Sambuca in North Tyneside

Friendly staff,excellent service appetising food well worth a visit if in area

Just love everything about this place!

The worst restaurant experience i have ever had. Waitress seemed really off with us from the second we entered the building, just walking to an empty table and throwing the menus on before walking away. Ordered the “Deep fried squid” and potato skins, the “deep fried” “squid” was soggy, rubbery and tasteless. Didn’t seem like it had been deep fried or freshly prepared, but i could get over this and look forward to our mains. However, my partner then found a black hair in her potato skins ( actually cooked into the skin itself ). We brought this to the waitress’s attention, she picked up the plate and walked away. Didn’t say anything, then started seeing to other customers. We were absolutely shocked by this, so i then told another member of staff what had happened and he apologised and went to check what was being done about this. We made the decision to leave before our mains even arrived, first time i have ever left like this in a restaurant. We said we would still pay for our starters, so the waitress threw a little plate on our table with a number to pay on it. Was shocked we were actually having to pay for what we had experienced but then about 2 minutes later she came back saying we didn’t have to pay. All in all, the customer service was the worst i have ever experienced, the restaurant is tiny and very cluttered, we waited about 20 minutes for our starters, our drinks were bland with no ice or straws, the food was tasteless and felt like they should’ve been paying me to eat it, and the cherry on top was finding a hair in the starter which was handled abhorrently. Will absolutely not be coming here again, Cassia Sambuca a few doors down the road is a league above Sambuca 1. We went to Cassia Sambuca after leaving Sambuca 1 as we were still hungry and the experiences were night and day, great food, friendly atmosphere and felt welcomed. Don’t waste your time or money at Sambuca 1 on the Fish Quay

Lovely food and great staff very accommodating to disabled customers! Well done

We've always enjoyed coming here but tonight we were extremely disappointed by the behaviour of staff and the quality of the drinks. I know now why the cocktails are two for ten. They are absolutely horrible and do not match the description or name that they've been labelled. The photo attached does not even portray the colour of the "amaretto sour" we were served. I was near a neon yellow colour with no indication of it being a sour at all. When we complained they just turned around and claimed these were amaretto sours - "that's what they're called according to the menu". When I requested a different drink it took over ten minutes and a reminder for a pint of coke. Not even a cocktail or wine or any drink that would take any amount of time. The food was alright and to be expected accordingly with the drinks. The service on the other hand was even worse with no check back despite being clearly upset and ignoring our table completely not even attempting to talk to us even when we tried to wave a server down for the bill. That's ignoring the fact that there was seven tables sat in the small venue, out of twelve. It was extremely clear they purposefully ignored and made us feel forgotten by the staff. It was the worst service I've seen in years and I will not be back anytime soon.

Excellent location staff are very friendly polite and professional especially Adrian and Alexandra looked after us all afternoon. Plenty of places to sit inside and out, plenty of choice on the menu. Food is excellent very tasty and cooked the way you want it. Very reasonably priced I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Great place to eat, food and staff excellent. Cosy, friendly atmosphere

Great atmosphere,service,food was excellent

This is the opposite of homogenised chain restaurants, it feels like a blast from the past and reminds me of family run restaurants I remember going to in the 90s before Zizzi and ASK moved in. It has good prices and cheap lunch specials that run until 5pm, but even after that it's pretty cheap. I had a mixed seafood linguine and a garlic bread... it was good. The team were friendly and made you really feel at home. But even on a Monday evening, there was a nice buzz in the place. It's sad that it feels like these places are getting harder to find. Good Italian food and service... what more do you need.

Always a great atmosphere. Nice reception, in fact we almost had a dance before I got to the table. Service was fast food always spot on and we were given a cheaper option of the three course meal.

Love this place, great food and people.

Absalotely gorgeous Italian restaurant! Had the same atmosphere as Italian restaurants in Italy! Love this place, will be back! The vibes are great! Food is sooo good! We had the lunch meal deal which is 10/10 for good value and taste! Does this review make sense? Probably no. Have I had two glasses of wine at this restaurant? Probably yes.

The best sambuca we've been in. Great customer service, Great food at Great prices. Definitely recommend.

Well deserved 5 stars food was delicious, great service in a warm atmosphere on a cold day I started with ministrone soup followed by gluten free version of marinara pasta then coffee we couldn't fault any of the dishes definitely our favourite Sambucas

Have been going to this restaurant since it opened, nigh on 20 yrs and always have enjoyed our meals, unfortunately over the past year, I've found the quality of the food to be not so good, went for Sunday lunch today and the Roast potatoes were amenic chips with no taste, the roast beef was like dog scraps,and very fatty. Our friends roast Lamb was exactly the same, virtually uneatable, very very poor and disappointed.

Great meal as always at Sambuca 1. We love this place for the fish dishes, although they do standard Italian food also. Located right next to the fish docks means you always get the freshest fish. The cream fish soup is iconic and can't be missed. Great friendly staff. We are not local but call in whenever in the area.

Fantastic meal on Friday night. Only slight negative was that our booked table wasn’t ready when we arrived on time. We had to wait a few minutes by the entrance otherwise would have given 5 stars. Great atmosphere inside and noticed two couples being turned away as they hadn’t booked so always a good sign. Food was excellent and plenty of it. Service was great, well looked after, especially by Ari I think his name was. A cheeky chappy who was good fun. Overall we had a great meal and we will be back.

Overcharged for 3 course lunch, reply from woman at bar was to palm me off after asking for a breakdown. Had to ask for third course twice as staff were not attentive after mains were served and then had to chase bill as staff again went into hiding. Not best experience and beef stroganoff was overcooked as it was batch cooked and reheated - not best value for +£40 lunch.

Giving this review solely based on the service as didn't get to try the food. Walked in to an empty restaurant to one of the staff, at the first or second table eating a meal. We chose to sit outside and another waitress stood up and said she is coming and to wait at the table. Both quite unfriendly and didn't seem bothered. We waited 20 minutes but nobody came. Only when we got up and decided to leave a member of staff came out but at this point we decided to go elsewhere.

Didn’t know what to expect an arrival - just came in for a drink, saw the quality of the food and decided to stay! Great place / great staff / steak was amazing!!!

Great food was a meal deal fantastic value for money Food was excellent Small but lovely little restaurant Will definitely be back for more

To small not enough room had a seat in the corner right next to toilet with traffic back and forth to the loo, a table with a screaming kid all the way through our meal constant, chips as thick as my arm not my cup of tea sorry.

l enjoy this place and have been many times but on this occasion because the plates were not heated the food was soon cold although the service was good when the bill arrived there was an overcharge of £20 on it !!! they would do well to heat the plates and have printed itemised bills

Been a patron of this restaurant for a number of years, but today's visit ranks amongst the worst meals we've had in our 61 years! It was absolutely disgusting!

Really like this restaurant. It's a standard go to place for me and my partner for veggie pizza and pasta. Bit disappointed on our last visit to notice that throughout the restaurant, including our own seats, that the seat cushions are pretty badly ripped. I'm sure a popular place like this can afford decent seat covers for their customers to sit on.

Fabulous genuine food (sea bass with mussels, lasagna and chicken Santana) all served outside in the sunshine of the North East's very own Mediterranean resort of North Shields.

Really, really poor meal. Fish and chips came with no peas + garlic mayonnaise. Waiter failed to give menus, clean table, deliver drinks or take orders. Had to order at bar. Woman server very friendly. Would never, ever, return.

The food was astounding for its price and the atmosphere felt very cozy and inviting one of if not the best restraunt in north shields the steak was divine and the desert really hit the spot for my sweet tooth. The staff aswell were welcoming and very communicative and to my surprise polite unlike some restraunts I even met one of the chefs who was very kind and positive when asked about how he made the food. Will definitely be revisiting again when I'm back. Bravo!!!!! 👏👏👏

There was a short delay to be seated as we hadn't booked ahead. There was also a delay getting the coffee and icecream. They were busy though.

Haven’t been there for ages and food still amazing 🤩

Lovely food. I had the baked fish from the specials menu and it was beautifully cooked. Very reasonably priced. Staff were friendly and attentive. The restaurant itself was a tad warm but that's just personal preference so don't let that put you off. Definitely will go back

Wife and myself visited sambuca1 lunch time today 2/07/24 ordered fish and chips , my fish arrived only for me to find it was still partly frozen, did not expect to get frozen fish as restaurant is on North Shields fish quay ample fresh fish for anyone to purchase, needless to say we will not be returning to this restaurant

Ordered fish platter here,Taste was average,Staff and ambience of the place is good,Restroom cleanliness was not up to the mark,Outdoor sitting was good,i found the platter was not worth the price,Mocktails is a must try here,Would recommend to try sex on the beach,Can do much better in fries /crisps,Overall an average experience.

Decided to pop into here on a whim and so glad we did. The portion sizes were great. The potato skins came with two sauces. One regular and and one spicy and it was well matched. I literally ate everything that was put in front of me. Very much recommend this restaurant. Only downsides were how busy the place was and being placed by the toilets.

Beautiful food, calm ane relaxed atmosphere, a lovely venue for our birthday visit2

Excellent service and food top notch

Been to quite a few from the chain but I can honestly say this evening's meal was spot on. What made it better was the service which was fantastic, our waiter was super friendly and made us feel so welcome. Definitely worth a visit and we will definitely be back soon. Thanks again for a warm and friendly experience

When we arrived they had forgotten to record our booking so we had to wait for a table. The food was very good but the noise level inside the restaurant was high and we couldn't hear each other. Lovely food but maybe not go on a weekend next time.

Terrrible food didn’t even taste cooked. All food was undercooked. Would avoid and go somewhere else. Save your money

Been to the Sunderland branch and was blown away by the service, value and experience in general. Came to the north shields one hoping for something similar. Went on an evening, took over 10 minutes to be seated when there were numerous 2 people tables available. Pizza was made fresh but lacked taste - like they added less of the ingredients, and made the dough extra greasy. Plate was swimming full of grease. Ordered drinks and got told repeatedly they're out of stock. Restaurant was only at about 40% capacity so arguably not that busy, but waited over 20 minutes for one cocktail, then another 20 minutes for the second which was a very average cocktail. (keeping in mind we ordered the drinks at the same time!) Waiters and waitresses not apologetic for wait for tables nor wait for drinks. Overall not impressed and certainly will not be returning.

Only awarded five stars as you can't give six! Fabulous in every respect and lovely staff. Great food and reasonably priced.

Great value for money and an ideal place to meet friends and family x

A very pleasant experience. Visited this eating emporium on Easter Sunday to celebrate finding all 16 eggs that my partner had hidden around the house for me whilst she was re-grouting the bathroom tiles. I opted for the pork belly and black pudding starter, which was delightful. The black pudding was a very nice texture, rather than the usually hockey puck-esque puddings you get from most establishments. No, this black pudding resembled a slightly-softened weetabix in texture, except meaty and nicely seasoned. I also ordered the mussels starter with a white wine, garlic, and lemon sauce. My partner said that I don't need two starters because I had already eaten 1kg of mature cheddar before coming out, but I wanted them as I saw a woman eating them across the room. Considering this was a starter, the mussels were piled as far as the eye can see. Should the mussels have been golden dabloons, Davy Jones, he would have been exalted over the vast quantity offered. The mussels glistened in the sunlight beaming through the double-glazed uPVC windows, akin to a disco ball twirling away to the sound of Shy Boy, by Bananarama. For the main, I decided to have the fish platter, which consisted of sea bass, prawns, more mussels, squid, and a salmon fillet. I gorged on this bountiful feast until I could no longer eat. The food was all reasonably priced, too, which was a bonus as I lost £423 online last night playing competitive backgammon whilst distracted by Carl from The Walking Dead balancing on a train track whilst walking. Overall, it was an amazing experience. Actually, one of the best experiences of my life - and I've been to Beamish.

We go regularly for Sunday lunch and are never disappointed. Food and service always very good. I don't know how they do it at the very reasonable price they charge.

The food was nice but the place is really small

Toilets could do with an upgrade but Apart from that I love the place

I appreciate the model here, in my eyes cheap & cheerful but when I asked for a tea & there was no milk, I ordered a coffee with cream, it was barely warm. Fish & chips. Fish was rubbery & mushy peas cold. Staff did offer a complimentary garlic bread which was tasty but overall not a fan. Wouldn't return sadly. Not great.

A great meal and such good value.

Was in tonight ( Tuesday 30th Jan) night was satisfactory to start however a young man took over waiter service at around 9pm and made the atmosphere great, a total turnaround, didn't get his name but a great member of staff.

Atmosphere, attentive staff and fabulous food at a reasonable price whats not to like

Smashing value for food great staff highly recommended suggest you book a table very good food reasonably priced take a look at the special board I had the mixed fish platter on Wednesday night. Simply great place to eat out.

Friendly staff. Super fast service

Another lovely steak from their South American source. Great staff but rather hurried, 2 courses in 55 minutes. Great noisy italian atmosphere with kitchen in the restaurant.

Best steak i have ever had in 3 years was that steak i ate in sambuca1 and i like the way staffs serves costumers.

High quality of food, a very good service. Staffs were really friendly am glad that i tried that restaurant i will go again and again.

The experience was again exceptional. The last time we visited was 10 yrs ago!! Hopefully we will be in the area more. Thankyou and hope to see you soon 😊

Great food with plenty of choice and all at very reasonable prices. To top it off the staff were really nice and friendly, especially with my 5yo daughter who loved it here. Will definitely pay another visit if we're back in the area!

Was 15 minutes over the collection time, had to wait around for it to be cooked after having notification to say it was ready to collect. The portion of the chip size was ridiculously small, I also took a photo of the chips size to show how small it was. It was barley a child size portion of chips

Lovely food lovely staff lovely restaurant.

Lovely staff, and amazing food! The staff were very attentive even though it was a busy Saturday afternoon but we received the best service!

I was recommended this restaurant, it did not let down, excellent service and the most beautifully food, presented and taste. I will pass on the recommendation to anyway who loves a great meal out.

Food was amazing steak cooked to perfection

Every bite of the fish pie was lovely. Service and atmosphere were fab.

Great value, food really tasty and super easy to collect.

Great service and good food at a good price

Excellent as usual from Sambuca 1. Thank you!

The food absolutely disgusting! Heavy atmosphere and unfriendly waiters. I felt very uneasy being there. Never again

Lovely restaurant with very polite staff. Good was unbelievable and excellent value for money. Highly recommended

We went in for the £7.95 3 course special & it was tremendous value for money. I had the minestrone soup for start & you could tell it was home made as it was brilliant. We had Lasagne & spaghetti bolognaise & both were very tasty. Even the ice cream was tasty. Couple of glasses of white wine £27.50. Excellent value.

Good selection of food ,prompt service , and friendly staff 👌 xx

Great food, very friendly and helpful staff. Well worth a visit. We'll be back.

Allways lovely food lovely staff the best and the first sambuca's to be in the North East the Sunday dinners are absolutely lovely 3 course meal for under £10

My favourite Sambuccas more compact and a better than the others, Good portions, and nice music

Love the lasagna, always fast great service very reasonably priced !!

Amazing food, amazing service, amazing price!!

A little jaunt across the Tyne on the ferry for a few squiffy ones, with a pre-booked meal at Sambucca s. What a lovely meal with genuinely friendly staff, who brought the attention of a little girls birthday celebrating her 7 th birthday. They had the whole restaurant singing and what a magnificent atmosphere. Lovely meal and worthy of another visit. Thank you!

Absolutely beautiful restaurant and food was a real treat to visit. Will definitely be back here again worth the visit. Recommend fish and chips

Advised that this was the best sambucas in the area. Well, it's not. The food was disgusting. The cream used in sauce for the steak was past its sell by date, giving the sauce a funny taste and smell. Staff gave me a clean plate with the original steak on, but the steak was still not right. Staff were not that interested when it was brought to their attention about the food. Wouldn't recommend this sambucas

It’s so good it makes you want to go home and slap your momma

Lovely place with very nice staff, the food was excellent and reasonably priced, we will definitely be back..

Sunday dinner 🤔 to much veg not enough meat. Seemed as if the beef had been standing then reheated

Currently here having the Sunday lunch. Absolutely gorgeous. No skimping on portions. Value completely for money staff engaging. You must come if not been before. Can't praise highly enough.

We had their Fillet Sambuca. Absolutely beautiful. Cannot fault this place. Their Tiramasu is to die for. 10/10 easy. Have booked for tomorrow's Sunday roast.

Love this place. Been so many times for tea and lunch. The seafood paella is delicious and such good value. It’s a cosy friendly traditional place and that’s why we love it. No frills but tasty good value food.

Dry overcooked paella, which tasted suspiciously like pudding rice, not paella rice. Had to ask for drink refills as staff were chatting. Cheap glass ware and tables crammed in so it feels like you're having dinner with the strangers on the next table.

Small but friendly would recommend

Definitely the worst Sambucas around the North East. The pasta dish was so oily, I couldn’t even eat half, the potato skins were bland, the spicy dip was awful and the pizza was also flat and bland. The only good thing was the collection time, less than 15 mins!

Great place but the staff ..not so much

I live on the fish quay. I'm disgusted by the amount of cigarette butt's discarded on Bell St. I've just witnessed a Member of staff smoking then throwing her cigarette butt onto the ground. Despite being a bin 2 metres from her. It makes the front look dirty and unclean and shows an utter lack of respect for the area and the restaurant.

We went here with some friends on iur first ever visit to the area. We were not dissapointed, from start to finish we had a great experience. Atmosphere in the restaurant was good, service was first class, food delicious and well presented with a wide variety and all at a reasonable price. Would I recommend.......absolutely!

Good food excellent value and service

Food was very good, and the service from new staff was very good. Thank you

what a magical restaurant, in the most beautiful place

Great atmosphere good service and cheerful staff even though it was really busy

We went here last night, I took my mum who hadn't been before and she said it was the best seafood dish she's ever had in the UK. She loved it! Thank you for another brilliant evening.

Portion sizes are tiny especially the chips and potato skins and changed collection time 3 times after confirming it was ready to collect

Been a few times. Pretty standard Italian food with friendly atmosphere and excellent service. Prices are always reasonable. Recommend for taking the family.

Very nice and good value for money

A fantastic little restaurant with very friendly staff. Amazing food at a realistic price. I would recommend it to family and friends, I have recommended to family and friends

Huge menu choice. No complaints about the food at all...try the rib eye surf and turf...or the seafood pizza (ask for anchovies on top). Good service.