The Boat Club Cocktail Bar & Eatery in County Durham

The venue was lovely, and the staff were polite. The steak was beautifully cooked and full of flavor. I recommend one of the sharing boards, whichever appeals to you. We had an early dinner, so the restaurant was very quiet as it had just opened, which was perfect for the children. There was a great selection of drinks, and the bartender who worked the day the King and Queen visited the Cathedral was exceptional.

Whilst having a drink with my family I witnessed 2 incidents which involved the assistant manager Shannon. We thought she dealt with the 1st situation of a small fight, resulting in giving 1st aid to an individual as a great response, but then to witness her jump to the assistance and care of a young lad(standing at the top of the stairs), who had enjoyed his day a little too much as an amazing sign of leadership and customer service. She was not phased by what was going on around her and was very focused in the job in hand. Well done Shannon. We had a lovely afternoon in the boat club would certainly head back there again.

We've just been to the restaurant for our friends 60th birthday and had notified the place in advance of the special occasion and reminded them when we arrived. The service was great however, we found a slug on the table before we'd finished eating and it put at least 2 of us off the remainder of our meal. We were only compted 10% of the bill, which given that there were 7 of us and it was a special occasion and including tip our bill was £180, it was a disgrace. Nothing was done by the restaurant to acknowledge our friend's important birthday. Don't think we'd book to eat here again.

Always great food, thoroughly recommend.

My steak was pretty good and cooked nicely medium rare. The service was really slow with staff wandering around looking lost and leaving food sitting under a hot lamp for some time.

Went in for drinks, asked for 2 drinks one of them being a cocktail. Barman plonked my so called cocktail in front of me and when i commented on the cocktail he rudely told me it was a stirring cocktail and if I give it a stir it will be one!! Nothing to finish it off with to even resemble a cocktail only a reply of well you’ve ordered it so you’ll have to pay for it after I had said I didn’t want it. No taste whatsoever.

Food was good, our waitress was very pleasant (blonde hair) but another girl (long dark hair) miserable face, picking her false nails and constantly eating behind the counter, came upto us to ask if everything was OK, but clearly she hates her job.

Great service, lovely food and drinks! Gracie looked after us and was an absolute star! The drinks kept on coming! We had a great time.

Gracie era una camarera increíble, muy atento y amable, la buena y la selección de bebidas era muy buena, tenía selección sin alcohol.

Estábamos en un viaje a Durham y habíamos caminado kilómetros. Decidimos buscar un lugar para comer algo. Literalmente nos topamos con esta pequeña joya justo en la orilla del río con una terraza fresca para sentarse y relajarse mientras vemos el mundo pasar. Fue tan relajante. Sin duda volvería de nuevo

Probably the best spot in town on a warm sunny day. Chicken parmo was very good, I didn’t really like the chips, too soft for me.

Gorgeous ambiance of the river, lovely place to dine with family. Kid friendly Food was great, had good selection of British cuisine, everything well cooked and seasoned. Staff were friendly and kind. It was a shame they weren’t serving steak that day. Overall pleasant experience would def recommend.

My typical spot for a bottomless brunch, would always recommend to everyone. Unfortunately on my last visit, it was disappointing. We only had 4 drinks in 1 hour 45 minutes even though they were finished. Had to go up and ask to order more. Usually had about 11 drinks in this time usually and if they have ever been slow before always been offered some extra time. It was a Saturday lunch so did expect it to be busy. There was a group of 8 next to us and they had double our drinks in the same time. Very disappointed but will still return and hopefully service will be better.

Have used Tomohawk and Rio a lot of times. However Durham is one we have never used and won’t in the future. I rang on Saturday to Confirm they did breakfast on Sunday and asked the times. Then I was asked if I wanted to book a table which I did for 10am. At 09 25 on Sunday I got a call from the restaurant to tell me that they don’t do Breakfast on a Sunday and don’t open till 11. Eventually I got an apology. However very very poor service. Really not acceptable

Brilliant service and food. Excellent Sunday lunch. Gracie was our waitress and she was a pleasure. Nothing was too much trouble for her.

Staff were friendly and attentive the view is amazing cute building. Food was nice however there was a bone in my parmo but food was still great and overall really nice experience

Lovely place, sat overlooking the river. Great cocktails, didn't eat so not sure about food.

It’s literally impossible to get served, even during the day. Usually 1 poor staff on an a huge queue of students

Steaks fine but restsurant very expensive for quality of service and atmosphere.

Gracie was absolutely fantastic. She always checked in with us and nothing was a problem! She always ensured we had a drink in hand. Also the food was fantastic! I had 10 drinks! Thank you Gracie you couldn’t have been any nicer!

Gracie was the most gorgeous, friendly waitress we could have asked for. Her service was absolutely fantastic, she simply made our night

Thank you for a special service on a Valentine’s Day, we really enjoyed and the food was delicious. I would definitely recommend this place

Me and my friend come here often for the bottomless brunch and everytime the service is amazing! Staff always very welcoming, friendly and polite. On top of their customer communication skills they are excellent when it comes to attentiveness. Nothing is too much for them. On this occasion we were served by Gracie, who we have had the pleasure of being served by a couple times before and this visit was no exception. She is an outstanding worker and a real asset to your team!

Stunning, beautiful food and excellent service, was a tough cold as seated by rear service door but that aside very very good

Lovely, non fussy place to have lunch. Great service and food. Really good Sunday lunch and drinks. Warm welcoming atmosphere.

A lovely evening meal , we visited during restaurant week had 3 courses. The food was delicious and the restaurant is in an excellent location with parking a few feet away at the multi story

Went for bottomless brunch yesterday for my friends birthday. Absolutely fantastic food and a constant stream of drinks brought to us by our servers Jess and Sam who I thought went above and beyond. They are a credit to the place and we will definitely be back.

Food was really good and exceptional value for restaurant week. Staff good have been a little more attentive

My first time visiting today and was totally satisfied. Food was great, good prices on food & drinks, and our server Gracie went above and beyond to make sure our experience was the best it could be. Lovely touch with the birthday message and ice cream too! Will definitely be back!

Took my boyfriend for his birthday both food and service was amazing, gracie went above and beyond, giving us suggestions on foods even convincing us to get some additional sides. She brought a birthday desert out for my boyfriend and was so accommodating and overall friendly. we couldn’t have asked for a better server she really made it a special and memorable night. it was our first time dining here and we will definitely be back.

Excellent food a and service at a resonable price, nice outlook over the river, excellent location

One of the best steaks and steak houses in the Durham area and the prices are very economical. PLUS they have my favorite desert lemon marangue pie!

Fantastic Sunday lunches, friendly staff, great location.

Our first visit to this restaurant and we were not disappointed. The food was excellent although a bit on the pricey side. The staff were great.

Had our work Christmas meal. Service was great, very helpful. The food was served promptly. Lovely atmosphere. We were upstairs. Lovely view of the river. Definitely would go again and recommend to others.

Really liked it food was spot on lovely atmosphere

Went here for Sunday lunch, staff were great and attentive really friendly and helpful. Had the Parmo chicken starters which were great. Sunday roast was good, a little cold and beef was gristly but overall good. Dissapointing was the cocktail, on the menu it stated Havanna 7 year rum but they used Lambs instead, totally different taste. When questioned told it was supposed to be Lambs

Went here for a work Xmas bottomless brunch there were 20 of us drinks asked for gin and tonic was told if you want tonik it is £4 axtra so had lemonade asked for diet told no diet lemonade then when the meals came out they missed 2 of us out everyone was finished before they came my steak was rare I had asked for medium the waitress said she would put it back on the grill by this time the other person had finished so I said no so waitress said she would see if she could get me a bottle of pressecco but then came back and said cos they had offered to re heat it I could have a glass then we were told our time was up and had to leave no free drink at all and no food will never return and will tell anyone I no not to go there

Very disappointing visit. We chose to have the chateubriand to share, along with fries, onion rings and field mushrooms and slow roast tomatoes. When the meal arrived we requested for our tomatoes to be cooked more as we like them cooked a little more. When they came back we realised they were cold as were the mushrooms. So they came back colder than when first delivered. This was totally disappointing as these were a major portion of our food. When mentioned to the waiting staff they apologised and took them to be replaced. Sadly when the new dishes arrived they were just as cold. This is not rocket science and very poor service. We were given a discount of £10 but this totally distracted from a good service. To sum up, a very disappointing meal.

Quality Sunday lunch. Good value, well cooked food of generous proportions. We ordered the two Yorkshire puddings filled with brisket. It was lush.

This was our first bottomless brunch at The Boat Club and we all had an amazing time. From start to finish our server Gracie was so kind, friendly and helpful. She made the experience for us. The food was wonderful and the selection of drinks for great. There is something for everyone and this is the best bottomless brunch we have had by far. I highly recommend this to anyone in Durham wanting brunch.

Great place. Good food, and service was excellent. Nice atmosphere too.

We didn't have food here as it was a Friday evening. We had drinks and the atmosphere was fantastic.

Gorgeous place and beautiful christmas Dec's! For anyone parking use prince bishops and Click button for floor 1 it's directly outside! Don't make my mistake of parking on 3 and clicking S!

The food was very expensive for what we got. My local down the road is cheaper and good value for money. Beware of the happy hour cocktail special, it's 2 for the price of 1 but they omit to tell you that it has to be the same drink so I was not impressed.

Very beautiful and cozy place with fantastic view of river 😍

Barman charged my card twice for a £40 transaction. I got in touch a few days later and I was ignored.

Good place for drinks,nice staff,nice bar.happy hours during week,good value

Nice pint good deals. Friendly staff

Lovely decor, welcoming staff, great food and service. Noisy bottomless brunch next to us, but staff acknowledged this and offered a table move,which we didntdo as they were leaving within 20 mins.

First brunch brilliant staff amazing especially gracie very accommodating will come back lovely staff food great lots of c

Bottomles Brunch. Gracie has been our server and she has been absolutely lovely. Had to wait for 10 minutes for our table, Gracie explained and apologised and let us order our bottomless brunch drinks after we finished our drinks from the bar. Gracie was professional, friendly, accommodating to our group needs. Very quick at keeping the drinks flowing Food was really nice. Really good service from Gracie and bar staff. Would recommend.

This is an amazing place to go for bottomless brunch. I must add that our waitress Gracie was absolutely brilliant. She was so lovely, attentive, chatty and made sure we always had a full drink in our hands! Thank you so much xx

Food hot and tasty, but the parmo Croquettes were a little dry.

Me and my partner love tomahawk and we decided to to come and try the one and Durham and we loved it. Gracie was our waitress for the night amd she was lovely and very welcoming.

Great fast service, great food and a good location on the river in the centre of Durham. Steaks are a bit expensive but they are excellent quality. Burgers are fantastic with real beef.

Steak was probably the best steak I've ever had. Only issue found was my partner ordered nachos as a starter and I ordered the crispy squid. Only the nachos came out. Being not a confrontational person didn't say anything and waited for the bill to see if was charged. We hadn't been so the waitress obviously wasn't listening when taking our order. Despite that would go again but will get the order repeated before they leave the table.

I actually had a fantastic time. Tomahawk steak came out relatively quick, cooked to perfection at medium (not medium rare) so it wasn't chewy. All the sides were tasteful and the location next to the river is beautiful. Surprised about the otherwise more mixed reviews. Forgot to take a photo of the steak :-(

Excellent little place, management spoils it , avoid, food over priced

5 of us had the bottomless brunch absolutely fantastic afternoon. Gracie our host was amazing and couldn't have done more for us. Cocktails were lovely and the food was amazing. Definitely returning.

We wanted to go in and order a few beers in their beer garden, but the very rude doorman asked us to leave, because our kids had ice-creams bought next door, so he said they cannot consume their ice-creams on their premises! Seriously? We wanted to order from you anyway, so was it really such a big problem to let them finish? And they are not even selling ice-cream, so were we supposed to sit in two different places??? Great way of treating your customers!

Really nice meal. The food was fabulous, including the sides and the desserts. We had one of the sharing boards and it was actually really good value for money. Staff were excellent and it was a nice chilled out atmosphere.

Great views and got the deal of 2 beers for £8 which was great value. Sat at the window as weather wasnt great watching the people hire the rowing boats beneath and go on the river cruise. Great place with outside riverside seating

3 lads behind bar couldn’t care less if the tried. It was like they dragged 3 randoms of the street and told them to stand there( and eat crisps). Passive aggressive masterclass in poor hospitality. So poor it was kinda funny. Mould in toilets special too. Lovely location shame about everything else. Shambles.

So pleased we found this place. Gracie looked after us and was a delight, We had duck and hosin wrap. It was delicious. We were out on the veranda overlooking the river in the sun. Perfect

We have been for a bottomless brunch to celebrate a 30th Birthday, couldn’t fault the experience, service or bottomless brunch menu. Gracie was very attentive and made sure we were well looked after during our visit with plenty of checks in for food and drink. Thank you!

Shannon was lovely. Great service , plenty of drinks in the 2 hours and the food was lovely , great value for money. Would definitely come back

We were looked after by a lovely girl called Jayne the service and the food was excellent. This was my first time at this restaurant we came for a family birthday and I would definitely come back the whole team were very friendly the restaurant is clean and inviting a nice atmosphere

The food was amazing and the service was even better! Jayne was really attentive and provided great drink recommendations :)

Friday for a bottomless brunch, food was great and service from Jayne was amazing. Definitely the best bottomless we’ve done and will be returning/ recommending! Thank you for a great afternoon.

Over priced - very average food, portions were very small and average quality, I was shocked when we got the bill and disappointed for what we had - I’d expect the bill to be half the price for that quality of food.

Went here for drinks a couple of times. Lovely spot by the river - great to watch the antics of tourists hiring rowing boats - hilarious! Good all day 2 for 1 deals on some cocktails and beers.

Partner took me there for my birthday. Ordered ribeye steak, asked for it to be well done, no blood, when it came I had to send it back as it was medium/well. When they brought it back after 10 minutes my chips and onion rings were Luke warm, they had been sitting on the plate waiting for my steak to cook a bit more? £110 the bill was and for what we got I feel ripped off. Defo wouldn't return or recommend. Sorry

Had an awesome lunch with the family on a day trip to Durham. Food was excellent and staff were really friendly. Will come again.

Ordered a steak/tortilla was not what I was expecting portions were poor. Literally one tortilla cut in half and barely any steak. I was very disappointed with what I paid, as you can see by the picture. 1st and last time, I think!!

Decent pint, friendly atmosphere

Lovely bar on the river also has outdoor seating lovely food

Really good quality food, decent portion sizes and all the food was piping hot. All the staff were friendly and attentive, but never intrusive. Location was on the river and the view was beautiful. We loved the place and will definitely return.

Great burgers very friendly staff and so helpful and right next to multi storey parking it overlooks the river 😀

Over priced unfortunately. Food was nice though

Great place to sit outside and watch the world go by. Good beer, reasonably priced.

Visited one Friday afternoon, took ages to get served at the bar and it wasn't particularly that busy. You weren't allowed upstairs unless ordering food, such a shame as there's a nice outdoor area.

best steak this side of the atlantic, my favourite place to go for steak nothing beats it

Great place at night, good atmosphere and cheap pints. Cocktails are £10 each, but some are 2 for 1.

Great bar to go to on our trip to durham for my birthday last weekend. Friendly staff, great atmosphere and a top spot for location 👌

A gorgeous place in a lovely setting - was a pleasure to come here post-engagement to have some champagne and celebrate! The servers behind the bar were absolutely lovely

Yeah, nice place for a drink...sat outside overlooking the river ⛅😎⛅😎

Popped in for Sunday lunch. Seated quickly water offered right away quick ordering and food was brilliant. Brilliant service. Stephen was great.

The restaurant is beautiful, has a wonderful view of the river, and the prices are excellent. The food is delicious, especially the steaks, and the desserts are delicious

Just stopped for an afternoon coffee and cake here as beautifully located by the river. Certainly a good place to visit.

Lovely experience, nice outdoor seating and nice drinks at a good price

Just stayed for a drink, a very young crowd, uni students

Only stopped for drinks early afternoon it was lovely to sit in the terrace and enjoy the lovely sunshine. We will be back to try food next time.

Celebrating a birthday at wkend Evie or waitress was lovely as were other bar staff for the bottomless brunch. Food was ok but cocktails and alcohol were like juice, no taste of alcohol even when having vodka and soda. The biggest let down is the DJ declining to play music requests and just booming out a constant loud beat. 35 of us left after bottomless brunch and took our custom elsewhere all because of this individual who needs to learn to cater for the clientele he is supposed to be entertaining. I would not return or recommend due to this.

Would have been great if they didn't try to charge more than advertised menu prices.check your reciepts

Better options in Durham. The taster platter was a nice idea but was cold very quickly. Sides are poor, small.pirtions and just very lazy.

We always call in here when were visiting Durham, great place for a pint and something to eat plus it's dog friendly and has loads of seat's out side .....

Lovely food and excellent service all round but a special mention for Alex who was very attentive

We love Jonny sm he’s is so much help, kept us happy and drunk he is the best he deserve a pay rise bottomless was the best thanks to him

This was without a doubt the WORST steak I’ve ever eaten. I Ordered the porter house steak at £44.95 to be cooked medium. This steak came out looking anaemic and tasted just as bad. I’ve honestly never had such a terrible steak, it had very little taste and was full of sinew. I complained as I got a little more than half way through my steak(The girl who served me was more than helpful) only to be told that this was normal. And was offered a free drink or desert. No! This steak cost £44.95, had no taste and I do not expect to leave what I would say was not too far from half as it was inedible due to it been mostly sinew! My partner and I don’t very often get out as we have children and if this is normal leave a description on your menu of this steak will come out with no taste and he prepared to leave at least £20 worth on your plate. Neither the manager or chef came over to speak to us about this and left the waitress to sort this out . However it was both of them that were fine to send a £44.95 steak out to a paying customer. Absolutely shocking!! Never again and I will be telling everyone to avoid!