Bells Fish Restaurant in County Durham - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Horrendous customer service - we were told (not asked) to "speak up" by a rude waitress who took our order who didn't use any language I would consider standard for a restaurant - please or thank yous . We tried not to let this bother our experience but when our food arrived incorrectly we sent a wrong dish back after being told by another waiter it would be with us right away. It didn't. We were then charged this dish on the bill. Horrible hot restaurant and atmosphere. Don't bother!

Busy but we'll worth it was lovely food

Ordered haddock and chips. Asked if the fish was skinned. Was told yes. When the order arrived the fish was not skinned. !!! When raised with the waitress she replied we asked if it had skin on it??? A short discussion followed and then the manageress removed the fish and chips no apology or acception they were in the wrong. . Rude staff who were not prepared to admit they were in the wrong.

Rude horrible lad served us ,felt like we were being bothersome to him ,asked for salt and vinegar on and battered ,saw loads of batter in heater but he said rudely I've got none ,then proceeded to chuck our fish and chips unopened onto counter not asking if we wanted them wrapped or owt for us to put our own salt and vinegar on ,then I asked for plastic forks to which he rudely replied we only have them and pointed to wooden ones on counter ,Rude unpleasant man ! After that had to return undercooked fish and sloppy peas ,never again got money back !

Got there late as they were starting to shut down. They couldn't be more helpful! Great Haddock, the half and half (chips/salad) was a good amount. Good value, good food!

Excellent fish and chips. Service was also amazing. High recommend

Went with my partner ordered a smoked sausage. The waiter guy with curly hair and thick black glasses refused to sell one on the restaurant side. ??? Never been an issue before. Went to the takeaway side didn't have any anyway. So just got chips which went in the bin as they are awful. Will be sticking to the gilesgate bells in future .

Coeliac friendly. The okd building causes a slightly slower service than other places, but I cannot fault the place.

Walked in for our lunch, downstairs was busy so directed upstairs and seated/served by Malcolm. Nice pleasant server who took our order almost immediately. We ordered our drinks, quite expensive in my opinion, particularly the change of £1 for extra hot water (to go with the tea). Fish very tasty, large portion of chips and steak pie very good. Pleasant meal but can’t believe they charge for hot water.

Visited today, ordered 2 cod and chips they were terrible! I asked for mine to be returned as the batter underneath was not cooked, it was like a thick flour paste. I wasn't happy and when the waiter came and asked was it okay I plucked up the courage and said that it wasn't. I asked for the meal to be replaced, and what was sent back was a very thin piece of fish of which the batter was better. My mother and I left the meal . Also the drinks are over priced nearly £7 for 2 bottles of diet coke, absolutely joke.

My friend and I ate here a couple of days ago, and the experience was just disappointing. After reading the reviews, we expected a lot, and had our hopes up for a pleasant experience. We booked a table for 5:45, turned up at 5:50 (buses were late!), and were told we had to wait 5-10 minutes for a table… despite booking. That’s fine, service gets busy. We were seated next to a gentleman who was coughing the entire time. He was clearing his throat, coughing with his mouth open, and phlegming maybe 3-4 times a minute. It was wildly unappetising and off putting. For this reason I left half of my food, as I wasn’t able to actually bring this up to service as we were never asked how our food was during our visit. We watched others be asked, but we were never asked. When we finished our food (my friend ate his entire plate but I had half), we were given the bill. This is where it got bad. I mentioned to the waiter, a young lad maybe in his 20s, the experience we had and how I wasn’t able to eat the food due to our seating arrangement. I was told that the customer in question was a regular, and told me some guilt-tripping information about him. I found this inappropriate, as if trying to make me feel bad for complaining. I asked for a reduction in price for the half-eaten meal which was no fault of my own. This was honoured, but only after myself and my friend watched the waiter walk away and roll his eyes mouthing “for f—ks sake” before speaking to his manager. We did not bring this up to the manager when he arrived, as we’d seen enough to know we wouldn’t return. We very kindly had the drinks and sides taken off our meal (a £10 reduction in price overall), paid and made our way. This was very generous and I appreciate the effort there, but the customer service was devastating given the glowing reviews. We won’t be back, and I really hope that younger gentleman doesn’t roll his eyes at another customer or guilt trip them when they complain about the restaurant’s atmosphere.

Been every year on the day of the big meet. Eating here has become something of an annual pilgrimage. Was a tad shocked at the size of my fish as it was far smaller than before. Still be back next year to give it another try.

The fish was crispy and delicious, but the chips/fries were a little soft. Nice choice of sauces at the table, mayo, ketchup, HP and vinegar. The lemon curd cheesecake for desert was amazing and came served with a scoop of ice cream. Really friendly staff.

Should say best fish and chips in Durham. Good place if friends visit. But I will feel a little oily if you eat all the plate. Not the restaurant’s fault 😅

Beautifully cooked fish & chips. Lovely haddock in excellent batter with crisp on the outside fluffy on the inside chips. Don’t think I’ve ever eaten better 😋

Good chips, really good for gluten free!

Great fish and chips, very tasty

Fresh Fish and Chips with Friendly Service. This fish and chip shop was a terrific surprise. The haddock, which isn't always on menus, was cooked to perfection - crispy batter and flaky fish. The chips were fresh and piping hot. The service was friendly and attentive, and our order arrived quickly. The price was reasonable for a city centre location. Overall, a great experience!

Daily the fish is delivered here and you can tell! And the chips even are superb if you eat slowly and they go cold on you! Superb meal. Superb.

Great food defo worth a visit friendly helpful staff

The fish and chips were very good

Very welcoming, helpful, and friendly staff. I came with my family and enjoyed the food. Well Done to all staff. Thank you.

Last stop on out Post London Marathon Euro tour.... London, Paris, Zurich, Rome, Durham (to visit family). During our trip, this was the best food we experienced! Thanks especially to the top floor gang (Claire and Liam) they went above and beyond and created a very welcoming vibe. Stuart (Australia)

Last leg of our London Marathon Euro tour.. London Paris Zurich Rome Durham (to visit family) This was hands down the best food we experienced! Special thanks to Claire (clare?) and Liam on the upper floor, they were fantastic hosts! 10/10 Recommended Stuart (Australia)

Chips were stale tasting and soggy as if been stood around a while but the lad who served us was brilliant, the chippy itself was very modern and stylish plus the garlic sauce, bun and spam fritters were very good.

Fantastic traditional food and competitive prices

Best chippy for miles, food fabulous service great will come again

This restaurant seemed very popular so we gave it a try. It was very busy as it was Easter Weekend but we managed to get seated quickly. The meal was overall good. The chips, curry and peas were good. The fish batter wasn't crispy, although it looked like it would be (it was more chewy than crunchy) but we enjoyed what we had for the most part. Not the best we've had but certainly not the worst.

Went to Bells tonight and it wasn't as good as it usually is. Burgers taken off the menu for chilren, only cheese burgers for adults available. Fish was tougher than usual and things on the menu were unavailable. What's happened? Has thete been a hange of chef/management?

Wanted the not advertised vegetarian chips! Chap looked lost and he said gluten free so repeat vegetarian chips! Told at least 25 minutes wait. Without other Google reviews I wouldn't have even known chips in beef dripping are in the past. Gutted food looked nice but service shocking and for fast food almost 30 minute wait no thank you!! If you are veggie gluten-free or vegan go to Greggs opposite like I did bthey don't like our kind

In my personal experience among different restaurants in Durham, this was the best one. I went there two days in a row for lunch and despite the large number of people they help everyday, they recognised me immediately and they gave me the same table. Very nice people and the two different dishes of fish I had were both delicious. Tasty food, nice staff and quick service.

£8.25 for chip butty and gravy, scandalous

One of the best fish & chips we have had. Lovely venue & very friendly staff.

Food was excellent as always, waiting staff could maybe do with a bit more of a spring in their step, given menus as we were given a table, almost fifteen minutes later before our order was taken, and the restaurant was relatively quiet.

Pretty good service and location. Big quantity of food but not the best taste.

Absolutely loved my experience at this fish and chip restaurant! The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, making us feel right at home. The food was simply beautiful - perfectly crispy fish and golden chips. Definitely a five-star experience!

been coming here many years and have never been let down. very friendly staff with a nice layout. food has always been one of its high points but as of recent times the size of the cod fillets have gotten smaller but that hasn’t affected the overall quality. The chips are always perfect and flavourful. the staff are very attentive and friendly and always go above and beyond. the fish tank upon entrance is also a bonus and a nice addition.

This restaurant and takeaway is perfectly situated on the corner of the Market Square in Durham and gets very busy. We visited on a Saturday afternoon, and the restaurant was full. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a lovely young woman and made to feel welcome and comfortable, and we were seated immediately. She took our order and explained all our options fully and concisely. I ordered a cod with small chips to share and a lemonade. Despite it being so busy we didn't have to wait long for our food. We were given curry sauce, which we didn't order, but that was removed from our bill when we sent it back. The chips were OK but a bit hard and not many chunky ones. The Cod was a good size but very watery and tasteless. For a meal for two that came to over £30 this really wasn't worth it, and I won't be eating here again. I think a £5 difference between eating in and taking away is very expensive too.

Really good fish and chips. Very pleased with takeaway. Great tartar sauce also

Why not add a ramp inside the chip shop part so wheelchair users can get their chips without having to rely on friends. Still 4* though as the food is lush.

This was an easy choice at the end of a busy Saturday when many of Durham's other restaurants were too busy. Not too expensive and happy to let us order 2 mains and an extra plate for our daughter, as we don't have big appetites. I was impressed with the salad I ordered instead of chips which was very nicely presented, and not just baby gem lettuce either. Bonus points for that. Downside that other fish choices, like sea bass, haddock etc just weren't available - possibly just because it was a busy Saturday night? And having a radio station playing as background music made it feel more like an extension of a chippy and less like a restaurant which was a pity. They have a great location with a view over the square and it's a clean and comfortable place to sit in with your fish and chips.

Definitely some of the best fish and chips I've had. Restaurant is a lovely place to sit, looking out into the Market Square. And the staff are lovely.

kind and helpful staff , excellent food, very busy, long time waiting for food

Top tier chippy in the north east. A must go-to if you visit Durham. By far one of the best fish and chip shops in the north east and the dine in area is amazing.

Quite expensive, but very nice and always fresh

Wonderful family experience. Staff were wonderful and helpful even with the gluten free options.

Food is fantastic, well worth every penny

Great food and the staff were first class 👌

A Culinary Delight Marred by Service Woes I recently visited Bell's Fish and Chips at Durham Market Place, and the culinary experience left me craving more. The food, undoubtedly, deserves a perfect 10/10 – flavorful, crispy, and an absolute delight for any fish and chips enthusiast. However, my enthusiasm took a nosedive due to the service, particularly from a lady staff member. The service was, to put it mildly, appalling. The lack of courtesy and a seemingly joyless demeanor left a bitter taste in what should have been a delightful dining experience. It's a reminder that a smile doesn't cost a thing, but it can make a world of difference. In summary, while Bell's Fish and Chips excels in the culinary department with a solid 10/10 for their delectable fare, the overall experience is tarnished by a severe service lapse, earning them a regrettable 0/10 in that aspect. Hopefully, the management takes note and works towards ensuring that every aspect of a customer's visit lives up to the quality of their scrumptious dishes.

Great place for a sit down fish and chips.

Staff are lovely, very clean. Food was nice too

Bells is easily my top 3 fish and chips place to go. The fish is crispy, freshly made, and you won’t taste much oily feel. The chips is normal. Curry sauce to me is a must add because it matches the fish and chips so well. Price for cod and chips is £10.8 Curry sauce is £1.7 Not particularly cheap, but cost of living, everything is expensive. I also tried their sausage, it is average, not particularly recommend. If you are in durham, this is a must try.

The food and service was first class.

Just awesome. Lovely menu selection for different fish choices. Perfect light crunchy batter, fresh large cod, perfect proper fish shop chips. Hot and freshly cooked with bread and butter. Heaven.

I want to say that it was a good experience with good food and family welcoming into a nice warm environment The prices are reasonable and the staff are really helpful and will take care of you and any questions just ask them and they will help you.

Great experience, fantastic food, very accommodating and friendly staff. Portion sizes are perfect for what they should be and for the price. Staff were very attentive and were happy to help with a smile. Will definitely visit again.

Se passate da Durham fate una tappa da Bells per un ottimo piatto di fish e cips! Si trova nella piazza del mercato in pieno centro storico

Didn't book so had a table upstairs. Excellent waiter. I had fish medley. It was OK but wished I had the plain fish and chips my husband did. Reasonably priced. X

Not good value at all. Staff wonder about with a feeling that customers are a hassle. To add I insult to terrible food as not very hot or tasty we were over charged. Never again

Best fish and chips I’ve had in years. Crispy and super light batter. Lovely friendly staff. Recommended.

Loved my fish & chips The Salad is fantastic lots of different flavours pomegranate with loads of different colours of veg on the plate

First visit to Durham and to Bells excellent food and brilliant staff. Can fully recommend this chippy.

Absolutely the best fish n chips place in Durham. Great little take out bit and a restaurant overlooking the market square.

Lovely little fish and chips restaurant in Durham. You can either sit in or takeaway. We chose to sit inside and it was a lovely experience and the food was delicious the service was also good too!

We had a takeaway, small fish and very few chips in a large box.....for £10.80.!!!!! Served by jess, who needs a lot of customer service training, very blunt when talking to customers and you could tell she just did not want to be there. Will not be going back there.

比想像中好吃的炸魚薯條，我記得這間好像是連鎖餐廳，服務人員態度親切友好，飯後的薄荷糖很好吃

Lovely fresh fish and chips and gluten free catered for.

Service was great. We made the mistake of ordering the mixed fish dish (battered prawns, calamari and some indeterminate lumps of fish) which was dry and tasteless, obviously straight out of a packet of frozen. The chips, mushy peas and curry sauce were gorgeous though. Should have ordered a proper piece of fish then it would likely have been much better

This is absolute best place to eat. The girl that works at the front is so lovely! She booked us a table for 8pm and was so beyond hospitable. Even though they had run out of most of the fish that late I was still so impressed with the food I received. Great staff and atmosphere. They had a party of two older men (one truly horrid) who were loud, drunk and beyond rude and their staff handled them with class. I highly recommend this place to everyone!

Excelente, un lugar muy agradable, con una excelente ubicación

I tried Haddock and chips and it’s good. However the service put me off, locals are being treated much better than non locals, I will never return to this place because of that.

Really great fish lunch. Fish was fresh and cooked to perfection, chips were tasty and fresh, took the bread and butter and mushy peas. Would definitely recommend this place. The takeaway seemed very busy too.

It was one of my favorite Fish & Chips in UK and I didn't feel so sure after opened more restaurants the quality didn't go down but really surprised me because continue having same quality as before making it one of the best F&C I never have eaten. My unique surprise they haven't Durham beer as before but except for it was very nice

Delicious fish and chips (I recommend the plaice), lovely and friendly staff. We were lucky to get a window seat upstairs to enjoy the view while we ate

Good to average. Need a better selection of sauces. Good serrvce and portions are adequate.

الاكل لذيذ خصوصا حدوق والسلمون وترا يشبببع طبق واحد والموظفين بشوشين والخدمه سريعه تعتبر والاسعار بعد حلوه على مستوى الاكل المقدم 👌🏻

Terrific fish and chips in the historic heart of the city.

My husband and I came here for a sit down lunch yesterday and we were very happy with everything. The seating upstairs was comfortable, well lit and had a friendly, casual ambience, ideal for a lunch stop. There were plenty of variety on the menu, and not just battered cod and chips, including vegetarian options like cheese patty, vege burger and vegetable lasagne just to name a few. I chose to have the salmon with half and half, while my husband had a cheese patty with chips, and some onion rings as a side. Every dish was cooked to fresh perfection, portions were generous, and plates were beautifully presented. I was even impressed with the salad alone which was a colourful mix of very fresh vegetables. Our servers were very attentive and polite, and delivered an efficient service. I will certainly be back for future visits. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g190832-d2264416-r916911341-Bells_Fish_Restaurant-Durham_County_Durham_England.html#

When you think fish and chips, whether you know it or not, you're thinking about Bells. The fish is fresh, delicious, and fried to perfection. The chips are hearty and flavourful. The tartare sauce—clearly made in-house—is the best you'll ever have. The restaurant itself is pleasant enough—serviceable, nothing fancy—but this isn't about atmosphere. It's about fish and chips, and they're the best.

Great food, my American cousins loved this place

With elderly mother who can't eat a full fish so asked for cod chunks. Told couldn't have these as they are only on children's menu. Absolutely ridiculous - what is the logic of that. Didn't want drink, ice cream etc and would pay full price for them. Really Bells!!!!!

I would recommend this place,especially the waitress Sarah, what a lovely girl,very helpful and cheery,can't praise her enough.

I don’t normally leave reviews but after hearing so much positive feedback I felt I had to. I ordered take away this evening at 6:30. After seeing what was left in the counter I should have walked out, but I did not realise my order would not be cooked fresh. The fish, cod, was almost completely dried out and had no flavour. The chips we warm but again had no flavour. Obviously the best time to come is earlier in the day, or skip the takeaway and eat in the restaurant I would like to think it’s cooked fresh there! So disappointed total waste of money won’t be back

Perfect best fish and chips I've had way better than Sunderland one's

Disapointed with such a small amount of chips in very small tray . Then I spotted someone with a much bigger tray of chips with a sausage so order a sausage to make them give you a bigger tray which means double the amount of chips. How ridiculous! You are rewarded with more chips due to buying a sausage. I felt this was a underhand tactic and if id seen the size of the tray before being served I would have gone elsewhere at £2.80 for a very small portion of chips.

Friendly staff, good location, and nice food!

Some of the best fish and chips we have had along with very good service Highly recommend. Will definitely be back.

Don't quite get some of the negative reviews I'm reading about this place. We went twice in three days and it was fab. Believe me, the fish and chips portions are not small and are cooked to perfection at the takeaway side but we also want in the restaurant upstairs where I had homemade pie of the day which on that day was steak and it was gorgeous!! . Forget the bad reviews and go see for yourself.

Great cod and chips, cooked to perfection and rare to see salad on the standard menu as an option instead of chips, or half n half as my partner chose. Curry sauce and bread and tea all good too.

Fantastic food. Fantastic service Polite staff Table for one was not a problem

Lovely Seafood platter and great chips .

Excellent service. Our famly enjoyed the fried cod and fried salmon. The salad was the best of the week. Ask to sit upstairs where it is quiet. The onion rings were awesome!

The best fish and chips I’ve ever had. I’ve recently been diagnosed with gluten intolerance and thought I couldn’t enjoy fish and chips again . But Bells made my day delicious cod with a rice flour batter crispy chips and a lovely salad. The staff couldn’t have been more helpful

We reserved table of 5 and ordered two meals. Waiter came to us to say we have to order 3 meals in orders to use table of. Never heard this before. We didn't need a 3rd meal and have to pay extra to sit and eat.

Pleasant traditional chip shop - restaurant central Durham - if you like fish and chips served fresh, reasonbly priced and served with a smile - definitly worth a visit

Came in out of the rain and enjoyed great Fish and Chips and some Durham Dark Angel beer. Cozy place with nice service.

I can honestly say it's the worst fish and chips we've ever had . The chips were so mushy and tasteless the fish was also tasteless. We were so Disappointed. £12.50 for cod and chips then £2.50 curry sauce which was runny and tasteless. In all we would not return . The service was absolutely brilliant and the ambience .

Fish was OK but very small and thin, not worth the money at all. It also took ages to be served and a lifetime to get the food. I understand they cook it fresh but didn't think they had to go and catch it to.

A must place to visit. We had fish and chips followed by sticky toffee pudding. The portions are large and food is cooked and presented well. The staff are welcoming and give an exceptional service. Will definitely be revisiting when back in Durham

Nice setting for this restaurant, plenty of seats split over 2 floors giving good views of Durham Market Place. Think this place is a little bit overrated regarding the fish and chips. Had large fish and chips, which I wouldn't regard as a large portion. The chips were quite cold when the food came. Couldn't fault the staff as there were friendly and helpful