Pani's Cafe Bar in Newcastle upon Tyne

A lovely find just off Grey Street in Newcastle.

Simply perfect! Food, service atmosphere, wine, prices! It's so good that when I brought my sister in law here for an evening meal, she immediately booked a table to come back for lunch the following day! Unfortunately we do not live close by (Cardiff), however we would fly up for the day, just to eat here!! UPDATE: Six months later we return with our husbands who again, were so impressed with the food and service we promptly booked again for the following evening. An absolutely amazing restaurant.

We arrived and were seated and then...forgotten about. They were busy, but the problem was the servers were just hanging out at the register? Not actually serving? Also,it was extremely loud and to add insult to injury they turned up the music and it was blasting. Imposible to enjoy a meal in such an environment.

Proper Italian. Imperfections Resolved, hence 5*. The food is good but they overstretch themselves with an extensive menu. Go for the daily specials. Too much use of balsamic 'drizzle' for our personal taste. The affogato dessert should offer amaretto as an option. Several wines ran out. Not expensive. The use of post-COVID perspex screens adds useful privacy to an otherwise crowded and potentially noisy space. We had just been to a good friend's funeral and so weren't in the best frame of mind and there were some mixups with our order. However, the courteous and generous way they were resolved left us feeling good. That is real service for you. They deserve 5*.

Lovely atmosphere, got very busy but service was still great. Food was so good and well cooked. Our server was very professional and attentive. Highly recommend

Book in advance to avoid disappointment. We had a lovely afternoon here and a very leisurely lunch. Lovely atmosphere and very good food. We started with the meatballs in spicy tomato sauce and also the artichoke in white wine and lemon. Just delicious. Great choice of menu for mains and some really inventive specials. Everything was perfectly cooked and again delicious. I could happily eat my way through the menu. Desert had to be done and the limoncello tiramisu was a knockout. The pistachio soufflé was amazing and the hazelnut ice cream oozed nuttiness. We had the Sardinian white wine and also the desert wine and left fat,happy and round.

Excellent service from start to finish.Food and quality amazing. Lovely garlic bread, prawns and fish. Can’t wait to return.

È la seconda volta che vengo in città a trovare mio nipote che studia alla Newcastle University, la prima volta non abbiamo trovato posto e ho capito il perché. Cibo buonissimo, rapporto qualità prezzo davvero ottimo, accoglienza fantastica, sembra di stare a casa con gli amici,sicuramente sarà una tappa fissa per le future visite a mio nipote, grazie e complimenti

Very nice good customer service

Booked into here for lunch with friends. Third visit here and once again the food was exceptional. We had four different dishes and all were very good. Staff as usual were very friendly and helpful. See you again soon.

Lovely evening meal with my dad! Busy but plenty of attentive staff. Wine was lovely, food was out of this world. Had been recommended by so many to try here, but hadn't got round to it. The flavours and the smells! Loved it! Definitely will be back. Need to try the cocktails. Keep it up!

Phenomenal Italian restaurant specialising in Sardinian cuisine. All the staff were incredibly welcoming, and the customer service was great. Lovely interior. Had the Capesante (fresh egg filled pasta parcels filled with scallop and prawn meat, mascarpone and ricotta cheese) for my main, and panna cotta with raspberry for dessert. Both were incredible. Couldn’t recommend enough!

Beautiful food, outstanding wine, great service, a very firm favourite restaurant.

First visit in quite a while. We've been going for nearly 30 years now and as always had a fabulous meal and brilliant Sardinian wine. Service was great and the atmosphere buzzing.

We called in on the off chance of getting a table and we were in luck! We have been trying to get in for ages but never succeeded. Wow !! What a fantastic experience- great food, great drinks and fabulous staff - had a great time talking with Roberto and will definitely be back- we loved it and fabulous value for money

Amazing pasta and friendly staff

It's always a pleasure to dine here. The food is divine and the staff are excellent.

It’s an exquisite culinary experience. I had the Capasante. A seafood pasta. I loved the taste of the food served and the service was great too. Will visit again. I would say best Italian restaurant in toon for me.

Food amazing as always . Bernard's customer service is first class and 5 star 🌟

I’ve not been to Panis for ages so was looking forward to this. We were a party of 6 at lunch and despite arriving at opening time when it was deserted it soon filled up. The food was amazing, service attentive and prices reasonable. I had calamari and a chicken and Sicilian sausage with lentil dish. Overall great value for money and look forward to coming back and sampling more of the menu

Hands down the best Italian in Newcastle. Food is always amazing with great staff. Ones of our family favourites.

Beautiful food. Decent pricing too, 2 starters, 2 mains, 1 side, 1 desert and bottle of wine for £97, which we thought was good!! Food was delicious and the space was cosy and intimate but busy enough for some atmosphere. Great place

Hadn't been for years and it didn't disappoint

Lovely place and I will be back! Service amazing. Had no tables available but called when one came free. Everyone was lovely 😍

Food was excellent. Much more interesting choice than typical Italian restaurant. Service was attentive, pleasantly informal, knowledgeable and droll. The Grappa flights were a tremendous way to end a very good evening. If I lived in Newcastle, I'd come here on a regular basis.

A total gem! Wonderful food and delicious Sardinian wine. Friendly staff and a very happy ambiance. Will certainly visit again.

A regular customer but today’s meal was amazing. Had the pasta parcels filled with scallops and prawns in a delicious tomato sauce. Seriously good. Washed down with a carafe of the house red. Finished with a tiramisu, the best I have ever had. Can’t wait to come again.

Wow, amazing food, great service and value. I can't wait to go again

Visit once a month and never fails to provide quality food and drinks.

Me encanta este lugar. Auténtica comida brillante. Gran servicio. Precios fabulosos. El personal es atento y conocedor. Siempre ocupado, lo que te dice lo que necesitas saber.

I’ve to admit this is the best Italian restaurant in Newcastle. The staff being so friendly they helped me select the dishes that were vegan or vegetarian but with no eggs. The food was served on time and sardinian pasta were amazing. Loved the fritters I had, it was the best. 😍

Hands down best Italian in Newcastle. Always so accommodating, and the food is always delicious. We always come back!

A spectacular experience, an Italian restaurant that is owned and staffed by Italians. Food that enchants and brings the true taste of Italy to your plate - stupendo!

Good Italian restaurant in the heart of Newcastle.

Went one night booked the next .. absolutely a gem of a place .. fabulous food lovely lovely staff so kind and considerate and on the ball … love love love .. can’t say any more but thank you !

The taste of the food was absolutely superb and very reasonable prices. I'll definitely be returning.

We had a lovely family meal at Pani’s. I would particularly recommend the nduja creamy chicken, which was on the specials menu- this was the best food I’ve had at a restaurant in months. A reliable spot with hearty portions, fast service and a friendly atmosphere

As good as it has been for the last 20+ years

We asked a local where to eat and Pani's was highly recommended. And they weren't wrong. It opens for lunch at noon and though they were fully booked for lunch, we were seated by Giuseppe. It was faultless. Food and drink delicious service wonderful

Cool Italian with Sardininan specials. Only criticism is bruschetta could have had a bit more flavour, more garlic. Had seafood bisque, bruschetta and a cracking glass of vermentino.

Absolutely love Pani’s. The menu is varied (there are always specials on offer too), the food is always flavoursome and the atmosphere is great. All this at a very reasonable price. Pani’s can always be relied upon.

Wonderful food. A real pleasure

Great selection of tasty Italian food and good service.

Never had a bad experience here and keep going back. Newcastle has lots of good independent restaurants and this is definitely a favourite. Visited this week and the only disappointment was that after starter and main I couldn’t fit in a dessert. Friendly service and you could have a reasonably priced meal if you wanted. Specials changed regularly. Absolutely no complaints. Booking online is easy and recommended as it’s busy. Even on a rainy Tuesday evening it was buzzing.

Pani’s is my favourite place to go when visiting my son who is at Newcastle Uni. The food is always top rate and the portion sizes are very good too! Service is very friendly and the place always has a lovely buzz about it. We’ll be back!

I almost lived here during the mid-1990s and early 2000s. All too rarely, I get back to my beloved Newcastle, but when I do, a foodie pilgrimage to Panis is an absolute priority. In exactly the right way, nothing has changed in terms of quality of food, impeccably warm service, and incredible value. Thank you for getting food and good times.

Fabulous dining experience, as usual

Great place, been going for years! I miss the coffee bar atmosphere of the old days but the restaurant is great. Family owned and run. Definitely recommend!

Friendly and accommodating staff. We came in with a large group (that arrived in several small groups, and kept changing numbers) and they served us all quickly. Food was very nice.

Ate here with my wife and daughter and really enjoyed it. Food was excellent (different dishes to your traditional Italian restaurant), service was great and staff were friendly and helpful. Lovely ambience too. All in all I would highly recommend!!

Great food, friendly & helpful staff

Best Sardinian restaurant in Newcastle

This was our first time visiting Panni's Newcastle. Ambiance rustic, very tastefully decorated. We weren't too sure about menu, we thought there would be pizzas but we didn't miss them, there were lots of different choices to suit everyone and we were not disappointed - food exceptional. Staff are very attentive, especially Nieve who looked after us, she was friendly, smiley and an efficient member of staff.

Great ambience, excellent service and brilliant meal. Panis simple but tasty bruschetta, delicious chicken and seafood special, great choice of wines. Wouldn't go anywhere else.

Food was sensible priced, tasted great, service was excellent. Proper Italian Restaurant with Real Italians, we had a lunch time meal which everyone was happy with. My son has Nut and Dairy allergies and they checked that his meal was suitable. Would go again.

Gorgeous food and very helpful service staff.

Top class food and service great find well above cafe level like looked! Will 100 percent go back ! Menu lots of choice to go from

Absolutely fantastic meal, the food was just perfect! Authentic Italian cuisine, excellent service and very reasonably priced. A wide choice of food and drinks, definitely worth a visit, A hidden gem in the heart of Newcastle

Fantastic food, lovely atmosphere

Friendly staff, good food and wine. Definitely would return:)

Delicious meal, and very attentive service. Would thoroughly recommend.

Beautiful beautiful pasta, very prompt service

We had a lovely meal here. No pizzas were on the menu, which was surprising.

Our favourite restaurant in Newcastle, great good and value for money.

Extra credits to the guy who took his time to explain everything on the menu and recommend us dishes

Been going there for years. The food is always good. Has a warm and buzzing atmosphere

Greeted by very friendly staff. Food was served very quickly after ordering. Top quality place. If you want to try the best pasta In Newcastle this is the place. Beautifully creamy and rich carbonara, fresh and spicy arrabiata and a perfectly tiered tiramisu. Staff also interacted with customers giving that authentic Italian experience, bartender made sure every customer was felt welcome and thanked. Almost felt like I was out of Britain for a while. Will be returning.

We'd been looking forward to visiting Panis based on the reviews but I have to say we were a bit disappointed. The bruschetta starters were OK and our mains were very average. I ordered a chicken dish with a green peppercorn sauce. It was flattened chicken for quick frying. The ingredients made it sound as if the sauce would be different but it tasted the same as any basic peppercorn sauce. My husband ordered a sausage dish off the specials menu and thought it just tasted like Cumberland sausage. The mains were served with an option of fries OR salad, minimal, simple and quick. I would rather have had potatoes and vegetables but this was not an option. I also felt it was expensive for what you got. On the whole it felt more of a fast food joint rather than a quality restaurant.

This restaurant was highly recommended by staff at our hotel. The menu sounded very interesting. We chose two different seafood dishes and both were disappointing. It seemed like the same sauce was used for both despite having different descriptions.

Today was our first visit to Panis everything was excellent Bernard who served us was very good and we will definitely be back again in the future

Always fabulous. Lovely staff, gorgeous food.

What a find!. Lovely food and great staff.

What an excellent meal, with a decent red wine. Only little issue was the noise, and the management were very apologetic. (Well they did ask if everything was OK.)

We ate at Panis twice during the 4 days we were in Newcastle as we enjoyed it so much the first time. The food is very good and excellent value with plenty of choice. It is a family run restaurant with a great atmosphere. A real find!

Food and service were excellent, plenty of great choices on the menu

Unfortunately diner have food a my poorly friend couldn't come. Had a drink though and staff were lovely.

Met up with friends on a sunny Friday for lunch. Service was super fast, staff were very friendly and food was excellent. Lovely atmosphere too.

We really enjoyed the food. A great selection of interesting tasty dishes cooked to perfection. Great atmosphere and good people serving us. A nice fusion of Italian and Sardinian cuisine. Brilliant, thanks.

Mostly excellent but I tried/ observed four main courses and the quality was a bit variable.

Allways the best in Newcastle: Pani's.

Always a wonderful experience to dine at Pani’s. Had an especially good server this evening, who was very patient with my elderly relative who had a lot of questions and asked for a slight change to a dish, which they were able to accommodate. Many thanks!!

Had a lovely tea. Food delicious and authentic with good sized portion and a good selection of daily specials in addition to their regular menu. Highly recommend and I will definitely return.

Good choice for drinks including cocktails and mocktails. Many choices for vegetarian and vegan foods. Quality food but portion sizes are not enough.

A restaurant that refuses you on a Tuesday evening around 7 p.m. because it is supposedly full while a group of 10 was able to come in after me without a reservation either. It's not good to eat alone in this place. Business is business

Excellent evening here. Very good food and excellent selection Of wines and beers. Staff were very attentive all evening which Made this a really good experience. The location is great close to Other bars etc so you don’t have to go far.

Highly recommended, just go. Visited on the recommendation of my wife’s colleague. Went in on a very wet Newcastle afternoon, hadn’t booked but luckily got a table. Staff were engaging and friendly, the only difficulty was making a choice from an excellent menu. We had a starter and main the food was fresh and full of flavour. Wine list was good and matched the food. The interior was nice bare brick, tables had ample room and a busy cheery atmosphere. Next visit we’ll be back for dinner.

I have been dining at Pani's with my family for almost 20 years now. It is the place with the most authentic Italian food and atmosphere that you can find in Newcastle.

Fabulous meal, great service. Best meal we have had for long time lovely seafood pasta spicy Sardinian sausage risotto, chicken dishes v tasty. Caters for gluten free and vegan diets without sacrificing taste. Desserts great too !

Second time I've been to Pani's...can't fault it and will be returning.

To be fair, the food was not my type, but I could see the effort in it, so I gave it 3 stars. (If this factor is excluded, I would probably rate 0) However the service was very poor, not a single person asked me how I felt about the food, but other customers have been asked:(

Great Italian food with excellent service and a great atmosphere. We eat here usually once a fortnight and we see regular faces which is always a good sign. Try it you will love it. Needs advance booking.

Really impressed with this Italian/Sardinian restaurant. We thought the menu was varied with some pasta dishes you don't typically see so that was a bonus. We had the sea bass and chicken/prawns which were both excellent and very well priced. Would definitely return.

Incredible food, wine, service, and atmosphere. The space inside is so lovely and relaxing. What a great place all around!

I've been going to Panis since 1996 and I love everything about the place! Amazing food, not just your usual Italian, it's Sardinian and just that bit different but a whole lot better. Super friendly chilled out atmosphere and great service. Brilliant for a Saturday lazy lunch or an evening meal, if you need to be quick eg pre theatre that's never an issue either. Book to avoid a queue but tables are turned round quickly

Great spot. Been loads of times. Food not your standard Italian (it's Sardinian) and a good varied menu. Great friendly service. Decent wine list. Sensible prices.

I set eyes upon her and her beauty shone through like the first sunlight in decades, her glowing eyes sparkled with adoration. My date. Her hair fell naturally with light waves, I watched as the wind tussled it upon the approach of the restaurant. At this point I knew love had succumbed me. Her beauty stood out against the dark night and I hung upon her every word like a needle waiting to drop. She engaged me in tantalising conversation as we saw the Pani's door in sight. We sat down and I observed as her smile penatrated my heart like nothing before. Scran was good. Man watched me piss and made convo. Good night 5/5.

overall great foods and experience, though can’t shake the feelings of being treated differently by 1 of the waiters/servers because I’m asian

Beautiful freshly made food ...would recommend but probably wouldn't go regularly as felt rushed ...

Great meal out. Best food lovely waiting staff.

No table for one with the back full of empty tables. Thanks!