OMNI Cafe in North Tyneside

brilliant food but quite expensive and could do with some more variety in choices on the menu

Almost felt cheeky to ask so late (nigh on 7 on a Thursday evening ) if a table for two was available & was assured that they could squeeze us in at the window seating if we were there before 8. We managed to get there around 7.30 and we (my daughter and I) were given a table. Bonus! Drinks order quickly taken & food order shortly after. Mocktail & Cocktail duly arrived and, after a short wait, the food too. We’ve been to Omni many times, for brunch, lunch & dinner, and it is always memorable…It’s very chilled, limited menu maybe but when everything is delicious then that’s fine by me. Ribs to die for, slow cooked beef shin curry, ginger rice & Asian slaw were demolished. In fact, even with two big appetites, we couldn’t eat it all so a little box was required to take home the rest. Many, many thanks to the brilliant staff; so accommodating, so intuitive & so caring. All adding up to a perfect evening. I love that such a great restaurant is five minutes from our house & look forward to visiting again….soon…very soon

Running an errand in Whitley Bay, we decided to give Omni Cafe a go. While it’s labelled as a ‘South East Asian’ restaurant; the emphasis must certainly be Vietnamese cuisine with fusion elements to suit the local tongue. Still delicious, nevertheless 😃 Our winner was Crispy Seven Spiced Mushrooms with Gochujang sauce. Even without the sauce, the mushrooms were so rich and delicious - and truly crispy. Something I crave for. The Crispy Skin Chicken wings with lemongrass was also lovely - served with fresh basil and mint, it’s on a special menu and must be requested for. Crispy Oyster Mushroom Banh Mi - not exactly authentically Vietnamese, but worth going for. I cannot take coriander - so they separated the coleslaw, which my wife enjoyed 😄 The Vietnamese coffee was EXTREMELY sweet. Haha. It’s pre-made already, so there wasn’t any way to reduce the sugar levels. Oh well, a sweet treat once in a while then, especially since I play badminton regularly in the Advent Badminton Club🏸(Newcastle & South Shields). Hehe. If I am back in Whitley Bay, this is lovely spot to consider returning to.

Still rocks. Nice food, relaxed atmosphere, great staff, competitive prices... Just go, you'll see/sense/taste what the fuss is about.

Running an errand in Whitley Bay, we decided to give Omni Cafe a go. While it’s labelled as a ‘South East Asian’ restaurant; the emphasis must certainly be Vietnamese cuisine with fusion elements to suit the local tongue. Still delicious, nevertheless 😃 Our winner was Crispy Seven Spiced Mushrooms with Gochujang sauce. Even without the sauce, the mushrooms were so rich and delicious - and truly crispy. Something I crave for. The Crispy Skin Chicken wings with lemongrass was also lovely - served with fresh basil and mint, it’s on a special menu and must be requested for. Crispy Oyster Mushroom Banh Mi - not exactly authentically Vietnamese, but worth going for. I cannot take coriander - so they separated the coleslaw, which my wife enjoyed 😄 The Vietnamese coffee was EXTREMELY sweet. Haha. It’s pre-made already, so there wasn’t any way to reduce the sugar levels. Oh well, a sweet treat once in a while then, especially since I play badminton regularly in the Advent Badminton Club🏸(Newcastle & South Shields). Hehe. If I am back in Whitley Bay, this is lovely spot to consider returning to.

It takes a lot to motivate me to bother to write a review on TripAdvisor, but this was one of the nicest meals I've had. Not a place for a particularly cheap lunch, but for a beautiful one, and worth every penny. The portion sizes were good, but the quality incredible. We had the 12 hour cooked beef shin and peanut curry which had layers and layers of flavour, just something else. We also had the pork shoulder sandwich which was melt in your mouth, and lovely contrast with the crispy onions. But the highlight was what we decided to pig out on (we had to take some food home) - the Sichuan ribs. I was initially put off by the price for a "side," but they were cooked so beautifully, and the flavour of the dip with the crunch of it being fried - absolutely sublime. I'd say it's a must. Really beautiful, as a foodie it's one of the best meals I can remember having. Thank you!

If you want a backside like the Japanese flag the next day gp here,! 90% of the menu is spicy bit if uou opt for the oyster flavour chilli crisps first don't expect to be able to taste anything after them.... not even your drink..... the plate was also covered in chilli powder 🙈🙈

The Canadian server is an absolute pleasure ☺️

Like many we ended-up here on the back of the Jay Rayner review. My mother still lives in Monkseaton and I spent the first 18 years of my life overlooking churchill playing fields - so I'm pleased these options are available now. Rather like Jay's review there were so many things which sounded interesting we significantly over-ordered and ended-up taking boxes out of the door. The beef shin curry was great and good value - some of the other dishes the portions were less generous. Only the 5-spice mushrooms were somewhat disappointing - they smelt AMAZING but tasted much less impressive. We were there on a Friday night and it was pretty packed-out (dont turn-up on the off chance without a reservation). On the pricier end of local places to eat

Early lunch visit so chose off the breakfast menu: Steak and scrambled eggs on sourdough with crispy chilli, and eggs and smashed avocado on sourdough, with an extra helping of rump steak. Delicious, perfectly cooked, amazing combination of flavours.

We visited for my wife's birthday and we had a fantastic meal. Everything was exceptional. There isn't a bad thing to say about this place.

Utterly appalling. Having had mediocre meals here previously, I was convinced to give it ‘one more go’, really wish I hadn’t! After 75 minutes of taking our table and 65 minutes from ordering our food, all they’d succeeded in doing was serve us drinks and their version of prawn crackers. When we eventually managed to get the attention of a member of staff to query where our food was they became incredible defensive and refused to acknowledge our ridiculous waiting time. Consequently we got the bill and left hungry, all the while being alleviated of £45 for the privilege. Never again, utterly appalling!

Excellent food and very quaint. Very large mains.

Called in here because the Deli up the road was fully booked. What a pleasant surprise and not what we expected. Restaurant had great atmosphere and service excellent. My wife had mushroom street food and I had chicken sandwich. Sounds plain but certainly wasn’t with great sauce and crunchy slaw served with chilli chips.

Had lunch there yesterday. Friend had the slaw salad with shrimps, it was huge, however only 5 shrimps & far too much slaw, which was wasted, saw a few people who had this dish & also left half a plate of slaw. Feel the dish is overpriced. I had the oyster mushroom sandwich which was delicious. Shame there is no dog free area as I am allergic. Staff were really lovely.

Amazing food as ever, we are never disappointed. Enjoyed the ribs, squid and curry, ginger rice and crispy oyster mushrooms. Can’t wait to return!

Got a take away. Sometimes food doesn’t travel well… this does. The stand outs were the pork belly and beef peanut curry, but it was all very tasty. Highly recommend if in the area.

Lovely food. Relaxing place, good vibe.

Walked passed here hundreds of times, read the reviews and finally tried it. Wow, food was fantastic, service brilliant and very nice wine. If you like a drink you'll also have to try the the spiced rum coffee, you'll thank me later for that one. We'll certainly be back to try more. Thank you!

Best food I've had outside of Ho Chi Min City. Going again soon. Great food. Friendly service. I'm taking my kitchen out and ebaying it.

Amazing authentic food served in a super aesthetic setting with good vibes and great staff. Catered to my gluten free dietary requirements. So glad I chose to come here, 10/10!!! Need to come back and try their evening menu.

Very tasty Asian food. The dishes were not regular Asian, but a bit special - Vietnamese. The ginger drink was great. The service was good.

Delicious food which is a cut above similar offerings. Even the cakes, which we took away, were excellent. The staff are friendly, the atmosphere laid back and they were great with our two year old. Good to see a rotating selection of local beers on tap as well.

I have had all the vegan options & they are all good.

Visited after reading Jay Rayner review and tend to think that consistency slides once the establishment has been reviewed. Lots of stuff not available and for what we had, I thought it was very expensive. The staff were very pleasant.

I haven't experienced much Viatnamese food before - I wasn't sure what to order. I ended up going with the chicken, peanut and lemongrass salad. My wife had the rice bowl with king prawns. The salad was massive - loads of lovely crunchy bean sprouts, cabbage and carrot with Mint, Basil and Coriander leaves mixed in, plus plenty of crushed peanuts and sesame seeds. A few bits of chilli throw in for a small bit of heat. The chicken was amazingly moist/tender and the dressing was unreal. I don't know what was in it, but it was simply the most tasty salad i've ever had. My wife's ricebowl was well presented and equally as tasty with plenty of umami flavours. I had the viatnamese traditional lemonade which had nice amounts of lemon, ginger and mint flavouring. Could do with being watered down a little bit as it was very sweet.

We've been coming here for years (prior to the remodeling) and are very pleased that the food is still as fresh and tasty as always. Personal fave, coconut soup. 👌 Pre-booking recommended as you might end up outdoors without a reservation (which is not too bad, thanks to the assorted plants and cover provided by a sun shade).

Visited omni many times with friends/family/partner and the food never disappoints. I will say, we visited here a few weeks ago and all of the dishes were very very salty (more than usual) which stopped us from finishing our dishes! My only other criticism would be if you are placed on the higher tables the chairs are extremely uncomfortable, I think they ideally need replaced as you feel like you could fall through them. Otherwise great service as always.

Food outstanding and delicious well presented. Service excellent.

Eating at OMNI is always a fantastic experience. The staff are friendly, polite, and proactive, the cocktails are spot on, and the food is just incredible. Me and my partner have come here regularly over the past few years, and there's a reason we keep coming back. The ginger rice alone is worth a visit!

Had cake & coffee. The choice of cake was amazing. I had Mango cake which was delicious. Service was quick & staff lovely

Good place to meet family and friends. Staff friendly and very informed on menu choices, food was fab. Would recommend but book before hand so you are not disappointed.

My 2nd visit here and the overriding experience this time was that the food was incredibly salty, especially the beef shin curry. For an experienced team this is a pretty elementary issue. I'd think twice about returning which is a shame as the food is interesting and a bit different.

In my opinion, one of the best restaurants in the North East of England. The 12-hour beef shin and peanut curry is TLC'd to a point where it becomes an art form. It is mouth-meltingly divine. The pan fried halibut is meaty and sings with the keffir (but doesn't become overpowered by it). The ribs and chicken wings are a combination of textures and flavours that demonstrate a cook who knows great food marriages. Tie this all up with a Spicy Mango Margarita Sour... And you have a ticket to heaven. We haplessly over ordered like a couple of fools, and took almost half of it home in our proud Omni-branded takeaway bag. I can't wait to eat it all again soon. Enjoy.

We had coffee and cake geourgous fab Canadian young lady on staff

The taste is ok and the service is all good but this is the saltiest food I have eaten in the two years since I came to the UK. The floor is as sticky as rat glue to stick to rats... taste is ok and service is all good but the food is the most salty food I have ever had in the UK in the two years I've lived here .The stickiness of the floor is like mouse glue, meant to trap mice.

The soup was incredible. I got it with the chicken and I highly recommend it. My partner got the rice bowl with chicken. It was delicious but once I'd tasted the soup everything paled in comparison. The fries and squid were also delicious. The music was a bit on the loud side for conversation but it was soft and interesting so we didn't mind too much.

Excellent food and friendly staff. Plenty of space when we were there and the service was fast. Can highly recommend it.

Food looks amazing only had coffee and cake excellent service

Top place. Consistently good food. Friendly service. But, its becoming increasingly difficult to book a table! Beef shin curry, prawn fried rice, and the pork dumplings are my favourites. But the ribs and the pork belly are also very popular!

A lively vibe. Very pleasant staff. Food was good to very good. I would go back.

Our favourite spot in the area. The ginger rice is not to be missed.

Great food and fab service. Really reasonably priced for the size of the plates and they are happy to give takeaway boxes for any leftovers.

First time visit following recommendations from friends. Basic furnishings, quite a crowd, most enjoyable. Relatively short lunch time menu but the rice bowl and the 12 hour beef were superbly unctious!

Definitely not a 'swish' restaurant with unnecessary bells and whistles - they concentrate on providing delicious food - not cheap but definitely worth the price

If you've read other reviews then you'll know this place is extremely popular and rated. Food was excellent, quite spicy but I'd expect that. Lovely atmosphere and some tasty drinks to boot. Thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the place.

Visited after the jay Rayner review, was not disappointed. food exceeded expectations and was really affordable. Will be back soon.

Fantastic lunch. Was well worth the drive from Saltburn by the Sea. We love the relaxed environment you've created with all the naural plants. Every dish was delicious, Can't wait to try other dishes on another visit.

Having seen Jay Raynor’s rave review in the newspaper we were keen to try a Vietnamese inspired restaurant in WB.As Jay himself said the food is very nice but as been pointed out previously a bit pricey. We had tomato and lemongrass curry with tofu and also coconut and galangal soup, both of which were very good. But cold rice? Seriously, how hard can it be to keep rice hot? We had Vietnamese iced coffee which was not good at all. We were expecting a glass with condensed milk, ice and a coffee press on top (like you get in Vietnam) . What we got was a glass of some over sweet light brown liquid with ice cubes. And finally, 14 and a half quad for banh mi? No thanks.

A definite recommendation. Attentive but not over fussy service, food to die for.

Very impressed that this is in Monkseaton and the food rivals any 5 star Asian fusion restaurant I have been too. Service was also really lovely and friendly. However, the music was way too loud (very heavy base) impacted our overall experience. For 4 people we had prawn crackers and edamame beans to start followed by dumplings, ginger rice (amazing), beef shin curry, crispy pork belly and garlicky greens. Loads of food but we managed to polish it off!!! Cost 100 for the 4.

Lovely food, different. Very tasty. Great coffee and cake.

First time I have been in a while. Had the sausage sandwich as only in for a snack. Was lovely.

Fab find. Really enjoyed the 12hr beef and peanut curry. Fabulous service

My wife and I had lunch here today and the food was properly delicious. We were stuffed and very happy out the outset. And you absolutely must try the crispy oyster mushrooms - they were divine. We saw many great looking dishes being served to other tables so we’ll be back here to try some of those too. One thing.. booking or calling ahead is advised as they were very busy.

Food nice yet expensive, however iced coffee price was absolutely ridiculous. Have been to Omni before, and had no complaints, yet received this earlier today. £3.50 for 2 sips of iced coffee. Ridiculous.

went tonight for the vegan supper club and had a great time!! all the dishes were so good! as a veggie who is picky and doesn’t really like vegetables🫣🫣🫣 i really enjoyed it and tried loads of new things!! will definitely be coming back💘

I visited Omni for the first time yesterday for a special lunch with a group of nine friends. The lunch menu is quite limited but we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I chose the shin beef and peanut curry with jasmine rice. It was beautifully spiced and contained lots of melt-in the-mouth meat. I thought £18 was a bit expensive at first, but when I considered the generous portions and the fact that it had been slow-cooked for 12 hours I felt it was worth the price. After all, some restaurants these days charge similar prices for burgers and chips! The wine was also surprisingly pricey. Nevertheless, the pleasant, relaxed atmosphere, the extremely friendly and polite staff, and the 'help yourself' tank of iced water with lemon more than made up for my initial niggles about the prices. We lingered over numerous glasses of iced water well into the afternoon and were never made to feel rushed. Thanks to everyone at Omni for a lovely afternoon.

I recently visited Omni with a large group of friends on a Friday evening. We all tried a variety of dishes. The belly pork, the beef curry the Malaysian chicken to name some and it was all unbelievable. Cannot fault the quality of the dishes and the service was impeccable considering the size of our table. The staff were friendly and attentive. 5 stars….I’ll certainly be returning!

Fantastic as always! Another great visit to Omni cafe, this time for lunch. We had the beef shin curry which never disappoints (best curry I’ve ever had) and the squid salad! Food, service and atmosphere perfect as always!

First timers and we will be back! Have been meaning to go for a very long and I can’t believe we’ve waited so long! Greeted with warm welcoming staff, Drinks came sharpish and ordered food…took about 25mins to arrive but for an extremely busy restaurant on a Friday evening -hats off to the chefs because that is good going. Food was delicious, hot spicy fresh and so full of flavour. Everything washed down with a couple of cocktails and a bottle of wine…absolutely perfect evening.

Amazing food with very friendly and helpful staff. Our dishes were perfect and sides just as delicious! Would 100 recommend.

Tried the beef curry with jasmine rice .. it was delicious. So tender and very tasty. It was a very busy evening but staff were always checking everything was ok and if we needed anything else! Good size portions too! Thank you .. I will be back :-)

Brilliant as always. Visited a lot over the years and can’t fault the place. The food is always excellent, the staff are so nice, welcoming and really knowledgeable about the menu and drinks selection. Most recent visit was part of a large group on a Friday night, food arrived promptly and tasted great. I wasn’t drinking alcohol and was really impressed with the selection of soft drinks especially the homemade lemonade. Would definitely recommend to anyone, the atmosphere is always great and I feel they cater for everyone at Omni.

Omnicafe is truly a culinary blessing. Our fourth visit reaffirmed that both the cuisine and service remain consistently impeccable. The braised beef ribs and special chicken wings are exquisite, and every dish we've tried is simply superb. The ambiance and setting add to the overall delight. If there's any minor feedback, it's regarding the two-seater table near the bar, which unfortunately can get quite noisy due to bar activity, and the occasional inconvenience of customers bumping into my chair as they settle their bills. Looking forward to our next visit. Update:25/11/23 Once again, the staff intended to seat us at the less customer-friendly table for two at the bar. Despite our previous negative experience, we declined, and a staff member offered an alternative table for two but with a time limit of 1 hour and 15 minutes, which again felt rushed and confusing. It seems management hasn't addressed previous feedback, so we've decided to move on from Omni, having provided ample chances.

We were excited to recieve a voucher for a local restaurant that offered take away, so saved it for half term. Turns out it was closed Sunday and Monday so tried again on Tuesday. Website advertised open til 10. We ordered at 8.30 to be told kitchen closed at 8. So, tried against 5.00 on Wed. No answer. Continued to ring/email/fb message. Here we are at 7.15.... It doesn't let you use a voucher on their click and collect. And they haven't responded to calls,messages or emails. Very disappointing. (Still ringing- still engaged)

This place makes wagamama look like a pretender. Amazing flavourful food with a southern asian focus.

We have eaten food from OMNI on several occasions but tonight was so poor from the rice which was bland , the salad way way overdressed soggy and salty had no ‘ bite’ as a foil for the mains . The Malaysian fried rendang chicken was a soggy mess with a tasteless thick brown sauce . I’m not sure if there have been some changes in the kitchen or it’s the fact it’s mid week but it was so very poor. Disappointed it was if they weren’t trying for a take out plastic containers cheapen the whole thing more like a take away than good restaurant food which I’ve had several time in the past, it was faultless .

Always amazing. The prices look expensive and have gone up a lot since it's inception, but I only begrudge paying high prices if there's uncertainty over the food. You don't get that here. Incredible food guaranteed and worth every penny. We went for a selection of dishes; our normal go to dumplings, belly pork and beef shin curry. All can been seen below. Everything was absolutely spot on. Too good probably. We ordered too much but felt obliged to finish it all as it was that good. They offer incredible vegetarian and vegan options too. Great wine selection. All round amazing. The atmosphere is always very chilled and relaxed and the servers always really friendly and attentive. So hard to try new places when there's somewhere this good right on your doorstep.

Charged us for the wrong thing. No apology or offer to refund the difference. Had to ask for this to be done. After a lot of reluctant tapping l was assured the difference was refunded to my card. A week later no sign of the refund. You have to question their attitude and competence if nothing else!

Only go if you like everything spicy.

Never had a bad visit...just love it here.

We had an evening meal here, whilst the food was lovely, I found it overpriced for the portions. We had shrimp crisps to start (posh prawn crackers) and at £5 for a small portion, I found expensive. Even for the mains and sides, I think £2 could be knocked off all the prices. A large glass of rose wine was nearly £10, which I find expensive. The restaurant could do more deserts too, instead of just a choice of ice cream flavours and toppers. Food was good, I just found it expensive for what it was. I wouldn’t return for this reason.

Very expensive for what you get, small portions, certainly doesnt fill you. The wine markup is ridiculous. Wouldn't go back

Very expensive, small portions and the wine markup was ridiculous

Good food and nice atmosphere. It was the first time I tried the Chicken Rendang here and it would be great to improve the sauce with more spice and herbs. Pork belly was always tasty!

Visited for the first time just before Christmas with family. The staff provided a great welcome and service throughout. The food was both flavoursome, well cooked and plentiful. The menu isn’t huge but all the dishes are fresh full of flavour and utterly delicious! The slow cooked beef shin curry with peanuts was my favourite. A full range of ice cream sundaes awaits for dessert. Thoroughly recommended for a delicious evening meal in relaxed surroundings

Delicious breakfast options, great service and lovely atmosphere, reasonably priced menu

We pre booked our table for 7pm . We had a table next to a Xmas party and another Xmas party behind us . Out waitress noticed it was a tight squeeze for me and my dad as we are both 6 ft 5 . She had a better positioned table that gave us more space and offered it to us. The food was fantastic I really recommend the shin beef curry and ginger rice . The service was all done smile everyone so polite.

Amazing authentic tasting South Asian foods with lots of fresh tasty salads and flavours. We went pretty much all vegetarian which was easy to do, but the meat options looked delicious as well. Only possible improvement could be the deserts on offer, but they did pretty amazingly well to be honest given the size of the venue and the kitchen. Would definitely come again!

We ate Vietnamese style pork ribs with a Jasmine Rice bowl . And Yellow Hake curry ... both dishes were so delicious and flavoursome .. I've been to Omni quite often and never had a bad meal .. I also love the relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommend .

They didn't get off to a good start when they told us the list of items they didn't have, chicken and mushrooms for example. We were told our table was the big one around there, with a point. Menu is very very limited indeed. Food was quite good though. Ultimately we came.out thinking we didn't get much for the price we ended up paying. As a group we had been here before but won't hurry back.

Beautiful food, great portions & super friendly service. Love it here!

Great, good food in a casual, relaxed environment. Something for everyone here and the staff are lovely.

Utterly delicious food ~ great staff ~ great atmosphere will definitely be visiting again soon Brian

We came for an early evening meal, before a concert later on. We had heard it was an interesting place to try and were pleased to book a table for two at 5.30. When we arrived a little early, there were quite a few empty...

Amazing. Staff excellent. Food amazing 😋

Fantastic food and great service. The aubergine is incredible, they must cook iron nectar!

I do love the food at Omni, we have Miso pickles which were a lovely starter. We ordered chicken wings which weren’t soggie and had a lovely flavour. Osyter mushrooms which are recommended. The staff are attentive and lovely. It is recommended to book in advanced. We had a short notice booking which meant we were on the bar stools.

Obviously the food is excellent but what you may not know is these guys consistently play the best music - classic breaks and spicy squid - what’s not to like…!

Fabulous food, lovely staff and an amazing atmosphere, really enjoyed our meal

I've been twice in the last couple of weeks, and it has been flawless each time. The curries are delicious!

High quality food with a very relaxed environment. Absolutely lovely. The staff were all smiley, accommodating and friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Can’t wait to return

Fab restaurant. Great atmosphere even on a Wednesday night. I'd advise booking as it appeared pretty much fully booked (can be done online). Really tasty food.

Food here was fantastic. We had the pork belly. It was very sweet (which I liked) but some people may not. The ginger rice was lovely. We also had the beef shin, which was good.

Excellent consistent food and service. Love the beef curry, love the rice bowls, love the mushrooms. Honestly, it's the best food at the coast.

Came for a lunchtime meal. Pork shoulder Bahn mí was great as always and the raw Tuna Nam Jim was the highlight as a sharing dish alongside. Wish I had ordered it as a main with the glass noodle salad. Service was clued up as well as lovely and attentive. Please make sure you look at the specials, fantastic!

Excellent food and drink. All of us were happy with the meals. The Shin beef with peanut curry was truly excellent, as was the pork. Good range of drinks and great service.

Loved every part of our meal and service was excellent. Thank you

Omnilicious, yum yum, the ribs and the guinness cake in particular will be in my dreams until I make it up north again. Fun little joint and great service.