Today I visited Jamie Oliver's restaurant with my boyfriend on our first year anniversary. Jamie really did do well for us. It is situated next to the monument in Newcastle, so is within walking distance from the hay market and metro station as well as being surrounded by other shops and restaurants. It has a bar when you first walk in, but then at the back of the bar there is a spiral staircase that leads to the restaurant itself, but at first we got confused and sat at the bar.

There is also an outdoor feature that Jamie's has, in which we avoided due to the torrential rain that is unavoidable within Newcastle, it seems. Although, if it were to be sunny (pretty unlikely I suppose) the outdoor seating area does look rather pleasant to enjoy a delicacy in the sun.

The menu offered at this dining area could be deemed as pricey, for teenagers of our age, 17, but I guess if you're willing to spend a reasonable amount for a minimal portion, definitely go for it. This was a special occasion for us, but the menu does offer some cheaper options, such as half a pasta dish for around £6 while other mains go up to about £20 that need sides added for extra money such as chips as they don't come with the meal. The restaurant offers steaks, pastas, pizzas, fish and other unusual dishes as well as providing gluten free and vegetarian options and a wide variety of drinks.                                       

Our meal came to about £30 which included two small diet cokes, a jug of water, £11.25 Three-cheese  Caramelle and £13.50 crab spaghetti. My cheese (the one shown closest within the picture) was a smaller portion, but very filling due to the richly filled pasta with ricotta, provolone, Bella Lodi and spinach served with tomato, garlic, basil and rose wine sauce. The crab meal seemed to be a bigger portion with small chunks of crab, chillis, garlic and anchovies within the dish.

We requested a window seat therefore the photo shows what you are able to see, which was fairly nice because usually in restaurants I find myself enclosed in a quaint space with dim lighting, so it felt more spacious although the tables were fairly close meaning we were in close proximity.

Overall I would recommend this destination, because the food is beautiful with smaller portions (but, hey, what posh restaurant sells large portions?) that are quite filling with a lovely environment. Although I would recommend choosing a window seat if one is available, and the service was quick as well as the waitress offering a jug of water on top of the drinks we had already ordered. In terms of pricing, it is affordable but not somewhere like Wetherspoons where you can go weekly, but the location is very accessible and easy to find.

Address:

Jamie's Italian, Newcastle
Monument Mall,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 7AL

Opening times:

Monday-Wednesday 12 noon -10pm
Thursday 12 noon-10.30pm
Friday-Saturday 12 noon-9pm
Sunday 12 noon-9pm

Call:

0191 1500 0858

Hope you find this helpful!

- Caitlin