Durham is a “city” that is really a small university 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 is a highly opinionated list of ingestion-focused locations and a few other things to consider doing while visiting, prioritizing things within easy walking distance. All food places are vegan-friendly, unless I note otherwise. The items within each category are listed roughly by how strongly I recommend them.
Eat
Fifty-Six 
Excellent cross-regional Chinese with lots of options for everyone. Strong contender for the best place for dinner in Durham.
Lovely deli and café with a rotating selection of interesting sandwiches, pizzas and similar. Best place for a loaf of bread. Probably my favorite coffee in town.
Porcelain
Newcomer (Feb 2026) café near the Philosophy Department and my only reason for adding ‘probably’ when championing Claypath Deli’s coffee. Fair warning: It’s small and tends to be very busy.
Urban Falafel
Excellent falafel takeaway (with a few tables) around the corner from the department. Try the lentil soup!
Brooklyn Pizza Slice
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. Vegetarian- but not vegan-friendly.
Posh brunch. Posh coffee. Likely to have to wait out front for a table.
Kitchen 38
An everything-under-the-sun takeaway across the street from The Station House. Cheap, tasty and you can bring food into the pub.
Tasting menu on a budget (reservations required) • Sister restaurant with brunch and small plates (reservations recommended).
Very English, very cute. Good for lunch or coffee and cake.
Solid Neopolitan style pizza.
Serviceable Asian fusion. Decent cocktails. Makes the list largely on ambience—speakeasy vibes with lots of mirrors and torquoise velvet. Reservations recommended.
Brand new (Apr 2026) French-inspired brasserie owned by a friend. I suspect it will leap up this list once I’ve had a chance to actually try it!
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*
Best pub in Durham. Seriously. If you happen to be visiting the last Thursday of the month, I run their pub quiz.
Excellent wine bar with a large, distinctive selection (~80 bottles by the glass!) and a knowledgeable owner eager to recommend something new (you may want to specify a price point). Open Wednesday through Saturday.
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.
The Holy GrAle
Tap room with a nice selection. Can smell a bit damp.
Hit-or-miss cocktail quality, but still arguably the best bar in Durham, and one of the few palatable places open past 23:00.
NB: You need a code to get in, which you can find by scrolling down on their website.
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.
Vast selection of gin & tonics in a kooky atmosphere.
* Not all beer in the UK is vegan, especially on cask.
Caffeinate
As mentioned, IMO the best coffee in town. Also more laptop friendly than most.
Porcelain
As mentioned, newcomer rival for best coffee in town.
Smaller venue by the same people as Flat White Kitchen. Next best coffee in town. Not laptop friendly.
3 Cups of Durham
Recently opened. Large space, friendly staff, very laptop friendly.
Be Merry
An independent bookshop that exclusively stocks books by women and local authors. They also have coffee, tea, cakes and wine!
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.
Beamish: The Living Museum of the North
A bit farther afield, but absolutely worth a visit, especially—but not only!—if you’re a history buff.
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.
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.
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.