The Curious Mr Fox in County Durham

Heard good things about the Sunday lunch but the food was a wet as service. Server was lovely taking us to our table but after that they disappear. Food was bland we might as well have went to spoons. At least you know it’s mitcrowaves there. Spoilt a good day out, when we complained she asked if we wanted pudding…. No thanks it’s took me long enough to get a glass of wine. I won’t be back 🙄

I came here for Sunday lunch yesterday, and the woman who greeted me downstairs was absolutely lovely and very accommodating on arrival. Once we were at our table, yes the service was still good and very polite. When the food arrived it was quite a shambles to say the least. The plate was placed on the table and gravy went everywhere including mine and my friends clothes and we were left to clean the mess ourselves.. The food itself was below average.. it looked pretty on the plate but to eat it, it wasn't very nice.. I left nearly all my meal and when asked if it was nice, I did make a point of saying how I did not enjoy it at all - to which I was asked if I would like dessert? I absolutely said no. We asked for a glass of wine with our meals and it took ages to come to the point we had to ask twice.. I understand it can be busy but the person we asked had actually forgotten.. I can't justify paying £62 for two lunches and one glass of wine which were completely below average - and am still unsure how the price even came to this? Either way I would not recommend the Sunday lunch! I will most likely go back in the future and try the weekly lunch menus as it is a beautiful place inside!

Lovely place. Lovely food. Lovely staff. Thankyou.

We booked this restaurant a week in advance only for the to cancel the night before. We visited them to clarify and they reinstated our booking. When we turned up the booking had been cancelled again leaving us without a table for dinner on Saturday evening. The manager was rude and defensive and offered to put us in a small room with a hen party. Really poor communication and service, as well as no apology.

Very nice bar, nice pint of Guinness, staff friendly and attentive.

Was ok, table service slow and freezing sitting under air con. Asked for it to be switched off but kept coming back on.

My friend had a party there and it was lovely the staff were perfect especially Corey, Alex , Abby , and ace.

Amazing Party Venue Where to start! I couldn't recommend this place enough. They stepped in last minute when our original party was cancelled and went above and beyond. From the first meeting Corey listened to what we needed, made suggestions we would have never thought of and made the whole process effortless. The venue was beautiful and perfectly sized for what we needed. It's in an amazing location. The food was specialised for our requirements, taking into account what we and the birthday girl liked. All was delicious and there was so much. Corey even developed a specialised cocktail menu designed around my daughter's life which all guests thoroughly enjoyed trying. Abi, Alex and Ace, the bar staff on the night, also made my daughter feel so special - she never stopped smiling! If you are looking for a gorgeous party venue with a team who feel like friends - then this is the place!

It’s the 1 night a month me and the Mrs get away form the little one and I have to say it’s been fantastic. Sam the bartender has been some boy. We have done true bottomless brunch and I am well and truly sauced.. food was bang on too. We went of the burgers. Very good. Owners of the bar.. give Sam a bonus because we will be back thanks to his great customer service.

Amazing night , so friendly and helpful. Will return. Alex was amazing.

We booked as a party of 5 for afternoon tea which was advertised as finger sandwiches, a fruit and plain scone, cakes and a glass of Pimms. When booking we advised that 2 of the party didn’t want butter on their sandwiches. When we arrived we were told that mayo was used and did they want no mayo, which they said they didn’t. What arrived was 2 plates of mixed sandwiches for the table of plain egg, cheese and chicken, with no mayo on any and difficult to tell what type sandwich you were picking up as they were all mixed up. All the scones were plain, when I queried this I was told “nobody eats fruit scones they just get left or people ask for a box to take them home which costs us money” The cream in the Eton mess had turned watery. Despite asking on arrival about the Pimms we still hadn’t been served it when we were finished eating and had to ask again! Staff started clearing the plates away before we’d finished. Sorry but wouldn’t go back, shame as beautiful decor and views!

Lovely food. Friendly staff. Quick service.

Gorgeous place with multiple rooms in different themes. Amazingly decorated and the atmosphere was sublime. So relaxing - will definitely go there again.

We had a fantastic afternoon doing the cocktail making class for our friends birthday. Corey was brilliant, and so patient with us, given we were pretty useless at it! He was really funny, very professional and he absolutely knows his stuff! For a couple of them we didn’t know what we wanted we just gave him the vaguest of flavour profiles and he came up with the tastiest drinks for us to make. And poor Tim. And Sidney running back and forth having to get different things as we changed our minds. Bless them we kept them on their toes! Highly recommend

New cocktail on the drinks menu. A French Pornstar Martini. A must for those who like blackberry flavours.

Well I would just like to give thanks to Cameron my sparkly man of the hour who made us some welcome from the time we walked In the door. We have also had excellent service from Sydney from America who took over after Cameron and did an amazing job!! Cameron is really fit too he deserves a pay rise xx

Now cocktail bars aren't exactly my cup of tea but this one was very nice indeed so i indulged in a rhubarb and custard cocktail and very nice it was too. Great range of spirits and wines , very pleasant indeed.

Came here for a couple of drinks with my partner and had phenomenal service. Lad called Corey definitely stood out and he made sure we had a great time. Was very polite and funny character. Will 100% be back. Thank you!

Absolutely loved my visit. The staff are incredibly friendly and the afternoon tea was delicious. It was great that they included plain scones as well as fruit, saving me from picking the fruit out 😀 We were so impressed with the quality of the food that we also had a meal there. It was equally delicious and good value..... as we're the cocktails. Highly recommend. We will most definitely be back.

Corey was lovely for us, attentive and professional as served us at our table with me on crutches!

Lovely afternoon. Great value for money. Good polite customer service in a lovely setting. Booked for a future visit.

Corey was the best at serving us for our first time in Durham!

After reading some of the reviews I wasn't sure what to expect 🤔 We were very pleasantly surprised The decor is lovely The staff were really nice and very friendly especially Corey and Ben We had Prossecco afternoon tea The sandwiches were lovely really fresh we particularly liked the chicken and tarragon The scones were home made and delicious some of the best we've ever had The cakes were mini Victoria sandwich cake raspberry macaron and mango cheesecake very nice indeed We thought it was great value for money we are definitely going again We were very pleasantly full

Excellent afternoon tea in a lovely venue. Atmosphere was relaxed and staff were always pleasant and helpful.

Visited establishment for afternoon tea with prosecco. We sat at our table and after a while the cake stand and glass of prosecco was put on our table but no tea plates. Eventually a saucer was placed instead of the tea plates. We waited to be asked if we would like tea or coffee. After a while we twigged this wasn't included. We regularly have afternoon tea at different places and this is the first place not to have this included. While the food was ok it was pretty basic.

We had afternoon tea and my teenage daughter said the vibe was giving. We had a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed all the food.

We had afternoon tea for 6 people. It took an hour to come but was nice once it did. Scones a bit overdone but these things happen. Lovely venue and nice ambiance

Gorgeous bar, it's really nicely decorated and had lots of little spaces to sit to enjoy food or drink. We had a bacon buttie and hot drink for £5 which I think is great value. Will defo like to visit again, maybe try Sunday lunch next time.

What an absolutely amazing place. The staff were extremely attentive, overall our experience was brilliant. Definitely coming again.

Lovely atmosphere, very busy. Food for afternoon tea lovely!

I had afternoon tea and the food was very fresh and tasty. Normally pots of tea are served and are refilled on request, but if we needed more we had to pay for it.

Lovely afternoon tea and great service. Fantastic cocktails! Special shout out to Cameron for excellent service and going above and beyond. Will definitely be back!

First visit here came with sister for birthdays had cream tea Really enjoyed food and drink beautiful venue great customer service

We had a lovely afternoon tea here and the owner made my 5yr old granddaughter very welcome she loved looking for curious then hiding him back in the window. Well done on a very warm welcome and delicious afternoon tea we will be back even though we travelled from billingham.

Surprised that 'Afternoon Tea' did not include tea unless purchased separately Photo on Wowcher voucher and website showed tea alongside food and prosecco.

Lovely afternoon tea variety of sandwiches and cakes. Only personal negative is I would prefer 1 savoury scone (cheese) rather than 2 sweet ones, otherwise very nice and staff were great.

Gorgeous afternoon tea, plenty of choice. Would have been nice to have a sausage roll/piece of quiche instead of two sweet scones each.

Lovely afternoon tea, however waitress said we had a savoury and sweet scones, both were sweet slightly disappointed. Could have done with something savoury to balance it slightly.

Very poor slow service and food wasn't nice. Avoid.

Good food. Only complaint is the tea and coffee supplied with afternoon tea is in a very small cup. Which by the time the afternoon tea comes has been drank, and refill must be purchased. Also put in an empty room where only we were in it, which spoilt the atmosphere!

The Afternoon Tea was very enjoyable, the staff were extremely helpful and friendly and the occasion was very pleasant. Many Thanks To you all at the Curious Fox

I took a recent trip to Durham and I’d seen this restaurant a few times in passing and thought it looked like a nice place for a bite to eat. This time I stopped. Visiting with a friend whilst on a day trip, it made for the perfect light bite and stop off. Food and service were brilliant and the decor really matched the vibe of this place. Perfectly situated in the city. Definitely recommend.

Couldn’t fault it. Food was delicious and service excellent. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Had afternoon tea.

Lovely place right by the river. We had afternoon tea which was lush. Would recommend and will defo return.

Sat outside enjoying a refreshing drink in the sun. What a view of the castle and cathedral, towering of the River Wear. Staff were friendly and very helpful, a lovely place to go for a rest after a walk around the historic city. x

Good atmosphere. Great place for an afternoon tipple. Popped in for a quick drink. Will be returning for a longer visit.

We called in back in March and had a top notch Sunday dinner. So we just had to return today and we weren’t disappointed, food was excellent, atmosphere was relaxing and Jo our server couldn’t have been more attentive or helpful on the busy lunch time service. We will be back again for sure, especially as they are dog friendly too.

Went for afternoon tea and was put in a corner with stacked up baby high chairs next to our table which wasn't great why stack them next to someone's table looked ridiculous surely there's a better place afternoon tea was ok I guess and we were offered more sandwiches as there wasn't much on the plate anyway! Nice view from the table of the cathedral if you can see beyond the bars on the window! Overall wouldn't return.. Edited to reply to their response I was never offered another table at all!! And yes there was plenty of tables to choose from which remains the problem of why we were stuffed in a corner next to high chairs the cakes served were the size of a two pence coin so I cant say it was a bargain!

Worth a visit but try and get there when it's quiet, once everyone has headed over to the Gala side of Durham...

Lincolnshire sausage, streaky bacon, crispy hash browns all cooked spot on nice backdrop of the cathedral and castle. The staff were great.

Superb on every visit! An excellent place!

Waited 90min for eggs Benedict. They never arrived

Fabulous bar Charlie & Toby were amazing at the bar served all our drinks thank you 👍😘 x

Portions absolutely tiny for the price and the vegetables served on the Sunday dinner are basically non existent.

Very well located, good staff and really nice sunday roast, it was delicious!. The decoration its very original and the different "rooms" have a good atmosphere. 190% recommended

Lovely ambience, nice cocktails. Didn't get any food so can't comment on that. Nice seating area, good music playing. Staff very friendly and welcoming.

This is a gem of a place. The food is very nice. The staff were wonderful (even after our 10 year old had thrown milkshake all over the floor). Incredibly friendly and inviting. Dog friendly too. We will definitely be returning.

We were visiting Durham for a weekend and wanted a coffee. We loved the decor. It was such a change from anywhere else I'd ever seen. Loved the dog portraits. The food was delicious and very reasonable and the waitress friendly and super helpful. Thank you. It was actually my highlight of Durham. I'm now back home wanting to decorate my house!

Absolutely fantastic service, little boy with autism and adhd and the 2 ladies behind the bar (sorry didn't get there names) as Jaidens mum was having ab cocktail Jaiden wanted one and the ladies made one for him and did not disappoint he loved it, thank you so much and thank you ❤️❤️ sorry we did not have food

We were looking for somewhere to have a coffee After our train journey when I spotted the lovely image on the side of the building so went in. The coffee was very good, as was the raw snickers bar (not sure of the name but it was delicious!)All of the cakes/tray bakes etc looked amazing; we were spoiled for choice. On a cold grey midweek morning in March the cafe was very busy downstairs; only one person had ventured upstairs when I popped up to the loo so she basically had the whole floor to herself! I loved the quirky decor-lots of big bold images throughout. I can certainly see why it is so popular with customers of all ages. Recommended!

Great atmosphere on a Saturday, fab place for a catch up!

Amazing place the food staff atmosphere were just great! Will definitely be back 😁🥂

We recently moved from the south to Durham and visited the curious Mr fox. It was absolutely beautifu. Cameron was fantastic and. Brilliant hoat

What a lovely experience. The staff are so nice. We were served by a young man, he seemed so full of cheer. He was also attentive and made our short stay there a very pleasant one. Food was great too.

What a lovely place for a meal and a few drinks! We went during restaurant week and had their set 3 course menu and everything was really tasty. Service was outstanding, we got a little tour of the place before being shown our table. The interior is beautiful, clearly lots of time and effort has been put in to make it look gorgeous! Highly recommended if you want a five star experience! 🫶🏻

Lovely atmosphere had a really good vibe the staff were really helpful and friendly the only let down was the food my wife had the mushroom risotto and I had the seafood risotto sadly the rice was very bland and a bit lukewarm it had no discernable taste or flavour at all it was also very clumpy as if it had been overdone, maybe just a bad day for risotto

Had my 21st birthday in the Oyster room last night and they were amazing. Massive thanks to all the staff at Curious Mr Fox for making it so memorable!

We called for a drink here on Saturday night. We sat in the table opposite the bar down stairs. It had been left a mess drinks spilt dirty glasses. As my husband was getting served I asked a young man behind the bar if he could wipe it for us. He looked at me like I had asked for something bad and walked away. The female staff member looked embarrassed and said she would when she finished serving. Which she did . Not the kind of service you expect at their prices .

Homemade Scones are the best in Durham. Brilliant modern flavours. Mine was Cheese and Chilli - not spicy...... wife was ginger and something.... Felt healthy in this cold weather. My Mum is boring and prefers plain scones ..... Salt in her porridge 👀 kind of traditional taste buds. 😛

Update on my umpteenth visit 😊 - had food. Was impressed by the club sandwich, for basically £10 it's a better bargain than across the road. A lot of love went in to the taste & presentation. Burger smaller portion than other places which is reflected in the price . Nice not to have to dislocate your Jaw. 🍔 such a bargain for price. Karen (wife) enjoyed her burger, though. 😛

Excellent customer service and beautiful views. Easy location in Durham centre.

Stunning place to visit especially when Santa turns up. :)

Excellent little gem of a place! Didn't have food on this occasion, but it looked fabulous. Atmosphere is lovely, very welcoming, and not too noisy. Will definitely be making a return visit. X

One of the prettiest interior decors I've witnessed. Lovely establishment.

Place was stunning. Food was amazing. I had the hosin been wrap and my husband had the steak and ale pie Cameron, our waiter was super attentive, funny and on the ball about everything. 100 per cent recommend

Love it, always worth a visit when in the City. Had great food cocktails and beer today. Service was good too. One of our favourite places to visit.👍🍺🥂

A touch of class in Durham. Lucky to be the first to catch the early breakfast. Cheeky theme, Exquisite decor.

Horrible customer service. Went to an events night which included a meal and drink. Meal was mostly gravy. Paid £50 each as a group of 4. 1 person could not attend and the venue was informed as soon as we arrived. Emailed to ask if partial refund would be possible for the person who didn't attend as no food or drink was received.Their response was that it was not possible and that we were offered the extra free drink on the night but this never occured. Sent 2 emails in response and both have been completely ignored.

Great place to stop for a drink, attentive staff and quick to serve

What a glorious venue! My wife and I visited here over the weekend, not only was the food delicious but service by Cameron was exceptional. We were made to feel like VIPs that’s for sure despite it being rather busy. Looking forward to visiting again!

Great pub great atmosphere and staff, drinks have reduced since opening as one of the past owners set the bar way too high now in line with most Durham City center bars, please try it the food is good as well cheers.

Excellent service and people are lovely

Excellent service particularly from Cameron. Delicious cocktails as well.

What a lovely place to eat and drink. I had a lunch here with a view of Durham Castle. Really nice rooms, great selection of drinks and I notice the menu now includes more vegan options.

Fantastic atmosphere, lovely friendly staff

This place is so good! My wife and I popped in on a Tuesday night for dinner and we got so much more than we expected. Firstly the service was 5* (thanks Rebecca and Edward). Staff were so friendly, welcoming and kind. It’s dog friendly inside. The drinks were wonderful and reasonably priced. The food was delicious and the portion sizes were generous for what we paid. Now to the best bit, the upstairs! There are 3 stunning different rooms upstairs where you can eat and drink. All the rooms offer a different vibe but it’s like you’re in the Ivy in London. We booked to come back immediately for another date night.

Didn't have anything to eat but my friends loved their large indivual pots of tasty tea and I enjoyed my orange juice!

Popped in as I saw the Ipswich legend Mr Eric gates at the door, he's one of the owners and being a Ipswich lad i couldn't resist having a chat about the old days at Portman road! Great venue, great bloke and a great footballer!

I contacted the restaurant in the week before and they recommended booking a table which I did. We were shown to a table next to a window which suited my daughter and me. The other three people in our party chose something off the menu but I have dietary restrictions and I have written about my very positive experience below.

Perfect breakfast including fluffy American pancakes👍

Cocktails were delicious and Cameron and David were both absolutely lovely and had a nice chat with us 10/10 purely for them give them both a raise

Great visit as a group of 8 for drinks..so many different gins available and all of guests more than happy with quality and service we received..and a lot cheaper than some bars along river walk. Beautifully decorated and fantastic atmosphere. Will be making Mr Fox a regular for drinks and already booked for food. Well done and thank you for a great visit.

A not so hidden gem in Durham! Amazing drinks and gorgeous food

Went there for the first time and ordered a cappuccino when it comes it was stone cold how can you get a cappuccino wrong it's not rocket science so with the Curious Mr Fox repution for greatness it should have been a fantastic coffee am not going back there again ever

They fitted us in a group of 10, kitchen could only offer us burgers as they were nearly closing , but the food was excellent and staff was friendly and accomodating.

Food was incredible with a beautiful view of the cathedral. Venue was amazingly decorated and the environment was ace. Definitely will be coming back in the future when I return to durham.

Update- had food. Was not impressed by the club sandwich, for basically £10. Not a lot of love or presentation seemed to go into it. Burger small portion for price. Husband enjoyed his burger, though. Over priced for food and drinks, overall. Have only sat outside so far. Good exterior design. Like the location as gives food views of castle and cathedral. Husband said the interior decor is lovely and we plan to try food at some point. Had a bramble gin cocktail on my first visit and wasn't impressed to be honest, for the price. Tasted very bland, and was mostly ice. Heard another lady saying her cocktail tasted like something you wash your mouth out with at the dentist. On my next visit I just had Amstel. Bit over priced, but seems to be in keeping with prices for a lot of the up and coming new venues for Durham. Will update once I've had opportunity to eat food.

After booking a bottomless brunch for 24 people 8 weeks ago I am very disappointed to be contacted 2 weeks before we were due to be there to be told they no longer do bottomless brunches. This has now left us with no where to go as everywhere is fully booked. Surely all previous bookings should still be stand? Very unprofessional.

Highly Recommended highly Respected Highly Respectful Workers Fantastic Atmosphere Very highly Friendly Service/ Everyone who works in the Curious Mr Fox Know Richard Extremely Well More than anyone else that's ever walked inside Richard's Was A Pathfinder Seargeant then SAS Seargeant My Favourite place in Durham/ Yes I'll be back soon all in Due Time/ Nobody walks in this restaurant that could cause a Problem for the workers

Service was fast, and the sausage and mash and risotto was nice but it took them ages to get us the table (even though we had reserved like a week before) then they ended up sitting us in the noisy bar where no one else was eating, and it was too rowdy for the planned dinner date with lots of drunk lads standing and loud music. Also they inexplicably don't serve the dinner menu on Saturday evenings (????) so we had the lunch menu at 6pm, which obviously wasn't very filling. Needs much better service for the price they charge, shame really.