Thames Diner - County Durham

Eating at this restaurant is a pleasant experience. Be prepared to wait a little longer for your food as everything is freshly cooked to order and it is not a fast food establishment. However, the wait is definitely worth it! The staff always greets you with a friendly welcome.

I have received multiple takeout gifts from Thames Diner and they have all been fantastic. The most recent one was an afternoon tea for two for my birthday, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I will definitely be using their services again in the future.

The restaurant had excellent service from the friendly and efficient staff. I will definitely visit again. Thank you.

We reserved Thames Diner to provide catering for our wedding buffet on August 6th, 2022. When we arrived at our evening buffet/disco venue, we were surprised to find that there was no buffet. This should have been a joyous occasion, but instead, I had to deal with the stress of trying to find a contact number after hours and informing our guests that there would be no buffet. It was very embarrassing. After locating the caterer, we learned that she had mistakenly thought the wedding was on September 6th, despite us booking and paying twice. Ultimately, she arrived with a selection of deep-fried food and bread buns, rather than the cold buffet we had been promised. The food ran out quickly. The venue informed us that the same caterer had forgotten a funeral buffet. When we tried to seek a refund, all she offered was two roast dinners. We are extremely disappointed. How could she have made such a mistake?

I am unsure which was more disappointing, the appearance of the restaurant or the disinterested staff. The coffee was weak and served with a tiny pot of milk to hide its lack of quality. The ingredients were cheap and the food was poorly cooked. The floors and walls were dirty and filthy. In any other location, this restaurant would likely not survive, but due to loyal locals, it will probably still be around in 20 years, just in time for a much-needed deep clean.