The Courtyard Cafe Bar @ The Arts Centre — Restaurant in Sunderland

Came to eat here today and wasn’t very pleased afterwards. I paid £8.95 for a hot roast chicken sandwich & I would’ve thought for almost £9 I’d get something better than this (see picture)! The worst part was that we waited over an hour for our food (or just over an hour). It would’ve been nice when ordering to know that there was a long wait-time for food but it was only after 45 minutes of waiting that we were told that it would be another 20 minutes which disappointed us as we would’ve went elsewhere! The lady serving us was really apologetic and of course it wasn’t her fault - she did say she would ask at the bar to get us a free drink to apologise but I’m guessing they said no as we didn’t get any. Not sure if this was an understaffing issue or what it was but the roast chicken sandwich was plain and disappointingly bland for £9. It came with salad and chips which were ok but wish the salad was integrated in the chicken, with the chicken perhaps grilled and seasoned and with the bun toasted a bit (maybe even with some stuffing added). My friend ordered the pizza which looked ok and a bit better than my roast chicken sandwich but she did say the dough was a bit undercooked and floppy. The actual restaurant itself is nice inside but I wouldn’t recommend eating here and I wouldn’t eat...

Was served the most soggy, greasiest cheese and tomato pizza I've ever had, oil dripping pouring off it. Sent it back for a refund, was then told they'd have to clear it with the manager, then when getting the refund that 'the chef disagreed with me'.

Two points here, if that is the standard the chef is happy to send out and really thinks that's acceptable, then I could never recommend anyone spend money on that, and will never visit again. I normally give places a second chance, as many do have one off issues, you can see in my reviews I've updated some, but it's clear that is the normal standard, and I'd never try it again. The second point is why did the staff feel the need to tell me the chef disagreed? Granted I'm glad they did, but they were basically telling me I was wrong. Many of the bad reviews mention the service if you...

I visited The Courtyard with family for Christmas Lunch 2021. It was the first time we had ever had Christmas Lunch at an eatery and of course were dubious as to whether it would match our expectations. We needn't have worried. On arrival there was Bucks Fizz awaiting. We were greeted by welcoming staff who brought delicious canapés over once we were settled. Christmas Lunch itself was delicious. We were given ample time to just sit and enjoy our meal without feeling rushed.

Once Lunch was finished we were brought fresh coffee and what appear to be handmade chocolates.

An absolutely amazing dining experience. We are definitely considering booking up for this Christmas again.

I didn't take any photos of the Lunch itself as I was too busy...