Diners' Choice: Best Ambiance restaurants in Newcastle Upon Tyne

OpenTable

Updated November 05, 2026

Looking for restaurants with the best ambiance in Newcastle Upon Tyne? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Solstice

5.0

5 (90)

£41 and over

Global, International

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Nestled in the heart of the historical Newcastle Quayside and hidden behind an unassuming facade,
Solstice by Kenny Atkinson offers a very distinctive dining experience.

As a guest at Solstice, you will not be presented with a menu on arrival.

Your menu has been carefully created by Kenny Atkinson and Head Chef Scott John Hodgson, through a procession of courses which is inspired and led by the British seasons and the very best produce available.

From our open plan kitchen our team of chefs will serve every course and we also finish a lot of our dishes in front of the diner, explaining the produce and passion behind our dishes.

In March 2023, Solstice was awarded a Michelin Star after only 8 months of opening. Solstice is currently rated number 26th at The UK Top 100 National Restaurant Awards 2024.

Please be aware if you would like to contact us then do so via email on admin@solsticencl.com as our phone line in not monitored. Many thanks.

Top review

JACK

Dined 6 days ago

Excellent experience. Amazing food and great service.

Saltwater Fish Company

4.9

4.9 (1707)

£25 and under

Seafood

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Designed for seafood lovers – Saltwater Fish Company, situated in Fenwick Foodhall, operates as both a Fish Bar and Fishmonger with a ‘we cook what we sell, we sell what we cook’ philosophy. There’s no fuss – just a passion for seafood, simple yet creative cooking and friendly service.

Top review

Paul

Dined 2 days ago

Yeah, very enjoyable afternoon for lunch. The food was first class. The staff were very good amazing attentive couldn’t ask for more. In the opinion of my wife and I, it was very good value for money.

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Experience

Oyster Sunday – £2 Lindisfarne Oysters (All Day)

Experience

BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU DAY 🍷

St Vincent

4.8

4.8 (1199)

£26 to £40

Wine Bar

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Part wine bar, part restaurant, a city centre venue with a city centre buzz. St. Vincent is an after-work drinks spot, supper-with-friends place and general 'snack-with-a-glass-or-two' hang out with a big-hearted 'everybody welcome' attitude.

Inspired by the neighbourhood bars we've found on our travels through France and Italy, we offer interesting wines, charcuterie and crowd pleasing plates full of punchy flavours. We're a place where an hour spins into several without anyone noticing.

Open evenings Tuesday to Friday, all day Saturday and close late.

Enough said. Come and find out.

Top review

Simon

Dined 6 days ago

Great food, great service……we’ll definitely be revisiting at the earliest opportunity

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Experience

Pedro Lopes Vieira x St. Vincent

Experience

Beaujolais Nouveau Menu

Experience

Whole Suckling Pig for the Table

The French Quarter

4.9

4.9 (3258)

£26 to £40

French

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

The French Quarter is a relaxed neighbourhood restaurant & wine Bar in a community of unique and quirky businesses in Newcastle city Centre. We are a friendly and approachable team of people, with a passion for the good things in life. Born from nostalgia for a traditional style of commerce and a desire to challenge perceptions that French dining is formal or fussy, we work with independent suppliers to offer a regularly changing wine list & tapas style menu. We have created a casual and sociable environment where customers are invited to experience our food, try our wines, shop from our deli and share our love of all things French!

Top review

Tim

Dined 2 days ago

Fantastic food and wine flights for a memorable birthday lunch. Great service and ambiance, high quality bistro food and great value for money. Will definitely be back.

The Broad Chare

4.8

4.8 (3485)

£26 to £40

British

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

We’re big on warmth, low on fussiness: stripped wood floors, high bar stools, painted brickwork and comfy leather banquettes. Sup your pint beside our polished-oak bar or tuck yourself away in the Snug behind the frosted glass partition. You can hear yourself talk, concentrate on the crossword or nod off quietly in the corner.

To help keep everyone safe, our teams will continue to wear face masks and we'd love you to do the same when nentering and moving around the pub and dining room.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding and we look forward to seeing you.

Top review

Anne

Dined 2 days ago

Great menu choices. Food arrived piping hot. Nothing too much trouble for wait staff. Good ambience. Returning diners would definitely eat there again

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Experience

Worker's Lunch

Bouchon Bistrot - Hexham

4.8

4.8 (3209)

£26 to £40

French

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Winner of the Best European Restaurant honour at the North East Restaurant Awards and conveniently situated in the centre of Hexham on Gilesgate, Bouchon Bistrot serves straightforward country style French cuisine, including daily specials in the evening. Born in the Loire Valley and having plenty of experience from working in Michelin starred restaurants throughout France, the owner of Bouchon Bistrot is an expert when it comes to traditional country cooking in France.

Top review

Catherine

Dined 6 days ago

Wonderful evening meal out for Halloween with adult children! Food was sensational. The lamb was cooked to perfection and so flavoursome. The ribeye steaks tender and delicious. Also thoroughly enjoyed the Halloween 🎃 wear by staff on the night. Thank you Bouchon! 😍

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4.8

4.8 (5770)

£26 to £40

British

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

21’s cooking is big on flavour and short on fuss. We’re talking about a style which embraces the seasons and where the ingredients are king. Expect to find stylish, imaginative dishes – which don’t pander to fads or fashion…………and still have room for pudding. Expect a warm welcome, generous hospitality and service that is both friendly and correct.

A city centre restaurant with a city centre buzz. In the heart of Newcastle's Quayside, 21 has an excitement and warmth all of its own. Smart but not stuffy, sleek but not pretentious, fun but not gimmicky - It's about eating good food in comfortably stylish surroundings.

Menus include Lunch and Early Evening Fixed Price, Five Course Seasonal and à la Carte.

Top review

Karen

Dined 2 days ago

Fabulous food, friendly staff, great ambience definitely recommend a visit, once wont be enough

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Popular dish

Cheddar Cheese and Spinach Soufflé

Porterhouse Butcher & Grill

4.7

4.7 (1295)

£25 and under

Steakhouse

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

At Porterhouse, it’s all about the meat. Choose from our menus, watch our chefs at work, buy some more to take home. To showcase what cooking with meat is all about, we’ve brought together a butcher’s counter, a steakhouse and a team of talented chefs.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 2 days ago

We visited the grill as part of our Fenwicks Xmas window experience. We were accompanied by my 5 month old granddaughter who was in her buggy. The staff were very good at seating us in an appropriate place with the pram and were very attentive. The food was, as usual, delicious. A salmon starter followed by the seafood stew and a burger. We were about to leave when they surprised us with a piece of basque cheesecake (also delicious!) as it was my birthday. I eat either here, or the fish counter quite regularly and it never disappoints.

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BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU DAY 🍷

Blackfriars Restaurant

4.6

4.6 (6761)

£26 to £40

British

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Blackfriars is located in a 13th century medieval friary where it once served as the refectory for the Dominican friars, making it one of the oldest purpose-built dining rooms in the UK.

The restaurant serves a classic, gutsy British menu sourcing seasonal produce from local farms and markets accompanied by a large award-winning wine list. It also has an adjoining 50-seat Banquet Hall for private parties and weddings and above the restaurant is a Cookery School and Wine/Beer/Whisky Tasting Room. See their website for a full list of what’s on.

Blackfriars has won a host of awards including The Taste of the North East winner in the North East Tourism Awards, Best Sunday Lunch in Newcastle by readers of the Independent, Best restaurant in the North East/Newcastle’ by readers of The Observer and Metro Newspaper. It has an AA rosette, inclusion in the Which? Good Food Guide, Hardens and Michelin Guides.

Top review

Gillian

Dined 2 days ago

Party of 4, we had a great evening. The food was excellent, and the Vegan options were top notch! Waiting staff were welcoming & attentive. Would highly recommend, and will certainly return.

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Experience

Smoke on the water - Whisky Tasting

Experience

Street Food Express - Pad Thai

Experience

Afternoon Tea

Mantra Thai Dining Restaurant

4.7

4.7 (243)

£26 to £40

Thai

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

At Mantra, we take pride in serving top-quality, fresh Thai cuisine to our customers because we genuinely care. Our skilled chefs from Thailand collectively boast over 30 years of experience and are dedicated to crafting authentic, flavorful dishes from various regions. We aim to create a memorable dining experience by infusing our food and service with heartfelt Thai hospitality, always striving to elicit a smile from our guests as a measure of our success.

Top review

Esuan

Dined 6 days ago

Excellent food and service. Great experience. Will be back.

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