Duke of Wellington in County Durham

Great food, lovely atmosphere, great staff especially Chris who went over and above for us, would defs recommend and will be coming back

Always such a great place and great food and service. Chris was super helpful to make our brunch an enjoyable experience.

Some time ago, I posted a pretty negative review for another pub in Durham. It was a chain pub that advertised great food, but the fact of the matter is that the food was bland and overpriced. Really, I could only recommend it for the beer and (sort of) the atmosphere. On the other hand, the Duke of Wellington (known affectionately as "the Welly") is probably about as good as this type of pub is going to get. The beer is reasonably priced, the food is darn good, the staff is pleasant, and the atmosphere is delightful. Simply stated, it's part of a chain, but it has the vibe of a local hangout. It's not what it's not, but it's a good example of what it is, and that's good enough. Update: I went back to the Duke tonight, and while everything about the experience was fine, I did end up taking off a star in the "atmosphere" department. 5 stars, down to 4. For some reason, things felt more cramped tonight, and not just because it was busy. A comfy seat and couch by the entrance were replaced with more tables, and it actually feels like there were additional tables squeezed in at other places. I could be wrong. Still a nice spot, still recommended, but it lost something of the living room/hangout vibe for me. Oh, well.

We had chargrilled Lamb steak, and roast turkey bap with chips and gravy. Lovely hot meal well cooked. Loved the calorie info. Excellant pleasant service from all staff. Good value for money. We will be back.

Just by the traffic lights at Nevilles Cross. Car park. Decent local pub. Typical pub food. Friendly service. Nothing to complain about.

Love this pub. Went today to try the new menu with friends. Food was delicious. Staff were great as always.

Friday 9th May, lovely sunny day, so we decided to go to the Duke for a drink. We were served by Diane with her usual smiling and professional manner, and she provided Milly the dog with treats. Thanks for making us feel at home, as usual!

Love this pub. Great decor, friendly welcoming atmosphere and had the best mixed grill thanks to Neil the chef. Top man 👍

Called in to meet a friend, it was very busy but the staff were still so friendly and welcoming . Food was lovely with a great selection for me as a vegetarian and my partner who prefers a steak!

This place is incredible. The food was 10/10 and the staff are so friendly. I had the nachos and my friend who is gluten free had the gammon with baby potatoes. The staff were very attentive with my friends allergy and nothing was a bother to them The quiz in a Thursday and Sundays are always a good laugh and so much fun Highly recommend

We come every week for the pup quiz and we always have an absolutely fantastic time! Staff, food and atmosphere is lovely. Neil specifically, is a baller!

Incredible atmosphere, the nicest staff and great food every week. Best pub quiz in Durham - Neil is amazing too.

Whenever we are in Durham we make a point of coming to the Duke of Wellington for lunch! The food is always top notch, the menu is really varied and unique, and the portions are really generous and reasonably priced. It’s always great to see Diane, she always makes us feel so welcome and provides 5 star service, even at the busiest of times! We often come with our giant golden retriever, and Diane & the other staff are so wonderful with him, bringing a bowl of fresh water and a handful of yummy treats as soon as we arrive! Would highly recommend, and we’ll be back very soon!

We regularly come here. Never had a poor meal . Staff are friendly, helpful and welcoming as is the place itself. Clean and has a very relaxed atmoshphere too. Delicious food and great service . Definitely recommend.

Food was nice enough. Service was absolutely shocking. I dine out quite a lot and this service was the worst I have ever experienced. An extremely rude lady, I would strongly advise avoiding and I will never be back!

Lovely quiet little pub serving good food at great prices

Called in for a quick drink on the way home. Sunday lunch looked nice so we had some. Glad we did. Very tasty food. Roast beef and turkey cooked perfectly. Nice people and a good clean pint. Dog friendly too!

Excellent service. Lovely friendly staff, lovely atmosphere

Brilliant. The meals here are lovely. Good service with a ready smile. Plus if you join Ember Inns you get vouchers to make it a bit cheaper. What's not to like.

Excellent food! Steak sandwich doubled up was excellent! Leon was nothing but patient, helpful and extremely knowledgeable about the menu.

Called in for lunch with my husband and our dog. Friendly welcome, our dog was allowed inside. Food was great,we had the two course lunch each and couldn't fault the food. Service was quick and all staff were friendly and accommodating. Will be back in the future and would definitely recommend.

Had a fantastic experience at the Duke of Wellington in Durham! The staff were friendly and welcoming, the atmosphere was cozy and inviting, and the drinks were top-notch. Highly recommend the beer selection/local ale - it's definitely worth trying! Great spot to grab a pint and catch up with friends or enjoy a quiet evening. Will definitely be back!"

Great place to come for a drink and a bite to eat. Also very dog friendly.

The first time in this pub today with hubby. Very nicely decorated and cosy was first impression. Spot on for customer service. Food was delicious 😋 I had the falafel and salad wrap with potato skin chips and hubby had the Turkey roll with chips and came with gravy. Beautifully presented. £15.28 for both meals, Lunch. £3.50 for pints of Pepsi max. Reasonable. Has vegetarian and vegan options. All I will say is that I don't personally add salt to food, only if I need to, so that should of been my choice to put on the chips. Has s car park and beer garden. Toilets are upstairs and spotless. On the site it says has disabled/ wheelchair toilet. I/we will definitely be returning again.

A three course at lunchtime is 😁£12 A bargain you can't get a curry at thinford for £12.99 only no brainer

Good food. Had a lovely Christmas meal, one of the best I have had in a pub really nice evening, food was great and the service superb

nicely down up, good beers. price of food gone up

A great service with great food. Staff friendly and welcoming. Prices good for the area

Revamped menu and new decor, consistently good food and service.

Kerri-Anne was very helpful and friendly, would definitely come again if I was in Durham

We are a regular at the Duke so decided to try out the Bottomless Brunch. It was brilliant! The breakfast was beautiful and we were never without a drink. I would highly recommend it! Thank you to Kerri and the rest of the staff. Brilliant service as usual. See you again soon.

First visit not great we ordered off special service at bar turkey bun with gravy and chips for us both with desserts afterwards the buns came not a lot of chips frozen ones and they were cold bun Luke warm gravy Luke warm was edible then desserts quite pricey came small portions not worth money place itself nicely comfortable staff service slow all on all can't say we would rush back M

First ever visit to The Duke, sadly for a funeral wake though, but was quite impressed with it. Nice decor, open fire, cask ales, warm welcome by all of the staff, and the food did look very good - we were catered for in a separate area, which was excellent. It was also dog friendly and had a spacious car park, i would definitely recommend it.

Love this place...fantabulous staff, always welcoming,

Food served by Kerri, Izzy and Chris was lovely!

Very much changed for the better after the recent renovation. Staff very pleasant and accommodating and the food was served quickly and was delicious. We had the rainbow lasagna and the chicken tikka. Waitress noticed we had popadoms left and brought us some more chutney so we could nibble. It feels very relaxed and comfortable. We stopped going here years ago but now will certainly be back.

Saturday brunch wonderful as always

Decided to try after the recent renovation. Very impressed the staff were lovely and the food delicious. It has a very relaxed vibe, very fresh and comfortable. We will be back.

Visited here for a few drinks and a bite. Been before and will definitely be back. Neil and Kirsten was amazing, cheery and always happy to see the dog. Amazing place and nice new paint job!!!

Recently refurbished nice atmosphere great food and drink

Gathering after a funeral had a separate area pre booked Nice area to eat and catch up

Teníamos una mesa reservada y pedimos el bar. Arranque. Después de 20 minutos de espera, entrante llegar, pollo a la pimienta estaba bien, sopa ir dos llegó piedra fría. Volvió a la camarera y estaba caliente. Sabía bien. Main. Scampi y papas fritas bien, Tres pasteles de bistec, los pasteles de bistec y salsa estaban bien, puré de papas , terrible, no esponjoso y blanco como se esperaba, gris y pegado al techo de la boca. Los vegetales se decían calientes y mezclados como uno solo. Bebidas. Bien. En esta ocasión nos quedamos un poco decepcionados. El restaurante estaba ocupado, vacaciones escolares.

Friendly service and food was really quick and nice

Wonderful place quite and relaxed atmosphere with great service and decent food.

Great service, food good value, very clean and a good atmosphere

Good place to stop off for a beer. Never had the food though

Gran servicio, el personal muy amable y servicial. La comida llegó muy rápido y era caliente y sabroso. Me atendieron necesitando sin gluten sin ninguna dificultad. Una buena visita.

Not sure where my actual review went but here it is again ! Fantastic food & drinks in a great environment, love it !

A big thank you to Kerri, Diane, Neil and the team for the great service they gave while having lunch there with my wife. The newly refurbished pub is looking great, and with the fantastic team making you welcome it's highly recommend. The food is well presented, hot and tasty. We will be back.

Excellent place,new renovated pub

We went tonight for the first time in a year, after the refurbishment, and we were very pleasantly surprised! What an absolute gem this place is! The team were just lovely and remembered our drinks from a year ago! How good is that? The food was really good, we both had the three courses, and they were perfect! Not a negative, but may be a suggestion: why don't you get a maître D? The queue at the bar was quite spectacular

My “go to” place for many years

We came here and had 3 courses, absolutely stunning food and a lovely atmosphere. Reasonably priced as well, will definitely be coming back!!

Great place to meet great staff and always a friendly atmosphere And a good selection of real ales

First the staff were excellent. The issue was we booked and special lunch for my elderly parents. When we arrived we were told they were closing for a refurb and were running down stock. We were handed a long list of what wasn't available. It was also very cold. Better communication in advance would have helped.

Its a nice local pub, food decent and staff excellent. Needs a refurb which starts next week so should address any shortcomings.

First visit, great Sunday lunch and starters, generous portion size, friendly staff, will be returning.

Lovely Sunday lunch, a large portion of wings for starter a must ! Added star for Timothy Taylor Landlord on draught

At the price a very nice turkey dinner, gravy was tasty and asked for a little more which wasn't an issue. £4.50 for Carlin's is also ok.

Pub was very busy but we didn't wait long to be acknowledged. Showed to our table by very friendly man. Orders were already in and a very excited lady served us. Food was delicious and large portions.

Lovely food, reasonable price and nice service. Clean and relaxing pub Sunday lunch was lovely and resonably priced .

Nice homely feeling from the Christmas decorations and the staff. Lovely food and good quick service even when busy.

We come for brunch most Sundays and we can’t fault it. Team are so friendly- the two ladies who work most Sunday mornings know our orders- go the extra mile. Diane who has been there for years and the manageress. We will continue to use it over the other local as it’s just way better- didn’t use to be but over the last couple of years it’s just improved!

Brilliant Service from Kerri and the team. Thank you to the kitchen staff to for the wonderful food

Thanks for making our team Christmas meal special the food was wonderful the featherblade if beef was outstanding highly recommend that, service was friendly and impeccable, gin trees were excellent and such a lovely atmosphere in there. Thankyou all

Long wait to order drinks, cold food served to three out of four people food service poor. Will not visit again! Very poor all around!

Fabulous food and great service . Neil and Dan always give a warm welcome and look after you.

Only in for a beer but a great place with nice atmosphere

Great pub with friendly, helpful staff. Good selection of drinks and cask ales. Food is typical pub fare, though none the worse for that! Open fires (gas?) add atmosphere in colder weather though sadly, they're not always lit. Welcoming interior but the outside is overdue a makeover!

The staff set up the table perfect for our office christmas lunch. Food was gorgeous. Can't wait to go back.

Excellent service as always from Diane. Warm and friendly making you feel like one of the family. Always a warm welcome at the Duke.

Good value but often run out of food!

Lovely pub warm and welcoming . Great food at great prices

My husband, grandson and I visited the Duke of Wellington for Sunday lunch and we were not disappointed. We all decided on the turkey dinner and it was delicious..Turkey was cooked to perfection and the vegetables were gorgeous. Our visit was made even more perfect by the staff..they were outstanding. Ordering the food was hassle free and they tended to our every need. Thank you Diane, Neil, Dan , Paul and Chris for making our Sunday lunch perfect. Highly recommend this pub for food and drinks.

Visited The Duke of Wellington ,Sat 30th Nov for a birthday lunch. 2 of us. ( Male) . Both ordered Prawn Cocktail & Christmas lunch with turkey. I derive no pleasure in stating outright & without hesitation that the food was less than average. If there was a score below 1 Star I'd have scored that. I chose The D of W because I believed it has an excellent reputation. Our food was dire. * Prawn Cocktails ( with lemon wedge & bread). Lettuce, Mari- Rose sauce & Prawns. That's it. A minimalist amount. Tomato, cumber, water cress ?...None. I'd give my cat more prawns than this & if they were King prawns then I'm my cat's Mother. The best part of the PC was the bread !! We're they child's portions ? * Main Course. Turkey Christmas lunch. Think re- heated school dinner. Think microwaved larger dinner- for- 1. Think warm not hot. Not tasty. Sums it up so well. Nothing freshly cooked about our meals at all. Limp, tasteless carrots & red cabbage & with turkey & pigs blankets (2 per plate) that had a " re- heat" taste about them. Minimal gravy. What about a gravy boat for 2 adults ? Too much to ask ? There are countless restaurants we could have chosen for this what was supposed to be a special occasion. But I chose the D of W...to our cost. No...we couldn't bothered to complain. I dont want to complain. We just wanted decent, wholesome, hot, tasty food. We're just ordinary people. We just won't come back. Ever. The D of W was busy but I don't know how you achieve this offering food of this calibre....no calibre. I visit Toby Carveries at least once a month & their food is light years ahead of the food we were served today...and most of the time less than half the price & much larger portions. ( The Gent who served us was at least friendly. He was the highlight of our visit !) What does it take to " Murder" food such as we consumed? Is there special skills required ? Read: More than disappointing. Resembled school dinners. Not cheap. Not hot. Small Prawn Cocktail with classic ingredients missing. Never again.

I was just wondering why on Ember Inns menu/website they have grilled sea bass filled with ... and bearnaise sauce, while in Durham, sea bass is now served with ... curry, instead of sauce! For me, not a good change .

Great atmosphere great food great service 👍

Everything was great, can't think of any ways to improve.

Just popped in for a lunchtime snack. Atmosphere good. Staff very pleasant and helpful. The food we ordered was excellent and just right amount. Very good

Food was great and so was the atmosphere. I always try and find an Ember Inns on my travels and I would certainly recommend this one. Keep up the good work.

Lovely cosy pub and tasty food! Great atmosphere. Our party was well looked after, and my steak was deliciously cooked to perfection! There were a great selection of drinks including wines, gin and whiskey. I will certainly be recommending this pub. Thank you.

Great pub with lovely food and a great selection of drinks. We were served by Paul who was really friendly and made the experience that much better!

Neil and staff are always friendly and helpful and the choice of drinks is quite extensive backed up by a wide and varied menu.

Lovely pub with friendly staff. Beef rib is lovely, set menu during the week is good value. Will most definitely return!

Steak sandwich was tough. Ignored at bar whilst asking where our food was 40 minutes after ordering.

I called in on Friday 8th first time ever will definitely be going back. Fast friendly service nothing was too much Kirsten and Paul.were very nice

Nice, large pub, but slow bar service.

Un gran pub. Buena elección de cervezas y un ambiente acogedor. El personal es muy amable, especialmente Neil que hace un esfuerzo adicional para ayudar.

Llegué para un brunch de fin de semana ya que no habíamos comido aquí por un tiempo - quedé impresionado con las nuevas opciones de menú, así que decidí probar el desayuno brioche - y wow que era encantador! Personal amable y buen servicio sumado a la gran experiencia, sin duda recomendaremos este lugar a otros amigos y familiares.

Food was good enough. Probably wouldn’t rush back. Staff were friendly and efficient though and service was quick.

Decent beer selection and good food for a chain. Would recommend booking for su day lunch although we were lucky. Beef rib roast was particularly good.

Great meal thx. Just add this the staff we're great it just made the night. Will be coming back.

Nice quick place with good food

A good place for a meal, service great

Service is amazing, decided to order 2 drinks to save going back to bar while eating, waiter said to let him know when ready for 2nd drink and brought to table so it was freshly poured. Food was delicious, cooked to perfection and service was quick. Lovely atmosphere in pub too.

Nice pub with good menu choices and friendly staff

Food was great. Servers did what they could in a busy environment. I really liked the atmosphere in this pub.

A very good meal enjoyed by all. Thank you

We visited 3 times over a weekend while staying near Durham, and on each occasion the staff were excellent. Found us a table the first night because they were full, but managed to fit us in. The food was great, the service was great. Very friendly with a great atmosphere. Well done Kirsten and all the team.

Called in for Sunday lunch but did not serve chicken off the bone and my fiancee doesn't like bones so can't comment on the food.