Midnight Scran: An honest assessment of Durham’s late night eateries

Picture the scene: it’s 2:15, Jimmy’s has just booted you out, and you’re beginning to need a bit of an energy boost, whether for the trek back to accom or (if you’re really cool) to power you on through afters. Such times call for the post-club scran ritual – nothing else will meet the moment. No good night out in Durham would be complete without it.

That said, despite its relatively trivial size, Durham provides several food options, ranging in cost, accessibility, and taste. As such, a proper assessment of them is required. All of the places listed are great options in their own right, and, more importantly, are open past club close!

1. Paddy’s

The first of the big three is a heavy hitter. Located extremely close to Jimmies, and offering up a range of delicious scran – from pizzas to burgers to chicken kickers – it is a perfect post-Angels pit stop. While the food can get a little pricey for late night scran, with pizzas costing upwards of £8, it is worth it. The Chicken Kiev and curly fries in particular are to die for.

En route for the long trek back for hill college and Gilesgate inhabitants alike, this Durham staple is regularly packed to the brim for a reason. Endure all the people and heat for an essential scran experience.

2. Urban Oven

Up next, this similarly famous spot is also a classic. Located within a stone’s throw of Wetherspoons, it is ideal for the post-pub crowd and those making the long ascent back to Gilesgate. People get to take advantage of the site’s roomier interior, and can sit down while their food is prepped.

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Food expands on the classic Paddy’s offering by also including wraps and kebabs, allowing a wide array of cravings to be satisfied. It is also decently priced. The average wrap costs around just £7, and there is the option for more mini pizzas at a lower £6 price.

While a little further out of the way from the clubs the quality range of valuable food options and the more relaxed ambiance makes this a must-visit. This is, deservedly, another high-scoring player in the Durham scran league tables.

3. Big Bird 

The final entrant into the big three is the essential North Road locale, Big Bird. Its unique placement makes it the essential – and singular – spot for a post Babylon or Loft snack, especially for those living in Crossgate or Neville’s Cross. Its placement on the opposite side of the city centre to Paddy’s and Urban Oven completes the triangle formed by what I have decided to call the Big Three. Together, these feed all of central late night Durham. While this building is small, people thankfully don’t usually crowd it.

Foodwise, it offers a unique focus on, unsurprisingly, chicken, providing a variety of chicken burgers and buckets. It also offers enough classic pizzas to satisfy even the pickiest of customers. In terms of price, it’s a steal – a decent burger will only set you back £5.59! Evidently, whether you’re a regular Babylon attendee, or just fancy some decently priced late night wings, Big Bird is the place for you!

4. McDonald’s

Another classic option is to undertake the hallowed pilgrimage to the Dragonsville Maccies. The one con here is obvious – its placement up the arse end of Gilesgate makes it too daunting an undertaking for many.

While an understandable issue, the pros of this site are many. It is the *only* place in Durham that is truly 24/7 – afters enjoyers can rejoice! Its more remote location even ensures that crowds never become overbearing. Moreover, it carries with it the classic McDonald’s qualities – cheap, enjoyable food that you know already. Clearly, McDurham is an experience worth undertaking, even if it’s more standard chain food fare.

5. Delivery 

For the lazier student, the option is always available to get such high quality scran without taking any diversions. Instead of standing around cold and hungry, you can be tucked up in bed, knowing your piping hot food will be driven to your door at any moment. While you do lose the nocturnal social vibes of the city centre, what you gain in comfort in immense. Moreover, as this applies no matter where you live, this option is the most flexible of the bunch!

These pros are obvious; but there are also some clear downsides. For one, I personally find it far easier to overthink or overdo my order when doing it online, suffering from a bad case of eyes exceeding stomach size syndrome. Secondly, you can end up paying a pretty penny, as the costs rapidly mount from hunger and delivery costs. This is especially true if your order for a group, which is practically a necessity for convenience’s sake. Safe to say, I’ve experienced this myself many a time. Always remember, if you’re spending restaurant prices, you should be in a restaurant! When done sensibly, however, this is undeniably yet another great post-club scran method.

6. Leftovers

The secret demon option one can take in the post-club scran debate requires sacrificing yourself at the fickle altar of the student kitchen. Brilliantly, you avoid any need to wait for food and can get back to bed ASAP. It even saves valuable money, a resource frequently spent unwisely amidst such drunkenness. For those who are truly drained after a heavy night dancing to DJ Dave, this is undeniably a great tactical move. 

However, as hinted at the start of this section, there is one major problem with this method – unpredictability. No student is ever prepared enough to set aside scran for later. As such, you are entirely at the mercy of whatever is currently in your fridge or cupboard, unless you fancy stealing a housemate’s food and getting attacked the next morning. 

On the better end of things, you could stumble across some actually decent leftovers. Microwaving some leftover pizza from earlier in the day tastes like the mana of heaven. While more basic, any decent sweet or savoury snacks found in the larder – whether Sainsbury’s cookies or Tesco cheese straws – will also undoubtedly hit at this time of need.

However, lacking such beneficial options, this method can fall entirely flat. Worse still, a drunken mind might make you eat some truly shocking leftover scran. You could end up rawdogging bare ingredients or eating highly suspect food. Offenders of the latter crime, you know who you are. Scran deserves better – see the rest of this article for suggestions.

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