The NYC Bar and Grill is a new chain that opened firstly in Yorkshire in Bawtry in 2013 with further openings following in Hull, Stockbridge and now Darlington. New openings are due in 2018 in York and Castleford.

The idea behind the brand is to serve the freshest American food the New York way with attentive friendly service.

The Darlington restaurant opened in September in the new Feethams Leisure complex which also houses a new cinema. The burger and grill restaurant market is starting to get busy. Looking at the locations where NYC Bar and Grill restaurants have opened it appears that the chain have opened where there is no competition.

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With this in mind you would think that the restaurant would be busy - we visited on an early Sunday evening and the restaurant was very busy.

The style of the restaurant is that of an urban New York restaurant. Because of the size of the restaurant and the concrete floor and steel roof the restaurant was very cool. However free hot drinks were being offered to customers and electric heaters were placed alongside tables to keep people warm. Perhaps if they installed a lower false ceiling it might make the restaurant warmer.

My partner kept her coat on throughout the meal and other customers were sat with their coats on too. If they can get this issue sorted out for the winter months they would get more repeat business. Admittedly it was a cold day outside but it did not feel much warmer inside the restaurant.

The staff were very friendly, the service excellent and so was the food.

A Breakfast menu is offered as well as an Express Lunch where a main and dessert is offered for £9.95. The main menu is a mix of burgers, hot dogs and main plates such as Back Baby Ribs and Wings, NYC Pulled Pork and Slaw, Pig Plate and a Bird Plate.

I chose a starter of Mozzarella Fries which is basically deep fried Mozzarella served with what they call dirty sauce. I found the cheese to be very stringy with a bland taste, however my partner's House Salad was fresh, plentiful and tasty.

With 15 different types of burgers to choose from I went for the most popular one - the 5th Avenue, a huge 5 beef Pattie stack, American cheese, sweet cured bacon topped, JD sauce topped with a low 'n' slow pulled pork slider.

Succulent, tasty and very filling the burger had just the right amount of cheese so as not to diminish the taste of the burgers. Served with freshly chipped Maris Piper skin on Fries it was superb. Priced at £16.95 it was competitively priced.

My partner went for the Festive Plate which includes turkey, beef brisket, rib bits and frankfurter sausage with Pit gravy and stuffing balls.

Unfortunately when the Plate arrived the food was only aired. After a quick word with the waiter he offered to serve the plate again but as we had another appointment to go to my partner ate what she could. Some hotter turkey did arrive and like the rest of the Plate it tasted excellent, it was just a shame it was not served hot in the first place.

Desserts of NYC'S Famous Gooey Chocolate Brownie (hot, moist and moreish) and New York Baked Cheesecake (tasty and a quality cheesecake) helped make up for my partner's cold main plate. Both desserts were worth going to the restaurant for these alone.

If they can get the issue of the heating solved for winter (this is their first winter since they opened) and get the chef to make sure what he serves up is piping hot, they will have a winning formula, as the food itself is tasty and plentiful, the staff attentive and friendly, other than that perhaps visit when we are having a heatwave!

NYC Bar and Grill, Unit 10, Feethams Leisure, Darlington DL1 5RD
Telephone 01325. 481524
www.nycbarandgrill.co.uk