Riley's Fish Shack — Restaurant in North Tyneside

I've been a regular customer at Riley's for years now. This was by far the worst experience I've had there, and indeed at any other restaurant for a good few years. We arrived on the bank holiday for our dinner at around 5 and were quickly told we would have to wait for their next delivery of stock before we ordered our mains - no harm done there, we were happy to have our starters and wait for the truck to arrive which it shortly did. Once the menu had been replenished we ordered our mains, a turbot and a lobster.

By this point we had been there around half an hour, and expected the food to come out quickly following the initial delay however nothing materialised. We suspected something was up when dish after dish was brought out to other customers who had arrived after us. A further hour and a half goes by from this point before any of the staff even think to come over and ask how we're doing or offer us any more drinks. When this does eventually happen, I ask for the whereabouts of our food at which point the waiter's face drops and it is made apparent to us that we've been completely forgotten about - I find it difficult to understand how, given that we’d been sat under her nose the entire time. Without any apology or asking whether we still wanted the food, just a ‘my bad’, she disappears to the kitchen and, after a while, returns with the lobster and turbot we’d asked for a couple of hours previously. By this point my appetite had disappeared and we had no real desire for the food… after one mouthful I asked for it to be boxed up so we can take it home and leave, much later than we’d planned.

When it came for the time to pay, she explained that she had removed the drinks and service charge from the bill – again, with no apology whatsoever. When I inspected the bill, none of this had been removed and we were in fact being charged full price… I regret not speaking up at this stage and addressing this issue, but at this point I just felt irritated, ripped off and wanted to leave as soon as possible. We ended up spending about 140 quid on a few oysters, three drinks and some takeaway fish that would be eaten cold at home. Not what you pay the high prices for.

It’s sad to see the standards slip as I’ve enjoyed spending time and bringing new customers to Riley’s over the years, but after this experience I’m going to have to find somewhere else to go. Looking at the reviews here it seems I’m not the only one who’s frustrated by this stark drop in standards. The irony is they still have the capacity to churn out very good food, but it’s let down so badly by the front of house team that it’s become...

I would like to preface this with the understand that, it is a busy place with restrictions and limitations due to the location and popularity.

Went for lunch today and made sure to book ahead. Managed to get seated relatively easily. As we were getting seated we were asked to take a photo of the menu so we did, but proved to be difficult as people were waiting in line right in front of said menu so wasn’t able to see everything of what they had to offer.

We weren’t aware of where to see what drink options that were available, wanted to order a glass of wine each, but after patiently waiting 20 minutes for a drinks order to be taken we ordered food at the same time to save ourselves and the server time.

Wanting to use the toilet; there was a sign written on the door that said “please knock” and a code was written but unsure why said code was needed? Toilet was dirty, toilet roll was suspended from the ceiling attached to a wooden dowel and string, quite bizzarely. Door wasn’t able to be locked as there was no locking mechanism on the single toilet provided. Additionally a substantial gap between the door and the frame made it easier for people to see into the toilet, which would make it very uncomfortable for people to use. So it’s advised to have someone you’re with to guard the door so that you nor another person has to accidentally intrude, or knock on the door embarrassingly, rather than to just fix a lock or a catch of some kind?

After waiting 50-60 minutes after ordering the food it had arrived. Food was very good, and came in a healthy portion which fairly matched the price of the dish. Once the food had arrived we asked for the bill just to assure we weren’t waiting after eating in order to pay.

Overall, this was a poor experience. It is completely understandable to have a long waiting period and poorer service due to busy periods and many orders coming through at once. But perhaps a notice once a table is seated of a longer waiting time wouldn’t go amiss.

A reduced menu would not only make things easier for staff but would also decrease waiting times during busy periods. Also implementing a QR code available to scan on your way in that links to a menu that can be changed daily according to what’s on offer would help make the service smoother for both staff and customers.

We would like to give it another go at a later date but hopefully a few physical and service elements may be...

I really wanted to love Riley’s Fish Shack. The setting is undeniably lovely. Sadly, the food and service just didn’t live up to the hype, especially for the prices they charge.

We ordered two Slip Soles in Seaweed Butter with Wild Mushrooms (£16 each). What arrived was a fairly average fish, absolutely drenched in oily butter, with maybe four tiny mushrooms thrown on the plate. My dad actually ended up with indigestion almost immediately after eating it, which really says it all.

But the real disappointment was the XL Scallop with Roe Butter and Parmo Crumb. £14 for what turned out to be a single scallop, medium-sized at best. No sides, no salad to take the edge off the oily food, just the scallop in a clam shell, on a bed of salt, and again swimming in butter. I finished it in two bites. Honestly, even in a Michelin-star restaurant I wouldn’t expect to pay that much for so little.

The service didn’t help matters either. I stood at the till to order everything for about four minutes while four/five staff members chatted amongst themselves or with other customers, clearly seeing me waiting. Eventually, one waiter in the middle of a task pulled a colleague away from their conversation to serve me. There was no apology, not even basic politeness, just a sense of pretentiousness rather than a welcoming atmosphere.

And best of all, we had waited for the food for roughly 40 minutes. For a single scallop and two, small grilled fish - not even filleted.

The views of the sea had almost saved the experience, but not quite. Presentation was nice, and the food tasted okay at best, but for what we paid, it was honestly shocking. I had taken my family hoping to show them a great local spot, but instead we left disappointed and hungry. With 3 drinks (one coke and 2 beers) and for the abovementioned 3 'meals' it turned out to be roughly £65. Absolute rip off.

It’s such a shame, because Riley’s has so much potential, but right now it feels overpriced and...