Slug & Lettuce - Durham — Restaurant in City of Durham

I always feel bad giving such low reviews, especially since this is more of a policy thing, but it really affected my night. Slug and lettuce have a policy that for big bookings you need to put down a deposit of £40. That is of course, understandable; they want a deposit because it is a larger risk if you don’t come. I had a booking of 21 people for my 21st birthday yesterday, so I paid the deposit in advance. This deposit is only redeemable on the night for food and drink. This was also an understandable detail which shouldn’t have been a problem because we were, of course, going to spend more than £40.

On the day of the booking (also my birthday) they called me in the afternoon asking for the food orders. I don’t know why they called me so last minute but it meant I had to spend my birthday collecting 20 food orders, which was less than ideal. A point for improvement would have been to tell me this when I made the booking (or if they did put it somewhere, make it a lot more clear).

Another fine detail they only told us when we got there was that it was bar service only, and everyone would have to go up to the bar individually to get their drinks, and also pay for the food they ordered. Fine, that makes sense since we were all paying separately.

I was one of the last people to come up and I asked “About my deposit of £40, can I get that back separately, because on my own I’m not going to spend £40 on just my food and drink?” The man said “No, it’s only redeemable for food and drink on the night. Also, I don’t see any deposit here, are you sure you’ve paid it?” I said “I’ve definitely paid it.” The man checked again. “Oh I see you have paid it.” 🤦‍♀️I said ”Because we’re definitely spending more than £40 tonight together can we not just get the deposit back separately” The man said again that was not possible, but I could apply for some sort of refund online. Exactly what I want to spend my birthday doing.

Eventually, the way it was resolved is we found one of the few people who had not paid for their food yet and I paid for it with the deposit. There was £1 left from the deposit. I don’t know where that £1 is, but I don’t think I’m going to see it again. But it is not why I’m writing this review.

I’m writing because there were several problems with this policy. What would have happened if everyone had paid for their food? The man said I could apply for a refund, which would have a chance of being rejected, which was not what I wanted to do. I could have spent the extra which I didn’t want to spend, which honestly feels a bit like a scam to me, and isn't nice because it was my birthday, and I am just a student.

The man misheard someone and they paid for the wrong thing. This was an honest mistake but I had to stress about who had paid for the wrong thing and what we were going to do about it. The attitude was a bit like, “Here is a problem, you have to sort it out” rather then “Don’t worry, we’ll work out what’s gone wrong”.

What if I hadn’t even remembered to ask about the deposit? It wasn’t even showing up as paid, so would I have completely lost the £40 if I had not asked? It kinda of ruined the dinner a bit because there was a lot of stress. I am a bit of a worrier and I wanted to make sure everyone was having a good time, but at the same time didn’t want anyone to be dining and dashing. I had a lot of anxiety the whole night.

I don’t want to write a really mean review because I want to be fair; but whilst the food came on time and the atmosphere was okay, I had a very stressful night and I especially didn’t feel like it was very special for my birthday.

I know this was a policy thing rather than an issue with the staff itself, but there were steps they could of taken that could have made the policy better (for example, seeing that I had the deposit and making sure it was spent so I didn’t lose any of it).

I am sorry for the bad review, but even more sorry that I can’t get the night of my 21st...

Slug & Lettuce in Durham is one of our favourite go-to spots for a night out or a chilled afternoon with friends. The atmosphere is always lively but relaxed, and the stylish interior makes it feel like a proper treat without being over the top.

The cocktails are absolutely brilliant — loads of choice, great presentation, and excellent value, especially during the 2-for-1 offer. Whether you’re into fruity, sweet mixes or something stronger and classic, there’s something for everyone. We’ve tried everything from Pornstar Martinis to Strawberry Daiquiris and Mojitos, and every one of them has been spot on.

Food-wise, the chicken burger is a real winner. Served hot, fresh, and full of flavour with crispy fries on the side — it’s honestly one of the best you’ll get for the price in the city. Portion sizes are just right, and everything is plated nicely, even for casual dining.

The service is always friendly and quick, even when it’s busy on weekends. Staff are attentive, helpful, and make sure you’re looked after without hovering.

Located right by the river with lovely views outside, it’s a great spot day or night. Highly recommended for food, drinks, and a good...

The only thing we enjoyed about our visit was the lovely decor. Came earlier today (Sunday lunchtime), it wasn’t busy at all and yet we had numerous problems with the service and the food. Firstly the coffee machine didn’t work so the manager said she would come over and take our order properly after we’d had to change all our drinks, but she never turned up and instead chatted to staff members. When we finally ordered the drinks, they forgot to bring them and still forgot one drink after asking a second time. Our fries arrived which were barely warm but we were so fed up of waiting we didn’t complain. Then to top it all off, our trio of desserts which we had ordered before anything never came. We asked twice to see where they were and kept being told it would be 5 minutes. After over an hour of waiting, for three cold desserts which should be easy to make, we left utterly disappointed and with only a refund for our desserts. This is my first time at a slug and lettuce franchise and I will not be returning, the service was diabolical and it wasn’t even...