Bells Fish and Chips Restaurant in County Durham

The most delicious fish and chips I've eaten in years. Lots of choice on the menu and I liked the quirkiness of the restaurant

Fantastic takeaway fish and chips. Would highly recommend. Staff were very friendly too.

Just been to Bells Fish and Chips, my word but the food was out of this world! cod was beautifully battered with a gorgeous chips, portion sizes were great, definitely going back. This lovely young gentleman named Hadi served me with the most beautiful smile i’ve ever seen, he served us and constantly made us feel like we were the customers in even though the place was full!!! Everything from start to finish was brilliant, 100 percent recommended.

I'm a visitor from Yorkshire staying with family in Seaham, we visited Bells for a family meal. From the atmosphere, staff to the food everything was amazing. Firstly we were greeted and seated by a lovely server named Shannon who took our order, she was so friendly and helpful. Our order came in short time, it was very hot, appealing to the eye and tasted absolutely delicious, the nicest cod I have had in a very long time, another server Peter brought us extra drinks, another smile helpful and courteous staff member. I believe the fish fryers name is Theresa, any boy can she fry fish! 10/10 will definitely be returning on my next visit. If your considering visiting make sure you do you won't be disappointed

Visited Bells with my family. From walking in the door to leaving the whole experience was relaxed and enjoyable. We were shown to our table by Shannon, given menus and enough time to peruse and decide what to order. I ordered Cod and chips and all I can say is the Cod was delicious, white, flaky and chunky. The batter was light and crispy and the homemade chips were also very tasty. I was told the lady who was frying was called Theresa and was actually the manager of the restaurant. Many many compliments to her, 1st class ⭐️ Both Shannon and Peter (2nd server) were very friendly, welcoming and attentive, not intrusive and we never once felt pressured to hurry our ordering or meal. Your staff are a credit to you and your restaurant is one of the nicest I have visited. Your link to mining is everywhere you look and we were greatly impressed with the wheel. The cleanliness of your restaurant is exceptional and I shall most definitely be visiting again in the near future. Finally, the cost of our visit was extremely surprising, as in I had expected to pay more than I actually did. If you are in the area and looking for top class service and food fo not hesitate to visit Bells at Seaham ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Best fish and chips I have ever had and huge portions and attentive staff and comfortable surroundings

Best fish and chips I've had in years. We were in the area looking for sea glass and decided to try here for lunch. Batter wasn't too stodgy or greasy, chips were decent too. Also had battered black pudding which was nice too. Place looks newly built too and done to high standard, very clean too. A real surprise.

Called in with friends for chips 🍟 😋 nice and hot with salt and vinegar on, really enjoyed them .

Excellent food, even better, friendly staff

Absolutely amazing fish & chips

Bells can cook in 🍆🥒 Vegetable oil or Beef dripping. Just let them know. Freshly fried that's why there is a small wait. Chips just how I like them golden and crispy

Me and my wife had fish and chips with curry sauce. It was delicious service was brilliant we'll definitely be returning for more.

Great food, great service, fantastic decor.

Staff extremely helpful and friendly. Food excellent. The restaurant is very clean.

Great tasting food, would recommend

Excellent fish and chips from a great company, the service was friendly and welcoming in the very lovely Country Durham Town of Seaham.

Overpriced, small and basic portions.

What can i say outstanding restaurant. Had fish chips and salad it was the best fish I ever tasted. Staff very polite and friendly would 100% recommend it. Its a bit pricey but worth every penny.

Enjoyable Scampi chips and salad

Not letting paying customers bairns use the toilet is disgusting

The food was lovely, I would recommend. I'll definitely be eating here again. The staff are pleasant.

Food was lovely from takeaway but it’s disappointing that customers spending a lot of money in the takeaway section can’t use toilet facilities & are restaurant customers only

Toilets are amazing and extremely clean , because they WILL NOT let you use them

AVOID!! Absolutely shocking service, staff could do with some customer service training but it's hardly surprising when they have a manager like they do. Rude and arrogant. Refused children under 5 to use the toilet because we didn't pay for the privilege to sit in, eventhough we bought take out food from the establishment. Shocking!

Absolutely awful place how this stays open is beyond me!! Rude staff, food was cold like it had been put out then left for a while and the swearing and attitude between them was a disgrace! Toilets are a wipe your feet on the way OUT level.

Fish and chip restaurant. The food was good, although the Haddock could have done with being skinned before being battered and fried, like the Cod was. The bread could also do to being buttered and cut in half instead of just a slice of Warburtons served on a plate with a butter portion. Other than that, the meal was enjoyable.

It was a lovely welcoming place when we arrived and there was plenty of seating in the restaurant. We didn't have to wait long for the waiter to come to take our orders. As I've had weight loss surgery and can't eat a full adult meal, I asked if I could have a child's portion. I did say in the conversation that I noticed it said under 12's only, but the waiter agreed and took our order. When the food was ready, the server came over and served my husband with his, they said that they couldn't serve me mine and again I explained that I had weight loss surgery and can't eat a big portion. They then spoke to their manager who agreed (Without coming over and discussing it) they couldn't serve me the food I ordered. I ended up asking for a plate and took a bit of food from my husband's meal. The original waiter apologised for their mistake and I said that if in the beginning I was told sorry I couldn't have a child's portion then I would have adapted my order. I felt humiliated for the food to be refused and then it was just thrown away. To save me any future embarrassment I will not eat at any of their establishments.

it was delicious. interesting interior like being in a mine.

From my experience here I am greatly disappointed while the food was nice the service and atmosphere was not up to my expectations especially when we wanted to order another drink when our food arrived we asked straight away if we could get another drink and she said absolutely one sec.half way though our meal we were still waiting on the drink we had to call over the server and say can we please have the drink today she left for a bit came back with the drink and had the audacity to slam the drink down on the table and just walked away without an apology or anything.further to this we would have ordered a dessert but no menus were offered so we got fed up of waiting cause she didn't even bring the bill to our table so we had to go up to the counter to pay the bill then left,never to return 😔

Popped in for our tea after a gruelling day hunting for sea glass. Lovely crunchy batter, tasty cod and fluffy beef dripping chips. The bread even came with actual butter! Highly attentive staff and funky surroundings. What's not to like..? Highly recommended.

Staff brilliant food excellent very good atmosphere

Wow! The cod was amazing!! Such a lovely thing crispy batter, not a soggy bit in sight!! A little pricey but the service was great. The decor is just great, a combination of American diner and industrial! The love of their local mining history is evident and is shown in fantastic pictures throughout! Will definitely recommend and will be returning!

We had a lovely meal, my Dads 86th birthday and we were a group of 3. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. The staff are very friendly and efficient and the service is pretty swift too. The view from the window was great, a sea view and the decor was warm and evocative of the history of the area. The photographs on the way to the loo of older times in the mines are like museum pieces worth a look even if you don’t need to go. All in all a really enjoyable experience for us.

Bought nearly £60 worth of food for grandkids from takeaway… asked if children could use the toilet (3,3,7) told NO…. Company policy’s .. Never go back furious

Went to Bells in Seaham coz Downy's were sold out. Whole tail scampi was very small and not many of them at all. Onion rings were ugly. Cod was ok but not a very big portion. Half food arrived and had to wait another 5min for the rest. Downy's are bigger portions and wayyyy better taste.

Atrocious behaviour, the staff wouldn't let a pregnant customer use the toilets in the restaurant when they spent money in the attached takeaway. I understand there are money saving policies, but have some compassion! It was blamed on 'the management' who should be ashamed of themselves, I'd strongly suggest reconsidering your policies for exceptional circumstances.

Fantastic sites and great service. I recommend for everyone.

Excellent food,but quite expensive.

Long wait, refused access to toilet, no water available We used the takeaway entrance and firstly we’re waiting a while after our order was taken. No receipt given, our bottles drinks were not given to us when we ordered, and in a such small area it was packed with people waiting 10 minutes for food (and we only ordered chips!). When our food was a given it was ran like a shambles, and I had to repeat my order again and request our drinks, of which I was still give fizzy pop for my son when I requested fruit shoots numerous times. They also had no bottles of water so we had to go elsewhere to buy these. We sat outside with our food, and when my son needed the toilet, we went in and we’re told that he could absolutely not use the toilet. Even though I had said we are customers and have our food, they have no leniency and the girl smiled as she told me no. My autistic son was desperate and we had to go elsewhere for him to use the toilet as he was desperate. They have no leniency to this rule even with children and disabilities and when we are paying customers. I will not be back to any Bells restaurant again and I am quite literally appalled my this treatment.

Not the best by far. Portions are very small especially kids portions. 3 tiny chicken dippers that were more like rubber. You are left waiting a while for your food. I sat with a slice of bread for ten minutes which I expected to be delivered with the meal. We also received out drinks ten minutes before the food so had to make them last. Rather dissapointed with the whole experience. It was definitely a one off visit.

Lovely food, great staff. The woman with a bun in her hair behind the counter was very welcoming. Highly recommended!

Great food, very fast service, good people.

First time in the building. Really cool vibe. Family meal. Our waitress was welcoming and polite. We asked for the drinks menu.. the drinks came straight away. We all had 🐟 and chips. The food was great . The waitress who was called aiki only 17. Was outstanding. Polite and funny 😁. Thank her. Wee will be back xxx

I read the reviews on here and thought oh we will give it a chance… I’m gluten free so hard to find places then saw it was cooked in beef dripping which is a plus as it’s healthier. We ate in with our little girl. The lady who served us (I didn’t get her name but she has black hair) was utterly really lovely. She’s. Credit to the team (we came in the 4th August) She was so lovely with us and my little girl. The lady with blonde hair was too. It is very clean! I really love the decor in here and how it pays homage to the mining history of the area… it’s gorgeous and there’s lots to look at. The lady who was servicing us was knowledgeable with gluten free and the Menu also had the “GF” for gluten free. When it arrived it was a big portion. The tartare sauce is the BEST I’ve ever tasted it was gorgeous and creamy I loved it. The mushy peas lovely and the fish was gorgeous. My partner couldn’t finish his huge portion. My little girl got a drink and ice cream included in her portion too! Highly recommend this place and would definitely come back… the attention to detail is great and the food is lush. The staff really lovely. The only con is would say and this is just me being picky is that it would have been so much nicer with sea salt rather than table salt. But that’s just my preference. Highly recommend… I’ve included a photo of my gluten free cod and chips with mushy peas… and the fantastic decor.

Visited today while at seaham food festival with the wife. We both had a chip butty with scraps chips were fresh and nicely cooked. Will call again when next in seaham and try the restaurant.

Went to the restaurant tonight was quite busy, was only on front of house member and she was running around like a headless chicken trying to get everyone served quickly, her name was Theresa, very friendly and polite even with the stress of the situation

We went for fish and chips. Service was quick , staff friendly Both my partner and I ordered Cod and Chips. I was short changed with my fish as there was hardly any fish and was mainly batter. My partner had to share her fish with me. I mentioned my dissapoiintment to the staff thinking they may of knocked something off the bill but that didn't happen. The fish and chips were nice enough but saddened how one was a good size and the other was mainly batter ( maybe end tail ) Maybe this was a one off 🤔

Bought from their takeaway and shocked by price, £15 for 3 chips and 2 gravy. Thankfully it wss tasty. As a disabled toilet user with catheters/stoma’s I asked to use their restaurant toilet in an emergency and was told she couldn’t let me in, she wasn’t allowed even though we bought food from them. I was crying and in pain during my toilet emergency and was told to walk 15 mins to the nearest toilet. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the toilet because of them, I feel very disappointed and my experience as a disabled person was very upsetting. I won’t return and won’t recommend to disabled takeaway customers

This place was great when it first opened but i have been for my last time today. Firstly service is incredibly slow and the staff put very little effort or care towards serving you. Secondly the portion sizes are now pathetic. When it first opened it was a good portion of chips in a large box, now it’s a thin layer of chips in a small box. Come on, these chips will be bought for pennies in bulk, just give us a decent portion. Not sure if it shows on the photos but it really is a child’s portion of chips and not suitable as an adult portion.

Excellent food, presentation and service, will definitely be visiting again.

Visited today couldn't go into restaurant as we had our gog with which is fair enough but after waiting ages to be served needed to use the toilet I was refused even though I explained my need was immediate due to cancer treatment still refused what has happened to the humanity we used to each other incidentally my husband said his fish was awful

Loved the fish and chips here, good service, nothing too much trouble.

Chose to eat at this location as we had our dog with us. Travelled up from York and met family . Purchased food to the value of approximately £27 from the takeaway adjoined to the restaurant . My husband after paying and waiting for the order needed to use the restroom, he went to the restaurant. The staff there stated that it was for diners only , my husband stated that we had purchased food and were sitting outside but was turned away . Now to the food , it was not worth the money . The fish was small and not that tasty. Chips ok . Overall poor value . Should have gone to our regular , Downey’s top notch !!!

Visited Bells on a Friday evening. It was rather busy but didn't have to wait too long. I ordered the Fish and Chip Butty which I believed to be well priced at £5.50. We waited around 10 minutes for the food to be ready so not too bad either. We had walked along the beach to eat the food which was lovely. The chips themselves were okay, a few of them didn't taste great unfortunately. There were only 2 fish bits inside and they were not very bulky so felt like it lacked something when eating the butty.

Fish & chips very nice. Sml was like a large, make them a little smaller add a portion on pea's free. Why pea's sold separately? Seaham Bell's.

Fancied fish and chips on the way home from a weekend away so popped in here. Friendly young staff, good sized portions and very clean restaurant. Ignore the strange people rating 1 for not being allowed to use the toilet when not eating in the restaurant. I'm not aware of any that do.

Great food and service. Nicely themed restaurant that shows a bit of the local history

Piece of haddock was Tiny! Still charged full price mind!

Food was excellent, staff was really friendly and it's in an ideal location for a nice walk after along the seafront

Went to the takeaway on Saturday, gave my order and paid £11.40 for Cod and Chips. The young man serving was very sullen with no social skills whatsoever. Whilst waIting for my order I popped into the restaurant to use the toilet. A young waitress came over I asked where the toilet was, she said I was not allowed to use it, I asked why and two other staff approached me, I was told the manager said no-one can use the toilet from the takeaway, she went and asked the manager , who I saw shaking her head. Another one with neither social or customer service skills. Just to be clear, I am a 73yr old woman, well dressed and polite, did she think I was going to trash the toilet? Really!!!! I am appalled at this behaviour. The food was mediocre, scraps of chips , some hot, some cold. The cod was hot but more batter than fish. I will never go back to this Bells. I will stick to Downeys far superior and pleasant. Bells in Durham, Gilesgate, Framwellgate Moor and Team Valley are top class. Seaham is abysmal

Went to get some seaside fish and chips, we had a dog with us so unable to go inside which we understand however although we paid £22 for adult fish and chips my 3year old couldn’t go in and use the toilets. To add insult to injury the standard of the food was horrendous, scabby chips with sloppy greasy fish. Really embarrassment to a well established chain that has high standards

Our first visit and won’t be our last. Four adults we came on a Saturday and arrived at about 12.30. We got a table no issue and ordered four cod and chips with various soft drinks. Very reasonably priced in my view. The cod was good sized, fresh with lovely crispy batter, chips were plentiful and well fried not too dry and not greasy - perfect. We waited I’d say about 15 - 20 mins from ordering which is what I’d expect for fresh cooked food. Service good and the waiting staff friendly and attentive. Very clean place. We will definitely return here sooner rather than later. My parents who love their fish and chips thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you Bells 👍

Fish was tiny and chips were rubbish, very thin scraggy bits Tea was served not hot at all Certainly not worth the money Very disappointed 😩

1 size of fish which is small, chips hard with skin on some. Plaice goujons ridiculous small portion wouldn't feed an infant, after complaining they were replaced for resalable sized goujons but still a small portion. Having been charged £17.30 I didn't think it was value for money

We had a lovely fish and chips here. Portions where large, fish came with crisp batter and lots of chips. Staff were very helpful and friendly. The only thing I would say which could be a negative, they only do one size fish and chips which could be a bit of a struggle for older people. My mam manged most of her fish but didn't attempt the chips. There is a child's portion but we weren't allowed to order that as need to be 12 and under, and with her being 82 it was a no. They did say anything left over could be taken home but that was not necessarily. Over all would definitely recommend.

A wonderful plate of Cod in batter served half & half with chips and mixed salad consisting of various salad leafs, baby tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, cucumber, slices of fresh strawberry and baby corn, all with a separate dressing and tartare sauce served separately. Also comes with a slice of bread (white or brown) with a portion of butter. Various drinks are available to accompany the meal, and I chose a pot on Langtons Tea with milk which gave 2 full cups. An extensive range of desserts are also available if you have room after such a large main course portion of food. Various Alcoholic drinks are also on the menu, from beer, lager, wines & spirits, along with cold soft drink options as well. The greeting on entering was very warm and welcoming from the staff in attendance, and after being shown to our table, the service was prompt and polite, especially after being given time to choose from and extensive menu of various types of Fish (either in batter or oven baked) along with other main course options aside of Fish. The food was hot and delicious too, so well worth the value overall. I would rate everything as 10/10 and would happily return again for an extra special treat of dessert next time.

Fantastic Cod and Chips can't recommend Bells enough

This is a fantastic fish and chip restaurant/takeaway. The restaurant was amazing with great service and great prices. Highly recommend.

Well good alcohol choices needs work

Very clean friendly staff fantastic food decor wow will be going again 😁😁

Just purchased haddock and chips twice and 2 portions of peas. Haddock was very good, however couldn’t eat the chips or peas. Peas were. Cheap and cheerful and never tasted anything so bland. Chips were also bland, spoilt the whole meal at nearly £30

Popped in for combo platter shared with other half as too early for full dinner but couldn't resist the delicious smell as we walked past. Friendly staff, accommodating of one meal shared between two. Not disappointed, generous plate of whitebait, prawns, scampi and fish pieces with chips, salad and bread.

Went in for lunch today food and service was lovely but even better was watching the young man cleaning the outside area at the restaurant, he took so much pride in his work. He washed and polished over everything anyone could possibly touch, he cleaned the bin inside and out. You could actually see the pride he took in his work. I must stress that he was totally unaware that we were watching. I did ask waitress his name, I think she said Jannie or Janick. A massive well done. Deserves a pat on the back.

Best fish and chips we ever had. Food was very tasty. Staff is friendly, the place is beautiful and clean.

Very nice , lovely atmosphere, good food fresh and tasty.

Nice place. Fairly expensive for the add ones like peas and curry

Not over impressed, I know cod isn't the most flavoursome fish but overall it was pretty bland.

Restaurant table and crockery was grubby, our coffees like dishwater. Cod didn't taste like cod and we were never asked if food was OK, looks lovely from the outside but no substance in the food , worst fish and chips I've ever had.

Poor quality, badly cooked fish and cold chips. Would not recommend, there are better alternatives nearby.

Lovely food with professional and friendly staff 🌟

Despite the friendly enough customer service, and clean appearance, the chips were very hard, pale and dry. The best part was the batter so I felt I'd wasted my money sadly.

Great fish & chips but had to wait about 15 mins ,l think they focus on the restaurant and only had to fryers on . 👍👍👍👍👍

Food was very nice, ordered a curry sauce but unfortunately didn't get it. Wasn't charged for it though and didn't need it really especially since the tartar sauce was absolutely lovely.

Poor attitude from staff, friday in seaham and all with long faces, server forgot to out salt and vinger on aswell as the batter we had asked for... as for the food, chips undercooked and fish's batter was like chewing gum. Will not be a returning customer!

Not impressed. Fish tasted OK but batter under cooked and soggy. Not worth the money

Standards are dropping, constant turnover of staff, and smaller portions than before as well as quality.

Great food. Will be back again soon.

Ordered cod and chips and my friend ordered scampi. No scampi so had the lasagne. Fish was flat and batter was dark had two mouthfuls and left it. Was looking at other peoples fish, nice large flakes and meaty!!!!.Gravy was lumpy so left that and the rest of the chips. Lasagne was rock hard was I think microwaved so that was left. Wasn't charged for the lasagne (only had 3 mouthfuls of it) but charged for a £14 piece of cod I had two mouthfuls of. Such a shame. Was looking forward to the new chipshop, but disappointed.

Wow.. Absolutely terrible. Spent over 13 quid at bells the other evening for a chippy tea. Chips were dry and tasteless, terrible portion size and had to ask for more on! peas bland, curry sauce not even spicey, fishcake was small and sausage was bland and cheap, bread buns were buttered with the tiniest amount of cheap marg you could imagine! On top of that I had a wait the best part of twenty five minutes for this order and the place was empty! No wonder the place was empty! I will never return, worst place I've ever been to for quality and price. I wonder what the reply will be to this honest review.... I bet it's just a load of rubbish. Do not waste your money here, go elsewhere because you can't get any worse! I'd give no stars if I could. AVOID AVOID AVOID

Loved the veg lasagnia.. Fish and chips is also good. Prawn starter is good too.

1st time in restaurant but wasnt busy for a Sunday afternoon but the waitresses where inattentive had to ask for our drinks to be told the bar staff was on a break seriously if that was the case why take our order for drinks, then they spoke loud enough so we could hear what they were saying. Rest of the service was good and the food was hot and tasty shame they forgot about our tartar sauce, then when paying the 70 pound bill which was reasonable for what we had was told why didn't I ask, well why should I have to ask when on the menu it comes with tartar sauce I should expect the said sauce to be brought out with our dinner ???

Very clean place, reasonable prices, good food, friendly staff, enjoyed it and would go again

Had better service was a little slow not busy,no burgers available can say I tried it

Lovely place really enjoyed the food

Best fish n chips iv had in a long time

Cold food staff very rude n no help for disabilities definitely not recommend

Booked a table for 7persons@5.30pm Saturday 30th.waited 55mins.asked the senior waiter about the delay .It is coming .sadly not all together,major problems with the kitchen.More like a takeaway than a restraunt.No one controlling service.

Absolutely shambolic. They were rushing the orders out while people were made to stand and wait in the take away side for there orders. The staff were either rude or did not know what they were doing. While waiting for my take away the amount of food i noticed that was returned was horrific(either wrong order or under cooked food) 20 min in to my wait i was informed( by over hearing the rude staff that they had ran out of what i had ordered but yet they were still taking orders for what they knew they had none of. Chicken nuggets been sent out with a fish(the rude staff in there rush competeing with each other failed to notice this)every body was screamed at and "told" not to walk in the "out door" the only people who were stood there were the people waiting for there over due orders. Eventualy 40min later my "take away" order finally came to be served(4 times the staff tryed and failed to do it) there was no apologies form the rude staff for the wait( at this point i was no longer hungry) carnt fault the batter but the chips were well under cooked and the fish was meh at best

Excellent fish and chips, service very slow

Fresh food very nice and hot , big portion sizes staff really friendly