Vennels Café - Durham

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Vennels Café: A Cozy Corner in Durham

Vennels Café, nestled at 71 Saddler St, Durham DH1 3NP, UK, stands out as a beloved haunt for locals and visitors alike. With an average opinion rating of 4.6/5 on Google My Business, this café offers a unique blend of historic charm, cozy ambiance, and a diverse menu that caters to various tastes and dietary requirements. The café's address and contact information are conveniently provided on its website, vennels.com, making it easy for anyone to plan a visit.

Location and Accessibility:

• Situated at Address: 71 Saddler St, Durham DH1 3NP, United Kingdom
• Phone: 1913759635
• Easy accessibility with a wheelchair accessible entrance and wheelchair accessible parking lot.
• Friendly for all, including college students, families, LGBTQ+ individuals, and tourists.
• Accepts various payments including credit cards, Debit cards, NFC mobile payments, and even allows dogs.

Key Features and Specialties:

• Specializes in serving excellent coffee, along with a delightful selection of teas.
• Offers a wide range of breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dessert options.
• Provides a variety of seating options including outdoor seating, takeout, and dine-in.
• Highlights its healthy options, vegan options, and vegetarian options for health-conscious customers.
• Offers a bar onsite with a selection including alcohol and various drinks.
• embraces a casual, cozy, and historic atmosphere, making it suitable for solo dining, groups, and romantic outings.

Facilities and Services:

• Offers free water refills and a WiFi connection for patrons.
• Ensures convenience with high chairs and a kids' menu for families.
• Recognizes the needs of busy individuals with quick bites and small plates.
• Provides an inclusive environment with credit card acceptance and options for cash transactions.
• Offers various meal options to cater to different dietary needs.

Opinions and Experiences:

While Vennels Café has garnered a positive reputation with numerous reviews praising its charming ambiance and quality offerings, some patrons have expressed a bit of disappointment. Not everyone found the experience to fully live up to the hype, particularly regarding the coffee quality and pricing of certain items like the panini. However, these critiques seem to be exceptions rather than the norm, as highlighted by the overall high rating of 4.6/5.
Key Takeaways: For those seeking a delightful café experience in Durham, Vennels Café stands out with its blend of history, comfort, and diverse menu. Whether you're looking for a quiet spot to enjoy a good cup of coffee, a place to grab a healthy meal, or a cozy environment for meeting friends, Vennels Café seems to offer something for everyone. Its commitment to accessibility, inclusivity, and quality service makes it a noteworthy destination for both short visits and longer stays.

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"summary": "Vennels Café in Durham offers a historic, cozy atmosphere with a diverse menu and amenities, highly rated by customers despite minor critiques.",
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"quality_score": 8,
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👍 Reviews of Vennels Café

Hamzah A.

3/5

Vennels Café has a charming, historic atmosphere that feels like stepping back in time. It’s unique and clearly a well-loved, family-run spot.

However, despite the hype and long queues, I found it lacking that wow factor. The panini was tasty but felt overpriced for what I got, and unfortunately, the coffee was really disappointing.

I wanted to love it, but my experience didn’t quite match the expectations.

Jennifer W.

4/5

A Durham classic for a reason. Beautiful venue with an extensive menu and plenty of options for dietary needs.

I've been visiting Vennels for many years and it's always been consistently good - large portions, homemade food and the staff are friendly.
Highlights include the full breakfast, carrot cake and Stilton scones.
The only downside for me is sometimes it's hard to find a seat and the stairs are pretty difficult when you're carrying a tray full of food. But it's a very old building so not really anything they can fix and once you're up, you can sit there for hours enjoying the vibe.

The last couple of visits though there have been students with laptops taking over the bigger tables upstairs and plugging them in across the walkway. This is very frustrating and I'm looking forward to the end of term!

Vas M.

5/5

Fantastic food, can't go wrong with anything. I've tried scones, sandwiches and soups and they're all tasty. I highly recommend you go for an early lunch because it gets busy fast even when the rest of the town isn't as busy.

Em

5/5

My favourite café in Durham, definitely one of the best. It's a lovely family-run café serving delicious foods from sandwiches, jackets, quiches to cakes, and not to mention flavoursome ham broth. They also serve the local Durham "hummus"! Lovely comfort foods - very accommodating to allergens.

Kristina A.

3/5

I didn’t like the food, the coffee was ok. Lovely staff. Cute interior.

Greg C.

3/5

Mediocre food at best, self service only and not well ventilated, which made it uncomfortably hot and a bit smelly. Pity as its such a nice old building in the centre of Durham and with a bit more care could be so lovely. Perhaps we just picked a bad day but I won't be rushing back.

Sarah S.

4/5

I came across this lovely,cosy little cafe during a recent visit to Durham. It is tucked away down a quaint little alleyway just off the main shopping street leading up to the Cathedral. It has a nice courtyard with outdoor seating,perfect on a hot summers day, and ample seating inside.
The cafe only has a small menu and is high on the price side,but I think it is worth it for the coffee and the cakes as they are like nothing I've ever tasted!
The staff of lovely ladies were very friendly, and I was served after only a short wait despite the cafe being extremely busy for a Monday lunchtime.
Overall I had a lovely experience and would recommend this cafe to any Durham visitor,looking for a bite to eat.

Thurso L.

4/5

Don't be put off by the entrance/vennel. Nice wee hidden gem. Really busy place, fair amount of seating. Well worth the wait in the queue. Menu not large but a good selection. Lots of cakes/scones on display. Prices reasonable apart from £3 for a pot of tea (just plain tea). Plenty of staff, tables cleaned quickly. No napkins given out is the only negative. Would definitely go back.