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“Excellent food and service in listed building with great character.”

Blackfriars Restaurant
Ranked #102 of 1,351 Restaurants in Newcastle upon Tyne
Certificate of Excellence
Price range: £8 - £63
Cuisines: European, British
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Good for: Local cuisine
Dining options: Breakfast, Dinner, After-hours, Lunch, Delivery, Reservations
Dining style: Casual Dining
Transit: Newcastle Central Station
Description: Established in 1239 as a Dominican friary, Blackfriars is believed to be the oldest purpose-built restaurant in the UK, having served as the refectory for the Dominican friars more than 800 years ago. Today it serves gutsy, traditional British food using seasonal produce from the local farms and producers; showcasing the North East at its best. As well as an excellent value lunch and early evening menu they also serve an a la carte menu and the best Sunday roast in Newcastle. After dining at Blackfriars you will see why it was voted Taste of England at the North East England Tourism Awards. There is also a cosy Parlour Bar for a drink, bar snack or cocktail before or after dinner. Above the restaurant Blackfriars has a Cookery School and wine, beer and whisky Tasting Room. Blackfriars also has a 50-seat Banquet Hall for private dining, corporate and private parties and weddings and a beautiful Cloister Garden for al fresco dining.
Reviewed 4 September 2014

We had not been to this restaurant for some time and called for Sunday lunch to see if it still lived up to its reputation. We were not disappointed we had an excellent tasty lunch with friendly attentive service. As other reviewers have mentioned their are early bird menus mid week which are excellent value for money. Booking a table is recommended.
The restaurant as it's name suggest is in an old friary just off the Chinese quarter. There are information boards at the back of the site giving a brief history.
Only criticism I have is that the toilets although clean could do with an update.

Date of visit: August 2014
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2  Thank tynetraveller51
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviews (2,178)
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1,591 - 1,595 of 2,178 reviews

Reviewed 4 September 2014

I visited this restaurant with my parents on 29th August having booked two weeks in advance. We were really looking forward to it. When we arrived we were put in an odd table sort of shoved in where there wasn't room - two of us were sitting staring forward at the entrance pathway to the main part of the restaurant and then out the window. The third person was seated in the direct path of the door with a draft and no room to push the chair out without being in the way of customers walking past. It would have been very difficult to talk to each other or even look at each other without angling ourselves oddly.

The serving staff were helpful when we tried to move some chairs around but the table was still uncomfortable. The person who I took to be the manager, on the other hand, was unsympathetic and almost rude. We felt that she had no concept of what we were trying to say and frankly didn't care. Though they did offer us another table in 1 and 1/2 hours this was too late for us. We left disappointed without even having looked at the menu :(

I hope this table is moved or taken away so that other diners don't have such an unacceptable experience.

Date of visit: August 2014
    • Atmosphere
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2  Thank NonTravelWithMe
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 2 September 2014

A friend advised us that must try this restaurant, how right they were , a lovely day had by all.
We visited on a sunday looking to take advantage of the 3 course special for £18.
There was a wide selection on the menu , I opted for the pea & broad bean risotto, salmon linguine & then chocolate 'delice' with cherry sorbet , delicious.
My wife opted for corned beef with egg yolk comfit , chicken breast with cheese potato rosti & then sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel ice cream.
Drinks were a little expensive at £23 for a bottle of rose but all in all a very good meal & will certainly return

Date of visit: August 2014
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Thank O3821PPmarkb
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 September 2014

First time I've visited this restaurant which was on a Sunday afternoon, we were a party of 8 enjoying a birthday lunch.

We didn't all arrive together which wasn't a problem as we were shown to the table and the staff were more than happy to wait on the rest joining us whilst serving us drinks.

The service was great, we had a very attentive and interested waitress looking after us.

The food was served promptly, was hot and very flavoursome and we were offered extra vegetables, gravy etc.

Drinks are limited to bottles of beer which are all local and there are plenty to choose from, no larger that I spotted and the wine list was varied.

Value I thought was good for a prime location in the city

I would definitely recommend it and I will be back.

Date of visit: August 2014
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Thank Dave B
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 31 August 2014

Visited Newcastle for a concert at the weekend and whilst there, we were also celebrating our wedding anniversary, so wanted to go somewhere a little bit special for dinner, without breaking the bank. Blackfriars really ticked all the boxes, wonderfully romantic restaurant with an option for pre-theatre menu (£15 for 2 courses and £18 for 3 courses). Had a bit of a job finding the place initially, but eventually some locals pointed us in the right direction. What a beautiful setting for a restaurant. It's situated in what was once a Dominican Friary, established in 1239, and has lovely grounds and a cobbled courtyard. We had booked a table and were delighted when they showed us to a quiet corner, a lovely table for two all ready and waiting for us. The restaurant has a wonderful ambiance, and the lovely lady who showed us to our table was delightful. We were brought a basket of delicious home made bread and butter whilst we browsed the menu.

We chose a bottle of house red wine, which was extremely quaffable. My husband had the home-made black pudding with beer pickled onions and English mustard cream to start with. He had Northumbrian Lambs Liver, Champ and Crispy Bacon for his main and followed this with the cheeseboard (at a £2 supplement). He loved every single mouthful of his entire meal and declared the cheeseboard the best ever, 5 pieces of delicious English cheese with pickled celery, home made chutney and biscuits with a slight aniseed/liquorice flavour, along with a couple of slices of delicious spiced fruit and walnut bread.

I skipped starters and went for the 6oz Northumbrian rump steak (medium) with garlic butter which was accompanied with hand cut chips, a Portobello Mushroom and tomatoes and it was devine. The steak was juicy, tender and cooked to perfection. Chips were perfect. I followed this up with a dessert of Dark Chocolate Delice and Cherry Sorbet, which was heaven on a plate.

All in all, we could not have chosen a lovelier place to celebrate our anniversary. The food and presentation, the ambiance and the service was all exceptional. The bill was also very reasonable.

Special mention to our waiter, Joey, who was a very professional, friendly chap, who is an asset to this beautiful establishment. We visit Newcastle fairly regularly, this is the best meal we have ever had in Newcastle, and we've had quite a few. It was in the loveliest of surroundings. I'd highly recommend this place. We'd give it 10/10 without hesitation. Keep up the good work.

Date of visit: August 2014
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1  Thank Frances1Edinburgh
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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