Cafedral Durham in County Durham

Short waiting before being greeted by a gentleman. First impression busy and buzzing with people from all walks of life. Ordered our meal and beverage and was amazed by what was presented. Salmon and avocado salad for my husband and the Apple, Wensleydale and Walnut Quiche. All we can say is....what a pleasantly beautiful meal. We will come back again.

Very pleasant place. Not bad food or service but there is room for improvement.

Lovely people, excellent food, reasonable prices considering the location 😀

Fantastic place full of atmosphere. Come for the scones (made fresh in the house and delicious), stay for the plants. The best thing about Cafedral is the people who take care of it and its customers :) Welcoming and generous. Thank you for everything!

A lovely little cafe hidden away on the Bailey. Excellent service as soon as you walk through the door making you feel very welcomed and a valued customer. The food and drinks are great with lots of selection. I would highly recommend visiting this cafe when in Durham!

This place with was full of plants just near the Cathedral I found the name very cool just for it I wanted to try. Actually they were kind they asked me if I want to move near the window. We were in rush so just ordered tea and it was fast served. Only thing that I felt a bit uncomfortable was a man that was walking near the tables with towel and a bit angry. I totally understand with the theft this is very hard situation. Other than that it was good. I hope you the best

Lovely place.Had a fantastic wrap and then a slice of cake which I wasn't going to have but our lovely waitress bought 2 plates so it would have been rude not to! Highly recommend.

lovely cafe within walking distance of the cathedral. Dog friendly. We came with our newborn son and baby changing facilities that are non-existent, and only one toilet - we didn't mind changing him in the restaurant and neither did anyone else. This isn't disabled friendly and the stairs were slippery (raining on the day). Food was very nice and came out quickly, within 5 minutes for four people. They did forget my order and this took another 5-6 minutes to prepare. This happened again later on when we asked for hot water for the tea too. The waiter was slightly loud, but it was quite busy at brunch so I could understand his loud voice. He did give our dog a nice water bowl without us needing to ask, which was a nice change. The avocado and salmon bagel was nice and they provided a generous amount of cheese with the scone too. Overall this is a good place for brunch, and would like to see some small changes to avoid slippages which may cause accidents on wetter days.

What a lovely find! Will definitely be returning! Delicious food and very friendly and efficient staff 😋

Came in right at open with a group of 12 hungry Floorball players. The team were incredibly welcoming and accommodating - moving the tables around so that we could all sit and eat together. Drinks: A variety of hot and cold drinks available - I opted for a large Cappuccino, which was very tasty. Food: We came in early, so had a choice of breakfast/brunch options alongside the rest of the food menu. - I ordered an Eggs Florentine, which was well cooked, rich, decadent and creamy. Staff: The staff, as mentioned above, were very warm and welcoming. They were attentive and saw that all of our café needs were met. If this is how they treat all of their customers, the crew should be very proud of themselves. Final thoughts: Thank you to the Cafédral team, I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a nice breakfast out in Durham. If I'm ever back in the city, I know at least one establishment that I will be returning too.

Cosy atmosphere, great food, friendly staff, fabulous plants, 11/10

Eclectic little coffee shop great scones as well very busy but easy to see why

Busy little cafe serving hot drinks, cakes, sandwiches and soups. Not welcoming to people looking to work on laptops, and very much geared towards fast turnaround to tourists.

I went there for the hot chocolate, but to my surprise, the water there surpasses everything. The hot chocolate was good, but the flavor of the water overshadowed everything. I would recommend it just for the water; the hot chocolate was good too. On a serious note, the owner was pleasant to meet and the service was impecabble, their cakes and scones are a must try along with the hot chocolate.

Poor show, food very ordinary, very little filling in the panini and capucino cups very small. Poor value for money.

Lovely place with a good vibe and reasonable prices. Also incredible that it sponsors so many toilets through toilet twinning. Very friendly staff and would highly recommend if you’re visiting Durham.

Gem of a find...Great menu, food and friendly service 😋

If you're in Durham and want tea and a scone, you owe it to yourself to visit Cafédral. The house made pastries are delicious, the sandwiches are superb, the hot chocolate (my son's favourite) is amazing... Even the salad dressing is among the best I've ever had. Highly recommended. One thing worth mentioning: To serve as many customers as possible, Cafédral is a 'no-work zone', so if you take out your laptop while seated, you will be asked to put it away. I can understand this, and they handle it very politely, so I'm not complaining. But it is worth knowing before you go, just in case a work area is what you're looking for.

Excellent home made food. The scones were particularly good. Cozy atmosphere.

Phenomenal food and genuinely the best hot drinks my partner and I have had in our lifetimes, served with a smile - can't recommend enough!

Brilliant cafe. Incredible paninis and sweets.

Lovely place but very busy and inattentive service. Food is expensive but that is on par with Durham. Very good coffee

Really nice scones, hosts and atmosphere !

Lovely cosy cafe a stone's throw from the castle and cathedral. Great selection of hot and cold drinks, as well as hot and cold food with many marked gluten-free options. A gf panini was a very welcome (and tasty) change from jacket potatoes - thank you! Great service, nice atmosphere and local artwork for sale. Be mindful that both the cafe and its toilet are up several flights of stairs, so access is a little limited. Otherwise, cannot fault it, and had a very tasty and reasonably priced lunch here!

Had the Ploughman's Panini with salad and 'slaw - LOVED IT!! Will definitely ho back. Scones were also AMAZING!!

Nice fresh cheese scone with a piec e of cheese and chutney. Friendly staff, efficient table service. Very busy. Personally I don't think dogs should be allowed inside cafes

A really lovely place with good food and ambience . The owner and staff are really friendly and amazing service done by them. The hot chocolate (with cream and marshmallow) and the water is a must try. Highly recommend this place.

Busy, busy, busy and so enjoyable. A really good find.

quirky 1st floor cafe near Castle and cathedral in Durham, up three short flights of stairs lovely bright interior, mixing different chairs, tables and lighting with plants and loads of natural light from the massive period windows, great service and lovely food with many gluten free options. Got really busy when we were in but all added to to homely feel

Scones fit for Bede himself. This cafe is nice and quirky with fresh scones.

As a local this has become the Cafe I tend to come to if I want to eat in town. It has a nice relaxed atmosphere, friendly service, tasty food and vegan options. It can get busy but you can't fault the place for being popular. Prices are a bit high but it is right next to a world heritage site so that is to be expected I suppose. As for the mean reviews by people (students) wanting to sit on their laptop nursing a cup of tea, well I agree with the owner's policy on that one. People want to be able to get a seat and the owner needs to make money so the policy is fair enough if you ask me. I have never felt rushed.

What a great find. Cream Tea with Blueberry scones. Emily recommended lemon curd instead of jam. What an amazing combination! Thank you. Mark was welcoming and spent time explaining how he grew the avocado trees. Lovely to talk to and welcoming to all who visit.

What a find. A lovely place, great food, and a lovely chat to the gentlemen who was telling us about York. (We were visiting there the day after)

Quick lunchtime snack, friendly staff, tasty tuna panini. The petit POIs in the salad were awesome. About as good as you're going to get for a quick bite. Lovely cafe inside too, green with plants, bright and open.

Food was really good. Atmosphere and staff very pleasant. Coffee needs upgrading.

The food was nice and the interior is cool, but the person who served us was quite rude and unfriendly. Not a fan of the ‘you can’t work here’ signs, think this deters regular customers in a university city and gives off the energy that their goal is to cash you out and kick you out. Will give it another chance though.

Totally splendid! Small area to front of premises where you can sit outside to eat. Flight of steps upstairs to the restaurant, so upstairs is not pram/ wheelchair friendly, but the small front garden area is attractive to sit in. Inside is most attractively decorated with an oasis of plants and green foliage, real ones, all looking robust and healthy. Popular and very busy place but with prompt service. The decor is quite quirky with an eclectic range of lightshades, all different, and all work together as a whole. The banana smoothie was delicious and shows what a proper smoothie should be like. Good menu choice with vegetarian options available. I had the magnificent and awesome Greek salad wrap, which came with a plentiful, vibrant salad, all well presented. Only negative was my table had not been wiped down and had food crumbs from the previous diners on it. However, it does warrant a 5 star and I very highly recommend indeed and shall most definitely be returning. I shall try their award winning hot chocolate next time. Oh and the Victoria sandwich cake was yum too.

The best scones I have ever had and they have gluten free option too!

Quirky and busy with efficient service and pleasant staff. For Durham City centre location ( just down from the cathedral) very good prices. Would call again when in Durham. Take note lot of steps/stairs up to the cafe.

Excellent cafe style food and drinks with the more human touch, that is missing from the large chains.

Food has always been lovely everytime I've been in . Will always go back . Well worth a visit

Where to start! First off the floor was gross. Looked like they'd just swept all the crumbs to the sides of the room rather than actually remove any of it... perhaps they'd just lost the dustpan? Staff were pleasant enough at first but as they realised that I wasn't just going to down my tea and swallow my scone whole, they started to make pointed comments nearby about how they had people "queueing into the road" and checking my cup as they walked past repeatedly to see if I'd finished my tea yet so they could hurry me out. Seem to be a lot more interested in turnover of customers rather than making it an enjoyable experience. Ah and finally there's the lovely signs on the table basically telling you it's not ok to sit and work on your laptop because as I say they're far more interested in making as much money as they can from your table than making sure you want to come back. I did ask if I could use my laptop, as requested, and was told it was ok "if you're eating, some people just sit there with a drink on their laptop"... how terrible 😂. Felt quite uncomfortable using it after that, as if I'd have to order more food to ensure I wasn't considered to be taking the mick. Suggestion to staff if anyone cares: get yourself some smaller tables. At one point I saw 5 tables able to seat 4+ people with only 2 people sat at them. Clearly people tend to come in pairs. This might mean you can make some more money from the same space and perhaps even let your customers enjoy their time with you.

Had scones and a drink, to keep us going until evening. Nice cafe, pleasant and good scones.

Absolutely 💯 gorgeous home made cake, good coffee and friendly staff bohemian style very comfortable atmosphere positioned right near the cathedral its perfect for all occasions. It does sell food, I've only sampled the cake as yet ! be warned they are generous with the portions.

Fabulous tasty cheese scone with cheese and chutney, great coffee, mince pies super service. WONDERFUL

What a lovely takeaway. The scone is so yummy indeed! Had accidentally bumped into the boss of this cafe, and he was so full of wise judgement during a polite conversation with a sit-in customer. Would definitely visit again.

Delicious scone! A lovely place to start the morning at.

I waited there with my daughter for 25 minutes, then the lady came up to me and said that they don't have any seats at the moment but there is a high turnover, she then went to the girls who were in the queue after us, spoke in a different tone and said with a smile "I will get you seated as soon as possible sweetheart". My daughter and I were the only people of colour and it was blatant she did not want us there, as the customers who were seated before were also politely spoken to. Now we are at Patisserie Valerie, excellent service, you should all come here instead

Hot chocolate was lovely. Staff very polite. It was nice to sit outside and watch the world go by.

Wonderful scones nice decor and friendly staff.

A busy cafe right next to the cathedral, savour and sweet scones were phenomenal

Queued on stairs for 30 mins for a table. The man who runs it shut the door in my wife's face while stood in doorway! When we got in we ordered panini's. What arrived was toasted baguettes and the ploughman's was very poor... Meagre amounts of sandwich ham, melted cheese and unpleasant chutney. My son ordered a chicken and chorizo panini and there were slices of something like salami. The man in charge asked if I wanted to take the rest of my uneaten food away and I told him it was very poor and explained why. He muttered something about speaking to another member of staff and nothing more. When I went to pay they hadn't even offered to remove the charge from the bill. I complained (again) and the man directed me to someone else to sort it out....still no apology and visibly angry with me even though he didn't say it. Another member of staff offered, reluctantly to remove the fee...which I accepted. This gets rave reviews on trip advisor but the food and service left a lot to be desired.

Pretty cafe with friendly staff and nice and cozy atmosphere. Service is quick but they clear your table very quickly too so perhaps not a place where you can relax and read a book. We’ve enjoyed the scone and their famous hot chocolate.

Absolutely fabulous. Waited for the gluten free lemon sponge as it was baking when I turned up with my son, which was yummy and warm. Very pleasant staff and quirky cafe right near cathedral 😃👍

Great hosts and staff. Homemade food, reasonable prices. Although busy maintain a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere. The world is better because of Durham. Durham is better because of Cafedral.

Our favourite place to eat in Durham, nothing else comes close. Keep up the amazing bakes and lunches guys!

Great service and excellent food.

I've just graduated from Durham and returned to see my boyfriend before I start my new job. I discovered Cafedral in my final year and can honestly say it's one of my favourite places in Durham (and that's high praise as there are so many good coffee shops and restaurants!) Mark and Pamela are so witty and interesting: they always have time to chat to you no matter how busy it is and the hot chocolate is to die for!I love this place and will visit every time I am back in Durham:)

Good coffee and hot chocolate with plenty of beautiful plants

Coffee and toast in the sun this morning Good range of cakes available Amazing location Priced right Nice coffee Great staff attitude

The staff are so attentive and the food made for a lovely breakfast! The decor is really stylish and so comfortable, would definitely recommend

Bit of a hidden gem next to the Cathedral - cool atmosphere and decor Staff friendly and efficient - food freshly prepared and great service - excellent place to pass an hour over a coffee or a glass of wine Highly recommended

We had lunch here. They were very busy but found a place for us. Staff were friendly chatty and efficient and the quality of the food was excellent. the menu is interesting and varied. The food arrived quickly, was delicious and the staff were great. We really enjoyed our lunch with them.

Superb dog friendly café. Well worth a visit.

The best coffee shop in Durham.

Nice cafe with friendly staff, great location right next to the Cathedral, delicious cakes - try the lemon and blueberry!

Incredible busy Saturday afternoon. Owner/ manager kept us really well informed about how long a table would be and then was incredibly accommodating making sure we were seated as soon as possible. All other staff also exceptional. Lovely atmosphere and really healthy, fresh food. Tons to choose from. Would definitely visit again.

A lovely quirky place. Friendly and efficient service. Excellent scones. I was so glad that our local friend introduced us to this cafe on our way up to visit the Cathedral. We may have missed it had she not been with us, and what a shame that would have been. Would highly recommend this establishment.

Went here after visiting the cathedral and it was walking distance. Heard good reviews about it so I was not surprised when there was long line at lunchtime. The place is indeed cute, foods were great and their hot chocolate is a must-try! The waiters were friendly and overall I would recommend to friends and family to give this place a visit :)

D efinitivamente es un lugar de encanto, desde que entras, subes las escaleras, el personal es super amable, hay mucha diversidad tanto para tomar como para comer, a nosotros nos hizo un dia fenomenal osea que optamos comer en las mesas de afuera super decorado con plantas. mejor dicho, si quieres pasar un rato agradabe tienes que venir a este lugar y disfdrutar de los famosos scones.

Myself and four friends arrived at a very busy time on a Saturday.We waited but a few minutes, and our very friendly “Mine Host” found us a table. The staff who were well trained friendly and efficient, took our orders, and in no time at all, we had an excellent lunch, beautifully presented.Would certainly recommend a visit to anyone visiting the cathedral.

Loved the savoury scone and tea. Great surroundings and very friendly staff. Thank you on our 1st visit to Durham

Nicely done Eggs Benedict and delicious coffee in a welcoming cosy atmosphere. Will be back.

The food is great - very tasty. There were communication issues around the vegan options and took a while to sort out but it was sorted out in the end. If you're not Vegan, you'll have absolutely no problems. If you are, just make sure you communicate this to the staff.

Great gluten free options. Best gf cheese scone ever tasted

Throughougly enjoyed our lunch here, fantastic service, lovely food , wonderful staff and beautiful cafe . Couldn't do enough for you. Also loved the twinned toilets photos . Will definitely be back thankyou

Lovely setting and atmosphere. Good service, Quiche was delicious. Bagel was nice but not outstanding. Would love to come back and try some cake!

Friendly and helpful staff. Tasty food which arrived quickly.

Me and my other half came as we are on holiday from norfolk. There was about a 10 minute wait but was worth it, the food was delicious.. only one criticism was their lovely homemade coleslaw wasnt enough on the plate. Anyone who visits Durham definitely gp to cafedral

We stopped for a coffee and cake after cathedral and castle in this super upstairs cafe. The staff were brilliant, really helpful, friendly and fast! Lovely selection of cakes or scones. We all would thoroughly recommend this lovely little cafe.

Lovely atmosphere and lovely food.

Lovely cafe beside Durham Cathedral. Excellent service, good food and reasonably priced. Would definitely go back. The hot chocolate was brilliant!!!!

If I could give more I would. A real hidden gem in Durham. Had a lovely talk with one of the staff about the avocado plants and he kindly gave me one of the saplings to take home. Amazing food, delicious scones and lovely staff. Will definitely visit here if I ever go to Durham again.

Located a stone's throw from the cathedral but away from the main shopping/eating area. Restaurant is upstairs, aside from a couple of outdoor ground floor tables. Very busy at lunchtime but worth queuing to get into as the menu is wide and the food choice very good. Service very good and the cafe is dog friendly.

Lovely place with several vegan options including a falafel wrap, panini, avocado bagel, scones and more. Just ask for the vegan menu!

Lovely wee cafe with delicious scones and coffee

We had a coffee at Cafe Dral and were nearly accused of leaving without paying! We had watched other tables ask for their bills and heard them being advised to pay at the till, so when we did that, the owner rushed behind me saying to the staff we had left without paying, when she realised I was stood by the till. I was not impressed!The staff worked very hard to keep service flowing.

We called in for a light lunch. The menu looked delicious but we had had a large breakfast so just had a slice of cake and a fresh out of the oven gluten free scone. I have tried many a gf scone and this was definitely one of the best. A lovely flavour and it held together well. We also enjoyed the atmosphere and query decor.

Lovely cafè, a hidden gem with delicious scones and kind stuff. The upstairs floor is worth the trip!

It was my first visit to this cafe, I was accompanied by two friends. We were very satisfied with the meals, the surroundings are very pleasant and comfortable. The staff are very friendly and helpful. We will definitely visit again.

Our favourite place to eat when we visit Durham . Lovely coffee shop and always a friendly welcome ! Lovely fresh food and delicious drinks!

This place is a beautiful cafe in the centre of Durham. It’s got great food and an amazing atmosphere. The owner is so chatty and lovely! Try the hot chocolate x

One of the best cafes in Durham. We stumbled upon this cafe on the way up to the Cathedral and so glad we did. Decor is beautiful - light with lots of plants. Staff really friendly and food amazing. We went shortly after 10 when it had not long opened and had scones just out of the oven. We will definitely return on our next trip to Durham.

Fantastic little cafe. First drawn to this place about 4years ago, when the beautiful staircase, rising out of sight 1st caught my eye!Staff are very welcoming & attentive. Good selection of food & drinks. From mains, cakes & light bites. The interior is quirky (keep an eye out for mini dioramas!) with a lovely relaxed atmosphere.Only downside is its popularity can sometimes make it difficult to get a table, but we've never had to wait too long. Definitely recommend & we will keep returning on each visit to the lovely city of Durham

Wonderful ambiance and decor and the owner is lovely. Cafedral is the first coffee shop I visited in Durham and I have visited at least once a week since.

We had to queue for a short time to get in this cafe, but it was worth it. The food is healthy, varied and reasonably priced. If you like plants - it’s heaven - and the owner (?) came out to answer some questions my friend and I had about the impressive display they have. Excellent service.

We chose Cafedral because we were looking for a good gluten free experience for a light lunch and were not disappointed. Soup and a warmed cheese scone followed by a juicy slice of lemon drizzle cake for the coeliac and a vegetable quiche with salad followed by banana and caramel cake for me were thoroughly enjoyed. Add in the quirky bo-ho decor with a myriad of plants and the delightful Pam and Mark and we now have our favourite tea rooms in Durham. It's a shame that we were only visiting for a couple of days.

Lovely tearoom with super cakes, scones and tea. Loveless the decor and furniture, homely and friendly, well worth a visit

We came across cafedral by chance and couldn't have been more delighted with this gem of a find! The service and food were both excellent. Would highly recommend for lunch or coffee and cakes!

Amazing cafe and beautifully decorated! Everyone is very friendly and the service was very quick. I definitely recommended the scones with clotted cream and jam and the lemon and blueberry cake! Don’t forget to also have the hot chocolate you won’t regret it!