Apartment above Sweetharts bakery and coffeeshop in Blackhill, Durham

Vast and characterful, this rustic restaurant is housed in a former merchant’s house on the historic quayside. Flagged floors, cast iron pillars and exposed brickwork feature downstairs, with equal amounts of character upstairs courtesy of sloping floors, wonky ceilings and carved beams. Detailed, original dishes – such as chicken strozzapreti with spinach, peas and parmesan – are based around fine produce and offer punchy flavours, while also maintaining a lightness of touch. The Sunday Feast menu offers a refined, well-priced take on the traditional Sunday roast.

This intimate, personably run restaurant is just around the corner from the eponymous chef-owner’s flagship, House of Tides, and serves a multi-course tasting menu of well-balanced, highly intricate and complex dishes. The kitchen’s skill allows top-drawer ingredients to shine, whether that be scallops or pigeon, and the meal ends on a high with the varied, exquisitely constructed desserts. The chefs present the plates to guests themselves and provide detailed descriptions of their make-up. Go for the wine pairing for the ultimate dining experience.

This much-loved 'proper' pub is named after the lane it sits on, in the most historic part of the city. Housed within a converted warehouse by the quay, the operation is split between the cosy ground-floor bar – serving snacks and over 50 different beers – and the rustic upstairs dining room. Here, the kitchen produces a consistently high quality offering of hearty, punchily flavoured dishes like haggis on toast and grilled calves liver with bacon, sage and crispy onions. Fair prices and a friendly team add to the appeal.

Hidden away in a small courtyard in the centre of Durham, this warm, cheerily run restaurant is the realisation of a dream for the three friends who crowdfunded its opening. The simple, rustic décor belies the quality of the cooking found within; the set menu of modern British small plates changes seasonally and the kitchen’s skill is clearly evident in the quality of the sauces.

This long-standing restaurant continues to operate with smooth efficiency and serve unfussy, eminently satisfying dishes you want to eat again and again. Start with a gin from the large selection behind the zinc-topped counter then head through to the smart red-and-black brasserie. The à la carte offers a wide selection of confidently cooked, classically based dishes that showcase the kitchen's great understanding of ingredients and flavour. The fixed-price menu offers a wallet-friendly option, while Sunday lunch includes a traditional roast.

Its name comes from an Old English word for ‘journey’, but there is something decidedly contemporary about this centrally located restaurant – from the airy, pared-back interior to the on-trend open kitchen and terse menu descriptions. An antique stained-glass window adds character and makes a fine backdrop for the chefs as they show their talent across colourful, precisely executed dishes that utilise punchy flavours like Sichuan pepper, onion ketchup and an intense duck jus.