The Waggon Inn — Restaurant in Gateshead

This pub is in a lovely setting however it’s dated and out of touch with its food and service! Firstly I was asked to hold my card behind the bar if I wanted to open a tab, I explained politely that they were not allowed to request that due to data protection the lady then said she could take a mobile number instead. This in itself shows how dated their service regime is! How many places can you go to and just set up a tab no problem at all? As a new customer it makes you feel like you are not trusted so much so they think hey can just store bank cards behind the bar totally disregarding data protection laws and I presume as it is a local pub nobody questions this so they continue to think it’s an acceptable request! I get they don’t want people to walk out but If that’s the case make people pay at the bar. The food is also over priced for frozen chips and flavourless beef!!! I had ordered the beef dip sandwich with chips on a white bun I felt this was a little steep for nearly £8! Snooty staff especially the lady who owns it as I was standing at the bar a man asked if she had rekordalig cider and she just said “I haven’t heard of that I have just got strongbow” and starred back at him not even a friendly suggestion or ask of what type of cider it was to make a one. I then broke the silence and told him what ciders she did have available that were in bottles and more in line with what this gentleman was after! Having worked in hospitality for years I know my brands and so I told him the bulmers fruit cider would be a good choice based on what he had asked for which was a fruit cider. The way this woman then looked at me was one of both distaste and annoyance however I didn’t care as I had the satisfaction of knowing I had just given that gentleman better customer service in her pub than she could be bothered to. I really did not like the way this place made you feel as a customer and would not be back they obviously have their staple clientele and aren’t as bothered about remaining current or welcoming new customers. Good luck to their...

At The Waggon Inn at Eighton Banks, pub food has finally reached a new level of quality and taste.

After years of searching for a place where you could pop in at any time and be served a high-quality meal accompanied by great ales and very quaffable wines, we found it in spades at The Waggon Inn at Eighton Banks.

The food served is generous in portions, very high in quality ingredients and pushes the tasteometer off the scale.

The pub itself has undergone a major refurbishment and now opens ‘all day, every day’ as the publicans, the Trewitt family, describe it. This third generation, family- run pub is so popular that they recommend you book a table by telephone ‘just to make sure’ – and no wonder!

My wife and I called in at 5.00 pm, straight from work and ordered from the Blackboard, but by the time we had finished our meal at 6.00 p.m. the place was really starting to get busy.

We both had the Wild Boar and Chorizo burger with salad and chips; my wife choosing an Aussie Pinot Grigiot to wash it down, while I opted for the Mordue’s Workie Ticket ale.

Wow. The burger (or should I say burgers as there were two in the bun) were so tasty and, wait for it, REAL CHIPS; crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle. The side salad was fresh, and the creamy coleslaw was just amazing.

The daily menu was vast and very tempting, and we will definitely be working our way through it over the many frequent visits we intend to make to the Waggon. From 3.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. the pub is at its quietest – just how we like it – as the word of the extended opening hours hasn't quite done the rounds yet. If you are only a little peckish, they also have a Light Bite menu - if you are extra hungry, they have a massive and mouthwatering Dessert Menu; there is even a Children's menu so you have no excuse in not taking the entire family out for a treat!

From 12 till 2.45 and from 6.00 p.m. the Waggon can get busy – so if you want to make sure ‘there’s room at the Inn', give them a call.

Highly...

Really disappointed with todays visit. Not worth the £73 bill at all. If I was asked once for my name for the table, I was asked 10 times. Whenever we ordered drinks, or the meals or dessert, what's your name, what's your name, it became a joke around the table. Why not give your tables numbers if you have trouble remembering names?! The food was poor, my past experiences have been amazing but my friend who ordered the Chicken Kiev, is still looking for the garlic butter, there wasn't a trace, it was as dry as a bone. My son left the majority of his spag bol saying it wasn't nice, I tried it and he was right, completely tasteless. The server told us there was a Steak and Guinness pie on the specials board, I ordered it, actually commenting on how much I hate the taste of Kidney, so good there was a different Steak pie option. It came and all I could taste was kidney! The lad insisted it wasn't and did offer to change it, but by the time a replacement came my company would've finished eating so I declined. On ordering dessert she was back within seconds to say we hadn't specified cream or ice cream, we literally just had seconds earlier and she said "it must have been a mistake with the order". We ordered a latte, a tea and a flat white. She brought two lattes, I said one should've been a flat white and she asked had I changed my mind?! No I hadn't, you just got it wrong. Again she said "there must have been a mistake with the order" She disappeared and returned very quickly with the same latte! Placed it on the table and walked away without saying a word. The place was pretty empty so I didn't want to cause a scene and just kept it. It being so quiet made it worse that the service was so poor. Not a good experience today and will put me...