Diners' Choice: Neighborhood gem restaurants in Durham/County Durham

OpenTable

Updated March 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are the best neighborhood gems in Durham/County Durham? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Wallis & Co

4.9

4.9 (357)

£25 and under

Modern European

Hartlepool

About the restaurant

Wallis & Co is a modern Bar & Kitchen nestled on the picturesque setting that is Hartlepool Marina. Our aim is to provide a warm and cosy atmosphere for our customers to enjoy, and with a huge focus on quality in every aspect, we're sure your visit to Wallis & Co will be a happy one.

We serve lunch from 12pm till 5pm Tuesday to Saturday and evening service from 5pm till 9pm. Our Sunday lunch is served from 12pm till 4pm and from 5pm on a Sunday evening we offer Sunday evening menu.

Disclaimer- We are no longer taking reservations for OUTDOOR tables, they are first come first serve.

If booking Bottomless brunch please specify in your booking notes (Service times Tuesday to Sunday between 12 and 4pm)
Any tables above 6ppl must be booked directly through the restaurant via telephone or FB messenger.

Top review

Gillian

Dined 3 days ago

Very pleasant staff, and gorgeous food, we will be returning soon.

The Duke of Cleveland

4.9

4.9 (125)

£25 and under

British

Hartlepool

About the restaurant

The Duke of Cleveland is situated on the Headland in Hartlepool, just a short distance from the coast and next to St Hilda's Church. It is a listed building and the oldest one still in use in the town. Our establishment is a restaurant and pub with an excellent reputation for serving traditional homemade British dishes. We take pride in sourcing produce from local businesses as much as possible and use these ingredients to create the best dishes for our patrons. Our signature dishes include Haddock in our special beer batter with hand-cut chips and the local speciality, the chicken parmesan. We believe in keeping things simple and making them well. On Sundays, we offer a traditional roast dinner with a choice of Roast Rib of Beef, Loin of Pork, Breast of Chicken or Lamb Shank.

The Duke of Cleveland is the ideal venue for weddings and other special occasions or events. It has a choice of function rooms suited to your requirements. In the summer months, we open our cosy bear garden.

Top review

Dave

Dined 2 days ago

Great as always, no complaints. Highly recommended

Turkish Kitchen Durham

4.8

4.8 (744)

£25 and under

Turkish

Durham

About the restaurant

Welcome to Turkish Kitchen, you will enter the world of tastes and aromas of Turkish cuisine with a modern twist and focus on sensational seasonal ingredients from diverse Turkish regions.
We also have a good selection of vegetarian & vegan options along with a great list of wines and cocktails.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 3 days ago

Amazing. Staff were so friendly, food was yummy and the atmosphere was great. Cant fault it! :)

Bayberry Hollow

4.8

4.8 (133)

£25 and under

English

Stanley

About the restaurant

Bayberry Hollow’s journey began in 2011 whilst strolling through the picturesque village of Tanfield. We fell in love with, what was, the village pub; The Pack Horse.

Here at Bayberry Hollow our ethos is simple... Great tasting home made dishes in a relaxed dining environment with welcoming service.

Our food menu is not huge, but there will be something on there that everyone will love.

Please note serving times for food:

Breakfast: Sunday-Friday 10am-11:30am & Saturday 9am-11am

Lunch Sunday- Friday 12pm- 3:30pm & Saturday 11:30am-4pm

We still serve our Coffee, Scone & Cake menu but on a walk in basis only. No reservations for this, you will be charged for this.

All of our team are from the local surrounding area and we all pride ourselves in making each of our customers welcome and appreciated. Our newly refurbished bistro provides the perfect destination for you to relax with friends and family, we are looking forward to welcoming you in store soon!

Top review

Angela

Dined 1 day ago

Lovely food and lovely place, first time we have been and booked a table for breakfast which pleased we did as there was a lot of people turning up. Overall food was beautiful and carrot cake gorgeous.

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4.7

4.7 (17)

£25 and under

Gastro Pub

Durham

About the restaurant

Welcome to The Milbank Arms we look forward to serving you.

Top review

Debra

Dined on Feb 16, 2025

Excellent local pub in a beautiful village. Friendly staff. High quality food produced by experienced chefs. Dog friendly too!

The Warehouse Kitchen & Bar

4.6

4.6 (281)

£26 to £40

Barbecue

Stockton-on-Tees

About the restaurant

A unique venue serving exciting range of food and drinks in Stockton on Tees

Top review

Winnie

Dined 2 days ago

Lovely Sunday lunch. All the staff were pleasant and helpful, the food was delicious and the wine was very tasty too! Thank you.

Blue Bell, Kiphill

4.6

4.6 (30)

£26 to £40

Turkish

Stanley

About the restaurant

You’ve reached the home of deliciously authentic and fabulously fresh Turkish and British dining in Stanley, co. Durham.

The Blue Bell has been a hub in the community for many years.

The main restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner and special occasions, serving speciality dishes from Turkey and some traditional British meals, including traditional Sunday lunch.

We offer an ice cream parlour featuring a variety of delectable flavours, creamy milkshakes, a vibrant play area and a relaxing beer garden.

We have a disabled entrance to the rear of the property with a ramp to the entrance straight from our large car park.

Top review

Colin

Dined on Feb 27, 2025

Food and service was fantastic, would definitely go back

The Rose & Crown at Romaldkirk

4.4

4.4 (288)

£25 and under

British

Barnard Castle

About the restaurant

Our kitchen team create great tasting food that utilises the best of local produce and ingredients with excellent provenance. It's about dishes that reflect our stunning rural location using both classical and contemporary cooking techniques with an eye for detail.

Top review

angela

Dined on Feb 27, 2025

overall a very good experience, but, far too much salt and black pepper added in the kitchen before the food came out, don't know why they did this. The butternut squash main course was not as described, not charred, just bland, and the butter roast potatoes were wedges that tasted like leftovers tbh. Everything else was very good

The Raby Arms

4.3

4.3 (137)

£25 and under

Gastro Pub

Hartlepool

About the restaurant

Located in the small and charming Hart Village, just North of Hartlepool, The Raby Arms Pub & Kitchen is a traditional local landmark that has undertaken extensive refurbishment to create a cosy and welcoming atmosphere. At heart, we’re a true ‘local’, and we’re all about proper pub dining, served with craft and international beers and ales, a diverse wine list, tempting cocktails and top-tier spirits.  Our food menu offers tasty pub favourites given a very special touch, perfectly executed by our chefs and kitchen team.  Join us for a drink, a meal, Sunday roast, or a snack, we’re open all day, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Dogs are welcomed into the sports bar only , on a first come first serve basis - not bookable. They must be kept on leads at all times.

Top review

Ann

Dined on Feb 10, 2025

The seafood linguine was delicious though it could have been a little hotter. The lunch time menu was great for my friends, they said. Staff were friendly and helpful however we were left with a number of cups, saucers and teapots on the table for a while. Would still recommend the restaurant for the food, ambience and friendly staff. Will definitely be back.

Runa Farm

4.2

4.2 (433)

£26 to £40

English

Barnard Castle

About the restaurant

WELCOME TO RUNA FARM
Runa Farm, is an intensely rustic inspired hotel, country pub and wedding venue quite unlike any other, combining natural rural beauty with cool Balearic vibes to deliver something wholly unique, as its guests will discover…

In brief, it was our plan to create an individual and special destination for “boho, honest and earthy” experiences with the farm and its produce at the very heart.

The result is a loveable, laid-back and luxurious County Durham country retreat complete with standout spaces and suites, cool glamping and field-to-fork dining, inviting people to gather, feast, stay, and enjoy every element of its feelgood spirit and endless appeal.

Top review

Maxine

Dined on Feb 23, 2025

We were here for our friends wedding but it was also our first anniversary so we booked at table at the smithy before the party and just wanted to say thank you so much for the extra touches to help make our anniversary extra special.

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