Blue Bell — Restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne

Today myself and partner had the day off together and decided to go somewhere with our 3 tiny placid dogs. We googled local dog friendly cafes and pubs in the area as we were looking for somewhere new for a coffee and light lunch. This place cropped up and reading the reviews we decided to try it. We drove from leadgate to Jesmond and pulled in to the car park. We arrived at 1150 and it wasn’t opening til 12. We got the dogs out of the car and before we’d even entered the place a male member of staff popped his head out the door and said “has your dog just had a poo on the grass?” .. to which we replied no, she had a pee.. he then said with an aggressive tone about us not being able to park in the car park .. despite there being signs up for patrons using the car park who are customers of the pub. We explained that we were planning on coming in in a few minutes when they opened at 12. By this time we’d already been put off the place without even trying it.. angry Scottish man with sour attitude quite dishevelled in appearance, skinny wearing white clothing and tattoos on his arms. We entered the pup.. first customers in when doors opened with the intent of speaking to a supervisor or bar staff. Spoke to a youngish male 20s or 30s claimed to be in charge.. tried to explain that his staff member had a really bad attitude the way he spoke to us before we’d even got in the place. He seemed disinterested and offered no apology.. instead the Scottish man dressed in white kept coming over and butting in in a very argumentative manner defending his downright rude manner. Turned out that the man in white was the chef.. we changed our minds about dining in the place fearing he may spit in our food for mentioning his rudeness and walked out. What I will say is.. we didn’t even get a chance to try this place that has good reviews and looks nice instead. There was little in the way of customer service and the chef was rude, arrogant and intimidating. We will not be coming here in future. Shame cos it looked good. We’re not the whinging moaning type, both just normal down to earth hardworking young lasses who don’t complain about nothing. Honestly speaking we came away feeling utterly disappointed with a bitter taste. There was no call for the angry rude attitude with us. Drove down the coast road and went to the boat yard instead.. dog friendly, lovely food and the staff were very pleasant. Gonna tell all our dog walking friends about the blue bell. Paying customers should not be spoken to like that whether the “chef” is having a bad day...

Unfortunately, the food was poor today. We did wait for someone to come and ask if everything was okay as we didn't want to make a fuss at the bar however, that never happened.

I admit we did finish our food as we were all starving, but I couldn't say any of us enjoyed what we ate, very bland and basic, also for what we had "very expensive"!

Pretty gutted to be honest as this used to be our go-to place for burgers and Sunday lunch. I hope this was just a oneoff because as a family we love to visit in the summer.

This is constructive criticism and not an attack or a warning to others to stay clear, quite the contary! I encourage people to visit their local pubs/eateries. We need to go out more and help venues get back on track as let's face it the government won't help!

All the best for the future Bluebell, we'll try again when the weather is better.

New comment due to responce from owner.

Maybe the fact that you're not listening to your customers with genuine concern is a massive factor?

Again my comment was not to offend but to make you aware that the food we got served today was well below what is expected for the price list and what we have had in the past! If your going to keep your blinkers on then maybe we wont be visiting again. Which is a shame!

It may not be my position to say however, maybe speak to the kitchen staff rather than disbelieve your customers or even better leave review cards on your tables.

Try looking down the list of comments and you will find I left your establishment a fantastic review a while back. If your not open to constructive feedback to help your business move forward then i have waisted both our time.

Again I wish you all the very best...

I'm leaving my original review below, which I am having to revisit. I have changed my opinion on this pub, which I have come to see as a very good venue. I was originally very disappointed in the reduction of vegan options on the menu, but this was due to the many good evenings I had experienced here, and I was sad that it was no longer so vegan friendly - that said, it still caters better than most pubs in the area.

This pub has a great atmosphere, good drinks, a wonderful terrace and garden, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

My former review, which you may consider redundant, is below this line.

This used to be my favourite pub in the area. Unpretentious, lovely atmosphere, reasonably priced for good beer and great food! Alas, no longer.

On my last visit, I found that they had systematically removed virtually every vegan option on the menu. Given that this is, apparently, the work of one chef, I am sad to say that I cannot frequent this formerly great pub any more. By removing all vegan food except the bare minimum of a burger, they have effectively told me that vegans are no longer welcome - or at least considered to be a lower priority.

The Blue Bell used to be known by vegans around Newcastle for being a great place for a meal and a drink. Sadly they have squandered this reputation. To any vegans looking for a good place, I can recommend Estate Tea Co which is a...