The Poachers in County Durham

Good priced tasty meal for 3 adults and 1 child. All portions were big, even the sandwich from the light bites menu. Nice pub. Service very attentive when arrived but disappeared once given food.

Really dissapointing. Me and my husband called in for a late lunch after a busy day. I ordered Philly dirty fries and hubby ordered mince and dumplings. Mine was nice enough but I think the fries were frozen not fresh and there was way too much peppercorn sauce. The mince and dumplings however were disgusting, the dumpling was so hard he couldnt get the knife through it, the mince itself was a dark unappetising pile of goop with a skin on the top (so again, not fresh) and the mashed potato was stone cold. The girl that served us was very apologetic and asked if he would like something else but he declined. Said item was removed from our bill but instead of enjoying a nice lunch my husband came home hungry. Unfortunately, we will not be going back.

Great food as ever, but tiny issue was as it was so busy the food did take a little while to appear.

Extremely disappointed with the quality of the beef, all grissle and unable to cut it up, informed staff, brought me a fresh plate out and beef was slightly better but still disappointing, beef was tasteless, two members of staff informed me it was the way the butchers cut the meat, I feel as if this was well rehearsed as they both said the same thing word for word, the one large roast potato I got was raw in the middle. Veg was nice and Yorkshire puddings were lovely. Service was slow, waited 45 minutes for food to be served but staff were friendly and attentive, apart from the lady at the bar who I paid the bill to, very miserable indeed and didn’t ask if everything had been ok, I will not be returning to Poachers, it has gone downhill in my opinion, it was a birthday treat for my friend and spoilt the occasion.

Attended as a large birthday group today, food was outstanding, more than enough. The staff were amazingly helpful and complete value for money

Great service and excellent meals 🤩

Food was delicious, Sunday lunch is very generous portions however a regular would be more suitably described as large, so unfortunately a lot of food was wasted. Two person round tables are not suitable for sitting at, could not get my legs underneath as the table legs are that wide that there is no space under the table. Also was seated next to a fully grown man who ignored his missus and needed to watch his TV shows on his phone at an unreasonably loud volume with his food, very much took away from the atmosphere.

Booked a table for 10 and unfortunately some of the party were not well. Tried phoning multiple times on our way but bad mannered and rude waitress had an attitude problem from the moment we walked in and said I would lose my deposit for the people who didn't show up despite her immediately filling the empty seats from our table within MINUTES. On top of her robbing us blind, I asked her for a drinks menu when we arrived and she snapped that they don't have a drinks menu and they'd have anything we want. First drink I asked for they didn't have... Then she took our food order and I asked what was on the salad and she had a rotten attitude again and said 'lettuce obviously'. Won't be returning here unless little miss unhelpful gets some serious lessons in manners. Shame as have been a loyal customer for a long time and enjoy the food.

Been going to poachers for years and always been ok but called last night for a light bite meal (dirty fries are too delicious) but was shocked when out came our tea on kids plates as in kids plates with a lip !! My 3 year old grandson could have ate what was put in front of us …I know it’s a light bite meal but always came on a normal plate so technically halved portion but same price plus fries were soggy and looked like they had been triple fried …won’t be rushing back

Best food I've had in a long time. Absolutely gorgeous and very reasonable in terms of price. Even the light bite options were huge and around £10. It was very busy when I visited so took five minutes to be seated but drinks were offered as we sat. Was around a 45 minute wait from sitting, ordering and receiving the food but it's a nice atmosphere for conversation. Highly recommended if you're down near Spennymoor or even Durham...

Lovely restaurant, friendly attentive staff, beautiful food be prepared for huge portions.. super value for money . Couldn't ask for more.

me and my friend come all the time and it never fails the staff are lovely food is always nice and hot and comes very quick

Excellent homemade food. Very generous portions at reasonable prices. First time I've been and will definitely be returning.

A must go venue for gluten free alternatives. I had one of the parmo’s, all of which can be made GF, and it was superb and HUGE. Staff were prompt and polite, service was swift and priced very reasonably for the portion size.

The parmo was not good. Did mention it as the bech sauce was watery with a strange flavour. Shame as the other food has been pretty nice other times I have been.

I had an incredibly satisfying meal during my visit here and would highly recommend the dirty Philadelphia Fries and the toffee stacker dessert. This charming pub and restaurant boasts a lovely and clean facility, situated conveniently right next to the train track, providing entertainment for both children and adults. Update: March 2025: Friendly staff, lovely food, big portions, and good valve. Still next to the train track, "Are you not into trains?" Quoted Daniel Ashville.

Called in yesterday excellent food along with excellent service. We will definitely return.

Brilliant food really good portion staff are friendly.. we ordered two meals and a starter couldn't finish it off so we got a doggy bag for later 😁

Lovely food, big servings, good service

Muy decepcionado 6 de la familia tte fue a almorzar para una golosina de cumpleaños filete era medio a raro y pidió bien hecho la grupa era como cuero pidió tte pescado regular n patatas fritas consiguió plato grande con un pequeño pescado patatas fritas ningún personal vino a la mesa tge para ver si todo estaba bien, el personal parecía enfermo y cansado tuvo que volver al bar tge 12 horas después de cenar para pedir dulces habló con el gerente se le dijo que deberíamos de enviar tge comida de vuelta nadie vino a la mesa para preguntar a pesar de que era servicio de mesa

Good food, big portions. Great music selection playing, we personally would have liked it a little louder, but then it was some of our favourites.

We went for a meal last night 2time I been to this pub it was a nice meal couldn't eat it all but love it so guys and ladies well done 💯%

Fantastic food great choice friendly service

Excelente almuerzo de domingo para nuestra primera vez en el restaurante Poachers. La calidad de la comida era excelente, con porciones generosas. El personal era muy atento y servicial. Sin duda recomendaría este restaurante.

Absolutely delicious! The Poachers Pub Restaurant is a must-visit! From the moment we walked in, the friendly service made us feel right at home. But the real star of the show was the Parmo Wrap. Wow! The flavors were incredible, perfectly cooked and seasoned. Definitely the best Parmo Wrap I've ever had. Highly recommend The Poachers to anyone looking for delicious food and a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Every thing about this place is perfect.

Awful meal here this evening. Waiter asked if everything was OK and my wife replied "no it's disgusting"... Not a single word from the waiter, he just turned on his heel and disappeared. Never saw him again. Disgraceful really. Service for drinks and food very slow too. Edit: The owner responded but clearly has no idea what happened, only what the staff told them which is incorrect, but hey why let the truth spoil a story eh. The meal was poor and the wait was long. My wife ate the food because she'd been to work all day and was hungry. Been better off with a microwave meal from Iceland. Awful from start to finish and the owners response says all you need to know. Classless

Slow service for both drinks and food.Hot shot Parmo too dry.Wife's corn beef pie pastry rock hard.The positive was the chips

Great food and service been a few times never disappointed

Excellent food served by pleasant staff

First time here and it wasn't brilliant. Restaurant is lovely spacious and clean. Food was mediocre, portions were large. We had an incident where one of the waiting staff emptied ½ a jug of gravy over one of our party. No apology and didn't really give a shit. The other waitress was fantastic and helped clean up from his mistake. Apart from the 1 waiter the other staff were pleasant and attentive.

Sauce was watery and tasteless. Not very hot. Small portion but price has went up. Over £10 for a plate of chips and minimal meat.

Our waitress Kristy and Olivia were very kind and welcoming once we arrived at the poachers. Everybody enjoyed their food thoroughly as well.

Great service and food and atmosphere

Excelente relación calidad-precio, personal amable y educado. Buen servicio y comida encantadora. Relación calidad-precio, gran selección de menús y porciones generosas (tal vez demasiado generoso) No puede culpar a este restaurante. Muy recomendable 👌

Una hermosa comida en The Poachers, Metal Bridge nr Ferryhill 👌 Tanto Craig como yo fuimos por el Piggies Pudding! 🐽 Dos chuletas de lomo de cerdo, salchichas, pudín negro y un hongo plano en un Yorkie tamaño plato con salsa. Se sirve con patatas y verduras hervidas. Dos pintas de Coors para sí mismo Dos limas y refrescos + un café negro para moi £ 42 🙌 Recomendado 100 % Definitivamente uno al que volver 🔥

Gran comida, muy sabrosa, platos grandes, buen precio, buen ambiente. El personal era amable. 4 tuberías, 6 bebidas por £ 70. Realmente disfrutamos de nuestra visita y esperamos volver

Good food but a long wait at busy times.

The food was beautiful, loved the new menu. Service was warm and friendly, staff were attentive. Highly recommend

Food never disappoints always lovely and piping hot . Would recommend a visit

My favourite pub drive from sunderland. Home cooked food. Huge portions. Amazing. Helpful and very friendly staff. Never had a bad meal

Sentado casi inmediatamente, el personal era amable y rápido para tomar pedidos, el tiempo de espera para la comida era muy razonable dado lo ocupado que estaba en ese momento, consiguió un parmo de cerdo tirado con patatas fritas que era encantador. Deffo recomiendo.

Food cooked beautifully nice and hot best Sunday lunch I've had this even beats a carvery definitely will return

We had an excellent experience yesterday when we called at this very popular pub for lunch. Staff were great, the food was delicious. We can highly recommend it and we'll be back next time we are up this way. Update... We've been again today, a year on and it's still brilliant.

Would give extra stars if could food was fantastic

Absolutamente increíble comida y servicio! ¡No puedes culpar al servicio o a la comida! Generosas porciones, amplia selección, increíble increíble, increíble lasaña vegetariana. Esta es nuestra opción para cumpleaños o simplemente un regalo, nunca decepcionado. Gracias a todo el equipo y a los chefs 😍.

Seated quickly. Lovely calm atmosphere and food was beautiful as always. The toffee stacker was devine. And staff friendly and helpful as always. Thank you

Fantastic meal just what is needed after a hard day's work. I had the pork belly! Brilliant will visit again lots of times.

Great service & good food at reasonable prices

Don't take the dog unless you want to sit outside, bit impractical in the inclement weather 🥶☔

Food top notch and masive portions

Fantastic meal tonight and service was excellent.

Very pleasant staff and the food is amazing !!! My only issue is there is too much food, and they don't do lighter portions so I always end up leaving some & it's too nice to go to waste. Would definitely recommend.

A lovely Tuesday afternoon treat for Mrs Wilsons birthday, Very large portions, Mrs Wilson took half her dinner home. Make a great cold-warmed-up for tomorrow's dinner

First time I have been was in pressed with the menu there was so much to choose from, plenty of gluten free options which was good, really enjoyed my food, went on a Friday so was busy I hadn't booked but their was only two of us so wasn't a problem but it probably would be best to book. Staff were nice, will be going back.

So I have not been in a while and was a bit put off due to a number of things. Well it's turned itself around and back to a really good pub. Worth a visit. But would recommend mid week to avoid que and not being able to get a table.

Food is unreal, service was good. Young lady was helpful and friendly. Homemade chips are the best around. Serving size is very generous.

Me and my family visited here on Saturday afternoon for a family meal after a visit to fire and ice festival in Durham.We sat down to an extensive menu which was a difficult choice as there is lots to chose from.choose We ordered catch of the day, classic burger and pulled pork paramo which we all thoroughly enjoyed with chips and salad.. We now have our favourite pub/restaurant says my daughter and will visit frequently.

Opinion has reduced. Even a year ago would have said fab. However quite lax now. Have to wait ages to b seated! Maybe lack of staff. Twice recently found hair in food. So jury is out. Wouldn't have had these issues in the past. Pick the game up slightly and actually check food before released from kitchen and rating may go up!

70th Birthday and everything went perfect, even down to the cake and candles. Nothing was too much for the staff,even though it was the Sunday lunchtime busy period. A Big Thank You!!

There is a varied menu for all tastes, food was delicious,

There is a varied menu for all tastes, food was delicious,

Mixed grill was a great size, my only disappointment was my chips were well undercooked and still tasted of raw potato... otherwise it would of been great, absolutely loved my chicken starter in some kind of soy sauce & chilli... stunning

Mixed grill was a great size, my only disappointment was my chips were well undercooked and still tasted of raw potato... otherwise it would of been great, absolutely loved my chicken starter in some kind of soy sauce & chilli... stunning

Can't beat a good parmo and home mad chips What ever she had give me PTSD Desert was 10/10

The food was as always delicious. To be honest there was too much. The staff are friendly and the service was excellent. I booked online and it was so easy. Atmosphere was good with a comfortable dining room. Happily recommended here 😃😃

Wouldn’t recommend, went as a group of us and I got the hot shot parmo, ate a quarter and realised the chicken was pink, had an awful bad stomach all night after leaving and 2 others from the group who also had chicken were unwell too. Didn’t complain as felt uncomfortable however wanted to put a warning out to others to be careful if getting chicken.

Popped in mid week. Oh my goodness, the thick cut roast beef, sweet carrots, creamy mash and crisp beans, topped with a rich gravy and served in a giant Yorkshire Pudding! I'm drooling just thinking about it...

This was our second visit and once again the food was delicious, well cooked and generously portioned. Unfortunately we were very disappointed with the service. The staff seemed like they didn’t really want to be there, dropping the drinks down onto the end of the table and not handing them out. Dropping each plate down too. We were kept waiting for a long time between courses and weren’t ever asked if we wanted more drinks. It wasn’t that busy either. None of the staff smiled and one even had muddy Converse boots on. Lovely pub but no customer service

Lovely pub meal and even has trains going past which if you have young children can keep them entertained while waiting for food. Very nice food & freindly staff

Called in on spec. The table was readily available (Monday evening), the service was good, and the food was excellent. I had seafood jambalaya. It was delicious. It was quite busy for a Monday evening, which speaks volumes of the quality.

Marked down slightly as there was a large party of women in who were really noisy. But that's life! Service was prompt and friendly. Food was delicious. I had belly pork with black pudding bon bons, chips and veg. My partner had the steak and Guinness pie with chips and veg. Both huge portions, and my better half had to help me with mine! Couldn't fit a dessert in, or even a coffee. Lots of light bites on the menu too, but even they were quite substantial. We will be back.

Very enjoyable Sunday lunch with great food and service

Now ya talking for food 1st class.

Gone completely downhill. The Poachers has been a consistently great pub for the past decade with good portion sizes, fresh food, and quick service. However this evening we waiting an hour for our food, the ‘sizzling crispy beef’ was served non-sizzling and completely tasteless. Mac n cheese was tasteless and looked like it came from a tin. The veg was stale and cold. Very disappointed and such a shame.

amazing food and staff were lovely

Decent food at a decent price. Highly recommended

Amazing food, proper homemade chips that taste delicious….excellent service especially from the younger waitresses and waiter’s which is rare. We have ate in the restaurant and the outside area now and both lovely. We ordered from the “Lite Bite” menu the portions were huge and delicious. Very good value.

Gone totally downhill. Used to have best food around. Ordered belly pork which was a lump of fat, not one bit crispy and was basically inedible. Mentioned it to staff and was met with an awkward silence. Will not be going back.

Just had Sunday Lunch at the pochers pocket the food was delicious staff very pleasant service was great they was 9 of us and everyone clear they plates thanks to all the staff for making a great experience

Absolutely fabulous place to eat here.Came last Saturday for my sister in laws 80th birthday and we had a great time. Food was amazing love it here and everything we are up in Durham we come to the poachers. The staff are so lovely well recommend it xx

Went there for afternoon meal with family. I had cornbeef pie, and the rest of my family had the lite meal. All I can say is if they were lite meals, god knows how big the main meals are. The staff were really nice and really enjoyed the place my family and I travelled up from carleton near poulton-le-fylde and if yor passing through well worth the visit

As ever the plates were piled high but the quality of the cooking is poor. Corned beef pie was an unrecognisable goo. We keep going back expecting things to have improved but this was definitely the last time.

Visited on 2nd April due to it being recommended, the food was beautiful, but the staff were unprofessional and rude especially the manager! I rang following day to share my problem and was basically given the cold shoulder by this extremely defensive woman, who instead of trying to get customers to return she vehemently backed her totally poorly trained staff. On 4 occasions we were approached asking if we were all done while we were still clearly eating!!! on the 4th attempt I stopped eating and let them take my plate away. I'll NEVER set foot in the place again, and certainly won't recommend it to anyone.... God forbid. ps Owners reply is a load of utter made up nonsense, feel free to read other similar reviews, stick to macdonalds folks if you're wise 🤣

Excellent food, the portions are enormous. Everything cooked fresh.

We met friends who live in the Durham area, they had arranged to meet us at The Poachers for tea...we are so glad they did as we had a lovely meal here. Food was of generous amounts, very tasty and would highly recommend eating here. I had the Buttermilk Chicken burger it was delicious. I would like to add how tasty the chips were, the best I have had in a while. My son had a Yorkshire pudding wrap and that was lovely too, he ate it all!! Lovely setting inside too and staff were very smiley and friendly. Will be dining there again when we are next in the area x

Enormous portions , red hot and fresh

Waited and waited and waited for a table , ended up over one and a half hours later to actually get seated. Standing in the doorway, with no seating for alot of people. Absolute chaos. Definitely my last visit to this restaurant/pub

Always have a fantastic meal at The Poachers. Staff are friendly and attentive. Generous portions of good, home-cooked food. 10/10, would recommend.

Very good food, well cooked, presented very good, staff excellent. Will be returning.

Used to love the poachers but it has definitely gone down hill, the food quality is poor and lacking flavour although you do get a large portion id rather have had quality over quantity, also food missing from order that they tried to charge for. The service wasn't great all staff seemed like everything was just a bother for them also took 3 times for them to get a glass of water right 🙈. Also not child friendly, had to feed our 1.5 year old on our knees as the childseat was so low comparison to the table the plate of food was just sat at nose hight and the childseat did not have an option for a tray to be clipped on for him to eat his food and no childs cutlery either so was just a total nightmare and not enjoyable at all for us it's such a shame, willnot be returning.

Great food and serving staff. I had the mixed grill; it was huge but absolutely delicious. We'll definitely be back.

First time going and was wonderful. Staff were lovely and polite and the food was outstanding. Very cheap I will definitely be back

Visited to Poachers while visiting family. Food was excellent and well priced. Portions were superb as well. Excellent value for money

We haven’t been here for a while , family commitments so was very pleased the food , staff especially hadn’t changed . The chips were on another level . So freshly cooked .lovely taste , no complaints at all . Husband got Bao Buns and he said they were delicious, I got hot beef baguette , with out the baguette, as I couldn’t have eaten the tasty beef with mushrooms and onion gravy if I had had bread . Top class . Staff were as always were exceptional. Checking we were enjoying the food not just once but definitely more than twice . The staff are young but they can’t half move fast . Abbi who is the boss is a delight , knows peoples names and even some of the drinks they like . Highly recommended , you don’t have to spend a fortune to get delicious meals . Go to the Poachers at Metal Bridge. X

Excellent food, served by pleasant waitresses.

Told only allowed 1hr 30 mins to eat said table was booked for 4.45 , ordered food husband got classic burger came out greedy with thick bacon o it he couldn’t chew , I got hot beef baguette with mushroom and onions came out raw part baked baguette never been in oven and cold sliced beef with hot gravy poured over making the raw baguette soggy very disappointed won’t be going back , 3 other diners came in and they told them the same thing 1 hr 30 mins the pub was empty and know other diners came in as we where in car park leaving at 5 pm

Food was outstanding brilliant customer service chilled atmosphere 👌

Wouldn’t go back paid £40 for 2 meals & sent 3/4 of it back once i found veins in my chicken & was chewy staff very ignorant weren’t intrested

Nice food, good parking. Portions are quite large. The philly steak and beef baguette were from the 'light bites' and the burger and chips defeated my usually empty legged son.