Sneak peek inside the new 1842 cafe and bistro at Sunderland seafront's Roker Hotel

Cafe and bistro 1842 is named after the year the hotel, then known as The Roker Baths Hotel, was built, so named because the owner pumped sea water into the the building to provide hot and cold showers and steam vapour baths for guests.

The longest-running purpose-built hotel in the city, it’s had a long history welcoming countless guests, wedding parties and more over the years.

It was taken over by businessman Raman Sanghera, through his Seaton Hospitality firm, in late 2023 and he’s since made a substantial investment in the site with the aiming of putting the hotel back on the map.

Phase one saw the opening of a new £500,000 grand ballroom as well as a new look on the exterior of the 43-bed hotel.

Now, attention has turned to the former Let There Be Crumbs cafe space. It’s been given a full refurb as 1842, which has seen the creation of a dedicated breakfast bar for hotel guests as well as a new pink and green colour scheme to lighten the area.

This year is expected to see the opening of conferencing and events space in the basement of the hotel, which was previously occupied by the Poetic License distillery.

As finishing touches are made, 1842 will host a soft launch on January 31, with a full relaunch from mid-February which will see the introduction of a new menu.

The cafe will be open for breakfasts through to lunches, and will also introduce an evening bistro menu, which is a new venture for the site.

Danny Allison, director of sales at Roker Hotel, said it marked an exciting new chapter for the Sunderland institution.

Guests and diners have already had a chance to check out the new look 1842 and he says the changes have been welcomed.

“We kept what we were doing quite quiet, so the new look has taken people by surprise,” he said. “The refurb has gone down a treat though, the feedback has been really positive.

“It’s been really exciting working on Raman’s plan and vision for the hotel. We all really want to bring the hotel forward, whilst also being part of the future of Sunderland. It’s about making the hotel what it should be, in line with all the exciting developments in the city.”

He added: “There’s also a historical nod in the new look at 1842, with the panelling and stripping back the walls to make it lighter and brighter.

“We’ve also installed new benching, a new lighting system and opened up the area at the back as a dedicated breakfast buffet area for hotel guests.

“We’ve really invested in the training of the kitchen staff and have a new pastry chef who will be working heavily on the afternoon tea offering, as well as the cakes.”

Danny added: “The evening bistro offering is something completely different for us. We’ve been working on the menu and it looks and tastes amazing so far.”

As well as the evening bistro offering, 1842 has launched a Sunday carvery.

Part of this phase of refurbing the site includes the new conferencing and events area, with plans already submitted to Sunderland City Council.

It reflects an increase in the demand for such space in the city.

“Demand for meeting and conference space is definitely on the rise. So much so, we actually have to turn away conferences and events when we’re already booked,” explained Danny.

The new basement conference area, which will have its own entrance, will comprise one large room which can accommodate up to 160 people and can be split into two, as well as syndicated rooms and a purpose-built board room.

Moving forward, the next phase will see refurbishment of the rooms at the hotel as well as changes in the Poetic License bar.