13 Must-Try Italian Restaurants in Newcastle

Pani’s Café – High Bridge

Pani’s has been focussing on fine Sardinian food for nearly thirty years, with an emphasis on the finest ingredients (either imported from the homeland or sourced locally). The informal café offers all sorts of Sardinian specialities you won’t see on most menus – from culurgiones fritti (fried pasta parcels, filled with pecorino, mint garlic and potato) to spigola (seabass fillets pan-fried, seasoned with polenta in a rich seafood sauce). With a very tempting dessert menu, a strong wine list and plenty of cocktails, Pani’s really is something special.

Bella Italia – Eldon Square

Bella Italia is one of the UK’s most successful chains, with dozens of locations UK-wide. A visit to the Eldon Square branch will show you why – Bella Italia offers a long and reliably tasty selection of pasta and pizza dishes as well as sides, salads and burgers. There’s a strong selection of desserts and drinks, and plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options too.

Gino D’Acampo Restaurant Quayside – River View, Quayside

One of the most impressively located and decorated restaurants in the city, the food at Gino D’Acampo Restaurant Quayside more than lives up to the setting. There are several menus, often seasonal in nature, with vegans/vegetarians and the gluten intolerant well catered for (and there’s a kids menu too). The wine and cocktail lists are carefully curated and all in all, Gino’s offers some really fine dining in really fine surroundings.

Lui’s – King Street

Another Quayside restaurant is Lui’s, formerly – and for many years – Sabas. The name change reflects a new chef (Daniel Bernardelli) and a major revamp, and the menu certainly looks reinvigorated. The kind of pizza, pasta and tapas-style dishes that made Sabas popular are still there, but the rest of the menu has been thoroughly modernised to include dishes like Seabass Luigi and Veal Saltimbocca. Lui's also offers a tempting bottomless brunch deal alongside an amazing wine list and range of cocktails.

Babucho – Lower Dean Street

Babucho is as much a bar and lounge club as it is a restaurant – it opens till late, and is rightly proud of its cocktails and drinks menu. But the dining element is in no way neglected: a strong list of typically Italian dishes is joined on the menu by more unusual items – shepherd’s pie, cajun prawns, king prawn saganaki. There are vegan, vegetarian and Sunday roast menus too.

Prima – Side

Prima has been flying the red, green and white flag for great Italian food for around twenty years and its large (300 cover!) location on the Side is a local favourite. The main menu is augmented by brunch, lunch and even a Sunday lunch menu, so whether you want a hearty pasta dish or a full Sunday roast with beef brisket or seabass fillet, Prima has you covered.

Uno’s – Sandhill

Another popular trattoria in the shadow of the Tyne Bridge, Uno’s has been in business for almost 35 years. The Uno’s menu is packed with Italian favourites – plenty of pasta and pizza dishes, risottos and fish and meat from the grill and they do a pretty tempting Happy Hour deal too that's perfect for filling hungry bellies without breaking the bank.

Portofino – Mosely Street

Portofino has been part of Newcastle’s restaurant scene for forty years and the last 22 of those were spent in a grand Victorian building on Mosely Street. The lengthy and tempting menu covers all your traditional Italian favourites plus a few surprises – the Polpette al Purgatorio and Cartoccio di Pesce both look delicious. There’s a Sunday lunch and vegan menu, plus a bargain-busting Happy Hour menu too.

Zucchini – 55 Degrees North, Pilgrim Street

Zucchini styles itself a pasta bar and it really is all about freshly-prepared, tasty pasta. Using imported Italian ingredients or locally sourced fare, Zucchini focuses on a concise but stunning selection of pasta dishes - Pappardelle '8 Hour' Beef Shin & Ox Tail Ragu, Fettuccine Chicken Parmigiana, Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli... you get the idea. All that with an imaginative selection of starters and sides too.

Gusto – Quayside

A small chain with a largely Northern focus, the Newcastle branch of Gusto is another appealing Quayside Italian. A strong selection of traditional favourites – pasta, risotto, pizzas and steaks – is augmented by an excellent dishes like pan-seared swordfish, smoked pork cutlet and even a vegan flank steak.

Sambuca – Quayside

Sambuca’s is a fast-growing North-Eastern chain of Italian restaurants with new branches opening all the time. Like the rest of the outlets, the Quayside branch keeps things simple and traditional with a menu that has a solid list of pizza, pasta, risotto and steak offerings and all the starters, sides and desserts you’d expect.

Zizzi – Grey Street

Another chain, but on a much larger scale (more than 130 branches across the UK and Ireland), Zizzi prides itself on adding new twists to a standard Italian menu, so you’ll find mini-fondues, a range of salads, herb rolled pork belly and a selection of sharing boards among the more usual dishes. And that's alongside a robust range of gluten-free pizza and pasta options too.

Pinocchio – Westgate Road

From its charming interior to its comforting traditional menu, Pinocchio radiates a homely warmth. This is reflected in the food – a menu simply bursting with traditional flavours, from a lengthy antipasti selection to plenty of pizzas, pastas, risottos, chicken and steak dishes and tasty sides. And if you don’t want to sit in, they offer takeaway and delivery too.

Harry's - Grey Street

Located on one of Newcastle's most iconic streets, is a venue some may not have realised as one of our city's Italian hot-spots. Serving up a classic Italian menu to suit all diners, Harry's offer a range of menus for any occasion. Whether you're treating the other half to a date night, looking for a pre-theatre dinner or even in the mood for a Sunday roast, they've got you covered. To top it all off, their expert team have an extensive drinks menu to pair with your favourite dish.

There are dozens of Italian restaurants in and around Newcastle city centre, all offering their own takes on one of the most vibrant and tasty cuisines around. So whether you want something purely traditional and comforting, or modern twists on old favourites, there’s bound to be an Italian restaurant just right for your tastes and your wallet.