David Faraci  


 


  


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

About TOMATO²   •    2025 Workshop Schedule   •    Visiting Durham


Durham is a “city” that is really a small college town that happens to be super Medieval. There’s lots to see just walking around, and you can see pretty much all of it in an afternoon. Below, I’ve offered a highly opinionated list of things to consider doing while visiting, prioritizing things within easy walking distance. The items within each category are listed roughly by how strongly I recommend them.


Google Maps    Vegan friendly


Eat


Fifty-Six

Excellent Chinese with lots of options for everyone. Contender for my favorite restaurant in Durham.
NB: This is the venue for Tuesday night’s dinner.


Claypath Deli

Lovely deli and café with a rotating selection of interesting sandwiches, pizzas and similar. Best place for a loaf of bread. My favorite coffee in town.


Brooklyn Pizza Slice

Easy, quick, pop-in place with some of the best New York style pizza I’ve had in the UK. Don’t expect miracles, we are not in New York, but it’s solid.


Flat White Kitchen

Posh brunch. Posh coffee. Likely to have to wait outside for a table.


Tealicious Tea Room

Charming, traditional tea room with a twist—the owner/chef is vegan, and so makes lots of vegan-friendly stuff.
NB: This is the venue for Wednesday afternoon’s high tea/lunch.


Kitchen 38

An everything-under-the-sun takeaway across the street from The Station House. The good news is it’s cheap, tasty and you can bring their food into the pub. The bad news is it isn’t open on Mondays so it won’t be an option during the drinks reception.


Coarse   •  Deli   •  Isla

Tasting menu on a budget • Deli next door • Sister restaurant with brunch and small plates. Reservations necessary for Coarse, recommended for Isla.


Vennels

Very English, very cute. Good for lunch or coffee and cake.


Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana

Solid Neopolitan style pizza.
NB: This is the venue for Wednesday night’s dinner.


The Rabbit Hole

Serviceable Asian fusion. Decent cocktails. Makes the list largely on ambience—speakeasy vibes with lots of mirrors and torquoise velvet. Reservations recommended.


Lebaneat

Lebanese takeaway. Is it great? No. Is it open late and just down the street from where you’re all staying? Yes.


Bells Fish & Chips

If you’re not vegetarian, then you might be wanting some classic fish and chips. Glowing testimony suggests this is your best bet. Careful pescatarians: everything is deep fried in beef drippings. If you’re vegetarian or vegan and are desparate to try something along these lines, you can get them to fry some chips (fries) in oil. Non-vegans might wish to try a chip butty: chips on a buttered roll!



Drink*


The Station House

Best pub in Durham. Seriously.


The Victoria Inn

The Station House is the best pub in Durham, but The Vic is the most classic. If you want to feel like you’re in a Real English Pub, I’ve rarely seen its equal.
NB: We will probably stop here during the Social Day.


Bar 33

Arguably the best bar in Durham, though the cocktail quality varies wildly depending on how busy they are.
NB: You need a code to get in, which you can find on their website (or ask me).


The Holy GrAle

Tap room with a nice selection. Can smell a bit damp.


Dun Cow

Durham’s oldest pub. Old-school like The Vic but a bit more rough and ready. This is also where the philosophy department tends to drink, as it’s just down the street from the department building.


Old Tom’s Gin Bar

Vast selection of gin & tonics in a kooky atmosphere.


* Not all beer in the UK is vegan, especially on cask. If this matters to you, let me know and I can advise.



Caffeinate


Claypath Deli

As mentioned, IMO the best coffee in town.


Flat White Café

Smaller venue by the same people as Flat White Kitchen. Probably the other contender for best coffee in town. Not very laptop friendly.


3 Cups of Durham

Recently opened. Large space, friendly staff, very long-stay laptop friendly.


Tealicious Tea Room

Already mentioned, but noting here its extensive tea menu.



Be Merry


Collected

An independent bookshop that exclusively stocks books by women and local authors. They also have coffee, tea, cakes and wine!
NB: This will likely be a stop on our Social Day walk, so if you are attending that you can deprioritize this.


Indoor Market

Durham’s Indoor Market is worth at least a quick peek. It’s also where I would recommend going if you’re looking to pick up any cheese or wine.


Palace Green

Here you’ll find Durham Castle and Durham Cathedral, as well as the Palace Green Library. All are worth a visit, but the cathedral is both the star and the easiest—just walk on in! The only part of the cathedral you’d need to book in advance is the Central Tower Climb, 325 steps up to a (reportedly) glorious view over Durham. There are sometimes tours of the castle available, but as it is student accommodations this is inconsistent (especially during your visit over graduation week). If you are desperate to see it, let me know and I may be able to walk you in at some point.

NB: We will be visiting the cathedral on the Social Day morning, so if you are attending you can deprioritize this.


Beamish: The Living Museum of the North

We decided not to schedule an official visit to Beamish on the Social Day, but if you’re at loose ends at any point, especially if you’re a history buff, Beamish is absolutely worth a visit.


Oriental Museum

If you’re not going to make it all the way out to Beamish, but you’re feeling museumy, this one is decent, local and free!


Durham Botanic Garden

To be honest, I’ve never been, but I know this is the sort of thing people like.


Walks

There are tons and tons of lovely countryside walks around Durham. You can find some here. Feel free to ask me for suggestions if you’re interested.


Newcastle

Newcastle is the closest “proper” city to Durham, about 15 minutes by train. It has far more to offer than I could reasonably list here (or than I know about). However, if you’re thinking about visiting, I would strongly recommend booking a table at Khai Khai (if you can get one). If you’re looking for drinks, there is again no scarcity of options, but I’d recommend cocktails at Mother Mercy or Vampire Rabbit, or (slightly farther from the train station) a pub crawl around Ouseburn.


York

If you like Durham’s Medieval vibe but you’re wishing it were a proper city, try York! It’s about an hour away by train.