Diners' Choice: Best Ambience restaurants in Newcastle upon Tyne

OpenTable

Updated 05 October 2026

Looking for restaurants with the best ambience in Newcastle upon Tyne? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyses nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you book, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Solstice

5.0

5 (88)

£41 and over

Global, International

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Nestled in the heart of the historical Newcastle Quayside and hidden behind an unassuming facade,
Solstice by Kenny Atkinson offers a very distinctive dining experience.

As a guest at Solstice, you will not be presented with a menu on arrival.

Your menu has been carefully created by Kenny Atkinson and Head Chef Scott John Hodgson, through a procession of courses which is inspired and led by the British seasons and the very best produce available.

From our open plan kitchen our team of chefs will serve every course and we also finish a lot of our dishes in front of the diner, explaining the produce and passion behind our dishes.

In March 2023, Solstice was awarded a Michelin Star after only 8 months of opening. Solstice is currently rated number 26th at The UK Top 100 National Restaurant Awards 2024.

Please be aware if you would like to contact us then do so via email on admin@solsticencl.com as our phone line in not monitored. Many thanks.

Top review

Gary

Dined 4 days ago

Lovely place for a special occasion. We had most enjoyable evening for my son's 21st

St Vincent

4.8

4.8 (1196)

£26 to £40

Wine Bar

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Part wine bar, part restaurant, a city centre venue with a city centre buzz. St. Vincent is an after-work drinks spot, supper-with-friends place and general 'snack-with-a-glass-or-two' hang out with a big-hearted 'everybody welcome' attitude.

Inspired by the neighbourhood bars we've found on our travels through France and Italy, we offer interesting wines, charcuterie and crowd pleasing plates full of punchy flavours. We're a place where an hour spins into several without anyone noticing.

Open evenings Tuesday to Friday, all day Saturday and close late.

Enough said. Come and find out.

Top review

Ian

Dined 3 days ago

Great venue, excellent service and fantastic food with great ambiance to match!

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Experience

Beaujolais Nouveau Menu

Experience

Pedro Lopes Vieira x St. Vincent

Experience

Whole Suckling Pig for the Table

Saltwater Fish Company

4.9

4.9 (1702)

£25 and under

Seafood

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Designed for seafood lovers – Saltwater Fish Company, situated in Fenwick Foodhall, operates as both a Fish Bar and Fishmonger with a ‘we cook what we sell, we sell what we cook’ philosophy. There’s no fuss – just a passion for seafood, simple yet creative cooking and friendly service.

Top review

Penny

Dined 6 days ago

Excellent evening (special evening opening for Beat Boutique) with wonderful food - every course was delicious. No room for pudding sadly. Service was great as was the ambience. It’s not cheap but quality of the food is top notch.

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Experience

Oyster Sunday – £2 Lindisfarne Oysters (All Day)

Experience

BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU DAY 🍷

The French Quarter

4.9

4.9 (3245)

£26 to £40

French

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

The French Quarter is a relaxed neighbourhood restaurant & wine Bar in a community of unique and quirky businesses in Newcastle city Centre. We are a friendly and approachable team of people, with a passion for the good things in life. Born from nostalgia for a traditional style of commerce and a desire to challenge perceptions that French dining is formal or fussy, we work with independent suppliers to offer a regularly changing wine list & tapas style menu. We have created a casual and sociable environment where customers are invited to experience our food, try our wines, shop from our deli and share our love of all things French!

Top review

Charlie

Dined 2 days ago

The overall experience was really nice here, good food and would definitely go back 😊👍🏻

4.8

4.8 (5770)

£26 to £40

British

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

21’s cooking is big on flavour and short on fuss. We’re talking about a style which embraces the seasons and where the ingredients are king. Expect to find stylish, imaginative dishes – which don’t pander to fads or fashion…………and still have room for pudding. Expect a warm welcome, generous hospitality and service that is both friendly and correct.

A city centre restaurant with a city centre buzz. In the heart of Newcastle's Quayside, 21 has an excitement and warmth all of its own. Smart but not stuffy, sleek but not pretentious, fun but not gimmicky - It's about eating good food in comfortably stylish surroundings.

Menus include Lunch and Early Evening Fixed Price, Five Course Seasonal and à la Carte.

Top review

Julian

Dined 4 days ago

Consistently the finest food in Newcastle….. for decades.

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Popular dish

Cheddar Cheese and Spinach Soufflé

Porterhouse Butcher & Grill

4.7

4.7 (1295)

£25 and under

Steakhouse

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

At Porterhouse, it’s all about the meat. Choose from our menus, watch our chefs at work, buy some more to take home. To showcase what cooking with meat is all about, we’ve brought together a butcher’s counter, a steakhouse and a team of talented chefs.

Top review

sarah

Dined on 15 Oct 2026

Good never disappoints Excellent service by friendly staff

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BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU DAY 🍷

Bouchon Bistrot - Hexham

4.8

4.8 (3205)

£26 to £40

French

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

Winner of the Best European Restaurant honour at the North East Restaurant Awards and conveniently situated in the centre of Hexham on Gilesgate, Bouchon Bistrot serves straightforward country style French cuisine, including daily specials in the evening. Born in the Loire Valley and having plenty of experience from working in Michelin starred restaurants throughout France, the owner of Bouchon Bistrot is an expert when it comes to traditional country cooking in France.

Top review

Richard

Dined 2 days ago

Fantastic. Delicious food, great wine, attentive service and a warm ambience!

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4.8

4.8 (3484)

£26 to £40

British

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

We’re big on warmth, low on fussiness: stripped wood floors, high bar stools, painted brickwork and comfy leather banquettes. Sup your pint beside our polished-oak bar or tuck yourself away in the Snug behind the frosted glass partition. You can hear yourself talk, concentrate on the crossword or nod off quietly in the corner.

To help keep everyone safe, our teams will continue to wear face masks and we'd love you to do the same when nentering and moving around the pub and dining room.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding and we look forward to seeing you.

Top review

Dorothy

Dined 5 days ago

A great gastropub. Saw it a couple of years ago and happily could experience it this time around.

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Experience

Worker's Lunch

Hibou Blanc

4.7

4.7 (1622)

£26 to £40

British

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

This magical Edwardian building has been transformed to a beautiful bar, restaurant and private room where we hope to deliver to our customers an experience you won’t find anywhere else in Newcastle.
Join us to dine in our elegant brasserie which aims to serve classic dishes, including a generous Sunday lunch, using the very best ingredients with plenty of flavor but no fuss or in the bar for some light bites and fantastic drinks curated by a team of some of Newcastle best mixologists.
Above all we want you to relax, enjoy the music and feel at home here at Hibou Blanc.
Please note our bar operates on a walk-in only basis, and you can book our main restaurant to enjoy both our lunch and our a la carte menu. When joining for Afternoon Tea please state this in your booking notes.

Top review

Christopher

Dined 3 days ago

Very attentive waiter and delicious food and cocktails

Mantra Thai Dining Restaurant

4.7

4.7 (241)

£26 to £40

Thai

Newcastle upon Tyne

About the restaurant

At Mantra, we take pride in serving top-quality, fresh Thai cuisine to our customers because we genuinely care. Our skilled chefs from Thailand collectively boast over 30 years of experience and are dedicated to crafting authentic, flavorful dishes from various regions. We aim to create a memorable dining experience by infusing our food and service with heartfelt Thai hospitality, always striving to elicit a smile from our guests as a measure of our success.

Top review

SarahGold

Dined 4 days ago

Great Thai food, and nice, relaxed atmosphere. Their early dinner set menu was great before heading to a concert at the utilita arena.

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