Restaurant 17 in County Durham - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We came across this place by chance online and booked a table for our anniversary. Fantastic, personal service and delicious food. Every course was absolutely beautiful and the server couldn’t do more to help us. The wine menu was running down to make a change but they were honest about this and worked with us to find something we wanted. We will absolutely be back, what a wonderful hidden gem that we will be telling everyone about!

I do not write reviews often, however now and again you come across a place that ticks all the boxes, great food excellant service and good value for money this is it, we live in durham, it was my wifes birthday we plus out daughter was looking for a place in durham to eat, found this on google we did not realise this place has been here for at least 10 years how did we miss it! Try it you will not be disapointed

We had a nice meal in this lovely cosy restaurant. The staff were really friendly and helpful. The only suggestion for improvement would be to offer ale as well the Italian larger currently offered.

An excellent restaurant. Friendly and civilized. Great food in a relaxed atmosphere where you can talk easily. The staff were very welcoming. I'd be a regular if I lived in Durham.

Underground down steep steps, hidden away but right in the middle of the city. Just found it on OpenTable and took a chance for a party of four. It delivered beyond expectations. Only 20 or so covers but so worth finding it. Excellent food (the duck was fantastic as was the sticky toffee pudding) and relaxed but attentive service with a welcome, a chat and a smile. I'd certainly go back there next time I'm in Durham.

First visit to this wonderful little restaurant. Didn’t know that this place existed even though I’ve walked past it hundreds of times. A wonderful find in Durham City which is now full of chain restaurants. An intimate venue with fabulous food and very friendly staff who provided a great personal service. Would definitely recommend for a special occasion.

A great little find …… First visit to this wonderful little restaurant. Didn’t know that this place existed even though I’ve walked past it hundreds of times. A wonderful find in Durham City which is now full of chain restaurants. An intimate venue with fabulous food and very friendly staff who provided a great personal service. Would definitely recommend for a special occasion.

Had the best meal ever , Gary the manager was so amazing , had the duck and crème brûlée absolutely amazing can’t sing Gary’s praises enough

Came for dinner with a group and to be brutally honest I was rather underwhelmed. A few key negatives: - the waitress plonked the bottle of fizz on the table in a cooler and walked off without providing glasses or pouring. Once we had asked for champagne glasses they were just put on the table for us to pour. - prawn starter was a bit confused - the prawn itself was nice but it was sat on a small square of pitta bread and I don't think it added anything to the dish - the waitress tried to clear starter plates whilst some of my party were still visibly eating, which then made them feel under pressure to finish - the red wine was also just put on the table, with no offer to taste or pour - the worst bit was the manager telling us that they would be shutting in 15 minutes at 10pm even though we still had barely finished our main course and still had half a bottle of wine to finish. On the positive side the slow cooked beef main course was nice and I am told that the vegetarian cauliflower fritters were good. All in all a bit of a shame. Nice location and the restaurant itself was nice, but mainly let down by poor service and I'm unlikely to go back.

Not a great experience, place itself it a lovely, but really poor food, duck was tough even though we ordered it pink, sent my main beef dish back, was like a pulled burger, really bad quality beef and lacking in flavour. Really spoilt our night tbh, I have literally had better food at Wetherspoons. Real shame as the reviews were great.

We booked for Valentine's and were pleased with both the ambience and friendly staff. Our starter and dessert were average but we were very impressed with our main course which was tasty and well presented.

This restaurant exceeded all expectations in every respect. The welcome, service, quality and presentation of the food were superb. An enjoyable meal in cosy, bijou surroundings. Could thoroughly recommend dining here.

Delicious meal here. Amazingly outstanding food, excellent service at a beautiful boutique restaurant. Most things on the menu could be amended to GF without any issues. Perfect. Starters- Chorizo & Chicken skewer with roasted tomato salsa & Tzatziki and Pan seared king prawns in a sticky mango marinade with naan croutons, swapped out for GF bread Mains - Chicken in a creamy sherry sauce with peppers, red onions & fragrant rice and Lamb cutlets with red currant glaze, buttered spinach & garlic new potatoes. Cutlets were replaced with lamb rump due to the chef swapping out as cutlets were too small. The lamb was served pink, was outstanding 10/10. Desserts - Crème brûlée with orange marmalade and shortbread, swapped out for a scoop of sorbet for a GF option and Chocolate fudge brownie with chocolate sauce, toasted marshmallow & salted caramel ice cream which was, oh my goodness 😋 Sides of greens and oh the Triple cooked hand cut chips were fantastic.

Excellent find in Durham. Superb fresh food and outstanding service. Would highly recommend. Feel bad that we had no cash for a tip. You couldn’t add it onto your bill which is annoying and the servers definitely deserved one.

Wonderful food (we both had duck), and brilliant service in a small and quirky restaurant. We really enjoyed our evening - thank you.

Gary the manager, what a lovely, professional lovely guy. Food was beautiful, highly recommended service second to none. Not in eat and out gary has fantastic way about him. Decor beautiful. I had lamb daughter had seafood linguistics, both had cheesecake baked beautiful

Food (Lamb cutlets) was amazing until I found hair in it and asked the waiter to take away the food as felt sick by the thought of it. He took away the plate and when I went to pay, I asked the same waiter if he’d brought it to the Chef’s attention about the hair and all he said was yes. There was no apology which was very disappointing as the atmosphere in the restaurant is great!

Nice little restaurant in the centre of Durham. Good menu and excellent food from starter to dessert. Staff were great and not bad prices.

Lovely location and atmosphere. Lamb cutlets and slow cooked beef were good. The prawns with mango were however truly dire. Nan bread completely soaked in mango chutney. I can eat absolutely anything without any fuss, but even I couldn't manage it. We asked for it to be returned and the waitress starting arguing with us ("everyone else likes it...." etc). It was comically bad service. We weren't even asking for any refund or replacement. We were being really nice and apologetic in that typical English non-confrontational way, and she was having a go at us! The seafood linguini was sadly as bad. A tonne of overcooked linguini served in water with loads of mussels that had been boiled to death. No sauce / taste at all. A massive pile of bland tasteless pasta. The steak was just poor quality so it was like eating boot leather. I'm sorry to give this feedback. But at £150 for six main courses it was such a poor experience. From order to food: 45 minutes. That's quite a long time.

The meal was amazing. I had lamb my husband had the steak and we both would definitely recommend this restaurant. 10-10 will definitely go back. Probably need to book it as it was really busy.

1st time here and can't recommend it enough. The food is superb, the duck is amazing and the chocolate orange cheesecake is so so nice.

A lovely menu- great food and fast and friendly service. Try the Malbec especially with the duck! Highly recommended.

Delightful, cosy restaurant with small but perfectly formed menu. The service is as good as it gets and the standard of food is absolutely excellent. Prices very reasonable for such nice food with mains from £18. Bit of a 50s James Dean rock’n roll theme throughout which is subtle but adds atmosphere. Comfy seats and nice decor throughout. No car park obviously it’s in centre of Durham. Well kept WC facilities. You can’t add tip to card payments so be sure to bring some cash as you’ll definitely want to leave a tip!

Disappointing. The menu and the ethos of 17 is great, but they don’t deliver. The waitress had no idea of the main components of the dishes, and just poured the wine for all without giving a taster and asking if it was OK. Much of the ingredients were not fresh and presentation was non existent (each plate came with a sprig of water cress). A pity, because if they trained their staff and the chef put some effort in, it would be good. For the money charged, go to Course and really get your money’s worth and a really good dinner.

Excellent service, delicious food, highly recommended..... we will be back!!!

Excellent, personal service and delicious food. The sticky toffee pudding was especially good.

What a hidden gem of a place. Gary was the perfect host. The food is sublime and cooked to perfection. The Korean Cumcumver said with a chilli dressing was perfect with the right amount of heat. The king prawns had a fantastic Asian style dressing on them that brought the dish alive. The steak was perfectly cooked, with amazing chips. The wine list was well priced and the Cote Du Rhone was absolutely delicious.

Restaurant is tucked down stairs off the Main Street so easy to miss if you don’t know but definitely worth a visit Lovely meal to celebrate a family birthday. We had booked asking for a table in a quiet area and they gave us a lovely booth table. Everyone enjoyed their meals; one wanted the duck cooked medium rather than blush - no problem.

We booked to come here as a meal to celebrate our anniversary and what a gem we found. We arrived on Time, to find Gary as the perfect host He told us we were the only people booked in and directed us to a fantastic table, really comfy and like the restaurant very cosy. The menu and the wine list were exceptional and the choices were difficult, but we chose the Cote du Rhone Wine, which was exceptional. Menu wise I chose the Korean Cucumber salad, as I have a sesame allergy, the chef made a different dressing for me and oh wow! It really packed a punch, all the flavours were there married up with this amazing chilli dressing. My husband had the king prawns and the were stunning, the Asian flavours on the prawns made them sing. Mains we chose the Sirloin Steak and that also didn't disappoint. The steak was thick and flavoursome, cooked perfectly medium rare. The chips were proper chips and were fluffy inside and crisp outside, really perfect. The peppercorn sauce lacked pepper, but it tasted nice. My only regret? I couldn't finish it! Gary was the prefect host, friendly, chatty, hospitable but knew when to walk away. If we were local, we'd be regulars. This is a hidden gem of a place

Very disappointed with this restaurant. The menu was not what was advertised online. We were given a set menu and we had no choice from what was online. I ordered the slow cooked beef but was given cold pulled beef which was compacted to look like a solid piece of beef. The brownie was tough and chewy. I have a feeling this place only have a set menu but don't tell you. I felt trapped into staying to eat because I booked it in advance. Definitely wont be going back.

I’m really reluctant to write a good review about No 17, why, because more people will go and it will be more difficult to get a table! 😊 Gary the host, is wonderful…helpful, friendly but not intrusive. The food was lovely, fresh, hot and tasty. One downer was my starter…soup, carrot and parsnip which was a little bland. My partner had moules mariniere and said it was AMAZING!

Lovely little restaurant on Eldon bridge down a small set of stairs, holding around 6-7 tables this is a small restaurant with personal service and a refined menu which isn't overlay complicated. Food was cooked well, vegi were lovely, very well informed on changes to the main menu. Service was great, my only negative, no windows and tables a little close together, but definitely worth going and prices were reasonable.

Lovely intimate basement restaurant with a warm welcome from host Gary who together with Lucy and her colleague provided friendly and attentive service throughout the evening. The food was excellent from my wonderful fish chowder starter to my superb belly pork mains. There were 8 of us in total and we all enjoyed our 3 courses (some shared). Highly recommend.

What a wonderful hidden gem. We were so lucky to find this restaurant on our recent visit to Dunham. The food and ambulance was excellent. Thank you to all the staff who help this restaurant such a fabulous place to eat.

Small restaurant in the heart of Durham that stands up well to the competition. Six starters and seven mains all tempting. Soup and Moules good. Chicken ballotine and slow roasted pork belly followed. Wine list under revision. What was unusual was their help with allergies. For example any dish on the menu could be made gluten free if required. The quality of cooking and service were high.

Quite a small restaurant, with only 8 tables, but a good cosy atmosphere. Front of house service by Gary was excellent with prompt, efficient and friendly service. The food was excellent too and well priced. The moules marinere (rope grown in Shetland - the very best you can get) were absolute perfection - plump, tender and juicy. The Thai red curried prawns and monkfish were also really good. The wine list is short but within it there should be something for everyone, and again the wines are well priced at £24 for a good Picpoul de Pinet and £33 for a quality Albariño. Overall, can’t fault this place. Everything is just right and it works. We can certainly recommend it.

We tried out 17 as it sounded good from the reviews and we weren't disappointed. The setting is cosy but as we went early we had the place to ourselves. The food was excellent along with good service, and at a reasonable price. We had the slow cooked beef for mains and it was excellent, but be sure to ask for extra jus to really make the meat sing. One thing to note is that tips cannot be paid on a card, so be sure to take some cash.

We were looking for somewhere special that would showcase local food. Good start with a friendly and attentive waiter. Bottle of Malbec was plonk you can get in any supermarket. Special chasseur had a pretty awful vinegar taste to it. Beef was ok. Vegetables limited and watery.

We haven’t eaten here before but we weren’t disappointed. The meal was first class and the gentleman who served us was very attentive and caring, to the extent we brought a tear to his eye. 😊

Wanted to visit this restaurant for a while and went with family on saturday night but was so disappointed. I’m a chef and a real foodie so really like fresh and interesting flavours, which unfortunately I did not get. My starter of king prawns with chilli butter was 4 prawns sitting on white bread! I expected prawns floating in hot melted chilli oil that I could dip my bread into — but I tasted no chilli and didn’t see any butter. I had monkfish and prawn curry for mains which was adequate but lacking flavour. My sister had the ‘beef’ which was brisket and well cooked but she said didn’t really stand out. Such a shame as was expecting better having read other reviews. I won’t return

Restaurant 17 turned out to be the perfect place for my small family reunion. The room was intimate, the menu comprehensive for carnivore me and my veggie cousins. And we all agreed on a mid-range Malbec from the smart wine list. As someone hard of hearing, for me the best feature was the gentle vibe. Not sure of the right phrase, but the layout is quirky-sophisticated from the unobtrusive entrance leading downstairs to a sense of other rooms not opened or seen mid-winter, but it was intriguing. And from the looks of the other diners, this must be one of Durham’s serious date friendly venues. Our greeter was also our server, wine steward and table busser; he did them all well. Overall, a pleasant choice at a friendly price. It deserves its reputation.

Wonderful meal fast efficient service. Mains came served on a very hot plate. That makes a nice change, can't stand cold food on a cold plate. Would recommend.

We ate a delicious meal here to celebrate our daughters graduation. Everything was cooked to perfection. We were convinced the chef was french as the dishes were classic , fresh and tasty. The vibe in this basement restaurant was really relaxed and ambient. Our host was Gary was on top form. He gave us perfect meal perfect recommendations, was a good laugh and had great chat. What's not to like?

Good eating A bit chilly Staff were lovely Deco is nice Overall was a nice place but not sure I’d go back as there were a few choices on the menu unavailable and also a few different drinks were also unavailable

What a fabulous little restaurant. The food, service and ambience were top notch. Hubby and I shared the poached pear starter - delicious. For the main course I had the teriyaki salmon whilst hubby had the slow cooked beef (recommended by the gentleman at the...

From the moment we stepped inside this restaurant we were made to feel so welcome by Kieran and his lovely assistant. Cosy atmosphere and all our starters, mains and desserts were so tasty and we'll presented. Good selection on menu to choose from and easily...

Fabulous restaurant. Great staff. Gary Leila Megan and Alice all worked very hard to make it a very pleasant evening. Durham. can be quite a busy student feel in the evenings. It was wonderful to find this oasis. The food was very good. We really...

Visited with friends. Extremely friendly service and excellent food. We all had different dishes for all three courses and every one was delicious. Will definitely visit again.

Great restaurant. The staff were really friendly and accommodating (we needed to change the size of our group and that was no problem at all). Food and wine were excellent and good value for money. Would highly recommend this place.

Great food and great service. King prawn starter was delicious and the duck for main was cooked perfectly.

Good food and extremely generous portions. Also the service was excellent even though it was very busy.

Admittedly being 5/10 minutes late for an 8pm table for a Birthday we were verbally told that they “really needed us to be on time [that night]”. We were, again, verbally rushed into to ordering by the waitress at 25 minutes past as we were...

Food good but the rest left a lot to be desired. Not the warmest of welcomes, just being asked if I had a reservation, no hello or similar. The restaurant was very quiet, just myself and another table of two and music that was too...

Excellent food and very well presented would definitely return as I couldn’t fault it. Would recommend this to anyone.

Located just on the city side of Elvert Bridge and accessed down a flight of stairs, this is a cosy, intimate restaurant. ideal for couples and with a really nice ambience and attentive staff. The menu was identical the one we had seen online, which...

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Bit disappointing. Went mid-week, quite a few things not available. Food was ok

Had a really nice evening at Restaurant 17 last night with my wife. Fantastic food and lovely atmosphere in small intimate below ground restaurant. We had poached pear to start followed by duck and slow cooked beef which were very tasty. Finished with chocolate brownie...

Lucky to have found this super restaurant during a short stay in Durham. Lovely ambiance, super service and delicious food

I only recently moved to Durham, and have been trying out local restaurants in anticipation of my parents coming to visit. Restaurant 17 is where I chose to take them. The restaurant is near Elvet Bridge in the centre of Durham , and is well...

This is a tasty option just off Elvet Bridge. It’s s cozy interior. We arrived at 8 o’clock & they were sending staff home so we weren’t sure we should stay to not be an inconvenience. The manager assured us it was fine. We’re glad...

This is a tasty option just off Elvet Bridge. It’s s cozy interior. We arrived at 8 o’clock & they were sending staff home so we weren’t sure we should stay to not be an inconvenience. The manager assured us it was fine. We’re glad we stayed it was a very nice dinner. I tried the soup which was all greens (broccoli, spinach, etc..) which was nice. For entrees my son had the sirloin which he enjoyed, my wife had the risotto & I had the slow cooked beef. All of which we thoroughly enjoyed.

What would you think of a restaurant with the tag of high price in the menu? You would expect a fancy restaurant, with high quality of everything..., wouldn't you? Look at this pepper mill? I couldn't imagine how a "high quality" restaurant could use this?? That was given to me when I asked for some black pepper, and it was simply put on the table. What a service! It wasn't busy when we dined there. Nobody came to check how everything was. Actually, my dish (risotto) wasn't that great either. Sadly, that is Four big NOs from me. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant. There are so many good restaurants in Durham.

Very fancy and good vibe but unnecessary to have double patty cooked to death.

We booked this on the strength of the reviews and found it an excellent choice. The menu, not excessively long, provided a good and interesting choice for all three courses. We started with liver, beautifully cooked, and king prawns which were outstanding with a real...

If you could take fine dining and guarantee reasonably sized portions of good food then, in my opinion, that’s the ideal situation?! If you throw in good attentive service and an excellent location then you’re onto a winner? Lastly if the price isn’t too outrageous...

Ate here yesterday with my (long suffering) wife. Food, wine and service were superb….. and the price was reasonable. I implore anyone who reads this, assuming they are in the market for a quality meal in Durham city - book this restaurant and go. Enjoy the fact that, in no other city can you just pop down a short flight of stairs and have such a high quality, intimate meal with a loved one at such a reasonable price. The pork belly is truly spectacular.

Staff were lovely and very attentive. Food was delicious, we got the prawns, mussels, duck and monkfish curry. 100% recommend. Will definitely be returning.

Ate here yesterday with my (long suffering) wife. Food, wine and service were superb….. and the price was reasonable. I implore anyone who reads this, assuming they are in the market for a quality meal in Durham city - book this restaurant and go. Enjoy...

If I could rate it a minus one we would.How can you serve cold mussels.Sent first lot back then they came back with a second lot which where cold .Will not be going back.

Had a catch up with a friend we went hear for dinner and it was such a amazing place the food was delicious and Gary was the best host , highly recommend this place and will be coming back again

We enjoyed a top quality meal at this restaurant last night. Delicious food and great service. If you are looking for a special, fine dining evening out this is the place to visit in Durham.

Had a dinner for 30 and had a fantastic time. Staff are superb and so obliging. Food was delicious. Second time we’ve hosted something there and wouldn’t hesitate to return.

My experience at this restaurant was very disappointing. The venue was good and the staff good and friendly. The chef who sent the food to us although ok, all the dishes were just say warm, one dish had to be sent back. The monk fish dishes were missing the monk fish. Two of us order steaks, however 2 sauces were off the menu and we were the first customers of the evening. I asked for blue cheese sauce, and what i got was not a sauce but a cumbles of cheese on the top. Surely a chef would know this. I would not recommend this restaurant.

Had a superb meal , excellent service, would highly recommend this restaurant. Thank you for looking after us so well.

Chose this place to bring my parents for my graduation, as I had visited before and knew it would be of reliable quality -- and I was not let down. I dined on double chicken (chicken livers for starter, and a chicken spinach for the...

Durham’s hidden gem, which is definitely worth a visit. Gary and his team met us with warmth and smiles and a wide ranging menu. The food was well prepared and well cooked and the Pinot Noir perfectly chosen to accompany our meal. It was the...

We booked a table for my husband's birthday and what a treat it was. Lovely atmosphere, small (ish) that is quiet and intimate dining. Staff were great, knowledgeable about the menu, ingredients and wine. Due to it being small the staff had time to chat...

We visited Durham surprised at the vibrant/busy centre. This restaurant has been on our "to try" list for a while, well we were not dissapointed, right in the centre, parking close by. A busy gem entered down a steep set of stairs. Great service and...

If you're in Durham and fancy a perfect steak or a wonderful moules marinière, then Restaurant 17 is ideal.

We dined here on Friday 4th of March and were met by the manager who had saved us a quiet table as requested and was very welcoming as was the other young lady. The food was excellent and well presented, service could not have been...

Another visit to 17, and another superb experience. Starters (pear, chicken livers, borscht), mains (beef, monkfish, risotto), desserts (brownie, brownie, brownie) all delicious and wonderfully presented. Very pleasant service from the staff. Will definitely come again.

First impression was how poor the bar is stocked, very little choice and what was there was cheap alcohol, doesn’t really go with the theme they are trying to achieve. You would take more money by stocking the bar with nicer spirits. There was only...

Lovely little place. Nice atmosphere and the food was great.

Visited the restaurant last night was blown away with the service that we received from the second we walked through the door. Staff were attentive and couldn’t do enough for us. The food came in a timely manner with a good space between courses. The...

Not being from the area I looked on TA and really liked the look of the menu so was looking forward to a good meal. We were not disappointed! The menu is short but has a good selection of dishes. We both enjoyed the prawns...

My husband and I were here a few weeks ago, looking to treat ourselves to a decent night out. We honestly couldn't have had a nicer experience at Restaurant 17. The food was absolutely great and the staff were absolutely lovely from start to finish...

Nice staff, nice interior. Imaginative menu, good food. Perhaps priced about 20% more than it should be.

A small but very varied menu. Food was really excellent and for a good price. A large selection of meat dishes available and the beef and pork we ordered were cooked fantastic, as well as everything else on the plate. Service slowed as it became...

Excellent food and great service. Would definitely visit here again. I had the slow cooked beef which was fantastic and the triple cooked chips were tasty as well.

We loved this restaurant - Gary and Lucy were very attentive and friendly. The combination of great service and amazing food. Definitely an intimate and beautiful Location for a date . It’s rare for us to be child free and this restaurant was ideal for...

We were here on the 11th of December for my fiancés birthday. I want to thank, Gary, Lucy, Sian and Faye for providing an incredible evening for us all. The food and service was amazing, I was truly blown away. If you are looking for...

Gary and Lucy were brilliant during our visit. I can say I loved it all from starters to desert. Ive had the chicken and my partner the slow cooked beef and we were both impressed with the quality and taste of the food. Deserts were...

Food took an hour to come, given some bread and butter, as a freebie to keep us sweet. When it did arrive-it was lukewarm, and the slow cooked belly of pork was inedible. And the goose fat parmentier potatoes had never seen a bird, It...

Ate here for the first time, food was beautiful and the staff were very friendly and attentive. Hubby said it was the best steak hes had in ages and my my monkfish & king prawn thai red curry was delicious. Will definately return.

Food tasty but lukewarm at best. The problem was hot food served on cold plates. Waitress came and listed all the things they had not got. No Prosecco, no cream (there is a Tesco round the corner), out of certain ice creams. Overpriced and small...

On a freezing cold night in Durham we were met with warmest of welcomes from the staff at 17 - our table hostess Lucy was brilliant and the food was delicious - I had the slow cooked beef and my fiancée had the duck perfect...

Excellent restaurant with fantastic staff and great food. The weather Tonight was abysmal so the staff got everyone into the same room so it felt more Cosy - which it did. Gary (Manager) and his two waitresses (Lucy B and Lucy H) made us feel...

A return trip to this gem of a restaurant. Wonderful menu, beautiful food, lovely ambience & tip top service. Fantastic & much appreciated advance communication too as we dined during the busy Lumiere festival. Thank you Gary, Faye, Sian & the 2 Lucy’s!

Food was excellent really well flavoured all had different mains all superb. Good quantities and very good service. Given the quality the cost was excellent