The Waterford Arms in Northumberland

Great traditional pub. Went today for Sunday lunch. All very tasty and good portions. My only comment was the yorkshire puddings...like an airfried crisp. I don't think you have the correct recipe. Burnt too.

Sadly not a great experience today & definitely not as good as before. We tried the lasagne with salad & the veg curry with chips. The lasagne & salad was great but the curry was a very small portion & mostly oil. Lots of oil about 1 cm deep. I managed to eat 4 mushrooms before giving up. The chips were lovely but I left feeling hungry. We did mention it to a member of staff who was very apologetic & did offer something else instead but we didn't have the time to wait another 30 mins. Also annoying was a slice of waxed lemon in the glass which isn't suitable for veggies & vegans. Very disappointed.

Great food, great service recommend the fish and chips.

We have just had a lovely breakfast husband had the full breakfast granddaughter had the pancakes the dog had sausage and I had the 5 choice all was lovely

Biggest fish and chips ever! If you have a big appetite you have to try the challenge of the whale and chips! It is unreal seeing is believing! No words can do this justice. All Food portions are fabulous Food is exceptional well cooked and presented beautifully. Great value for money. Nice ambience as well Great customer service Nicola served us and she was polite and helpful and attentive All round a must try at least once.

Fantastic food and wonderful staff

We’ve had “the whale” four times now — so they’re clearly doing something right! It’s a beast of a portion, easily feeds more than two people, and the fish is consistently spot on: crispy batter, fresh and flaky inside. A few small gripes though — the gravy could use some love, it’s pretty bland and honestly doesn’t need to be on the plate. Mushy peas are exactly what you’d expect (no complaints there), and the curry sauce can be a bit hit or miss. Chips range from great to a little floppy, depending on the day. Still, for value, portion size, and that fish — it’s well worth a visit. We’ll be back for a fifth round soon.

2 couples booked for Easter Good Friday We had a table booked for 1-30, as expected it was busy that day but the staff were marvellous. We were kept informed at all times and the owner, a delightful, young woman was there too supporting the staff. The fish and chips tea, bread and butter were perfect. We will return, maybe when it is less busy. The singer was excellent, but maybe more suitable for the evening.

Food was OK had fish and chips Chips were a bit off like they had been reheated

Been wanting to try this place for ages. Had to get the whale and chips, beautiful flakey cod with nice crispy batter. Chips were lovely as was the curry, mushy peas and tartare sauce. Well worth a visit!

Lovely sized room, comfy bed, fantastic location and great food. Well worth it if in the area.

We dined here twice whilst staying at Old Hartley caravan club site. We thought the food was good and well priced very good mince and dumplings. The locals were very friendly.

Food here is Amazing along with service

Excellent Food, Staff and perfect after a long drive or brisk walk along the sea front and beach. Book ahead of time as this is very popular destination. The Waterford Arms clasaic fish & chips are some of the very best in the north east and my absolute recommendation 5 out 5

Lovely fish and chips .fantastic service. Definitely recommend.

Had a lovely breakfast 🍳 I would recommend. Very friendly staff.

Fabulous food great service and lovely friendly staff

Me and wife travelled from Scotland to try the famous whale fish and chips was not disappointed in a way. They were fully booked up in restaurant for 2 weeks running. But managed to haggle a takeaway so was not waste of journey. Only niggle was wife's large fish and chips was supposed to be battered but was more like large breadcrumb batter. But whale was cooked perfectly and home made chips were awesome made like my mum's. Hope you have a big appetite it's a big meal

Fantastic food, all freshly cooked. Great service.

Called for lunch for the first time with my parents and it definitely won't be the last. The fish and chips were the best I've ever had, the service was excellent and the staff were so polite, helpful and friendly. I would highly recommend this lovely family pub in a superb location.

Food is delicious and great staff

We had heard that this was the place to come for food but although the couple that came in at the same time as us, and a couple that came in after us ordered food, when we chose from the menu and went to the bar to order we were told they weren't doing food as they had a party of 23 coming in. We tried to order at 4:45pm so it wasn't like it was towards the end of service.

Had an amazing breakfast here today. The staff were great and very friendly. I would strongly advise you book a table as they were very busy. Best eggs benedict and hash brown ive ever had

Visited the Waterford Arms today to celebrate my partner’s 80th birthday. The service we received was absolutely appalling. I rang twice this morning to book a table. As the phone wasn’t answered I left a message on the answerphone requesting a table for 2 at 2.00 pm. As no one called me back I presumed this was Ok. We arrived at the restaurant at 1.50 and explained what I had done. We were told very rudely that they didn’t have an answerphone so I couldn’t have left a message and no table was available. I confirmed that I had left a message and was again told there was no answerphone. I dialled the number again on my phone to prove that there was an answerphone and was then told that they were too busy to answer the phone. No apology was given and we were told that if we waited an hour we could have a table. We walked out in disgust and went to the nearby Kings Arms where we had a lovely meal and were served by very nice friendly staff both being the bar and serving food. The staff at the Waterford Arms could learn a lot from them.

Came to the Waterford to take my Nanna and Aunie out for Sunday Lunch. We were sat in the raised bar area. The main meal was lovely however after this, we waited 30 minutes before getting up to ask at the bar for dessert menus. They were brought over the table and half the tables plates were cleared but they did not come back for the rest. Two plates were left on the table until the Desserts arrived and were then cleared by the young lad. Unfortunately the dessert order was not taken correctly and we waited for the replacement dessert whilst I paid the bill. I didn’t mention about the service whilst paying the bill but the young lad noticed the service had fell short and removed a dessert off of the total price which was nice to see. I’m all for hiring young people to get them some work experience and money but there seemed to be a back of work ethic -and customer care in the team today and some were too busy talking about customers to each other behind the bar rather than serving me stood at the bar.

Literally the best food I have eaten out for ages . Table of 4 and we all had something different from starters and mains. Everything was hot and delicious. Service from young guy was friendly and prompt. Going back to have seafood platter .

My wife and I called in on Wednesday evening for a bite to eat and we both chose mince and dumplings. Unfortunately we were both disappointed with the quality of the food. The dumplings were hard and tasteless and the mince was literally swimming in too much gravy. There texture of the mince was also course and bland. My wife complained and was given a spoon to scoop out the mince from the gravy but to little avail. She was also given another dumpling but this too was hard and tasteless. We had been to the the Waterford on previous occasions with good experiences but for some reason this was not the case on our most recent visit. Perhaps the chef was having an off night I really don't know. The staff were pleasant though.

We have lived in the village for 9 years and have just recently had 2 meals there.I must say the fish menu is excellent and best value and we will definitely return.Well done to all staff.

just had lunch today it was delicious,i had cod and chips with mushy peas. the staff are so welcoming and friendly.even gave us a sausage for our dog rosie,she certainly enjoyed it lol.we will be back soon thank you all for a great experience. kind regards gary miller

My husband and I had seen a lovely sea food platter online , so for Valentine’s Day we booked a table. We had the 3 for twenty pounds starters mussels each and king prawn starters. Not good mussels were tiny and sauces were tasteless! Prawns just put in a sauce . We’ve had better from farm foods . The sea food platter to share next . More than 30 mins we waited for our starter! Sea food platter dressed crab was ok, fish gougons had fat dripping from them. The chips were cold Cajun fish skewers weren’t good! Salt and pepper squid was rubbery. . King prawns were just prawns put in a ready made sauce. Avoid. the young man that served us was lovely thou . Won’t order again

Food brilliant as usual . Portion size great , quality fab . Good value . Dog friendly . Staff always welcoming and service great .

The meal we had was brilliant. Plenty 9f choice for gluten free & other dietary requirements. Wonderful atmosphere. Highly recommended

Waited an hour for my meal,wasn't the best meal I've had wouldn't recommend it

This place is the best I love the food I love the staff there all MINT super happy 😁 I’ve been working my way through the menu now and it’s all lush from egg Benedict to the massive breakfast they even have smoked kippers which is my favourite and the fish chowder isdelicious Yess it’s a big 10/10 from me

Just popped in for lunch as part of a winter walk so can’t comment on the hotel. Fish and Chips, which it’s renowned for did not disappoint. Light batter, not in the slightest greasy and chips perfectly cooked.

Went for some food and the place wasn't full a friend went to the bar to order food and it was a good order to be told you can't have any food you didn't book , the place wasn't busy at all , we have been many times before , seems our face didn't fit so we won't ever go back

Sat in the bar as went with a dog. Ordered drinks while we looked at the menu. Went back to bar to order food but was told we couldn't order as we hadn't booked in advance. The restaurant had 2 tables of people sat and the bar didn't have many people in either. Extremely disappointed, but guessing they don't need the custom.

Lovely warm and welcoming hotel/pub. Came with my family from a lunch on New Year’s Eve and thoroughly enjoyed it. Will definitely return to try out more of the menu.

We've stayed here on numerous occasions and cannot fault it. Absolutely amazing place. The food is delicious (especially the fish and chips!) and lovely breakfasts. Welcoming and friendly staff and a great location.The rooms are comfortable and clean. It's our go to place for a stay in the North East!

Lovely food, friendly staff, great location.

Eaten here many times. Very good range of fish & chips, from small to whale size. Plus full menu. Kids menu is much better than others and really good portions and reasonable price. Recommended. Can get busy as popular. Best to book a table just to be sure. Good location on the coast.

Seriously unimpressed with this chippy on today's visit. Have been prior and had fish and chips which were lovely. Popped in today new years day, not that busy for takeaway. Had two sausage and a large chips. Meagre portion of chips (chips were okay) and not chippy sausage. More like a Cumberland sausage deep fried in batter but not nice sausages at all. Can only assume they've run out of chippy sausage and got in some supermarket ones. £13 for the privilege. Will avoid from now on as rip off and not nice.

Very impressed, food was great, staff were very friendly, great location. Fish Thai Curry was very well made and the fish and chips looked great.

Superb cheesecake! I want to know who makes them? As that was one of the nicest Strawberry ones I’ve ever had.. We have stayed numerous times and this establishment has seen considerable amount of money and work put in.. Anyone who finds fault with this place should consider booking in with Warners? (Set meal times and impersonal service) Can’t wait to come back, but unfortunately heading across the world for a little while.. keep up the excellent work. 👏👏❤️❤️

This pub is great for a casual meal. I would highly recommend the fish and chips...I had the whale 🐳...far too much fish for one person...😁 The seafood linguine was also excellent 👌. For dessert, the homemade cheesecakes are to die for. Great beers and a fantastic casual atmosphere. Friendly, polite and helpful staff. I would highly recommend this pub/ restaurant to anyone

Its been a while since we were last here and the food quality has been as great as ever. The chowder was particularly good as were the goujons and the thai curry which came with masses of mussels. Our only criticism is the goujons could have been served with peas as it was carbs heavy, but delicious.

Well not what I expected compared to my last visit had mixed grill of which the gammon and chicken were well over cooked dry as sticks and the batter on the fish was a soggy mush hopefully just a off day

My friend and I went for Sunday dinner, being Sunday the restaurant was full, however we were invited to eat in the bar area. We weren’t sure of the portion sizes where you are offered 3 sizes small, regular and large. We went for regular, I had a turkey dinner with Seasonal vegetables and my friend had the gammon. The portion sizes were really good and the food was really tasty and left with happy bellies. Highly recommend.

We had a Sunday lunch. The food was home cooked. We both had pork which was very tasty. I enjoyed the food but for me i didn't like the ambience. The chairs need a good refurbishment . It was like eating in an old tap room.

A very nice pub. We also stayed there overnight while passing through. The location is great for walks and very central. You can reach the beach on foot and also walk through the town. Parking was a bit difficult but we were finally able to park on the lawn behind the house. The food was really fantastic and it was really nice to sit there too. Dogs are welcome. We can only recommend this pub and hotel. Only the shower was a bit old, but we didn't think that was a big deal.

Great 2 night stay for business, food was excellent and staff very friendly and helpful.

Best fish and chips around. Family over from Australia and they were blown away by the price and quality and freshness. Will always go back.

It shouldn’t be a surprise in the 21st century to be met with kindness and a warm welcome but sometimes it just is. We had a great two night stay and thoroughly enjoyed walking our dog on the fabulous beach in the morning and the view from our bedroom. And the fabulous breakfast pancakes…. The food menu was varied and thoughtful and it was lovely to see a local fish supplier arrive every morning. Thank you to all the staff for their hard work and kindness because in the end that is what you remember about a stay. Highly recommended.

Service was really slow, the floor staff and even chef seemed more interested in other tables where they would stand and chat for abit. The soup starter was leek and potato, mine was hot but husband's was stone cold, was able to put finger straight in took it back and there was no way of an apology just an annoyance that I brought it to her. Again mains came out and all of our chips were cold and husband and daughters fish were cold and batter was soggy. We went in at 12.00 and didn't get out until nearly 2.00 where as other tables who came in after us seemed to get served straight away as they were guests staying there. Paying customers should all be treated the same. Very disappointed probably won't be back.

Brilliant room. Food very good but service at dinner a little slow.

Walked through the Dean from Holywell and called in for a light lunch.Dog friendly in the bar which very spacious nice decor and the bait was fab will be back

Attended a 40th birthday party on Saturday. We had a fantastic time, the staff were super friendly and helpful, the food was delicious I had a curry my Mrs had a chicken dish 👏. The room was clean and comfortable with a fantastic sea view. (however the bed was a bit noisy 😉). Will definitely be back.

Dropped in after a walk at Seaton Sluice: dog friendly, and managed to get a table on a busy Sunday. Staff really friendly and accommodating - ordered 4x fish and chips and it was brilliant. Would visit again!

The comparison with their competitors over the roadis not good. One completely full at lunchtime yet the Waterford almost empty and with a 30 min wait for food. Only advantage is that they allow dogs in the bar.

Might have been a bad day at the office but not sure what the hype is after having read some really good reviews. Booking for 3 adults 2 children (2&7)12:00 on Sunday 27th Oct. We initially wanted to come for the seafood platter, however, this was unavailable on a Sunday which can't be helped. We opted for 2 Sunday lunches, 1 salmon, and a sausage and mash. All of the veg that was served with the mains was luke warm at best, the Yorkshire pudding with one of the mains was burnt, the mash was lumpy, the roasts were in my opinion inedible (hard and dry on the inside and the skin was tough and soggy as if cooked from frozen or reheated), no cutlery was given, the salmon was swimming in a sauce almost as if it were a soup (could be preference but not how I would serve it personally). We were asked twice if everything was OK and we said unfortunately not and specified why. The service stated that they check on this for us but nothing was mentioned or escalated and we paid full price for all meals. We would have returned to try the seafood platter (as we've heard good things) if some effort was made to potentially refund part of the meals but no effort was made to rectify this. In addition to this we had to wipe down our table, seats and high chair as they were dusty and unclean. The gents toilets were very unclean also. We went to an Italian chain restaurant the week before and the food was far superior and better value for money. Overall, quite disappointing given the reputation from positive reviews.

After a 5 hour drive for the fish and chips we weren't dissatisfied very good food all weekend room was excellent and made me and my partner and basil the dog very welcome excellent service thank you to the staff for your excellent service

Very disappointed with my food there today. It was cold, the roast potatoes were clearly not fresh, I had to removes bits of food from the chairs before we could sit down and the high chair was filthy. Not given cutlery until we had to ask for it, made our concerns to 2 staff members and nothing done about it. So sad as have read some good reviews about the place😢

First time in years been here absolutely lovely dinners and cheap for the price nice and hot,been all over for dinners this is the best will be visiting again

Me and the good lady were visiting friends in Northumberland. So we decided to do a stop over on the way up..wife found the Waterford on the Web.. What can I say, Shelley and her team are just A1. Great pub, super food, nice rooms, we enjoyed yourselves that much we stopped again on the way down. Please visit, and by the way, do try the " fish plater for 2"....fantastic.

King Prawn and Chorizo main was unbelievable. And to my delight they were overly generous on the King prawns. 100% be getting it again! Service was brilliant as usual.

We visited last night for my husbands birthday tea and we’re very pleased with everything The food was amazing and lovely service the place was chocca for a Monday night so please it’s doing well We live in sluice so we will be back soon Loved it that much visited with friends today for lunch 🤭 I’d recommended the fish pie it’s was fantastic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We didn't book in advance, and the place was fully booked, but the staff we're extremely friendly & helpful in finding us a table to eat ( at least I know for next time to book) anyway I ordered Whale and Chips ( a 32 Oz Cod) which was absolutely massive, well worth every penny, and was cooked to perfection! Crispy batter and fish so full of big flakes, the quality was simply amazing! We're definitely planning to go back, as the food was excellent and the service we experienced was first class, for example when we also asked for sausage and chips ( which wasn't on the menu, they still happily obliged,nothing was too much trouble for them, even though, they were all very busy. Looking forward to our next visit. Highly recommend 10/10

Ate last night. The guy dealing with us was spot on, thank you! The food was substandard. Starters: garlic mushrooms- cold; potatoe skins - as expected; mussels in tomato and chilli- half were still closed and sauce was lukewarm (bad tummy this morning...thanks) Mains: fish and chips regular - cold have done with a bit longer for the batter to get crispy but fine; gammon - all good with this; chowder- prawns were hard but overall nice, the little bits of cut french stick could have been fresher. Desserts: I didn't order one as I'd given up by this point, however the party ordered sticky toffee pudding - over microwaved, berry and apple crumble- awful, looked like they had run out of crumble, sprinkled some icing sugar and a squirt of ice cream sauce over the top. Hit and miss food and apart from the gammon and potato skins we would not recommend. Might have just been a bad night but seriously, what cook EVER leaves 50% of a mussel dish with closed mussels? I'm left with a dodgy belly and a 5 hour drive later today, thanks.

Lovely fish and chips, lovely staff and a very popular eating place. I would reccomend.

Nice pub atmosphere. Food was great. Service was very slow which according to other reviews is normal. 40 minutes wait for a meal. Disappointing. Close to the seafront which made it handy for us to go walk the beach and seafront shops.

What can i say food amazing just had large fish & chips husband had whaler & chips could of fed 6 people or more .the best around not just size taste was absolutely outstanding lovely dry fish chips dry & fluffy best value around for what u get as that all includes mushy peas ,curry sauce,gravy,& tater sauce .10 out of 10 ..we will be back x

Group of 4 called in on a Wednesday lunchtime (booked in advance). Extensive menu, good selection of vegetarian/vegan options, we settled on the 2 for £20 fish, chips mushy peas, bread/butter and a pot of tea deal x 2. The fish (cod) was huge, well cooked, coated in lovely crisp batter, chips were nice and chunky, staff were pleasant and efficient. If your looking for really good fish and chips, excellent value for money in a spacious traditional bar/restaurant I'd recommend the Waterford Arms, well worth a visit.

stayed one night here recently and it was brilliant - nice room with a view of the sea, great staff and the food was amazing and very reasonably priced.

Pub downstairs was delicious for both breakfast and dinner. Staff was all very friendly and gracious. Bed was a little sunken in, but overall really comfortable, and the view out the window made up for any shortcomings!

Had the seafood platter which was immense. Highly recommend this place if you fancy good fresh, tasty, well cooked seafood. Also serves great pub classics.

Lovely overnight stay ,food excellent,staff great and really reasonable.brilliant for a overnight stay highly recommended

We have returned after 7mths to try again and give it another chance.....Well this time everything was perfect, food was piping hot, good portion sizes, mine was a small and i left a few chips 🫨and it tasted lush. Service was perfect, just shows don't judge on a 1st visit we will be back 😀

Went for breakfast this morning I had eggs benedict and the daughter had the full English breakfast both lovely only thing that was disappointing was the sausage a bit overdone

Went for the fish platter for 2 , the sauce on the mussels was to die for , definitely worth a visit

Dropped in for a quick snack we had a ham cheese and mushroom toasties was very very nice with proper chips as well

Always loved it here,good food great prices.Not this time ,worst Sunday lunch ever.All heaped together on the plate ,see through gravy ,bland and topped off with undercooked red cabbage,looked and tasted terrible .Roast potatoes and parsnip white and bland .It has put me off the place ,not sure if I will return.

I’ve been going to the Waterford occasionally for Sunday lunch for a long time but since Shelley took over, the whole pub has improved so much - I’m 100% a regular on Sundays now! I used to enjoy their Roasts but, a while back, I tried their Mince (asked for a yorkie and no dumpling) and this has now become my fav! So rich and tasty, lovely veg, a perfect crunchy yorkie that doesn’t explode - and some horseradish on the side! Best way to spend a Sunday lunch time 😂. Btw the rest of the weekly menu won’t disappoint either, if you can’t get there on a Sunday!!! Well worth a visit!

Only had food, decent fish and chips. Slow service but good as in a big party

popped in for large fish and chips first class service and fish was amazing 👏 also sent message and table was booked for us thanks again see you soon 😊 one chip to many 😆

Absolutely lovely food today! There were so many prawns in my marinara with linguine. I needed a pot to take the sauce home with!

As a first time visitor we didn’t know what to expect from The Waterford but on the recommendation of friends gave it a try. I’m pleased to say the food was first rate, I had Seafood Linguine which was particularly good, the others in our group enjoyed fish and chips. Our waiter (a young chap) couldn’t have been more helpful and anticipated my need for a bowl for the empty mussel shells before I had asked! First class service, efficient but not rushed. The meals going out to other tables also looked good, and nothing was excessively priced. The only problem we encountered was a couple of families whose children were either screaming (literally) or playing on noisy console games. Perhaps they could be encouraged to sit at one end of the pub - it’s a big enough place.

Bar meal only but 5 Star and dog friendly, The whale of Cod was superb.

An incredibly friendly pub with staff who can’t do enough for you. Great value and so dog friendly. Will definitely go back

This is a typical looking locals pub serving pub food, don’t be fooled. The food is superb, fresh and tasty and plenty of it. My sister and I opted for the Fishermans Platter and it was a tasty dish of different seafoods prepared and flavoured in different ways, all as good as each other. I can eat and hate to see food wasted but could not finish it. The fish and chips are equally as good and satisfying.

Excellent food very friendly staff

Stayed here with my two little dogs. Really lovely, friendly and relaxed. Food really good too. Thumbs up from pooches as they were given sausages for their breakfast 😀

We had breakfast here and a few drinks in the evening. The food was delicious, and soooooo reasonably priced. So much so, I have booked to come and stay here in May next year. Perfect location, and friendly staff. Thank you.

Called into the Waterford arms today for our lunch, the place was nice and welcoming and had friendly staff and was nice and clean, we found a table and ordered 2 lattes while looking threw the menu, we ordered 2 of the battered grilled halloumi with chips and mushy peas, and some onion rings and the homemade coleslaw, the food was amazing excellently cooked and plenty of it I couldn't eat it all and fetched mine home to have for my tea, I cannot believe IV never been here before considering I'm local must just have always overlooked the place but never again, cannot wait for my next visit, I recommend this to anyone weather just visiting the area and staying in their rooms or local people, im sure you wont be disappointed, i know i wasn't Thanks for a lovely lunch

We had a lovely stay, mattress could do with an upgrade. Staff were friendly and helpful.Food was fantastic. Plus its dog friendly

Went for an evening meal, pleasant surroundings and food was up to standard, would go again

Had our lunch here last week food was lovely and staff were very good

called in on spec for sunday lunch we had not booked excellent staff very helpfull sort us a table out. we had to wait a while as the place was very busy but when the meals arrived it was massive and very nice. cant fault the staff they never stop and the kitchen staff should be complemented on the meals the turn out.next time we are down that way we will definitely call in there again

Good food friendly staff nothing was 2 much bother even though they were extremely busy we got regular updates on how long we would be waiting The place has been redecorated and is really nice

Lovely food at reasonable prices

Excellent fish and chips, really well cooked fish in crispy batter with home made chips, large portions too, definitely recommend