The foodie’s scene in Sunderland is ever-changing with new restaurants cropping up regularly. The latest one to open up in the city is Prego Bar and Eatery. I was lucky enough to be invited to their opening night to sample the menu. So here is what to expect!

Before I get into it I do need to specify that while this was a PR/Invited occasion, and the restaurant was kind enough to cover the bill, I have not received payment for this blog post or any of my Instagram content. This means that all opinions are my own and I haven’t been ‘bought’ to sell a particular story or anything.

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Let’s get on with the review!

Where is Prego, Sunderland?

Many will recognise the site as the former Martinos Seaburn which closed down last year due to the pandemic. It hasn’t been empty for very long which is a great sign for the seafront and shows the business is booming!

Postcode: SR6 8AA

From Martinos to Prego

When Martinos closed I have to say I was very disappointed. Me and Shaun used to have a lot of date there when we were younger and it was really upsetting to see a piece of our history come to an end. However, Prego could very well become a solid part of our future.

The layout is the same as it was when it was Martinos. Yet in terms of looks it has just about been completely transformed. The area in which we dined last night is going to be the bar area, with the restaurant area being in the back being dedicated to the food. The restaurant area looks amazing and I cannot wait to go back and see thatside of the place when it does open.

They also have the games area on the other side which they describe as ‘the games lounge’. There will be virtual darts and shuffle board in here which will be great fun after a few drinks! Prego have also bought the arcades on the seafront. This is not yet complete so I cannot tell you much about it, only that the staff were very excited about it!

Prego has not only filled the gap left by Martinos Restaurant, but they will also fill a gap in entertainment here in Seaburn.

Open Hours and Parking at Prego, Sunderland

Prego is open from 11am 7 days a week. It closes at 11pm Sunday to Thursday and closes at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Food is served between 12pm-9pm every day.

Prego has its own on-site car park which is free for customers to use. However, it isn’t very big and it is a little awkward in shape so parking can be a little difficult to manoeuvre.

If this one is full, you could park at the pay and display car park which is located next door to the restaurant. Dykelands Road car park has 92 spaces and costs 70p per hour, or £4 all day. It’s also open 8am-10pm.

Prego Sunderland Menu

The first thing that has to be said about the menu at Prego, is that it is huge! They have so many options that I do feel no matter what you’re hungry for, you will be able to find something on this menu.

They describe themselves as ‘Italian with a twist’ and I think they’ve got that spot on. Their core menu is made up of traditional Italian dishes. They’ve got classic pizza and pasta dishes that you will have seen before. But they also have some less traditional contributions. They boast their hoisin duck pizza and have a great variety of mac and cheese dishes too.

On top of these Italian dishes, they also serve burgers and fajitas as well as steaks and chicken dishes. We didn’t try any of these however, there were a few fajitas coming out of the kitchen which all looked amazing! They were served on a sizzling plate and crackled as they went past. Next time we visit I really want to try those!

Other menus they have include a really good looking Sunday Lunch menu which has a load of options for people who don’t like a traditional roast too! Thier kids menu looks pretty good too. But the other menu I am very excited about is their cocktail menu. I’m already planning a trip back to give their happy hour a whirl!

I do also want to mention the prices before I move on. For the quantities that we got and the prices they cost, there is great value for money here. Although we didn’t pay for our meal, we would have been very happy to have paid for what we did have.

Moving on to the menu items we did try.

For starters, I went for their Fungi Triolate. This dish was made up of button mushrooms cooked in a creamy garlic sauce and served on warm focaccia. There were two pieces of bread covered in the mushrooms which I thought was very generous. One would have been more than enough. But this dish really was delicious!

Shaun went for their crispy garlic chicken which is served with Amarillo aioli. It looks amazing on the plate. With this you got a full chicken breast which has been sliced and breaded in a homemade crumb. This is one of the more expensive starters but you got a decent sized portion. And he ate the bloody lot so it must have been good!

For mains I wanted to try their mac and cheese which they are raving about on their website. Only one of the five was vegetarian, and was also vegan so it is made with cashew nut cream instead of traditional cheese sauce. This broccoli and cashew mac and cheese really surprised me actually. Often times with vegan food, the taste is massively compromised however this wasn’t the case. The portion size was just enough and if I hadn’t absolutely demolished my garlic mushroom starter I would have been able to finish it.

Shaun wanted to try their pizza with his logic being a classic pepperoni pizza will prove the quality of the pizzas. I like his thinking! It looked incredible and again he polished it off. Their pizzas are another menu item I would really like to try next time!

Final Thoughts

I think this restaurant is really going to take off. Especially when the finishing touches come together. Its menu has something for everyone. From meat eaters to vegans, to fussy eaters and the indecisive people in our family!

Every single part of our night went off without a hitch. You really wouldn’t think that those staff had only just opened on the day. Our service was great, they seemed to know a decent amount about the menu and were enthusiastic to work there too.

If you are wanting to visit I would get in and get booked ASAP because it really is going to go mad!! You can do so on their website here.

I am already planning on going back to try a few cocktails and more of that menu. I’d like to give one more huge thank you to Prego for inviting us down, we had a great time. And I’d like to wish you all the luck for the coming weeks and months. I cannot wait to see how you get on!

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Stay Safe and Happy Adventuring!

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