Leonards Coffee House in County Durham

Very tasty food and good quality of coffee come with reasonable price

One of the nicest coffee houses in Durham. Lovely local business with freshly made baked goods and brunch options. Haven't ate here since being diagnosed with coeliac, so not sure what the gluten-free options are like. Their food was incredible a few years ago, and looks just as good now! The coffee is excellent and service was great.

Perfect Coffee house experience.

A lovely café serving delicious coffee and freshly made food Photo of possibly the best scone ever....raspberry and pistachio

Amazing cakes that go great with a grand cup of coffee

Great hidden away restaurant for brunch. Do book because it was busy all the Saturday am we were there and the great quality of the food tells you why it is busy. You may have to wait some time for your food if it is busy....but relax and enjoy. I enjoyed the background music, which I'd not often notice

Quaint little cafe tucked away near the river bank. Range of breakfast/brunch type options and sandwiches which were all very tasty. I'd prefer the bacon a little crispier next time. The biggest downside is the length of the wait for food. The table staff are polite and welcoming, efficient but it's obvious that the kitchen is so small that it really struggles to get food out quickly especially when there's an increase in demand. The kitchen also seemed to have run out of some menu items which I can only assume was due to it bring a. Sunday. I would go back but only if I had time to spare on a relaxed bite to eat!

I have tried to get a seat here three times and everytime it’s been a strange experience. The last time I tried to get a seat we came inside, wasn’t even greeted by a member of staff, and when they finally came to us they told us they had no space. I’m not saying they should’ve pulled tables out of the air but we had stood awkwardly waiting for about 10 mins and it felt quite rude when we were wanting to spend money with them. My friends who have been here have said that when they’ve managed to get a table before, the service was extremely slow. I will be back to try and eat here because the food looks delish but please work on the customer service!

Booked in advance and came a bit early, the table was all ready so that was fine! The menu doesn't have drink options so that was a bit odd as I had to ask about juices and smoothies. Opted for the prawn and salmon sandwich - very much like an 80s prawn cocktail which was exactly what I wanted, but needed lots more salmon - only a slither!! I thought it was quite pricey given the quantity, possibly needs a serving of salad/chips/crisps to justify. My one main negative was that the service was just so SLOW. There isn't an argument that it was busy because it was not! It took ages for our order to be taken, ages for drinks to come back, and at the end we didn't even ask for the bill we simply went downstairs to pay and leave! It was a shame!

Food and coffee very good. Breakfast roll was delicious. Flat White also very good. Service abysmal. I waited over 40-mins after finishing my coffee for food that was ordered at the same time. It’s a smallish kitchen, regardless, it needs another employee. Personally, I would offer a complimentary coffee as way of apology for what was a ridiculously long wait. If you have all the time in the world, I would recommend. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

An enjoyable lunch outside with our little dog. The coffees were nice, as was the lunch! Plenty of seats inside and out. There’s also a great selection of bakes!!

I went there after the great reviews, and when I arrived a girl told me I had to wait to check what table was available. There were a couple of empty tables but I could understand that as it was just me, they wanted to keep them for larger groups. After that I was completely ignored for about 10 minutes. No one came back to me to give any information, although I was the first on the queue right in front of them, so I finally left as no one cared about me.

Pancake stack , lovely portion but pancakes were burnt. Eggs Benedict- 1 poached egg. Ham quantity lovely. Expensive for the quality.

Food is good, but it took a long time to arrive. If it's a cold day, take a coat, this place is freezing.

Really, really good breakfast place. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for. The french toast was excellent - very naughty!

Stood for 25 minutes, then were informed they couldn't seat 4 people. Complete lack of information from staff, as they were aware we were standing. Most unhelpful.

Very nice coffee shop. Quality coffee and tasty food. We went with a couple of friends and we would totally recommend to visit.

Food was lovely but service really lets the place down

Best pancake ever had. Excellent coffee

Not the most welcoming we've ever had but we enjoyed absolutely delicious drinks. Unfortunately, the coffee was colder than the hot chocolates when served but that may be due to a small kitchen / only one machine.

Been to Leonard's Coffee House a couple of times now, and it's the pancake stack that keep me coming back. They are fluffy and not overly sweet which makes them well accompanied by the maple syrup and bacon. The coffees have been good, not overly milky flat whites, so you can actually taste the coffee. The cafe has a cosy atmosphere, nestled into the corner building at the end of a row.

We were very disappointed with the service on our recent visit to Leonard’s and ended up walking out. There are much better options available in Durham and we will not return. We very rarely give poor reviews on TripAdvisor however this experience was terrible.

On arrival we asked if there were any scones available and were told that there were two cheese ones left. The waiter immediately parceled them up for me, and I dined on them at my leisure later on in the day. Lucky, as there were only two left ! Scowling lady behind me didn't look too pleased that I'd nabbed the last two! Sorry, you snooze you lose !!! Nice atmosphere, good food. Will be returning, if only for the cheese scones !

Excellent cappuccino and date scone

Small but very pleasant coffee shop. The staff are nice, the food is tasty and price's are reasonable. There is no parking near the café but is only a short walk from the city centre.

Best coffee shop in Durham. Drinks are better than Flat White and the food is just as good. Hesitant to give it 5 stars... Selfishly I don't want to become super popular 🤦

First visit, recommended by friends who were then unable to join us due to car breakdown. Cosy downstairs, but good food and drinks. It’s Christmas!! so Christmas sandwich and gingerbread latte it is. Also pot of tea and mixed berry pancakes. Lots of fruit and plenty of syrupy juice to moisten the pancakes, but would have been better with yogurt too. Yummy sandwich, but needed a bigger plate to manoeuvre it on. Toilet clean, though door handle hanging off inside. Service a little slow but they were full, turning away customers, on a Christmas Festival Saturday in December. Pricing not unreasonable.

Fantastic brunch. Best pancakes in Durham. Sour dough bread was really good as was the coffee. We’ll be back.

I just love the food here and everything is delicious and freshly baked in the impossibly tiny kitchen...the staff are patient beyond belief, the cook amazing and the prices ok. Dont come if you are in a hurry coz takes AGES for food to come but thats nice if meeting friends for cozy chat. I had sourdough toast, avocado, grilled halloumi, poached egg and salad cost £9. Im still dyung to try the pancake or waffle stacks

It's a small area downstairs, didn't go upstairs, had pancakes and tea which were lovely, staff were friendly and service good, would visit again but would book a reservation.

Used to love this place but recently the service has been very poor. Rude Manager/Cook, and the staff all look very unhappy. Food was okay but very long waiting times. Looks like a lot of mismanagement.

We used to love going to this cafe but were greeted with terrible service and a very rude manager/cook. The staff looks very miserable too, and the service times are too long.

Lovely little cafe nestled in what I think of as 'artist's yard'. I asked for an iced peppermint tea during hot weather and it wasn't a problem at all. They seem to have a wide range of breakfasts etc although as someone with allergies I tend to eat at home- I'm sure they'd make an adjustment if asked.

I had a very disappointing experience at Leonard’s. It was freezing cold with the doors open and we weren’t allowed to sit upstairs even though subsequent customers were. My friend’s gluten free lemon cake was burnt and black around the edges. It looked awful. My raspberry muffin was dry and stale. It was a very disappointing experience.

My favourite cafe in Durham. Would recommend to everyone.

Recommend their cakes but the new brunch menu is disappointing. The salads have gone & it is now mainly bread & stodge. If you like that then it is good food. The service was ok & the venue is lovely.

Went on a recommendation. Didn't disappoint Food delish. Wasn't busy ,waited a long time, expensive but worth it

Best Chai I have had in the UK yet! And I’m an authentic chai seeker. The food always comes out looking 5 star and tastes perfect every time. Making our visits a weekly ritual JUST for the Biscoff Billionaire Mocha, wow! Great friendly service as well, even if there’s a queue to be seated you always feel welcome. Thank you 🙏🏻

Sadly disappointing, looks idyllic from the outside but that's where it stops food presentation not great I ordered a focaccia with Mozzarella, roasted pepper, tomato and pesto it was presented as a sandwich which was about inches in depth, it was served cold, the Mozzarella was even melted so the end result was a cold tastless piece of focaccia bread, on the plus side the coffee was OK.

Coffee was below average here. Took 10 minutes for takeaway.

فريق العمل لطيف جداً .. الطعام لذيذ جداً … انصح به 👍

Lovely quaint cafe, just outside the main area, worth finding. Beautiful food and coffee, good service.

Went two mornings in a row a few months ago. Although a bit cramped downstairs there is a first floor room which is spacious but lacking atmosphere. The food was top notch and the coffee very good too. Can recommend the French Toast and the Pancake stack with bacon and maple syrup😋😋😋

What a wonderful little hideaway coffee house this is. Not just coffees and teas. No sir! Excellent food of great quality and service of a very high friendly professional standard.

Delightful morning coffee and pancakes at this quaint cafe. Leonard’s is set off of the high street and perched near the riverside which makes it much quieter than other local cafes. I visited this Saturday 6th May and ordered a piccolo with cold milk which came quickly and was served with a smile by a team member called Tarika. It was rich, bitter, and delicious :) The maple syrup and bacon pancake stack was great value for money. Best pancakes this end of County Durham, in my humble opinion. Would highly rate this cafe!!!

We enjoyed a great brunch. Off the beaten path a little but definitely worth a visit! I had the butternut squash and Brie foccacia and my boyfriend had poached eggs, halloumi and avocado on sourdough bread - I tried a bit of both and very tasty. Staff were friendly and we loved the Easter decorations 😊

This used to be our cafe of choice when visiting Durham. Sadly, the standard of service and welcome has gone downhill. We visited recently and asked for a table for 5. The young waiter said he’d be with us in a moment only to rudely cut across by the manager/cook from the kitchen with a gruff ‘we don’t do tables for 5’. He looked so embarrassed and we left, unimpressed by the lack of welcome and disregard for customers. It’s such a shame, but the decline in service, as evidenced by other reviews, is noticeable. Let’s hope it’s addressed soon.

Excellent bacon sandwich and good coffee. Upstairs and outside are lovely places to relax.

Visited with a friend to find the cafe very busy. This is to be expected as food is good and it is a popular place. We were first in the queue but totally ignored by the two members of waiting staff. Eventually I called to one of them and asked if there was space in the upstairs seating area. He said he would check but never returned. I ended up checking myself and reminded the waiter that he hadn't returned to us. No apology. This is the third time we've visited and been rudely ignored by waiting staff. Third and last. A friendly smile and an 'I'll get you a table asap' is all that's needed. It's a shame as this used to be great for both food and service.

Appalling service here this morning. Young staff don't know how to provide quality customer service. Table free this morning needed clearing, staff new we were waiting,stood 6-8 minutes before deciding to sit at the table, within a minute the only you chap cleared the table without a word not even a hello, good morning or anything. We sat for approximately 8- 10 minutes before I decided to get my own menu's, terrible. It was busy which I appreciate, when our order arrived ( 30 minutes)the sausage was charcoal on one side,the wife's hallume was also burnt on one side. The only plus point this morning was the young girl (waitress) who arrived around 10.15 ish and it was clear of the beginning she has a very good work ethic and customer service. She did double the work/ customer service than the other two members of table service staff. I didnt catch her name otherwise I'd have mention her within this review. Due to the lack of customer service in our time there this morning customer walked out as they've received no communication at all. One star rating is justified. We did tip the waitress with the very good work ethic. We'll done for your customer service and politeness. 5 star.

BEST BRUNCH IN DURHAM. Leonard’s is a beautiful little coffee house situated on a lovely quiet backstreet of Durham. Their coffee is excellent with a wide range of options. Don’t fancy a coffee? They have some amazing herbal teas, hot chocolates and soft drinks available. The food is even better, fantastic brunch variety that caters for everyone! My choice was the Avo and Halloumi sourdough 😍 Don’t miss out

Lovely breakfast and teas. Service good, very nice place to sit and reasonably priced for centre of Durham.

Very welcoming and cosy, I like the coffee and hot chocolate but my family didn’t like the pancakes. But there was no gluten free pancakes!

Good food, far too slow - a real shame as there seems to be no desire to change this. Not uncommon to wait 45+ minutes for simple sandwiches. The standard response is “we’re busy” but compared to other cafes in Durham they aren’t, and can’t compete with their speedy (while also still excellent) service. If you have other things to do while you’re in town, go elsewhere.

The food is really good, but the service is a hit and miss. Today we were queuing to get a table and the main waiter lacked the politeness and professionalism that give places a 5 stars review. When waiting for a table we were turned away in a rude manner, without even asking anything. I would recommend increase the number of people serving as at times they look stressed about workload.

This is the best coffee shop in Durham

yummy food and lovely atmosphere. sat upstairs and it was quiet. food came before drinks but it was only a few minutes and we didn’t really mind. I had bacon and maple pancakes which were the perfect mix of sweet and salty, partner had avocado and halloumi sourdough which she praised highly. pleasant and filling brunch

The food in Leonard’s is good, and it’s a lovely place off the beaten track. However, they need to improve the speed of service. Visited today and it took 30 minutes to be served two lattes (which were small to begin with and 50% foam) and a further 30 minutes (so, an hour from ordering) to be bought two cold sandwiches. There are signs around explaining that food is made to order so won’t be ‘fast’ but an hour to make two sandwiches is ridiculous.

Excellent price and portion. Waited for quite a bit tho. Waiter was quite new so took quite some time to figure things out.

Tasty cappuccino, bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese 🙂

Super food and even better service. When we couldn't find our Airbnb one of the staff came and located it for us 100m away. We came back for breakfast and had Stotties and it was memorable ! It's hidden away but wow you must go.

Whilst Leonard’s is a lovely cafe with great looking cakes, nice meals and great coffee, there is a lack of seating, the staff look unhappy and the service is exceptionally slow. It took us 45 minutes to be served two coffees and a further ten minutes for the waiters to work through the queue of people waiting to pay. We were sat right in front of the counter, customers sat in further flung parts of the cafe needed to go to the bar to get a waiter to serve them. Overall this cafe still serves good food like it used to, but seems to have a staffing problem at the moment.

Walked in during peak hour and was told to wait for a table which is pretty standard. After about 20 minutes of waiting we were shown to our table, and the waitress mentioned that she was going to get menus for us. After about another 10 minutes of waiting, there was no sign of the waitress or any indication of us getting the menu. My friend and I got up to grab some menus ourselves. After about another 20 minutes, no one had come to our table to take our orders, so we got up and went to the cashier to order. After 50 minutes of waiting, our food had still not been served. In this time we had seen numerous people walk in, get served, order and receive their order while we were still waiting. Not to mention that the table that we were shown had not been cleared till about 45 minutes into us having taken a seat ( she did not wipe the table though). I can understand being understaffed, and it being busy. However, when you see other people come and get served whilst you and your friends that are the only foreigners in the cafe, are being ignored, it does definitely raise a few questions. It honestly doesn’t take that long to poach eggs and toast bread 💀💀. We got up and left and they didn’t even bat an eye. Would avoid this place like the plague. Horrible service and disorganised.

I have been coming here for years and the food is always lovely, fresh and a good sized portion! We would recommend to anyone who would like delicious food and drinks!

Nice but very pricey for what it is

Haven’t been to Leonard’s for a while. It’s a unique but small place, away from the city centre but the food is good and as long as it isn’t filled with students with their laptops (as are most places in Durham) then it’s pleasant enough. However, despite all these positive points our visit here today was spoilt by the staff who were so unbelievably miserable. The staff here used to be friendly and very pleasant but today they seemed inexperienced, unsure and unable to raise a smile. Such a shame.

Lovely place for lunch. Lovely staff too.

I never knew this little place existed as it is tucked out of the way. Nice and quiet when I visited. I only had coffee which was lovely. Pleasant view across the river.

Excellent breakfast and coffee. A hidden gem. Will definitely be returning

Went there during tea time and ordered an iced latte and some confectionaries - cinnamon bun & lemon drizzle 🍋 -1 star due to the waiting time and the iced latte was not as strong as I liked Overall vibes for brunch/tea time will be described in emojis:🦄🍰☀️🫐

Called in for a mid morning coffee / light snack. Ended up ordering two breakfast stotties one bacon and mushroom and one poached egg and mushroom. Order was taken by an attentive and efficient waitress who noted down all our preferences e.g bacon well done and coffees served extra hot. We did have quite a wait for our order, but the place was busy, perhaps a sign of popularity. Drinks arrived before our food and perhaps a little on the small side for 'large' but were nice enough. Food was very enjoyable. Its been a while since we've been here due to covid but would happily return again. The drink loyalty card is worth getting- stamps accrued for drinks-

Such a nice cafe hidden away. Delicious haloumi and avo on soughdough. There were some tempting cakes too, including Malteser tray bake. Busy staff managed to find us a table. Leads out to the specialist craft studios of Back Silver Street, before walking up through the permanent Market, the Saturday Market and on up to the Cathedral.

We happened to see Leonard's from the other side of the river and managed to work out how to get to it. We were so pleased that we found this little cafe ... it's a lovely venue for brunch or a cake. Good, efficient service and delicious food.

Excellent, very good service and food

Really nice place to visit, friendly staff, and an excellent and interesting selection of food on offer. Worth stopping here for food before starting your day in Durham.

We’ve always loved going to Leonard’s due to its excellent food, vibes & hospitality! However, this visit for a birthday brunch was uncharacteristically disappointing. Upon arriving, having booked a table prior, we were shown two separate tables of which one was unsocially angled. This was confusing as there was plenty of room for bigger parties in the cafe! Having squished seven of us onto a table for four, we were then told we were being too noisy, despite the fact we were simply adding to the general chatter of the cafe. It took a very long time for our food & drinks to get to us, & some items were missed. There was no apology for this wait time. We were very surprised as we all love Leonard’s & would usually rave about it, however this was a rather surprisingly disappointing experience, especially for a birthday celebration!

Went over the weekend. I ordered a coffee and a sandwich. Coffee came after about 10 minutes waited waited and waited again after 30 minutes of waiting I gave up. They will prob respond with we were busy. No communication was given to say that it was going to 30 minutes before my order would arrive. The coffee was freezing at the point will not be returning Wud of said I was a regular as well

Beautiful gem! Customer service was prompt and friendly. Great place for couples, friends and family. Food is delicious and relatively cheap. Would highly recommend.

Great little cafe. Exceptional service. Friendly. Superb food. Awesome gluten free.

By fare the best place to eat in Durham cakes amazing my granddaughters favourite place to eat

Great breakfast sandwich and lovely gingerbread latte. Everything made fresh and tasted good.

Leonards is now our regular place for a Sunday Morning Breakfast, Tucked away from the Shops in Fowlers Yard, Food Freshley made with Good Quality Ingredients, Small and cosy with Seating on 2 Floors as well as seating outside. Staff always Friendly and Helpful. Very popular with both locals and students and can be very busy at times but you can Contact Leonards and reserve a Table. Miles better than the usual Coffee Shop Chains. Best Breakfasts in Durham!

Great place for brunch, I had the rosti, poached eggs and crispy bacon. Tasty food, nicely presented.

Amazing food, coffee and cakes. Haven’t had a bad experience here! Perfect for eating in and taking out. Can’t fault it.

Small and perfectly formed - great food and staff. Recommend the full English in a bun! Friendly staff. Go out of the rear of the indoor market and turn left. Booking recommended

It's just to the riverside and it's a good place for a casual get-together with friends and family. Good brunch menu and cosy for a place to hang out with a large bunch of mates.

We have been here twice now and there is absolutely nothing not to like about it. It’s a lovely quaint and rustic feeling coffee shop hidden away in a courtyard a stones throw from the main square. The pancakes in maple syrup with bacon are...

Lovely menu with imagination and variety, nicely prepared food, away from the busy and touristy parts of Durham, yet close to those.

A lovely little coffee shop tucked away from the main town on a street full of galleries and artisan shops. The flat white, Cappuccino and house tea were nice. The food though was really good; we had Eggs Benedict, Mushroom and Avocado on Sourdough, Smoked Salmon Bagel and Berry Pancakes (this was mahoosive). Friendly staff, no parking, not huge numbers of seats.

We were recommended Leonards by the Pub we were staying in - we wouldn't have found it otherwise because it is hidden in a back street near craft workshops and galleries. It was the perfect place for a leisurely sunny breakfast when visiting Durham.

Fantastic cafe! I had the best cheese toastie I’ve ever eaten here! And the Biscofee Rocky Road was fabulous! Lovely service too ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Staff outstanding food and drink outstanding apart from too much froth on the latte and hot chocolate for our liking. I would definitely recommend a visit

Such a fantastic find, while wandering around Durham. We didn't feel particularly hungry, but decided to stop for a coffee. Two hours later, due to fantastic sandwiches, cakes and coffee..we pulled ourselves away. Food lovely, staff so friendly. Thank you for making our trip to...

Very friendly staff. My husband loved his just baked cinnamon roll and hot chocolate with gingerbread. Will definitely be back.

Just down the road from our Airbnb we only visited for breakfast on our last morning. Good that we found it but a shame that we didn’t go earlier (although their pancakes and bacon were so tasty that it is perhaps best for our waistlines!)...

Great coffee, friendly helpful staff and the best cheese and pepper scones I’ve ever tasted.

Great little gem in Durham , magic coffee and breakfast stotties , worth the wait outside over Covid period , staff cannot do enough for you!!

Lovely coffee and very tempting selection of home made cakes. Little bit slow though and only two of the outside tables have umbrellas (a problem during covid and a heavy rain shower). Very nice atmosphere inside - cozy!

Tasty coffee and fresh muffins. Will come back.

Those bacon sandwiches... what can I say other than faultless, amazing coffee and the cakes we got yo take home were unbelievable..