The Talbot in Darlington

Great place to eat, staff pleasant and friendly. Food very good I have visited a few times and not been disappointed. Lovely atmosphere place smart.

Went here for a retirement meal 12 girls various ages. All enjoyed the food very good . Have also been as a couple . The restaurant is warm & cosy staff are friendly & food excellent

It’s been awhile since we had been here and in my a pinion it’s the best Sunday lunch anywhere. It’s not possible to get a good Sunday lunch in the south of England and if you’re within 40/50 miles it’s definitely worth the drive.

After being recommended we thought we would give it a try . We ordered 3 starters . The pate came with onion marmalade which was frozen solid. On pointing this out it was taken away and brought back . The marmalade had been put in the microwave and was red hot !! . The soup was potatoe and leak unfortunately someone had added that much garlic that it was green garlic water . The prawn cocktail was fine. The mains arrived with Luke warm potatoe but the rest was a good temperature. The main course was very nice . But too be fair the way they felt with the starters was enough to put us off from visiting again. The young polite waiting staff don’t have the experience to deal with problems.

Lovely tasty Sunday lunch the best we have had in a long time, the staff were both tentative and friendly and after explaining we had somebody who are disabled, they quickly accommodated even though I forgot to mention on our booking it was a requirement. Definitely we will be going back again and cannot recommend highly enough.

Lovely Sunday lunch, with a good selection of vegetables and of course the chefs delicious gravy, unfortunately we couldn’t manage a pudding although they did look good, service was excellent and the wine was devine, well worth the visit, thanks to you all.

Heard lots of glowing comments about this establishment and delighted to have the chance to patronise. Set in a nice village. Good menu for Sunday lunch - all starters were good and the tomato soup was spicy as listed - very nice. The waiting staff were all friendly - one main course was wrong but one of the party felt able to accept that as opposed to waiting for a replacement. It happens and communication can break down anywhere plus the place was very busy. No harm done. The wine was lovely - nice glassware. A great time and I d recommend.

Booked a table for Sunday lunch upon arrival we were shown upstairs which was a bit gritty compared to downstairs but this place had come as highly recommended. Before we were seated one of our party did ask if all choices of meat were available to which she was told yes and then asked what drinks we would like the waitress didn’t know what lager was available and had to go ask which fair enough she may have been new. Waited approx 20mins for drinks to be served then to be asked if we would like to order food but told that there is no lamb or pork and only 1 beef dinner left chicken and gammon or we can order pie. If we had been told this before being seated and served drinks we would not have stayed as we were very disappointed with the choice. The lady serving our party said it was because we had booked that day so why take the booking? When the food was served it was ok not what we would have chosen which made our visit a very disappointing one. Very bad management will not go back.

dreadful service waited 1and half hours for our meal not so much as an apology place has gone drastically downhill won’t be going again

food excellent, presentation excellent. great choice on menu.. however had to wait too long. staff very friendly and professional. would definitely reccommend . Use of mobile by another guest a little annoying. will definitely return.

Our friends took us to dine here and they prebooked for us. Our friends are well known here and we were all warmly greeted and seated at a round table at the rear of the restaurant. Our order was taken quickly but as the food is cooked to order it took quite a while for it to get to the table. I ordered king prawn tagliatelle and it was delicious ( after I’d fished out the red peppers): my husband had chicken and chips with Diane sauce, one friend had the pan fried hake while our other friend had the lamb chops. We all enjoyed our food and unusually had room for dessert too. Two of us had the yummy sticky toffee pudding while the other two had fruit salad. The white wine we ordered was very tasty too. Unfortunately, our evening was rather spoiled by a thoughtless guest on another table nearby conducting a loud FaceTime call while eating her meal. We all heard both sides of the loud conversation. So disrespectful.

If you want great food with great staff, modern clean place this a place to go! We have been a few times and have never been disappointed, the food is spot on.

Went here for the first time in several years. It used to be very nice with excellent food, but not now. On entering it still looked very nice surroundings and we were treated straight away and led to our table. However we were served by two young girls that clearly lacked in training. How to deal with customers, be knowledgeable about the menu ect ect. They constantly entered the room serving other tables but not scanning the room as they left. This made it very difficult to catch their eye when we needed drinks, even then she didn’t know what I meant when I tried to order a bottle of Prosecco and not two separate glasses. I had a Fillet Stake. Not a particularly difficult meal to cook, but it was rubbish. I have had Rump Stakes that were better quality than that. The menu lacked a decent cheese board as an alternative to deserts. There are a lot of Diabetics about these days, that can’t eat desert. Not a plesent evening and won’t be returning, or recommending.

Was really pleased to be able to get a table for two with twenty mins notice. Food was really good, lots of taste and service was also good. Ordered steak - cooked exactly as requested, very good quality. Also chicken Kiev which was also lovely, starters were great too. Would also recommend this place for Sunday dinner as had that a few times too.

The Talbot is a very impressive. The decor, atmosphere, staff, service was top class. The food was gorgeous fish platter and sea bass we'll have again. We will return and will definitely spread the word about this great find.

It was our first visit to The Talbot and it was quite a pleasant one. The pub is very nicely decorated and a lovely environment. The food was very tasty and plentiful, but the service was very slow. But we will be back again.

The Talbot is a pleasant, very clean venue. The staff are helpful and the food was nice but nothing special. When we arrived there was only a table of 4 people and a table of 2. We got our drinks promptly and ordered our food. Hower, we waited a very long time for our food. Whilst we waited, another table for 4 was taken up. We overheard them also complaining about the length of time they waited.

Food was totally Devine , excellent friendly service as well. Possibly one of the best meals we have had . It’s was very busy yet standards clearly maintained. Thank you so much for such an enjoyable time x

We had a private room upstairs for our Golden Wedding celebrations . We chose the xmas menu . The turkey was lovely and moist with lots of vegetables . The blade of beef just melted in your mouth . The vegetarian and vegan was happy with there meal. They all rated the sticky toffee pudding was the best ! I cant thank Chris and the girls enough that served us and this such a wonderful occasion as everything ran so smoothly . The room was setup beautifully . I highly recommend The Talbot for the food and the friendly staff .

Mundane menu, nothing tempting. Could not find a starter or desert I wanted. Staff pleasant but food took too long to come. Gammon steak very good, Scampi hard coating, Tartar sauce awful. Long time since we have been here and nothing on the menu to temp us back.

Family of 22! Not a single issue. The food is quality and excellent as always, all hot which is hard to do when serving 22 people. We will continue to visit.

In a quaint village there is this amazing restaurant. Food is fantastic, and great value for money. You will no be disappointed. Not only is the food fabulous the portion size is over the top, but we managed to eat it all! Staff are attentive,...

Michelle and staff provide an excellent experience and great food. Sunday lunch is amazing, but all the meals are to be frank. Love going to visit as often as we can.

Food was delicious, but massively let down by the staff, waitresses wondering round, when our table needed clearing. Appeared nobody had a supervisor role. Waitresses stood at the bar watching drinks being made and talking.

First time in around three years since my wife and I last visited but well worth the wait. Have to say the Sunday lunch is exceptional with a good choice of meats and a lot of vegetables. We both had the Sirloin of beef cooked...

Not been to the Talbot for years. We went as a last minute booking for Sunday lunch last week - it was lovely. Friendly and efficient waiting and bar staff. Glad we avoided starters as portions generous. Fresh and perfectly cooked veg - and a...

The food was very good and the staff were very friendly. A very welcoming place with nice food. I recommend this place to all. Only bad thing was the lack of the mentioned chocolate sauce with my brownie for dessert - still tasty without. Also...

So I’m not sure we should be sharing this but The Talbot does the absolute best Cheesecake! Homemade with a creamy, mousse texture with traditional chunky biscuit base. Doesn’t matter what flavour btw! PS the whole menu is excellent too!

Called in on spec to check out the venue for lunch. Great location with free parking outside the front door. The coffees were good but the atmosphere was not there, possibly due to the time ( 12-30) The staff were excellent. We will call again...

We had. a lovely Sunday lunch here . Lots of vegetables in separate dishes and extra gravy . The beef and lamb were very good . could not fault the meal or the service . Didn’t have to wait too long for our meal and...

Perfectly moist and tender meat (belly pork again for me) and ALL veg cooked to perfection & plenty of it. Beautifully presented & tasty puds too. Excellent service & despite getting busy, we were not rushed.

This was our second time within the month, and we wasn’t sure if it was a one off as it was that good! We wasn’t disappointed it was absolutely delicious the restaurant is done out beautifully and the staff are fantastic! We will be use...

Visited The Talbot for the first time on Friday evening for the 3 course offer, and couldn’t fault this place. The staff were really warm and welcoming. And the food was gorgeous, literally couldn’t fault it. We all agreed it was probably the best meal...

It’s eight years since my wife and I moved from the Peak District to live in the North East, a part of the world I did not know well, and we have had a great time investigating recommended dining-out venues in various parts of the...

Great quality food (huge piece of belly pork, my fellow diners had ‘food envy’)! Perfectly cooked veg. And tasty puds. Good value & great, attentive service from ALL the staff. Beautifully decorated. It was busy, which is always a good sign, but we were not...

Visited today for Sunday lunch . Beautiful meal - everything was cooked to perfection . Plentiful portions and presented really well at a very affordable price for such quality. We were attended by Chloe , who was very attentive and pleasant . Will certainly return...

Visited here last Sunday with family and we were all blown away by the food, the staff and the building itself. The staff were amazing. Super friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and made our visit extra special. I am gluten free and the Sunday lunch...

We celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary at The Talbot on Friday night and we had the most amazing time thanks to Michelle, Callum and the team, we had our meal upstairs in the lovely function room, all 35 guests were served together with beautiful...

Called in for a family Sunday Lunch late on (I think we were the last group) and the services was great even though we joined another family group so tables were moved closer for us, the quality of the food was still excellent and will...

We had planned to stop for a drink and eat elsewhere last night but was blown away by this place. Revamped with tasteful furnishings and adorable dining pods that are heated we couldn’t help ourselves and mulled over the array of menus for ages finally...

We booked a birthday meal in the room upstairs on a Sunday, the staff were helpful from start to finish, I took balloons etc the days before and they decorated the room really nice for us, the staff were so friendly and helpful we were...

Lovely lunch sat in one of the fabulous ‘Talpods’ in the garden. Excellent service, food & value for money although lots on the menu & special boards so difficult decision! Dog friendly inside (in the snug area) & outside. Will definitely be returning.

Our first visit to the talbot, friendly staff and food was excellent, would highly recommend and will definitely return, sat outside in one of the pods, nice quiet surroundings

Excellent experience from booking to leaving! Booking was really easy and we had an option to sit indoors even though we had booked an outdoor pod (it was raining). Every member of staff greeted us and spoke to us there was a real family feel...

Very disappointed with the quality of the pizzas we got on saturday they were under cooked mis shaped and lanking in consistencey of thickness. We were charged £8 per pizza which the price did not match the quality or quantity of the food we recieved.

Visited for Sunday dinner, we went for midday. I went for the beef dinner and my partner opted for the turkey. At first thoughts it didn’t look a whole amount but actually by the end we were stuffed! It was tasty with plenty of gravy!...

at 1730 22/03/202 when all other restaurants and pubs are shut due to corvid 19 regulations this establishment flouts them serving customers and didn't have the good sense to closer the curtains so they couldn't be seen.

Despite offering a gluten free menu, we still had to take our own gf Yorkshire puds. We were a party of 6 (4 adults & 2 children) & were shown to an upstairs table. There was no atmosphere upstairs, It took a long time for...

Arrived for Sunday Lunch for our 1pm booking. Felt slightly disappointed when we arrived as it seemed to take a while for someone to acknowledge that we were there. We were shown to our table eventually. We really can’t complain about the food itself as...

Atmosphere in this pub used to be buzzing but unfortunately met with dreary reception tonight. Firstly told booking not correct but soon rectified, then no rose wine only red or white. The fish and chips used to be huge with fresh white chunky flakes but...

Booked as a group for an anniversary meal after having previously enjoyed the Pennyweight and seen plenty of good reviews. However, not sure how things went so wrong for us. Had Messaged previously enquiring about the vegan menu which is mentioned online but isn’t displayed...

We took friends using a Groupon voucher. The meal was excellent with plenty of choice. The fish and chips were delicious. The service was very good. So pleased to see this restaurant open again. We will be back

Had a lovely Sunday lunch with a Groupon voucher also had an evening meal too food good quality staff can’t do enough for you will be going again for sure definitely recommend .

We went on a very busy Friday evening, I had booked a table but for two people instead of four (duugh) I could see the slight look of panic set in however the lovely and delightful Lucy soon did some juggling around and we were soon seated. Not a huge menu but enough to suit most tastes, the prawn starter was very tasty, I could have had a main course of that, followed by rack of lamb nicely cooked with some great flavours with it. Only very slight disappointment was the summer fruit crumble which was all apple, I'm not a great lover of cooked apple (suppose its not summer yet). For a good night out, good food and with dishes coming with just the right interval (hate courses coming to quickly) def recommended. It is nice to see staff in particular Lucy being so naturally friendly and helpful 10/10 keep it up.

Great food!! Had the Fishcakes and Black Pudding Starters followed by Chicken Parmesan for mains! Very nice, gorgeous setting and lovely hosts! Will be back!

Booked for junch for 1pm and arrived to find pub not busy so was served with drink immediately and shown to my table with menu of choices for lunch. Out of a choice of 4 starters I picked the one I fancied but when I ordered was told"Sorry that is not available today!!!" Reordered a different dish that was acceptable to have instead which was quite nice. Oder ed Roast Beef for main course and that was the start of the poor experience. Lunch was served with beef on plate with opaque lumps of fat attached being unpleasant to look at. This was combined with a splodge of glutinous mashed potatoes topped with a Pig in Blanket accompanied by a stuffing ball and some mashed swede and gravy. The vegetables were served on a separate dish. Everything was warm instead of being a hot dinner and had to request rather than being offered 1. Spoon for serving veg. 2 Salt & Pepper. 3 Horseradish sauce. This came in oversized egg cup with no accompanying spoon to serve with. The pepper mill given was empty and despite 3 replacements never got any pepper yet!

Wonderful 2 course dinner , (fish cakes-5*, Sirloin steak -5*) Good busy pub with happy staff, Will defo come again.

Excellent. Great food, great value for money and really friendly staff especially Lucy, who has great interaction with customers.

Excellent welcome by Lucy. Lovely friendly atmosphere and great food. Black pudding and chicken Parmesan was fresh brilliant value for money. Highly recommend. Thanks again Lucy you made our evening.

We booked last minute for the talbot and were not disappointed. We were shown to our table and asked to make ourselves comfortable and the owner would return to take our order. This was a nice touch. We were given the menus and a full explanation of the menu.

We were looked after extremely well for a family celebration meal for 20+ people. Waitress was fab and worked really hard, despite some of us being a bit fussy at times!

After a recommendation and reading good reviews of The Talbot I decided to ring to book a table for the following day.

Visited with wife for a meal. Cracking pub with a strong community ethos... definitely recommend! Food top notch, and the sort of place to just sit and relax

We dined at The Talbot for a birthday meal for myself we had initially made a booking and had to cancel the week prior as the Mrs is heavily pregnant. The management and staff couldn’t have been more accommodating we were able to rebook the week after same time etc .

We went for the first time Christmas eve, was busy, not many staff on duty but they coped really well. Food came out in a timely manor and I have to say it was very nice all of it! Our party had various meals and nobody could say anything bad about it. The menu was a reasonable size with plenty of choice to suit most I would say. The pub itself was clean and tidy, tables nicely spaced out so you are not sat on top of each other. Looking forward to going again soon!

Table booked well in advance but when we arrived they didn't have any record of our booking. Luckily had a table available. Couple of other groups in - when got to our table didn't have full range of starters available which was disappointing.

Visited in Christmas Day for lunch all the family first time eating out on Xmas day and the service was excellent and also the food would recommend

Lovely cosy modern pub. The staff were very polite and welcoming. The food was lovely, will visit again.

Enjoyed a lovely lunch here. I chose sausage and mash and my friend chose the lasagne. Both meals were well presented and very tasty.

enjoyed our meal . Sunday quiz night (once a fortnight) good evening out light and fun includes a light supper.

We hadn’t visited here for several years so decided to buy a groupon voucher when it became available. It was certainly a lot different and was very tastefully decorated.Our starters of cheese soufflé and fish cakes were very good. We then both went for the ribeye steak which was okay but not the best we’d ever had as there was a lot of fat (even for a ribeye). We both enjoyed our evening but we have had better meals elsewhere

The menu is not extensive we ordered from the main menu. I ordered the

So, this isn't a negative, as it was our own fault for not saying anything at the time. We did get a Groupon, and so for that it was value for money. We took our son with us that wanted who just ordered as normal. Our Groupon was for 2, and it stated 2 starters to a value of £6.95 and 2 mains to the value of £16.95. WHen we arrived, although the pub was empty we were put into a tiny little lounge area, with a table laid for 3 and a table laid for 2 (both same size tables), and a sofa for drinkers. We did get apologies that they were busy that night we had no problems as long as enough room. We were also advised we didn't need to have a starter we could swap for dessert, great, we did. Hubby got rib eye steak and sticky toffee pudding. Son asked for the bacon and cheese burger but it HAD to be plain, nothing on it just that. I ordered Rump of lamb and cheesecake. No complaints from hubby. Son found mayo on his burger (he hates mayo) but they were busy so he thought he'd put ketchup on it to disguise the taste - he couldn't eat it. I got 3 pieces of lamb on the bone and a butternut squash puree (not advertised), but the squash was ladeled with chilli and once eaten you couldn't taste the lamb. After I had eaten the food (it was all nice) i asked the waitress if it was lamb rump i had had, and she came back and just said, oh no, the menu isn't updated - but no one, not even the maitre de explained this. My 'cheesecake' was defo not worth £6.95 - it was a small whiskey glass withh crumbled biscuit in it, plain vanilla cheesecake mix on top and a small spoon of passionfruit sorbet. All nice enough, but not good enough to have paid £24.90 for me, my hubbys was worth it, and my sons burger cost £12.95, again not what we asked for. All in all the meal cost us £47 for 3 of us including drinks (and groupon) so from that point of view was ok, but very disappointed as we eat at The Pennyweight all the time and their food is great, pub food. Like I say its our fault for not complaining at the time.

First time visit but won't be the last. We visited with cousin and husbands and used a Groupon voucher. The food was exceptional and plentiful. Try the fish and chips, or gamon steak or even the hunter's chicken. The staff were very courteous but weren't overbearing. It was nice to go somewhere that music wasn't blaring out.

What a lovely evening we spent here. Really comfortable surroundings and tasteful decor. Food was delicious, and well presented. Service was great. Our first visit but definitely not our last.

Good to see the Talbot open again. Food was good, all four of us enjoyed our three courses. We will certainly be back to taste some of the rest of the menu. Staff were friendly but service was a little clunky, with some gentle reminders all was sorted. We fed back what had happened to help support the staff to improve things when unexpectedly busy. Didn’t ask for it but some minor adjustments were made to the bill. Thank you.

Meeting up with friends around once a month we like to try local pubs and eateries tonights visit because of group on was the tirn of the talbot.

The food portions at this restraunt are unaceptable!! This pub is under new management and has gone down hill since we last visited. The adults sausage and mash was the same size as the child portion. One small scoop of mash ( no exaggeration ) with 3 sausages on top. The other meals weren't much better. We will not be returning to this place. If you want a decent meal I would advise not to visit, you will be disappointed.

Great service, lovely food and nice pub/restaurant. We were bought a Groupon voucher for a birthday and it was a great deal. I think this is my favourite place to eat to date. Excellent all round. Can't wait to go again.

We had a group on voucher to visit but following the meal we had and looking at the menu we will definitely be going back.

We visited last week and unfortunately arrived late as my husband for some reason took a very circuitous route! I was worried about arriving late but our apologies were put to one side as not being required. The meal we had was first class. I had fillet steak which was very reasonably priced as was absolutely delicious!. We have paid significantly more for lesser steaks in the past.

We really enjoyed the meal here, very good quality, good selection of wines, would definitely come again, a big thankyou to Callum who was very imformative, friendly, and welcoming, a good asset to the pub.

Beautiful country style pub with modern feel, great choice of menu very similar to the well known County nearby but alot cheaper but as good if not better great staff especially the young lad serving didn't get his name. Fresh food local produce defo worth trying

Visited on a Groupon voucher. Meal was lovely, same menu as regular diners. If you wanted something more than £16.95 for the main you could pay the difference. Food was lovely, hubby had Talbot pie and the pastry was amazing. Parmo was really good too. Service from Callum and Nathan was great, lots of fun and totally professional. Thanks guys!

Went to the Talbot with friends. We had a 2 course meal - starter and main. All dishes were excellent. The only downside was they had run out of cask ale.

Visited this Pub and found it had recently been renovated, looks good.

Had a great night at The Talbot, the hosts David and Anna went above and beyond to ensure our birthday party went without a hitch!

We bought a two course Groupon in July. The meal was amazing, we got home and bought another one. We went two weeks later, my husband was told when he ordered the fish that there was no tartare sauce, my husband's starter of scotch egg was good , my goat's cheese and walnut salad came with pine nuts instead of walnuts. When I questioned this they said they had ran out of walnuts so had replaced with pine nuts but had not bothered to ask me! My husbands fish and chips arrived without the tartare sauce and the mushy peas, when questioned they said they had run out of them too! My main was lovely. To be fair the drinks were taken off the bill so we went back, big mistake. I again ordered the goats cheese salad, it came and something had been deep fried, it did not taste like cheese to me, more like tofu! I mentioned this to waitress, she said she would have a word with the chef. I had to call her over to ask what he had said. It was cheese was all he said. We have given this place more than enough chances. The food can be really good but it is very unpredictable.

Seen that the owner of The Pennyweight had started a new venture so I had to give it a go. Not disappointed in the slightest. Walked in to an amazing decor and great set up. Very friendly staff, very helpful and attentive. I myself got eh Parmesan and honestly it is one of the best I’ve ever had. Chips aren’t to be missed either as they were top. Wife got the fish and chips and the portion for the price was surprising. Would highly recommend and will revisiting 100%.

We booked a meal at The Talbot tonight after recommendation from family. Arriving at just before 7pm it was not full but plenty of people eating and nice ambiance. Served straight away by young male waiter, very attentive. Order wine, beer and two starters and mains. Beautiful food, perfectly timed between courses. Steak excellent and starters plentiful. Lovely atmosphere will definitely try again . Well done to all at The Talbot x

Went on a Groupon deal and it was a lovely 2 course meal with drinks.

We had a lovely lunch at The Talbot on Saturday. Warm welcome, cosy atmosphere, absolutely delicious pub food. We’ve been a few times since new management took over and always enjoyed it but the new chef is really excellent. The Talbot is everything you could ask for in a modern country pub and we will be returning time and time again. It’s one of those places that you feel is only going to get better.

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff and very accommodating when we had to shift our lunchtime booking to the evening. Have been here a few times and have always had a good experience.

Very good service, excellent choice of food on menu and very tasty food. We had meals that included steak, chicken, a prawn pasta dish and fish pie. We all enjoyed our meals.

Don't often go out for Sunday lunch and decided to give The Talbot a visit. The starter we could not fault - souffle and Pil Pil prawns. The Sunday roast dinner was, however, really poor. I would say the worst we have ever had. The Turkey was pink and very stringy to eat - we left it as it looked under cooked. The gravy was thin coloured water and didn't taste of much as was the remainder of the dinner. We left most of it. So wanted a good experience at this lovely new pub but can't see us returning.

Went on a Saturday teatime for first time and have no complaints lovely tasty food friendly helpful staff and excellent value. We will be coming again very soon

I don't do many reviews as personally I like to form my own opinion and thank god I did!!!

Visited for the first time and will definitely be back very soon. The pub is tastefully decorated and the food was delicious. The staff were welcoming, friendly and created a great atmosphere in the pub. Booked as a party of 7 and not one grumble, everything was just right. Great choice on the menu. You must go!!! Can’t wait to return.

Came in with my wife for a meal on a wet and miserable Saturday evening. The thoughts of the terrible British summer were soon forgotten with a lovely warm welcome from friendly, helpful staff. The decor is modern and classy and the menu reflects this. We both had the black pudding starter which was superb. For mains I had the fillet steak (rare) with peppercorn sauce and my wife had the minted lamb burger. Both were excellent (the steak was as good as I’ve had in many a long year) and just the right size. After a jiggle in our seats we made room for the chocolate orange bread and butter pudding. We would highly recommend this fine gastro pub to anyone!

Just visited for the first time. The food was amazing. Tried the scotch egg and it was delicious. The pie was absolutely filled to the brim with chicken and pancetta and hubbies gammon was massive. Very impressive. XX