Published: December 13, 2021
There are so many great places to eat in Sunderland. From restaurants and cafés to takeaways and street food vendors, there really is something to suit everyone. Here is a roundup of my top five favourite places.
1. Spent Grain, 67 John Street, Sunderland.
Spent Grain is a fantastic new addition to the Sunderland dining scene having had its original grand opening delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fans of the beloved, yet sadly now closed, D’acqua will be glad to know that Spent Grain’s new chef was previously a chef there. They offer a wide range of dishes with a regularly updated menu that rarely fails to impress. It is a great place to celebrate a special occasion, but their set menu is reasonable enough to enjoy more often.
2. 2 Church Lane, 2 Church Lane, Sunderland.
2 Church Lane is home of the best burgers in Sunderland. It offers a range of burgers/hotdogs and dirty fries along with a fantastic range of craft ales to wash them all down with. It is located directly opposite the Empire Theatre making it ideally placed for a pre theatre meal. Don’t miss the regular all you can drink quiz nights where £25 buys you burger and fries and unlimited prosecco or beer.
3. Aperitif, 7 High Street, Sunderland
If you’re a fan of Italian food, you will find no shortage of Italian restaurants in Sunderland. Aperitif - again located near the Empire Theatre - is hard to beat. They offer excellent quality handmade pizzas and a wide range of pasta dishes. Their steaks are also of excellent quality and their service is second to none. They offer a very reasonable happy hour which is ideally timed for a pre-theatre meal.
4. Borneo Bistro, 162 Hylton Road, Sunderland
Borneo Bistro is located within staggering distance of Clanny House and offers a fantastic value and authentic taste of Asia. They serve dishes from Thailand, Malaysia, China and Singapore. Their menu changes daily and the portions are huge, and their prices are student friendly. The only negative that is that doesn’t open on an evening.
5. Ivy House, 7A Worcester Terrace, Sunderland.
If you are looking for pub grub, the Ivy House is hard to beat. A stone’s throw from City Campus, it remains the only place (to my knowledge) to serve poutines in Sunderland. They are probably not authentic Canadian poutines, but when they are this delicious, who cares? Their hand stretched pizzas are fantastic and their ultimate sharing board is the perfect accompaniment for any of the many regularly changing real ales and ciders that they offer.
Did any of your favourites make it to the list?
Andrew Penman
LLB (Hons) Law
Topic: City