THE region's favourite venues which took part in the Government's Eat Out to Help Out Scheme in August have been named following a public vote.

The Northern Echo asked readers to vote for their favourite venues in an online poll – and first place has gone to the Viraj Restaurant, owned by father-and-son team Joynul and Tarif Miah in Darlington.

Joynul said: “It’s amazing, it feels so good to get the award, given the times that we are facing at the moment.

"We've made dramatic changes to the restaurant to keep staff and customers safe from Covid, such as installing air con throughout, as well as screens and cutlery sleeves, we've got all the PPE that we need to keep everyone safe.

"Being first place on Tripadvisor has really given us all a boost and this award has really done the same.

"From day one all the team in Viraj have really stuck to Government rules and restrictions to keep all our guests feeling safe.

"We were actually the first restaurant in Darlington to make face masks mandatory until you got to your table, then that was implemented a couple of weeks ago throughout the country.

"It's sad that there are some that will ruin it for everyone. There have been customers that I have refused entry because they don't want to abide by the rules and wear a mask.

"We are coming up on our second anniversary this month on October 31, and what we have achieved over those two years with all the regulars we have it has been amazing.

"Sadly there are restaurants in Darlington who just seem to want quantity over quality at the moment."

Viraj was broken into last August and had a large amount of cash stolen, as well as charity money.

Joynul added: "We received so much support after posting the news on Facebook about the burglary.

"We've also put in place additional measures to prevent that happening again such as bars on the windows.

"The council need to focus more on the area that we are in considering the Northgate building has been vacated for many years and it seems people have just forgotten about this part of town.

"My dad and I are all so chuffed about the award, it's been brilliant for everyone.

"The Eat Out to Help Out scheme worked miracles for everyone, we are not alone there. It was a great thing for smaller businesses like mine, who are facing hard times.

"Last night I had a walk in of three customers and the fact that my restaurant was empty at the time meant that they actually walked out.

"I would love to see things go back to a bit of normality, but sadly, looking at the times ahead, I think we are in a worse situation than we were in in March.

"It's much harder at the moment, because now the Eat Out to Help Out scheme is no longer running and it's hard to get people to go back out, especially with the stricter restrictions coming into place."

"The staff and my front house manager Joanne especially have worked tirelessly for this award as well as my father and I."

In second place came Al Forno, an Italian restaurant on Skinnergate, Darlington.

The Northern Echo:

Zoe Brown, manager at Al Forno said: "It's great to receive this award, all the staff have worked really hard and a lot of hours, so to have that recognition from the customers is fantastic.

"It's been quite a challenge to make people feel safe to eat out, but we've had a lot of good reviews saying that people do feel safe eating at Al Forno.

"It's been really hard to get a balance of getting customers in but also not booking too many tables and making sure everyone is safe and happy.

"I'm just glad all the customers are happy, which shows after getting this award.

"I think the staff are a major part in helping us win this award as they've worked so hard and are very friendly.

"We've done a lot of training and all the staff need to feel comfortable to make sure everyone feels safe and happy in their role.

"They've all worked really hard and they're all very good with customers so that has all played a major part in helping us stand out.

"We are all quite worried at the moment as they keep changing the rules so I hope things start to improve in the future.

"It's quietening down a bit now but hopefully as restrictions get lifted more people can come out and start coming back and we can get busy again.

"Thank you to all the customers and those who voted for us."

In third place came Clarendon's Cafe in Barnard Castle.

The Northern Echo:

Clare Dixon, of Clarendon's , said: "It's fantastic news, it's been such a great boost for the team because they need the recognition not just myself.

"The scheme really encouraged people to get out, we were really busy as soon as we started doing the scheme.

"I think a lot of people are quite cautious to come out at the moment, we are certainly not as busy as we were at the beginning of the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme.

"We offer really good quality food and things for a reasonable amount of money and we also offer really friendly staff so the combination of the two works for us and is really bringing people back.

"It's been so positive, I'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone who voted for us we really appreciate everyone's support."