Best Places for Lunch in Newcastle

Calling all daytrippers, keen shoppers and busy commuters bustling around Newcastle city centre... it's time you had a lunch break! 

There are some top-notch spots in Newcastle for long and luxurious lunchtime catch ups or tasty grab-and-go food vendors and takeaway stalls ideal for refueling while you're flitting from A to B.  Choose from cosy cafes and coffee shops or a special lunch menu at a city centre restaurant. Newcastle and its surrounding areas has a great many excellent places to meet for brunch too. 

Read on for our guide to some great places to have lunch in Newcastle.

Wander the aisles in Newcastle's Grainger Market and find a diverse range of flavours wafting through the historic indoor market. There are food stalls galore in Grainger Market showcasing the best in the region's local producers, street food vendors and independent bakers - many of which go on to have a second venue elsewhere. Grainger Market is the perfect spot for a quick lunch in Newcastle - visitors can grab an oozing tub of Mac n Cheese to go or journey around the world from Cuba to Italy, India to Greece with some of the best, independent food stalls the city has to offer. 

Step through the doors of Fenwick Newcastle and get ready to journey through refined dining! Take a seat in Fuego and share all-day tapas or peruse the counters serving the freshest fish and meat in Fenwick Food Hall. Champions of local producers, artisans and restaurants - drop by Fenwick Food Hall for a Dot Bagel packed with innovative fillings to takeaway or get lost in the exotic flavours of a Dabawal Indian street food lunch box. In the warmer months, take the lift straight to the rooftop where you'll find cafe, bar and restaurant Roof ThirtyNine (picture below).

Whether you're sitting in or taking away, Fenwick Food Hall is a truly exclusive setting for a luxurious lunch with a cosmopolitan twist.

Visitors arriving in the city on the train should join the queue of regulars outside The Camera Shop and choose from a lunch of toasties, hefty super boxes packed with veg, salad and sauces or creative wraps and sandwiches - they even have jacket potatoes on their menu to takeaway. Open from 8am - 2pm, The Camera Shop is a great independent place to grab lunch near Newcastle Central Station and perfect for office workers who fancy a wholesome lunch on the go. There is no indoor seating but you can perch on a bench outside, or take your lunch with you! 

Olive and Bean is a popular lunch choice in Newcastle's city centre. Spread across two floors, Olive and Bean has a homely feel with large wooden country-cottage-style tables and comfy sofas. It's a great place to settle in for a hearty lunch and catch up over a giant slab of cake, Afternoon Tea or rustic soup and a doorstop sandwich. Their takeaway menu is also a great shout for when you're grabbing lunch on the run. 

Call into Blakes along Grey Street for a quintessentially British lunch menu. You have the pick of light bites including quiche, scones and pastries as well as a choice of freshly made sandwiches, hearty soups, jacket potatoes and large salad bowls. Blakes' breakfast menu also runs until 2pm each day so there are plenty of lunchtime options. 

Kafeneon is a much-loved Greek restaurant in Newcastle's Bigg Market. A popular choice all-day long, it is also a great place for a budget-friendly lunch and are always very helpful at trying to accommodate big groups, especially on their outdoor dining area. Choose from stuffed sourlaki pitas or Greek mezze platters to be transported to warmer climes. Their lunchtime menu also includes a range of posh toasties which are made with freshly baked artisan sourdough from the nearby Grainger Market’s French Oven bakery.

Zucchini Pasta Bar is an independent Italian restaurant located slightly off the beaten track in Newcastle but still on the main thoroughfare connecting the city with the suburbs and the student apartments around Northumbria University. Zucchini also has a restaurant within Gateshead's shopping mecca - Metrocentre. Serving up a creative menu of pasta dishes, Zucchini prides itself on its handmade pasta which is makes fresh each day. Zucchini is a relaxed and informal spot for lunch with friends - ideal for those with a penchant for authentic, fuss-free Italian cooking. 

Add a touch of class to your lunch date meet-up with a visit to The French Quarter in Newcastle. Nestled beneath a stone arch under the railway line and a short walk from Newcastle's iconic Castle, The French Quarter is an intimate, independent restaurant which oozes elegance and style. The menu is unsurprisingly influenced by French cuisine and their lunchtime offering is a simple menu which showcases fuss-free but traditional French dishes including Moules à la Provençale and smoked duck breast with salad. Journey to the continent via Newcastle with a lunchtime deal of 2 courses for £13.95 or 3 courses for £16.95. Open for lunch 12pm - 2pm on Tuesdays - Saturdays (deal available on Tuesdays - Fridays). 

There are restaurants, bars and cafes in abundance on NewcastleGateshead Quayside and recently joining the line-up is Scream for Pizza. The independent pizza experts, who also have a restaurant in Sandyford, now run a great spot on Newcastle's Quayside selling their popular stonebaked pizzas by the slice. Ideal for lunches in the sunshine during the summer or a quick bite on the go. 

Recently graduating from a street food stall at STACK Newcastle to its very own restaurant on Grey Street, Sushi Me Rollin' is a great place for lunch in Newcastle city centre. In fact, there are a growing number of restaurants where you can enjoy sushi in Newcastle. Vibrant, colourful and fresh - sushi is fun and as much a masterpiece to post to the 'gram as it is a great option for lunch in the city. 

The Magic Hat is a hidden cafe found beside Laing Art Gallery. Unassuming and easy to overlook - The Magic Hat is a charming cafe and restaurant well-worth seeking out. With an admirable passion for serving its community with excellent, sustainable dishes, the main ethos of the venture is waste-free dining and their innovative chefs only use ingredients that are surplus food saved from landfill. The menu is therefore varied and ever-changing based on what is available but tends to follow a similar, wholesome pattern with thick soups, hearty lunches such as roasted tomato and Italian sausage on toast and often a selection of cakes, crumbles and hot puddings to follow.

Another budget-friendly cafe that will leave you feeling impressed as well as full. This is the ultimate Ready-Steady-Cook experience but with winning outcomes every time! Open for 10am - 4pm, Thursdays - Sundays with Pay-As-You-Feel dining at the weekend.