Tin of Sardines Gin Bar - Sunderland — Restaurant in Sunderland

On a mild Sunday morning my wife and I thought we would try Tin of Sardines for breakfast. We wish we hadn't bothered.

The location is great, the bar is well furnished, the staff, though, looked like they did not want to be disturbed.

We walked into the near empty bar and sat at a table. The girl behind the counter ignored us whilst her colleague was having a natter, presumably, with a friend.

We waited a minute or so being ignored before going up to the bar to ask if it was table service or not. The surly student behind the bar, who never once cracked a smile, said we had to order at the bar. Well thanks for telling us. We asked for a menu and were shocked they wanted £6 for a bacon bap plus another two quid for an egg.

We ordered two cappuccinos which came without any sugar. When my wife asked for some, the bar lady, who seemed resentful to lift a finger, dropped two sachets of brown sugar on our table (white sugar was not offered) making no eye contact or exchanging any pleasantries.

We drank up and left. Only one other table was taken. We strolled to Sue's cafe on the front to be served quickly and with a smile a bacon and egg bap at less than half the price. And in contrast to the near empty Sardines, Sue's was busy. I wonder why?

Tin of Sardines is a great idea. And I wish it success. But we...

Don't take pleasure in giving a bad review but as it was our first visit felt we must. 7.8.22 Ordered a large pink gin & was undecided about the good choice of tonics so asked the young waitress for her recommendation on a good tonic. " I will give you recommended for this gin" she said. I asked for small amount of ice due to my teeth sensitivity. She poured half my mixer into a glass full of ice to the brim. My husbands bacardi & coke was well iced too. The Pepsi or coke was sprayed into the glass so fast the contents spilled over and into the drainer. We sat down on fabulous veranda, lovely ambience, great views. I then noticed the tonic water I ordered was Soda water so my G & T was not! My husband said he had been served better bacardi & mixer at nearby venues. I politely asked the waitress about my tonic water, she replied " sorry we didn't have the one you asked for so I gave you that soda, my fault , sorry. I had expected her to offer me a replacement G & T but it was apology only. I then asked for a original tonic water which she didnt ask for payment. It was a busy sunny Sunday afternoon and I got the impression she was rushing under pressure to serve, serve, serve. It's a great place and we will return but hope whoever serves us listens properly and shows more interest in customer...

This place has been on my radar since it opened. The location is perfect for a scenic drink whatever the weather it’s a great spot for drinks, and drinks alone.

We made the mistake of ordering food and I can’t stress how much of a disappointment this was. Put briefly the food was overpriced (tuna filling with 3 strands of red onion on stale focaccia bread for £7, really?) and the food was over an hour wait - I have to point out here the venue was only half full otherwise I could maybe understand what the delay was. How this took so long baffled me because the breakfast menu was so limited and the food was so underwhelming I can't fathom a reason on why the dishes were taking over an hour.

I don't want to go into too much detail on how the delay was handled by staff but it wasn't great. The manager who I think could be potentially the owner was shouting/arguing with other customers and then accusing his own staff of not telling him correct information (calling his own staff liars in a sense) and it just turned into a really horrible atmosphere and I couldn't wait to leave.

Overall, I would recommend this for a drinks-only kind of night as the bar and interiors and views are stunning but if you're looking for food I think you're best off looking at some of the restaurants further...