Christmas 2024: 21 Must-Try Festive Menus in Newcastle
Our round-up of some of the most tempting festive menus in the city
Every now and again, the papers will run a story about some loveable eccentric who has eaten nothing but Christmas dinners every day for 35 years or something. They’ll normally include the total sum of sprouts eaten for some perspective.
We don’t recommend that, but in the run-up to Christmas plenty of Newcastle’s finest restaurants offer excellent seasonal menus so there’s no reason why you couldn’t eat quite a lot of festive food this December.
And it’s not just the standard turkey and stuffing either - there are some appealing and inventive international spins on Christmas dinner too. Here’s our round-up of some of the best Christmas menus in NE1.
City Tavern, Northumberland Road
Much loved Newcastle institution The City Tavern is well known for lots of reasons - including its love of dogs - but we can add a love of Christmas food to the list too. They’ll be offering three Christmas menu options – a main course for £19.95, two courses for £26.95 or the whole three courses for £31.95. From leek and stilton soup, to a salted caramel yule log via some splendid main options – turkey of course but also slow roasted beef brisket, baked salmon fillet and a vegan-friendly dish of parsnip, butternut squash and cranberry wellington - there's plenty of festive treats to get your taste buds tingling.
The Vermont Hotel, Castle Garth
The Vermont has got so much going on this Christmas, they’ve even produced a shiny brochure! Available every day in December there’s a special festive afternoon tea, served from 12:30pm till 4pm. This seasonal spin on their popular afternoon teas can be taken in the Vermont Lounge, Redwood Bar or Maven Restaurant. £24.95 per person gets you all the sandwiches, baked goods and hot drinks you could want, with ‘gentleman's’ and children’s options available as well. On Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th December, you can even enjoy it with entertainment from the incredibly talented Westoe Brass Band ensemble too!
Maldron Hotel, Newgate Street
If one festive menu isn't enough for you, then the Maldron Hotel have three! Get into the Christmas spirit with a two-course festive lunch from £21.95 per person, or a two-course festive dinner from £25.95 per person. Fancy something a little more indulgent? Dig into their festive afternoon tea from £18.95 per person and enjoy a selection of sandwiches, scones and seasonal sweet treats. You can even upgrade and add a glass of prosecco for £6 per person!
Blackfriars, Friars Street
There can’t be many more evocative places to enjoy a seasonal feast than the decidedly olde world environment of Blackfriars. From Monday 25th November to New Year’s Eve (excluding Christmas and Boxing Day), their Christmas menu costs £46 per person and includes a glass of fizz, three courses, festive fudge and tea or coffee. It’s a pretty special menu too – options like home-made black pudding, potato & truffle pan haggerty, butter-roasted breast of turkey and some actual figgy pudding. There’s a fine seasonal cocktail list too – we love the particularly punny Let It Sloe!
The Alchemist, Eldon Square
The Alchemist brings its potions and wizardry to the festive season with a Christmas menu available from Monday 18th November. Offering three courses for £40 per person, guests can enjoy some appealing and unusual dishes like cheddar and shrimp toastie, crispy sea bream or whisky panna cotta - although there is a traditional turkey available too. There are all manner of extras as well, like a £60 per person option with a festive bellini and Christmas cocktail to enjoy alongside the full three-courses.
21, Trinity Gardens
Keeping it simple but refined as you’d expect, 21’s Christmas menu (available from Monday 2nd December for lunch and early evening) offers two courses for £44, or three for £49. From the spiced parsnip soup to pheasant ravioli, through main courses like butter-roast turkey and braised chalk stream trout to desserts such as Christmas pudding with brandy sauce and sweet mince pie and Chantilly cream, this is a classy Christmas feast.
Cote Brasserie, Grainger Street
Old school French brasserie Cote has a delicious-looking Menu de Noël available from Thursday 21st November until Christmas Eve, which manages to capture the best of both Christmas and France. For £37.95 per person, you can dine on three courses that bring a Gallic twist to seasonal dishes: brûlée camembert, roast turkey ballotine and Christmas pudding nougat, for example. The perfect way to enjoy rustic French festivities without leaving the city!
Pleased To Meet You, High Bridge
Available from Monday 25th November to Sunday 29th December (excluding Sundays), Pleased To Meet You is offering a delicious festive menu, with two courses for £30 and three courses for £35. It includes starters like game terrine and winter leaf salad, mains such as the PTMY traditional turkey roast, or vegetarian wellington, while there’s salted caramel brownie and spiced fruit crumble to finish. Fancy something a little lighter? Enjoy a festive afternoon tea for £25 per person, and indulge in some festive sandwiches, savoury snacks and seasonal sweet treats – all washed down with a glass of prosecco, mulled wine, or your choice of tea or coffee.
The Earl of Pitt Street, Pitt Street
The Earl Of Pitt Street has a well-deserved rep as a good pub serving great food, and their Christmas menu – available from Friday 29th November – doesn’t look like it would disappoint. It’s £32 per person for two courses or £38 for three, and that means you can enjoy dishes like wild mushroom risotto, spiced roast parsnip soup, pan-fried salmon and apple and cinnamon crumble - as well as turkey and Christmas pudding crème brûlée too.
My Delhi, Clayton Street
Indian street food specialist My Delhi is offering a tasty-looking 'Christmasala' menu this year, from Monday 25th November to Monday 30th December. Priced at £27 per person for lunch or £30 per person for dinner, and available for a minimum of four, they’re offering some sub-continental spins on Christmas traditions like onion bhaji with festive chutney, as well as the usual dishes like Railway Station Lamb Curry and Grandma’s Aloo Matar. Don’t forget the white chocolate raspberry roulade to finish too!
Banyan, Monument Mall
Banyan has several Christmas options available and its festive bottomless brunch is certainly tempting. Running until 3pm, it costs £41.95 per person and offers a classic brunch dish (a few with a festive twist too!) plus 90 minutes of unlimited drinks. Enjoy a selection of Christmas cocktails while eating breakfast hash or poached eggs in various ways or for a small supplement, try dishes like the all the trimmings burger, and rustic ciabatta steak melt.
Hard Rock Cafe, Sandhill
Like a little rock’n’roll with your drinks? Then head to the Hard Rock Their Christmas menu is £25.95 per person for two courses and £31.95 per person for three and keeps it simple but tasty. It’s available from 12pm everyday from Monday 25th November until Tuesday 24th December, so get that table booked!
Miller & Carter, Mosley Street
Even though Miller & Carter is a shrine to steak, their festive menu – available from Monday 25th November up to Christmas Eve – does include a hand-carved turkey in its options. For £35.95 per person for two courses, and £39.95 for three courses, you can enjoy starters like chicken liver and brandy parfait, mains such as some fine cuts of steak but also oyster mushroom galette, and of course the aforementioned turkey, and desserts like a Christmas chocolate brownie - plus all the trimmings and sides.
Fat Hippo, Shakespeare Street
After a festive feast with a difference? Head to Fat Hippo for their legendary Christmas burgers! Indulge in a Hans Gruber-ger (try saying that ten times fast!) or a Fairytale of No Pork (one for the veggies and vegans) – with a Baileys Blitzen to wash it all down. Oh, and that’s not forgetting that you can choose from hand-cut chips, fries or purple ‘slaw as your free side too!
Zucchini, 55 Degrees North
Zucchinis is dishing up fresh festive pasta from Sunday 1st to Monday 23rd December, and there’s plenty to pick from! Whether you grab a pasta and side for £18, or a pasta, side and post pasta for £23, you’ll be able to enjoy the likes of orecchiette English Christmas truffle carbonara and maltaglilati aubergine and chestnut pasta bake. Grab some chocolate orange tiramisu for afters, and maybe even a Campari and cinnamon spritz to wash it all down, and you’ll be feeling festive in no time!
Tomahawk, Newcastle Quayside
Whether you want a traditional turkey with all the trimmings, or a swanky steak with beef dripping chips to celebrate the festive period, Tomahawk have a Christmas Menu to please everyone (including the veggies!). Starting from £29.95 per person for three courses, it's a menu filled with Christmas classics and Tomahawk specialties. Oh, and they have an espresso crème brûlée too…
Chaophraya, Greys Quarter, Eldon Square
Chaophraya has gone all-out with their Christmas menu this year. There’s five mouth-watering three-course set menus to pick from, starting at £42 per person. On top of that, there’ll also be a curated selection of special seasonal cocktails to enjoy alongside your meal. Delicious!
Pizza Punks, Grey Street
You’ll want to get a slice of Pizza Punks’ festive menu! Join them from Friday 29th November to Monday 23rd December for Punkmas, where you can enjoy 90 minutes of unlimited drinks (wine, prosecco, beer and choice from six festive cocktails) and any pizza for £39.95 per person. Just after some good grub? Dig into any pizza, any side and some home-made pizza churros with chocolate sauce for £24.95 per person.
Wagamama, Eldon Square
Try something different this Christmas with Wagamama’s delicious three-course festive menus. There’s a three-course plant-based menu for £24, and a three-course main menu for £27.50, with options including the legendary chicken katsu curry, and some new favourites for you to find too. Yuzu basque cheesecake, anyone?
Leila Lily’s, Grey Street
Grey Street hotspot Leila Lily’s has no shortage of menus to choose from this Christmas. Indulge in a deliciously festive afternoon tea for £27 per person (vegan options also available), or gather the gang to celebrate with a mouth-watering buffet for £25 per person. That’s not forgetting their set Christmas Fayre menu too, where you can grab two courses for £30, or three courses for £35.
The Botanist, Monument Mall
The Botanist’s legendary hanging kebab gets a seasonal spin between Wednesday 20th November and Christmas Eve. You’ll be able to enjoy a turkey hanging kebab (yes, you read that right!) as part of their impressive Christmas menu – alongside starters like houmous with spiced roasted chickpeas, and desserts like vegan vanilla cheesecake. Starting from £26.95 for two courses, and starting from £31.95 for three courses, it’s worth getting that table booked to celebrate with friends and family.
So there you have it: twenty recommendations for great Christmas menus, from the traditional to the exotic, the rock’n’roll to the Gallic. A perfect way to celebrate Christmas with friends and family in Newcastle during the season without having to wash up.
Been put in charge of planning the annual Christmas party for work? Or maybe you’re the one getting those plans out of the group chat? Either way, take the pressure off venue-hunting with our round-up of the best venues for fantastic festive parties.
Want to be in the know about everything that’s happening in Newcastle city centre? Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.
