The Aviator Bistro - County Durham

I went for breakfast with my two daughters today as a holiday treat. On arrival we were met with a rather surly welcome and we were shown to our seat. I noticed the bearded chef, who didn 't have his beard covered and wondered if there would be any loose hairs in our food. I ordered a coffee which arrived spilled into my saucer and I had to get up and ask for milk, which was speedily slopped into a container that dripped milk as I returned it to my table. I ordered two breakfasts that were 'ok ' but the outside of the sausage was burned to a crisp and the bacon had clearly been kept warm for a while and wasn 't freshly cooked. The toast didn 't have any butter, but the surly lady who served us soon literally dropped 4 pats of butter from a height onto our table!!! I 'd say this visit was 'ok ' but I certainly won 't be hurrying back for a sour tasting, spilled coffee, surly service, drippy milk and butter pats thrown at us!

Lovely ambience. Service was terrible. Waitress was unpleasant and rude. We were pressurised into ordering. Had pizzas to share and she left us without plates to eat off! Had to ask for plates. We felt rushed. Kept getting asked if we had finished with the glasses before we had. Never once asked if we would like another drink. Never asked if we were enjoying the food. Just really bad.

This restaurant is a hidden gem! My friends and I meet up once a month to try new places and we were very impressed with this one. We will definitely be back. I can't wait to bring my grandson to see the small planes taking off and landing, it's such a unique experience. The food was delicious and there was plenty of it. I would recommend having your meal in the main cafe and then enjoying a drink in the conservatory to fully appreciate the atmosphere. The staff were lovely and very considerate - my friends were late and the server checked on me while I waited. Overall, a fantastic dining experience.

Awful! Not one member of staff here is friendly and approachable. The attitudes on them are disgusting. The service is abysmal. Waited 45 minutes for some toast, to have her drop it say “sh*t” and walk off.

Poor service rude waitress ordered drinks never came asked waitress she was rude said they coming never arrived didn't even bother ordering food. Won't be back