In this guide, discover my recommendations for the best cafés, coffee shops & bakeries in Darlington; from Star Wars-themed roasters to artisan bakeries and countryside escapes.
Despite living in the North East now for almost a decade, I can’t say that I’ve visited Darlington that often in recent times other than for court hearings at the ageing Darlington Magistrate’s Court. It wasn’t until freelance photography brought me into the heart of Darlington that I realised there was far more here than I had appreciated. There’s plenty of building work ongoing bringing a permanent home in the North East for a range of government departments including the northern base of the HM Treasury. That’s kind of a big deal.
Beyond the obvious building work and the main shopping streets, there’s so much more going on. Once you dive deeper and explore the yards and wynds, you’ll find a growing mix of independent stores, restaurants and, most importantly for me at least, some excellent cafés, coffee shops and bakeries.
This guide to the best cafés and coffee shops in Darlington is designed to help you explore the town with plenty of recommendations on where to stop for a good coffee, matcha, a delicious pastry or brunch.
CAFÉS, COFFEE SHOPS & BAKERIES IN DARLINGTON
Echo 3 Coffee House & Roastery
This is probably one of the most unique, quirky and actually affordable coffee shops that I’ve visited recently. I’m not a complete nerd but I do have a soft spot for Star Wars, at least the three originals (though the first movie I saw was actually Phantom of the Menace in the cinema at 10 years old), and Echo 3 brings the love of Star Wars to the forefront of this excellent independent coffee shop and roastery.
Echo 3 can be found down the colourful Clark’s Yard; a place that feels a world away from the bustling market place just nearby. This was my first introduction to the coffee scene in Darlington and immediately I wanted to dig deeper to find other great cafés and coffee shops to see whether if they all would be as good as this one.
Of course, I took my time to admire the various Star Wars memorabilia that adorns each and every wall and shelf; original Game Boy cartridges, Storm Trooper helmets and even Han Solo in carbonite. The coffee here is really good first and foremost with the beans being roasted literally a few feet away behind the counter. Every time I’ve visited, the queue has been out the door (though mainly for takeaways) but there’s plenty of space upstairs for those wanting to stay a little longer. The brownies and other sweet treats are also lovely.
This is probably my favourite café in Darlington’s town centre; it’s cool, has consistently good coffee at unbelievable prices. I haven’t paid less than £3 for a flat white for a very long time, if ever. Seriously.
Hatch Luncheonette
Hatch is another nice and popular place for coffee and brunch in Darlington. It’s actually linked to two other great businesses in the town; Hyve Stocks (for all your homeware and gifting needs) & Hash Bar & Kitchen. I stopped by after some work for a takeaway flat white and sat nearby to savour a much needed pick me up. The coffee was strong, roasted by local Rountons Coffee (Northallerton), and there’s a good range of other drinks including loose leaf teas and matcha lattes.
In terms of eating, Hatch serves up food until 2pm (only until 1pm on Sunday) and you can expect lots of French toast, avocado, eggs and sourdough – something for everyone really.
Viking Coffee Hatch
The Viking Coffee Hatch can be found at Darlington Market Hall and I was pleasantly surprised with the coffee from here. The arabica beans are roasted locally by the owners and given chance to rest before being freshly ground to order – this of course means that you’re going to get the best tasting coffee possible and Viking Coffee is right up there. Another great coffee shop in Darlington, one of the best, and needs to be added immediately to your list of places to try.
Vineyard Café
I’ve walked past Vineyard Café so many times on Post House Wynd yet this is one of the friendliest cafés in the whole of Darlington. Not that there are any on this list, or otherwise, that aren’t friendly but I received such a warm welcome into the café that it was as though it was my hundredth visit not my first.
I noticed the phrase ‘Freedom Through Coffee’ on the back of a Vineyard Café hoodie and subsequently learnt that the coffee beans used here are from a small, ethical, roastery in Wales – Manumit Coffee. Now, I understand that ‘manumit’ means ‘to set free from slavery’ and the roasters offers training and employment to survivors of human trafficking. Isn’t that incredible?
Whilst I enjoyed the coffee in the moment, sat in the window watching the world go by, I’ve even happier with my choice knowing that this café and its customers are directly contributing to such a great cause.
Vineyard Café also serves up plenty of good food; with meat and eggs from a local butchers in Richmond, paninis, cold sandwiches and some lovely healthy options too.
The Craic Den
Hidden above Whimsickal, a cool, curiousity shop featuring crystals, candles, jewellery and more is a cosy little coffee shop – The Craic Den. This is a lovely relaxing little hideaway with a unique range of drinks including Lion’s Mane lattes, toffee apple matcha lattes and, of course, flat whites, teas and hot chocolates. I’ve been here a few times already and always enjoy just chilling away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre.
The Craic Den has freshly baked cookies and cakes as well as a few board games to keep you occupied for an hour or so.
Number Eight Bakehouse
In Number Eight Bakehouse, Darlington has something truly special. This is an artisan bakery that honestly wouldn’t look out of place in London or Copenhagen or Melbourne. The baked goods here are next level; from the sourdough that is quite possibly the best I have ever tasted to freshly baked doughnuts (raspberry & bubblegum is like heaven), peaches and cream Basque cheesecakes, creme brûlée vanilla tarts and choc chunk salted caramel croissant cookies. Ingenious, incredible and indulgent all at once.
There’s a good reason why no room to sit down and relax inside with your baked goods and hot drinks – the bakery is actually on-site, you can literally see it further back in the small shop. If your in Darlington, or to be honest anywhere in the North East, make your way to Number Eight Bakehouse, fill your bag with sweet and savoury treats and grab a coffee to take away as well. You won’t be disappointed.
Bakerman
Another top artisan bakery in Darlington and, again, you’re going to want to visit to stock up on all the organic sourdough, danish pastries and cruffins you can imagine. The staff are really friendly and will talk you through what’s on offer that particular day; I went with an apple and blackberry cruffin, Boston cream bun and a pain au chocolat – all of which were incredible.
The sourdough here is so good that it’s actually award-winning; I promise you won’t get anything like this in the supermarket. Bakerman can be found right next door to Echo 3 so make sure you pop by after a coffee or two.
Kip & Nook
Kip & Nook has been on my list of places to visit for years. As an introduction, Kip & Nook does a lot of things exceptionally well; off-grid glamping in shipping containers, spacious barns for overnight luxury, padel, car meets, run clubs and, the reason why we’re all here, coffee & food.
We finally visited Kip & Nook for a birthday brunch and ended up staying for hours in the workshop admiring the pristine cars, quirky decor and drinking coffee after coffee. The Workshop is open daily from 8:30am to 3pm (breakfast till 12, brunch till 3) and then again from 5pm to 9pm so you’re just as good getting a flat white and the K&N Full breakfast as you are getting burgers and pizzas with a beer or two. From Thursday to Sunday, Kip & Nook’s new Italian restaurant Albertos, is also open from 5pm to 9pm and serves up pizza and pasta in a much more refined atmosphere.
Whilst I know Kip & Nook is a little out of Darlington itself (around a 10 minute drive, less than 5 miles), it’s absolutely worth a visit. If I’m working in Darlington, I’ll always now make an effort to stop by for an early morning coffee as it really is that good thanks to local wonders Lonton Coffee Co.
Archers Ice Cream
Archers Ice Cream is infamous in the North East and therefore I absolutely couldn’t not include it within this list to the best cafés, coffee shops and bakeries in Darlington. Now, I’m going to say that Archers Ice Cream falls within that broad category as it’s really a farm café with ice cream as their speciality. Said ice cream comes in a huge variety of flavours all made with milk from their own herd of Jersey cows.
Obviously you come here for the ice cream but there’s a good range of hot drinks and food as well; think paninis and pies. There’s a play area for the kids and it’s dog friendly too (on leads). If you’ve got a sweet tooth, definitely head out to Archers Ice Cream.
Well, that wraps up this guide to the best cafés, coffee shops & bakeries in Darlington in my opinion. I’m sure over the coming years more places will open for me to do the hard work and test them all out and, of course, I will be back to my favourites the next time I’m in Darlington.
If you have any recommendations or want to know anything else, feel free to leave me a comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
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