The Broad Chare

British·
££££
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Bronze Award
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SquareMeal Review of The Broad Chare

Bronze Award

Seasoned Newcastle restaurateur Terry Laybourne is the main man behind The Broad Chare – a thumpingly good, Bulldog-Brit gastropub opposite Café 21 on the city’s trendy Quayside. The sturdily furnished first-floor dining room is the place for accomplished plates of “amazing, locally sourced food” – think warm onion tart with fried duck and wild mushrooms, rare-breed pork belly with garden brassicas and scrumpy or spicy black pudding with smoked haddock and mustard. Specials such as ham shank and pease pudding are scrawled on mirrors, and the line-up also extends to things on toast, salads and puds such as chocolate stout mousse with ginger snaps. ‘Proper pub, proper beer, proper food’ is the venue’s slogan and it takes care of boozy business with a polished oak bar dedicated to obscure North Country real ales such as Mordue Apollo 40 or Full Mash Bhisti IPA. An “air of unashamed but spectacular of dumbing down” also shows in brilliant snacks such as crispy pig’s ears, hand-raised pork pie or cauliflower fritters with curry mayo. In short, “a proper British picnic, upliftingly simple, but beautifully crafted”.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £30 - £49
Cuisines
British
Ambience
Cosy, Dark and moody, Quiet conversation, Traditional
Food Occasions
Dinner, Lunch, Sunday roast
Special Features
Vegetarian options
Perfect for
Dates
Food Hygiene Rating

About

The Broad Chare is restaurateur Terry Layborne’s first pub, and - with a glowing review by Jay Rayner and a Bib Gourmand under the team’s belt - hopefully it won’t be his last.

The Broad Chare offers delightfully comforting, old fashioned food. It can often take more confidence to keep things simple than to make them complex, and the pride Laybourne has for his hometown’s food shines through in The Broad Chare’s menu. Rayner’s beloved haggis and fried duck egg on toast (served with a bottle of H.P. sauce) is still on offer, as is the restaurant’s popular bubble and squeak. But, the beer and drinks menu changes frequently as new breweries and seasonal drinks come and go. Hand raised pork pies and Scotch eggs sit alongside Lindisfarne oysters and crispy pig’s ears. In fact, although Blackfriars may be known as Newcastle’s medieval restaurant, there is definitely a touch of the 13th century about this pub’s food, if not its dining room.

The Broad Chare is located in an elegant, modern brick building, tall and imposing. It is set opposite The Live Theatre, a small arts space with which it has an unusual partnership - a portion of the pub’s profits go to help run the theatre and to support local artists. Hidden around the back of the pub is a spacious garden, with a grassy area perfect for kids to run around in. Inside, the restaurant is decorated in Layborne’s signature simple-but-elegant style. It manages to somehow be both distinctly cozy - a necessity for any pub - and refined. The Broad Chare is a fantastic spot for bar snacks before a visit to the theatre, a long Sunday lunch or a few beers in the garden with friends. It really is the perfect spot to enjoy some of Newcastle’s famous Geordie hospitality and less famous, but increasingly recognised, wonderful food and drink.


FAQs

Is The Broad Chare available for booking?

Yes, the restaurant is open for bookings.

Helpful? 0

Does The Broad Chare offer Sunday lunch?

Yes, the restaurant offers Sunday lunch.

Helpful? 0

Does The Broad Chare have a dress code?

No, the pub doesn’t have a dress code.

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The Broad Chare is featured in

Location

25 Broad Chare, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 3DQ

0191 211 2144 0191 211 2144

Website

Opening Times

All day
Mon 12:00-23:00
Tue 12:00-23:00
Wed 12:00-23:00
Thu 12:00-23:00
Fri 12:00-23:00
Sat 12:00-23:00
Sun 12:00-22:00

Reviews

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3 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Anon

28 December 2022  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5

Great service friendly but not intrusive. Wonderful food perfectly cooked with layers of flavour that compliment but never argue . Pleasant environment with simple but comfortable vibe

Anon

01 June 2021   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 4
Service 4
Atmosphere 3
Value 4
Lovely!

It was delicious! 

Joe B

22 July 2014  
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 4
Atmosphere 4.5
Value 4
Most stag dos to Newcastle involve three things. 1) Being forced to drink a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale at pace during which a jubilant crowd of Newcastle Dog Track attendees screams “Down it! Down it! Down it!” 2) Sleeping on the stairs outside your hotel room because your mate has passed out inside, having gone home earlier with the key. 3) Having a Geordie bloke suggesting you should “step outside” with him because you decided to wear a coat. I witnessed all of these events last weekend. But more than that, my particular group, which included a chef of some stature, also witnessed an excellent meal. Having filled up on cheap drinks and takeaways for a couple of days we rolled out of the cab at The Broad Chare. Unannounced, the seven-strong group – probably looking like absolute scoundrels – arrived at the pub which sits just a street back from the Tyne. It is set in an old brick building, but with a modern-rustic interior. As one of restaurateur Terry Laybourne's 21 Hospitality Group, the pub features stripped back tables and a plethora of brass fittings and frosted glass. Keeping to current trends, the day’s specials were scrawled on the mirrors – another look that so many are going for. And why not, it’s pleasant, if a little derivative of the front runners. Chef Chris Eagle heads up the boozer’s nosh and offers exactly what it says on the slogan – “Proper pub, Proper beer, Proper food.” A proper British picnic, upliftingly simple but beautifully crafted. In a tapas-style frenzy, the hungry group took on 12 Lindisfarne oysters – au natural – at (£2 each), deep-fried monkfish cheeks with tatar sauce (£3.50), sumptuous warm scotch eggs (£3.50) arguably the best Middle White’s pork crackling and Bramley apple sauce I have ever tasted (£2.80) and the most picturesque hand-raised pork pie (£3.50) I’ve ever seen (pictured). Two pints of Scotland’s finest St Mungo lager was hair of the dog for me while various ales and craft beers were quaffed to much cheer. Beginning to feel human again, no less than five of the team chose the roast beef Sunday special (£12.50). But when it arrived featuring a giant Yorkshire pudding, three generous slices of beautiful beef, plus all the trimmings, you could hear the mixed sighs of intestinal apprehension and visual joy. Despite the spacing worries, the meals were polished off with aplomb. I personally chose the crispy duck leg, sat on an embankment of braised lettuce, peas and bacon (£15). More juicy than crispy – just how I like it – the meat fell from the bone, was light and tasty and set off by the tang of the lettuce and salty bacon. The Broad Chare was one of just two North East venues to receive a Bib Gourmand in the 2013 Michelin Guide – its mouthwatering yet inexpensive snack selection tells you all you need to know. The service remained excellent, despite the group of hung-over herberts who turned up for a lunch session unannounced. I wouldn’t have wanted to serve us, let alone smiled and chatted – all the while ignoring the obvious smell of Sambucca. From its mutton masala to the spicy black pudding and beer mustard, there is an air of unashamed but spectacular dumbing down in the menu – as though a genius is teasing us, just letting us in on a hint of the magic he has in his locker. Using just British classics, Eagle has spun a magical trap of pub fodder you might have once eaten from a paper plate or atop a soggy beer mat. Now just stick me in a corner, pop the dunce’s hat on me and feed me more.
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