The Best Fish and Chips in Durham

Few things round off a walk along the Wear better than fish and chips eaten warm from the paper. Durham does the classic well, from a national award-winner right on the Market Place to a village shop still frying over coal. Here is where to go, whether you want a sit-down supper or a hot parcel to carry down to the river.

Bells Fish & Chips, Market Place

Bells Fish & Chips sits right on the historic Market Place, a couple of minutes from the cathedral and the riverside. The Market Place branch was named National Fish & Chip Restaurant of the Year at the 2025 awards, and it earns the billing by doing the basics properly: cod and haddock in a light, crisp batter, chips, mushy peas and the usual sides. There is a comfortable upstairs dining room for eating in, as well as a counter for takeaway.

Bells is a long-standing family firm with several sites around Durham, and the focus throughout is on local, sustainable fish and consistent frying rather than anything showy. Being so central, it gets busy at weekends, so expect a short wait for a table at peak times.

Best for: Best for a proper sit-down fish supper in the heart of the city.

Stantons Fish & Chips, Neville Street

Stantons is a traditional chippy on Neville Street, just off Crossgate on the western side of the centre and close to the student streets around Neville's Cross. It is one of Durham's longest-serving shops, and it is best known locally for a closely guarded secret batter recipe that keeps regulars loyal. Alongside the fish there is a good range of homemade extras, from fishcakes to savouries.

It works mainly as a takeaway, handy for anyone living or studying nearby, with online ordering for collection and delivery. Far enough from the Market Place to feel like a genuine neighbourhood shop, it is worth the short walk out.

Best for: Best for a classic takeaway on the Crossgate and Neville's Cross side of town.

Fields Fish Shop, Esh Winning

For something genuinely rare, Fields Fish Shop on Durham Road in Esh Winning is worth the short trip west of the city, easily reached by bus from the bus station. Run by the same family since 1915, across five generations of fryers, its real distinction is the coal-fired range: it is one of only a handful of commercial coal-fired fryers still working in the country, and you can smell the coal before you reach the door. Fish is cooked to order, portions are generous, and the cod and the black pudding both come highly rated.

This is an old-fashioned chippy rather than a restaurant, and it keeps limited hours, opening on selected days around traditional lunch and tea times, so check before you set off. For fish and chips cooked the way they were a century ago, it is hard to beat.

Best for: Best for a taste of coal-fired, heritage frying just outside the city.

Where to go

Whether you want an award-winning supper on the Market Place, a neighbourhood takeaway or a coal-fired treat out in the villages, Durham has a chippy to suit. If we have missed a favourite, tell us via our contact page and we will take a look. For more places to eat, browse our directory or read our guide to the best takeaways in Durham.