Tin of Sardines
Tiny gin and cocktail bar
Durham's smallest gin bar, on Elvet Bridge, with shelves of hundreds of unusual gins, a good cocktail menu, gin tastings and a terrace over the River Wear.
📍 18 Elvet Bridge, Durham DH1 3AA
Fun bars for groups: 9 bars
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Old Tom’s Gin Bar
Gin and cocktail bar
A gin bar on the Riverwalk with river views, staff known as ginologists, martinis, sours and spritzes, cheese and charcuterie and gin tastings.
📍 33 Riverwalk, Durham DH1 4SL
The Boat Club
Riverside cocktail bar and steakhouse
A cocktail bar and steakhouse in a riverside building on Elvet Riverside, with views of Elvet Bridge and the city and in-house DJs at night.
📍 Elvet Riverside, Durham DH1 3AF
Champagne Bar
Champagne and cocktail bar
A glamorous bar in Walkergate by the Gala Theatre with vintage champagne and more than 40 cocktails.
📍 Unit 8 Walkergate, Durham DH1 1SQ
Zen
Thai restaurant and bar
A long-running Thai and pan-Asian restaurant and bar on Court Lane with a striking interior and a cocktail list that changes regularly.
📍 Court Ln, Durham DH1 3JS
Blue Eye
Cocktail and shisha bar
A cosy cocktail and shisha bar on Elvet Bridge.
📍 25 Elvet Bridge, Durham DH1 3AA
Turtle Bay
Caribbean restaurant and rum bar
Caribbean food and two-for-one rum cocktails on the Riverwalk, with views towards the cathedral.
📍 The Riverwalk, Durham DH1 4SL
The Library
Pub and cocktail bar
A busy bar on Saddler Street with two-for-one cocktails every day and outdoor seats.
📍 46 Saddler St, Durham DH1 3NU
Slug & Lettuce
Cocktail bar and restaurant
A cocktail bar and restaurant in Walkergate with happy hour, bottomless brunch and dancing on Saturday nights.
📍 Unit 7 Walkergate, Durham DH1 1SQ
Map: fun bars for groups
Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Your questions
What are the best bars for groups in Durham?
Start with Tin of Sardines, Old Tom’s Gin Bar, The Boat Club, Champagne Bar and Zen. Our full list has 9 bars.
More Durham bar guides
- Hidden and late-night barsHidden and late bars in Durham: Bar 33, The Boat Club, Fabio’s and The Library and more.
- Date nightRomantic cocktail bars in Durham for a night for two: Bar 33, Tin of Sardines, Old Tom’s G
- Cocktail trailsReady-made Durham cocktail trails on foot, Elvet Bridge to Silver Street and The Riverwalk
Who wrote this guide
This guide is written by the team at M.AD Agency. We run Cocktail Week, the ten-day cocktail festival held town by town across the UK and Ireland. Since 2022 we have taken it to more than 20 towns and cities and worked with hundreds of bars. We love Durham's bars, so we put this guide together from our own research and trusted local guides.
No bar paid to be included and nobody can buy a place. We check the guide regularly as bars open, change and close.
Our nearest cocktail festivals to Durham
Want your bar in this guide?
Run a cocktail bar in Durham that should be here? Get in touch at hello@cocktail-week.com and tell us about it.