The Pollards in County Durham

Definitely wont go away feeling hungry! Excellent!

You are never going to leave The Pollards hungry. Portions are very generous, and the service is good too.

This place had lovely staff, tasty food and an overall nice ambience

Popular pub in Bishop Auckland that doesn't disappoint on service, value or quality. You may need to make a reservation, but it's definitely worth it. Enjoyed the Penne Arabiatta, which was nice and spicy. Asked for a side of chips and wow ... What a large portion of chips and they're very tasty also. Definitely worth a visit.

Excellent food, and friendly service. Good prices across the board and very large portions. Only slight downside was food was a little slow coming out of the kitchen, but not in any way detrimental to the food or evening.

Food was beautiful and the portions are amazing.

Absolutely beautiful Sunday lunch and the Cheese cake tasted nothing like it.

Chose this place for a family night out and it was really excelent, food, service, atmosfere. Wonderful. Sorry did not manage to get a photo.

Absolutely love it here, food is always excellent, portion sizes are massive & staff are lovely.

We were unable to visit owing to illness, but I wanted to place on record that the caring and helpful attitude of the staff in advising me on a booking for my elderly aunt was exemplary. In my experience when a place is run by people like this, you probably won't go wrong with your visit.

Lovely friendly pub the food was excellent and the staff were brilliant

Each inn has its way for ordering a meal. You need to book a meal at this inn well in advance. There is a large car park at the back of the inn. On entering the inn you have to go to the bar where there is a queue being checked in and waiting for a table. You will be taken to a table. My friend returned to the bar to order drinks. We sat at the table for a while. A waiter eventually came and took our orders for a small carvery meal. Soon after our meals plus two dishes of vegetables and gravy were brought to the table. No queueing for a carvery. We were asked if we needed anything such s sauces. The meal was a little larger than expected and it was full of flavour. We will definitely return and book a week in advance.

We have enjoyed the hospitality of The Pollards for a number of years. The standard of the food is consistently high and excellent value for money. Our waitress this evening was a lovely young lady called Erin. Thank you to all of the staff for another very enjoyable evening.

Excellent quality . Recommend to anyone.

Booked the table. Friendly staff, cosy atmosphere. Amazing food, all home made, large portions. Prices are a little bit more than average but no complaints. Will definitely call in again .

Amazing food and friendly service definitely recommended 👌

Absolutely did not disappoint. First time in ages since we dined here, and we will definitely be back. The food was top class, fillet steak cooked to perfection, the service was great and the staff extremely friendly and welcoming. We can’t wait to try the Sunday lunch on our next visit. Great business and can’t recommend enough. Well done Chris and the team. We had a fab meal and a fab night out. Thanks Peter and Lisa

I booked a table for ten for a birthday celebration. We arrived just before our reservation at 7pm. we were told oh your table isn’t ready yet no one has left. This begs the question of not letting people sit at their table for extended periods of time and clearly highlights the need for a limit on bookings I.e. 90 minutes. We were told to get a drink at the bar and wait. 20 minutes later when our table(I should say tables) were ready, we were ferried into a section where there were 3 booths with space for four people each. Realistically you were going to be looking at the back of a friend’s head or craning your neck to see. I raised this with the bar”staff” and the response was “ I’m guessing that’s all we’ve got”. If that is the case the booking should not have been taken and also begs the question of why weren’t smaller groups of people sat on these tables previously. We then asked for chairs to add to the ends of the booths but there wasn’t a single chair in the entire building. I have been coming here for years and the food and atmosphere used to be amazing. In recent years however, due to the turn over of young kids running the place, coupled with significant price increases, it has become less of a regular for me. The service tonight was the final nail in the coffin and I will not be returning. I would have received better service at Wetherspoons in the town and that is a bold statement. Do yourself a favour and go somewhere else

Nothing exciting it was busy but stood for around 5 minutes before being acknowledged at the bar. Didn't enjoy food as waited too long for it

Well worth a visit & very good Sunday lunch

Great food and the staff are always really friendly and helpful

Good pup grub. Staff very pleasant and helpful. Nothing too much trouble.

Love this restaurant can’t fault it so far every time I’ve been will be back to check out the Christmas menu

Lovely good reasonably priced one of our regular haunts doesn't disappoint

Wow portions amazing fillet steak cooked spot on great host n staff feel chuffed to find this place and best thing is working up here again next week so will be returning. Don't be disappointed book in advance guys . From coma incoming il sleep well tonight 😍

Definitely go again no hesitation

Understand why you need to book a table Very friendly staff and very quick table service . Good choice of drinks and food menu and very quick service from ordering to eating. Never seen a platter of chips so high to share among us the individual food portions looked fabulous. It's our first time eating here and didn't know what expect but the portions where too much for skinny ones like us. Alarm bells started ringing when two of us with different meals saw red spots in our chicken fillets and then that put us off When the waiter came to take our plates away and we said about the chicken he didn't give us much confidence as said oh you got to be careful eating that ? Anyway we where happy with what we had eaten and very happy with the bill considering we had fish and chips from restaurant in outskirts of Durham and there was only a fiver difference and we had alcohol with our meals tonight We last drank in here 25 years ago and had great memories and saw a few old local faces Mens toilets where a disgrace Don't know what I was walking in, no dustbin for the hand towels so people just dump them on the floor I took mine with me and wiped my feet on the carpet on the way out Discussion in the car going home Too much waste for us as we couldn't eat everything that put in front of us

Best Sunday lunch ever bought. Just like homecooked down to the vinegar salad. Lovelymeat and loads of veg.

Amazing food as always and brilliant friendly staff

Arrived at 5.55pm on a Tuesday evening to be told we couldn’t be served as they didn’t have enough stock to serve us. He didn’t even ask what we wanted or see if he could accommodate us for food. Seriously nothing left ? Suspect it’s because we had a baby in a pram.

Cannot fault the Pollards Inn for a fantastic service and superb food. Friendly and welcoming staff at all times.

Waited too long for fish and chips ordered for 6.30 at five o clock. Food great though.

Absolutely beautiful food we have booked in again for next Sunday the lunch was delightful well worth the money 10 out of 10 from us

Lovely pub with a good selection of beers and great food. Go often with family and friends for Sunday lunch, evening meal or just a drink.

We were there for a family birthday meal for 15 people. The food was excellent and the staff were helpful and friendly. Nothing was too much trouble. I would recommend The Pollards to anyone. Excellent

Portions of food more than generous 😋 unfortunately we could not eat a sweet. We were stuffed

I’ve been coming here for years the food has always been fantastic. However lately the last 4 times of coming here the service has been extremely poor. When you get greeted you’re not suppose to talk to someone facing the other way. 25 minutes to take a food order is fine, that’s if your told at the beginning that there is a 25 minute food wait. Majority of the staff is spot on, a few need to brush up on their manners.

Brilliant food service and prices.

Best Sunday dinner in the area top quality at great price friendly staff perfect not to be missed

We visit here in a large family group every fortnight. Has to be the best traditional Sunday lunch to be served anywhere in the area. Make sure you have a good appetite as the portions are amazing.

Food is always fantastic as are the helpings. Service is also good and the staff are so friendly and helpful.

Visited tonight (we usually book in at least once a month ) the food was superb and the service was excellent as usual. Really enjoyed it thanks

Fantastic night , went out for a meal ,food was outstanding and we could take the pooch too

Generous amount of food at a reasonable price!! Lovely staff

We had Brilliant Food 👏, Batter on the Onion Rings was very Light and Yummy 😋...Perfect..the Lass what was serving us was Very Professional in her work 👌..xx

Chips were full of eyes and undercooked, still looking for the chicken in my sizzler, disappointing 😞 staff were very good.

Amazing food every time. Best in Bishop by far. Lovely staff and great service

Had Sunday lunch here for 5 adults, very friendly and attentive staff, quite busy in their second sitting (1.15pm) but a busy restaurant is a good sign. Good selection of roasts to choose from, came very quickly with good portion sizes and loads of veg, desserts were good too, nice food, good service and value for money, with wine the bill came in under 3 figures for 5 of us! People just won’t believe me back down south!

Most people go for the food, which is very good quality, and huge portions. Most people do not manage to clear their plates. Carvery on a Sunday and special offers are very good value. Gets very busy most days so would recommend booking to avoid disappointment as quite often are fully booked. Large free car park to rear also has beer garden. Not too far from town centre so easy walk from Railway station.

Excellent service with brilliant food. Famous for its massive portions

Attended for a family get together with a party of 12 split over two tables (tried to book this size of party before and told by the manager that they don’t cater for this size of group; yet a party of 12 or two tables of 6 is no different), so felt lucky to get in until there were issues. One member of our parties food arrived wrong and was just left on the table (a replacement was sent out after nearly everyone had finished) and a chicken dish was prepared with blood veins running through it so therefore was left due to chicken been a dodgy meat, and when complained to the waitress, the manager was sent for who tried to explain that every chicken breast has red veins running through it but these had been probed so would have been suitable to eat, which I didn’t feel was the professional from a manager to an unsatisfied customer regarding food hygiene and safety. There was no apology or remediation for the inconvenience of the potential dangerous chicken so therefore, will not be returning or recommending and will be looking for a better setting for our special occasions.

Table booked for 1.15, arrived at 1 to be advised not ready, asked again at 1.20, informed previous diners hadn’t vacated assigned table (restricted where we could eat due to having a dog with us, hence booking). Sorted in another few minutes. Once seated order taken swiftly & food arrived even quicker, we all opted for the small pork & thank goodness we did, it was more than ample with 2 Yorkshire puddings & an insane amount of vegetables consisting of swede, carrots, cabbage, mashed potato & mushy peas with choppy salad mint sauce (divine) & loads of gravy, really hot, very tasty & no room for dessert which was just as well as they’d sold out of most items on the menu, great food at an excellent price, really pleased with it & as I write this review 7 hours later, can’t face the prospect of anything else to eat!

Great birthday afternoon and an excellent buffet.

Starter of prawns and sweet chilli are unreal. Reasonably priced

Evening meal and service excellent and nice private seat

Nice meal but far too many chips, they must waste so much food, which is criminal at the moment when there is so much food poverty in the world. Please don't waste so much, why not give smaller portions of chips and then just ask people if they would like more as they eat.

Best service you could wish for. Food fantastic and reasonable prices highley recommend this place

Sunday was great and enough food. Only small gripe. Almost all food was hot except roast potatoes which were warm and could be hotter.

First time visit with a friend on New Year's Eve for the buffet. I was very pleasantly surprised. The quality and choice of food was excellent. The beef was perfectly cooked as was all of the food. I will definitely revisit as the Sunday dinner was highly recommended.

One of the best places I've ever eaten.The starter Main course and Desert plus side dish and Irish coffee for me and my wife were the best food and service + friendly staff ever.The portions were so big and worth every penny I would recommend this place to everyone and definitely be going back again. Thankyou to all the staff and cook or cook's that prepared & served us. Enjoyed everything. Hope you have a great Christmas and New year.

Lovely Sunday lunch so relaxed staff always very welcoming

Staff very welcoming and Sunday dinners are lovely plenty on your plate aswell

We arranged a mid-week evening small family get-together here recently (just 18 of us!) and had a great time. The food was excellent, and despite the large number of covers we were served in good time. It helped that most of us pre-ordered the day before, but even so the service was still impressive. All our servers were friendly and welcoming, as well as being kept busy.! Thanks for helping to make this a memorable experience!

Fantastic food and service every time we go highly recommend

Very good, tasty food and plenty of it. Big portions and loads of chips. Brilliant steak.

Have eaten here a few times but last time was a real disappointment service was terrible they had run out of prawns and rice making choice limited 3 of us had our meal served and the 4th member had to wait we were 3/4 through our meal when hers arrived the chicken was so dry it was inedible they offered to cook a fresh one but we had all finished by then. What was supposed to be a good night out ended being terrible

I booked a table for 10 people including 3 children and on the night we were put on three separate tables in the pub area near the door which was not ideal. People were in and out all the time and some were quite drunk and loud. The food was lovely however we were given three massive bowls of chips and a smaller bowl, way too many chips, I can only imagine the food waste. Plus the chips were red hot which is great but not when you aren't provided with something to get the chips from bowl to plate. I also noticed a member of staff behind the bar constantly putting his fingers through his hair and touching his face then serving people drinks which is quite unhygienic. I honestly don't think I'll be going back.

Good food, and service would definitely go back.

I've been coming here with my parents for easily 7+ years now, and it's never failed to be a good night out! Atmospherically, it can get loud - but I guess that is just cause it's popular and for a good reason: the portions are MASSIVE. You can argue that it's a waste of food, but you're not going home hungry at least. The staff are friendly and attentive, and the somewhat new remodeling is cozy. Overall, it's great to go with family or friends - the menu has changed slightly which is my only fault as I'm a person of habit, but it's worth a shot, always! Just a heads up that booking is always the key though, as it's often packed full

Go hungry as very large potions

Visited last night as a family of seven for a birthday meal and was very disappointed that Pollards did not live up to its reputation. Service was incredibly slow. Waited over half an hour to order then another 30 mins for our meal. At 7pm on an evening they had already ran out of pie and pork which meant that 3 of our party could not have our first choice and in one case second choice. Fillet steak was over cooked and tough, beef stroganoff was chewy with an unpleasant aftertaste. Obscene amount of Luke warm chips were the only accompaniment. We ordered 3 drinks and then after waiting for ten minutes had to seek out a staff member to remind them! The only time that service was quick was when we asked for the bill which was brought straight away along with the card reader so we didn’t have time to check it. £1.60 for half a cordial and soda! £3 for half a lemonade! Even though they were all charged as a pint! Certainly not worth the cost and spoiled a family celebration! Will not hurry back.

Decent quality and cheap enough. Although somewhat wasteful as there was over twice the amount of veg the eight of us needed.

Huge portions of delicious food. Too much really especially the chips as couldn't eat them all. Well impressed that everything was served red hot. Would definitely recommend.

Meal was beautiful service was excellent. Highly recommend the pollards. Clean and fast to deliver food.

We were a party of 16 for a family meal for daughter's 50th birthday. The food was lovely with large portions. Staff were friendly and helpful. We recommend The Pollards to anyone and we will certainly return.

Great food, could do with a slightly cheaper lunch menu

Sunday lunch was delicious! Even though they were very busy staff were organised and efficient and service with a smile😃

Poor choice, expensive poor quality basic food. Showed them even a serrated knife wouldn’t cut the tough rump steak, but was ignored! Was my birthday treat, spoiled and I’m now feeling sick!!

Visited here 5th May, same menu as always, but good food for great price. Went tonight for my birthday and it was a very different story: same menu, but a lot less choice, individually priced and much lesser quality. Mixed grill was a rump steak that would not cut even with a steak knife, 2 cheap sausages, black pudding, a piece of bacon, 2 pieces of dry cardboard like chicken, Onion rings and a solid egg. They must have kept my fish warm whilst assembling the mixed grill, because it too was dry and hard, served on a cold plate. The bill was almost £37 for two very basic mains, soda water and a J20, we couldn’t wait to get out and won’t be rushing back. Probably worst birthday food ever.

Amazing delicious food and service

Visited tonight as a group of 7 (4 adults, 2 children and a baby). Lots of choices on the menu, we all chose different food and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Didnt have to wait too long for meals to be brought out, starters and desserts...

Food very good and reasonably priced. Really enjoy their steak and fish. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Only small complaint is the time between ordering and being served with your meal but this is probably due to everything being cooked to order.

Lovely meal, was very busy showing it's popularity, very pleasant staff.

The food and service was brilliant. Everyone enjoyed their meals and the drinks were reasonably priced. The atmosphere was great as well. Highly recommended.

Visited with friends and we all enjoyed the food. The service was very good aswell.

Very good food served by polite and attentive staff and not over priced will definitely book again.

Excellent service. Very good traditional pub grub. Ordered veggie lasagne, was very cheesy, would have liked veg to be a bit more chunky. Also had pork and black pudding stacker. Will definitely return

Great traditional pub food, real chips

Another good Friday night with great friends

Party of 8 on a Saturday evening. The menu choice is good and the prices are reasonable. Nice place, lively atmosphere. However there were a lot of things that really need to improve. Drinks orders were mixed up. They ran out of prawns so several...

Lovely place to eat owner's very friendly staff polite and busy

My husband I my mum and brother went for lunch Friday 28th January. The menus we received where dirty and dog eared, the choice was limited. My brother had a burger which was dry with no dressing mayonnaise or anything, under seasoned and bland. My...

An excellent lunch with good friendly staff we had prawn cocktail and black pudding bon bons they were the size of golf balls with plenty of taste. This was followed by chili Con Carne a fish and chips. The chips were plenty full and the...

Festive menu not cheap but you don't mind when the food is as good as this. Absolutely superb and great friendly service too. What's not to like!

Excellent service and lovely food and friendly staff and very helpful been a few times now and won't go any where else recommended 100 % merry Christmas to you all Xxx

Staff were very friendly and tidy . BUT the food was not up to the standard I remember. Food was bland and the wait was a bit too long. Ladies toilets were terrible. First loo was out of order, second loo didn't have a locking...

Lovely meals,curry, stroganoff and pasta dishes were delicious. They also brought out a massive dish of chips, which were lush!

Great food, nice chips, but needs better WiFi

Thanks to all the staff for a fantastic meal and for all your help with my sons proposal..💖 we had a fantastic time . Food was excellent and the staff so attentive . Good value for money !!

Amazing Sunday lunch highly recommended. Staff are lovely and very helpful..