Father’s Day: How to Spoil Your Dad in Newcastle

Take him out for some top-notch grub

A number of restaurants are offering something special for Father's Day this year. At Leila Lily's on Grey Street, they're serving up a delicious gentleman's afternoon tea from 14th-16th June featuring not only the usual sandwiches and scones but mini burgers and sausage rolls too. It's priced at £18 a head, but for an extra £5 you can treat your dad to a refreshing pint of lager too.

Or why not gather the whole clan together and get booked in for a family meal at Harry's? Their special Father's Day menu offers two courses for £22.50 or three for £26.50 and you could be dining on everything from pizzas, burgers and fish and chips to Sunday roasts with all the trimmings.

If your dad is a fan of steak, you can't go wrong with a trip to Miller & Carter on Mosley Street. To celebrate Father's Day, they've got a great deal going on a huge 16oz Cornish salt-aged long bone tomahawk steak priced at just £39.95. And it's available all weekend long (14th-16th June) too!

Buy him a great gift

You can’t really go wrong with aftershave. Dads never buy their own - it’s what Christmas and Father’s Day are for. Boots and Superdrug both have fine selections, especially if you’re on a budget, and have several central branches. They both have a selection of Father’s Day gift sets too. Or you could head to The Fragrance Shop in Eldon Square where they’re bound to have your dad’s favourite scent and all kinds of big brands – from Dior to Paco Rabanne to Calvin Klein.

Another reliable favourite is beer – especially if dad is one of the growing legion of craft ale aficionados. Local micropub The Wobbly Duck recently opened a bottle shop in Central Station dubbed Wobbly Aleways which sells a range of quality local, national and international beers and in every kind of style - sours, stouts, IPAs and bitters included. Nestled in the Grainger Market, the Firebrick Brewery Bottle Shop is also packed to the rafters with beers, including some of their own creations brewed upriver in Blaydon. Plenty of gift boxes are available too.

If dad is more about haute couture than hops, Newcastle has plenty of excellent options. Mr Munro is an old school family tailor in the west end of the city and provides all the services you’d expect – why not get him a particularly natty tie? Hugo Boss needs no introduction and is a superb outlet for all sorts of accessories that would make his day, from bags to belts, wallets to fragrances and beyond. 

High street chic is more accessible than ever – Marks & Spencer, River Island and John Lewis all stock wide ranges of clothes, accessories and more that are guaranteed to make him smile. And they’ve all got a range of offers and Father’s Day gifts too.

If you want to go slightly more high-end, try Flannels – they've got every brand from Balenciaga and Stone Island to Burberry and Kenzo and they’ve often got a big sale on. Or there’s Fenwick, a bastion of quality that stocks all kinds of luxury brands including the likes of REISS, Polo Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.  Another high-end boutique is End, which has a range of sales ongoing and a selection of Father’s Day gifts – maybe you can finally get him that Burberry bucket hat. Or some gorpcore!

Newcastle is, of course, full of excellent specialist shops to tickle your dad’s fancy, whatever it might be, and we’ve written about most of them! So why not have a look at our guides on the city’s best record stores, geek shops or bookshops?

Take him out for some fun

If your dad has an inner Dude busting to get out, there’s a great bowling alley in the city in the form of Lane 7 which has good vibes, good lanes and all sorts of other fun (pool, karaoke, beer pong and more) as well as plenty of great food and beer.

Crazy golf is the latest activity to get a jazzed-up makeover, no more so than at the Junkyard Golf Club, a psychedelic mind-warp of themed flouro crazy golf courses! It’s loud, vibrant and if the lighting doesn’t make your eyes spin, the colourful cocktails will. Mr Mulligans has three adventure golf courses too, as well as electro-darts, pool, beer pong and a bar.

And if that isn’t hair-raising enough, axe throwing is all the rage in Newcastle which has has three venues for dad to summon up his inner viking. Hatchet Harry’s behind Life Science Centre and Game of Throwing - which has branches in The Gate and on Princess Square - both offer a range of sessions and packages aimed at a variety of skill levels, with full training provided to make sure Father’s Day doesn’t end up in A&E!

If axe-throwing isn't thrill-seeking enough for your dad, how about a kayaking tour on the River Tyne? Local water-based adventure company CBK Adventures regularly host sit-on kayak tours of the Tyne Bridges and Quayside that depart from NE1's very own Newcastle City Marina. You could give you dad the gift of seeing his favourite city from a whole new angle!

Don't forget to buy him a card

Whatever other treats or activities you might gift your dad, don’t neglect to get him a card. It might be the smallest thing, but it probably means the most. There’s a few obvious destinations to pick up an excellent one, whether you’re going for funny, sentimental or plain insulting!

Take a look at Clinton Cards in Eldon Square, one of two Card Factory branches - on Northumberland Street and in Eldon Square – or the Scribbler in Central Arcade.

If you want something a little more unusual and aimed at proper Geordies fathas, try Geordie Gifts in the Grainger Market who will definitely have something he’ll like... and it's bound to give him a giggle too. 

Most dads probably pretend they don’t like a fuss being made and probably grunt when Father’s Day is mentioned, but you know deep down they love it. So whether you want to get him a great gift, a lovely meal, a night out or just a really special card, Newcastle is bound to have just the thing. Happy Father's Day!