Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Northumberland
Hardens guides have spent 32 years compiling reviews of the best Northumberland restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 29 restaurants in Northumberland and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Northumberland restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Northumberland Restaurants
1. Battlesteads
British, Traditional restaurant in Hexham
Wark on Tyne - NE48
Being situated in rural Northumberland, we are surrounded by some of the finest livestock, game, fish, poultry, fruit and vegetables in the Country. Head Chef Eddie Shilton sources prime local ingredients to ensure freshness and flavour.
Look out for dishes including oak smoked ...
2. The Valley Junction 397
Indian restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
Old Jesmond Station, Archbold Terrace - NE2
The Valley Restaurants promise a unique and pleasurable dining experience in luxurious surroundings. Superbly presented authentic dishes from Bangladesh and the Indian subcontinent are served with impeccable style by attentive waiters. The Valley Restaurants are proud to have ...
3. Dabbawal
Indian restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
69-75 High Bridge - NE1
“A full menu with lots of variety, and super staff” underpin the appeal of this street food pioneer, which opened in 2008, near the Theatre Royal. “The only downer is that it is sooooo popular now, it is hard to get a table!”.
4. The Old Boat House Amble
Fish & seafood restaurant in Amble
Leazes Street - NE65
“If you like fresh fish, this is as good as it gets”, say fans of this “harbourside restaurant” with “great views of the sea” – “you can see the boats coming in”, and also survey “the Coquet estuary up to Warkworth Castle”. A former fishing hut, it was extended and refurbished a few years ago by the owners, who also run the nearby Fish Shack – which some “enjoy even more”.
5. Hjem
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Wall
The Hadrian Hotel - NE46
“Wow, just wow” – “gorgeous, delicious, astoundingly flavourful dishes” combine with “thoroughly individual service” to create “absolutely outstanding” meals at this Scandi-inspired three-year-old that “has not been resting on its laurels”. Swedish chef Alex Nietosvuori and his Northumberland-born partner Ally Thompson “have created a laid-back foodie haven” tucked away inside a pub beside Hadrian’s Wall – which its many fans regard as “our happy place”. For some, it’s “a huge trek to get there, but so worth it, what a treat!". “Shout out too to Anna (Frost), the sommelier, who has curated an unusual and largely biodynamic wine list.” And for those who stay overnight, the breakfast spread in the morning simply prolongs the fun.
6. The Rat Inn
British, Traditional restaurant in Hexham
Anick - NE46
This “picture-perfect pub overlooking the Tyne Valley”, an old drovers’ inn outside Hexham, specialises in “local beef – choose your size and enjoy it on a platter with cress and chips”. There’s also a dynamic blackboard menu of “amazing” daily specials that reflect the ‘fine dining’ background of chef Phil Mason, who won a Michelin star at the nearby Green Room before taking over the Rat with his partner Karen Errington 15 years ago. Children are well catered for, as well.
7. The Valley
Indian restaurant in Corbridge
Old Station Hs - NE45
“Located in an old railway station” – this quirky curry house is well-known in these parts for its “quality Indian food”. From Newcastle, book their ‘Passage to India’ package, which includes your meal, plus travel by train!
8. Bouchon Bistrot
French restaurant in Hexham
4-6 Gilesgate - NE46
With its “superb classic bistro dishes” – “probably the best French cuisine in the area” – Loire Valley-born Greg Bureau’s long-standing venue “feels like stepping into France”. It’s a “brilliant-value, ideal neighbourhood restaurant”, and a “recent makeover is a bonus”, adding a “fabulous glass balcony”.
9. Jesmond Dene House
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
Jesmond Dene Rd - NE2
“A great escape in the centre of Newcastle”, the “excellent” dining room in this Arts & Crafts boutique hotel serves “reliably decent food in a very nice setting”. Coffee and tea are served in the “beautiful lounges or garden” – and it’s all “reasonable value”.
10. Francesca’s
Italian restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
134 Manor House Rd - NE2
“Queues seem to be longer than ever” at this “well-established, great-value Italian institution” in Jesmond – “a testament to the popularity” of its generous servings of pizza, pasta and much else on a long menu that “continues to provide VFM”.
11. Dosa Kitchen
Indian, Southern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
7 Osborne Road (rear) - NE2
“A very pleasant change from some of the run-of-the-mill Asian offerings elsewhere in Newcastle” – this “very nice South Indian restaurant” which doesn’t have the greatest entrance (“entry is via a door on a different street and up a flight of stairs”). “An excellent range of dosas” is the highlight of its “excellent value and very consistent food”. Top Tip – “Sunday buffet is especially good value and a great introduction to South Indian cuisine for those unfamiliar and/or unsure what to order”.
12. The Feathers Inn
British, Traditional restaurant in Hedley On The Hill
Chef-owner Rhian Cradock, who took over the 200-year-old drovers’ inn 15 years ago, has long been ahead of the curve as a champion of “locally sourced quality food”, sustainability and ethical practices – and his prices are generous, too. A “fantastic village pub – it serves the locals well while consistently turning out high-quality dishes”: “the produce and the care that goes into their production is amazing”.
13. Jolly Fisherman
Fish & seafood restaurant in Craster
Haven Hill - NE66
“Lovely, relaxed pub with adjoining restaurant” in a “wonderful setting” on the Northumberland coast that’s welcomed visitors for 175 years. These days, it serves “imaginative fish and seafood at good prices” – local treats include Craster-landed lobster and Lindisfarne oysters.
14. Peace & Loaf
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
217 Jesmond Road - NE2
“I’ve never had a bad meal here”. Local chef Dave Coulson trained at Le Gavroche in London, and returned to open his “outstanding” Jesmond restaurant 10 years ago, steadily building its reputation ever since for “adventurous and delicious” cuisine from its seasonal tasting menus. “Dave is renowned locally and deserves national recognition”. Top Tip – lunchtime and early evening, try it out more inexpensively with the ‘2, 1, 2, 1, 2’ menu for £35 per person.
15. Blackfriars Restaurant
British, Traditional restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
Friars St - NE1
“An old building, with lots of candles and nooks and crannies” – “this beautiful 13th century former Dominican friary” is particularly “atmospheric in winter” (but it also has “a lovely courtyard area for summer dining”). From its bistro/brasserie-style menu, there’s “always a good choice of dishes based on good local produce” and its standards are “accomplished and reliable”.
16. Pani’s
Italian restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
61-65 High Bridge - NE1
Roberto & Walter Pani’s Tyneside fixture (est. 1995) is “still a very reliable venue after all these years”, serving an Italian menu with “interesting Sardinian specialities” – and there’s “always a great vibe both lunchtime and evenings”.
17. 21
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
Trinity Gardens, Quayside - NE1
Terry Laybourne’s “buzzy Quayside fixture” is “clearly the place to be in the Toon” – “reliably pleasing and deservedly popular” after providing “top-quality dining at surprisingly affordable prices” for 35 years. Top Tip – “great pre-theatre prix-fixe menu” ahead of a visit to the Sage, just across the Millennium Bridge.
18. House of Tides
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
28-30 The Close - NE1
Kenny & Abbie Atkinson’s Grade I-listed sixteenth-century merchant’s house on the old Quayside is frequently hailed as Newcastle’s best restaurant, and it’s historically the most renowned of the city’s more ambitious culinary destinations. And its “lovely, informal, friendly atmosphere makes this haute cuisine dining experience an all-round joy”. The worst thing anyone said about the food this year? “The caviar was a bit soft and non-descript” [first world problems! Ed].
19. Dobson and Parnell
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
21 Queen St - NE1
Casual fine dining is the style nowadays at this buzzy Quayside destination, which occupies an address made famous in its days as ‘21 Queen Street’ (long RIP). There is a conventional two-course/three-course menu, but also competitively priced 5-course and 7-courses options featuring more “unusual taste combinations”. All are well-reviewed as “always reliable” and “delicious” as is the “friendly and attentive service”. See also its siblings: Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle and Hinnies in Whitley Bay.
20. The Broad Chare
British, Traditional restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
25 Broad Chare - NE1
“Quality locally sourced food” “in an excellent refurbished pub close to the Quayside” wins consistently high ratings across the board for this long-running collaboration (12 years and counting) between Terry Laybourne’s 21 Hospitality Group and the neighbouring Live Theatre, a theatre for new writing.
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