Eating out is often part of university life. Eating out can be stressful, but understanding where you are going and what you are eating can alleviate some stress.

Many students eat out whilst at university. Durham is very fortunate in having a wide selection of independent restaurants and cafes, which although is excellent for choice, can make decision making difficult. Cafés are mainly found in the city centre and on the university science site, but there are others elsewhere. Many students like to study in cafes; however, this is not for everyone. Understanding your options on where to eat out can help with budgeting and managing dietary and accessibility requirements.

Some students can struggle with eating out, with noises and getting to the restaurant or café. You may be asked whether you want to eat out by friends and whether you have any ideas on where to eat. Additionally, some cafes in Durham are very popular meaning that you may end up facing long queues and having to eat in a noisy environment which may affect your ability to join in on conversations.

• Book ahead for the busier restaurants and some cafes to avoid queuing.
• Ask staff whether there is a quiet table that you can sit at.
• Try to avoid busier times and days such as at the weekend.
• Look at the menu before arriving at the restaurant to avoid making choices under pressure.

Brief Durham café/restaurant list:

Centre of Durham:

The majority of cafés and restaurants are located along Saddler Street and in the marketplace in Durham. These areas can get busy, especially at the weekends when long queues can develop.

Cafes:

• Costa Coffee is situated along the ‘umbrella street’ (Prince Bishop’s place). Costa has the advantage of being a chain which means that you often know what to expect. There is another costa at the station. https://ericknows.co.uk/listing/costa-coffee-durham/ https://www.costa.co.uk/ https://princebishopsplace.co.uk/our_stores/costa/
• Greggs is exactly what you might expect from the massive chain. Situated on Saddlers Street, you can eat in, but this can get busy.  https://ericknows.co.uk/listing/greggs/ https://www.greggs.co.uk/
• Treats is located on Silver street between Framwellgate bridge and Tesco. The café is on the first floor and so is up a flight of stairs. It can get very busy so if you want to visit it is best to book. https://treatstearoom.co.uk/
• Chapters is located on Saddlers street which can get busy. The café is large and is laid out across two floors. No WiFi. Large queues can form so best to book ahead.
• Vennels is located in the town centre along Saddlers Street. It is an old-style, historic café that is big. https://vennels.com/
• Cafedral – A veritable jungle, well maybe not, but it does have quite a few pot plants and other foliage, Cafedral is located on Saddlers street on the approach to Palace Green. Again like other city centre cafés it can get busy.
• The Undercroft Café is situated at the back of the cathedral. It offers take-away and eat in. Good places to eat if it is sunny and you are taking away are the Monk’s Garden, Palace Green and the area behind the cathedral. https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/visit-us/plan-your-visit/eating

Restaraunts/Pubs

• Pizza Express – Is exactly that. Found along Saddlers Street. https://www.pizzaexpress.com/durham-saddler-street
• ‘Spags’ – la-spaghettata is an Italian restaurant along Saddlers Street. https://www.fabiosdurham.com/la-spaghettata
• Tango – Burger restaurant on Saddlers Street. https://www.tangodurham.co.uk/
• Fat Hippo – another burger restaurant on Saddler Street. https://fathippo.co.uk/locations/durham/
• Lebeneat – Lebanese restaurant on the Bailey. https://www.lebaneat.co.uk/

Lower Mountjoy Campus:

Cafés

• Calman Café in the Calman learning centre on the ground floor to the right as you go in. It can get busy during lecture changeovers due to it being in the way of the stairs.
• Circolo Café (Palatine centre) is found on your right as you walk into the Palatine centre.
• Small Island Coffee (Bill Bryson library) is found on level 2 of the library. https://libguides.durham.ac.uk/welcome/small-island; Sharepoint for Opening Times (Intranet)
• Chemistry Café is located near the Scarborough lecture theatre and below the red greenhouse in chemistry. It is used by many students studying and is relatively small and calm except during lecture changeovers.
• Zing kitchen (Teaching Learning centre) is located on the ground floor. There are high tables and chairs along the sides with bench seating around tables in the centre (but you are required to purchase food to sit here at busy times). Due to the open plan it can get noisy, but is generally spacious.
• MCS (Maths and Computer Science) café – Is located on level 0 in the MCS building on Upper Mountjoy. https://www.accessable.co.uk/durham-university/mountjoy/access-guides/mathematical-sciences-and-computer-science-building
• Botanic Garden Café is found near the hill colleges and MCS building on Upper Mountjoy the café is relatively quiet and offers eating outside with calming water features. https://www.thisisdurham.com/food-and-drink/botanic-garden-cafe-p685271 https://www.dur.ac.uk/things-to-do/venues/botanic-garden/

Restaurants/Pubs

• Whitechurch is an independent restaurant/pub opposite the library. It is used by many students due to it being close to the Science site. It offers coffee during the day, as well as meals. https://whitechurchdurham.com/

Elsewhere:

Café’s

• Paddy’s and Scotts is the café for the Marriott hotel near Elvet Bridge. Due to its relative abundance of charging points and good WiFi it is often used by students studying. It is less busy than some of the other city centre cafes and offers student discounts.
• Crook hall National Trust café can also be quieter and is located down the river from Framwellgate bridge on the North Rd side. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/crook-hall-gardens/eating-at-crook-hall-gardens
• Pawsome Cat café is exactly that on North Road. https://www.thepawsomecatcafe.com/

Restaurants/Pubs

• The Duke of Wellington has very good prices and is generally relatively quiet for a pub (you can generally ask for quieter table). Found on Neville’s Cross which is nearer the hill colleges. https://www.emberinns.co.uk/nationalsearch/northeast/the-duke-of-wellington-durham#/
• The Bridge Hotel – where DUHWS gather after walking. It is a relatively cheap pub. https://www.thisisdurham.com/food-and-drink/the-bridge-hotel-p612571/1000

Durham’s best study cafes

A freshers’ guide to food in Durham

The coeliac’s guide to eating gluten-free in Durham

Written by a current Durham University student