RESTAURANT week is returning to a North East city in the next few days, meaning food and drink lovers can sample all kinds of eatery offerings for discounted prices.  

Organised by Durham BID, Durham Restaurant Week is set to take place from Saturday, January 28 to Saturday, February 4 – with restaurants, cafes and bars across the city due to take part.

It is the second time that Durham has played host to Restaurant Week - with the first event going down a treat with the region's foodies. Organisers from the Durham BID (which stands for Business Improvement District) hope that Restaurant Week will not only help people beat the January blues, but also entice new customers to try out Durham's culinary offerings.

The Northern Echo: An afternoon tea from Tealicious Tea Room, onw of the 23 venues taking part in the restaurant week event.An afternoon tea from Tealicious Tea Room, onw of the 23 venues taking part in the restaurant week event. (Image: Marion Botella)

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Participating venues have been asked to put together £10, £15, £20 and £25 menus, meaning customers can taste some of the restaurants best offerings for discounted rates. 

Many of the city's independent and chain eateries are due to take part, including popular social hotspots like The Boat Club & Tomahawk Steakhouse; Turtle Bay, The Curious Mr Fox, Old Toms Gin Bar, Tealicious Tea Rooms, Zapatista, Gussto, and Tapas Factory. 

In total, 23 of Durham's venues will be offering Restaurant Week menus as part of the event. 

BID Manager Paul Howard said: “The city has an amazing food and drink scene with lots of independents as well as big-name restaurants.

“From Turkish cuisine to tapas, to Mexican burritos and Japanese flavours, the city has a strong culinary offering that people can sink their teeth into. Whether it’s visiting their favourite place or trying something new, customers can enjoy dining out at bargain prices during the week.

The Northern Echo:

“Whether it’s a lunchtime bite to eat or organising a night out with friends or family, Durham Restaurant Week promises to offer a tasty experience for all,” said Emma Wright, marketing and events at Durham BID.

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“Durham BID successfully held a Restaurant Week in 2019 which was organised by the BID’s former management team. As a new BID team, we decided to bring back the event post covid  – and we are hopeful we can build Restaurant Week into our events calendar year on year.”

Partaking restaurants are thrilled that Restaurant Week has returned to Durham. Rich Morgan, General Manager at The Boat Club Bar & Tomahawk Steakhouse, on Elvet Riverside, Durham, said: ''It's great to see Durham city have an official restaurant week – why should Newcastle and Teesside get to have all the fun? 

"We know from experience how our sister brands, Tomahawk Steakhouse & Rio Brazilian Steakhouse benefit from such a great offer. All venues should be on board with anything that promotes people staying here as opposed to a short train journey over the Tyne''

All visitors need to do is pre-book the restaurant, or choose from the Restaurant Week Menus when visiting venues, between January 28 and February 4.

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