However which way you look at it, the fact that there is only one restaurant in Newcastle with a Michelin star, despite the city’s fast-growing and exciting food scene, just goes to show how valuable the accolade really is. The Michelin Guide don’t throw away stars like penny change. Chefs up and down the country spend their entire careers striving to achieve what so many fail to do: earn their restaurant that all-important star, and if they’re lucky, maybe even two or three. But it’s no easy task.
Manchester is another major city that’s similar to Newcastle in that it’s home to only one restaurant with the highly-coveted award: Mana. Surely, this just makes the restaurant in question all-the-more valuable?
Despite a Michelin star being the highest award that the guide can dish out, let’s not forget its esteemed cousin - the Bib Gourmand - which recognises restaurants that serve 'quality food at a value price’. There are a couple of restaurants in Newcastle who lay claim to this award and which certainly shouldn’t be regarded as a run-up prize.
Then, there are a handful of places that have earned themselves a mention in the Michelin Guide – a special call-out for a restaurant’s impressive interiors or commitment to using sustainable produce, for example. Everyone appreciates a good review and to get one from the Michelin Guide is high praise indeed.
We certainly wouldn’t rule out Newcastle as a destination for serving top-notch food, whether that’s places in possession of a Michelin star, fine dining restaurants or simply somewhere to sample some really good fare. So, when we say we've rounded up the Michelin restaurants in Newcastle, we've included all the ones that are currently featured in the guide, from star holders to special mentions. They're all well worth a look if you’re in the area, and each offer seasonal menus and locally-sourced produce at the very least. Take a peek and keep checking in to see if any more are added to the list – there are always new restaurants opening in Newcastle and one of them could well be the next winner of a star.
Newcastle restaurants with a Michelin star
Here it is: the one, the only. We're sure there will be many more to come in the future but, for now, we'll let it have its moment in the spotlight.
House of Tides, Quayside
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What: House of Tides earned its Michelin star back in 2015, a mere year after Kennie and Abbie Atkinson first opened the restaurant in 2014, and has retained it ever since. The restaurant has since been awarded four AA rosettes and ranked fourth at the 2021 National Restaurant Awards. Located in a 16th century Grade I listed building overlooking the Tyne, the tasting menu showcases head chef Kennie’s take on modern British fare, from Isle of Mull scallop with butternut squash, smoked bacon and truffle to banana parfait with sesame, coconut and kalamansi.
What the Michelin Guide says: ''The attractively presented dishes are well-thought-out and flavours have plenty of depth – and there’s the occasional playful touch in evidence too''.
Where: 28-30 The Close, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 3RF
Book now: House of Tides
Solstice, Quayside
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What: Earning its first Michelin star this year, Solstice is the second triumph by Kenny Atkinson, who already owns Michelin acclaimed House of Tides. He is the biggest name in Newcastle's fine dining scene, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Located just minutes from the Newcastle Tyne Bridge, the restaurant is minimalistic, modern and filled with white tablecloth lined tables. The menu itself is ambiguous, with little given away in advance, but on arriving the dishes are complex and immaculately executed. Think slow roasted lobster with lobster oil made from the shells and head, poached in brown butter and finished with fresh fennel pollen and a yuzu kosho butter sauce.
What the Michelin Guide says: ''The kitchen’s restraint and maturity ensure that the focus is very much on the quality of the diverse selection of ingredients – and the sauces are particularly memorable''.
Where: 5-7 Side, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 3JE
Book now: Solstice
Newcastle restaurants with a Michelin Bib Gourmand
Restaurants in possession of a Bib Gourmand are very exciting in our book. This prize isn't all about fine dining and the award can be given for many different reasons – there's no set formula to winning one. What Michelin do say though, is: ''A Bib restaurant will leave you with a sense of satisfaction, at having eaten so well at such a reasonable price’’.
Route, City Centre
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What: Make a note of this casual bistro-style restaurant which serves modern British plates alongside an inventive wine list. Don’t be fooled by its rustic interiors, though, because the food here is elegant, considered and artfully put together. Seasonal small plates include fermented beetroot salad with sticky pecans, dill and Ragstone goat’s cheese; naturally-smoked haddock with leeks, Montgomery cheddar cheese sauce and kale pesto; and for dessert a cider mousse with vanilla and sour apple granita. The pace is chilled and plates arrive as and when they’re ready.
What the Michelin Guide says: ''Regularly changing menus offer well-priced, gutsy small plates with punchy flavours and a British heart''.
Where: 35 Side, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3JE
Book now: Route
The Broad Chare, Quayside
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What: The Broad Chare describes itself as a proper pub, serving proper food and proper beer. Take a seat here for traditional British grub with a no-frills approach and plenty of warm and welcoming vibes. The sturdily furnished first-floor dining room is where guests can dine on the likes of haggis on toast with fried duck egg and HP sauce, dry-aged Dexter ribeye with bone marrow butter and blood pudding with celeriac, mustard and pickled pear. It’s rib-sticking stuff. The ales are worth a mention, too, with names such as Black Velvet (Guinness topped with Champagne) and Death by Flap Jacks (English porter with hints of maple and vanilla).
What the Michelin Guide says: ''Housed within a converted warehouse by the quay, Broad Chare is a ‘proper’ pub, with a cosy bar serving appetising bar snacks and over 50 beers, and a rustic first floor dining room offering a more substantial menu of hearty, punchily flavoured dishes''.
Where: 25 Broad Chare, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 3DQ
Book now: The Broad Chare
Newcastle restaurants included in the Michelin guide
If there’s anyone in the world you want to recommend your restaurant, it’s the Michelin Guide. After all, you’re nobody until you’re talked about...
Trakol, Gateshead
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What: This trendy restaurant is actually comprised of an assortment of sea containers and its name is Swedish for ‘charcoal’, a gentle nod to its open fire kitchen. Trakol is much more than a place to eat, however, with the site consisting of a brewery and tap room, two bike shops, a coffee house and cocktail bar. Head here for seasonal, ethical cooking that celebrates traditional methods, from preserving to dry ageing and cooking over fire.
What the Michelin Guide says: ''Bold, hearty dishes range from small plates to feasting options for two to share''.
Where: Hillgate Quays, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 2FD
Book now: Trakol
21, Quayside
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What: Located in Newcastle’s Quayside, 21 offers white tablecloth dining in a cosy, red and white-clad setting. Although the menu draws inspiration from various styles and cuisines, the food is fundamentally rooted in French cooking with dishes such as Provencal fish soup, crisp confit of duck with Lyonnaise potatoes and slow-cooked shoulder of beef in red wine all up for grabs. Oh, and steak any which way you like.
What the Michelin Guide says: ''Start with a gin from the large selection behind the zinc-topped counter then head through to the smart red and black brasserie. Menus offer a comprehensive array of confidently cooked classics; the ‘menu du jour’ is good value''.
Where: Trinity Gardens Quayside, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 2HH
Book now: 21
Cook House, Byker
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What: Cooks House began life as a food blog and supper club, growing from a simple idea into a much-loved restaurant in Ouseburn that’s held to critical acclaim. It serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner but we’d recommend popping in for an evening of ethically-cooked small plates made from the season’s best produce. Try pear fritters in beer batter with blue cheese, honey and walnuts; tempura cauliflower with coconut curry sauce; and black sesame and goat ragu on toast with Doddington cheese and pea shoots. For dessert, baked brown sugar cheesecake with drunken prunes sounds like a bit of us.
What the Michelin Guide says: ''Dinner is the main event, with many of the vibrant, fiercely seasonal dishes cooked on the hibachi barbeque''.
Where: Foundry Lane Studios, Foundry Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 1LH
Book now: Cook House
The Patricia, Jesmond
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What: Food at The Patricia is proof that good things really do come in small packages. The six-course menu features an array of carefully-crafted small plates, from cacio e pepe risotto to chicken Milanese with prosciutto, where a few simple ideas are executed to perfection. It’s modern bistro food with a European touch, and all served alongside low intervention, natural wines.
What the Michelin Guide says: ''Tasty cooking displays Mediterranean influences and the wine list is good value''.
Where: 139 Jesmond Road, Jesmond, Newcastle, NE2 1JY
Book now: The Patricia
Fancy something sweet? Take a look at the best afternoon teas Newcastle has to offer