The 11 best Italian restaurants in Newcastle

Newcastle has a thriving food scene, and it’s only on the up as a sought after destination for music, art and most importantly, food and drink. Quayside is overflowing with bustling bars, while Ouseburn has some of our favourite pubs of all time. And when it comes to restaurants, Newcastle delivers a seriously impressive roster, with a range of cuisines.

If you’re wandering around a city in search of a bite, what better cuisine to settle on than Italian? It really has it all: bread, meat, fish, cheese, wine. Plus, it’s the home of pizza, pasta and prosecco, the holy trio.

Food in Italy is like a religion. Unlike the UK, Italy has at least thirteen different types of places to eat, ranging from the high dining, formal ristorante to the humble, usually family-owned trattoria. Then there are regional cuisines, starting with hearty mountain food in the North, and travelling South to Sicily, home to some of the freshest fish you’ll find. Not a country afraid to split hairs, regions have subregions and they have their own particular cuisines too. And to top it all off, there are over 350 types of pasta, including the bizarrely named Strozzapreti (priest-stranglers).

With so many dishes, delights and delicacies, making a decision can be hard. That’s why we’ve scouted out the best Italian restaurants in Newcastle, from Fenham to Felling, so you can get on with the good part - eating. Here are our 11 top picks, including menu highlights and where to find them.

Pani’s Cafe, Grainger Town

What: Pani’s has been a staple since it opened in 1995 as Newcastle’s first Italian street cafe. It’s family-run, authentic and always developing. The menu uses traditional Sardinian ingredients like fregola (think Italian giant couscous), bottarga (salted, cured fish roe), and Sardinian sausage 'alla forestiera' with porcini mushrooms and risotto, alongside classic dishes like carbonara and lasagne. Drinks include Sardinian wines and fusion cocktails.
Where: 61-65 High Bridge, NE1 6BX
Book now: Pani’s Cafe

Portofino, Grainger Town

What: If you’re looking for a more upmarket setting, Portofino has you covered. The restaurant is set in a Victorian Grade-II listed building designed by the same architect as the Natural History Museum in London. This is the perfect place to do a full Italian feast with a wide range of tasters, starters, pizzas, pasta dishes, risottos, meat and fish. Highlights include homemade chicken liver pate, panzarotti (potato ravioli) and surf and turf. Portofino’s pasta and pizza also both have gluten-free options available.
Where: 12A Mosely Street, NE1 1DE
Book now: Portofino

Zucchini Pasta Bar, City Centre

What: For a more casual vibe, or even a bottomless Aperol brunch, head over to Zucchini Pasta Bar. Split into pre-pasta, pasta and post-pasta, the menu has a clear focus and offers quick dishes like pici cacio e pepe, as well as slower dishes like pappardelle with six-hour beef shin ragu. Not wanting to leave anyone out of the feast, Zucchini also have vegan and gluten-free pasta options. Finish your meal with a limoncello and sherbet slushy.
Where: 55 Degrees North, NE1 6BL
Book now: Zucchini Pasta Bar

Prima Ristorante, Quayside

What: Nestled under a railway arch, Prima has been a Quayside staple for over 20 years and is one of the city’s largest Italian restaurants. The food, wine and cocktail menus are seriously extensive, with happy hour deals extending to pasta and pizza as well as drinks. Highlights include prawn and scallop ravioli and slow-cooked lamb, with a tiramisu or vanilla panna cotta to finish off. If you want to be spoiled for choice, look no further.
Where: 40–46 The Side, NE1 3JA
Book now: Prima

Sorella Sorella, Sunniside

What: As the name (meaning 'sister sister') might imply, Sorella Sorella is a family-owned restaurant filled with vintage decor and friendly staff. In what is becoming a common theme on this list, the menu overflows with delicious options, including crab and chilli crostini, wild mushroom pizza, Tuscan sausage rigatoni, fish of the day and Italian sorbet. For a truly decadent drink to accompany, order the Turkish Delight Martini, made with rose and chocolate syrups.
Where: Street Gate Park, NE16 5LE
Book now: Sorella Sorella

Babucho, Quayside

What: Babucho isn’t just a New York-style brasserie and bar in the heart of Quayside. This bustling restaurant melts into a lounge club as the evening progresses and the lights dim. While most of the food menu is Italian, it also offers French onion soup, Lebanese chicken skewers and steak frites. To drink, there is a wide selection of Italian and French wine, as well as bubbles, beers and cocktails.
Where: Lower Dean Street, NE1 3JD
Book now: Babucho

Pizzeria Francesca, Jesmond

What: If you're looking for an unpretentious Italian restaurant and takeaway which still serves delicious food, you can't go wrong with Pizzeria Francesca. A true local institution, the small interior (traditional Italian red-brick, with a Roman column here and there) is regularly packed, and we can see why. The classics are executed to perfection, and there are regular specials showcasing more imaginative fare, such as lobster ravioli and tagliatelle with Cajun beef strips.
Where: 134-136 Manor House Road, NE2 2NA
Book now: Pizzeria Francesca

Mascalzone, Sandyford

What: Located a bit further North, Mascalzone is another Sardinian restaurant that offers some dishes you don’t always see outside of Italy. Crespelle are homemade pancakes stuffed with spinach, ricotta, mushrooms and Parmesan baked in a tomato sauce; malloredus piccante is a traditional Sardinian pasta shape with sausage mince, garlic, fresh chilli, saffron and courgettes topped with pecorino, and you can find both of these delicacies at Mascalzone.
Where: 238 Helmsley Road, NE2 1RD
Book now: Mascalzone

Fuego, City Centre

What: Housed in Fenwick’s flagship store dating back to 1882, Fuego is an all-day tapas canteen. Aside from Neapolitan pizza and other Italian classics, the menu also includes a wide range of Spanish dishes like aged manchego, patatas bravas and grilled octopus with mojo verde. Don’t miss the burnt Basque cheesecake to finish. The bar menu doesn’t disappoint either, offering Italian aperitivi, house cocktails and wine, plus a range of spirits and fortified wines.
Where: 39 Northumberland Street, NE1 7AS
Book now: Fuego

Florence, Jesmond

What: Heading to Jesmond you’ll find Florence (formerly Antico), a cosy venue with a great choice of menus, including the extremely affordable early bird three-course deal. Some more rural dishes feature on the a la carte selection, including chicken or mackerel pate on artisan bread, risotto with wild mushrooms and goat's cheese, and a mixed grilled seafood platter. Sunday lunch and festive menus are also available, and there's an impressive list of Italian wines.
Where: 15 Osborne Road, NE2 2AE 
Book now: Florence

Uno’s Trattoria, Gateshead

What: Another family-run location, Uno’s is the epitome of casual, lively Italian eating and has been for the last 30 years. Expect starters to pass round the table like arancini, wing and ribs, as well as heftier mains like braised lamb shank or chicken au Poivre. The drinks menu includes pitchers of sangria or Pimm's to share with the table and over 30 aperitifs and liqueurs, and of course there's the ubiquitous tiramisu to end your meal on a high.
Where: 18 Sandhill, NE1 3AF
Book now: Uno’s

Completed this list? Discover the best of the best with our pick of Newcastle's finest places to eat.