Patisserie Valerie - Durham in County Durham

I was sent a gift voucher for afternoon tea for Christmas only to find that all Patisserie Valerie stores closed on 04/01/24 so have never been able to visit , did see what looked like a building site . Cant believe they still issued vouchers knowing they were closing every single store , Dreadful state of affairs

This was our first visit to Patisserie Valerie in Durham and we had the best afternoon tea. When we arrived we produced a gift voucher but unfortunately the barcode page was missing. The staff couldn’t be more helpful and tried their best to locate the voucher on their computer system; luckily I was able to find the voucher on my phone and the staff were so pleased to serve us afternoon tea and made us very welcome. I prefer my tea black to enjoy the full flavour of tea and our server added extra loose tea for me which I appreciated. My partner had cafe latte which surprised her as most places only provide instant coffee with afternoon tea (or have to pay extra). Great selection of finger sandwiches including salmon which I love, 4 scones - plain and fruit, fabulous choice of tasty cakes including macaroons. Our lovely server was very attentive and replenished our drinks and gave us boxes for us to takeaway some of the cakes we were too full to eat. Very happy customers and we will certainly return.

First time in Patisserie Valerie today and could not fault it at all. Sam went out of her way to make my friends birthday special, first class service and beautiful food. Good staff should be rewarded and recognised. We will be back again

DO NOT eat or drink here. 2 x teas (not cheap) and received 2 x hot water with a few flakes of what looked like fish food as tea leaves. Took it back. Response suggested this is usual protocol. Replaced without problem with similar standard tea. Tables needing a clean. Staff didn’t look too happy. I don’t blame them. 1 x tea cake (it’s just a small shop bought tea cake and nothing special) 1 x tuna and lemon baguette (it’s called something else on the menu but the menu doesn’t in anyway reflect reality). A brief smattering of tuna, couple of rocket leaves, stale white shop bought baguette. ‘Side salad’ (limp lettuce leaves). That’s lettuce, not a side salad. 3 or 4 crisps. It’s false advertising. The menu does not reflect reality. How this place is still in business I don’t know; presumably dependent upon first time suckers and not repeat visitors. It’s isn’t cheap and it isn’t nice.

We’re in here usually a couple of times a month, it was an afternoon tea voucher that hooked us in, but the coffee kept us coming back. In my opinion it’s the best in Durham. The staff are always lovely. The lady that was working alone today (5/10/23) is always so pleasant and welcoming each time we go. It really is our favourite place in Durham for coffee, breakfast/lunch and obviously the cake doesn’t need any mention.

I ordered a croque monsieur , the service was excellent. Unfortunately the croque was disappointing so I mentioned it to Euan the manager. He immediately recognised the problem , took it away offered to replace it , and reimbursed me He was exceptional and even gave a delicious chocolate cake to compensate! Thank you for. such great service, Euan, you made my visit to Durham so enjoyable!!

We waited just a little while to be served as it was a busy sunday afternoon. Absolutely delicious afternoon tea & fabulous service from the 2 guys working there. will definitely recommend & return.

We called in with a groupon voucher for a cream tea at around 3.15pm and based on previous reviews we were anticipating a poor experience! Initially we were advised by the counter staff that they were only doing take aways? However, upon approaching the Manager he kindly agreed we could have the cream tea in the cafe after all. Out flat whites were excellent (piping hot as requested) and the scones were fresh, warmed and served with cold firm butter, a pot of jam and a pot of clotted cream each - all very nice. My only criticism is that the venue does not appear to have sufficient staff to clear and clean tables, floors etc during service. However the two staff that were in situ on our visit were pleasant and very obliging.

Ideally placed in the centre of Durham, we had a very enjoyable afternoon tea. It looked as if we'd arrived at a good time of day 2pm as it was apparent (some tables waiting to be cleaned) that they'd been busy. The staff were very friendly & helpful.

Durham is blessed with many cafes and eateries. With a prom and 1 year old we were looking for a place with indoor space. Patisserie Veronica looked good. The menu was good and the pastries were attractive. The omelette was good and the Croque Monsieur was okay. All went well until a pastry had obviously been left out for a while and had become hard to eat. Unfortunately the staff were unconcerned and took the pastry away but offered no explanation and no replacement. The visit could have been better.

We were on a family day visit to Durham. We walked passed PV and thought we must go in for some delicious sweets! What a mistake that was. We entered and immediately felt the place had little to no ambiance. We took our seats to peruse the menu. We opted for a hot chocolate (ok), vanilla milkshake (nice albeit a little small for nearly £5) and a ‘babycino’ for the little one. Which was essentially milk with chocolate powder, perfectly fine if it wasn’t for the fact the milk was the same temperature you would serve a hot coffee to an adult. Such a hazard to a small child! The worst was yet to come, we chose the carrot cake, red velvet and Mille Feuille. Both the carrot cake and red velvet were awful. So dry they were inedible. Very poor. Mille Feuille was tasty but tasted a day or 2 old. Overall very disappointed and would not return. Such a shame.

We came yesterday with 8 people after purchasing afternoon tea groupons. After reading the reviews i was thinking it was going to be a disaster however the staff were lovely and super friendly. Yes, we waited about 45 minutes for the food but drinks came out quick. The food was beautiful and the kids loved their summer afternoon tea. Although the food took a while, we had a good time chatting and catching up with family.

Even asking for extra strong tea it was like gnats pee. Only 6 customers there but the wait was excessive. Not good value.

Service dismal,ordered 15 mins later ,went up to check on order,hadn't even started it.took at least 25 mins to get it.Tables not cleaned would have left but had already paid,.Won't go again.Sad because it could be a nice place

The cakes look excellent which raised my expectations for a decent lunch. However, when asked if anything was gluten free, the only thing they offered me was toast! Staff were disinterested. The tea was nice, but served in a chipped and stained pot. The food took over half an hour, which I thought was far too long, considering they weren’t at all busy. The toilet had no toilet roll, an empty hand sanitizer bottle, an empty soap dispenser and a soap dispenser that didn’t work. I definitely wouldn’t visit again and it would put me off other Pattiserie Valerie locations too. A very poor example of how to run a food establishment!

To start with the decor. Not good. Very tired. Then once you get a table you notice it’s quite dirty. After a long wait we were served a very hot babychino and a cold latte and a cold flat white. Cake was ok. Said the drinks were cold and were told they would remake them. They were taken away and we watched them feel the cups before sticking there fingers in. They then poured them out. Served customers who were after us before finally redoing our drinks. Had to ask where the scone was. Finally got a very small scone throw on the table. It was so small seen better in super markets. All in all shocking service, over priced for what you get and will not be returning.

Visited yesterday. Asked what could be made Gluten Free ( not shown on menu), I was told nothing. I asked if the croutons could be removed from the salad and that was confirmed. Ordered then waited 30 minutes for two salads and two teas. The salads were ok, just ok . Considering I’d spent £33 on that I’d expect good salads. The teapots were dirty. I sadly witnessed one of the servers be very unhelpful to a French lady, quite ironic considering it’s Patisserie Valerie. The ladies loo had no paper or soap. When reminded they didn’t fill the soap. Overall Poor and I wouldn’t return.

Attempted to dine at the cafe today. Unfortunately we waited for several minutes before any staff member was prepared to make eye contact. We were given menus and told to take a seat. We pointed out that every table was dirty and piled high with dirty crockery. We were then told we could go upstairs. After waiting a further period of time the original staff member came upstairs with other customers orders and ignored us. When we asked if we could order the staff member was very abrupt and offhand and told us we would have to go downstairs to order with no apology for not having mentioned this to us when originally providing the menus. By this point we were thoroughly disgusted with the quality of service and poor cleanliness, with no confidence in how long we would have to wait for our food and drinks and what they would be like, so promptly left and went elsewhere. The staff member concerned almost seemed relieved to see us go - two less customers to serve.

We cannot see why Valerie’s has gone into administration as the prices are over the top. Poor service, stale sandwiches and poor cleaning routine with untrained staff would confirm the reasoning behind going into administration.

We arrived at the patisserie at 12.30 to find it very busy with 2 young people managing everything, they asked if we would mind taking a seat and waiting for 15 mins before they took our order, we obliged. Still waiting patiently after 35 mins...

Visited afternoon of Saturday 10th June, we had two ham and cheese baguettes a tea and a latte £23! It’s not so much the price which I’m happy to pay, but the overall quality and service was poor! Baguettes were chewy and we requested salt,...

Service was good and the coffee nice. Had quiche and salad for lunch. Pastry on quiche was over cooked and not appetising. But quiche filling was nice if a little bland.

Ordered macarons a few days ago to take-away and they were really delicious. The range of flavours was lovely - felt like I was back in Paris! Niall and Charlotte who served us were especially friendly and polite, they made our day. Would definitely recommend...

I've been here a few times and I've never had any issues. However, I visited on 29th April at around 3pm and it was Bedlam! Having worked in catering myself in the past, I'm by no means blaming the serving staff, I'm blaming the managers....

I was bought this voucher for afternoon tea for two by my class pupils. I have to say it wasn't good. The finger sandwiches were poor, one containing two tiny pieces of cucumber. The scones were over cooked. The staff were rude and just could...

Absolutely shocking! Drinks arrived quite quickly but the 2 x baguettes and 1 toasted tea cake took 25 + minutes! The baguettes were dry and tasteless and the toasted tea cake was cold! Luckily we don’t live anywhere near so we won’t be frequenting again!

4 of us for cake and tea/coffee. The coffees looked and tasted like dishwater. Took them back to the counter to be told, 'Ah yes, the coffee machine's not working properly'. Didn't stop them trying to sell the rubbish to us though. Refund obtained. Menu...

My husband and I had a meal i had a quiche and my husband had the omelet the quiche was horrible it was cold and it had no taste it was the worst one i ever had I would not recommend this restaurant

Been many times previously with dog. Visited today, refused entry with dog. No lo ger dog friendly. Will never return.

Called into the shop at 3.35pm today to be told that we couldn’t come in to eat and only takeaways were available. Several tables occupied but entrance denied. Pleased we weren’t wanting afternoon tea as we should have arrived on the morning presumably. The shop...

Would not recommend! Afternoon tea took 1 hour to come out and told "you'll just have to wait" from the staff. Tea came out with no milk or spoon. People walking out due to wait times. Food was lovely but not worth a hour wait,...

We travelled to Durham specifically to have an afternoon tea for two. Joined a small queue and waited for a take away order to be processed. 10 minutes later we were told to sit down and our drinks would be bought to our table, no...

My wife saw an offer online for a Cream Tea for two at Patisserie Valerie. She paid something like £8.50 for the voucher. We turned up in the afternoon and were quickly served by a pleasant young waitress. When the Cream Teas arrived I was...

In truth, the Wind whipped around Their Door on this January Afternoon. However it was Warm & Comfortable inside & we were Sat Down, Soon! A Swift Table Service is ALWAYS a Boon, no waiting ; no delay. The well presented High Tea was Excellent...

My daughter and I ordered 2 coffee and 2 tuna clubs. I ordered a latte but a cappuccino was served. The other latte was sloppy. The tuna clubs were average and overpriced. The salad served with the sandwich was wilted and should never have been...

Visited patisserie Valerie Durham for coffee and lunch. Coffees were not hot enough and not made correctly, both the latte and flat white were exactly the same. We waited for 45 minutes for food which arrived cold and of very low standard. We were presented...

Christmas Eve in Durham, after a walk round we went in for coffee and cake. Enjoyed our visit, coffee latte was served nice, the cakes were lovely, these were served by friendly helpful staff. Some people might say it was expensive at near £20 for...

I emailed the company before travelling 40 mins away to the Durham branch. I also contacted them via Facebook asking if I needed to book a table and stated the day and time I wanted to visit as I had a gift voucher than I...

Popped in for a quick coffee and cake , not sure if the staff were the regular ones but their was a distinct lack of management, lots of orders missing items , not just ours this was other customers too, the QR code didn’t work...

I often bring my 2yr old daughter here on my rare days off work as part of our bonding day just the two of us while the mrs is at work. This is our main choice for brunch before we venture around the city. We...

Visited on 8th November and used a Buyagift voucher for afternoon tea. We requested one set of plain sandwiches and also an alternative to the cucumber sandwiches …..no problem at all and staff accommodated our request. Drinks were refillable - we had 3 lattes and...

Seems to be ok for hot drinks, but we sat in and ordered food. It was quite overpriced, the orders were missing items and one of our sandwiches was completely forgotten about. When it did come it wasnt as described (grilled halloumi was raw) and...

Afternoon tea for 2 Cucumber sandwich… really white bread with hardly any butter in with cucumber only hmmm, also some sort sandwich think pork well think was pork with something yellow with no taste, white bread sandwich which we don’t actually know what was in...

Visited with my partner and 2 children (6 and 2 yrs) we ordered via the app and received 20% off. We ordered Full English breakfast, Eggs Royale and 2 x fish fingers & chips, 1 x red velvet cake and 1 x baked cheesecake. The...

Went to Patisserie Valerie on 31/8/22 to use voucher for cream tea. Walked in and asked for table for two with my niece and was told to pick any seat. There were no seats available which any waitress should have known straightaway but they let...

I took my mum for a quick bite enroute to the Cathedral, the service was bad and the food appalling, I heard the waitresses apologising to other customers regarding items missing from afternoon tea when they brought the food, rather than inform them at point...

Super cakes and coffee after an afternoon around Durham Cathederal. Lovely staff and a great choice of cakes.

We used a voucher we received at Christmas , it was worth the wait ! The food was delicious and all the staff were very helpful and friendly . We would recommend!!

Ordered online using their delivery option. ‘‘Twas a big mistake. I’d chosen the full English breakfast. I’d also ordered 6 cakes for visitors arriving. They’d crammed the breakfast items into a small brown box, baked beans slopped in with the bacon/sausage/eggs/mushrooms. It looked messy and...

6 of us visited for afternoon tea with vouchers from Groupon. The quality was excellent for the price. Delicious sandwiches and smoked salmon appetizer. Scones, warm(!) with jam and clotted cream (wish they had been a little bigger!! Cakes, not as good as the highest...

My wife & I, our daughter and 8yo grandson ordered: 2 chicken Ceasar salad, 1 Haloumi Pitta & 1 child's boiled eggs with soldiers. Order receipt timestamped 13:11 And we waited, exactly half an hour till 13:41, for the waitress to come and tell us...

Came as usually with daughter to lunch with desert. Ordered two salads and oh my gosh salad leafs was rotten! Last time salad wasn’t good but this time I was shocked. You need new kitchen staff! Avoid this place if you don’t want to wast...

Popped in for a takeaway skinny latte, cheaper than other coffee shops nearby. Very pleasant server. Will most likely call again.

We thought we'd give Patisserie Valerie a try today. it was 10.00am on a weekday and not particularly busy. The menu said they did a full English breakfast, so we thought we'd try it. We ordered one breakfast without mushrooms and with a fried egg,...

I have just read some reviews and felt I must write one about our recent visit to redress the balance. Never having been to Patisserie Valerie before, my husband and I were pleasantly surprised. We asked to be seated by the window, and the waitress...

We had a gift voucher for afternoon tea and were looking forward so much to trying it. What a let down! Could not book as no one answered phone so just turned up which wasn't a problem. The full cost would have been £35 and...

Overpriced 2 teacakes and tea for 2 cost over £10.00 asked for well done but that didn’t happen. We won’t be visiting there again

We called for coffee cake and a sandwich, The staff were very friendly and helpful. It was very busy at the time of our visit being lunchtime, However, we were made to feel welcome there was a good selection of food available and it was...

Everything was great. The service was excellent and the pastries yummy. The coffee was delicious too

Love this coffee shop Friendly staff,nice to sit and people watch Cakes and pastries are delicious First tried this in London

Arrived at 13.57 for our booking at 2pm to be told our table had been “given away.” Woman who was clearly in charge was rude and there was no offer to remedy the situation! At no point was an apology offered and we were left...

Dreadful customer service and equally as dreadful food. We waited so long I thought I was either dead or wearing camouflage. I resorted to downloaded the app to order. I requested da change in the order and instead of amending the order they cancelled it...

We spent a relaxing time enjoying a tasty afternoon tea. Our waitress was so cheery, pleasant and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. One of our party was a vegetarian and our helpful waitress found out all of the sandwich fillings and sweet items suitable...

Bought a slice of carrot cake that looked delicious and cost approx £3.75 - about the cost of a whole cake at M&S - to take away. It was stale. Was happy to pay for a nice treat but I won't do it again.

10/10. Amazing service amazing food. Just a shame other customers have to spoil your experience. The staff member ( sorry didn’t get your name ) handled the very rude customer so professionally, no way would have I stood for being sworn at like that. But...

Waited more than 25 minutes and 3 out of our party tried to hurry the sandwiches , sadly they still didn’t arrive .. we had our old dog with us and we became so cold waiting I asked if they could wrap them do we...

Ordered coffee and a light lunch. Waited 30 mins but the food didn’t come. Sat next to the counter but couldn’t understand how none of the staff noticed or did a follow up. Disappointed, didn’t seem to be any team work. Manager offered a solution...

Coffee and cake - both excellent. The lady on the floor was attentive and friendly and very funny. Will be back for more entertainment!

Worst customer service ever, very rude manager, waited 15 mins for food, cafe not busy, had drank my pot of tea, and still no food. I went to leave and just pay for my tea, manager insisted I pay in full or wait for food...

My twin brother Stephen and I were exploring around the pretty town of Durham when we chanced upon Patisserie Valerie and what a great find. Walking in and I knew I would enjoy my visit here ,the interior is light and airy, beautiful decor and...

Good visit only slightly marred by staff shortages which was mentioned prior to entry. overall good quality and extensive range of foods patisserie and coffee/ teas. Price wise acceptable Clean , attentive staff when available due to busy restaurants and limited staff Would return

I absolutely love the cakes from here so it would have been rude not to call in. The service was brilliant I had the Chocolate Macarons, they were a delight.

Staff nice and pleasant, location lovely however the porrage we ordered for breakfast, although looked nice, was cold. Coffee -average machine coffee

Sandwiches very poor, whoever decided plain cucumber or a roasted pepper sandwich was a good idea needs help. Other than that, they advertise on their website a very nice selection of cakes that we did not get, we got 6 pieces of 2 different cakes...

Fortunately my daughter saw it before it was put on the table. No management came to apologise., sent an inexperienced girl with replacement. Needless to say it was left. Coffee’s and a hot chocolate finally arrived just warm, had to ask for it. It cost...

I purchased afternoon tea here using a voucher from Buyagift and visited with my Mam. I didn’t find it as impressive as previous visits as the quality of the afternoon tea has declined. I enjoyed receiving the selection of small pots of jam on previous...

Had a lovely all day breakfast here. Slightly spoiled by the poached eggs being slightly undercooked. Great staff, friendly and helpful. I would recommend a visit

These things are all inescapably subjective of course, but I always enjoy my visits to PV in Durham. I find the COVID arrangements fine - I think they're doing as well as anywhere else in these challenging times. The service is excellent, friendly and as...

Lovely food, lovely cakes. Badly laid out for Covid. Entry, queue, take away and queue system badly thought out. Despite having a lpng counter the till and collection point for take away was immediately beside the entry door meaning people waiting for orders spent long...

Waitresses were very short and rushed and didn’t seem like they wanted to be here. Firstly I got a black coffee: burnt. I ordered the BLT (£8.50) which came out cold, the bread was soggy, bacon was not “crispy” as described and had very little...

Me and my partner came for lunch and spent around £25 on a cold croissant and a soggy BLT. Honestly I’ve had better airplane food. 😭

Friendly chatty waitress, but food just not good enough. I had the pancakes with summer fruit, and the pancakes were tough, rubbery and tasteless, looks like they were taken out prepacked frozen and warmed in the microwave - most places do manage to cook real...

Visited yesterday around 2.30 for a cake takeout. I was served by a small girl with brownish hair with glasses hair in a ponytail. I asked for 2 cakes to take out, she asked me 3 times and I told her 3 times my husband...

Service here is poor. A waitress just pointed at a table & walked off. Cakes stale & no Covid regs followed. Slow checkout. Need to buck up , folks.

Stopped for coffee and cake mid morning, and it was just right large cups of steaming coffee fairly decent cake, hit the spot, would use agian if needed. Staf very friendly

Visited here for the first time yesterday. The good points were the coffee was lovely and the éclairs out of this world. Even better was they were all half price to eat in. Only saw two staff on and had to wait a while for...

Personally I'm not a fan of most things on the food menu but the ham and cheese Croissant is amazing. The cake options were great but the one I had was a bit sickly. The kids enjoyed it and we left with 6 macarons which...

Went for afternoon tea with a voucher we were given. The place itself is ok but the afternoon tea is nothing great. We couldn't have all brown bread as the sandwiches are already made. Even though there was chicken salmon and ham they all tasted...

we enjoyed afternoon tea yesterday , the staff were very good lots of attention to our requirements. refills of coffee and good selection

Visited here on a monday for my sisters birthday treat. It was busy downstairs so we were asked to dit upstairs where we were forgotten about. Eventually we managed to order afternoon tea and it was delicious. The best hot chocolate we have had in...

Normally i wouldn't review a national chain as there is usually little to add in relation to a particular outlet. We have been here a few times over the last six months and have been pleasantly surprised. 1. The porridge (with soy and almond options)...

Great friendly atmosphere, excellent service from Courtney and Sarah, nice food, very filling and decaf tea!! Thanks so much 😁

I took my daughter here for a treat. The service was slow, the table was dirty and the atmosphere was poor. We definitely won't be back. Very over-priced.

Very disappointing. One lovely chatty waitress took our order and then unfortunately left the floor. We were then in the hands of another waitress whom I can only assume was working out her notice as she was so rude and unbleavably noisey. It was not...

Just wanted to pop in and get a nice snack before I go back to work and was spoken down to - staff are just not friendly at all. Leave your baggage at the door and put a smile on your face before facing customers....

Visited for lunch and told to sit at a table and the menus would be brought over. Waited for quite a few minutes while the waitresses chatted to each other (not many customers there) and eventually went and got the menus myself. While we were...

Visited with my husband. No greeting. Waitress was rude. No cakes on display. Had all been cleared away at four pm. Seemed as if they were trying to close. I’ve been trying this place on and off for years and honestly don’t know why I...

Bought afternoon tea for two as a treat for my friend’s birthday- we were brought the tiniest sample like sandwiches, scones and cakes. No delicious cream cakes as seen at counter, only slithers of undesirables. Would not recommend. A real disappointment. Won’t be going back!,,

I ordered the smashed avocado on toast at £6.75. I got one slice of toast, a tomato and some wilted watercress. When I asked if you only get one slice and suggested it was overpriced, the waitress agreed and said the whole menu is overpriced!!...

What a lovely place to relax with a great afternoon tea and endless cups of tea and coffee (exceptional Latte Sam). Nicely decorated and very clean. Loved the outfits of the staff who were all dressed immaculately. A warm and friendly greeting by Sam who...