The Punch Bowl

Aye here for first time since moving to area and loved it! Staff where brilliant and food was great. Much cheaper then other places in area and are fully stocked all the time. Went to the moorings down the road and there where serving beer out of cans so came here

Stayed for 2 nights so we could go to my nephews wedding at the South Causey. A short taxi ride away from this venue, less than £10 fair. We had breakfast at the hotel, really nice, and good value. There isn’t much around the hotel, a small shop is about a 10 min drive away. There is a beer garden which had lovely lights around, would probably be lovely in summer. Short drive, around 15 mins to Beamish Museum.

Booked a family room at The Punch Bowl and we turned up at 6.45om after a long day of travelling and enjoying Beamish. First impression was overflowing bins in car park..nice touch. We went in the music was so loud you could barely be heard, the member of staff showed us upstairs which smelt of stale smoke(probably needs a paint) and our room was situated directly over the bar. I asked the girl what time they closed and she said midnight. We stood in the room and the music was so loud and then all the customers down there were shouting over each other. We tried to drown out the sound with the TV and noticed there was a broken one behind but when we put tv on it just played radio..they love music at this place!! The mattresses were so thin you could feel the bed bases, we had to drag one of the mattresses off the top bunk to make my daughters bed a bit more comfortable..didn't help. We've stayed in plenty of pubs before that have annexes or soundproof rooms, this place has neither and also why you would put a family room directly above a noisy bar is beyond me. So gist of it is we left after 20 minutes and rebooked somewhere else. Getting a refund was impossible as the management do not respond in any way. Would not recommend this place at all unless you're a loud music loving insomniac without a care in the world for your back

We arrived at 13:20 for lunch, the restaurant/pub was not too busy but the appearance of the bar/restaurant is very nice I really like the stripped back to brick the new owners have gone for. I had used this pub many years ago and thought I would give it a try. The menu is not overly complicated which I found great , I opted for the squid starter, unfortunately this was no longer available, so went for the belly pork, I am glad the squid was not on as the belly pork was delicious. I then ordered the corned beef pie, but that was not available until later on so the second choice was the steak and ale pie. This pie did not disappoint, full of meat and gravy which tasted fantastic with creamy mash and veg. Although, I did not get any of my first choices, I was not disappointed in my second, homely food, well cooked and presented. The staff are really friendly and polite.

Visit here a fair few times for food but the meal I have just had with a friend was the worst I have ever had from there,chips were burnt even tho I asked for fries, I'm still looking for the garlic and herb in the chicken Kiev, friend is a vegetarian and was hardly any of the few to choose from anyway available, what she did have tasted bad she said the mushrooms tasted of vinegar and the sauce was just horrible 😞 Unfortunately don't think I will be returning,which is a shame as it's a lovely local pub but I'm not paying £50+ for food that isn't worth it!

We are so lucky to have this little gem on our door step! Great local food, freshly cooked and presented wonderfully. The team who work there are like a little family, such a welcoming bunch. We’ve tried lunch, tea and Sunday dinner and always fantastic, never disappoints. They have a range of fantastic live musicians playing, sourcing some of the best in the north east. Get yourself along for some good food, live music and good company. Pictures in comments!