please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
More telly's than real ales, but ok sort of old boys pub, always one Durham Brewery ale on tap, had White Gold, nice pale ale, £3.05
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A fairly good town pub with reasonable beer.
anonymous - 3 Nov 2015 16:04 |
Five real ales were available when I visited, although only one was local - Durham White Gold which was bit too pale and bitter for me. Superb late Victorian / Edwardian dark wood panelling and an interesting array of porcelain whiskey containers. Worth a visit, although I preferred the Old Elm Tree on the other side of town.
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Nice pint of draught Bass for only £2.60. I paid £3.80 for Bass in the Express Tavern in Kew.
Good pub.
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OK pub, with decent ale available.
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Too wet for the garden when I went, so I stayed inside. Choice of about 5 real ales, I had Durham White Gold at �2.90 which was pretty good. Interesting pictures of Durham Galas on the wall.
What I didn't like was two (not one) TVs showing Sky rolling news. Now I dislike this in reception areas of office buildings, let alone a pub. (It might be OK on Saturday teatime with football results coming in).
If it had stimulated discussion amongst the locals (there was some hot breaking sports news) it might have been OK, but no.
So for this somewhat personal reason I am unlikely to visit again, given that there are many other choices nearby.
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good pint of jennings cumberland ale at just �1-80 a pint was very busy due to the sunderland v middlebrough fa cup tie being on the tv. despite it being busy soon got served and was able to find a seat.overall a good pub
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Without prompting the young barman (with the slightly ill conceived Abe Lincoln beard) offered me a taster of Durham Brewery White Gold. Always a nice touch when that happens, and a very acceptable drop of ale it was too. A nice spot this, with a roomy dining area and a lively, friendly bar. It was probably the more expensive of my haunts on that night but I think in relative terms worth the money. I'd probably make this a regular calling in place if I lived local. Decent boozer.
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Full array of drinks. Gets very full on the usual full nights.
A very nicely drawn pint. A lot of different bottled ciders (only Strongbow on tap).
A nice beer 'yard'. Up there with the better Durham pubs.
Has the Durham Brewery cask pints, so worth it just for that.
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Big pub, tidy and well modernised. Service and beer were better than I expected on first impression. Certainly worth a call when in this part of the city.
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Good pub - even better beer garden!
The beer never lets me down and i dont ever feel uncomfortable in here: nice balance of people, ample seating, long and inviting beer garden, laughably "local" selection of sandwiches - north east and a bag of chips!
The service can be a bit lethargic but i wouldn't chalk that down as a problem... never made to feel like you're a hinderance, as the "student" staff of many Durham pubs make you feel. Between The Swan, The City and The Half Moon you have a great little trinity of quiet(ish) boozers for a school night...
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One of the best kept pints Durham - an old fashioned pub with a good atmosphere.
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Nice old town pub with bars on on two floors. Friendly landlord, and some pleasant (though slightly naive) staff. Four beers on - I had Landlord and found it very well kept and most enjoyable. Another excellent Durham pub to which I will willingly return.
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The only downside to this pub is the slow service, only the upper bar was being used when we were there &There were only two staff trying there best to man it. Other than that his is a cracking little town centre pub with good ales/cider/lager, Cant coment on he food as we didnt eat there but there were pleny of people ordering toasted sandwiches which only left one bar person to do the bar.
The atmospher is friendly enough if he weather is good he beer garden out back is a great sun trap.
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An excellent pint of Bass available; also had Silver Moon which was equally good. Tasty toasties available - try the corned beef, peppers and cheese!!
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Traditional pub on the main road with a large central bar and a lower area with soft seating. There also seems to be a terrace overlooking the river although we didn't try that.
Four beers on tap (Timothy Taylor Landlord, Bass, London Pride and the local Bee's Knees) plus Strongbow, Woodpecker & Magners cider, plus another dozen bottled ciders.
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One of my favourite pubs anywhere, located at the end of Elvet bridge just into student territory although it has a generally mixed and interesting clientele. Famous for the quality of its draught Bass in previous times it still sells Bass plus three other well kept cask beers, including one from Durham Brewery and a range of kegs. A traditionally decorated, split level arrangement, the rear lounge on a lower level can be quieter and has a bit more space than the somewhat cramped front bar.
anonymous - 4 May 2009 11:12 |
My wife and I have recently returned home from a most enjoyable break in Durham. We were well looked after at The Three Tuns Hotel and enjoyed excellent food drink and service in the City Hotel and Swan and Signet Pubs, where the staff were friendly and welcoming. This excellent welcome was extended in all local shops and at the Beamish Visitor Centre. Unfortunately this could not be said for the welcome received, in what we were told was 'The Best Pub in Durham - The Half Moon. Our first visit was on Easter monday, after a considerable wait to be served, I ordered two drinks. The Barman served the drinks and when I handed him a Scottish �20, he pointed to a sign above the till, which intimated that only new issue Scottish notes could be accepted. The note I had was appeared brand new to me, having been issued a couple of days prior from a Bank Cash Machine. I was somewhat taken aback, but on his insistence, found a different note to pay for drinks. During our stay I asked at various establishment if there was a current problem with Scottish notes, only to be told that that was not the case. On our final day in Durham I thought I'd try 'The Best Pub in Durham again. I had no Scottish notes in my wallet but had some N Irish Sterling from a recent visit there. I ordered drinks, was served and presented the N I Note. Only to be told that this note was not acceptable. I explained that it was Sterling from a NI Bank. This time I was given the full explanation - 'The Boss is Anal about this and we can't take Scottish nor Irish notes '. Now we had the reason, the Boss is Anal - whatever that means - I am glad he's not an ignorant racist, which was my first impression. We will certainally visit Durham again but will avoid the Half Moon with, in the words of the Barman, the Anal Boss. It is a pity really, as it looked like it had a lot going for it - shame about the daft policy.
Bob Philips
Aberdeenshire Scotland
bob53 - 23 Apr 2009 15:53 |
Another one to vist if you are in Durham. Try the offering from the local Durham brewery! Silver Moon was excellent on my last visit.
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Decent enough pub with several well kept beers always including one from Durham brewery. Two very distinct areas in one room. A good place to watch the football as there are two large TV screens in the top part of the bar. Only problem is that when a big match is on it's hard to get to the bar for all the people watching TV. A good pub for a quiet pint if you sit in the bottom part of the bar.
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If you want a perfect example of.....
....bad space management, then get yourself in here - if you can and it's not too crouded!
Good beer, ther's no denying that, but a bar that on a busy weekend night is woefully understaffed and yet the bar area and the space behind the bar dominate the pub and take up about 40% of all available space.
The 3 servers in all that space, struggle to keep punters glasses full, and refuse to even try serving at the back end of the bar, making customer through-traffic and the perception of even more overcrowding amd jossling.
You will be cramped, and yet there's plenty of scope to push back the bar and create more, or heat the garden/patio area overlooking the river and house customers out there. They'd love it in the autumn evening, get some outside heating.
Has so much potential with a little thought for the cattle-crated paying customers, at least let them breath.
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Well known traditional Durham pub at the end of Elvet Bridge with an outside drinking area at the back looking out on to the river.
My initial impression of this pub on a Sunday afternoon visit was not good - the bar at the front was busy and dominated by the loudish football screens, but I quickly found a much quieter part at the back down a few steps.
A subsequent visit the next day gave a more favourable impression. The traditional atmosphere is enhanced by a number of old black and white photos of Miners Marches ( 1958, 1983) taken from the pub and several Bass mirrors and a curved mahogany bar in the lower bar.
Its a Mitchell and Butlers pub and 3-4 real ales were on - Bass, Timmy Taylor, London Pride and Bees Knees from the local Durham Brewery.
The pub is Cask Marque accredited and clearly takes real ale seriously.
This is one of the pubs that people tell you to visit if you're in Durham and I'm not about to tell you differently.
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To confirm what gillhalfpint suggests, the beer garden over the river is indeed lovely in the summer. The pub itself is also good, and is the only place in Durham that I know of to always have a guest from Durham Brewery on tap, usually one of their lighter ones. Inside, the Half Moon is fairly old-fashioned, with a split-level horseshoe bar, lots of polish on all the wooden surfaces and plenty of 'Bass'-etched glass. A TV with Sky Sports seems to be the main concession to modernity, though this is not intrusive mst of the time.
Apart from the Durham Brewery guest, regular ales seem to be Bass (�2 a pint), Landlord and London Pride, all cheaper than most city centre pubs, which attracts a pleasant mix of 'town' and 'gown', thankfully without any real friction (as compared to, say, Yates' or Walkabout).
A solid 8/10 for a good, all-round, wet-led pub.
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Always excellent ale, and a reliable supporter of the wonderful Durham Brewery. Can be dominated by sport when matches on the big screens. Very crowded Friday evenings. But go there for the beer and a genuine Durham welcome.
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Enjoyed a new beer for me from Durham brewery at this lovely riverside pub. I had a wander outside and the garden area is very long down to the river, and must be lovely in the summer.
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Also has Sky. My Durham seasonal beer was served at the perfect temperature
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Nice old riverside pub, comfortable and with four ales on handpump. I had a Durham seasonal beer, which was served rather too chilled for my taste.
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Durham Brewery - Prior's Gold on today, very palatable. A regular selection of this local firm's brews plus Bass, Taylor's Landlord and a n other makes this a good pub to visit in central Durham.
Nice butties and a comfortable Beer Garden, if the weather is clement?
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Once upon a time I trundled into the Half Moon and ordered a half of bitter, whereupon the man behind the bar said 'I've never seen you order a half before, are you ill?' and I told him that I was trying to have a half in every bar in the city centre in one day (about 30 pubs). He congratulated me and said to let him know how it went, I did so a couple of days later, he gave me a free pint and still chats to me when I go there, which is sadly very rare these days.
An excellent bar with excellent ales, toasties and beer garden.
I really like the oval shaped bar on two levels, makes a real change.
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Friendly pub (talk to Big Steve behind the bar about Newcastle United or Hayseed Dixie and you'll have a friend for life!) with a sun trap of a beer garden. A good outlet for Durham Brewery beers and despite the new Plasma screens, the pun has lost none of its character.
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Great pub, though a little short on chicks.
anonymous - 22 Oct 2006 12:47 |
Hurrah for the Half Moon! One of the best pubs anywhere, and an unfailingly spot-on pint of Bass.
anonymous - 12 Oct 2006 12:37 |
now taking advantage of the new opening hours (not full advantage, thankfully!), always a quality pint from a good range of beers in a proper pub where you can generally get a seat apart from Fri/Sat evenings. Sky TV will be back soon, apparently
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Superb pub in the centre of town. Beer always top quality and service top notch. This is the way pubs used to be!
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A lovely pub, good beers on usually, and well kept and served. Is actually the oldest still serving pub in Durham city (according to my sources), and it certainly shows it with one room design, dark wood and pleasant stained glass. Try it.
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Friendly staff, great variety of ales which change constantly. Can get very busy at the weekends but well worth a visit. They go all out with the decorations at xmas time too.
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Wonderful pub, very conveniently placed too. Beer is excellent and the decor is exactly how it should be. Sometimes the regulars are shocked to see someone of my tender years, however and it can get absolutely ram-jammed on a busy night!
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Good pub, good beers, good beer garden, not too expensive.... One of my favourite Durham pubs.
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Agree with Alister completely. Bass and guest beers kept well, have been for a long time
anonymous - 21 Aug 2005 20:46 |
Agree with the earlier poster - go for the Durham guest whenever available!
anonymous - 14 May 2005 18:02 |
A proper city centre pub. Nice layout and decent beer. Never seems to be overcrowded but then again it never seems to be too friendly. Don't get me wrong, there's no bother but it just aint quite there and never has been. Good all the same and is on my list for my weekly jaunts in the centre of this fine city.
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The best pint in Durham, ignore the Bass & 1744; go for the Durham guest
Stubby - 29 Oct 2004 16:33 |
Wow- a fantastic boozer - 6 beers - reasanable prices - just off the touristy main trail.
Cobbo - 29 May 2004 11:20 |
