Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in North Shields
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best North Shields restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 35 restaurants in North Shields and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing North Shields restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured North Shields Restaurants
1. 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 ...
2. 21
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
Trinity Gardens, Quayside - NE1
“They really know what they are doing” at this stalwart on the Quayside – and well they should, for it’s been a local fixture since 1988, when 21 Hospitality Group owner Terry Laybourne opened the first of his now expanded empire (most recently taking in Newcastle and York café spin-offs in tandem with department store Fenwick). While it’s not as starry as it once was, you’re still assured an “excellent meal” indebted to French classics and delivered by “well-informed staff”.
3. Dabbawal
Indian restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
69-75 High Bridge - NE1
“Deliciously spiced dishes from a varied menu” win continued praise for this brightly decorated and “very cheerful” venue near the Theatre Royal, which was an early pioneer of Indian street food. It also has a sibling in Jesmond.
4. Colmans
Fish & chips restaurant in South Shields
182-186 Ocean Rd - NE33
“Lots of good competition now for top fish & seafood in the North East but for me this old favourite still hits the spot every time!” – this century-old operation (est. 1905 in a nearby hut) has gone from strength to strength over the years, adding a ‘Temple’ spin-off (see also) in recent years. Those in the NE postcodes say “it never disappoints, although it’s a bit further away from our local”.
5. SIX Rooftop
British, Modern restaurant in Gateshead
Baltic (Sixth Floor), South Shore Road - NE8
2022 Review: Consistently inconsistent ratings on the food front were echoed again this year (reports ranging from “quite ordinary” and “pricey” to “very good”), but by common consent the “amazing views” and “plentiful outdoor seating” make this upscale art gallery restaurant “worth the visit”.
6. Colmans Seafood Temple
Fish & seafood restaurant in South Shields
Sea Road - NE33
“Great fish ’n’ chips with a view of the sea” summarises the key features of this local landmark which has “a lovely setting” in a quirky beachfront property, known locally as Gandhi’s Temple (dating from 1921). “Basically, it’s a posh chippy” – part of the local Colman’s empire (see also), it was taken over by them in 2017 and with similar “excellent” standards. (Jay Rayner of The Observer also added his seal of approval in a November 2023 review: It’s “part bargain-priced Bentley’s or Scott’s, part kiss-me-quick-and-kiss-me-again”).
7. Longsands Fish Kitchen
British, Traditional restaurant in Tynemouth
27 Front Street - NE30
This “excellent takeaway on Tynemouth’s busy Front Street” – with “adjacent restaurant also popular with locals for its extended menu” of “attractively presented, super-fresh seafood” – was founded 10 years ago by Simon Walsh, a chef with a background in fine-dining. Top Tip – “expect queues at weekends”.
8. Peace & Loaf
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
217 Jesmond Road - NE2
Dave Coulson, a former MasterChef: The Professionals finalist, ensures that this whimsically named split-level venture on a shopping parade in Jesmond is “great for a business meal as well as for leisure”. The “good value and delicious set lunch” (£25 for four courses) remains the top draw, though the classically inflected cooking also takes in a more decadent £90 tasting menu – all “top rate” and with “excellent” service to boot…no wonder reporters “love it”.
9. Francesca’s
Italian restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
134 Manor House Rd - NE2
“A hidden gem” in Jesmond – “we used to bring our children and now bring our grandchildren: the menu (by no means only pizza) hasn’t changed much but along with the classics there are good daily specials (search out the blackboard!)”. “Food is good and tasty, service very quick, with a jolly vibe” – and it’s “walk-ins only, which means we give it a miss on Saturdays, when queues can be in the street”. Top Menu Tip – “the best garlic king prawns”.
10. The Patricia
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
139 Jesmond Road - NE2
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).
11. Cook House
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
Foundry Lane - NE6
“You can always guarantee something a bit different or unusual” at Anna Hedworth’s Ouseburn operation, which upsized from its original shipping containers site seven years ago. “Not obviously romantic, but it’s cool and quirky with excellent cooking”. The changing menu offers the likes of “Cheese & Sauerkraut Doughnuts, Beetroot Borani with Walnuts, or Pan-Fried Hake & Sag Aloo with Curried Mussel Sauce” – making it “imaginative and generous, particularly considering the price point”.
12. Jesmond Dene House
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
Jesmond Dene Rd - NE2
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.
13. Fern
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
Jesmond Dene House, Jesmond Dene Road - NE2
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.
14. Cal's Own
Pizza restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
36 Acorn Road - NE2
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.
15. A Taste of Persia
Persian restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
34 Osborne Road - NE2
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.
16. Dosa Kitchen
Indian, Southern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
7 Osborne Road (rear) - NE2
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”.
17. Dabbawal
Indian restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
1 Brentwood Mews - NE2
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.
18. The Broad Chare
British, Traditional restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
25 Broad Chare - NE1
“On a great location just off the Quayside”, this is “not really a traditional pub, but with Terry Laybourne at the helm you can be assured of the highest standards of both food and beer”. “They promise ‘honest, home-cooked food like pubs used to serve’ (well, none of the pubs I used to go to served food as good or as varied as this!)”. It’s also “perfect for the Live Theatre next door” (which it helps to fund). Top Menu Tip – “get a selection of the pub snacks (which should include the Lindisfarne oysters) to share: it’s like having special pub-themed tapas”.
19. St Vincent
British, Modern restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
29 Broad Chare - NE1
“Great atmosphere, great cooking, great concept” – Terry Laybourne’s busy wine bar/restaurant just off Newcastle’s Quayside offers an enticing menu inspired by the south of France and Italy. It’s next door to the Live Theatre, so perfect for pre-theatre wining and dining.
20. Adrianos Fortuna
Mediterranean restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne
90 High Street - NE3
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.
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