Food was so good. We each ordered 3 plates and it was just the right amount of food for everyone…read more It was great to be able to experience a few different dishes without spending a crazy amount of money. Dessert was delicious. All in all, for a party of 6 we each ordered 3 dishes, I was the only one to have dessert and a few of us ordered 3 drinks with the total coming to £180ish. I think that's a pretty good deal. We all agreed we would come back!

El Coto is located on Leazes Park Rd in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, a short walk away from Eldon Square. I…read morevisited here for lunch to take advantage of their tapas offer. I was disappointed with my experience overall, arriving back home from Barcelona just a couple of weeks ago, I truly felt like I had crash-landed back in the UK. The interior was freaky and strange - I entered through what looked like an old abandoned pub on a side street, you have to walk through an abandoned bar area to get through to the main restaurant area, through a very narrow corridor - it just felt bizarre, and I didn't know if I was heading to my death or walking into an abandoned building. There is also a very loud doorbell - which I presume alerts the staff members when someone walks in because of this, it just seems so uncomfortable to be going around the restaurant, too. The menu is extensive and has a wide range of dishes; I liked how they had common allergens labelled on their menu, including the dishes that could be gluten and dairy-free. The menu did seem larger than other tapas locations I've visited, and this could be part of the problem - they surely can't do every dish well. I also found the menu to be vastly complicated for a tapas bar... I ended up going for three tapas dishes to make up the offer - the tapas paella, chorizo cooked in wine and Patatas bravas. It certainly tasted authentic either; the chorizo was partially cold, and perhaps only half of it was warm, it lacked flavour and the red colour one would usually associate with chorizo. The potatoes looked anaemic; they also didn't taste of anything, and it was the first time I'd ever been served them without the Aioli. The paella, which is the dish I was most looking forward to, was almost inedible, the rice was clumped together, and the chicken was tough, it tasted like it just wasn't fresh and perhaps had been prepared a day or two before, it was reheated for sure. The staff member who served me seemed disinterested, and it always seemed her mind was somewhere else when she was serving our table. I've really tried to cut down on handing out one-star reviews lately, as I'm trying to see positives in a business but I'm truly struggling here unfortunately. 1*

Solid selection, friendly service and not overly expensive. I recommend 2 tapas per person while…read moreyou wait for a paella (the 2-person paella will suit 3 adults with this configuration), and then gauge how hungry you are after that. It won't make you throw your hands in the air and surrender to the Tapas Gods (for that, try Barcelona in Reston outside of DC) but you'll get a good meal.

AMAZING!!! Where do…read moreI start. Love Spain and all Spanish food. There are a few choices in the area decided to give Tapas Revolution a try. Staff were great, happy to chat about the culture of the food (if you want to) and happy to teach some basic Spanish if you are up for the challenge. The food, well it was amazing. The choices were great, a real cross selection they also did a black rice paella (died with squid ink) only seen that in Valencia so was great to try. Taste wise everything was spot on, Spanish food cooked in a traditional way. Could have easily have been in a decent place in Spain. Price was great, even got a card for 50% off via a postcard for them to post to a friend/family member. (Or You was even allowed) Over all I honestly don't have a bad or passive word to say about the place, food, staff or prices. One of my first suggestions when people ask about anywhere to eat. MUST GO ............................... 2nd Visit - Just as amazing on the lunch time menu. BEST SPANISH FOOD IN NEWCASTLE

For my birthday dinner, we enjoyed one of the best meals we've ever had in Newcastle. The food was…read moretruly exceptional, and we'd wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. The restaurant is small and beautiful - definitely make a reservation - and the atmosphere is romantic. The menu apparently changes often, and bear in mind that if you love any particular thing you eat, it may well be available to buy and take home with you! Apparently they sell their divine black pudding, various meats and cheeses, and their house olive oil (which we took home with us for a great price). I don't know if some of the things we ate are gone from the menu now, but we had their "rice of the week" (black rice with seafood), tuna tartare with avocado, black pudding with some kind of apple sauce, a meat and cheese plate, and.... I know we had more, but the menu isn't online anymore so I can't recall! I think we had some kind of squid in a parsley pesto sauce too that was light and fresh. I will say everything was absolutely exceptional - the black pudding was the best I've ever had, and the tuna/avocado dish was impossibly fresh. The plates are beautifully presented and the flavors are outstanding. Clearly, they know what they are doing in the kitchen. We thought the food was 5-star quality, no doubt, but the service could have really used some improvement. My husband would ask for another beer and then it would seem to be forgotten, as would my water. We asked several times for the bread we ordered, not wanting to eat the charcuterie without it, but it seemed to take ages. The servers were certainly friendly (and served me a glass of cava without judging my pregnant self), but we often found ourselves waiting a long time for whatever it was we had asked for. It did interfere significantly with our enjoyment of the evening, which was too bad since the food was exceptional and the prices were actually quite good for a meal of this quality. Still, it wasn't enough to deter us from recommending it to everyone. We will certainly be back, and hope our next visit is even better.

Compared to the tapas chains in operation around the UK Salsa has a smaller selection of dishes on…read moreoffer but their prices are very favourable, the presentation imaginative and the cooking faultless. Don't though order 8 dishes and wedges for two unless you've starved beforehand you'll not do the food justice. Service is good and the drinks range ample. The atmosphere is pleasant although apparently less so in the less intimate upstairs dining area and you can get blasted occasionally with cold air from outside if sitting at one of the more central tables on the ground floor. All in though this is somewhere I'll happily visit again.

The Salsa cafe is the ideal place to visit of an evening for a bottle of wine and some tapas. With…read morea simple yet delicious home-cooked tapas menu and a reasonable variety of wines, beer and spirits - its a must visit place in the centre of Town. They also do lovely paninis, wraps and sandwiches during the day.

A sign posted outside advertising 5 tapas for only 10 pounds had us drawn like magnets. Hellooo,…read morerecession! The tapas selection for the lunch special included a variety of seafood, meats, and other tapas regulars like olives and breads. The chorizo was good but could have been more tender. Mushrooms and tortilla were okay... But the calamares' and garlic mayo sauce was delicious and La Vina meatballs were flavorful and tender. The meal included a free basket of bread with tomato and olive oil dipping sauces so it wasn't a surprise we were quickly full and couldn't even finish our tapas. The waiters were attentive throughout our meal. Considering how inviting and relaxing the ambiance is, it's such a good deal for two people. I could definitely imagine myself meeting up with some girlfriends for a chic and cheap meal.. if it weren't across the Atlantic.

Another tapas place. This one is hidden away on Grey St, down ome stairs. There's a nice bar area…read moreaswell as the main restaurant. The food is really nice and the atmosphere is good too, the staff are friendly and laid back, which is what you want when you have tapas. They'll keep bringing you more and more food. The sangria comes in nice big jugs (bigger than el torero!) ad once you're settled, you can stay all night quite happily!

The tastiest burgers in Newcastle & they are right on my doorstep. Completely homemade of…read moreconsistent fantastic quality & flavour, including ALL the different condiments available with them. The empanadas are a great little something to go with a beer or two encompassed in the lightest pastry ever made. No matter what you fancy there is something to suit all tastes

From the owner: Lupita's Empanadas based in The Collingwood Arms in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne. Brings you the…read morebest in Latin street foods in the North East. Serving up Empanadas, Cuban Sandwiches, Burgers, Wraps and Soups. Gluten free, Vegetarian and Vegan options.

Had a couple of drinks here on Boxing Day. Great little find…read more Pretty good selection of wine and beers. The food we tried (free samples brought with drinks) was very tasty! Would definitely go back for drinks and a proper meal again.

We walked over to Dacantus on a Friday afternoon, this is a gin bar recommended by Johnny and Chris…read moreat The Botanist (feels funny saying Gin Bar, like Carrie Nation and the Prohibitionists are going to come charging through the door and challenge my femininity and sobriety). Out of curiosity... I made a note to look up the meaning of Dacantus (this is a Spanish place, only one person working here (the bartender when we arrived) isn't Spanish) - the closest I could get was "wine aerator" but I think that's because there's a wine aerator branded Decantus. We'd never seen Beefeater 24, so hubs ordered one with grapefruit and cardamon garnish and Fever Tree Light Tonic £6.50. When hubs tasted this, he said "wow" very softly and his eyes lit up. I had Bombay Sapphire with juniper berries and lemon peel and Slim Schweppes Tonic £5.95. They really twisted those peels to get as much aromatic oil out of them as possible (and they did it with two sets of tongs, not their bare fingers). The cardamon was a ground spice. The ice was very large - less dilution of the cocktails. I liked the juniper berries quite a bit. We were offered an aperitif to accompany our gin & tonics, chicken in a mustard sauce, quite tasty. Then we ordered the pork cubes. Not at all what we expected! It was a larger portion and the food was universally delicious! We'll be back in summer of 2016!

Initial Reaction: Being that we were unexpectedly staying for the night due to the weather further…read morenorth, through my Yelp search, I found some cocktail lounges to check out. The Botanist was an excellent find when we stayed the night in downtown Newcastle. Located on Monument Mall, you have to up three flights of stairs or take the lift (elevator) to reach the main bar and lounge that has a strong botanical garden theme that is quite beautiful, especially with the location being under a dome. The dome is gorgeous and really enhances the botanical garden and atrium effect. The cocktails are very good as well. I ordered a buttered coconut old fashioned that was quite rich and creamy, but very satisfying with the toasted coconut and butter-washed Makers Mark bourbon with homemade salted honey syrup. My wife enjoyed her Botanist Ultimate Gin & Tonic as we took a table with these plushy lounge chairs. The bartender was fantastic and friendly in making us the cocktails. Really nice guy who made us feel at home. Additionally, they have a rooftop balcony to enjoy the drinks; however, on this evening, it was windy and cold (at least for us Floridians) to where we decided to stay warmer inside. But we would return in a heartbeat.

Best kabobs eve! The peri peri chicken was moist and had tremendous flavor. Incredible atmosphere…read morein the main atrium. Save room for the shared cookie dough; one of the best desserts I've had!