Gussto in County Durham

Had a wonderful meal here last night, read some good reviews before booking and the food did not disappoint..ordered 12 tapas between 4 of us along with 2 jugs of sangria...food was all cooked beautifully and taste sublime ...will definitely be eating here again .

Popped in for lunch today while visiting Durham with my wife, who is half Spanish, so it was a delight to find a genuine Spanish restaurant with Spanish staff. The menu is vast, with plenty of choice of different tapas dishes. We chose a complete mix of meat, fish and vegetable dishes and they were all delicious. The slices of rump steak in a peppercorn sauce was melt in mouth tender, the scallops were cooked to perfection, and the meatballs were superb, with super flavoursome sauce. We also had chorizo, a rice dish, and patatas bravas- all were so tasty. Service was spot on, attentive but not intrusive. It was empty when we dined, but still had a good atmosphere with cosy enclaves to sit in and Spanish music playing. It felt relaxing. Thoroughly enjoyed it and will be going back when we next visit Durham.

Amazing service and food. Highly recommend 👌

Awesome food 😋 👌 portions are excellent ! You can't go wrong 👌 lovely place

Enjoyed a beautiful tapas meal with great atmosphere.

Food delicious and bursting with flavours. Freshly cooked

Six words encapsulate the dining experience The staff - delightful The food - dreadful. Spend your hard earned money elsewhere

One of the worst meals ever. Had five dishes. Only potato Bravas very hot. Prawn dish not cooked through. Paella luke warm. Other dishes not hot. Refused to pay full price. Very disapointing

We were visiting Durham for the first time and chose to book at Gussto, over the other tapas restaurants. Arriving early evening, while the staff were friendly when we arrived, we felt we were put in a corner out of the way, After a wait, our order was taken, a mix of 9 dishes, plus the breads. Our drinks were served then a few minutes later all of our dishes arrived. The bread was disappointing, it looked and felt like it was purchased from the local supermarket, the other dishes were nice but due to all being served at once lost their impact and flavour, the salad was very disappointing, chunks of salad veg thrown in a bowl. Having been to many tapas restaurants both in the UK and abroad, can say with experience that this was one of the most disappointing meals, we didn't feel welcome, feeling very hurried and that they just wanted to spin the table as possible. Would we come back? No Would we recommend Gussto? No

Decent tapas food. ! We tried patas Bravas with cheese (really nice), lamb tagine( delightful ), ham croquettes (amazing), meatballs( needed more seasoning and were a bit on the dry side), bread and hummus ! Great ambience ! You can order 2-3 dishes per person!

Tapas heaven and lovely cava too. Everything was top quality.

Staff are so lovely, menu had so much choice. Actually one of the best places I’ve ever eaten and such a hidden gem. Not too pricey, food was absolutely amazing couldn’t fault it. Especially the mussels and the pork belly, lots of gluten free options for my friend too. Will definitely be back!

Ordered 7 tapas between the two of us which was slightly too much food - 6 is probably the right number. Food came quickly and was nice and hot. Generally really tasty although the monkfish special portion was a bit small for £10 and was a bit bland. Toilets were a little bit dark and could do with a refurbishment but overall a nice atmosphere.

Tasty tapas. Ordered 6 dishes between 2, just the right amounts. Excellent service and really friendly staff. I would recommend

Great service and atmosphere. Food was good

Great service and atmosphere. Food was good

Nice food but staff was uninterested and not bothered. The tip was inclusive which shouldn't be, I appreciate paying for friendly service but not when it's not worth it.

Fantastic meal and very well priced for the quality, will be going back again and again and again !!!

The food was brilliant and staff were all lovely. We actually went twice during our stay in Durham as we enjoyed it so much for the first time. However, the first time, we were the only people in the restaurant and service was excellent, food excellent. The second time was in the evening and the place was much busier. On this occasion, they missed items from our order, and took a very long time in getting to us.

Gorgeous little restaurant. Very authentic and delicious food.

I had booked for 7.30 on a Saturday night and it seemed that this made no difference. There was no table before 8.

We thought this place was authentic, the food was beautiful, it was reasonably priced and we would love to return soon. Highly recommend.

Really enjoyed dinner here with my son. Excellent tapas with plenty of variety. My favourite dishes were the deep fried calamari with garlic mayo and the pork belly chunks with rich sauce. There was a lively, buzzy atmosphere in an old, hidden building with lots of corners. Very busy on our arrival at peak time on a Saturday at 6.45pm which I guess accounts for the 40-minute wait to be served. Had it not been for that I'd have given a fifth star.

Food was excellent, ingredients tasted fresh. We had the 3 for 12.95 offer and we chose two meat, two seafood and two veg dishes. They were delicious. The young gentleman serving us was very pleasant and polite and didn't rush us when ordering. Would definitely recommend

We ordered our food by 6.15pm after having spent some time browsing the menu. Drinks were served relatively quickly, however, the food was nowhere to be soon. 45 minutes later, still nothing. When asked, I was told that the restaurant was busy and it hopefully wouldn’t be too long. Food finally arrived around 7.30pm and was quite disappointing. The calamari and the bread was too garlicky to eat, to the point that it was too pungent for both mine and my partners’ palette. Rest of the food was alright. Nothing incredible but nothing below average either. The amount of garlic in a couple dishes definitely threw us off though and while it was an okay restaurant for a relatively affordable night out, I’m not sure we’d visit again!

Meats were all overcooked, not suitable for denture user. Rice was ok. Staffs wouldn't tell you their promotion until you ask them twice. Only one (female, about middle-aged) waitress is lovely and willing to smile. Never come back.

Hidden down some steps off silver street this place has a large selection of delicious tapas dishes at sensible prices. Original brickwork adds to the cellar ambience.

Shoddy service, perhaps due to being under staffed. Fabulous menu but that promise of awesome food never quite materialises. Not too bad though, although some dishes were slightly undercooked, as we're my mussels. I would eat here again despite the slight negatives, including the cost, which is quite high for such average quality.

We visited about 4.30pm so it was not veru busy. We were told about the special deal and that it only applied to the items with asterisks. this made it very good value for money. i am a big fan of spanish food and have been to the real spain (not the costa's) many times. The Anchovies were particularly good. the service charge was included without being mentioned but i was pleased to pay it.

Really lovely food and good service

Gussto Tapas has been on my list of places to eat whenever I go to Durham. That is it was on my list until this last visit! Where to begin: 1. Quality of food is not what it used to be. 2. They now add a 10% service charge. This isn't mentioned on the menu and only comes to light when you receive the bill. Waitress said it was optional and could be removed, but point is a service charge shouldn't come as a surprise at the end of the meal. 3. When I went to pay for the meal I was told my credit card didn't work so i gave them a second card. But when I checked my credit card statements a few days later I found that not only had they charged both cards, but they added an additional £8.60 to the charge on the card they said didn't work. When I tried calling the restaurant to get them to cancel the duplicate charge I was told I'd have to come into the restaurant - not so easy since I had returned to the USA by then. I now have my credit card company trying to sort out the overcharging issue. 4. Their website has a section contacting them in writing, which I did, no response. Needless to say Gussto Tapas is off my list of places to eat in Durham.

Gussto Tapas has been on my list of places to eat whenever I go to Durham. That is it was on my list until this last visit! Where to begin: 1. Quality of food is not what it used to be. 2. They now add a 10% service charge. This isn't mentioned on the menu and only comes to light when you receive the bill. Waitress said it was optional and could be removed, but point is a service charge shouldn't come as a surprise at the end of the meal. 3. When I went to pay for the meal I was told my credit card didn't work so i gave them a second card. But when I checked my credit card statements a few days later I found that not only had they charged both cards, but they added an additional £8.60 to the charge on the card they said didn't work. When I tried calling the restaurant to get them to cancel the duplicate charge I was told I'd have to come into the restaurant - not so easy since I had returned to the USA by then. I now have my credit card company trying to sort out the overcharging issue. 4. Their website has a section contacting them in writing, which I did, no response. Needless to say Gussto Tapas is off my list of places to eat in Durham.

A delightful little restaurant in the heart of Durham city. The maitre D was attentive, without being intrusive. Our food arrived quick enough to assuage our hunger, but slow enough for us to feel it was freshly prepared.

Beautiful restaurant with a warm cosy atmosphere. Exceptional menu options for various tapas dishes and Paellas. Staff and service was very friendly and welcoming. Very enjoyable evening and will definitely return.

Billboard outside advertising 3 dishes for £12 so as there were 4 of us we ordered 9 dishes. Bill should have been £36 plus drinks. Bill came to £109 (including drinks). When queried the waiter told us only dishes included in the offer were the ones with asterisks??. We were not told this when ordering. He eventually reduced the bill after some discussion but we also noticed service charge of almost £10 added in half way down the bill - presumably hoping you wouldn't notice. Needless to say we didn't pay that. Would definitely not return

Ordered the seafood platter for £27.95 and the salmon was off. Absolute disgrace. I’ll never be back. Good job I was sick in the toilet because I would of been seriously ill. Keep away.

after walking past gusto and smelling the inviting aromas we decided to give it a go. the staff were welcoming and polite. we order 3 dishes a seafood plater, a meat plater and a chicken and shellfish paella. instead of the chicken paella I was served salmon, I didn't have a problem with this as I do like salmon, but what I did have a problem with was that the salmon was sour. my suspicions were soon confirmed by my friend eating the seafood plater. I stopped eating and told the waiter who was verry apologetic and removed the items and drinks from the bill, we both purged after we left the restaurant. my other buddy was also disappointed with his meat plater. I was disappointed to say the least I entered expecting a beautiful Spanish paella, then left having wasting a hour of my life and the possibility of a bad stomach.

We really liked this place. The best tortilla we've had in ages and a great vegetarian selection of tapas. Very tasty. A lovely evening

No reservation, but they made it work, got seated rather quickly. Sangria was excellent and the tapas was great, we got about 5 plates to share and it filled us up, cost was about what I expected so all around a good evening was had.

I absolutely love tapas food, a friend recommend here and I’m pleased they did. There was plenty of choice on the menu and everything we ordered was absolutely delicious, all of the food was cooked well and tasted great. The rose sangria was also lovely and really complemented the meal well. Staff were nice and we found it was reasonably priced. I will be visiting here again.

The food is so tasty, fresh spices. but the service is rushed. We ordered a starter then several plates. All the food arrived together and not on warm plates so we had to eat the hot things first but they ended up cold and ate the starter at the end. Either bring food on warming plates or bring things out in bits as it should be and a starter is exactly that. Comes first

Food was delicious, as expected. But unexpectedly there was no coffee. In fact there was no hot drinks at all available.

Beautiful. The food, the service, the atmosphere...just beautiful.

Food was average but one of the main points for us in a tapas resaurant is usually the great happy atmosphere, this restaurant has zero ! When we arrived at the restaurant we were asked if we had booked and we were made to feel slightly uncomfortable because we hadn't even though there were only 2 other people in the restaurant and this was lunch time ! Pleased we tried it but won't be back !

Very good food, location and service. Good music. We were given a free Amaretto for spotting a mistake in our bill.

Another gorgeous meal We shared six dishes; Spanish tortilla, prawns with chorizo, belly pork, chicken wings, ham and cheese croquettes and Paella with a beer and a glass of wine the bill came to a reasonable £61 including service charge. This was our third visit and would recommend it to anyone looking for authentic Spanish food in Durham.

A Latin American (not Spanish) bluff. First, today was a Saturday and they had a portable board sign on the street advertising in big letters 3 tapas for £12.95 (and in tiny letters, only weekdays). I missed that detail. My bad. Secondly, I should have known better where I was entering after reading the numerous orthographic typos in the menu (eg. CaSerola de verduras).Thirdly, the food, which was pretty mediocre, was not even remotely Spanish. It was something cooked by a Latin American who has never been to Spain, or read a book on Spanish cuisine for that matter. Fourthly, they added an almost compulsory 10% tip in the bill that you “can” remove. Good luck and courage with that. Finally, you are told that they prefer cash payments… A disgrace of a place. And Not Spanish at all.

Walked in for lunch no reservation. Authentic Cruz Campo beer, Spanish wines and music, not sure about the food. Had the Pollo/chicken in mushroom sauce. Chicken had an odd taste and almost prefab texture, mushrooms were too uniform to be fresh. New server, first day so I’ll give her that but then it was one thing after the other… However, I heard a table of 4 next to me say lunch was delicious, I think they had tapas plates. Not accessible due to stairs off the street to basement level dining room.

Disappointing. Sadly I am not sure the chef could have been Spanish. Food was bland, with an over reliance of garlic, which was over powering.

My husband and I had booked a table for 7pm on a Monday evening and were seated immediately. I ordered Spanish omelette, mushrooms in garlic, grilled asparagus with pesto and patatas bravas. All delicious. My husband chose King prawns pil pil, bisteak, crispy pork belly and chicken wings. Again, all delicious. The only reason for giving 4 stars and not 5 is that the table was very small and we had to use the windowsill for our drinks and a 10% service charge was added to the bill but was not mentioned on the menu or website. By the time we left, around 8.15, the place was very busy so I suggest booking, even midweek.

Excellent atmosphere and the food was delicious. Portion sizes were more than enough and we look forward to going back again.

My partner and I have been here a few times and it's one of the best spots in Durham! Amazing place for tapas, staff are lovely and the food is amazing!

Came into this restaurant on a wet evening but soon felt the Spanish tapas feel good atmosphere. Great tapas selection and a lovely Spanish waiter. It was our last meal out of three nights in Durham, and sister in law said it was the best...

Really sweet little tapas restaurant, off the Main Street so not too busy. If getting the tapas then would recommend a few plates each. Cozy atmosphere

More than enough for two person So delicious and tender Definitely recommend it

An unassuming little place from the outside that you could easily pass by without noticing. DON'T! We visited on a quiet Thursday afternoon. The service was excellent, always attentive but not intrusive, and the food was absolutely fantastic. We had six tapas dishes and they were all faultless. Defintely worth more visits when we're back in the area.

Great little tapas restaurant. Lovely surroundings with great atmosphere. Excellent lunch time menu and specials menu. Really good value.

Great authentic tapas bar! The food is amazing and the service was great! We will likely return the next time we visit Durham.

We had a perfect evening. Everything we ordered was delicious, friendly service and very reasonably priced! They even had 0% alcohol larger which is unusual for a small independent restaurant.

Very nice place, food is excellent quality, service is great. A little pricey but quality is amazing.

This could be a really lovely place. The food is good but the portion size is incredibly small. The meatballs were about £7 for just 3. We just cut our losses paid the bill and went elsewhere to fill up. Shame as a cute restaurant with a lot of potential .

Really nice food and at fair price. Efficient service however dislike places that stick on 10% service charge, don't tell you and you pay, deceiving . If I think the service is good i will leave cash on the table. Other downside here is the...

Been to gussto loads of times as it never fails to be brilliant. Went for my birthday meal and food and service were both flawless. Waiter explained what was included on the special menu ordered 6 plates between 2 and it was more than enough...

Third time here and really enjoyed our meal once again. Excellent selection, good value and attentive service. Highly recommended. My only wish is that there'd been Tarta Santiago on the dessert menu

The manager was not very professional at all, he didn't know what he was doing. I understand this is a business but you don't do it so obvious.It was shocking experience for me. Highly unprofessional. The tapas is really poor, bland taste and not fresh....

Excellent meal at this great tapas restaurant - we didn't book so it was a good job we went early as it was full by the time we left. There was so much to choose from on the menu, it really was hard to restrict...

Lovely place to eat, had a lunch deal and it was great the patatas bravas was one odd the best I’ve had and the service was brilliant

We tried Gusto for the first time last weekend as it was rated one of the best in Durham. We ordered 11 dishes in total between four of us. One of which we had to send back as the mussels were off. They had a...

Fabulous tapas. Tucked away down some steps in Silver Street this place is well worth a visit. Delicious food, great service, friendly staff. Will definitely be back

Had a few different tapas . Pork was hard and tasteless. Only had 1 toilet so had to wait . Put a service charge on bill of 10% £6.50 .it’s optional so I asked it to be taken off so be aware! Had an attitude...

Always count myself lucky if I can find time to pop in for an impromptu lunch. It’s the ideal venue for some quality food and wine, nice to just relax with a few dishes and a large house red. The staff are always pleased to...

Stumbled upon this gem. Lovely ambience, great food, good value, friendly staff. Authentic Spanish tapas bar, it was grey and raining outside but we could have been on holiday with the lovely atmostphere inside!

We came here as a couple, travelling from sunderland, we sat in the left corner totally comfortable, very private and intimate- exactly as the pictures we had seen online had promised. We will make this our fortnightly date place and you can expect to see...

Myself and a friend went in early evening 29/3/23 for a snack before going out. Worst Tapas ever. Ordered bread and olives, 1 x 3 tapas set meal for £12.95, plus one extra tapas £9 The tortilla was inedible, strange taste. Fish cake didn't taste...

Good food but only one waiter - he had too much to do so service was mediocre. Also, we were surprised that no bread came with the tapas; I asked for bread - after some time it came but we found that we were charged...

Best restaurant in Durham. This place is: 1. Reasonably priced 2. every item on the menu has been delicious so far! 3. Have fantastic beer on tap and a great selection of beverages 4. the service is also spot on 5. food is always quick...

My husband and I called on the off chance on a Saturday afternoon and got a table. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff and food was delicious. We had 7 dishes between us, bread and bottle of Portuguese wine and it came to about £89.00. Would return

A weekend away for me and my husband we found this little gem and food was amazing we went yesterday and went back again today. Food was beautiful paella was amazing service was great! An amazing little find and we will be visiting Durham again...

This Tapas restaurant was a little difficult to find and is located off a main street down a flight of steps. The service was a bit abrupt, but the main problem was the lack of heating in the restaurant. I appreciate it is an old...

Used to be our favourite haunt in Durham. Went this week for lunch and the food was simply awful. Luke warm meat, tortilla clearly out of the microwave. Meat paella was disgusting. Very disappointing Not sure what the chef thinks they are serving but we...

The "Authentic" Paella was bordering inedible, it was rissoto in baked bean sauce. Overpriced considering the cheap ingredients and terrible atmosphere. Had to pay a service charge just for our food being brought to the table. Really put a downer on our Valentine's Day

If you're coming up from the river it's up a load of steps and you think you'll never get there. If you're coming down from Silver street there's not as many steps but it's still not easy to find. But once you're in, it's well...

Fantastic food and atmosphere. Very authentic and the service was wonderful. Would definitely recommend this restaurant

It’s such a great place, a small little cavern hidden away and clinging on over the river. The food is always great, the prices are reasonable, the service is great and it’s the best place to eat in Durham, as far as I’m concerned. It’s...

Food selection and quality was amazing. Servers were all pleasant and attentive. Sangria 10/10. Will definitely return and have recommended to friends. Thank you!

Came here on a Tuesday night after choosing the restaurant from online reviews. There was very little atmosphere, probably because only a couple of tables were occupied. Extensive tapas menu with a mixture of meat, fish and vegetables. The dishes we chose were ok but...

Had a meal at Gussto on a Sunday evening. The menu is good with a wide selection. The dishes are right size and mostly tasty, but sadly not the best tapas we've ever had. A nice change though from pizza/pasta.

We had an impromptu meal at around 5.00pm on a Friday . On entering the cosy , nice looking , but totally empty restaurant, we were greeted by the only male member of staff with a look of surprise that we dared to enter at...

Called here today whilst shopping in Durham. What a gem! My husband and I both loved the ambiance as soon as we walked in. When the food arrived we were immediately pleased. We ordered beef in sauce and it fell apart as it was so...

Had a lovely time at this restaurant, some of the best tapas I’ve had. I loved the restaurant too, it’s cosy quaint atmosphere was right up my street, also you won’t get better for value for money, we ordered a lot of food and the...

Excellent menu choice of excellent tapas dishes. All the ones we had were beautiful quality, brilliantly cooked & presented. Highly recommended. Small, intimate, friendly restaurant with good atmosphere. Very good value for money Good choice of Spanish drinks but unfortunately no zero beer altho’ have...

Good selection of tapas all cooked well. We had seafood, meats, croquettes and tortilla. The alioli is also amazing! Happy they sell Alhambra Reserve too. Will be back!

We went lastnight the food was awesome got myself a mixed grill and other things. everything was cooked perfect! The staff where great very friendly. We will definitely be back there

We were in Durham recently on the night before the Great North Run. We booked a table here as we really like Spanish tapas. We were glad we did as not long after we arrived at 1830 the place was filling up rapidly and soon...

Fell across this gem while exploring the city, hidden away down a little flight of steps…… as in Spain where the best Tapas bars as hidden away!!!! Delicious food, lovely staff and a nice atmosphere, will definitely be returning when next in Durham!

What a wonderful find Fantastic place fantastic food and service Seriously cannot find fault Amazing friendly staff Everything cooked to perfection

Ate at Gussto on Saturday evening, what a lovely place, we would never have found it if we hadn Our party ate here on Saturday evening, it certainly made the weekend for the bride to be as they went all out to cater for the...

We were on a day trip to Durham and stumbled upon this amazing tapas restaurant. Absolute gem of a place. Very welcoming, friendly and superb food offer on tapas. Everything was cooked perfectly and very good portions….plus a jug of sangria…what more could you ask...

We ate here one day in Spring and It was wonderful. The Tapas was great and I spent 12 years living in Spain. Nice atmosphere and good food.

One of those hidden away places you always hope to find but it’s never there when you’re looking. We stumbled upon Gussto during our whistle stop tour of Durham and enjoyed a fantastic selection of tapas and a decent bottle of rosè. Tasty food, lovely...