Gillies — Restaurant in Sunderland

The best thing about this place is the tea. You can get a proper decent cup-of-tea here. But they have only full fat milk or fully skimmed. So I get half and half, why not. I don't like either of the extremes. And it is great tea. And believe me I am fussy. Now then, Gillies is kind of a Washington New Town marker. It is an institution. I've seen people eating & drinking here over the years & never been in. It looked like mundane fare to me... How wrong I was. The scones are fantastic have a look yourself. And this week I had the giant Yorkshire pudding with veg beef mash and gravy. Black pepper on it. And I have to say it was a treat. I can now see why there are always 40/50 folk in, sat eating and chatting this place is alive. The staff make it work they are helpful pleasant and working hard. There is no detached attitude they are of the people they are feeding and the chatter exchanged is local and knowing... Which is part of the charm...

I have used Gillies over the years when I worked in the galleries but never sat until last few weeks, my friend is stuck in the house alot so I have been taking her out lately, we went 2 weeks ago, the food looked amazing, I only got a scone it was 8/10 they definitely look better than they taste, I went today and I got a jacket pot and my friend got corned beef square it looked absolutely gorgeous, but definitely looked nicer than it tasted, I had to move a table as my friend is in a wheelchair, once I moved the table I could not believe my eyes where table had been was absolutely disgusting, and the skirting boards where black, I wiped a napkin across the ledge it was pure black, so once I seen this I could not wait to get out of there; we could not eat our food, it’s made me feel sick all day.. disgusting the place needs...

Sausage looked uncooked spoke the manager who is very arrogant it is cooked we probe them it's the season they use we had a few complaints about the same thing last time I eat there make your own mind up ,so 18/08/24 decided to give them the benefit of the doubt got an 10 item breakfast and looked fine until I flipped the bacon and it had only been cooked on one side I mean nearly raw ,I went and spoke to the manager who said I can't debate it with you I said you don't need to clearly it's only cooked on one side someone will get food poisoning here his reply would you like some more which i declined i will have a word with rhe kitchen no apology at all avoid this place poor food and attitude definitely...