Get to Know… 21 Hospitality
From gastropubs to a butchers and a steakhouse, the 21 Hospitality venues are as varied as they are acclaimed. Here’s our guide to their city centre locations.
In just 35 years, chef Terry Laybourne, his wife Susan and brother Laurence have taken 21 Hospitality from just one venue - 21 Queen Street on the Quayside - to a large collection of well-regarded restaurants and ventures all over Newcastle and the North East. From gastropubs to a butchers and a steakhouse, the 21 Hospitality venues are as varied as they are acclaimed. Here’s our guide to their city centre locations.
Image: Northumbrian Grouse Pie at 21
21, Trinity Gardens
Originally known as (and based at) 21 Queen Street, 21 is the flagship restaurant of the group. Opening in 1988, it had a Michelin Star within three years and was one of the region’s most popular restaurants. Relocating to Trinity Gardens in the noughties, 21 is more relaxed these days but still racking up awards. The food is straightforward but beautifully presented and among its various menus, check out the Bang In Season five-course seasonal menu, which offers exactly what you’d imagine.
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Image: Cafe 21
Cafe 21, Fenwick
A bistro-style restaurant in the heart of Fenwick on Northumberland Street, Café 21 was the second venture from the Leybournes and its menu runs the gamut from really tempting breakfasts (served till 11.30am, with bellinis and Bloody Marys available!) to tasty, filling lunches, afternoon tea patisserie offerings and an excellent Sunday lunch too that offers some wonderful options like butternut squash and spinach curry or Asian chicken salad for two courses at £22 or three for £26.
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Image: Porterhouse Steak at Porterhouse Butcher and Grill
Porterhouse Butcher and Grill, Fenwick
The second of the group’s Fenwick outlets is Porterhouse Butcher & Grill, opening in 2017 and bringing together a butchers and a steakhouse. The open layout means you can chat to the butchers and chefs as they work, and the butcher’s emphasis on husbandry and provenance means the meat is the very best. The butchers offers click and collect and are happy to advise on cooking techniques and the rest. The grill menu is obviously meat-centred, with various cuts of steak as its focus, but there are a handful of fish and even vegetarian options.
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Image: Saltwater Fish Company
Saltwater Fish Company, Fenwick
Unsurprisingly, the final Fenwick outlet is a fishmongers, opening a couple of years before Porterhouse and offering a similar set-up: a fishmongers and seafood restaurant, side-by-side with each informing the other. Whether you want to stock up on fresh fish and seafood from the wet counter to take home, or let the chefs prepare your selection for you, the quality is assured. The fish bar menu keeps it simple – grilled lobster, miso salmon, monkfish medallions and of course a selection of oyster options.
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Image: St Vincent
St Vincent, Broad Chare
As mentioned in our recent feature, St Vincent has recently reopened after a three-year hiatus and is essentially the same cosy, welcoming wine bar and restaurant everybody loved. There are some minor tweaks to the ambience but the heart of St Vincent is great wine paired with great food and that’s still their ethos. The weekly changing selection of Franco/Italian small plates is new, but the popular pre-theatre menu is back, which given its proximity to the 21 Hospitality-affiliated Live Theatre, is a great thing.
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Image: The Broad Chare
The Broad Chare, Broad Chare
Directly on the other side of the Live Theatre from St Vincent you’ll find The Broad Chare, which incorporates two diverse elements beautifully: downstairs, it’s the Platonic ideal of traditional ale houses – old wood everywhere, traditional bar snacks and a cosy atmosphere. There’s a small selection of more substantial food on offer too – Ploughmans, toasties and the rest. Upstairs it’s next-level gastropub fare: haggis on toast, bacon chops, Sunday roasts and sticky ginger loaf. There’s a lovely spring-to-autumn garden out the back too.
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Image: Oysters at Saltwater Fish Company
The various 21 Hospitality restaurants and shops have been providing some of the very best food and drink in the city for 25 years now, expanding without losing their focus, and whether you want a quick lunch while you’re shopping, a tasty pre-theatre meal or a plateful of oysters just because they’re delicious, they’ll have the right destination for you.
