot. Had to clear our own table after meal. Staff just left table full of plates etc.

Chilled out and cheap. Proper Weatherspoons good value friendly staff. Usual range of food.

Busy and cheerfull...just like all spoons 👍

The week before last my wife and daughter went on a 3 nights bus trip with Caledonian, they came back a week gone Friday and I came to see my mate Paul Knox who lives in Seaham last Wednesday, whilst Paul went to the cobblers near the bus stop near the shopping centre I walked up Church Street to the Hat and Feather's for a decent pint or three of Carling. I sat outside with Deen and Tina our friends because it was a glorious day, moments after being joined by Paul. Shortly after that a chap came and sat on the next table (well not the table itself) you know what I mean. The chap spoke. The week before last my wife and daughter went on a 3 nights bus trip with Caledonian, they came back a week gone Friday and I came to see my mate Paul Knox who lives in Seaham last Wednesday, whilst Paul went to the cobblers near the bus stop near the shopping centre I walked up Church Street to the Hat and Feather's for a decent pint or three of Carling. I sat outside with Deen and Tina our friends because it was a glorious day, moments after being joined by Paul. Shortly after that a chap came and sat on the table next to us (we'll not the table but you know what I mean). He started to talk with Tina and my ears soon pricked up. He had just been to Scotland and returned a few days ago. At that point I said what day did you come back. His reply Monday. I phoned my wife in Whitburn and passed my phone to her driver, what a small world. Spot on Weatherspoons staff, I know most businesses are expected to run on minimum staff for maximum profitability. Thank you

Absolutely horrible food very small portions for the an of money it cost and tasted like it was out of a microwave .staff was lovely though.

Usual Wetherspoons atmosphere. Friendly and jovial.

Very good value all round.. pleasant atmosphere..

We visit this pub regularly like most Wetherspoons pub cheapish and cheerful. Still have the same issues with basic standards. Finding a table is the easy part getting some to clean it is difficult. You request it at the bar and they say someone will come over 15/20 minutes later you still wait. You either have take your own wipes or literally track someone down to complete this difficult task!!!! It used to be done as standard when someone left the table was cleaned ready for the next customer. I guess them days are long gone!! Wetherspoons may be cheaper than other retailers but basic standards pay the price. Wake up and smell the coffee Tim your prices have risen substantially well above inflation and your service is going down 👎

The meal was very poor, this one is off the visiting list in future.

Just visiting for the day by train from Sunderland, and I'm new to the area. Just popped in for a cider. First visit I was really impressed with this Weatherpoons, very pleasant establishment, and friendly service. Will come again with family. I have just had approval from Niantic to make this a portal in the Ingress game, and it now appears on the scanner map.

Needs a good refurb and full of undesirables.

Visited regularly since it opened. Each visit usually on a Saturday afternoon with our Olli who's 6. Each visit I've brought in a shopping trolley and always had it so it wasn't in the way. On this occasion I was approached by a member of staff, polite too. Who told me no trolleys are allowed. I said I'm eating food I'll move it when I'm finished. He politely said, sorry you need to move it now. I replied OK. Other staff member, the assistant manager who brought drinks didn't mention this. I'm assuming he didn't want to say anything and got someone else to do his work and come and tell me. The shopping outside was soaked, some items ruined such as our Olli's cake, sausage roll and a paper toy. I did request the table to be cleaned prior to the food however he didn't return to do it.

Brilliant pub the staff are lovely I got served by some girl with purple hair who was lovely and came over and wiped the table down for me, I went to refill my coffee and I was talking to the guy who was adding the milk to the machine and he was really nice. The food I got (breakfast wrap) is absolutely brilliant

Good Wetherspoons foid served quickly

Absolutely amazing evening. The food was lovely and hot and really filling. As was Burns Night, Haggis, neeps & tatties were in order. A lovely size portion and a good pint of Nessie’s Monster Mash to wash it down with.

Lovely little place, However the small fish should be renamed as super tiny fish lol Other than that, great service, really enjoyed my time there.

Nice Wetherspoons. Nothing out of the ordinary. You get what you expect and it's all done right 👍

It's wetherspoons so you get the same food and drink as all the others. The food is usually of a good standard, breakfast can be a bit hit and miss on it being hot. The staff are very friendly and happy to help.

Smashing place warm and friendly 😉

Visited today 26/11/23, we were told a 15 mins wait for food which turned out to be 40 mins, coffee was just warm, breakfast arrived toast was hard cold bread it wouldn’t even melt the butter, the rest of the food was luke warm so after a couple of mouthfulls it was cold so unable to eat it, no staff coming to check if your food was okay as there usually is, decided to leave and never return, on the way out we heard numerous people complaining about the food, sorry weatherspoons we will NOT be back

Very helpful waitress and local people laughing out loud Which is a good feeling when I visit a pub Having lived in stockport for 40 years nobody was happy so it cheered me up

We have been here several times over the years (when we go sea glass hunting). It has always been great. The curries were amazing with all kinds of extra's. Now it was a small portion of dry reheated rice and frozen curry. Good thing we had to wait for a taxi for 3 hours (busses were on strike) and I was hungry. My cousins fries and veggie burger (they where out of the Beyond burgers unfortunately) and fries were good though. The double gin and tonic tasted like there was hardly any gin in it. They used to be way stronger. The waiter walked out on my (native English speaking) cousin because he didn't understand her. He didn't say a thing, just left. 😆 Luckily a very nice girl took over.

We went here with my uncle and aunt who live locally. Great pub. Great atmosphere. Met some lovely new friends. The people of Seaham are great :)

Only had drinks as this was the second one to visit on the day

Had beef madras curry, very impressed .. nice pub!

Proactive staff always cleaning. The tables toliets never have to wait for an empty table because it's full of plates. Staff Very professional to. Always polite. Food is always decent it's wetherspoons, though, so you know what you are getting.

Had two fanatistic night's on our trip to Seaham....

Absolutely wonderful great service delicious food and the atmosphere is just lovely yes is might be a bit loud and full but aside from that it's great.

Cheap and cheerful in an amazing venue.

The beer was good and cheap, like you would expect from Witherspoon's. Service was poor, serve by a moody woman that obviously hates her job. Atmosphere was poor like the layout, not a patch on Crook Witherspoon's. Overall disappointing, much like Seaham itself.

Excellent pub for meeting friends, for a night out.

This was our second visit and I wanted to write a review mainly to compliment the staff. They were so helpful and efficient, they all seemed happy to serve you. The food was as expected, hot, good quality and served quickly. The prices are cheap.

Cheap & cheerful, The Hat & Feathers is in need of a refurbishment, it’s quite run down.

Great service especially using the app. Friendly staff and a nice building.

Been in today for some lunch my jacket potato was lovely, the husband got one of the pub classics steak pudding mashed potato and peas it was absolutely terrible no meat in the pudding won't be having it again, he had half of my jacket potato

It is like any other weather spoons.

Friendly staff, nice location. A bit chavy as the sun goes down

We came two days running for breakfast, no complaints at all. Staff very friendly, food usual good Wetherspoons food, you know what you are getting. Love the top up hot drinks idea, had some extra maple bacon, oh so nice. Toilets upstairs but lovely and clean and plenty, automatic taps, great. Very popular pub.

Good price lots of choice beer and food excellent customer service

Breakfast had at 11.15am Sausage and everything apart from Hash Browns was luke warm and not very nice

tasty and cheap breakfast, food came quick

I visit a lot of spoons pubs and this one is outstanding

First time in a long time I have been in the Hat & Father's and the food was absolutely disgusting. Wonte be coming back.

We came for the gin night which is on the last Tuesday of every month. Such good value! There was a great selection of gin, rum, garnishes and mixers to choose from and we also got 20% off any food we ordered. Table service was included and the staff were absolutely lovely. Will definitely be back 🍸🍸🍸

A great experience at the Gin & Rum night with Amy and Niall.

Second time at the Gin and Rum night and yet again an amazing night. Amy was an amazing host. Attentive and went above and beyond. She made the night special.

Food was good & quick. Very reasonably priced.

Decent food at good prices. Nice atmosphere. In the winter, there is a cosy log fire. Good, friendly service.

Good food and a great service. Staff are always polite and helpful.

I met a friend for breakfast, instead of mushroom the kitchen staff put black pudding in my muffin, and the waitress put it in front of me saying it was mushroom… I took a bite and had to run to the toilet where I threw up. The manager was great, he apologised and I was refunded, but it’s made me feel unwell and upset that this happened in the first place. It may not seem a big deal to some but I haven’t eaten meat in many years, the staff need to be more careful and aware of these issues, I worry for people with allergies.

Visiting seaham had a great meal & stayed for the quiz. Good night had by us 4. Amy the manager James & derek made our night thank you

Fab quiz on a Wednesday evening service fab

Lovely warm and inviting pub with very friendly staff. Food and drinks great prices. Clean and tidy staff always clearing tables and give excellent service. Bingo and quiz nights during the week very sociable and fun with cash prizes. Would definitely recommend 😊

Had a lovely lunch with family, scampi is always great. Friendly helpful staff with a sense of humour and warm welcome.

Staff in here are lovely, attentive and genuinely keen to keep you happy. The food is always as you expect, never disappointed

friendly atmosphere great selection of beverages good quality food at a great price 👌

Huge choice of beers and great staff.

Good pub with a great atmosphere, it was very busy but the staff managed extremely well. Annoyingly only one coffee machine worked so there was a giant queue.

Mint grub bbq burger is lovely washed down with a Pepsi max cherry 🤤🤤

Good value, clean and with great staff

Not been here before, but really pleased we found it

If you want to be in the worst State ever then Wetherspoons in Seaham is the Place for you as the food will make you throw up so many times. Infact I've been vomiting for 2 days days straight and they haven't apologised at all definitely avoid at all costs and go to ASDA

Great place to meet up with friends and family. Great staff, very friendly. Help you with anything

We came in with a kind manner, sat down and ordered food, not intending to order any alcoholic drinks. We were demanded ID, baring in mind we are all over the age of 18, 3 of us had ID and the other 3 didn’t have ID, we were forced to leave as soon as we finished our food which was unnecessary as we wanted to enjoy our dinner in peace. We were then reminded by 3 different staff to leave as soon as possible. I don’t understand how we have to leave because we didn’t “look” 18, discrimination at its finest. We won’t be coming back here.

Always enjoy coming here, and we do a lot. The staff are always polite and very helpful. Never had an issue with the food or drinks in terms of cooking etc. I always have a burger and it's a massive shame the company as a whole now use the rubbish 'american' patties as they are not as nice and so much smaller. They maybe 3oz precooked but not after. Having to have 4 instead of 2 in the burger. This is a company wide decision hence still 5 stars for the Hat and Feathers as a venue and reflection of thier professionalism and quality of the food. Fully recommend.

Absolutely ridiculous, wait 15 mins to get served, only 3 people in the queue, staff to busy joking with each other, never again

Its v.busy today but quick service pleasant staff . Decent food and prices. Earned its 5*