The Tables You Need to Book for Durham Restaurant Week
Durham Restaurant Week returns for 2024 from Friday 26th January-Friday 2nd February, and here are our favourite places to dine out at a discount
Coarse
Reform Place, North Road, Durham DH1 4RZ
0191 380 5776
Coarse’s aim is to make tasting menus more affordable and accessible. Their six-course tasting menu uses local, seasonal ingredients and head chef (and co-owner) Ruari MacKay trained with Michelin-star chef Terry Laybourne at Jesmond Dene House, so you can be sure of great quality too. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 2.30pm, diners can enjoy a £25 three-course lunch menu, snack and drink (a vegetarian menu is also available and wine pairing is optional for a supplement).
Faru
29 Silver Street, Durham DH1 3RD
0191 380 5451
Faru is the first restaurant from Jake and Laura Siddle (previously of Michelin-starred House of Tides). Taking its name from Old English meaning ‘journey’, Faru promises a flavour-led menu prepared in an open kitchen with seasonal produce. This restaurant week visitors are treated to a seven-course tasting menu for £60 (from Wednesday to Saturday) including sea bass, celeriac and apple, and mille feuille with chestnut and blackberry.
Read More: Our Favourite Restaurants in Durham
Fat Hippo
36 Saddler Street, Durham DH1 3NU
0191 370 9699
This three-storey burger restaurant with its original features and quirky interiors is the perfect place to pull up a seat if you’re seeking big portions. Following the success of their flagship restaurant in Newcastle, this spot in Durham is extremely popular. This restaurant week diners can order a starter and main course for just £15. We recommend the dirty waffles (waffle fries, Fat Hippo’s speciality sauce and bacon bits) to start, followed by the kula shaker (buttermilk chicken, American cheese, salt and chilli pepper, bang bang pickles, pink onions, lettuce and ‘yum yum’ sauce). Vegan options are available too.
Gussto
32 Silver Street, Durham DH1 3RD
0191 384 0911
A popular choice for tapas, Gussto specialise in Mediterranean cuisine – think albondigas, croquettes, paella and patatas bravas. Their charcuterie platters are great for sharing too. This restaurant week they’re offering three tapas and a drink for £15, and we recommend pairing your food with their sangria.
Rio Brazilian Steakhouse
Unit 6a, Walkergate, Durham DH1 1SQ
0191 372 9779
Head to Rio for an authentic Brazilian Churrasco dining experience, where specially-trained gaucho chefs serve exquisite meat carved at your table in a traditional Rodizio style. From 29th–2nd, guests can enjoy 30 percent off their food bill. Highlights on the menu include picanha, filet mignon and bife ancho – and their cocktails are fabulous too.
Read More: Meet the Self-Taught Chef Behind This Popular North East Supper Club
Fusha
23 Silver Street, Durham DH1 3RD
0191 447 8988
A recent opening that’s already proving popular, Fusha is bringing Asian cuisine to Durham. The chefs here focus on fresh ingredients and cook up everything from stir-fries to curries, complemented by carefully chosen wines and handcrafted cocktails. Fusha serve plenty of Asian tapas (think duck pancakes, chicken dumplings and baby ribs), as well as dim sum, rice dishes, burgers and bao buns, ramen and noodles, but their restaurant week menu is still to be confirmed.
PESTO Italiano
32 Silver Street, Durham DH1 3RD
0191 301 4288
This family-run restaurant serves home-cooked Italian food. The menu features everything from handcrafted pastas to wood-fired pizzas – all with a focus on the authenticity of Italian cuisine. Their restaurant week offer is a starter, pizza or pasta with a drink for £15. The carbonara tartufata with egg yolk, pancetta, parmesan and shaved truffle is mouth-wateringly good whilst the piccante pizza with chorizo, Italian salami, sundried tomatoes and chilli comes highly recommended.
