Northumberland Restaurant Guide

“A good range of locally caught fish and shellfish” can be enjoyed at this “recently refurbished building” in a “fantastic setting right on the quayside in Amble, with views up to Warkworth along the Coquet and out towards the sea”. It’s “our go-to place when we want to give foreign visitors a taste of traditional fish ’n’ chips” – with the bonus that you can “watch the boats arriving” with tomorrow’s fish. The owners also run the Fish Shack close by.

“We are so lucky to have this very special restaurant in Northumberland” – Swedish chef Alex Nietosvuori and his Northumberland-born partner Ally Thompson inspire nothing but superlatives for their acclaimed destination: a bright, contemporary 24-seater with open kitchen at a pub-with-rooms next to Hadrian’s Wall. “It is evident that they seek out the best ingredients and are not afraid to change suppliers if they find something more in keeping with their ethos, with lots of local produce used”. The result is “high class, inventive” Scandi-inflected cuisine served as a mixture of small bites and larger dishes comprising a £150 per person tasting menu. “Wonderful… even on a second visit – not every eatery can do that!”

2022 Review: A “super-friendly and efficient” stone-fronted country boozer, where chef Paul Johnson (a Nathan Outlaw alum) delivers a “great menu selection” that saw it walk off with a CAMRA Pub of the Year accolade not too long ago.

This “delightful old inn” with a conservatory is “good for lunch with a view” over the Tyne Valley; a “short blackboard announces half a dozen starters and mains” – “all tasty” and “not your normal pub grub” (no surprise given that chef Phil Mason and wife Karen, who took over the venue in 2007, used to run the Michelin-starred Green Room nearby).

“Consistently excellent” local curry house which has spawned a couple of spin-offs in Newcastle and Hexham (badged Cilantro). From Newcastle, you can follow in Michael Portillo’s footsteps (on his ‘Great Coastal Railway Journeys’ TV Series), and book their well-known ‘Passage to India’ train service from Newcastle (which includes your meal, plus travel by train).

Loire Valley native Greg Bureau’s “reliable, welcoming and brilliant value” neighbourhood staple, where the “authentic” bistro-style cooking means it “really is like being in France”. As per France, you’re “not expected to rush a meal” and a recent refurb’ has added more joy in the form of a flashy glass balcony.

2021 Review: A high street outfit ‘bringing a dash of Sardinian sunshine to Gosforth’, as their website proclaims – and which is well-regarded locally; they have now opened up an on-site deli, should you prefer to take away.

This “lovely hotel” in a “beautiful” Grade II-listed Arts and Crafts house remains a satisfying getaway, being particularly “perfect for afternoon tea”. There are several dining spaces, ranging from a bar offering light snacks to the dedicated Fern Dining Room for heartier meals.

2022 Review: Scant reports – too few for a rating – on this ‘upmarket neighbourhood dining room’ from ex-House of Tides chef Danny Parker, in the venerable Jesmond Dene location once part-owned by Terry Laybourne. In addition to dinner service and Sunday lunch, daily afternoon tea is a feature.

2022 Review: “Delicious, interesting dishes” inspired by the street food delivered by Mumbai’s ‘dabbawala’ bicycle delivery men, are to be found on the menu at this brightly coloured Jesmond venue with an open kitchen and verandah. It’s a spinoff of the city-centre original.

2021 Review: Fans of this puntastic pizzeria may be going OTT when they hail it as “probably the best pizza in the UK”. But Jesmond-born former joiner Calvin Kitchin and his brother Kerry take their trade seriously – their “good-value pizzas” are accredited by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and cooked in a wood-fired Stefano Ferrara oven imported from Naples.

2021 Review: The “excellent Persian food” at this “friendly” Jesmond spot wins high ratings for “one of the cheapest restaurants in Newcastle for cooking of high quality”. A more central branch near the station has closed down.