Zen in County Durham - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Lovely meal at Zen with friends. We’ve been going to Zen for years. It has a special ambience, the food’s always been delicious and the service attentive.

It had been a while since we dined at Zen, and it hadn't changed since the last visit. The food was tasty, well presented and plenty of it. If we had one criticism it would be that we felt rushed , as we were in and out inside of 45 minutes

Fabulous Thai food, laid back atmosphere and friendly staff. We will return nest time we have an evening in Durham. Would recommend.

Celebrated a family birthday at Zen in September. Absolutely fabulous, from the welcome from the staff, the excellence of the food, right through to the relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant itself. We’ve been visiting Zen for a long time for many occasions and celebrations, travelling from outside of Durham to do so. Never been disappointed and the food just keeps getting better. A big thank you to all at Zen for another great experience.

Great place for lunch with friends on a bank holiday. Booked for lunch and spoilt for choice with menu. Enjoyable afternoon

Have been to this place a few times and the food is always great. The only reason I have marked this down is because of our experience this time. The food service was good, however, we were visiting with kids. The table behind us were incredibly rude about our kids and questioned why we were visiting so late in the evening. Whilst trying to control and calm the situation, the couple continued their tirade and won’t stop.all this time the staff just stood there without intervening or even attempting to calm the couple. I would have expected the staff to at least attempt to calm the situation.

We called in without having booked & were seated straight away. Service was excellent & food was delicious. We both opted for noodle dishes (drunken duck & meatfeast). The portions were very generous.

Brilliant food , atmos etc cannot fault A+++

I love Zen, their food is absolutely amazing. My last encounter though was horrible with one of the servers. I don’t know her name, might have been the manager; a tallish slim blonde lady who was just plain outright rude

I have been a frequent customer of Zen since it opened. Excellent food, good value for money. First class service and friendly atmosphere.

This might be the best green curry I've ever eaten. Simply delicious. Restaurant lives up to its Zen promise.

We visited on Saturday, I've been here before but my friends haven't. The food was absolutely lovely, you don't feel rushed to eat and leave, lovely atmosphere. Will be back soon!

Prawn star starter is a must-have when dining here.

We visited Zen two nights ago arriving just before 20:50. Having checked that the restaurant closes at 21:30, we thought we would ask if it is still okay for us to dine there. As restaurant owners ourselves, we were fully aware that they may say it's too late and had they said that, we would have been absolutely okay. The waitress (who appeared to be the floor manager) seemed hesitant and was not really welcoming, so when she told us to come in, I asked again "is it okay?" And she said yes and walked us to a table in a corner. We sat down at exactly 20:51 where she told us we need to be quick and order by 21:00. She then came back at 20:54 and asked us to place our order. Luckily we had looked over the menu before so we managed to order in the 3 minutes that they allowed. We were served the wrong drink initially. No one asked us if the food was okay. No one asked us if we wanted dessert. We rushed with our food because of the reactions we had received thinking it's late, only to see that the table next to us got their main course at 21:30 (closing time) and had just ordered a new round of drinks. Fortunately for them, the staff were doing a lovely job with their service. Was it because there was 5 of them? Was it because they looked more well off? Was it because they came into the restaurant before us? Who knows! To top it all off, the bill came with an automatic 10% tip... for the lovely lovely service that we did not get. It's such a shame because this could've been a great experience.

Definitely deserves the high score. Flavourful well prepared dishes, generous quantity and a pleasant atmosphere. The service was efficient but slightly lacked warmth. But who cares when the food is this good. The wine choices could be of a better quality. This place will be our regular for the value and high standards. Highly recommended if you are into Southeast Asian cuisines.

One of the nicest restaurants i have visited in a long while. The food here is something else, amazing.

Overpriced food for what it was. A total waste of money, I've had a lot better.

We had booked for my son graduation and it was worth every penny. Chilled relaxed atmosphere, great choice of food. Bottle of Presico, round of drinks, mixed starter boxes , 6 main courses for £36 per person which I considered a steal seeing the food was excellent. To be honest I would go back without hesitation if in the area again. Thanks Zen.

Excellent food and attentive staff at a great location

Booked for a birthday meal , food was absolutely amazing the staff where very friendly and couldn't do more I'd highly recommend and have been back many times since

Loved the green curry and mocktail. Wasn't very fond of the chicken satay and sauce. Good service and nice atmosphere.

First time with this type of food. Not my favourite.

Always a treat to eat here. Excellent menu. Efficient service. Dishes beautifully presented. Tastes fantastic. Highly recommend.

Decorations were so pretty!! A ride range of food and delicious meals!! Starters were astounding and the service was as best as it gets! So lovely and the restaurant was out of the way in a nice spot!! Would visit again!

Very nice food and friendly staff. Didn't like they add 10% to your bill as a tip. Even though they say it's voluntary.

The service was friendly, welcoming and attentive without being overly so. The choice of food was very good and when the meals we ordered arrived at the table not only did it look appetising it tasted delicious. Overall a very pleasing dining experience and one we’d happily recommend.

All of our food was excellent! My wife is Thai and she was very impressed also. The flavours of the dishes were amazing and the presentation was fantastic. The only recommendation that I would make is that some of the staff members could be more friendly and engaging with customers

Amazing as always, fantastic service and food full of flavour and filling. This place never disappoints and remains my favourite place to dine

Fantastic as always, even though i have seen many staff come and go over the years, the food here has always been incredible. The surroundings are also fab, its just a great place to dine in Durham, probably one of the best to be honest,

Tom Yum Gai soup was amazing - spicy from the chilli peppers, acidity from the lemongrass and slight kick from the ginger. Highly recommend, adding noodles to it makes it the perfect amount for a meal on its own!

Refuse to serve for no reason, so poor

Good food nice place decent value

The best orders were green curry, crispy chili beef and big tso’s

Always a pleasure. Fabulous food, great service always. Everything is taste sensation.

My absolute favourite restaurant in Durham. Excellent food, fantastic service, and great atmosphere. Especially the crispy chilli beef and teriyaki are such good dishes.

Lovely Thai food, lots of choice and good service

World class menu. Attentive service.

Going to Zen is such a treat we actually went twice in one week as I couldn’t think of anywhere better to celebrate my birthday. The food is always delicious and the staff attentive. I realised once I’d come home that there was an error in my payment, but even though I had no receipt, it was sorted over the phone in just a few minutes. Great customer care.

Some of the best food we have eaten in a long time, not the cheapest but you pay for what you get. Would recommend no problem

Lovely staff, nice decor, and fabulous food. What more can I say.

I believe this place has some of the best thai flavours outside Thailand. It is set in a lovely building with an asian twist running throughout it. The staff was very friendly and attentive and the portions were huge! The food was cooked perfectly, and the ingredients used made this an even more authentic experience. 5* highly recommend. Look forward to coming back to try the rest of the menu :-)

Food and service excellent Although the chillis in the curry took their toll the next day. I'd say ring Sting but there's nothing he could do about it

Lovely lunch in great restaurant

Robyn is an absolute credit to the business. So kind and so helpful when I was experiencing issues with my food, she put me and my partner at ease immediately. Once sorted, the tropical curry was fantastic, chunks of real lychee and pineapple, and my partner definitely enjoyed the meat feast noodles. Would definitely recommend, great food and even better service.

Wonderful new menu. Great food.

Fantastic Thai restaurant with a cool vibe for diners. Cannot fault service and quality offered .

Great food, great service and a friendly atmosphere.

It’s one of the best Thai restaurants I’ve been to! The food is AMAZING. I had chicken curry and it was awesome. The mocktail was also superb. Will definitely come back next time I’ll be in the area

Absolutely one of the best restaurants I've ever visited. The mixed platter as a starter is heavenly and I'd die for their Singapore Vermicelli. Book in advance; it's more than worth it for the atmosphere, food and service.

Very tasty food, portions are very large so don't be tempted to order too much. Service was fairly miserable but the food made up for it.

Amazing food and cocktails. Will be going again.

Never dissappoints - fantastic for lunch

Excellent! Lovely place that serves delicious Thai food. Service is great staff and very attentive. Highly recommend 👌

Really nice experience. Food was really nice, lots to choose from off the menu. Staff were really helpful and didn’t feel rushed. Price was reasonable.

What an amazing place! We had booked a table outside and were a bit nervous because the forecast temperature wasn't great, but it was well heated and a really nice space! The food was out of this world, the sharing starter was definitely worth the money for a special occasion. We tried a couple of new things and they were so good. Service was brilliant too. Only negative was an extremely wobbly table, nearly lost our drinks a couple of times it was so bad. But that didn't spoil an amazing experience, can't wait to come back.

Probably the best Thai restaurant in the North East. Fantastic gluten free options. You can even take your dog outside in the covered area.

Great food, lovely surroundings, not the cheapest but it is quality

Food was out of this world they take pride in their food Service very friendly would highly recommend this place

Very bad food quality, after eating this I start to vomit and have diarrhea for the whole night.and the milk tea they serve is made by some powder, it sucks!!!!! I am so regret eating here 🙂 🙂 🙂 Lightning protection restaurant...I had vomiting and diarrhea after eating it. The Thai milk I ordered was actually the same as the Xiangpiaopiao fragrant taro milk tea. It tasted the same and had the same straw. There was also a few coconuts in the Xiangpiaopiao milk tea. Do you think I can't drink a mint? I'm drunk too... definitely don't go, it's very expensive and not worth the price at all.

Sadly no photo's, I visited yesterday with some work colleagues for a leaving do. Staff were so friendly and helpful. Everyone was happy with what they ordered. I had Teriyaki Chicken with Egg fried rice and it was lush. Highly recommend, will definitely visit again. Thank you!

Cocktails were amazing ordered the Singapore sling and lotus blossom and they were very nicely decorated. The staff are very friendly service was great. Food was amazing the pad Thai was the best pad Thai I’ve ever tried and generous portion sizes. Will come back !

Everything’s about Zen was absolutely perfect, the food was exceptional and the mocktails were fabulous, we chose to dine outside for the evening and the atmosphere was amazing, the heaters kept us lovely and warm.

First time visiting and will not be the last. We travelled to Durham for a 40th birthday celebration. Booked in advance and got a great table. Service was excellent only beaten by the amazing food. We went for the sharing platter followed by Green Thai curry and Jungle curry. It is very rare that I can honestly say not a single thing could have been better. I would normally take a few photos of the food but in all honesty the food speaks for itself so not required just go and try it :)

Can't fault this venue it's brilliant

I can appreciate the food is really nice as my family enjoyed theirs. However, I have an intolerance to food spices and was told the thai yellow had absolutely no spice to it what so ever. I received the meal, started eating it and my mouth started to tingle so I knew straight away it had spice in it. If I finished the dish I would have been seriously un well! I asked for the manager, and firstly she said did I make anyone aware, I didn’t because all I was asked was if I had any allergies to which I don’t. I then asked the correct questions to the waitress with my intolerance in mind by simply asking is it spicy. To take 10% off the bill, then add gratuity onto the bill of 10% was insulting to be honest however didn’t want to make a scene in front of the family. Guys, sort out the service. If something goes wrong, own it, remove it from the bill! As a business you need to be gaining customers, not loosing them. Will most definitely not return.

Delicious (spicy!) food from a very comprehensive menu, and sophisticated cocktails with thoughtful Far Eastern twists. Brilliant atmosphere with laid back but buoyant ambient music

A lovely restaurant with great food made to high quality, and service was great, soft lighting and comfortable seating

We had booked a table for four, five of us turned up, we were quickly catered to. The food was a little more expensive than what we usually spend on a lunch. The quality and quantity was excellent. This was only our second visit here, we will be coming back.

Excellent lunch. Very good value for such quality. Staff friendly and polite. Attention to detail was obvious at every step. The aromatic crispy duck was superb. Couldn’t fault the visit.

Extremely average overpriced food, shocking service from waiting staff. Never asked for a drink once throughout the meal and sat with empty glasses throughout most of the meal. Asked for water on the table several times and am still waiting for it yet. When we complained about this we were flippantly told by the waiter that the OPTIONAL service charge would be removed from the bill with no apology. The same waiter then laughed at me from a distance when I was complaining to the manager, appalling unprofessionalism. Will never return, there are far better places to eat than here.

Extremely disappointed. Venue looks good but not backed up by the food or service. The food arrived about 5 mins after ordering, a bit quick. Flavours lacking. We were then ignored by staff and then expected a service charge !

Great surroundings ...fantastic service and food with excellent ambience ... highly recommend a visit if in Durham ..

Our favourite restaurant, fantastic food and service as always. Recommend to all great friendly place with great food choices

I’ve been to Zen numerous times over the years and recently 3 times within 10 days. This is one of the best places to eat in the Northeast, the food is always fantastic, staff are friendly and accommodating and the setting and ambiance are perfect. If you haven’t been you need to go.

This would have been a lovely birthday lunch , if the waiter had not tried to withdraw £902 for our meal, which then we had to spend the remainder of our time checking online banking and wait for a report to be ran. Spoilt our whole experience and my birthday out to be honest, mistakes do happen but he never even returned to the table another waitress just came over and asked for payment totally oblivious.

Delicious Thai food, recommend stir fry

Out for lunch with friends. Great food & drinks. Service & atmosphere good too. Highly recommend, one of Durhams better restaurants

I'll start with the Positives: Food was amazing. Restaurant, beautiful, modern, relaxed atmosphere. Cocktails fabulous. Staff were lovely, helpful. Service was quick and organised. Negatives: No dessert menu, music a bit too loud, should really be background (both I could live with but not ideal). Major down was the main door was open all night... Which subsequently meant everyone coming in and out of the restaurant's second/inner door let in an artic blast!! Again, didn't ruin our night, but it's the little things that get you a 5*

Amazing food 😍 Speedy and friendly service. Clean, up-market with a very relaxed/chilled atmosphere. 5 of us had starters and main courses - each one was delicious and served very quickly.

Excellent food and service outstanding. The place has options eating inside or outside with patio heaters . Also on the stools in the bar. Takeaway service too

Food was a bit on the salty side. They pride themselves on never adding MSG to their dishes but I'm pretty sure they're just overusing salt in its place. Food is also a little on the pricey side for what it is. Service is really good. Seating for parties bigger than 8 is cramped.

Fantastic food, fantastic drink, great service, wonderful ambiance. Been a while since I visited my old haunt - didn’t disappoint. Consistently top notch

Great food, but took a while to receive & when it came was incorrect. Sitting at the rear of the restaurant we were forgotten about & had to go to the bar to ask for service a few times.

A most pleasurable dinning experience

Food was good, really enjoyed our meal. Only downside was after we had paid bill we were made to feel rushed to leave and quickly finish our drinks as the next booking had arrived and our table was needed.

Superb food , great atmosphere, will deffo return , service was quick, nice friendly staff , lovely decor , short walk from the city centre

My favourite meal Zen king prawn 🍤 red Thai curry absolutely delicious 😋. I had it the week before at a family gathering and couldn’t stop thinking about it so had to go back to Zen with my daughter to enjoy it again

Food was absolutely delicious! Portion sizes were great. Atmosphere was so romantic Service was great Would definitely come here again

Beautiful food, beautiful restaurant and great service. This was our second time visiting Zen and we weren’t disappointed. We had Spring rolls and Chicken satay starters (to share between 2 of us) I’ve never tried satay but it was stunning - definitely recommend. My main...

My girlfriend has been mentioning Zen for years and we just never got around to making it until recently. Absolutely phenomenal. The setting, the service and most importantly the food - none of it could be faulted. A definite place to check out if you're...

We celebrated our daughter in laws 40 th birthday here and as always the service and food was amazing. It was my son and his wife's first visit and they loved it. The staff made a fuss of us, drinks were served timely as was...

Zen is best restaurant in the north east amazing staff and weeping tiger is to die for a great place service second to none

Amazing service and hospitality. Good drinks and the meal was spectacular. All of had a beautiful time. Thank you so much.

Very cold need to spend there cash n put the heating on the food was very good service was ok but there overpriced food and then they turn up with 10 % tip all ready added to your bill i find that absolutely disgusting it...

On the recommendation of a waitress we had a lamb shank. The lamb arrived served in a sauce. Unfortunately you couldn’t even slice the meat. I requested that it went back to the kitchen for the kitchen to extract the meat off the bone. The lamb shank returned as tough as before and only slightly easier to eat. I did send an email to Zen providing feedback though I haven’t heard anything after 2 weeks. The impression I got was that that lamb shanks are cooked, frozen and then reheated. Avoid the lamb shank.

First Time at Zen. Staff were pleasant and attentive, atmosphere and decor was nice, great menu selection & the food was incredible and reasonaly priced, drink selection is vast but quite pricey. I would happily dine here again.

Excellent venue with great food and exemplary service - food and drinks not overpriced and an nice vibe to the restaurant

Nice meal, served quickly lovely vibrant atmosphere

Fantastic as always. Such delicious food and lovely surroundings. This has got to be one of Durham's most wonderland restaurants. We will be back!

food was good. orderd the dumplings and they brough half a duck so was more expensive and as i was hungry we decided to keep it but my partner dose not like duck. drinks are well over priced £12 for a small old fasioned and...