- Play Hard
- 28th Aug 2026
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14 of the best dishes we ate in the North East this month
We’ve eaten our way across the North East this month – and these are the dishes we can’t stop talking about.
From Detroit-style slabs in Ouseburn to seafood with views of Bamburgh Castle, here at High Life North we’ve been chasing some of the region’s best plates, and, honestly, we’re still thinking about half of them
Here are 14 dishes that earned a spot on our radar this month.
P.S. Consider this your warning: you may want to make dinner plans before reading on.
The get clucked slab from Detroit Slab Shop, Lock Up, Ouseburn
Detroit-style pizza, but make it a slab. The get clucked is loaded with crispy chicken, garlic and herbs, all piled onto Slab Shop’s signature square Detroit-style base.
It’s crispy, cheesy, gloriously indulgent and exactly the sort of thing that makes sharing feel like a very bad idea.
Monkfish kebab, scallops and half lobster with fries from Creel & Reel, Bamburgh
A seafood spread that does everything right: a monkfish skewer, beautifully cooked scallops and half a lobster with fries.
Creel & Reel is a seafood trailer rather than a sit-down restaurant, so this is very much an order-at-the-window-and-eat-it-outside kind of affair. And with Bamburgh Castle and the Northumberland coast nearby, the setting isn’t exactly a hardship.
Just check opening days before making the trip, as the trailer’s hours can vary.
Brunch at Laneway
Laneway is one of those places where brunch somehow turns into a full-blown event.
We tucked into a spread of crispy croquetas, soft-boiled eggs, sourdough, butter, smoked salmon and dill – the sort of table that makes you want to order one of everything.
Its menus change seasonally, so exactly what lands on your plate can vary, but that’s part of the fun.
The Scotch egg from The Percy Arms, Chatton
A Scotch egg done properly: deep golden crumb giving way to a beautifully soft yolk.
Served simply, it’s the kind of pub dish that doesn’t need much dressing up. Just good ingredients, a crisp coating and that all-important jammy centre.
The Percy Arms makes a great excuse for a trip into rural Northumberland, whether you’re stopping for lunch or making a day of it.
The Jolly Fishboard from The Jolly Fisherman, Craster
If seafood is your love language, this is the one.
The Jolly Fishboard comes piled with smoked and cured fish, crab, prawn and crayfish Marie Rose, kipper pâté, mussels, calamari and artisan bread.
It’s the kind of board that arrives at the table and immediately becomes everyone’s business.
And with views towards Dunstanburgh Castle and the North Sea, there’s plenty to look at while you work your way through it.
Smoked salmon sandwich and coffee cake from Pilgrims Coffee, Lindisfarne
A proper Holy Island pit stop.
We went for a toasted focaccia packed with smoked salmon, alongside coffee cake and a fruit scone with clotted cream and jam. Add a good coffee and you’ve got everything you need for a very satisfying break from exploring the island.
Pilgrims Coffee is also home to its own roastery, making this an especially good stop for coffee lovers.
Margherita pizza from Flint
Sometimes the simplest order is the best one.
Flint’s classic margherita is exactly what you want from a pizza: bubbling mozzarella, fresh basil and a beautifully cooked base.
Simple, unfussy and very easy to pair with a drink – which is exactly what we did.
Flint Pizza is based on Chillingham Road in Heaton and specialises in Neapolitan-style pizza, with the restaurant currently open Wednesday to Saturday.
The ‘Bandstand’ pizza from Bandstand!, Exhibition Park
Pizza in the park? Yes please.
We tucked into a stonebaked pizza topped with mushroom and mozzarella at Bandstand!, the new Exhibition Park venture from the team behind Ouseburn favourite Deep North.
The new café opened in July 2026 and is currently serving from the hatch while renovation work on the building continues. The wider menu is set to include wood-fired pizzas, brunch, small plates, doughnuts, gelato, speciality coffee and more.
It’s exactly the kind of place you want after a wander around the park: good food, fresh air and nowhere you particularly need to be.
Sharing plates from Tidings, St James’ Park
Before kick-off, we made a meal of small plates at Tidings.
Our spread included seared beef, whipped burrata with charred courgette and a tomato salad – ideal for grazing rather than committing to one big dish.
Tidings is Newcastle United’s new hospitality suite for the 2026/27 season, with pitch-facing booths, a centre bar and all-inclusive small plates.
It’s a very different kind of dining experience, but if you’re heading to St James’ Park for a match, it’s one worth knowing about.
Mixed grill and cheesy chips from The Blue Bell, Sandyford
This one is for when only a proper feed will do.
We went all in with cheesy garlic chips, bacon-wrapped sausages, a mixed grill board and a crispy chicken and chip stack.
It’s hearty, indulgent and absolutely not the meal to order when you’re pretending you’re going to ‘just have something light’.
Flat iron steak, mac and cheese and fries from Flat Iron, Grey Street
A proper steak feast. Thick-cut flat iron steak, sliced and served alongside bacon mac and cheese, chunky fries and all the sauces you could want on the side.
Flat Iron opened its first North East site on Newcastle’s Grey Street earlier this year, serving its signature flat iron steak alongside a rotating board of specials, including a Wagyu ‘steak of the day’.
Great value, generous portions and exactly the kind of feed that needs a big table and no plans afterwards.
A charcuterie board from French Quarter
A French Quarter sharing board is exactly the sort of thing that quietly takes over the table.
Ours was packed with cured meats, gherkins, chutneys and rich chicken liver pâté, served with warm sourdough.
It’s the sort of spread that gives everyone at the table something to pick at – and somehow disappears much faster than expected.
Slow-cooked duck leg and stuffed courgette from French Quarter
Another French Quarter highlight was the slow-cooked duck leg in orange sauce, alongside a homemade crab croquette and stuffed courgette with peppers and olives.
Rich, comforting and packed with flavour, these were the sort of plates that made us want to order another round before we’d even finished the first.
Fresh figs with goat’s cheese, walnuts and honey from French Quarter
And finally, the dish we’re still thinking about.
Fresh figs, goat’s cheese, toasted walnuts and honey shouldn’t work quite as well as they do, but somehow every element just clicks.
Sweet, creamy, nutty and wonderfully simple, it’s the kind of dish that makes you immediately want to recreate it at home – before remembering that it probably won’t taste quite the same.
If you only order one thing from this list, this gets our vote.
From coastal seafood trailers to city-centre small plates and proper Northumberland pub grub, this month proved just how much range there is across the North East food scene.
We’ve had crispy slabs, fresh seafood, French sharing plates, park-side pizza, a proper steakhouse feast and some seriously good pub food – and we’re already wondering what next month will bring.
If you’ve only got time to try one thing from this list, make it the figs at French Quarter. If you’ve got time for two, add the seafood at Creel & Reel.
Either way, you’re in for a very good month of eating.
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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