October 3, 2022 5.05 pm This story is over 28 months old

Viral food vlogger says Damon’s ribs in Lincoln are “best I’ve ever had”

Craig also went to watch his team play Lincoln United

Pub owner and popular food vlogger Craig Harker visited Lincoln for the football at the weekend, including a stop at Damon’s Restaurant where he tasted “the best ribs I’ve ever had”.

Craig, 34, has owned The George Pub and Grill in Stockton-on-Tees for around eight years. It became famous in the local and national media for its calorific food and serving the biggest steak of 220 ounces.

The page has over 250,000 followers and his other main Facebook page ‘Dad Loves Food’ which he also does live video food reviews on is also continuing to grow. He likes to go live on video so it is raw and unedited to give a more realistic view of the places he visits.

After his followers, especially in Lincoln, highly recommended Damon’s, he decided to check out “one of the most famous restaurants” in the city for himself for a meal before the football.

He ordered Damon’s locally famous ribs with a pork loin, chips and Boston beans for £15.95 and was very complimentary of the great service he received at the Doddington Road restaurant.

Craig went to Lincoln with his friend Lee Nicholson, whose dad is the captain of Stockton Town FC (and also scored the winning goal). Lee ordered a New York Burger.

Craig said there was “plenty of meat” on the ribs and the “bone just pulls straight off”. | Photo: Craig Harker

Craig told The Lincolnite: “They are the best ribs I’ve ever had and I’ve been all over the UK and to America and other different countries.

“I’d definitely visit Damon’s again just for the ribs.”

His live video at Damon’s was viewed by over 11,000 people and he told them: “The ribs are absolutely beautiful, there is plenty of meat on there, the bone just pulls straight off.”

However, he wasn’t satisfied with every part of the meal as he said they were “a bit stingy” on the fries which he described as being like a “kid’s portion at McDonald’s”, while he thought the pork loin was “overcooked”.

His overall feeling of his visit was positive though due to the ribs being “absolutely exceptional”, which he would have given a higher score, but the pork loin “brings the overall dish down” to a rating of 7.8/10.

The Lincolnite invited Damon’s to comment on Craig’s review, but there was no reply by the time of publication.

The ribs were the “best I’ve ever had,” according to Craig, but some parts of the meal weren’t to his liking. | Photo: Craig Harker

Craig is a sponsor at Stockton Town FC who are top of the Northern Premier League East Division, and on Saturday they travelled to face bottom of the league Lincoln United.

After enjoying most of his meal at Damon’s, Craig went to the match and spent time chatting to Lincoln’s Chairman Chris Hough. He also had a burger inside the ground which he described as “on par with any other football ground burger”.

He said Lincoln “deserved something” and he felt “guilty” when he was stood next to their chairman and Stockton scored a last minute winner in a 2-1 victory.

Craig with Lincoln United Chairman Chris Hough. | Photo: Craig Harker

Craig said: “Lincoln United are bottom of the league, but it wasn’t a game that looked like that, and if they play like that every time they’ll survive.

“It was a quick trip to Lincoln, which is the furthest ground we visit (with Stockton FC). With it being Lincoln, and I love the city, I just couldn’t miss it.”

He added that he enjoyed the clubhouse pints and that the “banter with the Lincoln fans was good”.

Craig met up with Lincoln United fan Robbie McCauley, who is a follower of Dad Loves Food. | Photo: Craig Harker

Craig, who was speaking to The Lincolnite while packing for his trip to Latvia later on Monday, plans to do more live videos to showcase local cuisine during his family holiday, and is likely to be back in Lincolnshire later this year.

He is looking forward to a relaxing trip after what has been an emotional few weeks after both of his parents ended up in hospital.

His father Graham, who often joins him for his live videos and is starting to build up his own fanbase on social media, has been having issues with his diabetes. The hospital then found a blood clot in his lungs, but Craig said he is doing okay and is in good spirits “because of the good Feedback and well wishes on Facebook.”

While taking Graham into hospital, Craig’s mum Christine fell over the hospital ramp and the wheelchair her husband was in rolled over her, causing bad back and neck injuries. She’s also been grateful for all the lovely messages of support.

Craig added: “It’s been emotional over the last few weeks, but the support on Facebook has been absolutely incredible.

“I get opinions on both sides of the argument when go to places to eat, but everyone has pulled together to support me. It filled my inboxes and helped me through it, and it helped my dad who still went live on video from his hospital bed.

“Everything I do is very family orientated so I understand why people ask after me and my family.”

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