The Royal George in County Durham

Nice pub, great staff, food decent, smaller portions than it used to be

Popped in for lunch and spent a pleasant afternoon here.

We had a family celebration on Saturday lunchtime, there was 10 in the party. We booked in advance and our food was ordered in advance. The food was well presented, hot and everyone enjoyed their choices they made. Some of the family had a pudding/coffee/fea and all enjoyed their choices. The service was attentive and overall we enjoyed the lunch. Thank you to all involved

I don’t normally write reviews but our Christmas dinner was so disappointing I feel this needs to be fed back to the restaurant. Firstly the canapés were stale and were brought out before we had even sat down and ordered drinks. There was a then a problem with the starters and no chicken liver parfait was available for those who had pre ordered. Lobster Thermidor was again quite stale and presentation was poor. Our mains arrived at different times, half of the vegetables were cold and the Yorkshire puddings burnt. You got 1 ‘pig in blanket’ and just a standard selection of vegetables for a basic roast. There were no Christmas veggies such as sprouts / cauliflower cheese and no real effort to make this ‘Christmassy’ at all. For dessert there was again a problem with the cheesecake and this was unavailable for those who had pre ordered. Others in our party who ordered ‘crème brûlée’ were told this would come with home made shortbread - see picture attached. This really was embarrassing. Then after staff had offered alternatives for the no cheesecake, they only brought 1 out and 1 of our party was left with no dessert. Again they all arrived at different times. We booked the George as came last year and had a lovely experience and lovely food. This time was honestly a disgrace. The food and presentation of the food was awful, the service was shocking and when paying £90 pp ( a 30% increase from last year) you at least expect a drink of some sort on arrival, hot food and for your meal to arrive on time. The only good thing about the whole experience was the assistant manager who was really lovely and seemed to acknowledge the mess.

We recently visited The Royal George, we had a pre booked table for4 we were taken to our table and ordered our drinks.We later ordered our meal off the Christmas menu and was told they had no salmon and had to order an alternative After another long wait, the meals arrived, to our disappointment they were cold, the veg was in short supply and cold. We told the server of our disappointment and he said we could have a complementary desert but there was no lemon posit desert,the 3 puddings ordered were very small.After paying over £100.00 for4 awful meals we left at 4.pm. We won’t be returning.

I was a bit disappointed with the festive menu this year, we have been coming as a group of friends for the last few years and hiring a private room. We placed the order over a month ago and upon arrival was told they were out of the starter so we have a quickly put together pran cocktail. There was a large amount of beef and turkey out on the plate but my beef was so rare it was unbeatable. There was no mash, carrots, puddings etc just sprounts turnip and roasties. For a small bottle of sparking water it cost £2.20! One thing I cannot fault is the staff they are always very welcoming, polite and up for a laugh. Some Christmas music and crackers wouldn't go a miss, like we used to get.

Enjoyed a lovely meal with 2 friends. We enjoyed the Christmas Fayre menu. Good portions, lovely and hot, plenty fresh veg and a good price. Staff were all very friendly and attentive

We , a party of 4 were booked for Christmas Fayre yesterday,menu looked very good. On paper , we ordered our starters and mains , after about 10mins waiter came to say the salmon main was unavailable as delivery had not come . The lady who had ordered the salmon chose an alternative, we waited and waited for starters , must have been 30 mins plus. When they finally arrived , soup was quite tasty, but bowls only half full,but our vegetarian friend who had ordered arancini only got one ( picture shows 3 on website) ! After another long wait mains arrived, all were only lukewarm, uncooked pastry on vegetarian pie choice , vegetables were almost raw and not plentiful,a blessing really! . We told our waiter that the food was not good and he offered us free desserts, I chose lemon posset only to be told 5 mins later that that too was unavailable. The other 3 diners had Christmas Pudding which was ok , but no skill required from chef to warm a pre prepared pudding in microwave. On a positive note the waiting staff were friendly and helpful. We were so disappointed that our Christmas get together was spoiled by abysmal food , the Royal George management need to take a long hard look at the way their business is run or they won’t have a business at all . We certainly won’t be returning.

A party of eleven with pre-booked Christmas menu, it took one hour for starters to arrive and not all together, food poor. Main course another 50 minutes, confusion with actual order-WHY ? Food lukewarm, insufficient vegetables, a total disaster from beginning to end. A discount applied to the final bill, however, this should not happen. Staff training required and a total rethink as to how you go forward,or your business is doomed on today’s experience. Constructive criticism should be taken onboard, so no opologies for this review.

Very disappointed in recent visit to the Royal George for a Christmas meal with family and friends. We all chose turkey and trimmings after 1st course which was OK, after waiting 30 mins we were told no Turkey, not been difficult we agreed pork which was extremely hard , no mashed potatoes,just roast , two in the company chose Xmas pudding and custard , not able to eat it ,obviously been in microwave too long don't think I'll go back , it Was one of my favourite restaurants

Very nice food, nice people, nice atmosphere, reasonably priced.

Brilliant food and great value. The lamb was incredible and so was the Cajun pasta. Staff are always lovely too

Visited for steak night,beer nice, wine very nice, staff were very good and all food was very good. Only problem was for the price the portions have gone quite small, parmo was very nice but not very big and only a half portion of chips and the salad was quite sad. Steaks good as was everything else, lovely onion rings

We were a big party but the service was terrible. I asked for tartar sauce and was told they couldn't get me any as they were bringing meals out. The bottom of the table was finished before the top half got their food.

The light bites menu is getting smaller and smaller each time we come for lunch which is once a month. I ordered scampi, chips and mushy peas. The peas where severed in z ramekin dish and I could barely see the peas a it was such a small amount. Some of my chips were just warm the others were cold.Very disappointed.

We go to the George regularly and the food is always really good. However, tonight it wasn't. I asked if they had changed the chef as the food was very disappointing and not to the usual standard, and was told "yes there is a different chef". The feathered beef was burnt and the dumpling was rock hard and stodgy. The bun and the burgers were burnt and the children's chicken goujons were covered in thick greasy batter. No-one came to apologise and we were charged full price for everything. We have two bookings for large groups which we shall be cancelling. Such a shame as it was the best place in Peterlee for food. It might be busy at the moment but it won’t be for long if the food doesn't improve.

Went for Sunday lunch, portion sizes have definitely been reduced. Hardly any gravy at all on the plates, had to ask for three extra lots of gravy. Veg bowls were just a big mess of broken up carrots and cabbage. Just thirty minutes after arriving, we had the bill presented to us without asking for it, so felt very rushed to leave. Think I’ll avoid in future - shame, I used to like it here.

Very good establishment, food was amazing could not fault anything will come again when I’m visiting family here as I’m an out of town person. Thank you for your hospitality 10/10

Didn’t not enjoy the food and drink at all and when we were sat waiting it was freezing to the point were we couldn’t sit and chill wouldn’t go back

Took a friend from Wiltshire to experience a Parmo! She has a new favourite food!

Very pleasant and helpful staff. A good varied menu. My roast lamb was particularly good!

New to the area but was told the food was excellent so it was an anniversary so why not try it. Hugh mistake my partner and I ordered different meals. Very little on the plate, one portion of veg for 2 adults. My lamb tasted terrible cheap meat badly cooked. I have no cooking experience but the lamb I buy at the supermarket tastes much better costs less is enough for 3 people.His pork belly looked nothing like the photo of the review 2 months ago. Total waste of way too much money and a ruined last anniversary I sadly am very ill and won’t be here for another anniversary. Either I am very unlucky or my standards are higher than most people

I called in on Friday, on the recommendation of a friend who uses this great pub for works meals and business meetings. A genuinely warm and friendly welcome from Rebecca and Hayley. Very dog friendly Really big menu, something for everyone I had a great Chicken Malay curry , excellent

Absolutely lovely, where we were sat was a little dark, but other than this, it was a lovely meal for my sons 18th.

A lovely pub, a little out of the way. Reasonable selection of ales but the food makes it. I had chicken burger with satay sauce and it was a monster! Delicious too. Everyone else commented on how much they enjoyed their meals. Prices reasonable for the quality and quantity. Staff all very pleasant and attentive.

Really good value. Food and service were absolutely first-class!

Absolutely beautiful food! Service was amazing too, will definitely visit again.

Called here last night for the first time for a bite to eat. I phoned up to see what time they took food orders until (7.45pm on a Sunday), and decided to dine here for tea. The pub is lovely inside and quite spacious. It's clean and tidy. The staff are extremely friendly and welcoming, which means I felt very comfortable when ordering food even though it was quite late. I ordered a burger and chips, and my partner ordered duck flatbread. We had a pint of guiness and a pint of pepsi max, total cost was £37.50. Portion size was quite small, but I really enjoyed my food and would definitely return. My partner wasn't too keen on his meal. He said the sauce was too overpowering and the duck was dry. His meal cost £16 and he doesn't think it was worth it. Personally, I thought the chips were absolutely amazing. We will return because we were made to feel so welcome, and the establishment itself is lovely and clean. Having tried the Black Bull which is across the road I can safely say The Royal George is the best pub in this small village.

Very pleasant experience, food was great, atmosphere perfect, i will go back anytime

Food was lovely had a vegan nut roast nice to see vegan on a Sunday lunch menu beautiful place staff so helpful highly recommended will be back to try other vegan choices

Lovely place food always delicious, and nice friendly staff.

Food good - £35 Thursday steak night for 2 steaks and two drinks. Rib eye steak excellent, sirloin steak good, chips average, salad and presentation very poor. Service good and quick - unfortunately all I will remember is that the food was served on a plate that was too small and this spoilt our experience. Plate was an inbetween size, half way between a dinner plate and a side plate. Either way it was very annoying and all I will remember in 6 months time is that we were served on baby plates.

Good food, friendly and good service with a good atmosphere

Always first class food, great service and friendly staff

First visit to The royal George. There was a large group of us. Friendly bar/waiting staff, gave us loads of time for stragglers to arrive. Excellent choice of beers and lagers. Spoilt for choice on the menu. Opted for the pork belly which was gorgeous. Would highly recommend a visit.

We often come here for food, the menu is extensive, plenty of choice, always cooked perfectly, the staff are just brilliant, so very helpful and friendly, always prepared to talk and advise in choosing your meal.

One of the best pubs in the area. Great food and great service every time

Exellent food and service, will be back.

First visit in 30 years. Nice meal, good price.

Delicious food. Wonderful staff and a great atmosphere. Will go again

First visit here on the way to castle Eden nature reserve so had the dog , smaller bar side is dog friendly (can’t book this side) but went for a Sunday roast lunch and had no issue finding a table up on the snug area , bar area is typical tradition bar , wooden tables , bar seating , fireplace etc , where the restaurant side is more fancy and looked very nice , decorated on theme with the Easter brake too. DOG friendly which is always a bonus. Sunday menu I offered 4 roasts and also 3 other meals for non roast lovers. Food was fresh in house home style meals , great quality and not one issue , would recommend. car parking is on street and a dead end road , need to use street and it’s a small road.

Im afraid the service wasn't great. I had to try repeatedly to catch someones atrention to order and there was only 3 customers in. The food was better than average "pub" food and the pub itself looked great.

I have recently had bariatric surgery so explained this to the lady serving us and asked if I could order a child’s meal as could only eat a little bit. I was told I could not do this. It wasn’t about the price but the wastage. If we hadn’t already ordered our drinks o would have left there and then. Very disappointing that they would not accommodate my preference. I have added photos of what I got and what I left, such a waste

Absolutely outstanding food and the ambience is superb. Staff are pleasant, polite and well mannered. Service is excellent. Would highly recommend anyone to visit here for a lovely meal in a beautiful restaurant.

I visited Friday 17 February 2024 with my sister and two month old niece for lunch. We popped up from Hartlepool based on the reviews. Ian was very friendly, professional and helpful and really looked after us, and it was nice to chat with Becky (Becci?). The interior is very nicely decorated, warm and comfortable. There is plenty to select from on the menu and a decent kids menu too! My sister ordered the cheese croquettes with pickled onion starter and really enjoyed it. My Burns Night had kind of been ruined by our local Lidl so when I saw haggis on the menu, I got a little excited. It was the nicest haggis I've had in a long time. Sometimes there's a lot of gristle and too much pepper, but this was perfection! I had a half parmo for my main, which was absolutely delicious and the chips were unreal! I felt a bit gutted when I saw my sister's lamb shank because even though the parmo was beautiful, I've never seen such a nice piece of lamb served in a pub in twenty years! I had to steal a bit. That lamb was absolutely incredible. I'll definitely be ordering that next time! Finished with some jam roly-poly and custard for a bit of 90s school nostalgia. Delicious! They sell Pepsi instead of Coca-Cola, which should be law in the UK! Pepsi is much nicer, so extra bonus points! The food, service and atmosphere were all fantastic and the pricing was very reasonable. The Royal George is a fantastic gastropub, not to be missed and absolutely worth traveling to even if you're 20-30 minutes away, I'd say. I can't wait to go back, as there are quite a few dishes on the menu that I want to try! Thank you for an amazing dining experience :-D.

We choose the Royal George time and time again for Sunday lunch for the below reasons: Your drinks order is taken as soon as you sit down Your menu choice is taken about 10 minutes after that Your food is served within 5 - 10 minutes of order. The staff are polite friendly and very accommodating, and the food quality is 100% Compliments to the chef. Apologies had eaten the food before the review 🤣

Food is very nice but disappointed with the limited vegetarian choices. Will return on a regular basis when there are more vegetarian options.

Ordered lingueni salmon and pawns with sanphire.got spagetti with micro peas on top disapointing.i know food and .dont like the wool pulled over my eyes.remember not every person coming into you pub wants egg and chips

15 of us plus one small snapper came for lunch to celebrate a special occasion. The service and food were exceptional. Huge thanks to everyone at the Royal George for a lovely afternoon

Fabulous pub, food is superb, the staff are brilliant, very friendly and helpful. We come here regularly first class pub.

Lovely pub with friendly attentive staff. Had the two course Christmas Fayre the turkey was delicious so tender and tasty but the meal was not hot enough for my liking. Saying that I'm happy to give it another chance.

Went with my husband for the Xmas lunch today, didn't order a starter as we know from experience the portions are HUGE. Ordered the Xmas dinner then ginger sponge and custard it was absolutely amazing, loads of fresh veg and meat that was cooked to perfection, if you are looking for somewhere to go with a really good choice of food all at great value and brilliant staff then look no further this is the place for you.

Lovely Xmas meal with work mates

Excellent food. We had a party of 12 during a very busy period and staff were amazing. Food hot and fresh despite being rushed off their feet staff still made sure you were having a good time highly recommend and will certainly be back

Food very good, portions not so. First time I've wanted (needed) a desert after a Sunday lunch since I moved to the north east (nearly 3 years)

Works Christmas night out. Absolutely fantastic night in one of the rooms upstairs. Service brilliant and service great. Absolutely loved it, a great start to Christmas!

We absolutely love this pub! We have been many times for lunches and tea time and always absolutely outstanding! We have recently been taking our puppy into the bar area for a lunch time and the staff are always attentive and friendly. It’s great to have a local pub to take dogs too!

We had our group Xmas lunch on Monday 4th December. The food was excellent, well cooked and served up with a smile. The lads serving us made our experience special. Price wise it's very good value, drinks weren't overly expensive neither. I would definitely go back. Many thanks for looking after us, you guys were brilliant.. See you again soon.

Food was well flavoured but could have done with a bigger portion.Also food not as hot as it could have been .Service very good as there where 9 of us to serve.

Lovely food and great staff and service. Will go back!

Hands down the best place to go for food

Lovely decor, country style pub and good service. We were a party of 7 and a toddler and booked ahead for Sunday lunch. The table was ready including a high chair when we arrived and we were quickly asked and then served with drinks. We all chose various meats for lunch including feather blade beef, belly pork and chicken and also asked about a baby meal, but it was suggested that as we’d get plenty veg, they’d only charge for a bowl of mashed potatoes and then add the veg from ours, which was great! Veg including cabbage, greens and carrots came in separate bowls along with jugs of gravy. We asked for more carrots and this it was no problem for them and they then brought a big bowl of extra carrots, no extra charge. The lunches were very tasty with perfectly cooked meat and fabulous Yorkshire puddings. For 7 mains, 1 baby bowl of mash, 1 dessert, 6 pints of pop, 1 lager and 1 fruit shoot, the bill was £143, which we thought was a fair price for the quality of the meals. We’ll definitely be coming back!

Absolutely love this place. Food is top notch gorgeous, ambience is super cosy, staff lovely, can't fault it. Would highly recommend to everyone.

Came for a birthday dinner, instead of the usual chain pub, so glad we did! Food is absolutely amazing! Very reasonably priced too! So glad we popped in, will definitely be back!

Had a really good time. The food and wine were fantastic.

Excellent, great waiters, very curtious, the food was freshly cooked and 25% off as we were in before 6.30pm. Very happy with our new favourite find 🥰

We have ordered takeaway a couple times now and the food has been hot on delivery and done to an exceptional standard. Absolutely lovely food, particularly the feather cut beef, burgers, pork belly bites and home made scotch egg

Went tonight 16thOct 23 with my cousin and hs wife, food all round was SUPERB. My belly pork to start and ribeye for main were 2 of the best dishes I have ever had. Staff and service were quick and friendly. Will definitely be back. A true pleasure and an amazing place to eat.

Called for lunch with our daughter, son in law and four week old granddaughter, the food and service was excellent, staff could not do enough to ensure we had a nice visit, well worth seeking out not easy to find, definitely worth it. We shall definitely be returning.

A beautiful independent pub which serves lovely food and l believe all from scratch.

Fantastic food, brilliant staff very friendly, food portions are very good. On a Saturday night they have a specials board which is brilliant, best to book a table for a weekend visit. The only little minus for me would be the drink prices it’s better to have a bottle of wine than individual glasses and take the bottle home with you IF you don’t drink it all 😁😁

Dropped in on the off chance, table arranged straight away. Great food and service.

We had 2 meals at this top pub. I had the belly pork which for many pubs is a bit risky - but they cooked it perfectly and served it on top of a bed of mash with a small cream & pea sauce. Fantastic. Had a portion of chips too which were crisky (and not soggy!). Worth a visit for sure.

Very nice food and sizeable portions. I recommend booking in advance as it was pretty full when I was there.

What a great place. Staff incredibly helpful, very friendly. Great service. Sunday lunch was absolutely delicious. My lamb was so tender and tasty. Definitely reccommend this place. Looking forward to our next visit. Parking was a little difficult - but worth it.

Well worth a visit. Great food, great service and good value We will definitely be visiting again

Really nice pub, didn’t have food but friendly and quick service, great value and busy restaurant

Booked a table for 5.45. Five people, drinks ordered on arriving, friendly waitress all good. Food order taken about ten minutes after drinks served. Waited about half an hour for mains, not a problem as food was great and clearly freshly prepared. After mains waited awhile for plates to be cleared upon which desserts were ordered. All desserts were cold so didn’t need much preparation or cooking. Again waited about ten minutes and desserts were all good. Up to this point was having a great night. We were more or less just about to ask for bill , when lady staff member came over and told us are we going to leave as table was booked for other party of people. The time at this point was 7.21pm. We were a bit speechless as the only reason we were still in the restaurant was because of the service, which by the way didn’t bother us. Good job we didn’t have starters or more drinks. What a shame

Couple of the starters were a little over done but other than that the service and the all other food was good. It was a birthday party for a group of 10. In a private room. We will go again I would recommend it

Visited tonight as a last minuet decision for eating out and was not disappointed. With no table booked we were were warmly welcomed by Andrew who showed us to our table and took drink orders. Food order was taken by kirsty who described the specials and shows pictures, I personally had one of the specials and one of the best meals I've tasted out for a good while. All round the service and food was WOW

Staff are fab friendly kirsty and Andrew the barman are adorable. Super service can't do enough for the customer to make it a great atmosphere.

Nice and quiet when we visited great service from the new waiter, the food was very nice.

My husband & I went here for a meal this evening & I can highly recommend. Staff were lovely & helpful & the meal was outstanding, I had the ribeye steak & my husband had the mixed grill 5*. We will definitely be returning.

Food is always nice, lovely place

Outstanding! Situated in a nice little village (Old Shotton). Parking is restricted, so you need to park anywhere you can in the street. There is an outdoor area, but we didn't really see it, as it was torrential rain. Inside is really nice, like old farmhouse, oak beams and fairy lights. Really tasteful. They serve real ales too. The service and staff were superb. Really friendly, professional and welcoming. We had Sunday lunch. The 3 of us had chicken, pork with crackling and lamb. All three meats were sensational! Possibly the best meat we have had in a long time. We cannot recommend this place highly enough. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tremendous venue. Food, excellent, drinks very good, service faultless. Highly recommend.

Great place super service good prices

Sunday lunch from here is beautiful and I have also ordered takeaway Sunday lunch from here twice which was also lovely. The beef is always lean and cooked to perfection and you get plenty of it. The veg is all freshly cooked. One of the best Sunday lunches I've had in all the pubs/restaurants I've been to. Which is a lot over the years. The pub also has a nice atmosphere. The staff are really pleasant n very prompt service. I definitely recommend. You will definitely not be dissapointed.

Really friendly staff good choice of menu, if you like your food little bit spicy ask and they will adjust spices. I had the steak ale pie, on board, meat lovely and tended only a top crust which is great for me as cannot eat a lot of pastry, very peppery which I do not mind.

Delicious food catered well as I have onion and garlic allergy

Paid £8.95 for a Greek salad as i drove away realised no Feta on it!?? I was toi busy talking 😂

Staff are amazing and will go above and beyond for customers. Food is amazing and great selection of ales.

The staff were lovely polite and on the ball, the food was a different matter altogether, 2 of our party got pie of the day said it was lovely the rest of us a different matter I got the pepperoni and smoked cheese parmo it was burnt to a crisp struggled to get knife threw it, partner had gammon he doesn't turn his nose up to a bit of fat on meat but he cut more off then he ate and I can just go one about how dry and over done other 2 meals were, seen photos of how our meals should have looked just wish I had took pictures of what we got. Never again and word of mouth can speak volumes

Food has always been good but has been even better in the past year! Even the dinners, which I normally avoid when eating out looked great. Cory was an excellent server

Lovely meal, very helpful when I had a flat tyre 🤣 will be back!

Had an amazing meal here today, first time we have been and will certainly be back. We got two roasts of the day and the beef was the best beef iv ever had, it melted in your mouth. Great price, and staff were a delight.Would definitely recommend.

Food delicious. Staff very friendly and professional. One of the best meals I’ve ever eaten out at a pub. Excellent meal and service thank you

Great place… done up beautifully The staff were friendly, polite and all looked smart. Food was delicious 😋 I had haddock and chips my partner had the curry The portions were huge Reasonably priced too We will be back when back in Peterlee

Food great and service to match. Excellent!!!

Really great service- friendly, polite and food great