Empire Theatre & Cinema

durham's specialty coffee scene punches harder than most people expect from a county this size, and it spreads further than the city centre too. empire theatre & cinema sits on front street in consett, dh8, which is a former steel town that's been quietly rebuilding its identity for decades. the locals know what's good, and this place has earned real standing with them. you don't have to go far into the county to find something worth seeking out, and consett makes a decent case for the detour. it's the kind of spot that gets recommended because the coffee is actually good, not because there's nothing else around. front street on a weekday morning is a reasonable place to start.