Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill Durham

We were stunned by the beautiful architecture of the restaurant especially by the dome shaped ceiling and generally spectacular design which gave us a very good first impression. … More

What a disappointment. Of the 6 of us in our party, 4 ordered steaks. When they came out, all of our steaks were cold. We called the waitress over and she apologised and took them away. They were returned quite soon, but we realised that they had only been re-heated. Again we called the waitress over and again she apologised. She said that she would take them back and have fresh ones cooked. The problem at this point was, the other 2 in our party were more than half way through their meal, so we decided to leave it. 2 people then noticed that they had been given each others steak. At the end of the meal, the waitress did take 50% off our mains and provided 3 of us with a free drink. This was for a friends birthday, and we had been looking forward to a nice meal in what should be a top restaurant. To be honest, for a restaurant carrying the name of a top chef, the menu was rather uninspiring. I decided to complain to Marco but he clearly wants to stay uncontactable. In fact, a Google search suggests that he doesn't use the internet!!!!! How unlikely. I managed to find the group who run his business and made a complaint to the CEO there. Someone did contact me and offed us 50% of a main course if we were to return. Under the circumstances, having spoilt our night, I wrote back and said that I felt the offer rather stingy. NO REPLY! It may be useful if Marco did get himself onto the internet, and see what goes on in some restaurants bearing his name.

We were stunned by the beautiful architecture of the restaurant, especially by the dome shaped ceiling and generally spectacular design which gave us a very good first impression.

Regarding the service, the receptionist seemed to be impatient and poor-mannered when finding our booking. She asked us to wait at the bar area before she came and delivered this request like a mother scolding her children. Her attire also seemed quite questionable, as she was wearing jeans, which seemed quite jarring considering the elegant interior of the restaurant as aforementioned.

The best service exemplified by the reception area was when another very polite and friendly member of staff offered to hang the customers’ jackets in a closet.

Unfortunately, when we were finally seated, we were shocked to find a patch of red sauce stain leftover on the table from the previous guests, left uncleaned. We also couldn’t help noticing the quality of the tables, which looked quite cheap. Sadly this marred our first impressions of the restaurant, and our experience only seemed to get worse as the evening progressed.

We ordered:

CLASSIC PRAWN COCKTAIL
The prawn cocktail itself was tasty.
The brown bread that came with it was dry.

WHEELER'S CRISPY CALAMARI
Very crispy but definitely too salty.

RIBEYE STEAK (medium-well)
While the menu recommended the steak to be cooked medium, we asked for medium well, and expected, given that the restaurant purported to be a ‘steakhouse’, that it would not be an awfully difficult task. However, the steak we had was burnt on the outside and overall, the texture was a bit gritty and tough. The chips were nicely done.

CREAMED LEAF SPINACH WITH HORSERADISH
The leaf spinach came yellowish and this, coupled with the bitter and acidic taste, indicated that it had obviously been overcooked.

The drinks as below were excellent. Praise to the bar! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

P. STAR MARTINI
Very tasty and not too sweet. Really loved how how the passionfruit flavour was not too strong!

FROZEN STRAWBERRY DAQUIRI
Very refreshing and also perfectly sweet.

V. P. STAR
The half passion fruit was fresh and juicy. The drink tasted great. Would definitely recommend their drinks.

Honestly, this was a disappointing experience overall, especially because we had read such stellar reviews before coming. However, given the decent prices, the quality of the food is more forgivable.

Over all it was OK.Steak with 3 x mini "King" Prawn was a little disappointing. I was expecting something more. … More

Over all it was OK.
Steak with 3 x mini "King" Prawn was a little disappointing. I was expecting something more.
Onion ring was great, homemade and massive.
Somehow the Ribeye was pale and not so juicy.

To be honest I never had much faith in having steak in the UK as most restaurants tend to overcook it or simply don’t get it right. I’d actually given up on ordering steak here altogether. However my friend decided to order one at this … More

To be honest, I never had much faith in having steak in the UK, as most restaurants tend to overcook it or simply don’t get it right. I’d actually given up on ordering steak here altogether. However, my friend decided to order one at this hotel restaurant, and to my surprise, it turned out to be excellent — tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned, far beyond my expectations.

We stayed at the hotel for three days and had several meals here during our stay. Each time, the food was consistently good, and the service was just as impressive. The waiters were polite, attentive, and genuinely friendly, which made the dining experience even more enjoyable. Overall, this place really changed my impression of having steak in the UK.

A steakhouse in a spectacular setting, inside the Indigo Hotel’s historic dining room.
Steaks were good, but my medium rare was closer to medium, and had a lot of fat.
The absolute stars here are the staff who made it a very special place and went to great lengths to ensure there were no issues with a dietary request.
There was a decent selection of wines by the glass and plenty of options even if you’re not a steak lover.
It’s a cut above your standard hotel restaurant and perfect if you’re staying at the Indigo, but prices are high for the standard of the food here.