Vespa Italian Bar & Steakhouse in South Tyneside

The service was the poorest I have received in a long time. Our food came very staggered, and when three people were still unserved, a member of staff asked if anything was missing (which it clearly was). When we had finished our meal, we were given the bill. But half an hour later, various members of staff had walked past us holding a card reader, and gave no indication that we were ready to pay, even though we tried to get their attention. Eventually, one member of our party went up to a member of staff to ask what was going on, who simply referred him to the duty manager. The duty manager did not seem to care at all that the service we had received was unsatisfactory and we were unhappy, and we were given no compensation for our poor experience.

Popped in for a quick lunch and the wagu burger, it was honestly really nice, like I wasn't expecting much for some reason but It was one of the best burgers I've had in a while, with it being just on my doorstep I'll deffo be going back more regularly

Good food, friendly service at a reasonable price. We were in town on business, and the Beefeater at our Premier Inn had closed down. A quick search for local restaurants turned up this gem. It was newly opened and right on the doorstep. Will call again when back in the northeast.

Was working in the area and found this gem. We booked late and they were happy to take us. The food was great and there was plenty of it. Staff 10/10.

Should stick to Italian food they can't cook a steak if there life depended on it

Went for a birthday celebration, food was lovely cooked to perfection, been a couple of times now and well enjoyed, prices are reasonable.

Excellent service and environment. Very attentive service from all staff without intruding. That coupled very a good wine recommendation to complement our food. Will be back.

Nice place. Staff need to be more interactive.

I gave 2 stars as the food was not very nice and slow service even know we were the only ones there at that time and staff were ignorant, and took a while to clean the table and left glasses in front of a baby but also put hot food and a plate infront the baby aswell and we had to put our own plates down ourselves. We would have ordered desserts but staff didn't come round so we could order.

First visit to vespa it was excellent the food staff and setting were all perfect

Amazing food at a great price. Excellent service. Highly recommended!!!

Food always good. Staff are lovely. Can particularly recommend the lasagna, the pizzas and the seafood risotto.

Fab Sunday lunch. Recommended.

Went for Sunday lunch. Could not fault it. Ordered the lamb, cooked to perfection, and food was red hot, unlike other restaurants I have had food in.

We always come to Vespas when we’re celebrating anything! The food is just amazing and the service is always great. We usually ask to sit in the conservatory area as it’s quieter.

Loud and rowdy customers food was average but over priced. A hair found in my food and manager came out to say no one in the kitchen has that length or colour hair so basically I was made to feel as tho I was telling a lie. Very very unprofessional and rude. I told him we wouldn't come back again and my daughter in law said she would mention it in a review his reply was ok then and walked off. The place was empty apart from us and 2 other tables. This should of been a red flag. We were also surprised we got a table as we only booked it half an HR b4 hand for a party of 11 ppl. Never will we go again and definitely would not recommend it.

Absolutely beautiful food..steak to die for...staff lovely too

Nice food staff were good and food was presented well,be nice if they done some sort of 2/3 course set price,I do visit other Italian restaurants that do,so I would be more likely to go back to them.

Food was fantastic, great atmosphere, welcoming from the moment you walked in, staff very attentive. Would highly recommend, will definitely be back. Thank you for a lovely evening with friends from Manchester. You did yourselves proud. Well done x

Loved the food here but then the menu had changed and my favourite dish chicken skillet now comes in a different sauce which has completely spoiled the dish.

We called into Vespa on the off chance and very glad we did. What a lovely little Italian restaurant this turned out to be 🇮🇹😊👌 Absolutely delicious food, very good service and pleasant staff, nice interior and exterior.. Very nice! We will be back 👏😊🇮🇹 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

Delicious food ! Well presented and good portion size too !! Hidden gem in Jarrow

A little pricey to be honest, the food was not the best, the staff are friendly, I also heard it recently changed hands, this is obvious

Great food at affordable prices

Very nice. Reasonable calamari starter and tasty steak and vegetable pizza. Gin mixes are good if a tad pricey. Most of our group very much enjoyed their food.

First of all what a beautiful restaurant! We were very warmly greeted and show to a lovely table in the conservatory overlooking the garden and river. We have heard amazing things about this place so we’re looking forward to an appetising Sunday Lunch and let me say we were not disappointed! The meat was so tender and the gravy was like none I’d had before. The staff went above and beyond to make our experience comfortable and enjoyable, special shout out to Rachel as she took care of us. Great selection of drinks and desserts also, but we were too full for those.. maybe next time. Overall fantastic experience and we’ll be back again soon for sure. Sadly I don’t have a picture of my Sunday lunch as I was too busy devouring. Thank you Vespa

I came here with my family of 6 and was placed in the conservatory where is was very cold..the food took 45 minutes to arrive. the food was drenched in cream and you would need a chain saw to cut the garlic bread vasty over priced..will never return to this place in a hurry.id give it a wide birth if I was you

Booked to eat Sunday lunch. Food was okay; meat was really tasty and soft (we both had trio of lamb, pork and beef), Yorkshire pudding was nice, 2 roast potatoes was a bit of an eyebrow raiser, but still they were nice. The vegetables that came with the meal weren't anything to write home about but the honey glazed carrots I ordered as an extra were tasty. What let you down was the service; you have no organisation between your front of house staff and it shows by a mile. We had 3 different servers, all asking the same questions, one even brought drinks that weren't for us so we had to send her back. Took a while to ask if we were finished eating and clear our plates away, even though the same 3 servers were in and out (we were sat in the conservatory bit on the right hand side) with other tables, again asking them all the same questions at the previous person had. We asked for the dessert menus, were given them then never asked if we'd decided to order anything. We ended up stopping someone to ask for the bill and paid at the bar as didn't fancy waiting any longer to be seen to pay at the table. It really brought the experience down for us, it's simple planning that could prevent all of this. Allocate a member of staff to a section, one in the conservatory, one in the bit between the conservatory and the bar, one on the other side round where the kitchen is, two on the bar at all times, one meeting and greeting. We spent more time trying to get someone's attention than we did enjoying our meal. We like the food, we just don't want to go through the same experience every time we dine with you. Hopefully these comments are taken on board and you can figure out a better way to manage your staff and the tables you have in.

Situated in very good place, the restaurant ambience was very nice. I like the restaurant

A vibrant out of the way eatery with friendly staff and lovely food. We had a large group and were catered for easily in a relaxed and chilled setting.

So came for what I thought would be a lovely meal with my partner, my steak (ribeye) was basically a lump of fat the whole thing, was totally inedible and when spoken to the manager I was treated very disrespectfully, there was no offer to change or give me any discount price at all and was made to feel very uncomfortable when saying I wasn’t wanting to pay full price for something that was inedible. To which the manager slammed the money tray in my face and walked away, I will never visit the Vespa again which is pretty sad as every other time I’ve been it has been very nice. The woman on the table beside me also commented saying her husband has had this same issue so I know I’m not the only one. Really disappointed, Avoid the ribeye steaks at all cost!!

Food was imaginative , well presented and absolutely delicious. Portions were really good and staff attentive. Will definately be back. Absolutely gorgeous can highly recommend the lamb chops and deep fried korean chicken.

Great for all age groups. Good choice on menu. Staff lovely. Parking spot on.

Really good food. Prices not too bad and portion sizes are rather large

There for birthday okay. service was good not impressed with food drinks expensive

Food wasn’t great was very mismatch very poor on taste was disappointing but the staff and service was good just food the food a bit odd for an Italians

This is a fabulous restaurant, we have visited on a number of occasions. The food & staff are amazing however this visit with our neighbours for a pre Christmas gathering was rather dissapointing, as a group consisting of mainly an older age group we were seated in an extremely tight area, seats were touching back to back so getting out to the rest room was impossible without disturbing the table behind, good food, great staff but crammed in to make the most profit spoils the experience.

Avoid this place 28 pound for 2 take away dinners. I give them 30. I can't believe how small of a portion you actually get. Daylight robbery

I have been here lots of times and found this place 5star. But when we went a few days ago the place seemed to be in disarray. The food was cold. The waitress was lovely, kept apologising about the delay, how she couldn't attend tables due to the new management. I will not be back in a long while unless it dramatically improves.

Lovely atmosphere, food was really nice and staff were extremely attentive!

1st time in Vespa even though its on our door step !! And what a pleasant surprise. Greeted at the door and shown to our table, and asked if the table was good for us. The server came over within a good time for our drinks order, which promptly arrived then asked if we we're ready to order. Excellent menu choice and quite a decision. Food served very timely. It was hot and seriously delicious. Highly recommended, and we will back. Staff we're courteous and chatty but not OTT Well done everyone.

Apparently the prices have gone up but the menu prices haven’t changed. They tried to overcharge us. But when they said they’d waive the charge they still overcharged us. Lonely service though, but the overcharge ruined it. Only pay for what’s advertised on the menu.

Food good , but they ran put of red wine and some of the white wine and the fish. Service staff were excellent.

Visited Vespa for my daughters 20th Birthday because we fancied steak and they have a special steak night on Mondays and Tuesdays. Choice of fillet ribeye and sirloin a sauce and side of your choice. My daughter opted for fillet which was a lovely big piece and me and my wife opted for ribeye which so succulent and cooked to perfection i opted for a diane sauce which was very rich and tasted amazing my wife had the truffle and mushroom which she said was out of this world. We ordered fries and onion rings as sides and they didn't disappoint the rings were huge and the batter lovely and crisp. We all polished our plates off and were left with very satisfied. Had no trouble getting a table and if you fancy something a bit special i would highly recommend this place needles to say we'll definitely visit again especially as its only £65 for what we ordered and staff were very attentive.

Great Sunday dinners. Rest of the menu is good too

Delicious food, friendly staff, warm and welcoming atmosphere ⭐️

We come here quite a lot but always forget to leave a review. It’s our go to restaurant but We’ve been tonight to enjoy the entertainment (Paul Skerritt - Jazz & Swing) & honestly had the best night! Lots of singing, dancing & laughs! Felt like we were on holiday & can’t wait for the next jazz night! Thanks for consistently being our fave place to eat ❤️

Worst Sunday dinner I’ve had , vegetables were so undercooked you could have done damage with them . Meals got mixed up , service was practically non existent. No one came to see if we wanted drinks , no one came to see what food we wanted to order , you couldn’t very well miss us , we were a party 5 adults and 4 children. Needless to say we won’t be going back .

Had to ask 3 times for the bill while waitress cuddling and kissing boyfriend sat at a table. Paid at the bar in the end, wont be returning. Starter was excellent, main meal was lackluster.

Service was quick and staff was polite food was very nice and well presented on the plate resealable prices as well

We all visited as a group of 14 (some with kids) for Sunday roast. Staff were great and supplied high chairs etc. Food was AMAZING. I had 'trio of meat' - you could choose three of beef, pork, chicken or lamb and veg came separate. Portion size was great and none of us could fit a dessert in! Will return!

First time to be there I like the italian food thats why i choses to go and try The food it was okay But nothing to do with italian food Even tiramisu they dont have in menù The service it was very good evry time ready to help

Very tasty Sunday roast with huge Yorkshire puddings friendly staff spotless restaurant very cosy definitely will be visiting again to try the Italian menu

The service was excellent with very friendly staff. There was a little draft where we were sat, but the staff were happy to move us. The food itself was lovely. We shared a tomahawk steak and the others shared a chateaubriand. Both were delicious. One side of chips was enough between two of us, but the garlic and sesame seed green veg was delicious too. No way could any of us have managed a dessert!

Fantastic food and friendly staff. Definitely worth a visit

what a lovely place! went for my birthday and had a gorgeous steak meal. super delicious!

£6 a pint was a bad start for me 😀 especially when I had to take it back as it tasted just like brown soda water (John smiths) apart from that the service was good ,starter (prawn cocktail) very nice , gormet burger for main was nice but tasted a little burnt...would return for a second attempt and order something different 👍🏻

After hearing good things about this restaurant we decided to give it and go and were very disappointed. Out of the 3 starters purchased I was virtually inedible and another was bland and barely cooked. We complained about the starters and they were taken off the bill but spoilt a family meal out. The mains were ok but the lasagne had a vast amount of salt in it luckily I like a lot of salt but my husband who tried mine was shocked at how salty it was. 3 desserts ordered and the sorbet was nice but very disappointed with the biscotti and caramel done. Definitely will not be going back or recommending to anyone.

First time here lovely food 😋 great service

Fantastic food and great service.

Best steak and cocktails in the area. Great atmosphere 👌

Great food great service even though they were very busy 👍👍👍😎

A steak that's actually rare! Highly recommended.

Sunday dinners were absolutely delicious, as were desserts👍

Lovely food. Wine - delicious. Really lovely staff. I can only commend the staff / management - little mishap with our wine glasses. Swiftly rectified, acknowledged and dealt with. As per previous reviews always wanted to go, have now been and will definitely go again.

Nice food & good service; no rump steak tho’!

Had a few good experiences here at first but getting worse by the visit. Today's visit started with watching all the other tables get bread buns as they say down except mine. Then they got my order completely wrong. Once I had the right order the problem was with the food. I ordered a side of salad which came without any dressing what so ever and a whole garlic clove which nearly blew my head off when I inadvertently ate it. The creamy mash had never seen any cream. When I asked for the bill I was also forgotten about and had to ask again almost 10 minutes later. Unless my friends tell me it changes for the better I'm unlikely to visit again.

Nice food, friendly staff, nice atmosphere. One thing to mention is that the car parks not big enough,. But nothing they can do about it.

We had the steak and the seafood risotto, both delicious .... 😋

Love this place friendly staff and fab service and food

Amazing food, fantastic atmosphere and brilliant service. Been meaning to come here for a while, just never got round to it. The menu has something for everyone from Steaks to Pastas, Burgers and Salads. Looking forward to coming back for the tomahawk.

Delicious and very affordable Sunday roast. Served really quickly

way back from south shields, family popped into the Vespa restaurant for a meal...food was great, service really friendly. nice atmosphere, highly recommended. food highlights were the Gourmet Angus burger and seafood risotto. toilets were very clean which is always a good sign...we will definitely return!

Great night great staff and food was outstanding from starters to deserts clean tidy venue six of us had from soup to tomahawk steak to sorbet great night thanks to all the staff

Food was amazing. Really high quality, beautifully cooked. Staff warm and friendly. And best seats in the house in the little conservatory area

Love this place, highly recommend, will be going back

Lovely food, good choice of drinks

Overpriced greasy slop never again

Wow absolutly stunning food and the place was absolutly beautiful and tremendously clean. Staff were very attentive at all times. I had the scallops for starters which was cooked to perfection and the combo skillet was very tasty too. Could not fault this place at all and will definitely be back superb 👌

Really enjoyed it, defo want to come back. Good food, great service, nice sitting by the fire watching snow come down.

I ate here as part of a group, one of whom was celebrating their birthday. Overall, this place is worth a visit. The Sunday roasts were impressive and all the food was tasty. The restaurant is smart, clean and the staff are great! My only gripe is the steaks, my band mate and I both had sirloins, i had read other reviews on here saying the steak was over cooked so I ordered mine blue, hoping it would be rare. It wasn’t even close. If anything ‘medium’ would accurately describe what I received. Again though, it was tasty, the truffle chips were great and the portion size was very generous. It a shame that there seems to be attend for overcooked steaks in a restaurant purporting to be a steakhouse? If my steak had come blue it would have been amazing!

Had a lovely meal celebrating a family birthday, staff were helpful and friendly

Food arrived at different times, even accompanying side dishes. Steaks were sent back as they were cold and asked for them to be served with the sides when ready. The same steaks came back, we know this as we had cut and tried the ends, and were now over cooked, dry and shrivelled up! Lobster tails were awful too. By this point the other guests were finished. The waitress offered no apology just offered to do fresh steak, but they didnt want to eat on their own. Wine ordered from menu wasnt what we received but still charged for the more expensive bottle. We decided to cut our visit short and asked for the bill only to see we had been charged for the steak sides that were uneaten and returned a second time with the steak and extra drinks we didnt have. When i queried the extra drinks and sides I was made to feel like a liar when she walked up and down the table counting the glasses and checking the contents. Who would make themselves a thief for a £3.50 drink??? Hugely disappointed in both food and service.

Excellent food and cooked perfectly . Staff are friendly and not in your face

Usually love the food here but we got a lasagna takeaway and I nearly choked on a very pointy sharp bone! That's not good. Chips were nice and roast veg, but I probably won't order again.

My wife and I went here for the 1st time tonight, (sat 28/01/23). Food was brilliant no complaints, but the service needs working on, not once did we get asked if we wanted more drinks. Asked for drinks menu and then waited approx 20 mins and not one server came back to us, a couple who I assume was regulars or friends of the owner were constantly being talked by the Restaurant owner and a member of staff all the time with their back to us and oblivious to other customers during that 20 mins we was waiting for someone to give our drinks order to. We gave up and I had to go to the bar and ask for the bill as nobody about. On leaving the restaurant owner didn't even say thank you for our custom, was to busy chin wagging to the same customers at their table. Food top notch, service needs a lot of work. It will take some convincing for me to go back. A real shame. Every customer should be treated the same regardless and customers don't just measure you on food, that is a no brainer, service though will be measured and should never be 2nd best.

Food absolutely delicious. Friendly staff attentive but not overly so.

Excellent quality & service, variety of starters and meals and all exceptional would highly recommend

Good food with reasonable price

Very poor standards, had booked for a birthday party for 8. Not good at all. I emailed the next day to express my disappointment and no one even bothered to reply, so I tried to message through there fb page and again no reply. Please avoid

Another great visit with good food and drinks

Fast service and fantastic food, lovely clean place

Plush place, fab food and spot- on staff and service - couldn't fault it 🏆🏅

Lovely clean restaurant/pub and friendly staff with excellent food!

Outstanding food quality service and great atmosphere

Food excellent service was excellent and the staff were so friendly would definitely go back.

Absolutely love this place - went for Sunday lunch today and it was out of this world! Delicious food. Great service, lots of staff, so no hanging around. Very popular spot so booking recommended.

Good service nice food Enjoy my time in vespa

Lovely place well decorated, bit disappointed the first visit we turned up at 8.45pm they didn't encourage us to stay and eat after all they shut at 10pm but on second visit foot was fantastic, small car park so beware

Amazing service and food, defo 1 of my fav dining out places but the takeout are bang on also