Al Buco - New Life in an Exhausted Genre

Why has Italian food been done to death in this country?! You can’t walk fifty metres in Newcastle’s city centre without coming across either a half arsed effort at independency or a vulgar, mind-numbingly generic ‘Italian’ franchise restaurant. And regardless of origin, these substandard approaches always seem to offer the same uninspiring menus, addled with inaccurate renditions of pizza (usually completely molested by American influence), excessively creamy pasta dishes or lethargic attempts at steak. However, 2016 has seen someone with a real passion for authentic Italian food finally set up shop in the centre of Newcastle, just a stone’s throw from Monument.   

Al Buco represents a lot of what is great about social Italian dining - its family run, very welcoming, exceptionally comfortable and literally everything is prepared in-house, giving the whole place a brilliant home-grown vibe. And that’s not say they’ve cut corners on delivery, you can expect everything dished out here to be of fine-dining quality and markedly better the likes of the nearby, horrifically overpriced chain restaurants. And better still, they take great pride in the authenticity of their dishes and don’t conform to the Italian culinary normative that our society wrongly expects. Their carbonara isn’t laden with litres of double cream but is crafted with egg and fresh pasta; their pizzas haven’t been overloaded with greasy toppings but are light, crisp and ultimately delicious and their lasagne will make local franchise restaurant managers want to quit their day jobs. 

This café bar naturally lends itself to lunchtime dining, but late afternoon visits and relaxed evening drinks here can also be easily envisaged, and as (or more accurately if) summer develops this venue will serve for a perfect one-stop shop for shoppers and workers alike to indulge in real Italian food and drink. The extra effort seen across their menu, such as the simply outstanding tiramisu, as well as the atypical (assumingly region-specific) additions to the menu certainly haven’t gone unnoticed, as hasn’t their relentless efforts to please customers with warming service and highly competitive menu pricing. 88% 

Santana's Jesmond - An Italian with Budget Brilliance!

Looking for authentic Italian food that doesn't cost the world? Then you needn't look elsewhere. Santana's is a proper Italian restaurant that delivers expertly cooked and substantial cuisine, but unlike most good Italian restaurants, they don't charge obscene prices. Although the menu isn't at all outlandish, there are a few interesting quirks as well as classics that are all worth sampling. If you are looking to splash the cash, they have a great selection of wines and some brilliant fillet steak, Sea-bass and king prawn dishes. The deep fried brie is a crucial starter to opt for. The level of service is good, although some of the younger waiting staff are a little untrained, they do offer friendly and welcoming service across the board. But where Santana's really hits its stride is the sheer mind-boggling value for money of their set menus. Even the stingiest of students can't complain at 3 course lunch for less than £4! A strongly recommended restaurant for anyone, regardless of their budget. 84%