Best Indian Restaurants in Newcastle City Centre

Newcastle has a long-standing appetite for Indian food, and the city centre now covers almost every version of it within a short walk of Grey's Monument. There is a traditional Punjabi dining room that has been feeding the Forth Banks end of town for decades, a pioneer of small-plates street food tucked down a cobbled lane off Grey Street, a fire-led kitchen behind the Quayside, and a market stall that sells some of the best-value lunches in town. Here are the places worth seeking out, whether you are after a long dinner, a pre-theatre bite or something quick between errands.

Khai Khai

Khai Khai on Queen Street sits in the tight grid of lanes behind the Quayside that has become the city centre's busiest cluster of independent restaurants. The kitchen is built around live fire, with the tandoor and charcoal grill doing the heavy lifting, and the cooking is Indian without falling back on the standard curry-house template. Menus are designed for sharing, with grilled meats, fish and vegetable dishes ordered alongside breads and sides.

The dining room is dark, lively and fairly large for the area, set in a Grade II listed building, and it takes bookings. Its position makes it a natural pre-theatre choice for the Live Theatre, and it also runs its own takeaway ordering. It features in our guides to the best restaurants and date night in the city centre for good reason.

Best for: A proper night out, sharing plates and anything cooked over coals.

Dabbawal

Dabbawal brought Mumbai-style street food to Newcastle before most of the country had caught on. The original restaurant is in Jesmond, and the city-centre branch opened on High Bridge, the narrow cobbled lane running off Grey Street, around 2010. The menu is built around small plates, chaat, tandoori grills and bigger dishes meant to be ordered in multiples and passed around the table.

It is a relaxed, casual room rather than a formal one, and it is well placed for the Theatre Royal, which makes the early-evening slot popular with theatregoers. Weekends get busy, so booking is sensible, or go on a weeknight.

Best for: Pre-theatre dinners and groups who like to order lots and share.

Sachins

Sachins is the city centre's long-standing Punjabi restaurant, on Forth Banks a few minutes' walk downhill from Central Station. It has been trading for more than forty years, and owner and head chef Bob Arora, a regular diner before he took the business on in 2000, has kept its focus on North Indian and Punjabi cooking, with vegetarian, seafood, lamb and chicken dishes across the menu.

A recent refurbishment for its fortieth anniversary added hand-drawn wall art, neon signs and softer lighting, so the room feels fresher than its age suggests. It is the pick here for anyone who wants a classic sit-down curry dinner with starters, mains and rice, rather than small plates.

Best for: A traditional curry night, and the easiest choice near Central Station.

Mowgli

Mowgli is a national chain, founded by Nisha Katona in 2014, but the Newcastle branch earns its place for its building as much as its food. It opened on 14 March 2025 in the former Cafe Royal on Nelson Street, a Grade II listed building on the edge of the Grainger Market, and spreads around 96 covers over two floors, with booths, indoor swing seats and the brand's tree-root decor.

The menu avoids curry-house conventions in favour of herb-led Indian street food and home-style dishes, served as small plates you mix and match rather than starters and mains. It is a lively, busy room, good for groups and families, and handy during a shopping day in Grainger Town.

Best for: Groups, families and a shopping-day lunch in Grainger Town.

My Delhi

My Delhi on Clayton Street, in the heart of Grainger Town, takes its cue from the street food and markets of India's capital, with Delhi-born chefs in the kitchen. It was named the UK's best street food restaurant at the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards in 2025, and the menu leans towards bold, spicy dishes alongside an in-house cocktail list.

The group also has restaurants in Sunderland, Leicester and Leeds, and bookings are taken online. It runs themed events such as a Sunday curry club and brunch club, so check what is on before you go.

Best for: Spice lovers and anyone after something closer to Delhi than the high street.

Snackwallah

Snackwallah is the odd one out: a stall in Alley One of the Grade I listed Grainger Market rather than a restaurant. Everything is vegan Indian street food, from bhel puri and pani puri to dals, masala chai, toasted Mumbai sandwiches and a rotating curry of the day. It keeps market hours, closes mid-afternoon and is shut on Sundays, so it is a lunch proposition, and it also features in our takeaways guide.

Best for: A cheap, fresh, meat-free weekday lunch.

Choosing where to go

For a full evening with a booking, Khai Khai and Sachins are the most complete restaurant experiences, one modern and one traditional. Dabbawal and My Delhi suit anyone who prefers lots of small plates and plenty of spice, Mowgli is the easiest choice for a big or mixed group, and Snackwallah wins on value at lunchtime. Opening hours vary, and several of these close between lunch and dinner on weekdays, so check each venue's own website before setting out.

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