Best Restaurants in Sunderland

Sunderland's restaurants are concentrated in a compact area: the Georgian streets of Sunniside, the theatre end of High Street West, and the few blocks around Park Lane and Holmeside. Almost everything in this guide is within a fifteen-minute walk of Sunderland station, which makes it easy to combine dinner with a show at the Empire, a gig at The Fire Station or an evening around Keel Square. Every restaurant below was trading in 2026, and all of them took part in Sunderland BID's Restaurant Week in September or are part of the city's main culture venue. Opening days vary, and several places close early in the week, so check before you go.

Angelo's Ristorante, West Sunniside

Angelo's Ristorante & Cocktail Bar is a family-run Italian restaurant on West Sunniside, led by Federico and Cristina with other members of the family running the bar and the dining room. The menu covers antipasti, fresh pasta, stone-baked pizza and Italian mains, with dishes to share and a lunch and early bird menu for earlier sittings. The cocktail bar is a reason to arrive a little before your table.

Angelo's opens for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Friday and all day on Saturday, and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Tables can be booked through the restaurant's reservations page.

Best for: Suits a celebration meal or a relaxed dinner in the middle of Sunniside.

Asiana Fusion, West Wear Street

Asiana Fusion is on the ground floor of the Echo 24 building, between Sunniside and the River Wear, and its dining room looks out across the river. The menu draws on pan-Asian cooking, bringing together Thai, Malaysian, Chinese, Indonesian and Vietnamese dishes, so a table can share a wide spread.

It is open for dinner from Tuesday to Sunday, with lunch service on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and is closed on Mondays. Bookings go through the Asiana reservation page.

Best for: Suits groups who like to share plates, and anyone who wants a river view with dinner.

Mexico 70, High Street West

Mexico 70 is an independent Mexican restaurant at 312 High Street West, a few doors from the Sunderland Empire. It is known locally for its tacos and for the red glow of its frontage, and its position makes it one of the most convenient places for a meal before curtain-up at the Empire or a show at The Fire Station.

Theatre nights get busy, so book ahead if you are eating before a performance. Current opening times are posted on the restaurant's social media channels.

Best for: Suits a quick, lively meal before the theatre.

The Engine Room at The Fire Station

The Engine Room is the restaurant inside The Fire Station, the Edwardian fire station on High Street West that has been restored as one of the city's main arts venues. The building keeps much of its original character, and the kitchen works with fresh and locally sourced produce. The Foyer Bar next door serves drinks before and after shows and during intervals.

The Engine Room is set up for pre-show dining, and bookings and menus are handled through The Fire Station's eat and drink page. The historic Dun Cow pub stands alongside on the corner if you want a drink first.

Best for: Suits anyone with tickets for The Fire Station or the Empire who wants to eat a few steps from their seat.

Spent Grain, John Street

Spent Grain is an independent restaurant on John Street, one of the Georgian terraces of Sunniside. It describes itself simply as a place to eat, drink and relax, and its menus run from brunch through lunch to evening meals.

Opening is from Wednesday to Sunday. Daytime service runs from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, with dinner added on Friday and Saturday evenings and a shorter Sunday session. That makes it a good fit for a weekend brunch on a city-centre visit.

Best for: Suits brunch and weekend lunches, and a quieter dinner on Friday or Saturday.

Pho 179, Waterloo Place

Pho 179 is a Vietnamese restaurant on Waterloo Place, in the middle of the city centre between Holmeside and High Street West. The menu is built around pho, the noodle soup it takes its name from, alongside rice dishes and Vietnamese street-food favourites made with fresh ingredients and traditional recipes.

It describes itself as suited to anything from a quick bite to a family meal. There is no separate website, so the restaurant's Facebook page is the place to check menus and opening times.

Best for: Suits a warming bowl of noodles on a weekday, or an informal family meal.

Port of Call, Park Lane

Port of Call is a bar and grill over two floors beside the Park Lane Interchange. The food comes from a rotating chef's specials board, with burgers, loaded fries, wings, tacos, kebabs and flatbreads, and Sunday dinners are served until they sell out. The venue also shows live sport, and its top floor and tipi space can be booked for parties.

Being next to the bus and Metro interchange makes it an easy meeting point, and it serves drinks until late after the kitchen closes.

Best for: Suits casual groups, match-day food and anyone arriving by bus or Metro.

Planning your evening

Most of these restaurants are a short walk from each other, so it is easy to eat in Sunniside and move on to a pub on High Street West or Green Terrace afterwards; our guide to Sunderland's pubs covers the best of them. Sunderland station and the Park Lane Interchange are the main arrival points for the city centre. Keep an eye out for Sunderland BID's Restaurant Week, when many of these venues offer set menus, as it is a good time to try somewhere new.

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