Bistro Italiano in County Durham

A wonderful restaurant- we are recommending it to all our friends having heard about it from my son who was a student in Durham a few years ago. There is a huge variety of food all perfectly cooked and presented and the atmosphere and service are excellent.

2 wonderful meals in 1 weekend. Food beautiful and great atmosphere. V friendly but not in your face.

An authentic Italian restaurant in a slightly out of the way location. Attentive and courteous staff with an authentic Italian atmosphere.

Fantastic food brilliant service very attentative only fault lack of car parking

Been here twice now, everything has always been absolutely terrific ❤️💜❤️

first time ever been lived in Durham over twenty years highly recommended food was divine and portions was huge had to take some home

Just been once and has become my favourite place for a meal out in Durham. Super friendly staff, delicious food and really affordable pricing. The setting is really intimate and unlike anything else in town, felt like a small getaway! Can’t recommend more, will definitely be back

Very nice and reasonably priced

Best Italian food i have eaten 😋

We had a reservation but we were assigned to a storage room and no one took our order . 🥲So we left

Had a wonderful evening with friends new and not so new. Had the scallops, which I do every time I go to Bistro Italiano as they are superb. The staff don't rush you here and we're the last to leave.

Excellent ambience, food, great staff. A1

The lasagne is the best I've ever had

Great service not too rushed not too slow I can honestly say that my meal was outstanding and the best Italian meal I have enjoyed. I frequently have meals out in London at top Italian restaurants charging double plus Alex

Lovely place, great service, atmosphere and tasty food!

What a beautiful meal. Service excellent. Food divine. Can heartily recommend this place.

Lovely, small place for an Italian. Good service and tasty food.

Very nice meal in a Cozy little restaurant, with plenty of meal & drink choices. Well positioned on a street with parking. Good value, and great taste, keep it up.

I was somewhat hesitant to try this restaurant at first, it is a little off the beaten track and the rather scruffy external appearance does little to entice the uninformed diner. Once inside, however, I couid immediately understand why everyone I asked for an Italian restaurant recommendation told me to book early! This is not a luxury dining experience, but in terms of the quality of food, cleanliness of the crisp cotton clad tables and napkins, friendliness of service and width of menu choice it is simply exceptional! At 61 years of age and with many tens of thousands of miles travelled, Ive eaten in countless Italian restaurants (it is my favourite cuisine) - The garlic, tomato and cheese bread I had for starter at Bistro Italiano is absolutely and without question the best I have ever eaten,anywhere. A comparatively simple main course choice (Pollo al Crema) was beautifully prepared, with a rich sauce and tender chicken. I will count this little gem of a restaurant amongst my most lucky finds. I will be back!

Fantastic traditional Italian restaurant. Great quality food, and old school atmosphere with unobtrusive yet attentive service. Wide choice of unusual Italian wines. The Gavi Di Gavi was superb.

Service was outstanding and the food was absolutely scrumptious and fresh. White Russian cocktail wasn’t on the list but they made it to perfection! Definitely will visit again.

Very good food good atmosphere nice service, nice selection on the vine, and to finish off very tasty desert.

Went with family for a birthday celebration had a lovely meal

Excellent dinner here. Our server was welcoming and helpful for providing wine recommendations. Had the seafood risotto which was fantastic. Even brought out lemon water to rinse away the fish from my fingers. The tiramisu was delicious. Never rushed to leave.

Lovely tasty food, and great service. Very accommodating where allergy's are concerned.

Everything about our time at this restaurant was very good.

A great Italian restaurant. The food was delicious - I had the sea food risotto. The carbonara was also very nice. Great garlic bread. Lively atmosphere but fine for grown up family meals or friends.

Really nice family-run Italian restaurant. Friendly staff, good atmosphere and delicious food. Definitely worth a visit for any Italian cuisine aficianados.

Went in as 6 without reservation, the waitress quickly figured out to rotate a few tables allowing her to let us all fit, which is the first time I've seen something that smart in a restaurant in the UK. The food was quite good, not the biggest portions, but the prices were very reasonable.

Service was friendly but professional. Very welcoming and helpful! Food was delicious as always! Highly recommend this place for a date night or a nice family meal out!

brilliant service and food was divine

7 friends from work all had a brilliant time on 30 June 2023. Pre ordered and starters came just as we sat down. By far my favourite restaurant in Durham. Food and service First Class. Our waiter was particularly attentive.

We had an evening meal here and the food and service was excellent.The alcohol was expensive with pinot grigio @ £26 per bottle and bottles of lager £4.50 for 330 ml bottles - no draught beers. Very nice food served by friendly waiters.

After two unmemorable experiences, for our last night in Durham we thought that we would try somewhere further from the main tourist area and we were so glad we did. The food was superb (including the best tartufo I have ever had} , the wine excellent, the service cheerful and the prices reasonable. Hats off to the lovely family who run it.

After two unmemorable experiences, for our last night in Durham we thought that we would try somewhere further from the main tourist area and we were so glad we did. The food was superb (including the best tartufo I have ever had} , the wine excellent, the service cheerful and the prices reasonable. Hats off to the lovely family who run it.

Superb evening in this very friendly restaurant. The food was delicious and presented beautifully along with a great bottle of red wine, our steak dishes were superb. Banter with Max (one of the waiters) added to the superb evening. Thankyou to all, you definitely should try this place when you visit Durham.

The food, the atmosphere, the service here are all absolutely fantastic. Don’t be put off by the somewhat run-down and dated decor and exterior - once you’ce been welcomed in and sat down , you appreciate the old fashioned rustic charm! The food is so good, a great selection of starters and mains with some particularly good fish and seafood dishes. I would highly recommend and will definitely return. Thanks!

Excellent food & service. A hidden gem. Thoroughly recommended

Fabulous food very friendly staff great service loved it starters and main course gorgeous would return tomorrow the goats cheese starter was delicious and prawn tagliatelle was so nice not the cheapest in town but definitely the best

We visited this restaurant on our first night in Durham as it was close to where we were staying. I am delighted that we did as the food was really good. There was a very good choice of main meals and also desserts. I can thoroughly recommend the chicken dishes and also the pannecotta. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we returned again on our last night. The service was very good and our waiter was especially attentive and helpful as I have to eat gluten free. Thank you for two very enjoyable and tasty meals out.

Excellent food and service. Dined here twice and both times the food was exceptional. Happy to accommodate food intolerances and attentive service

Never judge a book by its cover, never judge a restaurant by its place on Claypath. Frankly the food was excellent and the staff were friendly and attentive.

Had two meals here last week. We were impressed by the atmosphere on the first visit and booked again but were slightly disappointed the second time as the restaurant was less busy. The service was immaculate on both visits and the food was very good on both occasions. Very varied menu with a great selection of fish and meat dishes.

Went here for tea and most say this place has gone back over. Ordered the risotto pollo and the pasta Alfredo. Other than one dish was rice the other pasta both dishes tasted the same and were extremely bland. (a lot like the menu) . Finally they don’t serve draft beer or lager so to have to pay £4.60 for a small bottle of lager is bordering on criminal…honestly it surmounted to a pint of lager costing £9.20. Now I know it’s a struggle for business to survive in the current climate but your customers are facing the same struggles. Will not be returning…ever!

Had an amazing meal Can’t recommend highly enough. Lovely ambiance, food from the specials board fantastic.

The best Italian in Durham. Every time. Have been over 20 times here. Stunning food, great value for money, service fabulous and ambience perfect for date night. Cannot recommend this place enough; look no where else for a perfect Italian meal!

We called into this place for an early dinner, to be fair we'd been here a few times but not for a long time and it had sort of slipped our minds. We were the first there, to the point of having lights turned on as we entered. Quite amusing watching the place come to life. Our starters were the sacllops and lobster ravioli, both excellent. Mains were both steaks, one Diane and a fillet, again perfect. This five Star review comes with a slight caveat, I might have marked the over all review down because of the deserts, nothing wrong with them, just generic and a bit disappointing. But seeing as the starters/mains were so good, it didn't seem fair. My advice would be skip the deserts and have a coffee. It's a lovely place to eat, with great food(bar the deserts) would definitely recommend.

Too slow and the food is absolutely rank

Chance find on a Sunday night. Excellent food far better than we expected. So good we are going back tomorrow to be a little more adventurous. Thanks

Great restaurant but up a lot of steps and the loo is even higher. We had a voucher as a Christmas present but the waiter said to my young lady they didn't do vouchers and kept a straight face, then he turned round and looked at me and winked. We had a great night. The food and wine were very very good. We wanted more wine and were persuaded that a bottle was cheaper than 2 large glasses, which it was, but it took us so long to drink it the place was closing down and some of the staff had their coats on. But no one complained about us being last. Would go back any time.

Great food, lovely atmosphere and friendly sevice

Been twice and has been excellent both times. Food is top class and the service is great. Huge thanks for making both times a great experience, we will be definitely visiting more.

Haven't been here for quite some time, but the food was lush. Great service too. Highly recommended if you're looking for an Italian restaurant in Durham.

Fantastic meal with our 5 grandchildren. The food was excellent and they were lovely to the kids

Only had takeaway but it’s been amazing every time !! So flavoursome, always delivered quickly and is piping hot! Very authentic Italian too

Working in Durham for a couple of nights and this little gem popped up in the search. So glad we went. Every dish was very tasty. Can't fault the food at all. Keep it up guys.

Great little family run restaurant , with a great atmosphere

Why take bookings if you can't accommodate your customers. And why do you not apologise and take responsibility for your inadequate management. Poor poor service. Dont blame your customers if you can't do your job. Table booked, waited 30 minutes and nobody even asked us...

Who ever was managing this place tonight needs sacking. Rubbish service and arrogant attitude. We had a table booked and 30 mins later nobody had even asked us if we wanted a drink while we were waiting. Their excuse was 'it's not our problem that people are still eating'. OK that's fine but your attitude was appalling. Don't work in the hospitality trade if you're not fit for the job.

Nice food with great and charming milieu!

Despite Durham being really busy & even though we hadn't made a reservation, they were able to seat the 3 of us straight away in quiet part of the restaurant. Service was friendly & pretty quick considering how busy it was. We opted for 3 different pasta dishes from the main menu & they were all delicious & very filling. A lovely dining experience. I would strongly recommend.

Absolutely superb food Excellent choice of food and wines Value for money Great staff - who cant to enough to help in any way, shape or form Lovely ambience Going back for our third visit

Fantastic food in a great atmosphere. A wide Italian menu, with a full range of pizza, pasta and main courses of chicken, steak or fish. Amazing desserts if you have any space left! Recommended!

A chance find on our recent Durham trip. We found the restaurant using restaurants near us & then checked out Trip Advisor Home cooked Italian food with a very hospitable host and his staff

This restaurant is an absolute gem, great food and service.

Tasty enough, but pretty standard; no disappointments, however nothing blew us away. Staff are really pleasant and accommodating. Drinks are good for wine, but other stuff is lacking - can't get a negroni, for example. Overall a decent experience, and no big criticisms - stick to the dinner deal for a good value meal. You can get tastier stuff at other Italian places in the region.

Beautiful food ..great presentation. Lovely staff. Exceptional value for money..our favourite Italian 😍

What a fantastic find this was. Everything was faultless. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was superb. Cannot reccomend enough.

Lovely food and great friendly service as usual.

Gorgeous food and great service

Really lovely inside, and great quality food. Good range of options, and friendly service.

I saw this on trip advisor and saw it had good reviews, I can honestly say it was one of the best Italian meals we have had. Like one of your reviewers said ‘forget about the outside’ once your food arrives that doesn’t matter. We...

It has a really good aubergine hot starter, their pizza is good, chicken and pasta were average. The place smells smoke most of my time there!

Don’t be put off by the exterior, this is a wonderful restaurant. A warm welcome, efficient but friendly service, a range of price points from simple pasta and pizzas up The seafood and steaks are superb.

Amazing Italian food - authentic and truly delicious. Portions were quite generous too. Ordered the Spaghetti Vongole from the specials menu - was not disappointed! Would definitely be returning again for more good food. The authentic Italian desserts that they have on offer were amazing too - ask to see the dessert menu!

Fabulous food great service nice atmosphere very authentic will be back

Beautiful little restaurant, well worth a visit, our meal was delicious.

I have the best ever on the bone ribbeye stake

Have eaten here for years with family and work, never had a bad meal once service is relaxed and friendly, seafood is always outstanding.

Great meal and atmosphere, I can imagine it being very busy on a Saturday, but Sunday sat down immediately and the restaurant was full at 7.30 pm , great service, meal and ambience, look forward to visiting again when in Durham

Great food generous portions and they’ll even sort you out with cocktails not on the menu! This really impressed me and their Negroni os fantastic. Had deep fried mozzarella to start and then a pepperoni pizza. Both were lovely and the pepperoni was lovely and spicey a real treat. The service is great! I can thorough recommend this restaurant

Absolutely brilliant. Loved the food, the place was amazing. Strongly recommend this place

Had a very nice meal here last night. Whitebait to start followed by seafood pasta. The service was efficient and friendly and the ambience great.

Fantastic authentic consistent Italian food.

This is a long established restaurant which I have been to several times before the pandemic. First time back last night and it was as fantastic as ever. Totally unpretentious, comfortable, friendly staff. The menu is comprehensive and great specials on offer. Most importantly, the...

Visited in February, really good staff food and care, quantity and quality in one, book early as gets full very quickly

Fantastic little Italian restaurant. Hannah (wife) had booked for my birthday meal and it was perfect. Just what I think of when I think of Italian restaurant. Beautiful food, friendly staff, great atmosphere and very reasonable prices

Really nice place with good cousine. Risotto, carponara and minestrone were very good.

The vibe is very nice. Their food is fantastic, classic Italia cuisine. The waitress is friendly. If you are going to have a birthday dinner, you can bring your cake to there, and they will help to light the candles and sing “Happy Birthday”. 店內氣氛佳，食物很好吃，正宗義大利料理。服務生態度很友善，如果要慶生，可以帶生日蛋糕來，服務生會提供並幫忙點蠟燭，在最後唱著生日快樂歌端上來。

Lovely meal in relaxed environment. Would definitely recommend it and will definitely be going back

Quaint little restaurant. It was a lovely authentic atmosphere, the music and decor were very pleasant. The food was outstanding, and very healthy potions! It seemed popular so I'd recommend booking beforehand.

Cramped, music played from a single 80s radio blasted loudly, you hardly get any food and it's generall uncomfortable with some guy standing around watching you eat. Very pushy on the drinks as well! Go to La Spaghettata

Very disappointing. Having booked for 8:00pm, still waiting for a table at 8:40pm .... we left. We know that the food is very good, but will not be going back on a weekend again, as we would like to actually eat some! There were several other diners in the same situation sat upstairs waiting for up to an hour.

My family and I attended fir a birthday celebration. We had a varied choice from both the menu and the specials blackboard. A great night was enjoyed by all. We would recommend this venue for future donning. Thanks to George snd Tony especially.

Was here with 12 friends and we had lovely food, service and intimate atmosphere. Chose from the special menu. Very reasonable price, food tasty and sufficient. Waiters very polite and not intrusive, nothing a bother for them. We come here annually as a group but also as smaller groups throughout the year. Definitely recommend it.

Always a lovely experience at Bistro! Food is always amazing, atmosphere is very authentic Italian. Love this place! 🤍

Excellent food. Relaxed, comfortable atmosphere and friendly staff.

My favourite place in the world. Georgio and the rest of the staff are like a family to me. It is one of the very few places that you know you will have a very good time... Thank you Bistro Italiano.

Fabulous restaurant with a xcellent food, great service, Fabulous ambience and very reasonable prices. Best meal we have had for a long time. Go!

First visit last week after multiple people had recommended Bistro Italiano to us. Food was great, we had calamari to start, I had a pizza with roasted veg, my sister has pasta with mussels and garlic and my mum had a calzone. All very lovely...