Latest reviews from Durham
| 80 /100 Market Hall Wines (Beer Store) UNIT 4/5, INDOOR MARKET “Visited on 12th April 2023. Great selection of local beers and German bottles with plenty of wine and spirits too. Friendly guy fronting it, I came away with five new beers and a local Gin.“ |
| 66 /100 Market Tavern (Bar) 27 MARKET PLACE “Visited with Margie and friends on 12th April 2023, lunchtime. It's a Greene King house, but not having been in one for a few years I was pleased to find four new rates in here, three Greene King and a local cask ale as well. It's a clean and tidy little place, L shaped with a raised section to the rear, past the actual bar. TV screen with Sky Sports kind of ruined it a bit but overall it's OK and very easy to find being right at the entrance of the covered market.“ |
| 78 /100 Head of Steam Durham (Bar) 3 REFORM PLACE, NORTH ROAD “Visited with Margie and friends on 12th April 2023, mid afternoon. Durham Brewery featured heavily with three cask options from them on offer. Plenty Of other stuff available too. Liked the vibe of the place but could have done without having to walk past loads of skips and bins to get there from North Road. Belgian bottle selection is impressive and the TV screen displaying what is available helps to showcase what they have. Beery posters and memorabilia on the walls, good feel all round.“ |
| 58 /100 Waiting Room (Bar) NORTHBOUND PLATFORM, DURHAM RAILWAY STATION “A rather small four-sided room at the North-bound platform, modern-traditional layout. Three cask ales on display. Coldplay in the back. Smiling barmaid. (Visited with Finn, 29.01.2020).“ |
| 66 /100 Head of Steam Durham (Bar) 3 REFORM PLACE, NORTH ROAD “Five cask ales, rather extensive range of kegs and bottles, especially Belgian ones. Medium sized place in brick, wood, and dark carpeted floors. A terrace upstairs overlooking the North Street yard. Brit-pop in the back. Smiling barmaid. Decent place wit a central location. (Visited with Finn 29.01.2020)“ |
| 62 /100 Dun Cow (Bar) 37 OLD ELVET “A rather small pub, not that easy to spot from the outside. A sliding door to the right side of the entrance leads into a snug, being the main room with a tiny bar and an open fireplace. The pub opens up behind the snug. A typical local place with a friendly and cozy ambience. Three hand-pumps. (Visited with Finn 29.01.2020).“ |
| 60 /100 Court Inn (Bar) COURT LANE, “A well-kept, traditional-modern gourmet pub located on a corner, not far from the footbridge over River Wear. Nice floral decoration outside, even in late January. Enthusiastic service. Popular for lunchtime break. Six hand-pumps supported by the usual fizzy stuff and some bottles. Screensport TVs. (Visited with Finn 29.01.2020).“ |
| 74 /100 Victoria Inn (Bar) 86 HALLGARTH STREET “A warm welcome when we arrived here when they opened at 11:45. The landlady had just lit the open fireplace, and we had a really good time here drinking well-kept cask ales. The pub has been run by the same family for 44 years, the landlord told us. A cozy, rather small pub room with a half-moon bar, decorated with old photos on the walls. Two adjoining rooms. Bed and Breakfast options. Local feel and friendly service offering tasters of their beers. (Visited with Finn 29.01.2020).“ |
| 58 /100 Bishop’s Mill (JDW) (Bar) WALKERGATE LEISURE “It's located close to the river Wear and in the outskirts of the old town. Quite cozy with an open fire place in one of the rooms. We found a couple of beers that were new to us among the 10HPs. Okay service, and popular early on a Wednesday. (Visited with Finn 29.01.2020).“ |
| 60 /100 Water House (JDW) (Bar) 65 NORTH ROAD “Central location on the road leading down to the bridge over the Wear river. Ten cask ales, a few from Maxim among the rotating ales. Seems to take a special care for ales with regular tap take over sessions. A decent spoons with comfortable seating, also upstairs. And of course, a full traditional English Breakfast for under four quids. Polite service. (Visited with Finn 29.01.2020).“ |
| 62 /100 Bishop’s Mill (JDW) (Bar) WALKERGATE LEISURE “Standard JDW - maybe a bit above average. They had five rotating casks and we managed to pick up a couple of ratings for our breakfast.“ |
| 60 /100 Bishop’s Mill (JDW) (Bar) WALKERGATE LEISURE “Regular JDW in the centre of Durham City. 10 caskes with five of them being regulars and the other five were from all over England.“ |
| 56 /100 Waiting Room (Bar) NORTHBOUND PLATFORM, DURHAM RAILWAY STATION “Handy for a few beers on the platform.“ |
| 68 /100 Head of Steam Durham (Bar) 3 REFORM PLACE, NORTH ROAD “Multi roomed and multi floored backyard pub. Cozy. Ok selection. Lots of bottles & cans.“ |
| 64 /100 Dun Cow (Bar) 37 OLD ELVET “Tiny cozy front bar. Larger bar in the back. Limited selection. Friendly service.“ |
| 68 /100 Court Inn (Bar) COURT LANE, “Semi modern pub. 6HPs. Friendly service.“ |
| 70 /100 Victoria Inn (Bar) 86 HALLGARTH STREET “Old fashioned pub with a handful of well treated cask ales. Cozy! Friendly service“ |
| 56 /100 Bishop’s Mill (JDW) (Bar) WALKERGATE LEISURE “Modern pub near the river. Limited selection of beers.“ |
| 54 /100 Water House (JDW) (Bar) 65 NORTH ROAD “Standard ´spoons. 10 HPs. 10 keg. No surprises.“ |
| 72 /100 Waiting Room (Bar) NORTHBOUND PLATFORM, DURHAM RAILWAY STATION “Visited on 18th August 2018. Single roomed venue with seating outside under the station canopy on the Northbound platform at Durham station. The feel and decor of the place is excellent with a really smart finish inkeeping with the history of the venue. 3 cask ales, 2 keg beers and a cider on plus a few bottles and cans. Beer quality was good, selection from local brewers. Prices decent and staff friendly. Really nice spot to stop for a beer and watch the world go by.“ |
| 70 /100 Waiting Room (Bar) NORTHBOUND PLATFORM, DURHAM RAILWAY STATION “Visited 21 June 2018. Neat and tidy station bar, which offered three beers on hand pull. I tried the ones from Wylam and Hadrian & Borders and enjoyed both. Barman knew his products and prices were fine. Well worth visiting ahead of (or after) catching train.“ |
| 70 /100 Hop Knocker (Beer Store) 32 MARSHALL TERRACE “New beer shop located out from the centre of Durham in among local shops along a suburban road, with quite afew shelves of craft beer bottles & cans including local breweries plus 4 taps to either take away as growler fills or drink in at tables situated at front of the shop. Was good to see a selection of gluten free craft beers as well. Worth a look in.“ |
| 66 /100 Waiting Room (Bar) NORTHBOUND PLATFORM, DURHAM RAILWAY STATION “Visited 11/5/2018. They've done a great job turning this into a pub keeping the original old features in the process. Beer range was ok, some bottles available. Bit pricy. Service ok. For me, hasn't got the appeal of the Station House but worth a visit as a 'combo'.“ |
| 78 /100 Station House (Bar) NORTH ROAD, “Visited 11/5/2018, a Friday lunctime and first one in. Lovely little micropub. Beers and ciders straight from cask/box in cool room. Small selection, 4 of each, but interesting and well kept. Small range of bottles and cans which wasn't very interesting though should be expanding. The owner was very friendly and chatty, as were the few locals who also arrived. A must visit if in Durham.“ |
| 70 /100 Waiting Room (Bar) NORTHBOUND PLATFORM, DURHAM RAILWAY STATION “Micropub in Durham Station, on the north bound platform, with a nicely refurbished traditional interior. Afew handpulls and taps including local breweries, cider was limited to Thistly Cross bottles. Handy pleasant place to have a beer when travelling to/from Durham on the train.“ |
| 72 /100 Waiting Room (Bar) NORTHBOUND PLATFORM, DURHAM RAILWAY STATION “Old waiting room, refurbished is a traditional style on Durham Station Visited on a Saturday evening. steady footfall as trains arrived and departed. Selection not hugely adventurous, but well kept. Friendly and efficient service. We went on the way back from Darlington, and it was worth breaking the journey for.“ |
| 64 /100 Head of Steam Durham (Bar) 3 REFORM PLACE, NORTH ROAD “Visiting on a Monday evening when some other local options are not available. Place was pretty busy at 5pm with mainly a young uni crowd giving it a decent but noisy vibe. Cask beer selection a little limited with 3 from Cameron's and a couple of other quite common local area brewers. Taps looked ok though and bottle selection quite eclectic. Surprisingly expensive.“ |
| 80 /100 Head of Steam Durham (Bar) 3 REFORM PLACE, NORTH ROAD “The only real place currently in Durham where you can find a selection of craft and Belgian beers.
Atmosphere is relaxed and the service is always friendly.
Keg and cask selection regularly updated.
A must if out in Durham and need a pint that tastes of something.“ |
| 86 /100 Head of Steam Durham (Bar) 3 REFORM PLACE, NORTH ROAD “Incredible range of Belgian beers that includes interesting offerings and which is supplemented with UK and US. Staff very friendly and helpful. Relaxed atmosphere. Walls decorated with mostly Belgian memorabilia. It has a beer garden. We had the burger which was a bit too intense; the black pepper, union, salt and mustard seeds inside was overwhelming. We saw quite a few nice pizzas passing by with fresh leaves on top. Bottles a tad pricey and food priced ok.“ |
| 76 /100 Station House (Bar) NORTH ROAD, “Visited in February 2016 on our day trip from Newcastle. A cracking micropub just down the hill from the station. Hadn’t been open long when we visited. Four beers and four ciders stored in a separate stillage rroom are served through a hatch. Chatty and friendly ownership, as you expecy in a micropub. The Durham beer scene needs a bit of the boost and places like this are pushing it in the right direction.“ |
| 72 /100 Head of Steam Durham (Bar) 3 REFORM PLACE, NORTH ROAD “Visited in February 2016 on our day trip from Newcastle. A modern bar with a buzzing atmosphere nestled in a courtyard just out of the city centre. Doing a good trade with a youngish crowd early on a midweek evening. Clearly the place to be for the beer-focussed cognoscenti of Durham. There are three of four cask beers, a number of kegs and a quite extensive bottle lists of mainly Belgian and American beers, although there won’t be anything too exotic or unfamiliar for hard core RBers. The range wouldn’t be especially exciting in any of the big cities with a strong beer scene but, in Durham, it’s one of ther few games in town.“ |
| 74 /100 Old Elm Tree (Bar) 12 CROSSGATE “Visited in February 2016 on our day trip from Newcastle. An excellent pub with a warm & inviting atmosphere and a cosy ambience. Seemed very much a locals spot, being a little way from the city centre, but in a good way. Six constantly changing casks with a good chance of something interesting is about as good as it gets in Durham. Highly recommended.“ |
| 68 /100 Market Tavern (Bar) 27 MARKET PLACE “Visited in February 2016 on our day trip from Newcastle. A comfortable and lively traditional pub (not surprisingly) on the market square. The five cask beers all change regularly with no permanent fixtures so there’s a decent chance of something worthwhile.“ |
| 58 /100 City Hotel (Bar) 84 NEW ELVET “Visited in February 2016 on our day trip from Newcastle. A pleasant enough pub although not much of a beer destination. There were four handpumps but only two in use - Wychwood Arrowaine and Thwaites Spring’s Sprung. Theakstons Best is usually a regular apparently but obviously they were out on this occasion. On the plus side, they were both new for me. Doubt I’d revisit but, if I just wanted to grab a pint in pleasant surroundings I’d be happy enough to do that here.“ |
| 48 /100 Court Inn (Bar) COURT LANE, “Visited in February 2016 on our day trip from Newcastle. A back street pub with a quite homely feel. Was surprised to find the place filled with people dining, very early on a midweek evening. So much so that we struggled to find a place to sit. They have six handpumps with some local offerings. The only regular beer is Timothy Taylor Landlord so you may find something interesting. However, the service was so bad I’d hestitate to go back. Maybe we caught them on an off day so I might give it one more chance if I’m ever in the area again. We had to wait an age to get served by the one person behind the bar. The owner "Lord Trevor" - who is apparently a bit of a rum cove - was swanning about on the pub side of the beer and didn’t help out. One of our beers was served half froth. On asking for a top up that was done from the wrong tap. On pointing this out to the barmaid she poured another glass of froth from the correct pump, plonked it on the bar and wandered off without a word of apology. I’ve no idea whether she had any intention of returning to top up again but after she had failed to do so for a fair while we just gave up. All in all, not a very enjoyable experience.“ |
| 64 /100 Library (Bar) 46 SADDLER ST., “Visited in February 2016 on our day trip from Newcastle. Bears a passing resemblance to a craft beer bar with three casks and five kegs - the closest to anything like that we found in Durham - but it seemed rather more focused a on being a cafe and burger-y bar for students. Doesn’t look like they have any permanent beers so you might be lucky in finding something unusual (or you might not). Here’s a tip - if you have designs on being a craft beer bar identify the brewery on your list and employ staff who actually know if asked. Has potential but needs more work, and beery commitment.“ |
| 54 /100 Shakespeare Tavern (Bar) 63 SADDLER STREET “Visited in February 2016 on our day trip from Newcastle. A small straightforward pubnear the cathedral in the centre of Durham. Four handpumps comprising Deuchars, London Pride, Jennings Cumberland and Brains The Rev James. The first two seem to be regulars. OK for a quick snifter but the beer range is uninspiring, even for Durham.“ |
| 60 /100 Dun Cow (Bar) 37 OLD ELVET “Visited in February 2016 on our day trip from Newcastle. A small, ancient pub that appears even smaller and tucked in because the buildings around it are much taller. Difficult to get much of a feel for the ambience and atmosphere as they were hosting a post funeral gathering and the mourners were arriving at the same time as we were. It’s understandable that it took a while for us to get served because the staff were concentrating on the funerla party. The beer range was four handpumps including trad offerings like Black Sheep, Castle Eden and Copper Dragon. I’m not sure the range varies much. I opted for a Castle Eden as I hadn’t had it in a long while. So, not a particularly impressive or enterprising range but pretty much par for the course in Durham, which is fine for a pub crawl provided you don’t expect many ticks. In view of the circumstances judgement is reserved on the wider merits of this place.“ |
| 74 /100 Victoria Inn (Bar) 86 HALLGARTH STREET “Visted in February 2016 on our day trip from Newcastle. Thanks to Hippoman for bringing us here. A classic, authentic, unspoilt Victorian boozer. Not from the gin palace school of design but wonderfully warm and welcoming. The landlord was particularly friendly and chatty. The beer range runs to five handpump and includes some local beers from the safer end of the spectrum. That’s decent enough for Durham. One of the few "must visit" places in Durham. I’d certainly bear in mind that it does B&B if I was staying over in the city.“ |
| 62 /100 John Duck Ale House (Bar) 91 CLAYPATH “Visited in February 2016. First pub on our day trip to Durham from Newcastle. Bare boarded "ale house" feel in what looks more like a converted shop than a purpose built pub. A pleasant enough stop. Six handpumps included two ciders and a couple from Sonnet 43 (which turned out to be quite common around town). Pretty middle of the road but this turned out to be one of the better ranges we found. Poor old Durham is a lovely city but really struggles for beer choice compared to its near neighbour Newcastle and few beers from the many modern Newcastle brewers seem to manage the short journey.“ |
| 72 /100 Station House (Bar) NORTH ROAD, “The Station House is a micropub right underneath the railway arch. It had only been open for a few weeks when we visited and it still smelled on new paint but, despite that, it’s a super place. The very friendly proprietor (or, rather, her husband) told us that they aim to be the alternative / unofficial waiting room for the station, which is just above up a steep hill. They have four beers and four ciders, all served through a hatch from the room where the barrels are kept. They have third pint tasters available and also pork pies from Taylors of Darlington.
(Visited 10 February 2016).“ |
| 68 /100 Old Elm Tree (Bar) 12 CROSSGATE “Pub in central Durham reached up a steep incline. Traditonal interior with a reasonable selection of real ales including local beers in good condition. Friendly service, worth the visit.“ |
| 76 /100 Station House (Bar) NORTH ROAD, “Micropub close to Durham Station on North Road with a good selection of real ales and ciders. The casks and boxes are in a separate room and served through a door. Cosy with some counter style seating and rocking chairs - they must have been expecting cold weather as the heaters were on full blast on my visit“ |
| 66 /100 Dun Cow (Bar) 37 OLD ELVET “Excellent heritage bar, beer selection is a bit unexciting, but worth visiting if in the vicinity for the historic nature of the place.“ |
| 78 /100 Victoria Inn (Bar) 86 HALLGARTH STREET “Superb heritage bar, full of interesting bric-a-brac. Small but interesting beer range.“ |
| 64 /100 Woodman Inn (Bar) 23 GILESGATE “Nice community local a bit off the normal part of town. OK beer selection, nice large beer garden.“ |
| 68 /100 ELVET BRIDGE “Fairly large and modern for a Sam’s bar, the usual prices and selection rule. Nice location.“ |
| 48 /100 Shakespeare Tavern (Bar) 63 SADDLER STREET “What was a great traditional bar has been ruined by a very unsympathetic destruction a couple years ago.Beer range fairly uninspiring“ |
| 70 /100 Head of Steam Durham (Bar) 3 REFORM PLACE, NORTH ROAD “A modern bar tucked away off North Road. It’s wrapped around a small courtyard and looks as if it’s been developed and expanded organically. It was buzzing with a youngish cosmopolitan crowd when we visited and the staff seemed knowledgeable. The beer choice was quite good - five casks, a few kegs and a long, international bottle list chalked up on the wall.
(Visited 10 February 2016).“ |
| 72 /100 Old Elm Tree (Bar) 12 CROSSGATE “The Old Elm Tree is up a very steep hill from the river in a part of the city that feels much more town than gown (on the opposite side to the cathedral). It’s a great local - cosy, comfortable and friendly, if a little cramped because there were lots of people sitting at the bar. There were no students here as far as I could tell and only north east accents to be heard. There were about six casks and the beer was in good condition. Well worth the climb!
(Visited 10 February 2016).“ |
