Neptune in Newcastle upon Tyne

Oh dear....how the mighty have fallen. We used to visit the King Neptune when my wife and I first met...30+ years ago. It was EXCELLENT!! and we were regulars there. We haven't been for around 15 years to be fair but thought we'd celebrate our wedding anniversary there. What a mistake. The Neptune used to have a fabulous large fish tank, a real centrepiece!....now gone and just a gap where it once took pride of place. The room is also starting to look a bit worn and tired. We went a la carte rather than 'banquet' style and ordered : Prawn toast, chilii salt squid as starters then chili salt king prawns, szechaun chicken, crispy beef in cantonese sauce and fried rice. Drinks were 2 small proseccos and a pint of John Smith's. The good - the chili squid, chili king prawn and fried rice were very good indeed. The bad - They don't supply chopsticks!! Only forks, I mean REALLY?? No chopsticks in a Stowell Street Chinese?? Forks only. They also don't have the heating plates they used to, the metal tray like contraption with small candles underneath to keep the food hot. Now they just plonk it in front of you on cold plates so it cools down quite quickly , not great and the food suffered as a result. The crispy beef was average at best, and became just ' yuck' once it cooled down and coagulated, I left half of it. The Szechaun chicken was just okay with no real flavour to it at all. Prosecco came in a tiny 200 ml bottle at £7.20 each!! Really? You can buy them at £2-2.50 so a fiver mark up is ridiculous. The John Smith's was £3.90, a fair price. Service is also weak, only 3 people serving in total and we had to keep reminding them they'd forgotten both drinks and one dish. Bearing in mind it cost just over £83 this was a completely forgettable experience, honestly no better than a decent quality takeaway meal. If this was a Chinese 'cafe' or lower end eatery and set us back £45-50, then I'd say it was okay, nothing more, but for a Stowell Street 'top end ' place to eat, an absolute letdown. It just looks run down with zilch atmosphere - and what is it playing Abba songs in a Chinese?? - disinterested staff and the fact that when we left at 9.10 only 7 people were eating at 3 tables sums it up. We won't be going back, sad to say as we had such great memories of the Neptune, and unless your idea of a Chinese restaurant is no atmosphere, no chopsticks, average food at top end prices and disinterested staff, you're probably better off eating elsewhere.

My first time here because my regular was closed. Staff were fantastic and the food was great. Easily the best Chinese I’ve had for many a year

Service initially good. However when I complained about the portion size (6 pancakes duck only for three) I was told by the manager more could be supplied at extra cost. I asked the cost and was greeted by a shrug of the shoulders. Main course selection was also frugal and not particularly well prepared. Evening spoiled. Will not visit again, or recommend to my many friends!

I'm astounded at the lack of reviews for this restaurant. The service and welcome makes it amazing. We came for an annivesary and on arrival found our table decorated and a congratulations banner. A nice start to the evening. The couple that run this place have been here for 20 years and it was fully booked. They have a good selection of banquet options and I was allowed to swap out the soup choice with no surcharge (picked a more expensive soup). During the meal service was attentive and serving stsff asked about anniversaty. Food was good and we had a great time on our special day.

Vamos a Neptuno como primera opción. Buen restaurante, buen ambiente, servicio amable, sin embargo, el sábado fue un poco decepcionante. Solo una comida de menú fijo pero la falta de pato significaba que necesitábamos pedir más. Estaba por llegar, pero ¿deberíamos preguntar? Creo que buscaremos alternativas

Went there last night for my birthday. 6 of us. Opted for one of the banquets. Satay chicken, king prawns etc. Food was fresh, tasty and very nice. The waiting staff were friendly and helpful. Love to go back.

lovely food! very welcoming and nice staff. will deffo be returning when i get the chance! Well worth a visit

The Neptune was recommended by a friend who we joined for Chinese new year. We enjoyed it so much we have pre-booked our table there for each new year since. I can only say it gets better. this year e were guided upstairs a first. We have a lot more space to enjoy our meal. We could choose from 2 set price menus. both menus could be interchanged if some dishes did not suit. The meal was tasty with a selection of 2 starters and 5 mail dishes. They were served on a lazy Susie which made the meal fun as well as enjoyable. The staff were helpful in spit of being extremely busy. we have pre-booked our table for next year. They fell however into one of my pet hates, No hook on ladies toilet door. Why do I hate this situation? Common sense really, one has to put handbag on floor, how many ladies then put their handbags on dinning table after returning to dinning? I#'m afraid I am a real pain because I always point this out to management, If I return I always take note.

Early dinner after shopping trip, it must be over 10 years since we ate at Neptune. It is amazing that it is still under the same ownership and it’s no wonder given the service and food served up. A two course meal that left us both satiated and certain to return.

6 if us went for pearl banquet. Perfect amount of food and everything was delicious.The service was very friendly and organised. Well worth a visit.

Further to a business trip, we went on a Tuesday evening, 6 of us, the food was absolutely faultless.Ordered the banquet to share, every course was amazing although we felt guilty that we left so much, lots of food!