Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Sedgefield
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Sedgefield restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 8 restaurants in Sedgefield and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Sedgefield restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Sedgefield Restaurants
1. The Orangery, Rockliffe Hall
British, Modern restaurant in Darlington
James Close with wife Maria closed his acclaimed Co Durham restaurant the Raby Hunt (a regular on our UK Top 100 list) after 14 years and relaunched in the Orangery of nearby Rockliffe Hall in mid 2024, after our annual diners’ poll had ended. Initially billed as ‘A modern bistro by James Close’, from October 2024 the site has launched new tasting menus – ‘Expresssion’ (£105 per person) and ‘Experience’ (£170 per person) – that aim to take the diner on a ‘global culinary journey’. The ultimate aim is clearly to establish the dining room as one of the best in the UK.
2. Oven
British, Modern restaurant in Darlington
30 Duke St - DL3
“Always buzzing”, this “family-run” fixture is very consistently praised in reports for its “great pizza menu” while also offering British and international classics. (After two decades, the owner-operators put it up for sale in summer 2024.)
3. Stable Hearth Neapolitan Pizzeria & Enoteca
Italian restaurant in Darlington
Duke Street - DL3
2023 Review: “Great pizza menu served by lovely people” remains the verdict on this award-winning pizza-stop, whose numerous accolades and certifications promise a Neapolitan experience through and through: your selection is cooked at 400 degrees and will be ready in 90 seconds!
4. The Bay Horse
British, Traditional restaurant in Hurworth
45 The Grn - DL2
With its pretty garden and handsomely fitted-out interior, this period gastropub has been no stranger to national awards lists since launching in 2008. It is rated consistently well in reports and even a sceptic whose commentary found it “perhaps a little overpriced” still rated it soundly across the board.
5. Crathorne Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Crathorne
2023 Review: “It’s still as good as ever at Eugene and Barbara McCoy’s country pub” say fans of this destination, ten minutes from Middlesbrough. “It’s one of the few places that still hold a traditional Beaujolais Day in November and has a waiting list of people wanting to come!”
6. Barrio Comida
Mexican restaurant in Durham
34 Church Street - DH1
2023 Review: “Permanent home for the excellent Newcastle Quayside pop-up of a few years ago” – this lively taqueria moved into Durham in 2020 and occupies “large premises near a bridge over the river”, with a patio area and fine views. It’s “still delivering high-quality tacos and other Mexican fare”. Top Menu Tip – “special mention to their homemade ice cream”.
7. Faru
British, Modern restaurant in Durham
26 Silver Street - DH1
“The restaurant Durham city has been crying out for”, say fans of this ambitious 2023 yearling in the city centre: “a recent addition to the local dining scene run by ex-head chef from House of Tides and his wife”, Jake & Laura Siddle, who serve a 10-course tasting menu for £98 per person (the name is old English for ‘Journey’). One diner – particularly impressed by the wine selection – felt that “whilst aiming for their first Michelin star, they have a way to go with too many of the courses ‘snack sized’ to fully warrant the price and service that, though friendly, was lacking”. But others are impressed by what they see as a polished overall experience and, in any case, all reports agree that this is an “interesting” venue that “definitely shows promise”.
8. Coarse
British, Modern restaurant in Durham
Reform Place, North Road - DH1
Chef Ruari MacKay (former head chef of the city’s now defunct Bistro 21) – with collaborators Gemma Robinson and Craig Lappin-Smith – raised £100,000 from crowd-funding to launch this simply decorated newcomer, which launched in late 2022, in a courtyard just over the river from the ancient city centre. The only option is a six-course tasting menu: feedback is still limited but says that “overall for the price it’s excellent, and served by friendly staff”.
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