Five Places to Eat for Less than a Fiver in Newcastle

September 29, 2018 by Rachel Kershaw in Eating Out 4

I set myself a challenge to write this blog post because, let’s face it, we don’t always have the money or the desire to dine at fancy pants restaurants. Sometimes, a quick but delicious bite to eat on a budget is what we’re looking for and in Newcastle you don’t have to look far. Here are five of my favourite places to eat for a fiver or less and they’re all in the city centre…

Nan Bei

This cute little dumpling and tea bar in the historic Grainger Market serves authentic Chinese dim sum that’s freshly made by hand in the open kitchen throughout the day. The pork and cabbage dumplings never fail to make my tummy happy and the friendly owners always make time to chat. It’s only £2.90 for four delicious dumplings! You can feast on flavoursome Chinese soup and squidgy steamed buns for less than a fiver too.

Find Nan Bei on Facebook

La Petite Crêperie

There’s a little chalk board on the counter that says ‘Having a Crêpe day? Treat yourself’ which I often do because as soon as I hear the French accents of the smiley chefs and feel the warmth of that smoking hot plate, I feel happier immediately.

The savoury buckwheat galettes are absolutely divine, my favourite is ham, emmental cheese and egg (£4.50) mmm, it’s scrummy! Of course, the sweet options like banana and Nutella are very popular too – Oh and a little birdie told me the menu will soon be increased to include the French favourite Croque-monsieur.

La Petite Crêperie’s permanent base is in the Grainger Market but it often appears at food markets around the region with a pop up stall on a tricycle.

Check out the menu here!

Herb Garden

This popular pizza restaurant can be found tucked away under one of the railway arches not far from Newcastle’s central station. It’s easy to find, just look for the gold roller-skate wearing horse that guards the door! The food at Herb Garden gets rave reviews (you can read mine HERE) so you might be surprised to hear that you can get a meal here for a fiver but it’s true, in fact you can get two courses!

The Herb Garden’s ‘Pizza and Pud’ offer gives you a choice of about a dozen different 9″ pizzas including ‘Spinach, Egg, Pecorino, Garlic, Mozzarella, Basil’ and ‘Prosciutto Di Parma, Rocket, Mozzarella, Parmesan’ to name just two. The dessert is either a milk chocolate pot, white chocolate pot or a vegan coconut, mango, and lemon mousse. This two course £5 meal is available Monday to Friday before 5pm, the only catch is that’s only available to takeaway but hey, it is quite literally a small price to pay for such a delicious meal!

More info here!

Revolution Bar

It might be more commonly known as a vodka bar popular with stags and hens, but by day Revolution is actually quite a nice place for lunch. The stylish décor is often overlooked but I think it’s a stunning building with one of the most beautiful interiors in the city.

The menu is full of comfort food classics and although most dishes are around nine or ten quid there’s a 2-for-1 offer available all day every Monday – so split the bill with a pal and you can easily eat for a fiver. The offer includes all mains, burgers, sandwiches and salads with options including ‘Aubergine Daal’, ‘Double Cheeseburger with Skin on Fries’ and ‘Fried Chicken Wrap’.

www.revolution-bars.co.uk/bar/newcastle-upon-tyne/

Tyneside Coffee Rooms

I could sit for hours in the sanctuary of the Tyneside Coffee Rooms. It’s a popular place with older residents of Newcastle who have probably been dining here for decades and I suspect the décor hasn’t changed much in that time. It’s wonderfully welcoming and a world away from the try-hard quirky cafes that seem to worry more about their insta-following than their food.

This is where I come when I put the world to rights with a friend over a pot of tea and a ham and pease pudding sandwich! The café also serves homemade soup, jacket potatoes, burgers and a whole host of things on toast. They do amazing ice-cream sundaes too and nearly everything on the menu is less than a fiver.

www.tynesidecinema.co.uk/food-and-drink/tyneside-coffee-rooms

Eating out in Newcastle really doesn’t have to cost a fortune, do you have a favourite place for lunch on a budget?