Above in Newcastle upon Tyne

1 star Wouldn’t recommend – Read before booking! I WOULD GIVE -1 if I could ! If you’re planning a special night out or a group booking avoid ABOVE at all costs. We booked for a birthday party of 15 people, and from the moment we arrived, the experience was awful. Anna, who handled our booking, was rude and completely unhelpful on the day. On top of that, a “manager” (a tall, bigger man with long dark hair) was even worse unpleasant, arrogant, and disrespectful. We were promised certain things in advance, but NONE of them were delivered. If you do decide to book, make sure everything is confirmed in writing don’t trust a single word over the phone. The email communication was poor, and calls were made because of their lack of clarity, but even then, nothing was honoured on the day. It’s clear that this venue can’t handle large groups. If you can’t cater to them properly, don’t take people’s money and then treat them like they’re stupid. To make matters worse, when my partner walked me to the hotel next door around 10pm and came back, he was refused entry by security, supposedly because he “argued with the manager” earlier. There was no argument , just valid questions raised about the many issues with the booking. It felt like we were being punished for expecting basic service. Then around 6 security staff was called down. So over the top. Get professional people to handle the door and management not kids on steroids that can’t handle they work!! The staff are clearly inexperienced, lack professionalism, and couldn’t care less. The manager is stuck up and completely unapproachable. There are plenty of better places in Newcastle that actually care about customer service and value your money. ABOVE was a disappointing and unpleasant experience. Save yourself the hassle and go somewhere that respects its guests. Would never return. Avoid.

Service was poor, we were ignored and not given service until we flagged someone down. The staff brought over our drinks, and charged us at the same time, not mentioning the service charge. The drinks were expansive but watery, and flavourless. Views were stunning but have nothing to do with the bar itself.

Came here for some cocktails. Ordered the Cherry Pop and a Negroni. Unfortunately not impressed. Views were better than the drinks which were over priced!

Walked in and got a table. It was fairly busy but not heaving and we were given no service for 20 minutes until we flagged them down. Served our drinks and immediately charged as if they wanted us out of there. Drinks were tasteless and watery but very expensive. Would not go back.

So I have waited 5 weeks for a refund for an afternoon tea that my 2 friends did not recieve due to their being no disabled access for wheelchairs into the above restaurant. I have still not received this money and the people now involved have just decided to ignore my emails and phone calls after agreeing the refund due. Niamh Rayner is the assistant general manager for the above who assured me this was approved and accepted full liability for the disguising lack of disabled access to the restaurant to which I was assured by someone on the front desk at the time of booking which is why I decided to book this place for the first time. Above is owned by the gainford group and their customer relations team are also awful so you wont get very far with them. Excuse after excuse I was told the refund was sitting on the directors desk who is Imran Khaliq and not the account team which I couldn't work out however after emailing and trying to contact Imran he has also decided to ignore my messages. The refund is important to me as this was money for a service that was not provided for a special occasion but more to the point the subject of disability's and treating everyone fairly which means having accessible easy access in 2025 and doing the right thing is not being upheld for this company. Beware before booking this venue!

This was supposed to be an afternoon tea experience........ So I have waited 5 weeks for a refund for an afternoon tea that my 2 friends did not recieve due to their being no disabled access for wheelchairs into the above restaurant therefore making my best friend having to go back home again. I have still not received this money and the people now involved have just decided to ignore my emails and phone calls after agreeing the refund due. Niamh Rayner is the assistant general manager for the above who assured me this was approved and accepted full liability for the disguising lack of disabled access to the restaurant to which I was assured by someone on the front desk at the time of booking which is why I decided to book this place for the first time. Above is owned by the Gainford group and their customer relations team are also awful so you wont get very far with them. Excuse after excuse I was told the refund was sitting on the directors desk who is Imran Khaliq and not the account team which I couldn't work out however after emailing and trying to contact Imran he has also decided to ignore my messages. The refund is important to me as this was money for a service that was not provided for a special occasion but more to the point the subject of disability's and treating everyone fairly which means having accessible easy access in 2025 and doing the right thing is not being upheld for this company. Beware before booking this venue!

celebrating a 21st birthday, we were seated and waited 15 mins and hadn’t been seen to, so got up to the bar and immediately told it was table service (we know babes but you weren’t doing that) now 20 mins into a 90 min booking and 0 drinks? then put £10 service charge on for 2 bottles of wine. class. lovely gaff otherwise.

Great views great cocktails great beers what more can you ask for

Really appreciate the wonderful staff - it was a gorgeous day and we were cheeky to ask if we could get onto the terrace if there was space - they were so brilliant and moved us out as soon as they had room - really made the day special as we were celebrating an engagement

ABOVE is a beautifully thought-out venue that offers a stylish and comfortable setting—perfect for drinks with friends or a classy evening out. The service is consistently excellent; staff are attentive, friendly, and go out of their way to make you feel welcome. It’s a real shame about the limited time slots, which can make booking a bit tricky. Also, they no longer serve food, which is unfortunate as it would’ve perfectly complemented the overall experience. That said, ABOVE remains a fantastic spot for drinks with a great atmosphere. If you’re looking for a well-run place with top-notch service, it’s definitely worth a visit.

Booked sunset boozy brunch on the terrace and it did not disappoint, view were outstanding, drinks were flowing and food was so filling and tasty! Service from marika was exceptional, she is such a warm, friendly, helpful and attentive server and made our experience 100% better

Extortionate prices inflated due to DJ gig prices went up as night went on bottle of wine stated at 50 pounds . Vodka at 17 . Every time we bought a drink it had a price increase disgraceful. Acoustics so bad couldn’t here the music all in all a very expensive disappointment

Take money out of your account using your bank details upon booking and then still don’t refund it 14 weeks later ❌❗️ Worst customer service

Great veiw over Newcastle bit expensive but that's what you expect on a rooftop bar. Been every time visiting Newcastle lol

Mens toilets did not work, so you have to walk the whole 12 floors from the roof bar to the mens toilets in the hotel also very expensive, 1 cocktail and 1 bottle of Old Mout Cider was £25??

Would not recommend - charged twice - almost £150 and am still waiting on a refund over 3 weeks later. It doesn’t take that long to process a refund!

Really nice venue, service was fantastic. Shame that there were no boxes to take away the food we couldn't finish. Being attached to the Vermont hotel it seemed very strange that there were no boxes, possibly a conscious decision? You should be able to take away the good you have paid a premium for.

Marika was the most helpful when explaining the drinks and gave us the most inviting feeling.

Marika is really professional and great service from the start to the end really enjoyed my first time here will deffos be back again. 😁

Absolutely amazing night, staff was brilliant, Marina was very professional and helpful, 10/10. Highly reccomended

Marika was hospitable, good services and polite. Took good photos and made the mood much better… thank you Marika, hope to be back soon

Walked in, got a seat was ignored. The place was empty, would not recommend this at all

Me sirvieron Manika, ella era absolutamente increíble, lo recomiendo al 100%! ¡Ella era la mejor servidora de todos! ¡Ve a tomar una copa!

Hemos estado en Arriba un par de veces y tengo que decir que el lugar sin duda ha ido cuesta abajo. Entramos y los porteros nos saludaron y fueron muy agradables y acogedores, un crédito para su empresa, pedimos una mesa afuera en el balcón y nos sentamos, nadie vino a tomar nuestra orden de bebidas nos sentamos allí durante 15 minutos y tuvimos que pedir a una camarera que tomara unas bebidas... no buenas... tuvimos una botella de vino que costaba la enorme £ 34. 95 . Trataron de poner un cargo por servicio, pero como no teníamos servicio les dijimos que lo quitaran. Estábamos sentados disfrutando de las vistas de nuestro querido Newcastle y una camarera vino y dijo que solo nos quedaban 10 minutos en la mesa, ya que tenían reservas. ¿Por qué no mencionaron esto cuando llegamos? En nuestra opinión, es culpa de la gerencia contratar a personal joven sin experiencia. Nos ha dejado fuera de visitar de nuevo lo único bueno son los porteros y las vistas increíbles.

Afternoon Tea - booked with my mam, sister and sister in law for a girly afternoon. Good selection of sweet and savoury. Staff were attentive. Gets quite noisy when there are big crowds coming in, but good that it was so popular

Possibly the best view of the city from the northern bank of the river Tyne, this is really the place to go when viewing the Historic Tyne Bridge and the river. This bar has the option of indoor and outdoor viewing balconies which is perfect for the changing weather of Newcastle.

Above have taken my money as a deposit, then cancelled my booking as they realised they had an event on the same night. It is now three weeks later and I am still yet to receive my £110 back! I have called Above seven separate times to chase this, head office have now also confirmed no refund request has been put in. I am having to contact my bank to try and get my money back, none of the staff I’ve spoken to seem to be bothered and are just passing the problem on for someone else to deal with.

Bars fine nice views, Door staff take their jobs a bit too seriously it’s not Metropolitan Club.

Visited for afternoon tea. Food very nice, views excellent, staff friendly and helpful. But, we spent 2 weeks attempting to email and call to use a voucher (as per the instructions on their voucher) and got no confirmation. Eventually managed to speak to someone the day beforehand who confirmed our booking verbally. On arrival the staff seemed confused by our voucher and said the till didn't really like voucher codes. Eventually got that sorted, but seeing as the voucher was from their own company it should have been far simpler. Cocktails nice, but very expensive. The room is totally out of keeping with the rest of the hotel - very bright blue lights. We would go back, but wouldn't bother with the faff of the voucher. It's worth going for one drink for a look at the views, but I wouldn't pay for a second round

Great place great staff and a great range of drinks and cocktails I'd definitely visit again and recommend to everyone it has amazing views also

Great place to share a cocktail. The best views over the river and the castle.

Overpriced for drinks, place looked a little tired Wouldn't go back

Security and staff on a power trip refusing people entry with no justification to why, wasted £60 on a ticket for NYE after driving over 4 hours. Don't waste your time coming here you will be disappointed.

Probably the worst place I’ve ever been. Do NOT Go here.

spent £60each and drove 4hours to get here for them not to let me and my mates in for no apparent reason and couldn’t give us an explanation as to why

Came here 2 years back and had the best cocktails & experience. This year the cocktails have gone down hill (the spirits are definitely watered down!) Such a shame because it used to be a great spot for drinks. They will lose all customers soon enough, it was already dead in comparison to 2 years ago!

I booked a table for New Year's Eve, only to have it cancelled because they decided to host an event and now want £140 for a table. If there's an event planned, the booking times and dates should have been blocked off in the first place.

Average at best. When you're paying these sorts of prices, you expect freshly shaken cocktails, not premade rubbish! Online states there's a dress code, so we made sure to dress nicely, yet there were lots of people in puffa jackets, joggers, and trainers, which apparently are not welcome.... The door man was rude.

Me and my friends were turned away from the premises almost instantly because my friend was wearing a particular brand of jacket. Stupid rule.

Style over substance. Visited on a Thursday evening and it was virtually empty bar an influencer wandering around with his ring light and tripod. Drinks are quite expensive, but the staff were very friendly.

food presented and tasted like it was purchased from Iceland. Cocktails poorly executed and overpriced. The manager looks miserable and disengaged. The venue itself very tacky and looks dirty, a real shame the views are stunning.

Great vibe fantastic view of the city on a night.

Bonito ambiente y hermosa vista. Algunos de los cócteles donde encantador, pero algunos realmente donde no - soy un bebedor bastante amplio, pero nuestra mesa ni siquiera pudo terminar algunos. Pedimos una botella de vino que realmente no estaba a la altura y nos costó terminar. La iluminación púrpura es una opción interesante haciendo que jt se sienta un poco menos relajante, los anfitriones eran todos realmente encantadores.

came at 5:30 for a quick glass of wine before a meal. not only was the atmosphere dead as the whole place was empty but the staff were setting up a balloon arch and using a really loud machine to blow up the balloons. this noise was continuous and seriously jarring. multiple balloons popped right by us which is not what we were expecting when we chose to come here. surely this should have been done before they opened or at least in a different room to where customers are. wouldn’t recommend spending your time or money here.

Overrated and a touch overpriced. We had to look for staff to get served and it wasn't a particularly busy time at that time either. Just not the vibe I for me.

Atendido por niños despistados. Arrastre los muebles en el lugar mientras el lugar estaba abierto. A mitad de nuestro primer trago nos dijeron que eran los últimos pedidos (a las 9 : 30 ) ya que cerraban temprano (durante la semana de cócteles de Newcastle) . Apuntar a gama alta (o parecería en su sitio web) pero sin clase.

Went on a Saturday night, absolutely no atmosphere, the staff were nice enough. Ordered two proseccos and two pornstars, the the pornstars came out a red colour, tasted awful. I told the girl these are the wrong colour and don't taste like a pornstar, she brought it up to the bar and said no the two barmen said it is a pornstar, I just said I was drinking them years and that it wasn't one. She then came back saying sorry they used peach in it by mistake the other man said! Made us two more and they were not nice they were still a dark orange, for 27 pound it was shocking. Rooftop terrace was dirty when I went out and just overall no atmosphere here so don't waste your time or money.

Visitado arriba por primera vez como regalo de cumpleaños. Pedí 2 copas de champán que venían en copas baratas - no es lo que hubiera esperado por £ 17 por copa. El champán también era “plano”, lo que planteamos el problema al camarero y nos trajeron 2 copas más que eran realmente gaseosas. Bonitas vistas, pero no en un lugar donde volvería.

Visité aquí con un grupo de 7 para nuestro cumpleaños de amigos. Toda la experiencia fue impactante. Ordenó una botella de ángel susurrante para que llegara 20 minutos después y fuera taponada. La señora con la que hablé no sabía realmente de lo que estaba pasando. Luego nos dijeron que nos quedaban 5 minutos en nuestra mesa y otra señora vino y sacó todas nuestras bebidas de la mesa. Hablé con el gerente de turno al final y no le importó menos cómo fue nuestra experiencia. El personal es todo niños pequeños que no tienen idea de lo que están haciendo. Lo único bueno de este lugar es las vistas, pero definitivamente no recomendaría venir aquí.

We had drink on an anniversary night, on leaving we went to the toilets, and as we exited a set of metal tables that had been left upright against a wall got knocked and fell on my wife’s leg. She was in tears and asked for first aid which took someone 6/7 mins to arrive, and then they left to get ice for another 5 minutes. Her leg was black and blue for weeks. No response from company when emailed, and only acknowledgement from staff at the time was‘ or they were from an event and due to be move but we are busy’. Might report to the HSE.

Was really disappointed with the venue. Arrived to the top to find ALL bar staff and waitresses at the bar on their phones. All pleasant enough on greeting and said sit anywhere, it was table service. After 10 minutes we had to wave to all the staff who were still all congregated at the bar chatting and on phones. Got 2 cocktails and then had to wave again for the bill! No one notice ( baring in mind there was only about 5 other people in the venue ) staff still all chatting. So we walked up and paid. £27 for two cocktail, but simply won’t return due to the non existent service!

Rang up before hand to check if Burberry shorts where an issue walked up to the bouncer he was extremely rude the second we got there he said there’s no chance your getting in with them short to my boyfriend, he respectfully replied saying I rang up before hand and they said it was okay, there is also nothing on the dress code about shorts! The bouncer then got extremely rude even tho we remained calm my boyfriend then said it’s okay I will go something else but the staff shouldn’t of been misleading , the bouncer then proceeds to be aggressive and say what you saying what you saying to which we just walked away. We also didn’t drink a drop of alcohol and he was saying you’ve had to much I rlly just think he was bored and wanted to be a horrible man

First visit but wont be my last. Absolutely wonderful place. Staff were welcoming and professional and provided excellent service. Would definitely recommend a visit.

Lovely cocktails a little pricey but a great view of the city worth going to if you haven't been dog on the Tyne is really good. Staff are all lovely

Quality cocktails in Quality surroundings ....with views you wouldn't believe 👌

It is what it is.. Okay for a drink or two but far too expensive for a view..

Went mid week afternoon so it wasn’t busy at all however it took so long to get served my husband went to the bar and then we had another long wait for our drinks my husband went inside to chase. He got offered a free drink to try I assume as an apology but I never got offered a free drink yet I was the one paying the bill! £28 for 2 cocktails very expensive. Views were great though

A cafe overlooking the city, very beautiful

Cocktail choice was good Nice views all around. Priced a lot higher than other businesses though

Excellent bar with amazing views! The service from Vaish was excellent

Fantastic views and really nice cocktails! Great service and very efficient! Served by Vaish 😀

Cocktails were lush and Vaish was amazing!!! Such a fantastic 21st birthday

This spot is unbelievable not to forget The amazing staff team especially Vaish. She was spot on all night, great service and great personality. Couldn’t fault her.

Had a unbelievable time great service especially from Vaish she was wonderful and a great help to us defo would recommend

The service here was amazing , staff were very friendly , especially vaish, she was very kind and always helping us out . Can’t knock this place one bit . Would highly recommend.

We had an excellent experience at Above. We sat on the outdoor terrace with the amazing views. The experience was made better by the excellent and super friendly service we had from Megan.

Top class service from start to finish, Meghan was our host and went above and beyond forgive the pun , I lost an item and she knew the next place we were going and she turned up with it . What a Jen xxx

Great place to chill, drink and admire the views of Newcastle

A bit of a chore getting in and seated, and I waited 20 mins for waitress... glad we asked to be moved outside, it was a much better experience than inside.

Vaish and Megan were lovely! Beautiful drinks and fab atmosphere.

Vaish and Megan were both lovely

Staff excellent. Venue great. Dj good too Lower stars due to wobbly tables. Need to get maintence in for screws on the bottom need tightening. Toilet seat broken . And hen parties. Thought it was a bit classier than that.

First experience of Above @ Newcastle. Good atmosphere & friendly service. Drinks, especially cocktails were very expensive. We were also very wary of spilling the very expensive drinks off what were quite unstable tables. We raised the issue with staff who were quick to move us to another table which sadly had the same problem. A venue charging top prices for drinks should at least provide decent furniture for the comfort of their guests.

Fantastic rooftop cocktail bar Superb views across the Tyne Very good cocktails Reasonably priced drinks

Booked cocktail afternoon tea as a birthday celebration. Lovely lady served us. However, the food was not to the standard I would have expected for £75.90 for 2 people. The pastry on the Sausage rolls was not cooked, they even brought two more out "straight from the oven " still with raw pastry!, mini éclairs, brownies and mini Victoria sponge cakes dry. No butter for the scones until we asked. Sandwiches limp and tasteless. Only pleasant food was the scones and the two mini macarons. When we complained we were given a glass of prosecco, and told they would reduce the bill by 20%. Then still charged us the £37.95 per person but without the service charge. Hugely disappointed, we have had far better quality afternoon teas for much less cost. Please take the feedback in this review seriously, you're advertising graduation afternoon teas, if they are as poor quality as we have experienced today then you will have many many disgruntled customers.

Didn't serve draft beers only bottles. No food served, woman standing urinating on herself. Just a grim place.

It is not indicated on the website that their kitchen is not working and will not be working (according to the staff) We left hungry but the cocktails are delicious, the view from the roof is great and the staff is friendly

Great bar with rooftop views over the city. Lots of seating areas, with Instagramable decor. Great atmosphere, and staff. Dj playing dance music. Definitely recommend

Awesome location, best service, quality drinks, great atmosphere

Wouldn’t even serve us food. Workers were unreasonable and kept changing their minds.

Absolute laughable experience we had here. Booked a table for food at 5pm to instead play musical chairs for an hour whilst staff decided to move our table every 15 minutes. Had to literally beg for someone to take our order an hour and 15 minutes after we arrived despite asking twice for service. Food is great but I’ll just go to spoons next Saturday

Overhyped. For a place that has dress code on their website they don't enforce it so you'll see people dressed like in your local spoons down the street.

Went for cocktails 🍸 & prosecco Service excellent thanks Vaish

Fantastic location with a great view over Newcastle, however the cocktails were average at best and fairly pricy for the quality. I also don’t understand why I would need to provide my phone number and email address if I was a walk in customer..

Tia and vaish were amazing, they really made the difference. Will definitely be back

There is always room for improvement here needs to pay attention to having well trained staff ! And perhaps more on the floor ! Most venues hate to be advised on this especially here. Waiting time for drinks was atrocious….when it finally came not 100..% but it’s a very popular venue which will continue to operate as Place to be Seen! It needs tweaking here there …. First port of call is the barman…. Wipe the smirk off you faces and maybe I would be constructively criticising your poor workmanship ! Try being a pro at what you do. I shall be doing a mystery shop soon to see if improvements have been made. ! Thank you for trying to make this a vibey venue. Better luck perhaps on my next visit. ! Management at the Vermont Hotel (part of the group) aware.

I've heard a lot about this place so was looking forward to trying it. Service was fab, the two girls who served us were very friendly and helpful. The cocktails were lovely but very pricey but as a treat it was nice. The view is definitely the highlight! Fab views of the whole of Newcastle and Gateshead Would love to try some food from here at some point so will be back!

I didn't know this place existed until today. What a hidden gem. Beautiful rooftop lounge bar with amazing views over Newcastle Quayside. Staff were lovely as were the cocktails.

We were served by a lovely waitresses called vanish who was very pleasant and very good at her job,she made us feel very special

Alannah was pleasant, helpful and professional

The service was very good, the cocktails were very expensive and I couldn’t taste any alcohol, it’s was mostly ice. Was good to check out the view but I probably wouldn’t go back. It seemed to be a magnet for hen parties.

We were seated and told it was table service. Water was brought over for the table however no one asked about our drink order. Once we pointed out we were still waiting the staff were very apologetic and attentive afterwards. The views are amazing!

Just went in for drinks, all staff were friendly and helpful service was great and quick.

Nice place to grab a drink. Staff were helpful with finding us a table with no booking. Service was quick and constant. Highly recommended.

Really nice view! Amazing views on the terrace. Staff are lovely! Literally the only person there on a Tuesday in January but was still nice to visit. It was raining also but still a good experience Would go back.

Fantastic views while enjoying a bottle of red wine .... Staff so attentive and basically an amazing place to chill.

Great service and fabulous views of the Quayside

I thoroughly enjoyed a walk-in visit to this rooftop bar with fine views over Newcastle's riverside and neighbouring Gateshead. I will visit again with a booking now that I know there is a decent choice of drinks, impressive views and attentive service.

Much better than yesterday thought it would be. Very nice modern bar with roof top terrace

Service would be 5 stars if we were only dealing with the waitresses. We were not told there was a time limit on our table and before we could order our 3rd round of drinks and food we were asked to leave by a very rude manager who even the waitress was apologising for! He said they required the table for a booking when we were not informed and there was no reserve sign when we were shown to our table by the staff so it's not like we picked a random one. Worst manager ever for guest relations. Pretty sad considering it's a high end bar with nice drinks/atmosphere and a lot of people go there to spend a lot of money. Can't see them getting many return customers if they treat them all like we were treated.