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Bean Social
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Veg-options
Take-out
British
Breakfast
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Cafe and coffee shop with vegan options including sandwiches, burgers, paninis, breakfast, cakes, coffee, and drinks. Has house-made stone baked pizzas with vegan cheese as an option. Est. Nov 2017. Serving meat and no longer vegetarian as of February 2022. Open Mon-Sat 11:00-16:00. Closed Sun.
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Last update on 13 Feb 2022 by Guest
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Added by hack_man on 24 Nov 2017
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42 Reviews
First Review by KarenHorridge
manvsclock
Points +87
Pragmatic change that I understand - Edit
Since my 5 star review I was sad to come back and see that the place had changed to an omnivorous cafe.
Read moreAfter talking to the owner I completely understand from a business point of view (local vegans were not supporting in large numbers the place wasn’t making money).
No hard feelings, but had to edit due to my initial score being based on the vegan cafe that I visited.
Updated from previous review on 2023-07-14
Pros: Delicious vegan food , Good banter , Rington’s tea
Guest
imogenmichel
Points +2581
Disappointing - Edit
We came here for lunch this weekend and it was a bit of a disappointment unfortunately. There were only 3 very limited vegan options on the menu (one burger, one soup or one salad) - there wasn't a single vegan sandwich on the menu because they make their bread with egg wash. We both ended up having the burger and despite it being a madras burger it was bland and mushy. I understand vegan options can be a bit limited in Durham but even so I won't be coming back.
Read moreGuest
DerekiPorter
Points +76
Loved it. Meeting expectations - Edit
Ok finally got to eat here. They just finished a successful crowd funding to stay open. Congratulations guys. So they have had to put on some meat options to stay open. Better than loosing bean social all together yes.
Read moreGreat place to 🐝
Pros: Vegan and vegetarian mainly, Great vegan food and Cake, Great atmosphere
Cons: Had too include some meat options to stay open.
Guest
JPAD
Points +16
Would rate 5 stars if it let me - Edit
Been Vegan for a while now. This is easily the best veggie/vegan friendly café in Durham. It's a predominantly veggie café with some meat options as they had to widen their customer base due lockdowns, the cost of living crisis and a botched bus station development. I'm looking forward to when they can add their full range of vegan options back onto the menu!
Read moreI hate to be the bearer of bad news to some of my fellow vegans but if you want places to stay plant-based you need to actually support them!
Pros: Best Burgers, Great Atmosphere!, Friendly staff!
Cons: Bus traffic - but that's out of their control!
Guest
LouRC
Points +494
Great little cafe - Edit
Friendly staff, cosy location. Wonderful food - we had the sausage rolls which were beautiful.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Friendly staff
Guest
MarkInDurham
Points +16
Great food served with integrity. Ethically sourced produce. Friendly staff. - Edit
It’s reassuring to eat delicious vegan food from a kitchen where you can see the care going into the preparation and the presentation.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-02-25
Pros: Plenty of choice, Caters for everyone’s eating habits
Cons: So tasty I eat more than I should.
Guest
SamanthaMiddleton
Points +149
Great local veggie cafe - Edit
Visited here a few times and the food is always lovely. The staff are always both helpful and friendly. There’s less of a menu post covid but what they do have is lovely. I’ve recently had the vegan burger which is homemade and delicious, as are their cakes. They have started selling meat for sandwiches but the location has probably lost them trade and they’ve not had a choice. The location isn’t great at the moment as north road is being used for buses whilst they build the new bus station, so it’s a bit crazy and I know people avoid it (north road) for that reason.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-02-23
Pros: Lots of vegan options, Friendly staff , Decent price
Cons: Small (like most of Durham), North road, Now sells meat
Guest
MrKillmister
Points +16
Lovely lunch - Edit
Gorgeous homemade vegan burger in a lovely relaxed friendly atmosphere,loads of vegan and veggie options on offer,yes there is a couple of meat options on the menu but the cafe does not claim to be exclusively veggie/vegan,much more choice of vegan food here than other places in Durham and all home made in an open view kitchen,will certainly eat here more often
Read morePros: Lots of vegan/veggie options , Lovely atmosphere , Friendly staff
Cons: None
Guest
darling
Points +138
Not good anymore sadly - Edit
Used to be very good. Unfortunately things changed and now they serve meat. The overall other food isn't very nice and nothing like the food they used to serve.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2018-03-18
Pros: No pros
Cons: Now serves meat.
darling
Bean Social no longer vegetarian. Serves ham and chicken. See their new menu.
Read moreDerekiPorter
In their defence. If BS had not diversified to add some meat alternative they would be out of business. I still go to pubs where they have the odd vegan dish. At least here it's the other way round mainly vegan and vegetarian with some meat options. Winning a successful crowd funder to keep it open. Says allot about this little café
Read moreRemember if more vegans and vegetarians used bean social. it wouldn't have to resort to selling meat alternatives
If you don't use it, you loose it. Just saying🌱
darling
I can see why you would assume that people didn't use the cafe but that's not the case. They had really excellent vegan food made well but changes ie change in the kitchen meant that the food wasn't nice any more so they lost customers.
Read moreMrKillmister
Yes they now sell meat options,this would probably not be the case if the large Durham vegan community supported the place instead of supporting other cafes that sold meat products, and the vegan veggie food at Bean Social is still the best in Durham
Read moreGuest
Ex-Beaner
Points +11
No longer a veggie cafe - Edit
Was great when this was a veggie cafe which mostly served vegan food. Now they've added ham and chicken to the menu. Really disappointing.
Read moreAlso the rating system won't let me rate it 1* because it's apparently fully vegetarian - this is no longer the case.
Pros: Good location
Cons: No longer a veggie cafe
DerekiPorter
Winning a successful crowd funder to keep it open. Says allot about this little café and the support of its loyal customers.
Read moreIf you don't use it, you loose it. Just saying🌱
Guest
MouthyMackem
Points +590
Watery soup and a burger that tasted of nothing more than oil. - Edit
The mushroom soup tasted of thyme and nothing else. The burger came with no sauce and tasted of oil.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2021-12-13
Pros: Vegan options
Cons: Over priced , Sells dairy
Guest
BusterV
Points +55
Close to bus station - Edit
Pleasant atmosphere, but the classic burger had chopped iceberg
Read morelettuce a bagel and crisps plus nothing. Not really worth it. Needs frills.
Pros: All veggie, Helpful staff, Clean
Cons: Dull food
Guest
BeverleyMartin
Points +91
Soup and coffee - Edit
The whole atmosphere!!! I only had time for soup and a black coffee but both were absolutely wonderful, pleasant staff, enthusiasm and pride in their menu and recipes…my first visit will not be my last and worth travelling to get to, I took a couple of pics to send to my daughter
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2021-12-14
Pros: Vegan options, Variety, Service
Cons: None
Guest
lily!!
Points +59
Lovely lunch - Edit
The food was delicious, and the staff were very friendly. It was also convenient as it’s not too far from the centre, and it wasn’t that expensive. The only negatives were that there was quite a small selection (mainly because they’d ran out of most things) and although the place was close to empty, we were still sat at a tiny table.
Read moreGuest
Bethesda
Points +17
Delicious cafe, friendly staff - Edit
Charming cafe with delicious veg/vegan food. But when they run out, they are out. So, go earlier for the best selection.
Read moreThey also have cute but limited outdoor seating in the back.
Guest
frog9090
Points +78
Fantastic - Edit
Visited today and the food was delicious as well as the staff
Read morePros: Lots of vegan cake!, Lots of vegan meals!, Very affordable
Guest
ccwmca
Points +32
Homemade delicious vegan options - Edit
I've been to Bean Social recently (July 2021) and had an excellent experience. Almost all the options were vegan. As I understand it, they have recently decided to simplify the menu to work on producing higher quality food in-house and the results are great. A smaller menu, but interesting meals that are unique to Bean Social and change regularly. Teas by Newcastle-based Ringtons were also delicious. And really great service too!
Read moreThe main change I'd like would be for there to be the option to have a side salad with meals.
Pros: Great food, Friendly Staff, Reasonably priced
Cons: Location isn't perfect
Guest
JoCo
Points +207
Great food, relaxed, friendly - Edit
Loved this casual cafe with friendly staff, small cosy atmosphere. Had the smoky jackfruit burger and it was delicious - strong and beautiful flavour but also not greasy or heavy.
Read morePros: Smoky jackfruit burger, Mostly vegan menu
Guest
Giorgiamel
Points +726
Great place! - Edit
I love it here, the owner is lovely and very chatty, open to telling you about the food and his place! Very understanding about vegans and I feel safe eating here even with dairy allergies so great for vegans! I had the burgle and it was homemade, it was amazing and nothing like anything you could buy in the supermarkets! Very well priced and great value for money!
Read morePros: Great options for vegans too, Lovely little place , Lovely owner
Guest
StephenParker
Points +53
Coffee & Cake🤪 - Edit
Very helpful staff and great coffee and cake! Recommended 5* 👏
Read morePros: Range of vegan options!
Guest
GuillaumeSarlat
Points +20
Excellent vegan options - Edit
Very warm welcome, incredibly nice vegan lemon drizzle cake, and great value! The place to go for vegan in Durham
Read moreGuest
hack_man
Points +21611
Another heart has made the grade - Edit
Absolutely love this place. Excellent vegan options including pizzas, burgers, wraps and cakes. On the opening weekend in December 2017 we had a couple of coffees and one of their sensational home made must try vegan sausage rolls. They could even be used as pacifiers for vegan children!! On many subsequent visits we’ve had many of their unique sweet and savoury creations, too many too mention. Sufficient to say their burgers are absolute smash hits. Lovely interior that has constantly developed over the years. I do miss the high table though. As of late 2019 their beer, games and food collaboration evenings with Middlesborough-based Hops and Dots brewery and Meeple Games next door have been hugely enjoyable and successful. There’s even a 'secret' garden at the back. You’ve bean socialised!!
Read morePros: great location , staff , vegan options
Guest
jac1
Points +273
Lemon drizzle cake..... - Edit
Friendly place, nice food. I had a vegan cheese toastie with salsa.
Read morePumpkin spiced latte ... so creamy, far better than the ones in Costa in my opinion.. coffee tasted fab.
They had alot of yummy looking cake .. I tried the lemon drizzle , it tasted really light and citrusy.
Noticed they do a toastie and tea deal for £5.00 ... great value.
Pros: Good vegan options. Good value.
Guest
alternatebeans
Points +97
That day we had Bean Social. - Edit
Dubious to try another vegan restaurant due to allergies I was pleasantly surprised and really taken aback at how utterly excellent the the team were at Bean Social. Every question was answered about the gluten free options and the chef even said to contact her if I had any recommendations! The lemon loaf cake was so dense and really heavy with lemon which is such a big thumbs up from me. The falafel and chutney wrap with crisps and salad was a nice light lunch too and the wrap was heated to perfection. I will be trying a lot of things from the menu. Thank you Bean Social!
Read morePros: Excellent customer service
Cons: None
Guest
JakeStreet
Points +46
Good options and friendly staff - Edit
The menu is about 50% vegan but the staff told me that they can do any of it vegan so there are plenty of yummy options! The staff were super friendly and the food was well priced
Read morePros: Good options, Very affordable, Good opening hours
Guest
NorthWestVegan1
Points +200
Good breakfast options - Edit
It's best to come here in mornings for some breakfast as their best foods are served at this time
Read moreGuest
Heatherwillow
Points +13
Fantastic! - Edit
Bean social does not claim to be totally vegan but the wonderful staff always advise on ingredients and are very happy to discuss any recipe and ingredients used. The atmosphere is convivial and friendly and the food is freshly made for each order, this can sometimes take a little while but is well worth the wait. I cannot recommended Bean Social highly enough!
Read morePros: Excellent food, Value for money, Friendly and informed staff
Guest
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