The Cellar Door

Modern European restaurant · Durham

The Cellar Door

Modern European restaurant · Durham
41 Saddler St, Durham DH1 3NU, United Kingdom

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The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null
The Cellar Door by null

Highlights

Nestled in a historic 12th-century building with stunning riverside views, this British eatery serves exquisite dishes that blend tradition with flair.  

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41 Saddler St, Durham DH1 3NU, United Kingdom Get directions

thecellardoordurham.co.uk

$$ · Menu

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41 Saddler St, Durham DH1 3NU, United Kingdom Get directions

+44 191 383 1856
thecellardoordurham.co.uk
thecellardoordurham
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@Cellar_D_Durham

$$ · Menu

Reserve

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Last updated

Mar 8, 2025

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leann platts

Google
We went here as 2 couples and could not fault the place, staff so attentive, food amazing, atmosphere too! It is a bit more pricey than other places in Durham but if you want quality over quantity this is definitely the place to be… the a la carte menu is phenomenal they focus on having a few different dishes which are cooked to perfection definitely the tastiest meal I’ve ever had. I highly recommend that you book in advance as it was pretty busy but they have enough staff to cope with the demand. 10/10! ☺️

tako xo

Google
Came here on a Tuesday afternoon in late January for lunch. It was very quiet that day and you can definitely get a table by walking in. The restaurant overlooks the river which is nice. Food is good but imo a bit pricey for what you get. Agree with a few comments that food is slightly on the colder side when served, and the wait is relatively long. Portions are actually quite good even though it doesn't look like a lot in photos. Friend ordered a Beef Wellington which was good as well. Overall solid restaurant, wouldn't be a place I'd come often but will definitely consider going back when there are special celebrations.

Mo Hamza

Google
Quite the spot. If you’re looking for REALLY good food in Durham, get a table here, staff are very welcoming and friendly; The menu is incredible and every dish will impress. Had Hari as my waiter, he was fantastic and helped us a lot with our choices. Couldn’t ask for more!

Raphael

Google
Oh, what regret I have that I've left cellar door to last in my journey through the culinary offerings of Durham - as it came recommended by so many articles, but the google rating, relatively to others, is lagging (at 4.4 at time of writing). The service starts before the reservation as one receives a courteous reminder. The restaurant itself is multi-levelled, the main restaurant is classy, with character, there is a hidden away balcony that nonetheless feels elegant, with a view of the river. There is also the downstairs crypt-like restaurant for an intimate atmosphere. The cured salmon with mustard, home-pickled cabbage was out of this world, the duck confit filled onion could have been a little bit better spiced, but the duck breast was cooked to perfection, retaining tenderness, all natural flavour, without firming up. I am usually not a fan of beef wellington and puff pastry, but this was different. The mushroom (truffle sprinkler?) layer was a perfect complement, the puff pastry a wrapper, more than a filler, the beef melted on the tongue. The hash brown chips and absolute show stealer. Also go for the lemon pannacotta. It's meals like this that remind me why it's worth to continue trying different restaurants. I also just want to thank cellar door for perfect portions and service, I'll be back!

Sam Hodgson

Google
Had a two course dinner here last night on a whim walked in. Staff were very accommodating and friendly straight off the bat even when it was very busy. Seated in the upper reastrant, which is small but not in a crampt or claustrophobic way, welcomed by an incredibly friendly waiter in a waistcoat and tie who took my order of wine and sparkling water which arrived within minutes. I chose the peppered beef brisket to start and the Wellington for main. Whilst waiting for the brisket to come i was given a complimentary slice of homemade foccaccia and butter. The bread was lovley with a crisp crust and lovley texture however overall the butter needed some salt or perhaps a sprinkle of sea salt over the bread. Very nice quality and clearly fresh but lack a touch of flavour. The brisket came promptly and was hot and plated beautifully. Served with a celeriac puree, pickled veg and a hoisin sauce. The flavours worked very well, it was lovely. My one criticism is that it was slightly dry, which was a shame. Either the brisket needs more cooking liquid or could be served with more sauce. It's a slight shame for an overall lovley starter. For main, I had to choose the Wellington, which was a smashing choice, I must say. I've had Wellington at the Savoy and various other high-end restaurants, and this did not disappoint. The Wellington was served with hash brown chips, tenderstem brocoli, and an amazing rich jus. The hash brown chips were stunning, one of the nicer potato dishes I've ever had. Literally nothing bad to say about them. The brocoli was perfectly cooked with a crisp snap to it, as well as being seasoned with crispy fried onions. The Wellington was a lovley medium rare , the pastry was crisp and seasoned so beautifully. The jus was to die for and was beautifully rich and savoury. Very impressed with the portions as well as its quite often with higher end food to leave feeling slightly hungry. This was not the case here. I was so full I didn't have room for pudding however all sounded delicious. Overall, a large glass of wine, bottle of sparkling water , two courses and a bread dish cost just over 60 pounds. This price for the quality was more than fair, and the staff were frankly flawless. The girl who served me was friendly, and served with a smile whilst being chatty. If your in Durham and want a higher end meal at a reasonable cost I suggest a visit. 8/10

M A

Google
Amazing food as always. The beef Wellington is always a winner and the desserts are so good. It was my first time having a chocolate fondant in over ten years! Gigi is an amazing host she is always kind and accommodating and makes every visit special. I look forward to seeing her every time I come back!

angela waugh

Google
Staff very welcoming and friendly and food was delicious. One of the best restaurants County Durham has to offer. Been here a few times and not been disappointed. Good choice of food and drinks menu and also a lunchtime special menu served from 12 till 6. Reasonably priced fine dining.

Jason Johnson

Google
The cellar door was a lovely little find offering a good selection of dishes, and seeming a popular spot among locals with the vibrant atmosphere. Of all the options to have a Sunday Roast, this appeared to be the best on Google Maps and I wasn't disappointed. Firstly you could tell the freshness of the produce with the amazing taste and texture of the meet and veg. As someone who is from London I had an expectation on a Sunday Roast "from up north" and it more than delivered, with me almost not finishing my plate. When the plate arrives, you'll know where I'm coming from. Overall I had a very good time at this restaurant, and would gladly revisit from the great food, atmosphere, and extremely friendly staff helping me have an chilled yet enjoyable Sunday, and being the cherry on top of the cake finishing off a very good weekend away in the North East of England.
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John M.

Yelp
I was here with a large group of people who were staying in Durham over the early May Bank Holiday weekend and we were booked into The Cellar Door for a meal following Evensong in Durham Cathedral, on a pre-ordered three-course menu. The quality was first class, though there was a sense of wondering if and when the spuds would arrive. I'm just glad that I didn't order the rhubarb dessert, having seen what my neighbour had on his plate. My baked Alaska wasn't much bigger though. Some of us were discussing stopping for chips on the way back to the hotel on the outskirts of Durham but that never happened as we were block-booked for taxis. I've given 4 stars overall. That's really 5 stars for quality and somewhere between 2 and 3 for quantity. My drink was Tailgate Peanut Butter Stout, which I just had to try when I heard of it. I liked it enough to have a second one but had already ordered it when I heard that they also had a salted caramel stout. I think I would have ordered that if I had known in time but 3 beers would have been a bit much.
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Alice H.

Yelp
This place is so pretty! The food tasted great too! We ordered the duck starter, burger and sea bass and tried all the desserts, chocolate lava cake, Creme brûlée, and toffee pudding. The burger is huge! The sea bass quite salty, wouldn't recommend, the table next to us had the steak, OMG! I wish I ordered that instead. I ordered the strawberry garden cocktail, so good! All the desserts were good but the mango and passion fruit Creme brûlée was very runny... The service was ok but very very slow... We came for lunch there were only 3 other guests / tables beside us. There were 4 of us at our table, and it took 2 hours for us to finish... We sat outside under the canopy because it was a nice day but all those stairs, the poor servers! They were all very nice but either the chef was real slow or the servers were tired from all those stairs it took waay too loooooong to get our food or see our server... Also, two tables beside us had to ask for different dishes since they were given the wrong order...
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Melly M.

Yelp
My sister has recommended the lunch time deal at Cellar Door which is about £15 for 3 courses including what she said was a generous steak main course. I'd be staying with my mum and her neighbour had gone to town complaining about all aspects of her own visit there but I wasn't to be put off as I had my eye on the wood pigeon starter and the sticky toffee pudding. The lunch time special finishes at 4 which is a pretty great amount of time to cash in but thanks to my Aunty showing up late - as always - we missed the lunch time special completely but decided to have the a la carte menu anyway. We sat down and ordered some drinks which in truth took a fair while to arrive even though it was only two glasses of wine, a bottled fruit cider and a piña colada. Eventually we ordered food. The wood pigeon starter wasn't on the a la carte menu but the waitress kindly checked if I could have it anyway so I got my wood pigeon and ordered the main of lamb shank and leek mash. The food did take a while to arrive but it was worth the wait. My wood pigeon was not a let down and was served with loads of fresh rocket. There was no chance of grabbing a scallop from the starter my mum and sister shared as they were most territorial about but I did manage to taste some of the beef brisket starter my Aunty got which was delicious! The lamb shank fell off the bone as soon as I forked it and the mash was creamy and delicious. My whole party fell silent as we ate the lot, despite the starters and also the complimentary breads and olives that were given. I'm a firm believer that lunch or dinner should be a leisurely affair and am always sceptical of people who complain about waiting times - fast food is for drive thrus, not a la carte restaurants. However, with only one table seated in the whole restaurant, the only really complaint I have about Cellar Door is that they could have been speedier with drinks, particularly with two bartenders available. One minor grip would be that it would have been nice to have more selection of side orders. I could happily have chomped away on some extra vegetables but only asparagus was available and it didn't feel like an asparagus sort of day. Cellar Door is super cute, tucked away and feels relatively chic by Durham standards. A little quicker with the wine and tidying up some unsightly exposed wiring on the stairs and it's a 5 star jobby for me. And for those of you who want your burger in 5 minutes pronto - there is Burger King on North Road :-)
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Angela P.

Yelp
Tried this place with a friend the other night. When we walked in at about 6pm it was completely empty and stayed that way the entire time we were there. The young staff were nice enough, but looked pretty bored standing around waiting for customers. I started with an appetizer from the specials board which was avocado salad. When I received my salad it looked pretty small and lackluster for the price, but fresh. It was actually small slices of avocado with a few pieces of lettuce, some red onion and peppers. The rest of the vegetables were fine enough, but the avocado was just, really awful. It was so hard (Im assuming unripe) that I couldnt cut it and I could barely get my fork in it. When I ate it it crunched in my mouth like an apple. Very odd. I was really looking forward to the rich, buttery taste of avocado, but it was not here. I could not figure out why they had this as a special if they werent using ripe avocados. Both of us ended up ordering the same entree as the menu seemed to be a bit light on the pasta offerings (only three or four if I remember correctly). So, we both ordered the penne pollo. This was another failed dish. The chicken tasted as if it had just been heated up and cut into cubes. It didnt seem to have any flavor or seasoning to it at all. The sauce was a very bland version of tomato cream. Didnt have any of the brightness you expect from a tomato sauce and lacked salt. Overall this meal was very underwhelming and didnt encourage me to return to The Cellar Door anytime soon.
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Ira B.

Yelp
We were in Durham for the Luminaire Light Festival. Everywhere was rammed and we were very luck to get an evening reservation. It was the best meal we had in our 4 days in the city hands down. The menu was inventive, the flavour surprising (in a very good way) and the service friendly and seamless. All 3 courses were faultless and coupled with cava and 250ml very event wine (for2) came to £100. Worth every penny and a highlight of our trip we'll remember.
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David C.

Yelp
We had a couple of hours to kill in Durham on Sunday lunchtime and we stumbled upon this little gem. We hadn't booked anywhere and thought it would be difficult to get a table but the inside was empty. The girl suggested that we go outside under the gazebo as it was a sunny day and there was a nice view of the river. She wasn't wrong. We had perfectly cooked pigeon breast with rocket salad, then I had the burger and my wife had the duck salad. Everything was gorgeous. Service was very friendly, we were there for about an hour and we'll definitely be going back again. I had a very expensive but very nice Belgian beer with the meal and my wife had sparkling mineral water which was Norwegian in an unusual bottle. The two course Sunday lunch special was £12.95 and was worth every penny I thought. Well worth a try.
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Sira D.

Yelp
Very disappointing. This place is lovely on the inside, very nicely decorated. Just like Angela, however, we had an avocado related disaster. In this case it was a question of the avocado on my friend's pizza, which came with the skin still attached. The waitress took it away and brought a new one, explaining that they had a trainee chef on that night WHO HAD NEVER SEEN AN AVOCADO BEFORE and didn't know that you couldn't eat the peel. Seriously, Durham, this is the level to which we have stooped? I don't think I want to eat anything prepared by someone who can't work out that avocado peel is too tough to eat. 20 minutes later, when her new pizza arrived, the avocado was seriously under-ripe and basically inedible anyway, so the whole thing seemed a bit pointless. They had also run out of all sodas except Diet Coke and when we asked to see the dessert menu, we were told that they didn't have any desserts left, but we could have a coffee if we wanted one. We didn't. We were all there for a friend's going-away party, and they just about managed to ruin the night for us. Amateurish, is the word that comes to mind.
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Paul M.

Yelp
I must say I was shocked by the reviews I saw on yelp. I can only guess this place has improved drastically since the last reviews. My wife and I came for dinner and the food was excellent, matching the cute decor and ambiance. Tucked away down steep stairs from Saddler Street, the aroma coming up from the restaurant as you enter gives you an idea of the tastes to come. We had the salt and pepper squid and scallops for starters, followed by the chicken and leg of lamb. The cheese board to finish was the perfect end to a perfect meal. We even came back the next afternoon to have wine overlooking the river.
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Yong M.

Yelp
It is a lovely place with warm service.But the food didn't meet up our expectations.I heard it was the best restaurant near the Cathedral.But it still has to work up to its reputation!The new menu isn't as good as the old one!
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Sara S.

Yelp
The food here was delicious and one of the best vegetarian dishes I've had in a long time. Other half had the duck done to perfection and my old fashioned cocktail was very expertly mixed. Fantastic find. Can't recommend this place enough.
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Nurul S.

Yelp
Best restaurant in central Durham in my opinion. Seasonal menu that's always up to date and caters to a wide range of tastes despite being very concise. I always come here for special occasions and the food never disappoints. Brilliant, friendly waitstaff, excellent wine selection, great ambiance. Special mention to the seafood scotch egg starter, inspired and delicious!

Sharon S.

Yelp
We had an excellent and well executed meal! The surroundings were relaxing and the food was perfect. A restful place for a hungry world traveler! Service couldn't have been more welcoming, and the price was more than right.

Helen G.

Yelp
I have been to the Cellar Door twice recently and intend to go again this coming weekend. First visit Sun 220810. Came across the restaurant by chance even though i am a frequent socialiser in Durham! The food was magnificent and good value. The staff and service were a bit "Fawlty Towers like" - four staff on and falling over themselves to be helpful but amusing aspects happened like getting a bottle of wine and no glass to drink it from. Undeterred I went back with my same friend this past Saturday 040910. Fantastic food and service after an initial blip that there was no record of me having booked a table. I am not giving up, and am booking for this coming Saturday. Great food and atmosphere and what i would describe as an "entertaining" venue! Go for it! You wont find it boring!
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Elizabeth S.

Yelp
I visited The Cellar Door this week with my mother. We sat under the canopy outside as the weather was lovely. I ordered a rib eye steak (medium rare) with peppercorn sauce, and hand cut chips. My mother had the sea bass. Although there was a bit of a wait for the food, it was beautifully cooked. The view was so lovely and the wine was so good it was worth the wait. I can honestly say it was one of the best steaks I've ever tasted. We went on to have a dessert. I must admit, there was a bit if a wait for this as well but it was worth it. The sticky toffee pudding was amazing! Our waiter was lovely and very helpful. I'd recommend this restaurant but make sure you have plenty of time as the food does take a while to come. I can only assume it's because the chef wants it to be perfect, which it was.

Qype User (dr_smi…)

Yelp
It's been over a year since i wasted my money/time in this dreadful place, maybe it has improved? It was over priced, rude staff, cold food, order was wrong, waiter argued with me over the order, slow delivery, the chef came out of his hole as he wanted to see who dared complain about his food and glared at me, when I asked for the bill, we were given the wrong bill. Truely a comedy of errors. Have been about 2 -3 times previous and food was always cold, and service slow/muddled. Unforgivable.
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Andrew M.

Yelp
This place deserves to at least be a solid 4 stars (and is 5 stars for food quality for their awesome fixed-price lunches!). Was amazing value for an outstanding lunch. My wife and I both got steaks (I got the rib-eye and she had the sirloin; both excellent pieces of meat and cooked to perfection). My son had the shredded duck salad; also delicious. Appetizers were good as well. The desserts were actually the low-point of the dinner; just so-so. The portions were huge and provided enough leftovers for us to make a small dinner out of. The atmosphere is nice (kind of fancy) and they have a decent selection of drinks. My only real complaint was that they seemed understaffed by about one server on the afternoon that we were there... and thus service was very slow (but friendly/nice). For lunch it was ok for our kids (though the place is kind of fancy and not particularly well equipped to deal with them---I was just happy that they let us bring our kids in!). Park in the large pay-to-park public parking garage nearby.

cheryl d.

Yelp
My husband and I went for a meal in the Cellar Door two nights ago..staying in Durham for a couple of days and had no idea where to go! I have to say I totally and utterly disagree with the other two reviews! It was FANTASTIC!! I cannot recommend highly enough! We started off with a garlic pizza bread..large enough for two to share and amazing value..plus it was gorgeous! Then I had a pepperoni bacon and chicken pizza and it was delicious..could not fault it in any way. My husband also had pizza..quatro formaggio with extra pepperoni and his too was super! We also had a bottle of Australian Shiraz...lovely..and very good price too! The staff were so friendly..nothing was too much trouble. I only wish we lived nearer and we could go on a regular basis! I would encourage anyone to go...you will love it!!

P K.

Yelp
We had a really wonderful evening here. The food was excellent, and the service was extremely thoughtful (not just checking all the boxes). One of our party was vegan, and they accommodated that splendidly (with advance notice).

S K.

Yelp
We had a very poor quality meal here yesterday.Service and ambience was excellent but the food was really not tasty at all.We were really disappointed