Tawny Owl Darlington

We pre booked as two families meeting for a 67th birthday. We asked the tables be together. We chose the pub due to location and the info we found online regarding gluten free options. We hadn’t realised the pub didn’t open until noon, which was fine, however my husband and daughter had gone 15mins early as they needed to get off quickly. Sadly they were made to feel awkward by the owners. It seems the two tables of 6 would have normally been cancelled as wouldn’t be allowed together, but as they’d been away on holiday and hadn’t seen until now, they had painstakingly rearranged the pub to accommodate us. He was also told that due to a party of over 8 we would have a 10% service charge added - we wouldn’t have minded this but so far he had felt like they were doing us a huge favour and making us feel bad about something! This said, the group next to us was around 10 with many little kids, so clearly not an unheard of thing - or hard to accommodate without being gaslighted! The service from the waiting staff was brilliant, the food delicious if not a bit overpriced. My mum was made a fuss over and they brought her out complimentary icecream and a Happy Birthday plate which was a lovely touch. There was no need for the owners to say anything when we arrived. It was not our fault that they had been away and that the system didn’t say we couldn’t do what we did. Instead of a guilt trip, they could have just welcomed us. Poor hospitality which sadly took the edge off what would have been a lovely afternoon. Very much doubt we will return, as my brother and sister were both as annoyed and upset about the way we were made to feel, as I was.

Excellent food. Good value. Very attentive and excellent customer service. We really enjoyed the whole experience. There are good gluten-free options, so please make them easier to find ! The e-menu was ambiguous in places.