The Sir Michael Straker Cafe at Sage Gateshead in Gateshead

My sis in law and myself had booked to see Rob Brydon at the sage on the 7 th march ..we decided to eat at the cafe before the performance . Big mistake .. the menus read pepperoni pizza £6. Green salad £3 we both had the same selection coming to £18.00 bad enough when you see the picture then we ordered 2 small glasses of white wine and altogether with the food the bill came to £35😱😱 £ 17 for two glasses of wine .. really? The girl behind the counter seemed not to know what she was doing and I’m sure we had been overcharged however we waited to see if we had possibly ordered a larger pizza. This was not the case. What came was a large salad over run with large chunks of pepper and burnt dry CHEESE pizzas.. absolutely not worth the money. I went back to the counter to complain but unfortunately the line was so long that had I waited and reordered we surely would have missed the start of our performance. Shoddy food expensive and terrible service by young under 20s who clearly did not want to be there. Our plates were taken from us after we had finished.. we didn’t eat half of it..and were asked “are you done with that?” Lovely!! No training we identify on customer service.. dismal for the price will definitely never eat at the venue again

Thursday 1st December, we had two scones which were presented with one small butter each. This is never enough, particularly as they were dry and my wife asked for an extra butter each; this being the bare minimum served everywhere else we have had scones and that is an extensive list. The young lady kindly obliged and the scones, once buttered, were very pleasant, as was the coffee. Friday 2nd December, same cafe, same issue, same request except this time they were served with margarine. Shortage on the butter front? The request for an extra margarine was met with indignation. My wife explained that the scones were dry and the lady behind her vocally agreed. The margarine was eventually forthcoming along with the warning that we would have to pay for extra next time. With that sort of attitude and policy, next time will be a long time coming. The revamped cafe is a pleasant place to sit now and enjoy a cuppa and a light bite. It is however, important to provide good quality food and service as well as reasonable value for money. The Sage seem to have the attitude that anyone visiting there, automatically has the income to pay "seen you coming dot com" prices. I know that the Sage took a big hit during Covid. Apart from China as a country, who didn't? That is no excuse for blatant stinginess and a mean penny pinching attitude. If they want to make cuts, I suggest that they start at the top.

Chicken and Pesto pasta salad had no dressing - bone dry . Just horrible. I will not bother eating here again . It was like eating a box full of packaging and was definitely not worth the money .

We ate here recently due to the Brasserie being closed. Food offering was good, prices were as expected. Service was ok. All in all there were no problems and if the Brasserie doesn't reopen then we would be OK with returning here for food whilst visiting the Sage

The last two times we used this cafe for a tea and cheese scone break they have run out of scones and say they have some more in the oven but won't be ready for some time. Surely it is not to rocket science to pre-empt this and put the scones in the oven before they run out so they can have a continiuse supply for sale. This was about lunch time not at the end of the day. We put it down to young inexperienced staff working at the cafe

Have been here for Breakfast Bruch and Lunch .Well organised for pre event eating or popping in to meet .With a view over the River Tyne and bridges it has a very relaxed atmosphere .Service very quick .Good choice menu and served very quickly .Ideal for pre concert meal .

Enjoyed a relaxing cup of coffee in the spacious foyer where Cafe is located with my son. Easily accessible to wheelchair disabled.

Chose to eat at the Cafe pre show Sunday 26/ Jan 6.15pm. We all ordered Northumbrian beef stew, food arrived very quickly(perhaps too quickly), although the stew was very tasty and beef very tender every element of the meal was either lukewarm or cold. When we finally managed to get the attention of a staff member to point out the food temperature it was mentioned that I should have taken my meal back to the counter to complain - have you ever tried to put a dinner plate on your knee whilst propelling your wheelchair through a full cafe ??? Not a very helpful comment, very disappointing first visit to this cafe, I left as hungry as I was on arrival. If the food had been served at its correct temperature it would have been a nice meal, if the cafe staff were more attentive to their customers it would have been a pleasant experience. May I suggest that the cafe staff take example from the rest of the Sage staff who were friendly, helpful and informative.

We visited the cafe while waiting for my husband to attend his guitar lesson. The venue is very pleasant and light and we both had food and coffees Which were very well presented and tasty. I would definately visit again.

Hello Jonathan and Dale, just wanted to let you know of our experience today at the Sir Michael Straker Cafe. We are a walking group and today, after our lovely walk along the bridges, decided to visit your establishment to complete our morning out. We arrived here at approximately 11.45am and joined the queue - possibly 6-8 people before our group of 13. Service was very slow and by the time we gave our breakfast order, we noticed that a member of the team had already put up the lunch time menu over the breakfast menu so when we asked for our order, we were told that the breakfast menu finished at 12 noon and the lunch menu was now in place. The time was 11.57am at this point, 3 minutes before the breakfast menu should have ended. A member of your team was informed of this but gave no response. Surely it would be better customer service if at 12 noon precisely, it was made known to people joining the queue after that time that for them, breakfast menu was finished. There seemed to be no enthusiasm with some members of the team - a smile or "enjoy your meal" would have been nice to hear. To be honest, very disappointed with the whole experience.

I come to classes and concerts at Sage Gateshead regularly. The service in this cafe is painfully slow but unfortunately there is no nearby alternative.

We were attending a Concert at the Sage. Felt like a bite to eat. We had arrived in plenty of time so joined what was reasonably long queue for the Cafe. The selection on offer was somewhat limited but there was no alternative place to purchase food. It took some 10-15 minutes to get served. The arrangements for supplying ordered drinks were slow. The cakes ordered were edible but expensive/ overpriced for what they were. O.K. so we could have gone without; and will do any time that we visit The Sage again.

Long queues - took 15 minutes to reach the serving counter, by which time we were being called in for the event. I asked if I could take a 'take'away' cup into the auditorium, and was told I could. I'd much rather has had 15 minutes enjoying a coffee from a cup and saucer at a table chatting with my friend! Then when I got to the venue, I found I wasn't allowed to take the coffee in as it was on the top level, so had to leave an almost full cup.

I was surprised at the standard of the food here it was more than satisfactory, as you often experience at similar entertainment locations. A special mention to the young serving staff who were both polite and attentive and we would use again when next at the sage. We visited here for the schools together night.👍

I was fortunate to be taken to the Sage for a festive afternoon tea. We were served by the lovely Denise who was extremely helpful and the perfect host. Everything from the sandwiches to the divine scones were perfect and as we were full we took home the leftovers to be enjoyed later. I would definitely recommend this stunning venue and tea to everyone. We will certainly return. Thank you.

Went before concert and first ordered Moroccan chicken salad which turned out to be a pile of couscous with a bit of dried up chicken fillet on top. Sent it back and they came to say they could put a bit of sauce on it!!!! Then said i would have the superfood salad as a replacement. This consisted of some boiled pearl barley, undercooked green beans, broccoli and a bit of beetroot with no dressing. Complained again and 1st staff member said he would pass it on but he only worked there. Second was apologetic but nothing was done. I am appalled that the chef could even consider himself as one

Really enjoyed our afternoon tea today 10/10 our waitress Emily was so kind and caring making sure we had the best experience possible she was a lovely young lady. Jack was also very helpful and made sure we had everything we needed . The food was delicious 5 star for the chef Rob who made it. Recommend this place and will definitely be going back :)

Fabulous afternoon tea today. Served by Emily who was fantastic and very friendly. Great service. 😊

Had a meal here before the Rhiannon Giddens concert. Had to return my partners meal as the chips were cold. My “French fries” were just about warm enough. No apology for the inconvenience and it spoilt the meal

What can I say about afternoon tea at the Michael Striker Cafe at Sage Gateshead? My daughter and I went before the show this evening and I can honestly say that it was THE best afternoon tea we have EVER experienced! The sandwiches were as fresh as can be, the cakes were delicious and the scones were to die for! We will absolutely be back!

Had a fantastic visit today for afternoon tea, met by the very helpful Denise who once advised the tea was a birthday present she brought my mother and I a miniature bottle of Prosecco each. Couldn’t fault the service defiantly A*, food and tea delicious would definitely recommend. Can’t wait for my next visit.

We decided to try the cafe, instead of going to The Brasserie. There is a good choice of food on offer, from snacks and cakes, to full meals. I went for the Beef Stew, served with a hand made leek pudding, crushed new potatoes and minted mushy peas. The meat was succulent and tender and the leek pudding was like a large dumpling. The only problem was that for a stew, there was hardly any liquid and the meal was dry. I asked for some extra gravy, which was quickly brought and that solved the problem. My wife had the Moroccan cous-cous and chicken salad, which she thoroughly enjoyed. We had a couple of frappes and some water.

Coffee seemed appropriate having driven up from Stokesley.

Very tasty afternoon tea with a fantastic view of the city. We were served by Lucy who was very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend.

Large open space with cafe in the centre. Views over the river so worth popping in for that, and better cafe than at Baltic up the way. Can just wander in for the view alone if you wish Gift shop by entrance.

Me and my Mam went for our first afternoon tea here with a wowcher code, the food was amazing, very tasty, it was perfect! But more than anything our server Denise was the most amazing. Such a lovely, friendly woman who made the experience what it was. She went the extra mile to make sure we were comfortable and happy and even advised us about the quayside market. We would like to say a special thank you to her and hope she gets some recognition. We’d definitley recommend here and come again ourselves. Thank you.

Birthday treat. Lovely day, lovely afternoon tea, lovely views. Staff great, good food, especially liked the scones

Fabulous afternoon tea. Sandwiches, cakes and scones all very fresh and tasty. Service second to none. Would thoroughly recommend. Portion size was just right can’t wait to return.

Stopped off for a cuppa after watching the Great North Run 2019, and just wanted to say a big thank you to Sandra, who served us.

Barry served us with a lovely smile for our morning stop around 10am. We sat and ate warm scones which were delicious. Listened to the music in the background and admired the view of Newcastle. Definitely worth a stop to sit and relax.

I think they miss a trick in this place. The food is poor quality, badly cooked, the staff although pleasant are poorly trained, hence queues for everything, and an obsession to make you leave, as it suits them.

Love this cafe and epic space over looking the quayside. One of the most over looked or just unknown cafes in the North East in our (me and my families opinion). Great coffee, cakes, paninis etc and great staff too. We have an eight month old too and it’s nice to know that the needed changing facilities are there (so many places don’t).

We were asked very nicely if we would be so kind as to leave a review for our tea and coffee this afternoon. Well both were really great apart from the scum on the milk jug.

I was looking for somewhere different to treat my sister to afternoon tea for her birthday. Booked online via the 'find me a table' app. All very easy to do.

Although we were a party of ten we were made welcome and efficiently served with nice food even catering for a non dairy and a non gluten variation.

On the evening of the final Royal Northern Sinfonia concert of the season and a huge Brahms Fest lasting around four hours, one might think it reasonable to arrive early at Sage to have a bite to eat before the show.

Food very dodgy and uncooked/cold. Risky health issues Dirty/soiled/sticky food areas and tables Same Cleaning cloths being used for multiple surfaces

My friends booked this as a birthday treat and it was! Denise looked after us today and nothing was a bother! The chefs own recipe strawberry and white chocolate scones were devine! Thank you!

Had a lovely tea before enjoying the musical event. Service was excellent and the staff very friendly.

Me and my mam have just returned from having one of the best afternoon teas ever! The sandwiches were so fresh,the scones were absolutely delicious and the cakes were very tasty too,top marks to the chef.

The title says it all. 2 orders including poached eggs & the eggs were thoroughly cold. Not cooling but warm on the inside. Chilled thoroughly enough for us to suspect batch cooking then dumped in cold water.

Fabulous from arriving to leaving, the food fresh and home made was delicious and plentiful served with as much tea - coffee you could drink, the service by Katie and Dee was perfect always attentive and helpful. One of the best afternoon teas we have had. we would highly recommend a visit.

Beautiful cheese scones,delicious chocolate brownie, very tasty Tynebank beer

Cant say enough good thing about this place, the food absolutely delicious, all fresh and home made, the staff sooo friendly and attentive. This is our second visit and will most definitely be back, particularly a big shout out to Denise for 1st class service and the chef for his amazing strawberry and white chocolate scones mmmmmm

For our 50th Wedding Anniversary we were treated to Afternoon Tea at the Sage. Right from the moment we arrived it was a very special and memorable occasion. From the reserved table setting, the attention from Denise and Jack throughout and the generous Afternoon Tea it was faultless. Would highly recommend. Thank you.

Arrived early on Monday so joined the queue for a hot drink, it took several minutes before getting served & when we did it was rather disorganised, despite having the order we were asked again what our order was & would we mind take away cups as they’d run out of china ones, we were served with the mocha but not the latte and then casually asked why we were waiting, the staff appeared to be new & untrained or just inept, when we sat down my friend had to return as her mocha was just lukewarm, for a prestigious venue such as this more needs to be done to keep the guests returning not turning them away due to poor service, there was clearly insufficient staff on duty as the tables were cluttered with dirty dishes & only got cleared once patrons started to make their way to the auditorium, not at all impressed.

We arrived a little early but were met by the maitre d who very welcomely took us to our seats.

I was treated by my friend to afternoon tea here at Sage Gateshead. Although the cafe area was quite busy, we had the restaurant area almost totally to ourselves. The service from Denise made us feel very special, she couldn't have been kinder or more helpful. The tea itself was delicious and maintained a fine balance between the dainty morsels and a robust fruit scone. Perfect for the unashamedly greedy. The chef managed to rustle up some tasty vegetarian sandwiches at no notice! All in all it was a total pleasure and indulgence.

Delicious afternoon tea. Lovely sandwiches (mine were vegetarian), great cakes and an amazing scone with the works ....

Atendimento ótimo, fila pequena, doces deliciosos e combinam muito bem com cases e com as opções de bebidas. Só tem poucas mesas para sentar.

Nice coffee and cake , pleasant staff , although a little on the pricey side, for two coffees and cakes .

Arrived early so we could eat here. Good choices on menu. Service very friendly and welcoming. Food was off new menu and was exceptionally tasty. Only criticism was it wasn't really hot. However my son said it was the best Cheeseburger he had ever had! We followed with cake as they looked so good and were not disappointed. The fruit and nut cake I sampled was absolutely delicious.

Excellent service from Denise,sandwiches.and cakes were great. Lovely table with views of the River Tyne and its bridges would thoroughly recommend

Visited the sage on Saturday with my daughter, we had a lovely time, the sage offers a small but adequate menu for young children and we were served by a helpful and cheery member of staff (she gave us a card which said her name was Molly) - will definitely return

We were served by the wonderful Denise (more like ‘De-nice’). Great food and menu. Spectacular venue for dining and drinking.

Had a lovely time at the sage yesterday seeing RNS, we were served by a lovely girl called Molly and recommended to get the superfood salad- great choice for a great price.

Hello, I thought I would write an early morning review before work to say that I went to the Sage yesterday while walking along the quayside with my girlfriend and we thought we would pick up some food while we were there. I’m pleased to say that the eggs benedict and the sausage stottie was scrumptious and we were served by a waitress called Katie(brown hair..?) I think who we had a lovely chat with about the new AND improved menu. The staff at the till were also prompt and most helpful!

Afternoon teas overlooking the river was delightful we were looked after by Denise. This lady couldn't do enough for you. The food was lovely and we had never seen scones so big. The sandwiches were plentiful and the cakes we had to bring home as we were so full. Apparently there is a new chef who they should hold on to.

A friends birthday , a party of six , lunchtime ! Selection of hot food was good , not huge but interesting ,and the very nice chap at counter was very accommodating about changing set menu to suit us , even down to how hard or soft the poached eggs should be .

I'm a frequent visitor to the Sage but I rarely eat there. Today I did and I was reminded how poor and expensive the food is.

Had a lovely afternoon tea with great service from Richard. Had a lovely table looking over the water. Definitely will be back.

Lovely afternoon tea good selection of sandwiches, cakes and huge scones. Refills for tea and coffee. Location is great, we had window seat overlooking the river.

Visited today (30th December) with my nana, mam, sister and niece. Denise greated us and took us to our table. We had a table which over looked the Tyne, it was such a lovely view. The winter menu (as shown on photo) was £15.95 and it does not disappoint. Everything from the sandwiches, to scones, cakes were all tasty. You get a lot for your money. I've done other afternoon teas which were priced at £20+ and didn't come close to today. Denise the waitress is an asset to your team, from arrival she was friendly and polite. Checked on us a few times throughout to make sure we had enough sugar, milk, if we wanted fresh tea etc. She made our afternoon all the more pleasurable. What a fabulous member of staff you have! Well done Denise, we will be back soon to see you x

Stopped off for a late brunch, and discovered their really great bacon and egg stottie, coffee and cake. Terrific views over the river and city too.

Fabulous venue. The evening we went there was an excellent choir performing just outside the cafe seating area which created a very good atmosphere. the venue was very crowded but the queue for the cafe was being dealt with efficiently. The food took a while to come but would have been very nice if it was warm. I had a very tasty burger and my wife had a really good pie and mash. So why only three stars? There were two big problems:

Myself and my family went for afternoon tea at the sage for my mums 60th birthday and the service we received was exceptional. Denise was looking after us and she made our experience memorable. She was absolutely fantastic at her job, always checking to make sure we were ok and asking if we needed anything, we felt right at home!

My brother and I had afternoon tea today the food was very fresh , we had orange & water as my brother dose not like water and tea &coffee; as much as we wanted . our waitress was called Denise nothing was a bother to her at all , she was very polite and really looked after us . A big thank you Denise hope to see you on our next visit ..

afternoon tea,wonderful, and served to perfection by Aimee. bottomless coffee and tea pots,scones to die for

Visiting the north east I've been around many a coffee shops and to say the least I've been let down. But not here. The young lad behind the counter called Barry made probably one of the smoothest cappuccinos I've ever set my lips on - topped off with a generous spread of chocolate there was nothing bad I could say. Didn't get the chance to try any of the cakes however would love to come back and see what's in store.

Wonderful afternoon tea with excellent service from Denise at the Sage Gateshead overlooking the Tyne.

My wife, mum, our two children (8 and 2) and myself ate here on Saturday 13th October 2018. Our order was an omelette, two cups of coffee, a Sprite, a bowl of fries, a bowl of onion rings, a toasted mushroom ciabatta, beans on toast and a cheese scone. This came to around £32. As mentioned by another reviewer the toasted sandwich came with crisps and a small side salad but the omelette was on it's own. I asked about baked potatoes but they weren't available.

Such a disappointment. Bubble and squeak was on the menu but it turned out to be a portion of cabbage with about a teaspoon of grated carrot and a teaspoon of what may have been potato. Pricey for a serving of cabbage. My daughter ordered sausage and mash and it was okay but nothing to rave about.

Had the sorriest excuse of a burrito ever. Poor filling, very little chicken and avocado. Then grilled flat as though it was a panini cost £7.95. Came with salad leaves, salsa and crisps. Not worth the money

The cafe menu has had a recent revamp so we thought we'd give it a tryout. Service was fine, with young, helpful staff. I ordered Bubble & Squeak, which turned out to be a bowl of steamed veg (mostly carrot). The sweet potato fries ordered as a side dish were fine. The tortellini were only just cooked, although the wild mushroom sauce was nice. This was followed by a slice each of chocolate fudge cake and angel cake with sparkles. These were both unexceptional, and really not worth the £3.50 price tag.

Delicious afternoon tea in lovely setting. Live piano playing added to atmosphere. Attentive and friendly service from Denise.

We have attended many fantastic concerts in this iconic building with great staff. We recently attended the the showing of "The Bridges" which was very entertaining and interesting. We also bought lots of great gifts in the shop with helpful advice from staff. We also decided to go for a bite to eat. We chose tuna & red onion sandwiches. I'm afraid the bread was very dry & the salad was poor with tomatoes, cucumber and limp damp lettuce & crisps, customers are handed cutlery with tomato ketchup! I can only assume we were there on a bad day.

Great looking, interesting menu produced disappointing food. 2 focaccias and a ciabatta all had a dry, straw like texture.

Very busy before concert. My wife had fishcake with side of sweet potato fries, I had a beef burger. My wife enjoyed her food , mine was ok but the fries were cold. I had a bottle of beer my wife a gin and tonic or gin and soda water as it turned out to be. At an overall cost of about £30 somewhat overpriced. The staff we’re very friendly if a little inexperienced.

Recently had food in this cafe on the night of the opening of the Great Exhibition of the North. It was pretty busy in the cafe and we were expecting a long wait. To our pleasant surprise, the food arrived very swiftly and was freshly cooked and of a good standard.

I popped in here for a coffee and a rest while walking along the Quayside. The cafe was fairly quiet mid-afternoon and there was plenty of seating. Staff were friendly, the coffee was good, and the view to the Tyne was lovely.

We regularly attend concerts at the SAGE and always eat as well.

We went to the Sage to see a concert on Saturday 26th May 2018. We arrived early as we planned to have some food before the concert. I think everyone else had the same idea. The café was packed but we managed to find a table over looking the Tyne and the Millennium bridge which was lovely. After waiting in a long line to order our food we finally got served. We then waited another 40 mins for our food. The food was ok I guess noting much to write home about but not much to complain about either. The food was acceptable and the café was very busy they managed pretty well under the circumstances.

Visited on the evening of Thursday 24th May. The tortellini was recommended by a member of staff and it certainly delivered! The only thing I would add, is to have an accompanying piece of crusty bread, with which to mop up the fantastic sauce.

Visited for afternoon tea using an Itison voucher,, there was a seperate area cordoned off for afternoon teas by the window looking over the tyne. It is a lovely setting. Our waitress was Kat who was very friendly and helpful

Booked afternoon tea with voucher bought off itson and was not disappointed. The sandwiches were fresh and able to choose due to certain dislikes. Cakes not too large but plenty,scones were fresh warm and delicious 😋. Very friendly and attentitive staff.

Visited on the afternoon of 3rd of April. Wasn't very busy nice and quiet for it being the school holidays. Came with my family after having a walk along the quayside, visited Sir Michael Stealer Cafe was served very promptly by a lovely young lady only issue with this is the place is the drinks were a bit pricey at £2.40 for a green tea and the serving size wasnt very big and it was the same price for a hot chocolate.

Very relaxed informal nice for catch up and chat . Food good for the money the coffee was good too . Staff had a smile and friendly

Called into the Sage for Breakfast after spotting the menu at the Big Girls Don’t Cry concert the previous night. We hadn’t realised that the Sage served food, as we ate at the pitcher and piano before the Concert.

Met friends here before attending a concert at Sage One. Lovely place to sit and chat, very relaxed and informal.

My food, which was burger and chips took over 40 minutes to arrive (and then only after a complaint). I was offered a refund but accepted a glass of red wine on the understanding that the food would arrive very shortly. As for the food...

Fish and chips before a concert - food was served hot and excellent quality - wine reasonably priced for this...

The flowers where great but lunch was very poor. A long wait for Quiche and salad. Brown limp lettuce to accompany our reasonable quiche. When we complained about the salad we were brought a bowl of lettuce to share. Even longer wait at the counter for a piece of cake.

Visitamos el Cafe Sage en un pie y qué gran taza de té con vistas sobre el río Tyne y quayside mientras una o dos horas escuchar música gratis y disfrutar del ambiente.

El almuerzo era inaceptable; comestible. El quiche parecía un desastre gigante en repostería, el pescado empapados estaba seco y duro en pasta seca y dura y las patatas fritas eran medio cocinado patatas bañadas en aceite caliente. Simplemente horrible. Estábamos tan enfadado y habría tenido...

No estoy seguro de que esta crítica necesita mucho más que la imagen. . Pero aquí vamos: me dieron un bocadillo de tocino, MEDIA por £4 (! ! ! ). . Tardo 25 minutos en llegar de ordenar (sin aviso fue dado de el tiempo...

Visitamos el Sage para café y tarta y conseguimos una mesa junto a la ventana con vistas al río Tyne. Había un montón de gente con el café, ya que parecía ser una conferencia, así que era bastante ruidoso.

Hemos visitado el café en Sage antes. . . está bien para un café y un bollo, pero sus comidas son bastante malos. Tuve el especial. . Pollo tagine. . Que tenía el potencial de ser adorable. El sabor era bastante agradable, el pollo y...

Visitamos para un concierto en el Sage y el café está situado en la explanada principal en la planta baja. Selección decente, sin ser espectacular, el personal amable y razonable como cabría esperar.

Pedimos una chaqueta de patata con Verduras Tikka. El único vegetal en esta era de cebolla. La ensalada era. . . Cebolla.. Con la base de lechuga viejo deja la semana. En £7, muy decepcionante.

Disfrutamos de un plato de pasta muy bien cocinados antes del concierto. El personal era muy amable y servicial, incluso en un tiempo muy ocupado. Nuestra mesa tenía una buena vista del río y puentes.