The Curious Mr Fox
Quick info
About The Curious Mr Fox
The Curious Mr Fox is a family run, independent restaurant and cocktail bar at 35a The Riverwalk in Durham. A 30 seater restaurant, a lounge and a cocktail bar share the first floor, with a second cocktail bar on the ground floor. The venue also has four rooms and private function rooms, including The Oyster Room, which give groups space for events. A private function can run in a separate room while other guests use the rest of the venue. Engagement parties, wedding receptions, a baby shower and a corporate training event have all been hosted here. Event catering includes a Mezze Buffet, and afternoon tea is served with Prosecco, including for a table of 10. A gin tasting experience is also on offer. The venue is open Wednesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention afternoon tea, mezze buffet, lamb skewers and gin tasting experience.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention afternoon tea, mezze buffet, lamb skewers and gin tasting experience.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers mostly describe celebrations in the private rooms, with engagement parties, a wedding reception, a pre-wedding dinner and a baby shower all praised. Buffet food is the most repeated draw. Guests at one engagement party could not get over the lamb skewers from the Mezze Buffet, another group loved a Greek buffet, and a baby shower attendee singled out freshly baked warm scones. Afternoon tea comes up close behind, with one reviewer enjoying a Prosecco alongside it. Several credit the events team with quick, helpful communication during planning, and staff are called friendly and attentive. The decoration of the rooms is described as beautiful more than once, and one party was glad to bring their dog. The one criticism comes from a corporate training host, who found the screen and projector dated and poor quality, though it did the job. That group ended the day with a gin tasting. One engagement party was able to leave bulky decorations overnight and collect them the following day.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers mostly describe celebrations in the private rooms, with engagement parties, a wedding reception, a pre-wedding dinner and a baby shower all praised. Buffet food is the most repeated draw. Guests at one engagement party could not get over the lamb skewers from the Mezze Buffet, another group loved a Greek buffet, and a baby shower attendee singled out freshly baked warm scones. Afternoon tea comes up close behind, with one reviewer enjoying a Prosecco alongside it. Several credit the events team with quick, helpful communication during planning, and staff are called friendly and attentive. The decoration of the rooms is described as beautiful more than once, and one party was glad to bring their dog. The one criticism comes from a corporate training host, who found the screen and projector dated and poor quality, though it did the job. That group ended the day with a gin tasting. One engagement party was able to leave bulky decorations overnight and collect them the following day.
Featured reviews
- M
“We celebrated the night before our wedding with our friends and family at curious mr fox last week and it was honestly incredible. The venue itself is beautiful, the staff were so helpful and kind they literally couldn’t do more for us! We ordered a Greek buffet which was absolutely delicious and they are also dog friendly which meant we could bring our boy with us! The evening was incredible from start to finish and I cannot thank the team enough for helping us kick off our wedding celebrations!”
- Emma
“The venue was very quirky. It had a nice atmosphere. There was also a private function on in a seperate room. Staff were friendly. The afternoon had nice selection and was well presented. It tasted great. I would go back.”
- Laura Mae Clarke
“Our Engagement Party in The Oyster Room: From the very first enquiry, the communication was exceptional. Any queries were answered super quickly and we were able to discuss all of the options available to us with Kate & Willow who were more than happy to guide us along the way. On the lead up as nerves were kicking in, they were there to ensure everything went as smoothly as possible. We were able to drop decorations off the morning of and they were ready for us in The Oyster Room when we got there for us to put out. Molly, who was our bar maid for the evening, was helping us from the get go when we were setting up which we were so thankful for. We booked the Mezze Buffet for our guests to have which was set out beautifully. Every single one of our guests commented on how delicious the food was and could not get over those lamb skewers! We were able to leave bulky decor pieces behind to collect the following day which added to the stress-free experience. Could not recommend this venue enough! Nothing is too much trouble, it is beautifully decorated and thought out, and all of the staff from emails, servers and bouncers were outstanding! Thanks so much guys, it was truly the best night - Laura & Amy x”
- Debbie Walker
“We hosted a fabulous private training event at the venue, the only negative feedback would be that they need to invest in a large TV for corporate events as the screen and projector was dated and wasn't great quality but it did the job. The service, attention to detail in hosting this event was super. The food was OUTSTANDING and the gin tasting experience ended the day perfectly. Really great venue and a real asset to Durham.”
- Abby Villanueva
“We had our engagement party at Curious Mr Fox and couldn’t have asked for a better venue. The communication throughout was excellent, making everything so easy to organise. The room looked absolutely beautiful, and the food was delicious, our guests loved it! Thank you to the whole team for helping make our day so special. Highly recommend!”
Hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- Closed
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Good to know
“A family run, independent Bar & Restaurant in the heart of Durham City Centre. Boasting 4 decadent rooms, a 30 seater restaurant, lounge area and cocktail bar on the first floor and a spacious cocktail bar on the ground floor. We have rooms to suit everyones taste.”
- AccessibilityWheelchair-accessible entrance · Wheelchair-accessible seating · Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Amenities
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Show more amenities
- Accessibility· 2
- Wheelchair-accessible seating
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Location
Restaurants near The Curious Mr Fox
- Malatang Express | 千味麻辣烫4.73250 mi£10–20Vegan optionsVegetarian optionsWheelchair accessible
pick-your-own ingredients, sauce and condiment bar, spicy bone broth
- 0.1 mi£20–30Outdoor seatingVegan optionsVegetarian options
authentic Thai flavors, mango sticky rice, papaya salad
- 0.1 miWheelchair accessible
lamb shank, meze platter, vegetarian guvec
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Curious Mr Fox | 4.4375 | — | — | afternoon tea, mezze buffet, lamb skewers |
| Malatang Express | 千味麻辣烫Vegan options · Vegetarian options · Wheelchair accessible | 4.7325 | 0 mi | £10–20 | pick-your-own ingredients, sauce and condiment bar, spicy bone broth |
| Zaap Thai Street Food DurhamOutdoor seating · Vegan options · Vegetarian options | 4.8635 | 0.1 mi | £20–30 | authentic Thai flavors, mango sticky rice, papaya salad |
| Turkish Kitchen Meze and GrillWheelchair accessible | 4.7824 | 0.1 mi | — | lamb shank, meze platter, vegetarian guvec |
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