The Keel Tavern in Sunderland

Visited Keel Tavern for lunch over the weekend. The place is stylish and feels very upmarket. The staff were friendly, helpful and attentive. I ordered the pie, chips and peas. There were a variety of pies but I opted for the mince, Guinness and onion pie. The pie was absolutely delicious, bursting with flavour and complimented nicely with the gravy that accompanied the meal. The chips were tasty and the peas were fresh. This place is certainly worth a visit, meals were well priced for what you get and very filling.

Fiid absolutely beautiful, I got chicken parmo my husband had belly pork both meals very filling. Service amazing. My husband is in a wheelchair after a recent stroke so it was lovely to find a restaurant suitable for wheelchairs and that sold zero Guinness, we had a lovely time, I'm afraid I did not get the waitress name but she was lovely. Thank you do much it truly means. a lot, I've told all our freinds so we will be back x

I went here with a friend as part of Sunderland Restaurant Week for a catch up and a good natter! I have to say that from the moment we arrived the staff were excellent. They took our orders promptly and checked in a few times to make sure everything was OK but they never did the thing I hate, which is to make you feel as though you have been there too long and they want you to go. I had Bang Bang Chicken Skewers and Philly Cheese Steak which were very nice but the evening was made special by the friendliness of the staff, especially Callie ? We will definitely go here again, especially for a pre-theatre meal because it is so close to the Fire Station and the Empire Theatre.

Sunday dinner was amazing one of the best We've had definitely recommend it staff were fantastic looking forward to going back again thank you all so much

Wow! That’s how I would describe The Keel Tavern and the team. From the moment I messaged to enquire about having my daughter’s Christening party here to the day after the Christening, I can honestly say we have had outstanding customer service. I met with Andrew, the manager, about two weeks before the Christening and he showed me the space I would have and went through menu options with me. He listened to exactly what I wanted and gave me advice on what he thought as well. He made sure he kept in touch with me in case I had any requests and nothing was ever an issue. The day of the Christening he made sure we had the venue for plenty of time and when we arrived everything was set up for us. He made sure I was in the loop about what would happen and constantly checked we were happy. The menu choices were amazing and the buffet was phenomenal. I was worried we hadn’t ordered enough food, but it was perfect! The food was absolutely fantastic and all of my guests made comments about the food. Most of them said it was the best buffet they had and I have to agree. We had our own bar staff to look after us and they were fabulous as well. I just felt like we were really well looked after. I can’t fault Andrew and his team at all. I have to say that we are quite hard to please, but this totally surpassed my expectations. If you’re looking to book a venue for a party, a Christmas night out, a christening, a birthday or just a night out, I would highly recommend The Keel Tavern - it’s worth every penny. There were little touches from Andrew as well throughout the booking and it just made it that bit more special. I really can’t thank them enough for making my daughter's day so special. Well done to the whole team, you’ve restored my faith in customer service and made some loyal customers. Absolutely outstanding service and a fabulous venue all round. Thank you!

To whomever it may concern, I have just had a rather unpleasant experience at Keel Tavern. So much so I felt it warranted an immediate email to you, their head office. After completing a long drive from York, and obviously sober. I had planned on catching last orders at 12midnight, meeting an old colleague from the next door venue. Upon approaching the bar with my friend at 2345, I was abruptly told I could get out or the police would be called. Unfamiliar with who I was talking to, I questioned if his name was Ethan. I was again abruptly told I knew exactly who he was and what had happened earlier. In this tirade I was also informed that I was barred by the General manager Andrew who I haven't met. Clearly this manager has a personal problem with myself that I am unaware of. I believe the way in which he has handled tonight would suggest the highest levels of unprofessionalism. I have been in the hospitality industry since I was 15, I'm 32 now, I'm very rarely surprised in a venue. However and I quote "it's like a zoo in here and that manager has an ego problem" from my fellow colleagues from other venues as I left was telling of the seriousness of the problem you face here. Please consider this a formal complaint. I will now find out what it is I apparently know about what has happened in the venue tonight. Further complaints will likely follow in connection to that information.

I have only visited the Keel Tavern on Sunday lunch time several times and would highly recommend the Sunday lunch. Excellent flavoursome food at a great price. I usually have the £15 pork dinner but you can get a smaller dinner. Staff are always helpful and friendly and always somewhere to sit as the location has two floors.

I had the roast beef Sunday Lunch, it was outstanding one of the best roast lunches I have ever had……….every element that was on the plate was truly delicious. I would recommend the Keel Tavern to anyone.

Enjoyed a nice evening meal here on a Friday evening. Great selection of Pies & plenty of other choices on the menu. Ran out of flatbreads which was disappointing but certainly more than happy with the Chicken Schnitzel it was excellent! Well worth a visit, huge selection of draught beers, cocktails and wines all set in impressive surroundings. Nice to see this type of establishment in Sunderland.

Excellent new bar, great choice of beers, fab atmosphere with attentive staff who know their stuff when it comes to the beer. As a group we absolutely loved the chip shop platter. Been in a few times now and absolutely love it! 😍

What a fantastic time we had at this lovely bar .The food and drink was amazing as were the staff. Will definitely be returning. 👍

Popped in here to see what this place had to offer. Great selection of beers on draft. Lovely decor and ambience. Had a couple of pints of Thatchers .... Very nice, then decided to have some snacks and opted for the Keel Tavern Platter. Quality and quantity of food was excellent, certainly fantastic value for money. Would definitely order food again. Staff were polite, responsive and smart, service was excellent. I would certainly recommend a visit.

Visited on a January night with my wife. Had a couple of drinks and decided to have some food. We had the pie and chips which was delicious! Great service and lovely atmosphere decent music. Proper comfort food at a good price too. Lovely staff, very friendly. Can’t wait to visit again.

Me and the wife have been visiting the Keel Tavern since it opened, we are from South Shields and have a trip to Sunderland once a week; and a trip to Newcastle once a week. For people who are saying that the place is over-priced, try a pint of Tavern-ale; a lovely cask ale by Wylam Breweries, a very reasonably priced pint. If you are going to drink pints of the strong ales [for instance Jakehead] then you are going to pay the extra no matter where you drink it; try two thirds of a pint, [most pubs do two thirds nowadays] you can still savour the taste, but at a cheaper price. We normally do another three pubs in the area around the Keel Tavern, and I find the prices are more or less in the same price bracket; if you want a stronger pint you have to pay a little extra for it. We'll certainly carry on visiting the Keel Tavern, even if it's just to try two thirds of something different, they have a great selection and they always let you sample an ale if you've never tried it before.

Nicely decorated, good range of beers and friendly staff. However £19 for three pints meant we only stayed for one round, when a similar round was £13 nearby. Shame as always want to see new places do well

Staff friendly, helpful and attentive. Wine good, daughter had chicken schnitzel which was over cooked and tough and had to leave part of it, we did tell the staff who said they would inform the kitchen. I had the lamb flat bread which was okay but a little dry. Nice to see new pubs in Sunderland, we will return if the menu changes.

I'm a regular business traveller to Sunderland and noted this place was nearly ready to open on my last visit, I decided to give it a try on this trip. I was there on a cold Wednesday evening in January. At 7:30pm I was one of only 3 people in the place, I doubt anywhere locally was very busy but that felt a bit quiet even so, I wonder what a Friday evening looks like. I ate off the Pie Menu, pick one of 4 pies, add one of 5 potato options (yes, chips is one of them), add a veg (I had peas but I wish I'd had the carrots and parsnip option now) and then a gravy to make up your preferred combination. This is very much in the style of the London Pie, Mash & Liquor shops and they aren't making a bad stab at it in their own way. The pie was a little smaller than perhaps the £12.50 price tag demands but was of a good quality and I was quite satisfied with it. The restaurant/bar itself is nicely done, given it is new the furnishings and decor are all in really good order and it has a nice, solid, quality feel to it. Things I'd suggest the team work on: the food presentation doesn't match the pricing, the peas were a bit errant - put them in a bowl if that helps. The staff need time to bed in and learn what they are doing, I walked in and asked for a Pie & a Pint and got blank stares, no "here's our menu", "what can I help with", nothing. The odd bar construction is really disturbing, have a look at my photo, I get that they are trying to suggest a crafty beer establishment but that contraption over the bar creates a barrier between the staff and customers (and somewhere for staff to hide) it is nothing short of a bloody nuisance, serves no function, and gets in the way of ordering and paying, the sooner that is gone the better. I am of the view that the pricing is off what the locals will consider reasonable for a regular thing (and that could explain the empty bar). You would expect the pricing to be at the higher end, that would match the brand positioning, but I paid £6.50 for a run of the mill lager, I'd expect to (and do) pay that in London but it seems over the top when the local 'spoons is selling the same thing for half the price, slightly upmarket surroundings only go so far. Some of the craft beers were in excess of £8 a pint, I don't care how good they are, if I feel like I need to ask how much stuff is in a pub then I'm not going to buy, free sample or not. The food equally is at the higher end of the price range, right now customers might tolerate it but when standards slip and quality drops a bit, as it inevitably will when the cooks have been around for a while, I suspect customers won't tolerate it.

I found this place overpriced and I live in London. £8.30 for a pint of craft beer, I don’t pay that in London. The food seems reasonably priced but I never tried it

Been twice. Burgers were great, big & tasty. Service was spot on, friendy & attentive . The beer was excellent. Really good night out. Can imagine it been even better in summer with outdoor seating area & two new bars next door. Be the place to go.

It’s new, it’s interestingly designed around a micro brewery….not sure if it’s a working microbrewery or a display only… It’s a great use of space over three floors and to be fair I like the design We went for food, the fish and chips were nothing short of exceptional….the service was sketchy…..but the place is new, they’re setting in, what they missed on service they made up with warm smiles and an eagerness to please These guys own Barluga in Newcastle, they have the right pedigree got make this place exceptional….time will tell

Called in for a drink on our way to a restaurant. Lovely bar, great seating on several levels including outside, which will be great on warmer days. Menu looks great, will need a return visit to try the food. The Christmas tree was fab!

Wonderful vibrant new venue to Sunderland City Centre. Nice welcoming open plan areas along with booth seating for dining. Good selection of drinks and amazing looking food menu, all served hot and fresh. I can recommend the Moroccan Style Pulled Lamb Flatbread. Good luck for the future!