Best Italian Restaurants in Newcastle City Centre

Italian food has been part of eating out in Newcastle for generations, and the city centre still has a handful of places that do it properly. The best of them sit within a few minutes of each other in the old streets between Grey's Monument and the Quayside, which makes it easy to pair dinner with a show at the Theatre Royal or a walk down to the river afterwards. This guide sticks to restaurants where pasta and the wider Italian menu are the point; if you only want a pizza, that is a separate conversation.

Sit-down Italian with a story

Pani's

Pani's has been feeding the city centre since 1995, and it describes itself as the first true Italian and Sardinian cafe in Newcastle. It sits on High Bridge, the narrow lane running between Grey Street and Pilgrim Street, which means you could walk past a hundred times without noticing it. Plenty of people never do walk past, because it has a loyal following and is properly busy on Friday and Saturday nights.

What sets it apart is the Sardinian accent. Rather than a generic menu of Italian standards, the kitchen leans on the dishes and flavours of the island, and reviewers have long pointed to the Sardinian pasta and wines as the reason to come. Pizza is not the focus here at all. It is also a real favourite before the theatre, since the Theatre Royal is a couple of minutes away up Grey Street. Pani's opens for lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday and is closed on Sundays, and you can book online or by phone on 0191 232 4366.

Best for: Pre-theatre dinners, Sardinian dishes you won't find elsewhere in town, regulars' midweek suppers.

Portofino

Portofino is a family-run Italian restaurant and pizzeria on Mosley Street, a short walk from Grey's Monument. The setting is a big part of the appeal: it occupies a Victorian Grade II listed building, and the faience tiling inside gives the dining room a sense of occasion that most modern restaurants cannot match.

The menu covers traditional Italian cooking, with pasta and pizza alongside the main courses, and there is a weekday happy hour on food and drink from noon until 6pm (not in December or on bank holidays). It opens every day from noon, with a slightly earlier finish on Sundays, and takes bookings online. In December it runs a festive set menu that needs to be pre-ordered, so if you are planning a works do or a family get-together, sort that out early.

Best for: Group meals, a bit of grandeur on a budget, weekday late lunches.

Fresh pasta by the Tyne Bridge

Zucchini Pasta Bar

Zucchini Pasta Bar is the place to go when pasta is the whole point. It is an independent restaurant at 55 Degrees North, at the bottom of Pilgrim Street and a short walk from the Tyne Bridge, and it calls what it serves "Italian soul food". The egg pasta is made fresh every day and hand rolled, using free-range eggs from Northumberland farms.

The tone is relaxed and the prices are friendly, which makes it a good shout for a casual weeknight dinner. As well as the main menu, there is a lunch menu, an unlimited fresh pasta menu, a children's menu and bottomless brunch and cocktail options for groups. If you want to try it yourself, Zucchini also runs private pasta lessons with its in-house teachers, which you can book through its website. It opens Monday to Saturday from noon (until 9pm Monday to Thursday and 10pm on Friday and Saturday) and is closed on Sundays.

Best for: Pasta lovers, relaxed weeknight dinners, a pasta-making lesson with friends.

A reliable chain on Grey Street

Zizzi

Sometimes you want somewhere you know will have space, a predictable menu and something for everyone, and that is what Zizzi does well. The city centre branch is at 42 Grey Street, so you are dining on the city's grandest Georgian street, with the Theatre Royal a short stroll up the hill.

The menu covers the usual Zizzi mix of pasta, risotto, pizza and Italian-style mains, with plenty of options for vegetarians and children. It is open seven days a week from 11.30am, until 10pm most days and 11pm on Friday and Saturday, which makes it one of the more flexible choices in this guide for a Sunday lunch or a late-ish bite after a show. You can book on its website or call 0191 261 8360.

Best for: Families, Sunday lunch, easy group bookings near the theatre.

Tips for eating Italian in the city centre

A few things worth knowing before you set off:

• Book at weekends. Pani's and Portofino both fill up on Friday and Saturday evenings, and anything near the Theatre Royal gets busy before a performance.
• Check Sunday opening. Pani's and Zucchini Pasta Bar are both closed on Sundays, so Portofino and Zizzi are your city centre options then.
• Make a night of it. All four restaurants are within a ten-minute walk of each other, and the Quayside is just downhill if you fancy a drink afterwards. Our guide to bars and cocktails in Newcastle city centre has ideas.

If you are looking more widely than Italian, our round-up of the best restaurants in Newcastle city centre covers everything from Michelin-starred tasting menus to neighbourhood favourites, and the date night guide is a good companion for a special evening.

Know an Italian restaurant in the city centre we should add? Tell us via our contact page.