Consett Restaurant Guide

“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.

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 “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).

2024 Review: “Always a favourite” – this smart Punjabi curry house is “still one of the best Indian restaurants in town”, even approaching its fourth decade; the “traditional food” is “very dependable”, having been overseen by chef-owner Bob Arora (a former regular) since the millennium.

The Banqueting Hall at this former Dominican friary is said to be the oldest dining room in the country, dating back almost 800 years – and the ambience in its contemporary restaurant is “just as you’d expect from a tasteful friary”, while the food is “consistently good”. Launched in 2001 by Sam & Andy Hook, the venue hosts occasional medieval-style banquets, and recently added a micro-brewery next to its restored cloister garden.

“Well established now as THE place in Newcastle for a reliable top gastronomic experience” – Kenny & Abbie Atkinson’s Quayside venue opened in 2010 and its fame precedes it nowadays (despite competition from its upstart sibling and neighbour, Solstice). It occupies a 16th-century townhouse near the Tyne Bridge and provides “Michelin star quality to all aspects of the meal combined with a friendly, unstuffy atmosphere making all diners feel comfortable and well looked after”.This year’s worst critique was that culinary results are “sound if slightly underwhelming”; more common, though, was praise for “very elegant and well-presented food. with amazing tastes and textures”.

“Still going strong after more than 30 years”, Roberto & Walter Pani’s “buzzing Sardinian café/restaurant in the heart of Newcastle still cuts the mustard for a good night out with friends or a quick pre-theatre meal” that features “delicious Sardinian and Italian cooking”, with “a list of specials so there’s always some variety”. Top Tip – “it’s worth trying the unusual Sardinian wines”.

A “lively Quayside establishment” (formerly local beacon ’21 Queen Street’) that has been in the hands of Andy Hook and chef-patron Troy Terrington for nearly a decade now; it’s named after two stalwarts of the city’s Victorian architecture, who designed the building in 1863. Reports in recent times have been a tad up and down, but there was mostly praise this year for the “excellent food and staff”, with “some unusual dishes” on the menu (the latter being better suited to carnivores than vegetarians).

2022 Review: This Art Deco (1938) landmark (incorporating Newcastle's only surviving indie cinema) closed for much of the COVID-19 pandemic and started a phased reopening in August 2021. The coffee rooms are in the final phase following a new floor and refurbishment of furnishings throughout the building.

“Such a cool, vibey place to eat”, on the Quayside, replete with “moody lighting” and “knowledgeable, friendly and attentive” staff. Inspired by the South of France and Italy, it’s part of the local empire of NE culinary star Terry Laybourne, who received his Freedom of Newcastle scroll – the city’s highest honour – in 2025; on the menu, a “fantastic, well-explained, and unpretentious wine list with useful information, e.g., how to remove red wine stains from your shirt” and “adventurous food” (it’s “always worth ordering off the specials board”). It’s particularly recommended as a “great location for pre-theatre dining right next door at the Live Theatre, whose toilets it shares!”.

“Really impressive” Quayside pub from local food hero Terry Laybourne with cooking that is a “significant upgrade on the usual fare” while “also in these very difficult days exceptionally generous with its portions”. “Everything is beautifully cooked, and they’re especially great at frying” – “you could recommend this place to anyone”. Top Menu Tip – “don’t miss the excellent bar snacks”: “Lindisfarne oysters and crispy pigs ears”; “cauliflower fritters with curry mayonnaise; deep-fried monkfish cheeks with homemade tartare sauce; crab with fennel and crackers”.

“Really interesting small plates” that are “imaginative and generous considering the price point” are the attraction at this Ouseburn venue from self-taught chef Anna Hedworth, who started out with supper clubs and worked at Rochelle Canteen before launching initially in a shipping container, moving into permanent premises eight years ago. “The menu varies to suit the season, available ingredients and the chef’s inspiration, and you can always guarantee something a bit different or unusual”. Top Menu Tip – “beef shin croquette served with a blue cheese cream is a star dish”.

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”.

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.

2022 Review: You wouldn’t necessarily expect it from the unassuming façade, but former River Café alum Nick Grieve's “small but adventurous” bistro on the main road through Jesmond turns out some “outstanding quality” food – currently in the format of a six-course, no-choice menu (£59).