The Keel Lounge in Sunderland

Went in for brunch whilst shopping - first thing we noticed was grime/bits stuck on the salt and pepper pots - coffees arrived and the mugs didn’t look clean so we chose not to drink our coffee - breakfasts arrived - bacon looked anemic, Asia’s age was obviously re heated, mushrooms dry, eggs on one breakfast were under cooked and looked like phlegm, the hash brown was soggy and dripping in grease (we used the napkin to soak up the grease) we just have a look to each other, and like the coffee, chose not to eat the offering! I have seen pics of the food servings on here and can say ours were nothing like that lol The staff were lovely and polite so we chose just to get up and leave and not make a fuss

Went for some food. Ordered a jacket potato, with cheese and beans. The cheese (which was advertised as grated cheese) was literally packet cheese (like a slice). Not to mention the beans were cold and the potato was too hot. The juice (which wasn’t worth the price) STAINED MY LIPS FOR 2 DAYS! But, the decorations was spot-on, and the chair was the most comfortable thing EVER! P.S: dont get the jacket potato, or any kid meal- as it is too small of a portion for the price. (Everything on it was frozen food anyways, and it is probably cheaper to buy it from a supermarket) Also, the staff looked like they didn’t want to be there.

Used to like this cafe but is has really gone downhill. The till wasn’t working today so the person on the till was adding everything manually and seemed to be guessing the prices. 4.50 for a latte seemed a little expensive . Tables were dirty and food portions were smaller than they used to be and not nicely presented . They also ask if you want things like coleslaw etc then you realise they charge extra but don’t tell you. I won’t be going back again it’s a shame as it used to be lovely but not now

Picked this café today whilst shopping. Went inside ordered food everything was great. Then the food arrived, I ordered a breakfast the eggs were undercooked then I cut into the sausage which was very undercooked (still had redish/pink rawness in the middle). After this we realised that our side order had not arrived with our breakfasts. A family membwr who I visited with asked a waitress inside who then abruptly said you'll have to wait a couple of minutes all of these (tables) are shouting of me. Fair enough. We had finished our meal some time after and we still didn't receive the food. We left and as soon as we stood up and walked away from the table. The waitress went straight over and cleared the table? So they were to busy to see to us but were quick to clear our things. Won't ever be returning here again.

We came here for restaurant week with our 3 kids. My wife forgot to show the voucher at the till but immediately showed it after paying on card for our food. The woman serving my wife charged us £42 for 3 pannini’s, 2 cokes and a baby’s fish fingers. We realised immediately after the payment that this was not the discounted price from restaurant week. The woman said she needed to see a voucher. We showed the voucher after realising but they refused to apply the discount. No excuse was given. I went over to query this and ask if we could cancel the order if they have not already started making our food. This was refused. Food order took a further 25 minutes, kids fish fingers was solid, too hard for my 9 month old to try, ham panini was made from cheap packet bought ham. Overall terrible service, no consideration for an oversight to show a voucher. Food was basic and underwhelming for the price. Tables were not clean.

Long wait times and mediocre customer service. I’ll start with a positive, the food itself is tasty enough. But on each occasion I’ve been in the restaurant, the wait times have been lengthy. I understand a busy restaurant can have wait times but a panini shouldn’t take 25 mins to arrive and only arrive upon asking a member of staff for its whereabouts before it miraculously came out the kitchen right on cue. Customer service could do with some work, no apologies for the delay and no expectations set when ordering (“We’ve got a …. minutes wait on food, apologies but it may take a little longer than usual”). No check backs on now the food was either. I get it’s difficult working in a busy environment, but the littlest of things like engaging with your customer can help ensure it remains a busy environment. The customer isn’t always right, but it takes seconds to set expectations and apologise for any delays.

We go regularly for a full English breakfast. Everything cooked to perfection. The soup and sandwich deals are really nice too. Everything reasonably priced. The staff are so lovely and welcoming they go above and beyond for the customers.

Been here a few times my chicken burger is always soggy,tried chicken curry barely any meat. Also tried shepherds pie none of it is great quality. Think it's only packed as it's in town. Always a long wait for food, I guess more staff needed in kitchen. Ordered husband a chilli con carne and rice and me a sandwich. Mine came out but his didn't for another 10 mins at which point they forgot the rice for his chilli. I get everything is cooked fresh but this is bad organisation skills.

Been here a few times my chicken burger is always soggy,tried chicken curry barely any meat. Also tried shepherds pie none of it is great quality. Think it's only packed as it's in town.

Firstly we waited almost an hour for our breakfast to arrive. When it did so the sausages looked like they’d barely hit the pan, the mushrooms were undercooked, anaemic and hard, the toast was cold and the eggs were overdone and solid. There was no choice of how we’d like our eggs, they seemed to come poached as standard, but poached egg is the trickiest to get right and the kitchen here don’t seem to have mastered this yet. The whole thing was inedible. We were also promised black pudding that would be delivered shortly after the rest of it but it never materialised. I ended up returning my breakfast and asking for a refund as we didn’t have the time or inclination to wait for it to be remade. The front of house staff were very polite about this which is the only reason this is a two star review not one.

I dropped in here with my son due to spotting a sign saying they offer gluten free food, which indeed they do. I probably wouldn't return, the service at the till is so inefficient, they had one person on the till who then repeatedly went off to the kitchen, got drinks and so on resulting in the queue taking a good while to service combined with card machine "issues", as the queue built we were all then asked, not entirely politely to queue at a different place. We only had a drink in the end, the coffee was ok, the toilets were clean but the service is not welcoming so overall we will go elsewhere in future.

Breakfast inedible due to broken egg shell in the scrambled egg and heard the cook say that they thought there might be egg shell left in the scrambled egg! Breakfast was replaced but Manageress was rude and abrupt.

Lovely food and coffee/ Tea also do afternoon tea friendly staff good menu outside seating as well definitely return

We arrived at 11.30am with the intention of having a full English breakfast. When we sat down we realised that the breakfast was stopped at half 11 so we asked if they would still serve breakfast for us. Surprisingly they said yes and we did get our breakfast. It took a while to come but the food tasted really good. Staff were really friendly. Would highly recommend. Thank you to the staff for accommodating us.

Popped in for food before show which was on the same night as Ed Sheeran so very very busy. Staff were very polite and explained only cakes and drinks now available but everything we had was lovely and the staff couldn’t do enough for us. Lovely atmosphere and all food served beforehand looked lovely

I was in town shopping so popped in for lunch the food was lovely I had the piri piri chicken jacket potato highly recommend it. The staff were so friendly and welcoming I will definitely be back

Went in with my partner and mother in law and all the tables were dirty. We still gave it a chance even though it looked dirty. Our orders went as follows, homemade lasagna and a portion of wedges, a chicken burger, and a club Sandwich and a pot of tea. The first thing was waiting ten minutes for the pot of tea only for it to arrive with no teabag in and a dirty unwashed cup. They sorted them both out but by the time the teabag was added it was very bland and lacked colour. Next was our food. They all arrived at the same time apart from the side of wedges for the lasagna they came five minutes later. The chicken burger was raw. The batter was just sliding right off it and was like mush and the chicken was a bit pink on the inside. Waited around 20 minutes for a refry and went up to the counter and this woman said in such a a rude tone that it is coming!!! Never again, raw chicken and dirty cups was bad enough but the service and staff on top? Shocking.

Called in solo from shopping trip. I did not want anything more than a single cup of coffee. After standing in queue for up to 5 minutes, I was turned away as - like so many other people - I was not carrying cash. So my advise is don't go to the Keel Lounge unless you want to spend more than £5 on your card. Sunderland High Street have plenty more coffee shops that DO accept card payments under £5.

had a lovely Gluten and Dairy free breakfast of toast, mushrooms, beans and bacon with a latte. Different crockery for gluten free meals. The menu states there are gluten free English muffins and brewed availabl and I also spotted gluten free curry and rice. Lovely helpful staff too.

Very nice hot coffee REALLY nice corned beef toasted sandwich Very nice waitress No complaints Will DEF return Thankyou

Went for breakfast here today first in after opening, it is counter service but we were unaware. Staff quite rude, breakfast ok, black pudding undercooked,

I sat down with my wife and ordered 2 lots of poatched eggs and 2 coffees and a sandwich to take away, to the cost of more than £20(which I thougt was expensive). Coffees turned up I had to ask 3 times for sugar in...

No meal, just coffee, so we can't comment on the food. But the coffee was hot and wet and brown. Tasteless. Not a stop for coffee lovers. Why can't small cafes make a decent cup of coffee? There are even some great instant coffees out...

Called here for a quick bite as it’s really near the office. Fantastic service, great food and a welcoming atmosphere. Food is well priced and plentiful Will definitely return

Stopped off here for coffee and a light lunch. What a treat...amazing coffee...wonderful lunch. Would highly recommend

Service amazing! Staff so friendly! The food is simply gorgeous, perfectly cooked and the imagery of the food was so appetising! I would recommend it to everyone! Suited for all ages.

I popped in on Boxing Day for a quick lunch. It was busyish but by no means rammed - there were no waits for tables. The ordering system - going up to the counter, giving a table number, seemed oddly inefficient, and is never easy...

First visit ordered a panini which turned out to be a baguette with a handful of cheap no substance crisps w Will not be returning think the owners need to work out that they will not get repeat business if they do not serve quality...

Called here today to get out of the rain and have some lunch. We both chose cheese and onion quiche and a cup of tea. What a sad little portion we got, as you can see from the photo one of the crisps was almost...