Mr Flynn's Tap + Kitchen + Darts

Walk into Mr Flynn's and you're stepping into the kind of place where regulars prop up the bar and nobody's worried about their Instagram. It's on Claypath, right in the thick of Durham's drinking strip, but this one feels less polished than its neighbours—which is exactly the point. The darts boards are genuinely used, the Guinness pours are solid, and the kitchen does straightforward pub food that actually hits the spot when you're a few pints in. It's the sort of Irish pub that's been perfected over decades: dark wood, worn-in charm, and a genuine sense that people come here because they want to, not because they've ticked it off a list.