Diners' Choice: Best Ambience restaurants in Newcastle and Northumberland

OpenTable

Updated 05 March 2025

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

Elkwater Bar & Bistro

4.8

4.8 (100)

£26 to £40

Bistro

Ponteland

About the restaurant

WALK-IN GUESTS WELCOME, WE ALWAYS KEEP SOME TABLES FREE. Call 01661 679600 or email enquiries@elkwater.co.uk to check availability.

Elkwater Bar, Bistro and Lifestyle Store in Darras Hall, Northumberland. A beautiful venue, offering delicious French/Canadian inspired relaxed dining, from breakfasts through to lunch and evening meals with live music, cocktails, draught beers and fine wines.

Top review

Lisa

Dined 6 days ago

Always a fab experience, great atmosphere, great food and great service. All of the food was delicious.

Vito's Osteria

4.9

4.9 (92)

£26 to £40

Italian

Sunderland

About the restaurant

Vito's Osteria, the restaurant of authentic Italian cuisine, serves food prepared with traditional recipes and fine Italian wine in a relaxed atmosphere.

It is located in a charming converted barn that has been transformed into a dining and entertainment center in the city of Sunderland.

Top review

Dominic

Dined 2 days ago

First class every time we have been. Definitely our go to place. I would thoroughly recommend it.

Bouchon Bistrot - Hexham

4.8

4.8 (2810)

£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

JanetM

Dined 7 days ago

Beautiful food as always a very warm friendly welcome and well priced for the quality of food.

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4.8

4.8 (2546)

£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

Kieron

Dined 3 days ago

Great food, great wines, good friendly service. Not rushed after dining. Highly recommended.

Peace and Loaf Restaurant

4.9

4.9 (2606)

£41 and over

British

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Headed up by Chef / Owner Dave Coulson, Peace & Loaf is a restaurant unlike any other in the region. Dave has an unrivalled reputation and passion for creating flavoursome and innovative dishes, which shows with the diverse menu and delicately decorated food on offer. Highlighting the importance of using only the freshest, locally sourced produce, Peace & Loaf will offer exciting, seasonal menus that will incorporate Dave’s signature dishes. Heavily inspired by traditional British cuisine with Dave’s own inventive flare, the meticulously crafted dishes will excite and intrigue even the most discerning of palates.

Top review

Peter

Dined 4 days ago

Really can’t fault a single thing, the food was outstanding and the additional snacks coming between courses was a nice added suprise , the service was flawless friendly down to earth staff can’t do enough, great ambience with a great soundtrack playing created a less formal setting but with high end food being served, all in all it was great value for fine dining quality food and service …….10/10

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Experience

Mother's Day

The Courtyard Pegswood

4.8

4.8 (294)

£25 and under

Bistro

Morpeth

About the restaurant

The Courtyard offers a warm farmhouse feel in the heart of Northumberland. Situated in Pegswood, the historic building which dates back to early-1900s, sits on the main route to Longhirst, once a home of. “Old King Cole”. Steeped in history, and influenced by the bistros of rural Italy, The Courtyard is certainly a place to visit.

Matt Hudson, head chef, brings a wealth of experience and a stellar reputation, having made a significant impact in the culinary world with his exceptional talent. His innovative and flavourful dishes have not only delighted diners but also earned him numerous accolades. Under his leadership, two gastro pubs in the North East were recognised in The Guardian's prestigious list of Best Gastro Pubs.

Matt is an ethical chef that likes to cook head to tail, leaving no waste from an animal. His commitment to using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients aligns perfectly with our philosophy of providing high-quality, sustainable dining experiences.

Top review

Sebastian

Dined 2 days ago

Sunday Lunch is very good here. The Lamb is sensational, it was incredibly tender, the vegetables were delicious and the Yorkshire pudding was gigantic.

Porterhouse Butcher & Grill

4.7

4.7 (1094)

£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

Paul

Dined 4 days ago

Ordered from the set menu. Food was delicious and really good portion sizes. Table service was exceptional. Highly recommend

St Vincent

4.8

4.8 (862)

£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

Lynne

Dined 3 days ago

Had the most delicious 3 course meal at St Vincent’s. Ambiance/atmosphere perfect. A restaurant that’s buzzing from the moment you walk in. Attentive, knowledgeable, friendly staff. This was for a special occasion. Had 1 small plate and 1 larger plate each followed by dessert. The food is just so exquisite- super tasty, well cooked, well seasoned. Extensive wine menu, broken down into easy to decipher sections so it was easy to choose. We also had a Sicilian sangria which was just devine. If you’re looking for a special restaurant that’s buzzing will deliver the best food ever, then it’s got to be this one. It is expensive but you get what you pay for and you will not leave disappointed. This is our 2nd time here and for me, it’s the best restaurant that I’ve been to in Newcastle. Well done to all the staff involved.

Saltwater Fish Company

4.9

4.9 (1457)

£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

OpenTable DinerVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Fab food and service was excellent. The oysters were very fresh and the fish cakes were sublime.

Kiln

4.7

4.7 (1125)

£26 to £40

Middle Eastern

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Kiln is a small restaurant in the heart of the Ouseburn. We make everything ourselves and push to be better than the day before.

We serve brunch every morning from 10am to 2:45pm.

Our Mediterranean & Middle Eastern inspired tapas style menu is served from 5pm to 9:30pm.

Our great coffee, homemade cakes and cocktails are served all day - and we’re dog friendly!

Please inform the staff of any allergies when booking & due to the nature of our menu please note we cannot accommodate anyone with a severe nut or sesame allergy.

Thank you!

Top review

Leon

Dined 3 days ago

Class as per. 👍.

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