Sambuca South Shields — Restaurant in South Tyneside

Not really sure what to say, the waiter was awful, I don't think I have been to a restaurant where the water does not place the food on the table in front of you over your shoulder, the man who served us passed the plates up the table which to me was just pathetic.

The tiger prawns just were not even tiger prawns at all, they were king prawns at best bit certainly not tiger prawns. The plate they came on was far too big for 6 prawns, with a pathetic looking salad and half a lemon on the side. Salad was literally three rocket leaves a door stop sized lump of cucumber and half a tomato.... come on do better. £8.95, maybe £5.00 at a push but not worth their price at all.

Potato skins? £3.50 each. Huge plate some skins and a dollop of garlic sauce. £1.90 at best, totally over priced for what is essentially the wastage from potatoes.... need to sort this out.

Carbonnara made with bacon? Really? What's wrong with doing it right and using pancetta? It wasn't even that tasty, bland and boring and too salty, the pasta was overcooked and falling apart what happened to Al dente? Only saving grace the parmesan sprinkled on top. At £8.95 I think it is fair to say that dish is too expensive, £6.00 maybe, if you use actual pancetta and cook the pasta properly I'd be happy paying £8.95 for it, and don't be shy, use something to make it taste nice too.

Penne arabiata, looked nice from a distance, member of the group eating it wasn't too fussy and was quite happy eating it can't complain.

Now this is the part that takes the biscuit for me. Our bill came out on a piece of paper and at the top said £132.80 so we asked if it could be split three ways. The rude and Moody waiter totalled each one up and when it came to me £3.20 had made its way onto the bill..... not exactly sure how but I guess he wanted a tip. Never mind.

It's been four years since I last visited Sambuca. And I really don't think il be coming back in a hurry. The last review Iade for this place i said out right Cheap and Cheerful, it is cheap, and you can tell with the quality of the food on offer. It is cheerful, the waiting staff were quite happy to have a little back and forth with my 3 year old who loved it.

Honestly, I think that if everyone leaves a constructive review the restaurant can attempt to improve somehow, I am not slating the place I am suggesting that things can be done better. Get better ingredients for a start. And dish up what people ask for (regarding prawns - which were definitely not tiger prawns) all three prawn starter options, are priced the same and my guess would be that all three prawn options are exactly the same with different titles to fill the menu up. Offer tiger prawns, provide tiger prawns.

Do...

The below review was one I wrote 11 months ago, sadly I am having to review tonights experience poorly, and the only reason this has 3 stars tonight, is because of the 2 polite female waiting staff that served us.

There is nothing more exasperating in a restaurant, than when you have the uncomfortable and inconvenient situation of sending food back to the kitchen, then, having a member of staff look at you like you have no clue what you are talking about is just unacceptable. I never mention this in reviews, I have been lucky and privileged to have worked in a fine dining, French restaurant when I was at college and then went on to work in the travel industry, and have to date, inspected and written reports on over 50 restaurants in Europe and The Maldives in 4 and 5 grade properties. I do, to some extent know my stuff, and certainly know how I like my steak cooked! I ordered my steak medium rare and received it well done, the waiter truly looked perplexed when I sent it back. When the new steak arrived, it was medium well, however was a huge improvement. When I commented that it still wasn't medium rare, but I would eat it and to thank the chef for his/her/their inconvenience, the waiter replied sarcastically "No thank YOU chef". To top it all, the sauce was under seasoned (as was the steak) and tasteless.

Ive eaten in Sambucas South Shields since it opened, and supported them when they delivered during lock down, but never again. I have ordered steak from Sambucas Jesmond (and I live in Jarrow) to be delivered, twice during lockdown and it was better than the steak I've had tonight.

My fellow diners food was decidedly average, a tip was left for the other 2 servers that didnt think they knew better than their guests.

Review from 11 months ago during lockdown..... (which was 4 stars)

Indulgent pasta 'Chicken Ala Creme' - lovely portion - lasts me 2 nights! Pizza Al Tonno and the Calzone delicious! I ordered Napoli sauce for the calzone, which I appreciate is often served on a calzone anyway, however it was worth the tiny bit extra. Ive ordered from there twice and will certainly be...

Review:

We recently visited this restaurant with a party of eight, including my cousin visiting from Manchester. The food was enjoyable, with four members of our group opting for the specials, which were reasonably priced at £8.95 each. The deal included potato skins, pizza, and pasta—a pretty good value overall. I had the jambalaya risotto with chips, which I did enjoy.

However, the dining experience was marred by poor service. From the moment we arrived, we felt rushed. The staff came over about four times asking if we were ready to order, which made us feel pressured. After we finally placed our orders, the starters arrived, and we began chatting. As soon as we finished, the staff promptly cleared the table and asked if we were ready for the main course. It felt as though the mains had been sitting there waiting for us. When the main courses did arrive, mine was the last to be served, and I had to wait around eight minutes for my chips while the rest of my party began eating.

Once we finished the main course, we were immediately asked if we wanted dessert, which we declined. We decided to sit and chat for a bit longer, but within 10 minutes, the bill was abruptly placed on our table. As we continued to talk, a waitress came over with a card machine, standing there waiting for payment. After paying the £173 bill, we noticed a group of waitstaff hovering near our table, clearly waiting for us to leave.

This kind of service does not reflect well on the establishment. It felt like they were more interested in getting us in and out rather than providing a quality dining experience. Unfortunately, this ruined what could have been an enjoyable meal. After this experience, I doubt I’ll be returning to Sambuca. My advice to the management: "Get your act together." We’re paying for both food and service, not just the food alone with...