Seaham Restaurant Guide

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”.

“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”.

“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”.

“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.

In its days as ‘21 Queen Street’ (long RIP) this Quayside address led the local field for many years, and this casual dining successor took over in 2016, owned by Andy & Sam Hook plus chef Troy Terrington. Reports this year, though, continued the uneven theme of last: one regular hailed it as a “fabulous place that never disappoints” but others thought it “rather average” (“at the last visit, we felt we could have cooked our meals better at home”).

For 10 years “the go-to establishment for a fine-dining experience in Newcastle”, Kenny & Abbie Atkinson’s Quayside spot is these days slightly eclipsed in feedback by its younger sibling, the nearby Solstice. Reports ands ratings remain positive, but sometimes came with a sting in the tail in this year’s annual diners’ poll: for example, “expensive but actually reasonable for the quality of food and service on offer”… “really good but meagre portions”… “well-executed, but not hugely exciting”.

“A longstanding ‘go-to’ destination for a good night out” which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year – Roberto & Walter Pani’s “consistently good” Sardinian venture “has stood the test of time while others have come and gone”. It has an “interesting menu of Sardinian specials and wines to try”, a “buzzing atmosphere”, and “if you are new to town, you’ll feel quickly at home”. Top Tip – “perfect for a pre-theatre meal as the Theatre Royal is just around the corner”.

A “lovely building” – a 13th-century former Dominican friary that’s among the oldest dining rooms in the kingdom, and also includes a cookery school – adds considerably to the lure of this long-running and “very reliable” restaurant. It’s a multi-tasking spot that will take you from breakfast through to an evening meal, all based on “good locally sourced produce” from fish to game. Further boons are the “helpful staff” and (in clement months) courtyard garden.

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”.

“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”.

Promising feedback on this “delightful, small, and intimate” Chinese joint down a cobbled side street near the town centre: an established business that was reformatted in 2023 with Shanghai speakeasy styling: “it feels very plush and with above-average Cantonese-fusion food”.

“The restaurant Durham city has been crying out for”, say fans of this ambitious 2023 yearling in the city centre: “a recent addition to the local dining scene run by ex-head chef from House of Tides and his wife”, Jake & Laura Siddle, who serve a 10-course tasting menu for £98 per person (the name is old English for ‘Journey’). One diner – particularly impressed by the wine selection – felt that “whilst aiming for their first Michelin star, they have a way to go with too many of the courses ‘snack sized’ to fully warrant the price and service that, though friendly, was lacking”. But others are impressed by what they see as a polished overall experience and, in any case, all reports agree that this is an “interesting” venue that “definitely shows promise”.

“It is rare that male diners rave about broccoli”, but then again, the “broccoli is next level” at this “nicely decorated” and “truly unique” Quayside Indian, where “there may not be much on the menu that you recognise” (and where “it’s all about the smoke and fire” achieved by the Josper grill). Add in an “atmospheric location” and “good-value” set menus, and “this slick operation shines” – no wonder it’s always “crowded”. Top Tip – “if it’s your first visit I recommend the ‘Chef‘s Feast’ to truly grasp the range and quality of the cuisine”.

“Outstanding… nothing more to add” – Kenny & Abbie Atkinson’s “smart, intimate and welcoming” two-year-old sits next to their more established House of Tides, and increasingly is eclipsing it in terms of the volume and quality of feedback we receive. Reports give “compliments to the whole team for an excellent menu, exquisite food (we loved and couldn’t fault a single dish) and the warm enthusiasm with which it’s delivered”, all from a tasting menu providing 12-15 servings for £175 per person. This year’s biggest complaint? “Carrot was the weakest dish for me, but that is only because I don’t particularly like carrots and it tasted a little, well, ‘carrotty’…”

“The best food, service and atmosphere” are found at this Quayside fixture from Shelly Muktadir, who has successfully updated the classic curry house launched by her late father Ashraf Ali in 1981 – “other restaurants could learn a lot from this outstanding place”.