D&D African Restaurant could open in former Darlington café

D&D African Restaurant, which is based on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough, has submitted plans to take over the former Crombies café on Tubwell Row.

The firm has been operating opposite the Dorman Museum for several years and is known for serving up authentic Nigerian cuisine and “flavour-rich dishes”.

And D&D has now applied to play recorded music, supply alcohol, and provide late-night refreshments from the first-floor town centre restaurant at 36-40 Tubwell Row. 

The former Crombies café in Darlington (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

An application to Darlington Borough Council reveals the venue has applied to serve alcohol between 12pm and 11.30pm midweek and Sundays and until 12.30am on Friday and Saturday.

It also wants to serve alcohol until 12.30am on New Year’s Eve. 

Opening times would be from 12pm until midnight every day apart from Fridays, Saturdays, and New Year’s Eve, when it would be open until 1am if approved. 

Other details regarding plans for the restaurant remain unknown at this time – and The Northern Echo has contacted D&D African Restaurant for more information. 

The former Crombies café in Darlington (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Opened in 1933 by British Guyana-born Alexander Jamieson Crombie and his wife Katherine, Crombies established itself as an institution in the town.

Crombies Cafe in Darlington when it opened

Mr Crombie eventually stepped down from running the restaurant and handed the reins to his daughter Christina and her husband George McCallum.

The family business was then passed down once again to Mr Crombie’s granddaughter Maureen, who took over in 1978 with husband Frederick Stehr. 

Fromer owner Frederick Stehr in 2003

The duo continued the Crombies name for decades, only taking a hiatus from the industry in the early 2010s before returning, revamping the restaurant in 2015, and helping celebrate the venue’s 80th anniversary. 

They both then retired soon after – and Mr Stehr sadly died in 2018. 

It is not known exactly when Crombies stopped serving hungry customers – although it is believed to have still been operating in the early 2020s.

The former Crombies café in Darlington (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Over its eighty year run, the restaurant drew in many famous faces including the likes of actors Arthur Lowe and Tom Baker and comedian Jimmy Cricket. 

The 65-seater restaurant was put on the market in 2024 with a price tag of £10,000 per year.

Its branding still remains on the side of the building today.