The Tapas Bar in Darlington

A vegan pre-show delight.Heading to the Hippodrome I looked for somewhere we could have a pre-show vegan dinner but not too heavy.The Old Yard Tapas Bar was sporting a tempting Spanish Tapas and Greek Meze Vegan Dinner Menu so gave it a bash.In the evening each table is candlelit, intimate but can be open for good chat for groups. Bar is well stocked, music was pleasant and staff attentive with a nice ambience.There is a different vegan lunch and vegan dinner menu which are extracts from the main menu with some dishes changed to suit vegans. The vegan dinner menu sported 9 Spanish Tapas and 8 Greek Meze choices, with 11 sides (see picture). Unlike many places which brag about a good a menu but in reality they don’t have half of the ingredients, only 2 were not available due to being let down by suppliers.We choose carefully to ensure the tastebuds had a different sensation or texture and we were not disappointed.The ‘Breadbasket’ to start with had soft olive bread with vegan butter, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A lovely appetiser while the food was being cooked and very cheap too.Spanish ‘Patatas Ali Oli’ was warming comfort food consisting of tapas fried potatoes topped with a vegan ali oli (see picture)Spanish ‘Morcilla Y Chorizo’ tasted just like real black pudding, but was a vegan black pudding with soy chorizo, topped with red onion. Amazing.Spanish ‘Chorizo Con Pimentos Asados’ delighted our tastebuds. Rich with no obvious indication it was vegan at all. It’s a soy chorizo with roasted red peppers and pan fried in brandy and garlic. Delicious.Greek ‘Boorekakia’ was really tasty and while the texture may put some off (very soft and slippery) it tasted really nice. It’s sliced aubergine, rolled and stuffed with vegan feta cheese and topped with tomato and vegan parmesan.We also ordered the Greek ‘Halloumi’ but it was off the menu so they served at feta version instead (and never charged us for it - it was on the house). It’s is pan fried vegan halloumi (feta for us) served with oregano & lemon on top. Refreshing and real palate cleanser.Washed down with a jug sangria, it felt like we were on holiday. 😊Without doubt we’ll be back next time we’re in Darlo - try the vegan lunch menu next 😉

It's a very long time since I've been here so we called in on the off chance that we could get a table it was lunch time and yes we were lucky , we had a mixture of tapas and really enjoyed it plus the service was very good

Great food! Really good atmosphere! Service a little slow but it was packed out! Definitely recommend

Excellent 6 tapas dishes plus two sides to share for about £52 tonight (Monday). Not overly busy but still a good few in. Will return.

Really nice food. Two of my fave cuisines. Freshly cooked and served by pleasant staff. We didn't drink any alcohol, and the bill was £75 for three with coffee and dessert. We didn't like the 'eggy bread' so much but that's just our taste. Everything else was devoured with relish.

Great atmosphere, amazing food and attentive staff. Highly recommended.

have been coming for years, never disappointed, and the friendliest staff ever, definitely recommend

Been here once before and visited again at the start of December for someones birthday. Food was amazing and the staff were great, even brought out Churros with a candle and a shot for the birthday boy. Definitely recommend.

Another gorgeous meal in the sunshine today for lunch! Staff are brilliant, service is excellent and the food is... Delicious! Thoroughly recommend a visit!

Very good food, friendly staff and nice atmosphere. If you need nice place where to go for evening with friends or date or something else, definitely recommend.