Dine Around the World with NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week
Take a culinary journey across the globe with NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week this January
Newcastle is blessed with an astonishing range of international cuisines and NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week is a perfect time to try something you might normally be a little wary of.
Perhaps you’ve always been wary of sashimi, or tiptoed around tapas: the £15, £20 and £25 offers available during NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week mean you can tantalize your taste buds with something new without breaking the bank.
So come with us as we take you around the world, one restaurant at a time, all without leaving the heart of Newcastle.
France
Let’s start our journey close to home. For a long time in this country, French food was perceived as posh – snobbish even – and there is still a place for that kind of haute cuisine, but the more casual, rustic, bistro-style fare has been gaining in popularity.
A great example of that is The French Quarter on Westgate Road, which is offering two courses for £20 and three for £25 during Restaurant Week, so you can enjoy plenty authentic and rustic French dishes like smoked mackerel pâté, chicken supreme with sautéed potatoes and creamy tarragon mustard sauce and pain perdu – brioche ‘French toast’ with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream.
The much-loved Hotel du Vin & Bistro is offering two courses for £20 or three for £25 in its delightful dining room, where you can enjoy some bistro classics like French onion soup to start, 'Cassoulet de Canard Confit' (duck leg, pork belly and Toulouse sausage in a rich bean stew) as your main and a classic crème brûlée to finish – and all for a bargain price!
And of course, there’s Côte Brasserie, a Grainger Street staple. Their two courses for £15 or three for £20 offer features starters like potted crab with lobster butter and sourdough, mains including minute steak and desserts like chocolate praline tart. Better yet, all mains include free-flowing frites too!
Spain
A romantic train journey over the Pyrenees and it’s time to say 'hola' to some delicious Spanish food during Restaurant Week.
Both branches of Kaltur – on High Bridge and Dean Street – have been doing amazing things with tapas and small plates for a few years now, and their £15, £20 and £25 offers include some tasty and tempting dishes like confit Spanish artichokes, Iberico pork cheek and grilled octopus all the way from Galicia.
Quayside favourite El Torero has £15 and £20 offers (three tapas or three tapas and dessert) and its Leazes Park Road sister restaurant El Coto is offering the same deals too – so dishes like ropa vieja, albondigas and croquetas can be yours for a (flamenco) song.
And last but by no means least there’s Cafe Andaluz – perfectly situated, gorgeously decorated and full of tempting tapas. During Restaurant Week you can enjoy a trio of deals – breakfast for two people for only £20, three tapas at lunch for £15 or three tapas and dessert at dinner for £20. Dine early and you’ll enjoy the likes of eggs, chorizo and avocado on sourdough or a classic Spanish breakfast or take advantage of their tapas offering with tempting plates including padrón peppers, Serrano ham croquettes and gambas pil pil.
Italy
A little further east across the Med and we’re in Italy – the birthplace of pizza, pasta and all other kinds of tasty treats. Luckily, Italian cuisine is well represented during Newcastle Restaurant Week!
Dean Street mainstay Marco Polo has been cooking up delicious Italian food in Newcastle for more than fifty years and a wonderful meal is promised with their two courses for £20 or three for £25 offer. Expect dishes like pan-fried rump steak with nduja crema, seafood risotto (with king prawns, squid and mussels) and pear and almond frangipane with lemon mascarpone.
Zucchini Pasta Bar is a temple of pasta, a casual cavalcade of Italy’s greatest gift to the world. There’s a two dishes for £15 or three for £20 offer on during Restaurant Week and pasta lovers will be in heaven with fare like ham hock, pea and roast chicken sugo orecchiette, beef shin and pork shoulder ragu with pappardelle and the vegan-friendly ‘Spaghetti Midnight’.
This January, we've got a handful of Restaurant Week newcomers taking part for the very first time and one of them is Sanco, a bottomless pizza joint down on Forth Banks. For their Restaurant Week debut, they're offering a £20 deal that gets diners as much pizza as they can chow down as they can eat plus a dessert.
Perhaps the highest profile Italian joint in the city is Gino D’Acampo Restaurant on the Quayside who are dishing up two courses for £20 or three for £25 for Restaurant Week diners. We don't know about you, but the trofie al salmone affumicato (thin twisted pasta from Liguria with smoked salmon, asparagus, lemon and a creamy mascarpone sauce) is certainly making our mouths water!
A handful of Eldon Square eateries are taking part in January's Restaurant Week, including popular chain ASK Italian. Get two courses for £20 or three for £25 and feast on dishes like calamari, slow-cooked beef pappardelle and Sicilian lemon tart.
And, if you need even more inspiration, check out our guide to Restaurant Week’s best Italian bites!
Greece
To the far side of the Med now and to Greece. Everyone always comes back from the Greek islands raving about the food, but there’s great Greek cuisine right here on our doorstep in Newcastle.
Bigg Market favourite Kafeneon is offering two courses for £15 or three for £20 and that includes dishes like keftedes, beef stifado and baklava - all hard to resist considering the restaurant's reputation for amazing Greek food and their super-friendly staff.
Next up, we’re “sailing away” to Salparo! This Quayside eatery has seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes to pick from this Restaurant Week – think dolmadakia, chicken souvlaki and prawn saganaki – so no-one has to miss out on their two dishes for £20 and three for £25 offers!
Over at Grainger Market, multi-award winning purveyors of Greek street food Acropolis have two great deals going that are perfect for a lunchtime treat. Grab a wrap and a side for just £15 or a regular platter and a side for just £25 - with options like chicken gyro and lamb kofta plus sides like Greek olives and fried halloumi bites to choose from.
USA
Moving further afield, we’re headed to over to the U.S. of A. for some of that great food you always see in movies and want to get stuck into.
Over at the Bigg Market, popular eatery Meat:Stack are offering a trio of mouthwatering deals priced £15, £20 and £25 – all including their iconic burgers, of course – and will be cooking up a burger special with a soon-to-be announced special guest chef, so keep your eyes peeled!
Fellow burger experts Fat Hippo have a fantastic £15 Restaurant Week offer too featuring a starter, main and a side. Kick off your meal with starters including frickles (that’s fried pickles to the uninitiated), followed by a juicy beef or chicken burger (plus veggie and vegan options too!) and team with sides like fries or ‘slaw.
Home of all things chicken, Hen & Hops on High Bridge Street, is offering two courses for £15 and three for £20, which includes some seriously finger-licking good chicken options like fried wings available with a choice of sauces and the Small Bird Burger – a chicken patty topped with BBQ sauce, house sauce, melty cheddar, bacon, sassy pickles, crispy lettuce and white onion crunch.
Following on with the cluckin’ good chicken eateries, you’ll find FED’s Fried Chicken Shop in Grainger Market who have two mouthwatering deals going. Grab a their £15 or £20 offer and enjoy treats like chicken sandwiches, a bucket of wings alongside sides and drinks
Bringing a taste of the state of Hawaii to the Toon now, a trip to Moku with their duo of Restaurant Week deals is bound to tempt. From Wednesday to Sunday, get three courses for £20 or four for £25 and dine on dishes like Hawaiian fried chicken, charred lamb cutlets and spiced apple pie.
The Caribbean & Latin America
Of course, the USA is surrounded on all sides by countries offering their own brilliant cuisines which you can try here in the heart of Newcastle with Restaurant Week.
Cruise on over to the Caribbean at Turtle Bay with their £20 deal - offering a small plate, big plate and side - and fill up on tropical delights like pit prawns, jerk chicken and calalloo with spinach.
Alternatively, salsa your way to Cuba with £15 and £20 deals at Revolucion de Cuba. Offering three tapas dishes served with chips, guac and salsa (plus churros if you opt for the £20 deal!), there’s the chance to dine on fare like Cajun cream mushrooms, patatas bravas and tropical chicken skewers.
Head eastwards to Mexico at Eldon Square eatery Chiquito, where you’ll get two courses for £20 or three for £25. Choose from starters like nachos and jalapeno poppers, mains including build-your-own burritos and enchiladas and desserts like churros and toffee popcorn brownie.
Staying in Mexico, we’re heading to Motel Mexicana next who have a trio of great Restaurant Week deals this January. For £15, you and your amigos will get three tacos plus a side or for £20, you’ll get all that plus a portion of churros. And if you really want to make a foodie fiesta of it, cough up £25 and they'll throw some loaded nachos into the deal too. With tasty taco options including carnitas, chilli con carne and mushroom enchilado, you’re certainly in for a delicioso meal at Motel Mexicana!
Moving southwards, take a culinary trip to South America at Argentinian steakhouse Gaucho who are offering three courses for £25. Featuring steak options like sirloin and rump, meat lovers will be in steakhouse heaven – with starters like empanada and desserts like dulce de leche chocolate brownie sealing the deal.
Middle East & Africa
We’re taking a trip to the Middle East and Africa now, for a taste of authentic dishes right in the heart of Newcastle.
Persia Restaurant dishes up everything their name suggests! From starters like falafel and chicken olivieh (a Persian chicken salad) to mains like koobideh kebab and bamieh (a stew of ladyfingers, plum tomato and spices), there’s a dish to tempt any diner. And, with two courses for £15 or three for £20, Restaurant Week is the ideal time to explore their menu.
For luscious Levantine and Persian cuisine, there’s no better place to head than DOOD. The Quayside hotspot is cooking up a delicious £25 offer that includes a starter, main and side with falafel, jujeh kebab and Persian jewelled rice to choose from. They’re even throwing in a pre-starter of hummus and khaboos bread to share too!
Heading southwards, we’re touching down in Africa at Sunshine Restaurant which specialises in authentic Eritrean and Ethiopian food. Their £15 offer gets you a starter, main and a side and the chance to try a cuisine not found elsewhere in Newcastle city centre! They’ve got lots of dishes to try too – from zgni (a hot and spicy lamb stew) to beyanetu, a vegan-friendly platter of curries, veg and enjera bread.
Japan
We’re heading eastwards now ‘til we arrive in Japan, a country whose cuisine is increasingly popular in the UK, starting with the sushi boom and now taking in a wider appreciation of a fascinating range of food.
Known for its noodle soups, Maki & Ramen is serving up its signature ramen this Restaurant Week (plus other mains like yakisoba and katsu curry) alongside some tasty starters including tempura squid and veggie gyoza. Their £20 and £25 deals include a mocktail/soft drink or cocktail/house beer/house wine respectively too.
Aiming for something a little more pan-Asian, The Muddler has two offers happening during Restaurant Week with £15 and £20 deals that get you two lots of four-piece uramaki sushi portions or three of their tasty small plates and a side, respectively. Their must-try adobo crispy pork is included too!
Over at St Sushi, they’re dishing out two courses for £15 or three for £20. Tantalise your taste buds with starters like tempura and sushi (naturally!), followed by mains like tofu curry and grilled salmon in teriyaki sauce. Why not finish with a dessert of homemade green tea ice cream for the full St Sushi experience?
Load up on even more sushi at Newcastle hotspot Sushi Me Rollin' with £15 and £25 offers. Their £15 "Ridin' Solo' deal gets you one katsu uramaki, one hosmaki and a soft drink but if you're heading out as a duo, opt for the £25 "Mate Date" deal and get an extra katsu uramaki and soft drink!
Thailand
Heading deeper into South-East Asia, Thailand is another national cuisine that’s seen a growth in popularity in the last twenty years or so, and Newcastle has some fine examples.
Take Chaophraya, the Eldon Square restaurant whose food is as impressive as its location and rooftop terrace. Enjoy two courses for £20 or three for £25 during Restaurant Week, including such must-try dishes as sweetcorn cakes, Thai red curry and cashew nut stir fry.
Mantra Thai Dining is another tempting Thai restaurant with a Restaurant Week deal that offers two courses for £15 from 12pm to 5pm, or two courses for £25 from 5pm to 10pm. Enjoy starters like duck spring rolls or crispy fried tofu paired with mains including yellow cauliflower curry and Thai-style sweet and sour chicken.
Vibey Newgate Street joint Zaap Thai is making a welcome return to Newcastle Restaurant Week this January with a £15 deal that gets diners two courses and a drink. Kick off your meal with starters like Thai fish cakes followed by mouthwatering mains including Thai red curry with jasmine rice and wash down with drinks like Chang beer or bubble tea.
And of course, just down Mosely Street, you’ll find Nadon Thai. This January, they’re offering two courses for £15 or three for £20, so you can dine on the likes of prawn sesame toast, drunken udon noodles with roast duck and pandan pancakes – all for a steal!
India
And then on to India, of course, home to one of the UK's most popular cuisines. Newcastle has a wealth of great Indian restaurants, so spice-lovers are in for a treat this Restaurant Week.
Long-running and much-loved Newcastle restaurant Sachins are taking part again this January too with a oh-so-tempting £20 offer that gets you three courses including an amuse-bouche, starters like paneer pakora or gunpowder fish and mains including desi chicken curry and king prawn masala served with a choice of rice or naan.
Indian street food institution My Delhi have two Restaurant Week deals – a £15 lunch offer and a £20 dinner offer. Both deals get guests a choice of three street plates or one street plate and a roadside curry served with rice, but if you dine at dinner they’re including a papadam basket to share with lots of delicious house-made chutneys for dipping.
Rani Indian Restaurant, down near the Quayside, specialises in Punjabi cuisine so expect starters like Amritsari prawns and mains including shahi paneer teamed with a choice of sides – basmati rice, naan or tandoori roti – with their £20 offer. To celebrate Restaurant Week, they’re including a complimentary dessert too – saffron kheer, a creamy rice pudding infused with saffron and cardamon.
Just a short walk away, you’ll find Khai Khai which styles its menu as ‘Indian retro comfort food’ and means dishes like which means dishes like murgh tikka, Old Delhi butter chicken and their signature tandoori broccoli. This Restaurant Week, their £25 offer gets you a small/smoke plate and a heritage dish served with a choice of sides, plus a pre-starter to share featuring a pappad basket with chutneys and a kala chana pattie.
Over at Dakwala, there are plenty of Bombay canteen-style delights to enjoy this Restaurant Week with £15 and £20 deals. The former gets you three small plates and a side and the latter gets you a three-course meal and with dishes like onion-beet bhaji, fenugreek chicken tikka and Railway wala mutton, there's something to suit everyone.
Another Newcastle newcomer, KISS recently set up shop in The Gate and is making its Restaurant Week debut with some tempting £15 and £20 deals. Dine at lunch for £15 and feast on a hearty soup, mains like bhuna chicken and rice or naan or book up for dinner for £20 and enjoy startrs like sheekh kebab, mains including the KISS special house curry (all served with sides too) and a decadent gulab jamun for dessert.
If you really want to spice it up, check out our guide to Newcastle Restaurant Week’s best Indian eats for even more places to go!
Britain
Of course, one of the best things about travelling abroad is coming home, and with British food in something of a golden period at the moment, there’s no better time to dine on our own dishes - especially here in Newcastle.
Set in a Dominican friary that dates back to 1239, Blackfriars’ Restaurant Week menu isn’t the only impressive thing about the beloved city centre venue. This January, their £25 offer means you can enjoy three courses at lunch or two courses at dinner and dine on what they dub “gutsy and traditional” British food like pork and black pudding terrine, pan-fried North Shields cod and sticky toffee pudding – so make sure you get that table booked!
Colmans at Fenwick will be serving up its signature seafood this August with a deal that offers two courses for £15 or three for £20. Their award-winning fish and chips main is a must-try, but don’t miss out on tasty starters like mushy pea fritters and tempting desserts like lemon posset either!
Redhouse keeps things simple - they sell good old British pies - and their Restaurant Week offer is perfect for people dining in pairs with a deal that get you two pies, and a choice of potatoes, peas and sauce each all for only £20!
And last, but by no means least, there’s The Broad Chare. Friendly and non-fussy, their Restaurant Week menu means you can dig into two courses for £20 or three for £25 at lunchtime – including the likes of spiced carrot and brown crab soup, a pudding of steamed pheasant, ham and leek and Yorkshire rhubarb sponge and vanilla custard. Delicious!
That’s just a fraction of the many countries and cuisines represented in the January 2026 edition of NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week and with offers this good you could visit a different nation every night and not break the bank… or need a passport!
NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week, in association with Tyne and Wear Metro, takes place from Monday 12th January 2026 to Sunday 18th January 2026. For more information visit: www.getintonewcastle.co.uk/ne1-events/restaurant-week.
Main image: Dakwala
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