Old Orleans

Advantages: Friendly Staff, Relaxing Atmosphere, Nice Cocktails
Disadvantages: Overpriced, Slow Service

...we opted to go to Old Orleans in Sunderland. We had never been here before so it was a bit exciting to go somewhere new for a change. The restaurant itself is nice and easy to find - no driving around in circles for hours sniping at each other, which obviously means that you can arrive still in good spirits and ready to enjoy your evening rather than sitting glaring at each other over the table adamant that the wrong turn was sooo not your fault! ...
...and it is situated right next door to a Premier Travel Inn which means that you could potentially make an evening of it and book a room next door - much better than one of you sitting supping coke all night in order to get you home safely! We arrived at 8pm, tummys rumbling and eagerly awaiting a peek at the menu. A sign at the door advised us to stand and await a table, however we had only been there for a couple of moments when a gentleman advised ... Read review

Advantages: Great food, fab cocktails, good service, reasonable prices
Disadvantages: Slightly limited menu

Old Orleans has become one of my favourite restaurants. The Native Indian artwork and artefacts give the place a real character, while the general layout and décor generally are simple but stylish. (The description doesn't actually say whether this is the Old Orleans in Broad Street or Star City - both in Birmingham - but the one I've been to - many times - is the Star City branch.) Food ******** The food available is a mix of Mexican food such ...
.../ wine etc you'd expect, Old Orleans has a great range of cocktails. These range from the extremely fearsome (but oh-so-nice) Adios Amigos to a range of non-alcoholic cocktails for the kids or tee-totallers. The ability to order cocktails if you're in the mood is a nice touch, and the servings of Coke etc are a bit more generous than in many restaurants. Service ********** I can't fault the service at Old Orleans. Each time we've been, we've been ... Read review

Advantages: Serves alligator
Disadvantages: The christmas set meals aren't very good.

Old Orleans was recommended to me for good mexican food and the fact that it serves alligator which I had never tried so I thought I'd go along and try it out. I had what is called a Surf and Turf which is a 4oz beef steak and a smaller piece of alligator. The alligator was very tasty due to the marinade and tasted like a cross between chicken and fish. The portions were quite large so there was no room left for dessert. The cocktails there are excellent ... Read review

Advantages: decent food, not too expensive
Disadvantages: you're in a chain restaurant!

...Old Orleans is a chain restaurant, with it’s menu content being loosely based on Cajun/ Tex-Mex food. The Newcastle branch is very well located for the city centre, and close to the Haymarket bus station. We arrived about 12.30 on Saturday lunchtime and were seated straight away, although I noticed that there was a wait for tables later on. The entrance is straight into the pub area, and the restaurant is upstairs, although set around the large staircase, making the place seems very bright and welcoming. The restaurant walls are decorated in posters, banjos and other artefacts from the ‘deep south’. This seemed a little ‘twee’ but not too over the top (other than the large alligator statue on entering the restaurant). Anyway, on to the food. The menu is huge – both in actual size and the amount of items available! Basically it was your... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...Fontana di trevi is a fantastic italian restaurant situated next to old Orleans just off St. Marys street. The atmosphere is really good and the staff very friendly and accommodating. The food is excellent and very resonable, although it's not somewhere to go if you're in a hurry - best to make it when you have a lot of time on your hands. They have a good range of wines which you can have in litre carafes (yippee!), can't advise you on the desserts i'm afraid as I don't eat them but the rest of the menu is yummy, with lots of good really garlicky options! Definitely one to try if you happen to be passing through... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Easy to get to
Disadvantages: Busy at christmas

...Even with the recent opening of Bluewater, Lakeside is my favourite shopping centre. The range of shops is huge, whether looking for gifts, shoes or clothes, and it also has a section known as "The Pavilion" which has individual stalls selling items from wigs to bonsai trees to paintings. Being undercover makes the whole shopping experience more enjoyable and allows regular trips back to the car to dump off some of your purchases. Plenty of places to eat are available, my favourite being "Old Orleans" which is actually a floating restaurant on the lake. In addition to the many stores there is also a cinema in the same complex, so you can finish your day by catching a good flick. It is easy to get to and there is ample parking and it is open 7 days a week.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful