dont understand previos comments I am a regular in this pub and the bar staff are very friendly and on the ball the toilets never smell and redecoration is on the cards. what do people want?????what a great open mic night at the crown 1st friday of every month. speaking to landlady and she tells me refurbishment of the pub is due in March after they get the fire to stop smoking. but she is excited about the changes ahead. Winner of Darlington camras country pu of the year 2011 which is now 9 years so they must bedoing something right.It has been some time since my husband and I visited The Crown in Manfield, but we were in the area recently and popped in. I was very disapponted to find the pub in an unkempt state. The bar area is dirty and in need of decorating. The toilets are smelly and in need of a good clean. The area behind the bar looks uncared for. The staff would do better if they did a bit of cleaning instead of just standing there, the lack of customers was not enough to keep them busy!!! It is a shame to find the pub in such an uncared for state, perhaps that accounts for the lack of customers.

Visited with a group of AFC Wimbledon fans on a very cold January Saturday. What a great place. Good range of ten local ales from the likes of Mithril and Toad. All ales tried were in top form. Very friendly and welcoming staff and regulars. So good we went back after the game!. Only downside is that its very small and gets packed quickly.The carrot crunchers return, very happy with 3 points off the Boro. It really is a great pub, we tried most of the beerrs, and we did not have a bad one, the stout and porter being particularly good. Very friendly staff and customers - Just about the perfect pub.Hi everyone.
Just letting you know things have changed somewhat since the last comments made regarding the pub. Brian Dourish and myself have been running the pub since Feb 2009 and are co-owners of the pub since Oct 2009. We have kept up and believe improved the standard and variety of Real Ale at the pub. This is a Rock venue having live bands every Wednesday night, and have just converted upstairs to an acoustic 'chill-out' venue. Steve Metcalfe no longer has anything to do with the pub, but we have continued his ethos, having achieved Darlington CAMRA Best Town Pub and Overall Winner for the last two years.
We don't serve food other than the usual snacks etc, however we welcome any hungry traveller who wishes to consume his/her food and hope they taste our ale during their stay.
I'm not going to rate the pub as I will leave that to others. Thanks for the kind reviews, they are most welcome. Cheers Garry

My best pub discovery this year. Straight out of a Harold Pinter 'kitchen-sink' drama, it has genuine 20th century northern charm...and a genuine coal fire which really throws out the heat. I would never have expected tarnished glory such as this to attract the pre-club crowd, They were all there in one corner (most wearing eye-wateringly short skirts) having a whale of a time amongst the more senior regulars. The Sam Smiths is very well kept and of course good value as you'd expect from the slightly barmy Smith family. It's the staff and crowd that make this pub: warm and jovial. Think Coronation Street (circa Ena Sharples & Elsie Tanner) brushing lightly with Hollyoaks. BrilliantSam Smith's Old Brewery is not my favourite ale, and there is no other choice, but it must be said that it is cheap and the pub itself is a proper old-fashioned boozer with good service and a pleasant atmosphere created by a varied and good humoured clientele who obviously appreciate the place as it is. Clean and tidy, worth a call whenever in Durham. One customer was making great play about eating his "twelve bob packet of crisps" whilst I was there.Great traditional pub, very cheep beer and a good crowd. Nice mix of locals and students. Off the beaten track and better for it

Hill Island Peninsula Pint, Wylam Angel, Durham Black Velvet, Consett Steel Town and Deuchars IPA. Cracking local pub, from the pump clips they have served many different ales. Folk playing tonight. Was planning on visiting a few more Durham pubs but might stay here.Bursting in old atmosphere. A proper pub serving nice beer (only Strongbow in cider as they dropped the Weston's). The hardest quiz in Durham on a Wednesday night.

Up there with the best in Durham.First visit in early August, and obviously can't compare it to its previous incarnation, but for me this pub was one of the day's best experiences, especially the large range of mainly local ales and the friendly barmaid. Certainly worth the uphill effort. The place seemed pretty popular with many comings and goings from people who, in the main, certainly knew their beer, although I did not visit during a normally busy period.

Full array of drinks. Gets very full on the usual full nights.

A very nicely drawn pint. A lot of different bottled ciders (only Strongbow on tap).

A nice beer 'yard'. Up there with the better Durham pubs.

Has the Durham Brewery cask pints, so worth it just for that.Big pub, tidy and well modernised. Service and beer were better than I expected on first impression. Certainly worth a call when in this part of the city.Good pub - even better beer garden!

The beer never lets me down and i dont ever feel uncomfortable in here: nice balance of people, ample seating, long and inviting beer garden, laughably "local" selection of sandwiches - north east and a bag of chips!

The service can be a bit lethargic but i wouldn't chalk that down as a problem... never made to feel like you're a hinderance, as the "student" staff of many Durham pubs make you feel. Between The Swan, The City and The Half Moon you have a great little trinity of quiet(ish) boozers for a school night...

Very impressed by visit this friday. great selection of beer.Friendly staff.Beer festival time, so Wetherspoons made was added to the itinerary. Some cracking beers, especially the SriLankan stout and I also really liked the perry. A really friendly pub and special thanks to the barman who was really helpful and allowed a few small samplers for the less brave member of our group.A traditional old style Wetherspoon. I don't drink here very often as I live 30 miles away. I have never experienced anything but excellent beer and very friendly efficient staff. Ok the place is a little dated but is always clean. The staff and managers seem to know everyone and if they don't they soon do. The manager I was talking to about the beers remembered me from over 6 months ago when I last saw him. Many new beers appear here along with local micros. Never a bad pint or experience.