Great food in Tynemouth and other Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Restaurant Reviews

Lunch in Sydneys

by toonsarah , 1 more photos

Restaurant Name: Sydneys

Our latest restaurant discovery in the Newcastle area is Sydneys, just off Front Street (the end furthest from the sea) in Tynemouth. We went there for lunch recently and were very impressed. It�s a small, family-run place with just a few tables in the ground floor front room and some more downstairs in the basement. The d�cor is understated and stylish, with some impressive local photos on the wall when we visited (which were available to buy, at rather high prices).

The lunch menu is short but very good value. There�s a choice of 4 starters, 4 mains and 4 deserts, and the cost is just �12 for two courses at lunch, �15 for three courses. The same menu costs �15 and �20 for the early bird dinner. Prices rise considerably after 7.30pm and are high by Tynemouth standards but still seemed good value to someone used to London prices.

The service was very friendly, but then the waitress was a friend of ours! Thanks for a great lunch Stephie � and for taking the photo too!

Favorite Dish: Everything I ate was really excellent � the very tasty butternut squash & goats-cheese risotto to start with (in a sensibly small portion), good fishcakes served with wilted spinach, a superb spiced winter fruit compote (figs, apples, apricots) with cinnamon ice cream to finish. Meanwhile Chris also enjoyed his winter vegetable soup, beef braised in ale and selection of English cheeses.

By the way, it would be good if VT could add a category for "Modern British" food, because that's how I'd describe the food here, and in many other good restaurants in the UK!

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Theme: Other
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20 » Currency Converter
Directions: Sydneys is just off Front Street (the end furthest from the sea) - you can reach Tynemouth easily by Metro from the city centre (yellow line) and it's about 5 minutes walk from the station

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Pitcher & Piano: Perfect location

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Updated by toonsarah

on Apr 15, 2007

Mediterranean Platter, Pitcher &

Piano

Restaurant Name: Pitcher & Piano

With an unbeatable location on the quayside, this is our favourite spot for lunch on a sunny day. If the weather is warm enough you can sit outside in the sunshine enjoying the river views, while on bright but chilly winter days we make a point of arriving early enough to get a table by the huge windows where we can soak up the sun and watch the world go by.

You do pay a little for the setting and the view, with beer at London prices - but it's well worth the extra. There's a good lunchtime menu with salads, burgers and other staples, but for a light meal we usually go for one of their "sharing platters" such as the Mediterranean � salami, chorizo, chicken skewers, olives, mozzarella and garlic bread � at �12.95 for two people.

There�s a wide selection of drinks too - various beers on tap and in bottles, a good wine list and a tempting selection of cocktails (though I've not tried any of these - yet!)

In the evening I'm sure the vibe must change and the pub become caught up in the general party atmosphere of the Quayside, but our favourite time is during the day when the river sparkles in the sunshine and the dramatic curve of the Millennium Bridge frames the view.

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Theme: Pub/Brewery
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30 » Currency Converter
Address: 108 Quayside
Directions: Near the Millennium Bridge, just beyond the point where the road bears away from the river

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La Tasca: A touch of Spain by the Tyne

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Updated by toonsarah

on Jan 5, 2007

Lunch at La Tasca

Restaurant Name: La Tasca

Have just discovered this great restaurant down on the Quayside (I think maybe it's new). It's large (and part of a chain) but doesn't feel too impersonal thanks to the brightly coloured walls and wonderfully eclectic mix of pictures, pottery and other items that adorn them. At lunch time on a Sunday it was fairly busy but it was easy for our group of seven to get a table.

The menu consists almost exclusively of tapas and there's a huge range to choose from. The prices are reasonable and the service friendly, although our waiter assumed (wrongly!) that we weren't used to ordering tapas and tried to persuade us to have far more than we could have eaten. Everyone in our rather mixed crowd found something they enjoyed, and the prices were very reasonable - we had enough tapas to make us feel fairly full (plus bread and olives), a beer or wine each, and with service paid just �8 a head.

Favorite Dish: All the dishes we�d picked were a success with our group. I particularly enjoyed the seafood paella and the patatas bravas, which were pretty hot and spicy. The olive and sundried tomato bread was excellent too.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20 » Currency Converter
Phone: 0191 230 4006
Address: 106 Quayside
Directions: Just behond the Pitcher & Piano, nest to the Malmaison

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Twin Farms: Always reliable!

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Updated by toonsarah

on Jan 5, 2007

New Years Eve at the Twin Farms

Restaurant Name: Twin Farms

This is where we go for a meal when we want to be confident of the quality and range. It's a particularly safe bet to take the parents - there's always something for the most conservative tastes on the menu, but plenty to satisfy the more adventurous eater too. The service is consistently friendly, even in the mad frenzy of partying and celebration that is New Years Eve on Tyneside.

The actual building is very attractive. It looks like an old farmhouse but in fact is newly constructed on the site of an old farm.

Favorite Dish: They do quite of lot of dishes with an oriental influence which I always enjoy.

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Theme: Pub/Brewery
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$31-40 » Currency Converter
Address: 22 Main Road, Kenton Bank Foot
Website: http://www.pub-explorer.com/tandw/pub/twinfarmskentonbankfoot.htm

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Ridley Arms: A favourite pub

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Updated by toonsarah

on May 18, 2007

Ridley Arms, Stannington

by toonsarah , 1 more photos

Restaurant Name: Ridley Arms

This pretty stone pub is in the equally pretty village of Stannington, about 15 minutes drive north of the city on the A1. It's a popular place for Sunday lunch and although it's quite large with plenty of tables you'll need to arrive early as reservations aren't accepted.

Prices are very reasonable and there's a good selection across all three courses, although the choice for vegetarians is perhaps a little limited. You need to order at the bar and your meal will then be brought to your table. There's also a good wine list and several real ales.

Favorite Dish: On our recent visit I particularly enjoyed my starter of whisky cured salmon and potted prawns (�5.75). Chris had a generous portion of crispy duck salad (enough to make a good light main course). Mains (with prices from �7.50 - �8.50) included roast beef, Cumberland sausages with mash, good fish & chips, wild mushroom risotto, and the marmalade ham with red cabbage and excellent garlic mash which I chose. Desserts were around �4.00 though the choice was limited as several had sold out, even though we didn't eat very late in the day.

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Theme: Pub/Brewery
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30 » Currency Converter
Phone: 01670 789216
Address: Stannington, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61
Directions: Drive north on the A1 and about 4 miles south of Morpeth, take the left turn signposted for Stannington. Turn right into the centre of the village and the Ridley Arms is on your right.

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The Badger: Good pub food

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Updated by toonsarah

on May 18, 2007

The Badger pub sign

Restaurant Name: The Badger

This large pub is just south of Ponteland on the A696 (near Newcastle Airport), sharing land and parking area with Dobies garden centre. There's a good menu with a mix of pub standards and a few more adventurous dishes. Mains cost from �6.50 (pasta) to �13.50 (fillet steak). There are several fish specials each day - I had some excellent sea bass fillets in crab sauce, served with mashed potato and rocket. The service was very friendly and one nice touch was the great selection of dressings and sauces brought to our table. There's a very comprehensive wine list for a pub, with most available by the glass, and a good selection of draught beers, though I drank a great bottle of Leffe.

An interesting board in the entrance tells the history of the building. It was built in the late 1700s as a "gentleman's residence" and later split into three houses, which were occupied through the years by a succession of farmers, yeomen and a cattle dealer.

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Theme: Pub/Brewery
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30 » Currency Converter
Address: Street Houses, Ponteland, NE20 9BT
Directions: Just south of Ponteland on the A696
Website: 0870 2313676

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Falcon's Nest: Another pub to try

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Written by toonsarah

on May 28, 2007

Falcon's Nest pub

by toonsarah , 2 more photos

Restaurant Name: Falcon's Nest

We tried this pub for dinner on a recent visit to Newcastle, mainly because freinds were atying in the adjacent Innkeepers Lodge motel. It's part of the same chain as the Badger (see one of my other tips) and very similar, although I didn't enjoy the food quite as much - but that may have been due to my choice rather than their cooking. Certainly the service was friendly and there's a good selection of standard pub favourites like fish and chips, plus some less common dishes such as my warm black pudding, bacon and flat mushroom salad. The latter was very tasty apart from some unnecessary (and unnecessarily large) croutons. I washed this down with a couple of glasses of very reasonable Rioja and followed it with a pleasant Irish Cream cheesecake.

Service as I've said was good, though it took us a little while to realise that we had to place our order at the bar. Once we'd done that the staff were very attentive and were happy to take further orders for desserts and drinks at our table.

We all assumed the building was old and spent some time speculating about its origins. It looks like several cottages knocked together and has a wonderful brick fireplace with a mysterious door in the centre of the dining area. I've since read a review that claimed that the building is actually a new build, but I'm still not sure I believe that. If true, it's an amazing piece of deception!

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Theme: Pub/Brewery
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$21-30 » Currency Converter
Phone: 0191 236 7078
Address: Rotary Way, Newcastle, NE3 5EH
Directions: Just off the Gosforth Park roundabout north of Newcastle on the A1056.

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Joe�s Bar & Grill (was Cafe Pacific): Handy when shopping

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Updated by toonsarah

on Jan 4, 2008

Entrance to Joe�s Bar & Grill

by toonsarah , 1 more photos

Restaurant Name: Joe�s Bar & Grill (was Cafe Pacific)

The ground floor of this building is a bar which we've never been to, but the restaurant on the floor above is a regular choice when we meet up with relatives for lunch in town. Its advantages are its central location just off the main shopping street, its wide choice of reasonably priced lunchtime favourites, and staff who don't seem to mind how long you sit over your meal and drinks, no matter how busy the place is. And it does get busy, so come early if you don't want to wait for a table. We normally aim to get here soon after midday as we usually want a table for around eight people, and of course we can always enjoy a drink while we wait for everyone to arrive and make their choice - once the first priority of exchanging the best bits of family gossip is out of the way, of course :)

The building is quite striking, especially for its side street location - lots of glass (including a glass elevator) and a modern colour scheme. I wouldn't recommend this as a place for a quiet romantic encounter though - it's noisy and busy, with Sky Sports on the TV and people continually on the move.

UPDATE Jan 2008: The restaurant has been renamed Joe�s Bar & Grill but little has changed apart from the name, although there is a large cow in the entrance hall (!) and Sky Sports is no longer shown in the restaurant, only in the bar.

Favorite Dish: I usually have a baked potato or something with a Mexican influence. I've been told by the others that the burgers are good , and there are plenty of salads and sandwich choices too.

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Theme: American
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20 » Currency Converter
Address: 12-22 Northumberland Road
Directions: Just off Northumberland Street (look for British Home Stores on the corner)

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Waterford Arms: Lunch in Seaford Sluice

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Written by toonsarah

on Jun 18, 2007

Postcard from the Waterford Arms

Restaurant Name: Waterford Arms

If you follow my "Off the beaten path" tip and head to Seaton Sluice for some bracing sea air, you could do worse than finish up here for a refreshing pint and a spot of lunch. It's a traditional pub very close to the sea and with a typical pub menu in which the locally caught fresh fish takes top billing! There are also good value roasts on a Sunday, though I find these less to my taste - the Waterford Arms, like many of the more old-fashioned pubs I've eaten in, tends in my view to over-cook the vegetables, resulting in a fairly tastleless experience. So I recommend you stick to bar snacks or the excellent fish and chips - and after all, what could be more appropriate in this location?

The pub also has some B&B rooms but I've never had any reason to stay here so can't comment on these.

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Theme: Pub/Brewery
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20 » Currency Converter
Phone: 0191 237 0450
Address: Collywell Bay Road, Seaton Sluice, NE26 4QZ
Directions: Approaching Seaton Sluice from the south, follow the coast road when it splits right from the main road. You'll see the Waterford Arms on the left opposite the small harbour.

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Thali: Reasonable Indian food

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Written by toonsarah

on Jan 4, 2008