Vesta Tilley's

You'll find this place right in the thick of things on High Street West, and it's exactly what you want from a Sunderland pub - unpretentious, welcoming, and serving food that actually fills you up without breaking the bank. The weekend crowd gets properly lively, especially when they're open until 2am and everyone's settling in for the long haul. The menu does all the classics you'd expect, but they do them well - no fancy nonsense, just solid pub grub that soaks up the beer nicely. It's the sort of place where you pop in for a quick pint after work and somehow end up closing the place down, chatting to regulars who've been coming here for years. The atmosphere shifts throughout the day from quiet weekday lunches to proper weekend sessions.