Dr. Inks in Darlington

My daughter treated me to afternoon tea for mothers day recently. When I entered the bar I was pleasantly surprised with the decor. I thought the afternoon tea was lovely and we even had to ask for a doggy bag as we couldn't eat it all.. To finish it off we had a cocktail each. The service was great and the staff were very friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend it.

Just had cocktails really nice good night

Great Bar, prices are fair, service slow when it's busy, but it's only a small bar, decor is quirky and great. Good place to meet with friends.

Staff couldn't have been more helpful, setting the room up for us, just how we wanted it. Drinks were spot on. Lovely atmosphere too..

Had my 40th Birthday party in the function room, it was fantastic. A great place with a lovely atmosphere and fantastic service. Would definitely recommend!

Came for bottomless grazing board which was delicious but could have done with more crackers & bread. The decor was beautiful and really christmasy and got us into the Christmas spirt. We stayed for a cocktail after & I loved the Black Forrest Martini.

The Christmas display is amazing, it got us all in the Christmas spirit. Gorgeous surroundings with delicious cocktails - we will be back!

Just been to my brothers wedding reception, brilliant place loved it

Good outdoor space and fab cocktails

Lovely cosy atmosphere down in the snug. Great choice of mouth-watering cocktails in a fun funky bar

£10.10 for a pint of fruit cider. Think you are having a laugh, won't be back.

Brilliant 80th birthday celebrated everything fabulous

The room was cold .Afternoon tea was nice, but they had only tiny tea pots for one, which we had to ask to be refilled as they had to serve 3 people. My tea cup was cracked and had to be replaced. I won't rush back

Baby shower afternoon tea was ok nothing special. Function was upstairs and had no disabled access and the place smelt strongly of cleaning disinfectant, not a place I would visit again.

Highly recommended for afternoon tea.. Great choice and service.. The staff can't do enough to help thank you

Suitably impressed, pricey but everything else makes up for it.

Disappointed with drink and service, bought a cocktail on a evening out with friends, cocktail did not taste as it should, took back to bar, staff laughed and said well it depends who makes it. Sadly will not return

Lovely place on more than one level!

Chilling in the garden, nice music, attracts a certain type of person too so it's not too loud

Was a little disappointed by my visit. Don't get me wrong the drinks and venue are amazing! But I had gone out for St Patrick's Day and last orders were called at 21:30... Not what I was expecting on a Thursday evening on a night like Saint Patrick's Day... Will definitely go again though, drinks options are really good!

Lively, plenty of room. Bit of a wait at the bar. Fab Grace Kelly cocktail

Just spent a wonderful afternoon at 'Dr Inks Darlington' for my daughter's baby shower. The manager Dan was warm, welcoming and went above and beyond considering he was surrounded by lots of ladies obsessing over babies. What a fantastic venue and the deco was fantastic. A Christmas window that is only seen in movies and quirky interior deco that was cosy and warm. The afternoon tea was well presented and tasty and they were well organised and accommodated people's allergies and to top it off the cocktails were delicious. Thanks so much to all at Dr Inks. It will be a memory to remember forever.

Dr Inks is the best named bar in town. Also the friendliest place to drink. Went on a 1st date there and the staff gave me free drinks to help with the nerves. Cannot recommend more

Brilliant quiz! Lovely tasting sharing board. Reasonably priced drinks

Great service by i Scott and evie fantastic afternoon tea bottomless processco really good service xx

Stunning, quirky venue. Very popular, cocktails and great Afternoon Tea

Not really impressed. Went a few weeks ago..not busy but service was really slow. Tonight gave the waitress £10 for 1 drink. No change brought back. Drink was £6.50. Disappointing. Toilets smelled of damp

First experience sat outside good service good drinks, 5/5. Second time sat outside staff member spoke to table near us who had already got their drinks for five minutes then went inside ten mins later still no service went next door 0/5

Lovely bar with decent selection of drinks and friendly staff. Visited in the middle of covid and thus had to stay seated, but the staff came at regular intervals to sell us more drinks!

Horrible cocktails, watery and bland. Had to ask for them to be changed but tasted worse. Ended up leaving them so just a waste of money. Only a few customers in at the time so not exactly busy, no excuse for not getting a basic cocktail right. Won't be going back

Bottomless Prosecco afternoon tea fantastic...Definitely recommended. Service spot on. Absolutely faultless. Food delicious. Cocktails also worth a try....Fab!

Visited with my partner to sample their G&T afternoon tea over bank holiday weekend. It was the first visit for the two of us and we were overwhelmed with the decor of the place. Very upmarket and quirky. A lot of thought and attention to detail has gone into the place and there is ample seating and space available.We were given our pick of a huge selection of gins and accompanying mixtures. The food was fantastic. A good variety of both sweet and savoury. Everything looked and tasted great and was the perfect amount.The staff were wonderful and made us feel so welcome and were so friendly.Will definitely return to enjoy some drinks in the not so distant future.

myself and my husband went for our anniversary we afternoon tea, had a lovely time, enjoyed the cocktails. Thanks

Friendly atmosphere and good music

The lighting was really bright and harsh for an evening bar. Cocktails tasted very bland and watery. Everyone in there was 50+. I probably wouldn't go back

Great place,great food and good range of cocktails. Staff are magnificent

Had afternoon tea here. The food was lovely and the the service was good.My only complaint is the coffee wasn’t nice. I asked for a decaf and my mum had a normal one and neither of them were good at all. My sister also had an espresso Martini which had very little taste of coffee. I’m not sure if there’s something wrong with their coffee machine or not.

Great atmosphere, staff are attentive and pleasant, pizza was amazing, afternoon tea was fairly good just a little more on the savoury side required, pork pies not as food as they might have been. All said we would definitely recommend a d will be going back for sure.

Cool place small but intimate with a nice feel to it and good food

Great place to sneak in a late pint. I did feel that I could have tried a bit more with my outfit😕 #underdressed

Un lieu très sympathique pour passer une bonne soirée et boire un verre. Je conseille un bon gin dans le salon du bas pour être tranquille au coin de la cheminée

Really nice place and fantastic company

Cute bar in a central location. Ideal to pop into as a one off or while bar hopping. Great selection of beautiful cocktails, the Grace Kelly was amazing. Basement and main floor have limited seating but are cozy and stylish. Disappointed we couldn't try the food due to it having finished at 5, but maybe next time!

Quirky place for food and drinks

Nice food nice decor nice ambience nice staff

Great selection, awesome seating and friendly staff. Don't expect food after 5, kitchen closes then!

CANT MAKE COCKTAILS DESPITE THEIR CLAIMS!!!!!!!!!!

Lovely afternoon tea and a cocktail from their cocktail menu as part of the meal, wonderful couldn't recommend it enough. The bar staff are so friendly and welcoming and the ambience is so relaxing, Been a few times and love it, would definately recommend it to anyone for a girly lunch, or just treating a friend or your mum. A hidden gem. The rainbow cake looked amazing but didn't try it!!!!

Was bought as a gift so was really looking forward to the afternoon tea unfortunately it was a let down. Looked lovely when it came out , Tuna sandwiches were sent back the bread was bone dry on the top! There was mustard and ham sandwiches the bread was fresh and soft so no idea why they thought it was acceptable sending the others out! They did replace the 2 tuna sandwiches but the bread that came back was also dry not very fresh.The scones looked and tasted like they had just come out of a pre packed supermarket, the pastry on the pork pie was soggy!On a positive note the little cornflake tarts were lovely and so was the cheesecake. the mini cheese and sundried tomato was delicious. I would not go back even if it was gifted, I have been to many afternoon teas and this was by far worst I have had.

Recently visited and the place is so cute. I need to return, to try their Afternoon Tea and see if it's as special as it appears. The decor is very interesting but makes for an amazingly little venue, that is set on a variety of levels - each having a kind of Alice in Wonderland theme going on.

Great drinks and nice atmosphere

Absolutely love this place just a bit different fabulous glasses make your G&T taste even better

Friendly staff, pretty place with a good busy atmosphere. Great sharing platters and tapas Tuesday deal

Had a lovely afternoon out for my 40th birthday to have afternoon tea lovely service and nice food really good with people with dietary requirement nice joyful place x

Nice selection of sandwiches cakes and lovely fruit scones but unfortunately the clotted cream was off which was a bit disappointing

Very cold inside. Afternoon tea was a let down too. Not great produce and no top ups of tea offered.

Me and a friend went for afternoon tea with a twist, (cocktails) instead of a cup of tea! And they were lovely The cakes were divine a couple of more sandwiches would of been nice? But u got half a cheese wrap and a pork pie as a savoury to make up for it Very filling! Nice music in the background, staff were nice and polite and the decor was quirky,A lovely place with a lovely outside area too.Will definitely visit again Thankyou .

Came here after being recommended by a friend and really glad I did, lovely food and amazing drinks! Really nice decor which made for a really nice afternoon.

The food was fantastic the staff were very helpful and friendly definitely recommend it to others looks like it been a good place to go a night out with friends

absolutely awesome one of my fav places to to eat & drink. the food is amazing & the cocktails are to die for, the staff are lovely and always very friendly I would highly recommend it...best place to go in Darlington

We booked and pre ordered food for a surprise 50th. The guys couldn’t be anymore helpful and attentive prior and drying out afternoon. They were prompt with communication. We brought a cake and decorations prior to the event and they set the room out lovely. Highly recommend

We had a great afternoon here for friends 50th birthday celebrations, the staff (sorry don’t know the guys name) looked after us all afternoon making cocktails and taking photos for us, food and decor lovely too! Would defo recommend.

Birthday tea , tasty treats .We got exactly what we had reserved . Table was ready on time Staff very friendly and poured the prosecco as soon as we got there. The female waitress showed excellent customer service .Looking at other people's photos I reliaise the jam was missed off tea .Been to this bar a few times sat inside and out throughly enjoyed afternoon tea . Busy would therefore defiantly recommend booking .

Lovely atmosphere with friendly staff. If you like cocktails, try the Pornstar Martini - it’s the best one in Darlington.

The first thing that hits you is the quirky decor ,very stylish and unique. Lots of little seating and eating areas to explore .Great deals on food ,sharing platters etc.good choice of drinks at Dr inks .Outside area great in summer .Staff very nice and friendly. Lovely relaxed atmosphere ,no rush to go anywhere .love it

Nice coffee and the burgers were perfect!

Usually love it in here, great cocktails but planned a Birthday treat, phoned and reserved a table and asked for balloon, unfortunately no table had been reserved and no Birthday treat a bit disappointing

Great food! Wonderful little quiz once a month on a friday. :)

We never usually approach new bars and go from what we know but on Saturday night we had some friends from Liverpool visiting, we decided to a new place and we decided Drinks.

First visit with friends for drinks on Saturday evening, nice mix of clientele, good assortment of drinks & great comfy buttoned velour chairs, liked the quirky grass covered wall in the main bar which isn’t the largest but there are other floors to explore.

Love this quirky little gem hidden in town. Loads of delicious cocktails, make sure you check their Facebook before you go as they have a different deal on every day.

Went for afternoon tea with a twist. It was lovely and all the staff were very friendly and made us feel very welcome. Will definitely be back

Food was absolutely gorgeous, drinks were kept topped and the staff were lovely. Already planning out next visit

Really accommodating for a dairy free relative for afternoon tea, thought outside of the box for us. Really impressed!

We came for afternoon tea with a family member from Canada. She is unable to have dairy so we asked for a dairy free afternoon tea! We were so impressed with what they were able to provide for her, something a little bit different but she absolutely loved it! Some dairy free sandwiches & cakes & some pulled pork nachos we were so impressed by the way they had thought outside of the box to provide her with something dairy free

Fantastic food and staff are amazing also good variety at the bar something to suit everybody's favourite tipples

Really enjoyed our meal out tonight. Lovely food. Well presented. Nice friendly staff and good atmosphere.

Lovely atmosphere , good service, nice assorted sandwiches tuna, ham, and a lovely savoury cheese wrap plus pork pie , fruit scone, jam,and cream and a scrummy assortment of lovely cakes particularly loved the cornflake tart.

Fantastic afternoon tea One of our party was dairy free and they went out of their way to ensure she had a good meal and her experience was very positive She thoroughly enjoyed it

Looks very nice. Good cocktail selection but just had a quick shandy on the way to the football.

Great venue for somewhere more upmarket. Yes you pay slightly more for drinks but it's so much more worth it when you experience the excellent customer service and a great selection of pale ales (my personal favourite). I had some tapas today with my girlfriend and loved every mouthful. Well done Dr.inks for creating somewhere more unique and a wonderful place to be.

Lovely place to go for a drink and the staff are always so friendly. Looking forward to trying the food on new menu. Had a sharing platter from old menu and was delicious

We ordered the Bottomless Prosecco Afternoon Tea for 3 of us. The selection was lovely and as the Prosecco was being kept topped up by the very courteous & attentive staff - Caesar and Hannah - we couldn’t manage to eat everything offered and had it boxed up to take home. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon out.

I had my hen party at dr inks and it was fabulous, food and drinks all amazing . Would definitely recommend for special occasions

What a great bar. Loads of choice and a great atmosphere. Gin galore and a great range of lagers. A small intimate bar that is well worth a visit.

Visited here on Thursday night (8th August), the bar itself is great, and the rooms are all decorated greatly, each one bringing its own unique vibe. Drinks were lovely, and reasonably priced. The staff were super friendly and helpful.

The food was absolutely delicious- we got three small plates but the portions were really big! Amazingly friendly staff and very cool and stylish atmosphere. Loved every second- will definitely be going back. The cocktails were fantastic too!

We visited on a Saturday afternoon for the bottomless Prosecco afternoon tea. Service was slow and the ‘bottomless Prosecco’ was not as advertised. If you intend to visit for the Prosecco afternoon tea I would recommend just booking the basic afternoon tea and ordering your bottles of Prosecco separately. At least that way the drinks will actually be at your table rather than having to go back to the bar every 10 minutes for a ‘refill’!! The afternoon tea itself was okay - a nice selection of scones and cakes but the sandwiches were mediocre to say the least. The venue itself is nice but there is definitely room for improvement in terms of customer service.

Shockingly slow service, despite being empty

Nice bijou bar with extensive courtyard outside.

Lovely bar very swish great atmosphere good clientele

Lovely bar, three levels and lush decor

Had afternoon tea there yesterday 2nd March 2019. Food wasn't great and hugely over priced for the portion size. Definitely wouldn't recommend for food. There were 3 members of staff trying to cope with us a party of 13 and a party 27 upstairs and customers coming in off the street. There was long waiting times to get drinks. Food was dropped whilst serving and items missing. We waited 15-20 minutes just to pay our bill. Really poor experience. On a plus point the staff were helpful and tried the very best they could but they were stretched to the limit. Managerial failure to staff establishment appropriately.

Popped in on a Saturday evening with the Mrs had a couple of rounds of drinks service from the bar was excellent the atmosphere was really really good there was also a great outdoor area.

Quirky bar set over 4 floors with a nice outdoor area. Excellent cocktails and moderately priced drinks also do a lovely afternoon tea. Friendly staff

Mojito without any remaining crushed mint or good minty taste - just one mint sprig in ice and some alcohol. Partner liked her fruity cocktail though. Of course not cheap as with most cocktail bars. Wouldn't mind if the drink was good but it wasn't. I won't hurry back.

Most underrated bar in the town. Great selection of drinks with a perfect atmosphere

Nice little bar this, pretty small inside but it wasn't that busy so wasn't a problem for us. In the centre.

Food was really good. However They did miss a few things unfortunately but they are only small, and the chef brought out the rest herself. Staff obviously enjoy their work.

Birthday treat proseco afternoon tea on Christmas eve , great atmosphere we were in the snug next to the lovely fire, the food was really good and the staff very attentive. Would recommend and will definitely be going back.