Feeling hungry? Sunderland to host its first Restaurant Week

To celebrate the increasingly diverse range of dining options available in the city, restaurants will be showcasing their flavours from Saturday, September 24 until Sunday, October 2 for Eat Drink Sunderland Restaurant Week.

During the nine-day event diners will be able to tuck into a range of deals including two courses for £10 or three for either £10 or £15 at venues including Port of Call in Park Lane; Revolution in Low Row, Karbon Grill at the Hilton Garden Inn, The Glass Yard at the National Glass Centre and Papadoms in Sunniside with more participants due to be announced in the coming weeks.

The week will also see cafes have their chance to shine with a £5 daytime offer, encouraging visitors to explore a number of new eateries and rediscover traditional cake shops that have been part of the fabric of Sunderland for many years.

The initiative is being led by Sunderland Business Improvement District (BID), with support from a number of Sunderland business partners as a spin off from New York Restaurant Week which launched in 2010 and has been adopted by cities across the world.

Ken Dunbar, chief executive of Sunderland BID, said: “Sunderland’s food and drink scene has seen something of a renaissance over the past few years, with a large number of new restaurants opening their doors and offering something different.

“We are lucky enough to have a wide variety of restaurants which cater for every kinds of cuisine, from the authentic flavours of the East at The Funky Indian and Papadoms to the offerings for meat lovers at restaurants such as a Holy Smokes and Port of Call.”

“Eat Drink Sunderland Restaurant Week provides the perfect platform for Sunderland’s cafes and restaurants to raise the profile of their business and attract an increase in customers during the week.”

He added: “Many of the cafés, bars and restaurants in Sunderland are independently owned, making it feel very different from the typical city centre high street.”

Would-be diners will be able to log on to the BID’s website during the week to find out about the offers available, and download a city centre map.

Gary Hutchinson, commercial director at Sunderland AFC and chair of Sunderland Business Partnership, which is backing the week said: “Eat Drink Sunderland Restaurant Week is a fantastic opportunity to show off all that the entire city has to offer when it comes to food and drink – from Washington to Houghton and the seafront to the suburbs.”

Those who eat out during the week are encouraged to share their food pictures and talk about their meal using the hashtag #EatDrinkSunderland in social media posts.