We happened upon the Side Cafe this evening and what a gem it is. No pretence, just a really comfortable ambience with excellent friendly service and food to match.
Steve
A friend had recommended when I visit Newcastle that I visited this little night-time haven, which I did and was pleasantly pleased. The Quayside of Newcastle is like a carnival on a Fri & Sat with people descending the hill to the riverside clubs and bars. Everywhere was noisy and uncomfortable but not this little cinema and restaurant. We watched the classic film "our man in Havana" in the cute 50 seater cinema, which was followed by a whisky tasting, but we had missed the opportunity to buy tickets. The young man who was hosting the tasting was very passionate about building a whisky bar and collection, which we returned the next night to sample one of the 50 plus whiskeys in this great collection of world whisky (I sampled a Japanese whisky and my wife tried a New Zealand whisky called Milford). The food was simple and to die for and the Canadian chef came down and spoke to myself and my wife and was extremely friendly and welcoming. If we lived in Newcastle we would be regulars. Great food, great spirit range, great coffee and very friendly staff.