The 14 Best Restaurants in Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle is a hidden paradise for foodies, with a huge selection of tasty treats on offer throughout the entirety of the city. Thanks to the city’s diminutive proportions, Newcastle’s food scene is very concentrated, with lots of meals and morsels on every corner.

Newcastle is also a great place to visit if you want to try local foods:

The city has lots of restaurants and cafes which serve up traditional English meals in addition to snacks and dishes which are native to Newcastle itself.

If you want to experience Newcastle at its best, you should eat out as much as you can:

Restaurants in Newcastle are friendly, welcoming and affordable, which isn’t always the case throughout the UK. Compared to many other cities in the UK, eating out in Newcastle can be a very laid-back, budget-friendly experience. And because the city is so small, you can access all of its best eateries quickly and easily.

For the two restaurants which do require public transport, we’ve included details on how and where you can reach them.

Whether you want sweet treats, unusual edibles, local specialities or a quick lunch, Newcastle has it all. In this article, we’ve included lots of different places to eat out in Newcastle, from cakes and pastries to Michelin stars.

For the best food in Newcastle, read on!

1. House of Tides

If you want something decadent, pricey and luxurious, this is your best choice. The only Michelin-starred restaurant in Newcastle, it pitches rustic, rugged decor alongside fantastic servings of modern British food.

The food is beautifully-presented and delicious, with a large focus on seasonality and sustainability. Drinks can be paired with dishes, for an all-round classy experience. Speciality dishes include roast scallop with pork belly and herdwick lamb.

The tasting menu is excellent, and offers small samples of fantastic food for those who just can’t choose between everything on offer.

Compared to many Michelin-starred restaurants throughout the UK, House of Tides is pretty affordable, as is much of the food in Newcastle.

2. Blackfriars

With the oldest dining room in the UK, Blackfriars has a history dating back to 1239. If you want a traditional experience in a restaurant steeped in history, it’s here. You dine at large wooden tables while surrounded by candles and stained-glass windows.

With various menus ranging from sunday summer lunch to al a carte to afternoon tea, the food here is very varied.

While not quite as elegant as the experience you might get in a more modern restaurant (such as House of Tides), the food here is sophisticated and nuanced. There’s a large focus on local produce, making this a great place to eat if you want to experience good British food with a little class.

While most restaurants serving British food can prioritise fullness over finery (which isn’t necessarily always a bad thing), Blackfriars does both with vigour.

The drinks are great and the staff are very friendly.

3. Peace & Loaf

While the two above entries are rustic and rugged, Peace & Loaf is a little more modern and sophisticated, with an attractive dining room. The restaurant offers fine dining in a beautiful setting at a relatively affordable price, making it a great choice if you want to eat classy food on a moderate budget.

Head chef Dave Coulson is from the local area, so he’s always trying to incorporate local ingredients, some of which come from very close proximity to the restaurant. If you want to eat fresh and eat local, Peace & Loaf is a great place to do it.

Although it’s very easy to walk to this restaurant from the centre of the city, you can get a Metro to Jesmond station and walk from there, for a slightly shorter journey.

4. Grainger Market

Though this isn’t a restaurant as such, it’s an indoor market with plenty of places to eat. If you want a budget meal in Newcastle, this is your best option, with a brilliant selection of lunchtime meals and morsels. But be warned – it’s only a pick for lunchtime, as many of its eateries close at around 4pm.

With over 100 vendors, this iconic indoor market is a tourist attraction in itself, with a history dating back to 1835. It sells vintage clothes, second-hand books, fruit, vegetables, meat and more. But the main event here is the excellent range of budget food places. While some offer sit-down eats, others are street food style.

Some of the top picks here include:

• Slice: one of the best pizza by the slice joints in the whole of the UK, Slice offers large, affordable and delicious slices of pizza.
• Acropolis: with big, affordable portions of Greek street food, and excellent vegetarian options, this is authentic Greek street food without having to travel all the way to Athens.
• Snackwallah: more street food! This time it’s Indian, with delicately-flavoured small dishes. The dishes here are meant to be enjoyed several at a time – perfect if you like sampling small selections of varied foods.
• Nan Bei: excellent Chinese dumplings and Chinese buns, this small stall is brilliant for grabbing a small, quick and affordable takeaway meal.
• Fez Food: probably the most beautifully-decorated stall in the whole of the Grainger Market, Fez Food serves up excellent Turkish food with perpetually-smiling staff.

5. Fat Hippo

The best burger joint in Newcastle, Fat Hippo has been serving up juicy burgers since 2010.

Though you can grab a burger here both day and night, it’s a great spot for an affordable lunch. Weekdays, until 4pm, you can enjoy a tasty and filling serving of burger and fries for £6.50.

Fat Hippo specialises in burgers, shakes, fries and desserts. But the menu is anything but basic, with unusual menu items including PB & Double J Burger, the M:I 5 Burger and Chipotle Slaw.

With a cosy underground aesthetic, full of wooden interiors and atmospheric lighting, this place tastes great and looks just as good.

6. Tyne Bar

Located in the hipster hangout Ouseburn area of Newcastle, Tyne Bar is fantastic. It serves great food, great drinks and great views, and offers very warm welcomes. The pub offers great live music and a free jukebox, for a traditional slice of traditional English pub life.

The food is affordable and tasty at all times, but if you really want a bargain, come here on a Tuesday evening. If you spend £5 on any drinks or snacks, you get a free meal. And although it’s free, it’s great, with meals ranging from curry to pizza to pasta.

One of the most warm and welcoming pubs in the whole of Newcastle, this place is great even if you don’t grab a bite to eat. And the view from nearby Free Trade Inn, another uber-friendly Newcastle institution, is one of the best in the city.

7. Pet Lamb Patisserie

This place is in the Grainger Market, which we’ve mentioned above. But it deserves a special mention here. Offering cupcakes, brownies and sweet treats, Pet Lamb Patisserie is managed by two self-taught bakers, who’ve been serving up slices and samples of some of Newcastle’s best baked goods since 2009.

Some of their best decadent delights include Mint Aero brownies, chocolate orange cupcakes and lemon blondies.

The cakes are great, the shop is bright and fun and the girls who own the shop are super friendly.

8. Pink Lane Bakery

One of the kookiest, cosiest stores in the whole of Newcastle, this place is humble and wholesome, and offers an incredibly warm welcome.

Though it’s only open for takeaway (because of the store’s tiny confines), it’s a great place to visit. You can watch the staff knead, prep and bake in front of you, so you know exactly what’s going into your food. Whether you want cakes, pastries, sandwiches, pizzas or something else, you can get it all here – and it’s all freshly prepared on site, even the bread.

The offerings are different every day, but they serve up delicious baked goods such as salt beef pretzels, sticky toffee squares and cheese pasties. Their bakes are experimental without being pretentious.

9. The Bake One

The best Lebanese food in Newcastle, this place is slightly outside of the city centre, but it’s absolutely worth a visit. To access the restaurant, the easiest option is to get a Metro to South Gosforth Metro Station, but many buses go even closer.

Inside this eatery’s humble and unassuming confines, you’ll find some of the best hummus, breads, grilled meats and salad that you’ll have ever eaten. The flavours are huge, but some of the food is still very healthy.

With fresh ingredients, affordable prices and great service, this joint is a firm favourite among Newcastle locals.

10. Dabbawal

If you like Indian food, head here. Though Newcastle is famous for lots of basic budget Indian restaurants for a quick and heavy meal (which can also be a great option!), Dabbawal specialises in small servings of Indian street food, perfect if you want to grab a selection of several small portions.

For those who prefer bigger meals, full-size servings are available too.

The food is classy but unpretentious, tasty but inexpensive and elegant but basic. It’s some of the best Indian food in the north of England. With various menus including a vegan menu and a chef’s surprise menu, there’s a huge selection of food on offer.

11. Chinatown

Though this is an area rather than a specific restaurant, it’s a must-visit in Newcastle. One of only a small few Chinatowns in the whole of the UK, this small but exciting part of the city is packed with Asian restaurants, cafes, bakeries and supermarkets.

Whether you want a cake, a buffet or a classy meal, this area has it all, and it’s all authentic, affordable and excellent.

It’s also an interesting place for a wander, with an unusual aesthetic and small colourful pockets of culture and creativity, including a vibrant Chinese arch.

12. Clayton Street Chippy

Basic and low-budget, this is north east fish and chips doing what north east fish and chips does. You can’t visit Newcastle without trying fish and chips, and this is the best that Newcastle’s city centre has to offer, with simple but delicious servings of the iconic meal.

Make sure you get yours covered in plenty of salt and vinegar, as is the tradition in the UK. This place only offers takeaway, so it’s great for grabbing a no-frills meals quickly and affordably.

If you want an authentic portion of fish and chips, head to the nearby coastline, for where it’s traditionally best. Top picks on Newcastle’s nearby coastline include Longsands in Tynemouth, Arcade Fish Restaurant in Whitley Bay and Bill’s Fish Bar in Cullercoats. All are easily accessible via Newcastle’s fantastic Metro public transport system.

13. The Broad Chare

Set in the confines of a truly traditional pub, The Broad Chare is a fantastic option if you want to eat hearty but well-crafted portions of local specialities. Traditional dishes on offer here include mince and dumplings, fish and chips, fish pie, pork pies and what might just be the best scotch eggs in the whole of the north east.

They also serve great drinks, great welcomes and a very warm atmosphere. It’s a superbly friendly pub and an excellent compromise between classy and laid-back.

They offer a different dish of the day on every day of the week, so it’s possible to get good food here on a relative budget, perfect if you want affordable but traditional food in a traditional pub.

14. Tanners Arms

A traditional English roast is one of the tastiest and most iconic meals that England has to offer. With roasted vegetables, roasted meat and tasty gravy, it’s healthy, hearty and traditional.

The Tanners Arms offers one of the best English roasts in the whole of Newcastle, and at a great price. It’s a humble pub, with no frills and no pretension, but the food is excellent.

If you’re traveling with kids, this is a great pick. They have board games, lego and a pool table, perfect for entertaining little ones while you gobble down some of the best food that Newcastle has to offer.

Wrapping Up

Newcastle is a great place to eat, with a huge variety of restaurants within a very small and accessible area. For varied cuisine in a small area, there aren’t many cities better than Newcastle.

Whether you want a cheap lunch, a classy fine dining experience, local food or just a sweet treat, Newcastle offers it all at a relatively low price.

Our number one pick for eating a great meal in Newcastle is The Broad Chare, with excellent local food in a fantastic traditional setting.

For those eating on a very strict budget, we recommend The Grainger Market, an indoor area with a huge amount of street food style stalls, all offering tasty, filling and very affordable lunches.

But if you eat from anywhere on this list, you’ll have an excellent experience. With a huge number of friendly, tasty and affordable eateries, Newcastle is a huge treat for foodies, and one of the UK’s most underrated cities for finding great food.

Also checkout our guide on the best things to do in Newcastle and do NOT miss the Why you should visit Newcastle article!