Eating, Drinking and Entertainment
Of the city's cafes , Vennel's , Saddler's Yard - named after the skinny alley or "vennel" where it stands (next to Waterstone's, off Saddler Street) - serves light lunches in a little hidden courtyard. Further up the hill, on Palace Green, the Almshouse conjures up vegetarian and meaty meals for around GBP5 (open until 8pm in summer). For Italian food, try Emilio's at the east end of Elvet Bridge, a smart refurbishment of an eleventh-century chapel with summertime outdoor seating. Excellent Modern British cuisine and service are offered at Bistro 21 , a converted farmhouse at Aykley Heads, ten minutes' walk on from the DLI museum and art gallery north of the centre (tel 0191/384 4354; closed Sun); there's courtyard seating in summer and good-value set menus at lunchtime. If you still can't make your mind up, head for Cathedrals , an ambitious and stylish redevelopment of the old police station on Court Lane (tel 0191/370 9632), where you can choose among fine dining and great views of the cathedral in the rooftop restaurant , Italian-influenced cuisine in the bistro, pub grub amid the impressive copper vats of the bar and microbrewery, and inventive sandwiches and snacks in the coffee house. Durham's central pubs blow hot and cold, depending on whether or not the students are in town. Good bets at most times include the Court Inn , which has outdoor seating on Court Lane, and the lively Hogshead , 58 Saddler St, with its selection of real ales. The Victoria , a quiet, welcoming local at 86 Hallgarth St, is also a favourite. For more highbrow entertainment, regular classical concerts are held at various venues around the city, including the cathedral, while the DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery (tel 0191/384 2214) at Aykley Heads hosts lunchtime recitals as well as summertime brass band concerts, ceilidhs and other events. Durham Student's Union (tel 0191/374 2000) puts on gigs during term time, with rock, jazz and comedy most regularly performed at Dunelm House, New Elvet. Annual events and festivals come thick and fast in the summer. June sees the university's arts week , and in the same month the Durham Regatta packs the riverbanks and river. Over the first weekend in July, the Durham Summer Festival encompasses all manner of musical entertainments, as well as historical re-enactments on Palace Green; on the following Saturday, the Miners' Gala - when the traditional lodge banners are paraded through the streets - has been revived as a celebration of the international labour movement.
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