Dark Matter

57 Crossgate Durham DH1 4PR

Geeks of the world (well, Durham), unite at Dark Matter, for coffee, comics and cosmic fun. The brainchild of a couple of self-professed comic nuts, Dark Matter is Durham's cool hangout for anyone into gaming, trading cards, comics, Manga, graphic novels, you name it. The retro look blasts bright colours and ker-pow writing at you from every direction – think the comic store in 'Big Bang Theory' – and you get comfy sofas and a couple of big TVs, and absolutely no hassle about spending all day reading Batman, watching telly and playing with your mates. Food is kid and geek-friendly – waffles, pancakes, flatbreads, cakes and biccies to bacon sarnies and bagels – but even though it's cheap and cheerful there's craft and thought here too. The coffee is good and proper, you can get a chai latte, and you have to pre-order the baked spuds, because a microwaved one just doesn't taste the same. The shop racks at the back hold the comic merchandise, and they can order anything you don't see. Love the loos too – with big, smut-free graffiti walls that encourage clever doodling and geek-tastic tagging.

Best Places to stay near Dark Matter

What Customers say about Cool Places

Everything I needed for a stay

I'm already looking forward to going again and would highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting the area. It definitely deserves a five star rating!

Nathan, Verified Customer

6 out of 5!!!!

This place was amazing… I could not recommend this place enough, I’ll be singing their praise for many years to come and we are going to book again soon.

Barbara, Verified Customer

Easy to navigate

Great site that offers a really broad range of places to stay across the UK. Easy to navigate and book holidays.

Patrick, Verified Customer

Such a great variety of properties

Found this website when looking to book a staycation for later in the year. Such a great variety of properties and the website is really easy to use. Already shared with my family and friends.

CT, Verified Customer

Great, simple, straightforward

Great, simple and straightforward. I will definitely be using Cool Places again.

SM, Verified Customer