The best and worst Wetherspoon pubs in County Durham have been revealed.

Wetherspoons has eight pubs in County Durham - from a seaside town tavern to historic towns and the city of Durham. 

Here are the best and worst Wetherspoons across the region  - based on the percentage of 'excellent' and 'very good' reviews.

A guide to Wetherspoons in County Durham - ranked from best to worst

The Five Quarter, Peterlee

Tripadvisor rating: 4

Out of 98 review ratings, The Five Quarter in Peterlee came out with four out of five stars, from 98 reviews. Not only coming out highly for a Wetherspoons pub, it is ranked two out of four in pubs for Peterlee on TripAdvisor, while also finding itself six out of 18 restaurant venues. 

In the reviews, one diner praised The Five Quarter by saying: "What can I say? I've never had a bad meal and the staff are so friendly. Very fast service too. Prices are really good as would expect being what it is. We go here quite a lot whilst out shopping as very handy when hungry. Always hits the spot." 

However, not everyone had the same enthusiasm for the venue, with one person reviewing it by saying: "Came for a curry at on Thursday night at the actual ‘curry club’ only to be told on ordering (at 4pm!) that there were no naan breads. We were offered chips instead so fair enough. I then ordered a chicken jalfrezi to be told again, surprise surprise that they didn’t have any!!! Then the food turned up and there were only 13 chips on the plate."

The Hat and Feathers, Seaham

Tripadvisor rating: 3.5

Rated a little less than The Five Quarter in Peterlee, The Hat and Feathers still appears as the seventh best place in Seaham for 'quick bites' and has managed to garner 253 reviews. 

One reviewer loved the venue, saying: This was our second visit and I wanted to write a review mainly to compliment the staff. They were so helpful and efficient, they all seemed happy to serve you. The food was as expected, hot, good quality and served quickly. The prices are cheap."

Meanwhile, it wasn't all good news for the pub, with one reviewer saying: "I have eaten in several Wetherspoon pubs around the country but never before have I seen a place as dirty as this. Every knife and fork had particles of food on them, what does it take to wash cutlery . The food was disgusting and the atmosphere was something between a greasy spoon cafe and a soup kitchen for down and outs."

The Bishops’ Mill, Durham

Tripadvisor rating: 3.5

While this pub comes third on our Tripadvisor list, it is a popular branch with 68 per cent of reviews rated as excellent or very good. 

Despite over 400 people reviewing it as excellent or very good, The Bishops' Mill has one of the worst rated, with 114 calling the venue 'terrible'. 

The good part

One diner said: "When we go out we always look for a JD Wetherspoons as its rare we get disappointed. Today was no exception. Good hot food. Clean pub. Exceptionally nice and polite staff. What more can you say. This is one I would definitely recommend."

The bad part

One disappointed diner said: So many items on the menu are not available as advertised. No sauces for the desserts were available but didn't let us know when ordering, and offered no compensation. Dry cookie dough with ice cream, no sauce at all even though advertised. Extremely unhelpful staff. Won't go again.

The Horse Shoe Inn, Crook

Tripadvisor rating: 3.5

Noted as a 3.5/5 stars venue, The Horse Shoes Inn is ranked as number four out of five in Crook for light bites on TripAdvisor.

Despite online having 3.5 stars, the pub has 68 ratings of excellent or very good, out of a total 108 reviews. 

In recent reviews, one diner seemed to love the venue, saying: "We visited here today and everything was spot on.

"All procedures were carried out by friendly welcoming staff. Our waitress Rachael was very attentive to our needs of food and drinks. We all had the breakfast brunch which was very tasty and hot.

"We also had hot drinks later, again served to us at the table. Rachael said if we requested more just get her attention. The interior of the pub is very attractive and of Wetherspoons standard of history."

However, another dissatisfied customer, said: "had what was named steak and kidney pudding. It was completely inedible. dehydrated and tasteless. meagre filling. never again."

The Wicket Gate, Chester-Le-Street

Tripadvisor rating: 3.5

63 per cent of customers leave excellent or very good reviews for The Wicket Gate on social media.

The pub has been ranked #2 of 10 Quick Bites in Chester-le-Street.

As you would expect from a 3.5 star rated venue, it divided opinion from members of the public.

While one diner seemed to hate the venue, by saying: "Nicely done out but pity about service takes ages to get served loads of people waiting for drinks very bad system plenty staff doing very little," while one who seemed to enjoy their visit added: "I've been here many times over the years and the food and drink has been excellent. The prices are as good as any other spoons and depending on the time you go the food service is decent too."

The Grand Electric Hall, Spennymoor

Tripadvisor rating: 3.5

With more than half of their customers happy, the Grand Electric Hall has excellent or very good reviews 58 per cent of the time.

A recent reviewer didn't seem to enjoy their visit, with them saying: "We are great fans of Wetherspoons pubs. The last twice we have been in here it was absolutely disgustingly filthy. Tables were pilled high with dirty dishes, customers had to move them to get a clear table. All the furniture in here has seen better days as has the carpet. The self-serve drinks machines were a health hazard when they have drinks in them."

However, it's not all bad news for The Grand Electric Hall, with one impressed person saying: "Amazing staff, couldn't be more helpful. Food is very reasonable and good value. Look forward to our next visit."

The Company Row, Consett

Tripadvisor rating: 3.5

Out of all the Tripadvisor reviews, 57 per cent are rated excellent or very good at The Company Row.

However, with 26 terrible reviews, it puts this Wetherspoons venue at 3.5 stars. 

One diner who ranked the place terrible said: "Quite a feat to serve a stone cold full English in mid-summer. Get a plate warmer. On the plus side the food quality was good."

In contrast, though, another that rated The Company Row highly said: "My partner and I had our first visit yesterday morning. What amazing value for what was a very good breakfast and coffee!! Staff were very welcoming and helpful regarding the coffee machines."

The Stanley Jefferson, Bishop Auckland

Tripadvisor rating: 3

While this pub may fall in ninth place, 46 per cent of customers have shared excellent or very good experiences on Tripadvisor.

One customer recently handed out a five star review.

He said: "Popped in for lunch with my mam after work! Sat in the area which was app only as we love the app! Very quick service and lovely food. We got a main meal each with extra sides and drinks!"

It's the quality of food taking the hit on Tripadvisor's review section.

'Thinnest fish ever'

One customer said: "Breakfast looked great but baked beans stone cold, everything else [luke]warm."

Recommended reading:

Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. With our latest deal you can pay £3 for three months, or get 40% off a 12-month subscription. Click here.

Another said: "It's Friday, so of course fish n chips, ok you only get what you pay for, but this was well below par, half the fish was the thinnest fish ever with rock hard batter, so essentially a small fish, chips were undercooked and a tad hard."

There was harsh criticism from another customer who described the pub's offering as "dismal".

He told Tripadvisor: "Cold tasteless food. Hot food on cold plates. Was better here when it was a bank."