The Bellwoods Lifestyle team love nothing more than combining our passion for eating out with supporting local independent businesses, and we’re always recommending our favourite places to eat and drink to visitors at the shop.
The coastal town of Whitley Bay is located in the North East of England, twenty minutes drive from Newcastle Upon Tyne. The rise in popularity of people wanting to live in and visit Whitley Bay means that more and more interesting local independent restaurants, bars and cafes have popped up over the years. In no particular order, here is our run down of eight of our favourite places to visit for a delicious meal, and maybe a drink or two in Whitley Bay.
1. Omni Cafe
Based in Monkseaton, a little further up from our home on Park View, and right next to Monkseaton Metro station, is Omni Cafe. The vibrant blue and black cafe is on the corner of a leafy street, surrounded by plants and hanging lights - a little bit of paradise by the North East coast - and a must visit when you come to Whitley bay.
After living in Hanoi and travelling around the far east, Corrie and Louis returned to the North East and opened Omni Cafe, serving up an asian menu inspired by their travels.
Warm and welcoming, Omni has great options for both meat eaters and vegans with an exciting menu serving seriously delicious food. If you’re visiting early in the day, lunch includes Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, fresh salads and crispy vegetable rice bowls. Dinner is a mixture of small plates, alongside delicious curries with all the fixings. Fancy a drink to go with your food? We love a ginger and pear margarita or sesame old fashioned in the evening, and a matcha oat latte to go with brunch.
You might have even heard Jay Rayner’s rave review of the 12 hour Beef Shin and Peanut Curry in the Guardian? This means that Omni is often fully booked on evenings and weekends, so we recommend booking ahead, though they always save high tables for walk-ins if you’re feeling lucky.
2. Foda Night
We included this family owned, independent cafe in Monkseaton in our Whitley Bay Brunch guide, and since then, Foda have introduced Foda Night. In the evening, Foda transforms from a brunch cafe into an intimate restaurant serving refined dining small plates, such as steak topped with peppercorn sauce and shoestring fries, pumpkin with braised lentils, pecorino cheese, honey and crispy sage, or roast beetroot with cashew crema and ginger gremolata. Choose a bottle of organic, natural wine and enjoy a slow sip in the calming surroundings of this neighbourhood cafe.
. 
3. Project Pizza
Another family owned passion project in Whitley Bay, this time specialising in handmade wood fired Neapolitan pizza, small plates & wine. Project Pizza was born in the vineyards of Tuscany after indulging in the region's delightful wines and cuisine. The team are passionate about Neapolitan style, and believe that bigger crusts make for better pizzas. Their dough is proved for 48 hours and baked to perfection in a traditional wood-fired oven at 450 degrees, ensuring an authentic pizza experience. Committed to sourcing the finest imported Italian products and utilising fresh, locally sourced ingredients to create a diverse range of delicious toppings, the team share the same passion for pizza-making, and are constantly exploring new creations.
The pizza menu is compact and classic - think pepperoni, funghi, artichoke, or nduja. Alongside the pizza, are the small plates, such as woodfired hispi cabbage, polpette and burrata. Whether you are choosing pizza, small plates, or both, make sure to enjoy a wine flight with suggested pairings to guide you on a delightful tasting journey.
The restaurant is cosy, with some cool artwork on the walls from Bellwoods too, and the service is friendly and speedy, with a great atmosphere for families and groups.
4. Kork Wine and Deli
After a trip to Bar Brutal in Barcelona, the owners fell in love with natural wine, travelling to as many places as they could to find it. From this passion, and the lack of availability in the area they decided to jump in and open Kork as a place to wine different to anything you have tasted before.
Choose a cheeseboard and snacks from the bar menu with your wine, or go big and try one of the incredible burgers, corn ribs and tater tots. The atmosphere is cosy, dogs are welcome, and the staff are always knowledgeable when helping you decide on which tipple to enjoy your snacks with. Once you’ve tried Kork, you should definitely think about going along to one of their relaxed wine tasting events - you’ll be an expert in no time.
. 
5. Lobo Rojo Whitley Bay
This independent Mexican restaurant and bar has gone from strength to strength since their first opening in North Shields in 2019, they have now expanded to three more locations, including nearby Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. Serving authentic Mexican street food in a lively atmosphere, Lobo Rojo is always worth a visit.
The taqueria style restaurant is informal, and inspired by Californian dining and traditional Mexican street food. From tacos to margaritas, and bespoke cocktails, burritos to specials inspired by Mexican classics and fusions, they aim to bring authentic flavours to the North East coast.
It’s a tough menu to choose from, because you will want to choose it all. Our favourites are the tacos served in pairs, mega burritos bursting at the seams with all the good stuff, and don’t miss out on their homemade tortilla chips and guacamole, washed down with a spicy margarita - delicious.
6. Horticulture Coastal
Horticulture Coastal is the sister cafe, bar and restaurant to the Newcastle venue, with the same canny vibe and fresh, locally sourced food. The menu is inspired by modern dining - featuring lazy brunches, cheeky cocktails (with an entire menu dedicated to Espresso martinis), small plate dinners or hearty sunday lunches.
The venue sits on the corner of station road in an old bank building, just down from Pranzo and Sushi Me Rollin, and a few minutes walk from Whitley Bay Metro station. The inside is filled with plants, rattan details and eclectic street influenced art work. Bring your kids, your friends and your dogs and enjoy the lively atmosphere and banging playlist anytime you visit.
7. Pranzo
Just down the street from Horticulture you will find Pranzo, a popular family-run deli and trattoria offering a charming, cosy space in Whitley Bay. Pranzo means “lunch” in Italian, and Tuscan born Pablo and his wife Louise serve authentic Italian food including pizza and pasta in a family friendly, informal atmosphere. We love to order the Napoletana pizza with capers, anchovies and Calabrian olives and the Mortazza pizza with mortadella cured meat, fresh burrata, crushed pistachios and pistachio pesto. The extensive wine list features menu pairings too, and make sure to check out their special regional menus. If you’re not too full after all of those delicious carbs, then you won’t regret visiting the desert counter.
If you visit in the warmer months, there is no better place to be than Pranzo's outdoor terrace with an aperol spritz in hand, and Pranzo recently opened La Bottega di Pranzo across the street from the main restaurant, offering street food sandwiches, artisan meats, cheeses, and delicacies - perfect for taking with you on a walk to the coast.
. 
8. Sushi Me Rollin
When the hugely popular Newcastle restaurant Sushi me Rollin expanded its empire to include the coast, the sushi lovers of Whitley Bay were seriously happy. Sushi Me Rollin was created by two talented friends with a love for sushi in 2018.
The intimate spot includes nigiri, sashimi, and maki, plus a Japanese beer menu. The owners love to put the fun into fine dining, and their menus are always interesting, combining flavours from all over the world, creating a modern twist on the traditional. The sushi is seriously clean and fresh. Our favourite items on the menu is the ‘mother clucker’ a chicken katsu, cream cheese and curry mayo sushi roll, or the Karate Squid - a fried squid, kimchi and seven spice sushi roll - heaven. If you just can’t choose, you could always go with the chef’s selection, to get a taste of everything.
We don’t know about you, but this list has made us seriously hungry, and we’re off to book a table at one of these places now. But which one?