Riverside Bar & Cafe - Durham SU in County Durham

We saw this place by chance on a Sunday morning visit to Durham, we had to wait a few minutes for a table to come free inside as it was full (a good sign). The view if the river was lovely and we were lucky enough to see an otter whilst waiting for the table. Once seated we were given a menu with plenty of options all reasonably priced (coffee seems slightly expensive in comparison to the food though) We both ordered a mocha which was lovely and you do get a decent cup full I had the special breakfast wrap but swapped the bacon for sausage (which was no bother) and this was really good, tasty and full to the brim! My partner had the full English and again it was a great portion size and he stated it was very tasty! Definitely recommend if in Durham!

Great homemade food. The pancakes are thick and fluffy. Friendly staff. Reasonable prices Lovely view of the river. Outside seating available too.

It's a pleasant setting on the river, with a terrace and well laid out interior. Service was friendly and reasonably quick. We had breakfasts of various sorts (full English, Avocado and Egg, Vegetarian) and all were hot and a decent portion size. The one downside with the food was that the poached eggs (3 of) were not fully cooked, and clear albumen was apparent in each, leaking onto the plate, so not very appetising. This drops it a point. The other issue is that dogs were allowed inside, despite it being dry and warm on the terrace. Dogs in a pub bar at lunchtime are fine; dogs anywhere near food are not. Hence another point deducted.

Superb start to finish . Staff friendly . Food yummy . Definately go back when passing through Durham . Give it a try . Dog friendly . Nice atmosphere

Just wow This place is a hidden gem You go down a couple of flights of stairs,turn right and there it is by the side of the river,it's stunning. The staff are immaculate and the friendliest bunch EVER. I opted for the pancakes 🥞 😋 out of this world,banoffe for me with a smoothie. My hubby has biscoff blonde,which was also amazing. All the food looked stunning 😍 So if your in durham get yourselves there 10/10

Beautiful cafe next to the river. Stylish inside and the owners have thought of everything to make it a relaxing, fun place to have breakfast. It was really busy when we arrived but there were plenty of staff around to deal with the hungry masses! The food was delicious.

Apologies for the delay. Just wanted to say nice things about you. Thanks for the excellent food and the kind and professional way you cared elderly parents with their combination of arthritis and dementia.

A superb find. Hidden away but a gem of a restaurant if you have a dog with you. Fantastic service and delicious food. Suki enjoyed the sausages too! 😋We really enjoyed our visit, thank you.

We came to this large cafe / restaurant down by the river. The location is excellent with lovely views. The food looked interesting but we just wanted coffees. I had a flat white which wasn't great - just average really but it cost £4. I live in London and drink a lot of coffee in excellent quality coffee shops and I have never broken through the £4 price barrier. The price just wasn't justified.

Excellent service and gorgeous food. Ten of us turned up on a Sunday lunchtime and the staff were outstanding-they couldn’t do enough to help and accommodate us. The menu is really interesting with great choice and the standard of food excellent. Good variety of Gluten Free options. Lovely location overlooking the river. Would highly recommend.

Excellent service and the food was beautifully presented and tasted as good as it looked. Staff were very attentive and friendly.

The food was absolutely delicious with loads of options. The drinks selection was vast with a whole sheet on teas and a great selection of healthy options. The only thing to let it down was the service as we had to wait around ten minute to order any drinks and that was only when we flagged someone down. While I would completely recommend it for good food and the view, make sure you’re not in a rush!

Food was nice and great views of the river. I was happy with my experience until I went to pay for the meal with my friend. I asked if we could split the bill a third on my card and two-thirds on my friend's card. I thought this was a reasonable request and if not possible that is fine, we would have just worked it out. However, the reponse we received was ridiculous. The lady behind the counter said in a very aggressive way - no we don't do that - you can either split it in half or pay for the whole thing. I was so annoyed at how aggressive she was, and just said tell me the total. I paid and got my friend to pay me back as I just wanted to get out of there. I was on holiday so that ruined my afternoon, and my friends were embarrassed that they had recommended we go there.

Eating out is different now and as I discovered at the Riverside Cafe it is doubly so. Not just dealing with covid, but here a total lack customer care. Rude would not be too strong a description. The younger staff excepted. I went in part at least to help support local business, so after a couple of purchases in the market square it was time for a brief respite. Wanting to comply with guidelines it was an outside table that was needed. It had been raining and yet staff were surprised that we would like a cloth to dry & clean the seats. Unable to sit as we wished one of us was required to be in closer vicinity to people wanting to indoors. We soon had the menus thrown at us, no you read the correct use of the verb. Payment was made inside where it was crowded, I pleased we sat outside. In these times I do not understand why payment could not be made more securely. However it is clearly popular and the food is good, very good. Coffee too. A treat indeed. I have mixed feelings the venue and food are excellent but the place needs to adapt to be part of the solution. I know that can mean expense though not excessively so. I am sure great the owner will explain away my critique though the antidote is really just to respect the customer a little. That’s all.

Looking for a good lunch somewhere that accepted dogs! Riverside was quite hidden was well worth the hunt! The sausage and onion marmalade ciabatta was very tasty with lots of filling in a cafe with great views down the river!

Lovely place for breakfast, lunch or brunch. My daughter (21) had the oreo hot chocolate that came with oreos in white chocolate, brownies, marshmallows and thick cream all in little pots on the side. She was doing little happy jigs whilst enjoying this. A lovely experience, friendly staff and a couple of vegan options. Would definitely recommend and we will return.

A busy vibrant cafe overlooking the river. The serving staff were polite and efficient. The food was tasty and met expectations. We were there a busy Saturday lunchtime and there was a queue for tables. The food was good but we didn't have room to sample to homemade cakes so will have to go again!

My daughter and I had breakfast here. Good job we arrived early as when we left it was nearly full. I had poached egg with smashed avocado on sourdough my daughter had the American pancakes. Service was really friendly and the food was super. We had a great time. Thank you.

An unexpected surprise near the end of our riverwalk. Was mobbed due to a power outage in town and the hot, sunny weather, but the food was excellent and the staff coped quite well.