Northumberland Restaurant Guide

“A great location beside the harbour” helps drive feedback on this quayside fixture run by music festival caterers Martin & Ruth Charlton, who settled here a dozen years ago (they also run the nearby Fish Shack). Its overall ratings in our annual diners’ poll were good-to-average this year, with most reports saying it “caters well for seafood lovers”, with “excellent fresh ingredients” (including “delicious langoustines”) at “reasonable prices”.

Hurry while it lasts – “a perfect balance of theatre and supremely creative cooking with friendly (but still polished) and fun service creates an outstanding meal” at this “delightful find in a quiet village just outside Hexham” and “beautiful Northumberland scenery just adds to the experience”. BUT, it will close as has been long-announced in December 2025, making way for nearby Frejya, see also.

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.

“Delightful old inn” with a “blackboard menu of uncomplicated, unchallenging, proper food done well” (“good local produce; noted for steak”) and “a lovely garden with views over the Tyne Valley”. Chef Phil Mason and his wife Karen have been at the helm for almost two decades, impressing both Hexham locals and visitors including the likes of Michael Palin and Brenda Blethyn. Top Tip – “the bar area with open fire is lovely and cosy; the second dining room down a couple of steps perhaps less so, although it’s much brighter if you’re the sort of person who likes to photograph their lunch”.

This “lovely local Indian” is “a proper restaurant in a converted old railway station” (and also has spin-offs in Newcastle and Hexham). “It’s a favourite to combine with a day in the Tyne valley, followed by a couple of beers, then an excellent curry here”. Book their well-known ‘Passage to India’ for £56.50 per person, including travel from Newcastle, orders taken on the train, meet-and-greet at the station, and your meal (not including drinks).

It “still feels like strolling into France” at Greg Bureau’s “excellent, authentic local bistro”, replete with exposed beams, cosy fireplace and Art Nouveau posters; and where the “reliable and good value” food (“especially the set lunch menu”) is abetted by “great staff”. Bravo!

2024 Review: 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.

Tucked away in Jesmond, this old-style Italian (est. 1983) with its tricolour awning is “still going strong, and whilst prices continue to rise, it still offers good VFM and a fun environment where families are welcome”. The menu takes in your usual pizzas and pastas, but there are also blackboard specials to peruse, and the overall package, being a winner, tends to attract crowds on weekends.

2023 Review: “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”.

“The warmest of Northern hospitality” from chef-owner Rhian Craddock and his team has “for the last 18 years guaranteed food that is fresh, home-cooked and tasty”’ – “the charcuterie is made in the kitchen from local ingredients”, there’s “game in season” and “the Saturday morning bakery is a welcome addition”. The “cute” pub also hosts the unique Hedley Barrel Race every Easter Monday: teams of three carry an empty 9-gallon beer barrel over a 1.5-mile course which includes a steep hill, for the prize of a full barrel.

“Fresh seafood platters with abundant crab” are a highlight at this early Victorian pub in a “lovely location with a terrific sea view”, which can be “almost too popular for a comfortable evening out” – “locally smoked kippers” are also a speciality. Part of a group owned by ex-rugby pro David Whitehead, along with Rosie’s Bar in Newcastle, the Woodmans Arms in Whickham and the recently acquired Yorebridge House Hotel in Yorkshire.