(217 Jesmond Road, Jesmond. Tel. 0191 281 7179) This is no simple steak joint, but a slightly off-the-wall restaurant that serves up subtle and varied dishes to a discerning audience.
Black Door
(32 Clayton Street West. Tel. 0191 261 6295) Fine dining for those with a penchant for quality home-grown foods cooked with panache. This intimate restaurant has won a clutch of awards and prides itself on local delights such as Warkworth pork and Northumberland venison.
Black Door Restaurant
(32 Clayton Street West. Tel. 0191 261 6295) This restaurant has already made a name for itself with classic French dining, scooping prizes in this year’s Restaurant Remy awards.
Café 21
(19-21 Queen Street, Quayside. Tel. 0191 222 0755) The brainchild of chef Terry Laybourne, Café 21 is a cool venue that offers superb British classics, with an emphasis on fish dishes. It's won a raft of awards, so book ahead.
Close House Country Club
(Heddon-on-the-Wall. Tel. 01661 852 255) A mansion turned hotel, Close House offers top-drawer Anglo-French dining in spectacular country surroundings just outside the city. A classic on the menu is the Northumberland beef with bone-marrow crust in Newcastle Brown Ale sauce.
Fisherman's Lodge Restaurant
(Jesmond Dene, Jesmond. Tel. 0191 281 3281) This formidable old restaurant and former retreat of 19th-century Newcastle engineer George William Armstrong is tucked away in picturesque Jesmond Dene.
Fisherman\'s Lodge
(Jesmond Dene. Tel. 0191 281 3281) The Lodge is a sumptuous, classy old building hidden in the leafy surroundings of Jesmond Dene. It dishes up superb seafood cuisine to a well-heeled crowd.
Gershwins
(54 Dean Street. Tel. 0191 261 8100) Give the chefs at this grand restaurant four days' notice and they'll cook shark steaks to order. Gershwins boasts an international menu—the fillet steak and sumo chips is substantial—and an impressive tented ceiling.
Grand Hotel
(Grand Parade, Tynemouth. Tel. 0191 293 6666) Aptly-named hotel overlooking the rugged North Sea coastline. Dine in elegant surroundings, enjoying the seafood specialities like deep-sea John Dory with tiger prawns, lemon and parsley butter, and vanilla mash.
Heartbreak Soup
(77 Quayside. Tel. 0191 222 1701) Low key in looks but Heartbreak Soup serves exotic food with inspiration from Latin America, Africa and Asia, among others. Always imaginative.
