Bells Fish & Chips in County Durham

Pre-booked with a group of 12 for a Friday evening. Arrived on time and shown promptly to our cosy tables upstairs. Lovely looking menu. First order, haddock and chips please (not unusual for such a venue) and told no haddock left, sold out! Oh. Ordered cod, there were several other good options on the menu. One offer is salad, chips, or half and half. Oh dear, salad sold out. Never mind. Meals all arrived in timely manner, all were very good. Home made tartare sauce excellent, but could have been more generous.

The waiter was very polite and clear.the drinks cane very quickly and the same with the food the fish and chips were delicious and i can’t even describe how good the chunky chips were.

Bought the wife to Durham for her birthday on mid January and our daughter and son in law and grandson also traveled to join up with us for the weekend. On the Friday evening we walked into the town centre with me in tow with my stroller when we came across Bells, it looked busy but the lady was able to fit the 5 of us in at a table. I had the fish combo special whilst the others had fish and chips with grandson having sausage and chips.The meals came out were massive and were delicious with no banes or waste, even the son in law who can eat a horse ended up leaving some of his fish and the grandson had to forfeit his ice cream as he was full. The waitress was really nice and polite. The restaurant was clean and tidy. The price of all the meal didn’t come to as much as I imagined, it was such good value

We had just dropped our daughter off in Durham city for an evening out with her friends. We decided to treat ourselves to a chippy tea at Bells having recently had another very good experience in the restaurant. We were attended to immediately by Sarah who led us to a suitable table and took our drinks order straightaway. She was extremely courteous and polite throughout our visit, never stopped smiling and we noticed everybody getting the same level of service. My wife ordered Fish and Chips and I ordered Steak Pie and Chips. There was delay though because I had ordered pie, but….Sarah knew this , came to us, and apologised explains that the pie took a bit longer to cook than the readily available Fish. What particularly impressed u# though was that when our meals arrived, Sarah , showing great awareness, offered us complimentary hot drinks knowing that we were almost out of liquid refreshment! SO NICE to see pro active service, rather than waiting for a response to a potential complaint! As a footnote, the Fish was excellent, the home made pie exceptional, and the portion sizes very generous. We concluded our visit with some friendly banter with Sarah, and left with big smiles on out faces and full stomachs! Well done Bells and very well done Sarah!

£10.80 for a small amount of cod and chips, served in a big box, the food only just covered the base of the box!! The server had a serious attitude to the customers and she just did not want to be there. The little food we had was hot and nice, just not much of if. We will not be going back

Knowing Bells city centre restaurant can be busy I booked a table in advance for four friends for lunch upstairs. Two of us are familiar with this excellent establishment, for the other two it was their first time. As always the food and service were second to none. For such a popular and often busy restaurant the staff need to be highly praised for their friendliness, efficiency and calm customer care. There is a choice of small or larger fish - cod and haddock - with chips and/or salad. One of my fiends was particularly delighted with the option of having her cod grilled not battered. Having said that, Bells batter is absolutely superb - fresh, no grease and a wonderful complement to the gorgeous, flaky fish. As well as the seated areas of the restaurant, Bells offers a shopfront chippie where the fish and chips meet the same wonderful standards. It's not hard to understand why people go to Bells. Great fish and chips is a dying art but Bells never disappoints. Great value too. Full marks!

Never fails to please ..Always beautifully cooked Makes visiting Durham very worthwhile either eating in or out

I had a meal at Bells restaurant two years ago, last week I tried the take away.The staff were friendly and chatty as I waited for my cod (cooked freshly to order) and chips.The food was perfectly cooked and I will definitely be back.

Bells is one of the best chippies I know. I bring my American undergraduates here for their classic experience of fish and chips done well. Good service. Great food. Enough said.

You can't go wrong eating traditional fish and chips in this chain. The customer service was good and staff were attentive & welcoming from start to finish. The food was delicious. My only small gripe was the batter-to-fish-ratio was a smidge unbalanced. There was more batter than I normally expect. I would still recommend people eating here.

Had Haddock and Chips, it was very nice but the Haddock was very thin and tasty, but not the big chunky flakes of fish I’d been expecting.

Had the fish and chips the other day, all I can say it has to be one of, if not THE best fish and chips I’ve ever had.... the portions are HUGE! and the staff are amazing, friendly and so courteous and a big hats off to the fryer, because the batter was so crispy and the fish cooked to perfection, she’s really that good!! If you’re looking for fish and chips needs look no further!!!

These are some of the best fish and chips I've ever eaten. Would definitely recommend! Not at all greasy and the fish was cooked to perfection.

Clean and welcoming restaurant (classier than your average chippy) efficient speedy service, beautifully cooked fish offering a choice of deep fried or grilled. Hand cut chips cooked to perfection.

Lovely fish & chip restaurant- good fish, really good chips and decent service too. I had the fish finger sandwich, which was delicious!

Bells is a nice restaurant on the square, close to the cathedral and the shops. The service was quick and friendly, but we found the cod to be average. Nothing wrong with it, but we've had better.

Not many place in Uk can meet your expectation of Fish and Chips but this place surely does. One of the best places if not the best, to have Fish and Chips in Durham. They have a takeaway booth along with the restaurant. I didn't go the restaurant but used the takeaway option always. They have a quite a few options for fish but the chips was phenomenal. I really liked that.

Enjoyed by all the family, it feels a bit better to have fish and chips sat down in a restaurant rather than as a take away. Very good food, and a well decorated restaurant. Would visit again.

Went for take out. The queue was out of the door and had just 1 lad serving. He was however very polite. The food was ok after such a long wait.

I’ve not had fish and chips for a long time as normally my experience has not been good. Often greasy, been cooked a while ago so have tended to avoid.

Beautiful fish and great service. It is a restaurant and this is reflected in the price. The kids menu was also very good and its not just fish. IMHO the portion sizes were large! I would definitely go back.

Despite all of the apparent rave reviews, I was extremely disappointed. I considered the price to be exorbitant for what was no more than a fairly average fish and chip meal, the likes of which can be found virtually anywhere considerably cheaper. I was particularly amused by the menu where it laughingly alluded to the 'Pensioners Special'- 'fewer chips and a smaller portion of cod' for £9.45, as opposed to £10.95 for a standard meal. Surely that simply means less cost for a commensurate reduction in the amount of food. Who are they trying to kid? I emailed Bells for an explanation as to what exactly was special about the 'Pensioner's Special'. I await a reply (but not holding my breath).

We had Bells takeaway in the Market Square in Durham City whilst the Street Brass band event was on and they where absolutely fabulous and we ate them outside in glorious tropical sunshine , one week later and we needed another treat and as the weather had changed to constant rain we decided to try out the out of town restaurant .

Just what you need on a day out, a good fish and chip shop where you can get good food and a cup of tea.

Had some take out fish and chips and walked up to the Cathedral close to eat them in the evening. Fish was so so but chips were good. They don't advertise that tehy fry in bed dripping as one review has mentioned so I would check with the fryer before you buy if you don't want carnivorous chips.

we did the sit in,the place is nice enough but expensive for the portion size. Also not the best we've had.

Lovely food, clean environment. Drinks tasted watered down and very expensive. But enjoyed overall meal.

I absolutely love going to Bells fish shop, but usually we would go to the one near the Arninson centre/Framwelgate Moor. As we were having a few beverages in Durham we thought we’d just go to the one in the market place. We went to the take away one rather than the restaurant.

Went often when it first opened and portions were very small in comparison to the one in Gilesgate. Queues were also ridiculous, but that’s understandable after it had only just opened.

Not a great fan of fish and chips these days as they are always too greasy to be enjoyable, but these were something very different. We had the smaller senior citizen cod and chips deal for under £10 per head. More than adequate sized portions and cooked to perfection - not a trace of cloying greasiness .

Haciendo un stop camino a york paramos/ almuerzo rapido/ demasiadas papas muy poco pescado, servicio muy bueno. Vistas espectaculares.limpio

Attended Friday afternoon with family.

We love bells and often have fish and chips from one of the Durham branches, the fish is so delicious and tasty, the chips are the best I’ve had, wouldn’t recommend anywhere else for a good fish n chips! Staff are always welcoming and efficient, overall highly recommend.

We went ther because of Tripadvisor's recommandations. Thought this is a fish restaurant. And were deceived. I had sole. Deep fried as fish'n chips. The crust was excellent. The sole inside looked fine. The taste was very faint, hardly as fish. The texture was like mashed potato.

Bells fish and chips is one of the best fish and chips in town well l think it is . There is a good range of food you can get. The food is well cooked and is always yummy the hygiene of the food is brilliant. A well looked after place always clean and tidy. I would recommend coming here the food is delicious. And very easy to find just in the centre of Durham

Great easy parking and an eye catcher of a fish & chip shop! Table service was very slow but staff where polite, food was delicious

Order a battered haggis which was told it would take 10 mins which it did then when I received it was very greasy on the inside and over cooked chips

The meals where very good and satisfying. We will no doubt go again sometime. The service was excellent

We were working in the area and so wanted something quick and inexpensive to eat. We popped in here and had chips with curry sauce to take away. I wouldn't normally leave a review for something as small as chips with curry sauce but I will because they were simply delicious. Chips were perfect and the curry sauce was to die for - plentiful and extremely tasty. The guys behind the counter were friendly and I will definitely return the next time I am in the area.

I needed a relatively cheap quick, sit down meal so this seemed to fit the bill. Friendly staff, plenty of seating (there is an upstairs as well) and a nice cup of tea. But the fish and chips were a little disappointing, The fish was clearly fried to order though bit batter heavy but the chips looked and tasted tired - not something I would expect in a chip shop. Not enough here to tempt me back if I was in Durham again.

Visited with friends. Menu was good; staters and main course ( of course fish and chips). Staff friendly and helpfull

The restaurant itself is nice and the service ok. We felt that the fish and chips were too greasy, but that might depend on each person’s taste.

Stopped into Bells on an ugly night for fish and chips takeaway. Was the only one in line and promptly got my box of food to enjoy at home. The fish was fresh and flaky, the fries were crispy, and the homemade tartar sauce was scrumptious. Definitely worth the visit and cost!

called in to bells for tea for 3 food was absolutley lovely and the curry sauce was the nicest I've ever had from a chip shop. Portions were generous and food was beautifully cooked. We hit lucky on the time we went but I've heard the quality iss good even during peak and I'm happy to believe it having eaten it.

We have just moved to the area and literally moved in that day and decided to get a take away and we were glad we did , great service friendly staff and I must say the best fish and chips I’ve had for a wee while

Lovely day in Durham and I popped in for a tray of chips.Their food is quality but while I was in the queue I was horrified to see a bare hand reach in and rearrange the fish.Keep your grubby hands off my food in future..unbelievable!

Had fish,chips and mushy peas here in the takeaway with my fiance...absolutly delicious...didnt think we were going to finish them but too good to leave...would definately recommend them and will visit again...

it's quite an ok fish and chips but it seems like no one is trying to get rid of the extra oil. Fish is difficult to eat because of it. The fish itself is good but the whole batter and chips etc. ruin the experience.

We strolled around durham and we found a takeout place. We thought it doesn't have a proper dining area so we bought fish and chips, their staple, stood at the window and divulged at its goodness. I was very hungry so I reckoned my taste buds would be biased but their fish and chips were very tasty, the batter was rich and it melts in your mouth. After eating, we saw the proper dining area at the side of the takeaway so we concluded that we were just dead hungry that time.

Had cod, chips and curry sauce. Was absolutely delicious. Staff are young, bit bored looking, but well mannered. Fish was delicious and great quality. Chips and sauce were really tasty. Lots of dishes I'd like to have tried, but portions were large so will just had to go back!

We were visiting the city for the day & decided to have a traditional English lunch, I chose the haddock & my wife & friends had cod. All 4 meals along with the curry sauce & mushy pease were delicious & faultless.

Very good quality and prices.good service highly recommend this Resturant. Good choices of food well prepared and served.

Excellent haddock and chips. Beautiful batter. Nice atmosphere in resraurant and good friendly staff. Will use again.

There's nothing like the chips of the North-East, and Bells is so lush you have to go.