Initial Reaction: Being that we were unexpectedly staying for the night due to the weather further north, 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. read more

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

Food was delicious and the service excellent! Ambiance is a 10 out of 10! The menu could use some work but what a cool vibe!

Nice trendy bar in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne you gave to go up some stairs to get to it but there is also a lift but it's worth a visit it also has a nice roof top terrace read more

It's my first time to eat here. It's a favourable restaurant, especially by the window. I like eating here very much. I ordered a cheeseburger, but the meat stuffing was burnt. It tasted a little bitter. I don't like it very much. The dessert is a little sweet. Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

See all

Cool place. Tricky entrance. Awesome live music. Great service and just a really good overall vibe. It was loud, but we were still able to hold a reasonable conversation. For an appetizer, tried the scotch egg. It was my first, and WOW am I a fan. Crisp crunch outside followed by a thin layer of sausage wrapped around a perfectly soft boiled egg. So good! Followed that up with a chicken, ham and leek pie. This was also a star. It was kinda like a pot pie on steroids. Nice flaky shell surrounding a gravy of white meat chicken, ham and leeks. Served with a dark gravy and accompanied by mashed peas and mashed potatoes. Maybe a bit too much mashed up stuff on one plate for me. For dessert, probably one of the best sticky toffee pudding I've ever had. Will definitely be back if ever in Newcastle. read more

Great place to unwind with a few drinks and decent food. Gorgeous atmosphere with some fantastic live performers.

I had the sweet potato and quinoa salad with broccoli and spiced aubergine. My husband had the chicken kebab. Mine had a wonderfully tasty tahini dressing of which I actually asked for more of. The salad was light but also filling. I loved the chunks of potato and aubergine in particular. My husband said his was fine but not particularly spectacular. The greatest part of our meal we admitted was the dessert: baked chocolate chip cookie dough with salted caramel ice cream. It's not too large and we demolished it in a few bites: a rich chocolate explosion, served piping hot. Our server was also great: attentive and patient. This place gets five stars for its very cool decor: a curved glass ceiling with plenty of sparkly lights. And great cocktails including a bubbling and steaming alcoholic "tea." read more

See all

Lovely establishment with a great bar and the staff are friendly and helpful.. Seating is plentiful and the decor is beautiful.

If there was a higher star rating I would have given it. Very cool bar. Amazing live band was playing but the music wasn't too loud. There is a tree growing into the center of a beautiful lighted globe at the ceiling. The interior decor is trendy, artistic, and tastefully done. Lots of thought was put into detail. Upstairs there is an outdoor seating area which is probably the coolest place to sit and lounge. Amazing views of the city, reclaimed wood glory, and piped music from the band. I would go back here again over and over again. Well done. read more

See all

Came here the week before Christmas for a family lunch. We had drinks in the bar area and then were shown our table. The decor is tired. Maybe needs a refresh? Maybe looks better at night? Service was meh, seemed like the young servers weren't really into working on a lunchtime? Food was ok. Not great, not awful. Maybe 'lacklustre' is a better description. Not cheap either. Good sized bill for 7 though. Someone had tHe Veggie/quinoa salad, fish and chips, etc. Chips were bone dry inside, like sawdust. When in England..... chips should be stellar. I think they're mimicking The Ivy? I'd start with a new Manager. All in all, we probs not going back. Sadly wanted to love it since it was my choice for lunch. read more

The cocktails are nice. The decor is beautiful. The staff are average. The food? A joke. Completely overpriced food that feels like it was created more to look good on social media than is actually tasty. Go for cocktails before going to eat some place else. read more

7/7/16 - With 5 colleagues. Food Standards Agency Rating: 5/5. Server: Hannah, who was extremely helpful. Very good attentive service. Beautiful place inside, and a good size. Bookings are apparently essential for weekends. There is a lift, which my colleagues forgot to tell, until I had walk up 40 odd plus steps... They had a mussels with white wine, bacon bits for a main. I asked if it could be served as a starter and the server said yes. When it arrived, it was huge. That's because the starter is the same size as the main. I asked, when I had finished the mussels, if I could have some crusty bread. Hannah said no problem and it arrived very quickly. My main was the flattened rump steak. I was asked how I wanted it cooked. I said medium, but when it arrived, it would have been impossible to have cooked it medium. Not a problem as it was still quite tasty, and marinated in chilli and garlic with a roasted mushroom, plum tomato and watercress. Also came with fries. - £12.95. I asked for some Dijon mustard, and this arrived quickly. I had two bottles of lager: St. Austell, Korev, 4.8% / £5.80 / 500ml. Noise-wise.... There's not a lot of soft furnishings to soak up the sound, so, if hard of hearing like me, then it can be difficult. There was a singer there on the night, but seem to have stopped singing just after we arrived. We were able to take a long bench near the window overlooking the street. I've seen comments that it is predominantly a student hangout. On our night I felt it had a good spread of people. Check out the "The Anthology of Ales". I would have liked to have tried the Sticky Toffee pudding, but I was stuffed from the starter and main. Highly recommended. Other locations: Alderley Edge Birmingham Chester Deansgate - Manchester Didsbury Farnum Knutsford Marlow Reading Sheffield Trinity - Leeds York read more

We wanted somewhere with good food AND drinks, and The Botanist never disappoints. I haven't been here in two years and it's just as lovely as I remember, with even better service. Perfect weekend night out with friends!! read more

The place with the tree inside-I've finally seen it! You can see the dome that houses the tree and fairy lights from the pavement but the little entrance is off to the side a little beside Jamie Oliver's. You'll see it straight away with the little green theme and floral presumably hand-painted decoration which follows throughout the whole place. As you enter, friendly security guards are there to say hello. Then you you are confronted with the lift or stairs. I took the stairs. Let me tell you, it was a surprise that there are 52 steps before you got to the bar and restaurant! It is worth the climb though! The stairs are dimly lit, displaying the botanical themed (duh) painted walls and rustic looking staircase railings that opens into a busy, warm, dark bar (with the tree going through the middle) and the restaurant to the side. The place gives of an air of sophistication with the vintage-style decor artistically remodeled into functional furniture or unique wall decorations. I love the low-voltage, low-hanging lights. If nothing else, they are a great conversational piece. The bar is a central square number with the counter made of wood and above decorated with lots of different bottles of what I think is ale. It seems hard to staffs' attention! The drinks looked interesting and the menu seems decent. The beer is served in the typical old-style beer mugs with the handle and concave circular pattern all over and the cocktails were served in old-style glass jars. I liked the uniqueness of the experience and these little details really does make going out worthwhile. The staff are all young, pretty things rushing about and chatting away. They are friendly and outgoing which helps brighten the mood. The bar staff seemed a little short-numbered but the restaurant staff seemed to have too much time on their hands as they huddled about and chatted away to each other. Overall, the noise levels are quite high as this place is really popular so there's lots of hearty laughter from the numerous diners and giggles from the increasingly tipsy drinkers. There is a sound system blasting latest hits which is quite loud, not so loud that you have to shout, but you do have to raise your voice. The night I was there, there was a live singer in her own little stage which was a nice touch. There's an upright piano in the stage-area so I'm guessing live music is a common occurrence. We were sat next to the open kitchen where you can see the chefs preparing the food. I was distracted by this the whole time! The servers kept bringing out these downward hanging kebab skewers that dangled about- although I don't eat meat, I really want one of them! Kat (our CA) brought some fries to share. These were crispy and well-seasoned and if that's anything to go by, I will definitely be back for food. I also want to come back to have a better look around but it will have to wait until my pockets are heavier with some pretty pennies! read more

The Botanist - There's a tree here! - Bars Near Me - Newcastle, XTW

See all

We popped in here for a final drink to finish off an evening in Newcastle and I wish we'd spent all night in here. It's so lovely! The place is beautiful... Gorgeous floral paintings on the walls and stairs, fantastic interior decor, and the most amazing dome ceiling covered in amazing lights. A perfect location for a date or drinks with friends. There's also a lovely outside roof terrace bar too, which is perfect for a warm evening. The Saturday night that we were there we had the joy of listening to a live singer who had a gorgeous voice. The menu is amazing. Such incredibly inventive and delicate flavours, featuring fruits, herbs and spices. I could have tried loads of them and at under £7 a cocktail they were a right bargain. All round a lovely place to go for drinks. Thumbs up from me! read more

The Botanist - What an amazing list of cocktails! - Bars Near Me - Newcastle, XTW

The botanist! Believe the hype! The hype was massive for this place. They are built in the town centre. They have a beautiful location and the decor inside is amazing! The main room hosts this large tree house feature with the bar at the bottom of the tree. The upstairs outdoor deck area is a full wrap around with a great view of the city. Especially this upcoming summer. Some nights they have live music on! In the night time this place really comes to life. The staff are dressed well. Very personable and informed. They have a great beer selection from many great bottles to ales on tap. A full stocked bar with all the spirits you could want. They have wicked food. It's very appealing. I had the hanging kabob I do recommend trying this. It's a unique and posh way to eat a very cheap and traditional food. It's sometimes hard to get a table. The ladies who book the seats work hard and sometimes you can feel their stress. I find the beers, especially the bottled ones slightly over priced. I found the food of a reasonable price. Think it's worth a visit. read more

The Botanist - Oh la la - Bars Near Me - Newcastle, XTW

I have been to this place a few times and love the 'alternative edgy vibe' - something that lots of places try to achieve but this place is unique with its grandmas living room feel meet cocktail bar. I think the cocktails are one of the main attractions here and the outdoor terrace has to be the best 'beer' garden in Newcastle. Due to its amazing drinks I underestimated the quality of food and glad to say I was wrong. It was amazing! The menu is not too vast with the usual gastro pub choices but with a twist. The main attractions of the menu are the hanging meat kebabs that were tasty - don't forget to pour the marinade out so that your meat is marinated throughout your meal. Very generous portion sizes and the food was exquisite. The food was actually cheaper than a lot of places and I would have expected it to be more expensive. Didn't have room for pudding but the strawberry, marshmallow chocolate kebabs looked amazing. Overall a great addition to the Newcastle restaurant scene and can't wait to go back and try it! read more

See all

So let's start with the location; it's right in the heart of the city and boasts great views of the monument,plus is easily accessible by metro,bus,taxi or foot. Next we'll look at the decor....it is quite simply heavenly. Fitting with the name of the bar, there is a very earthy and natural theme to the botanist,with a huge tree in the centre of the room. The bands that play here are always worth a watch from what I can tell and the lighting is almost magical (hanging lanterns from the tree and dimly lit corners.) The drinks are exciting and live up to their names. Definately want to go back and try more. I do think it is very expensive but that is the market it is aimed at and if you go in there you expect it. My one criticism is that it is quite cramped in spaces. read more

The Botanist - Strawberry breeze cocktail and one very satisfied customer - Bars Near Me - Newcastle, XTW

See all

Called in on Saturday on the off chance of getting a table for lunch...not a hope! The place was packed and fully booked all day. Absolutely beautiful surroundings so we stayed for a cocktail on the roof. Staff were friendly and even though we ordered different cocktails the girl had them whipped up in minutes. Really wished we could of stayed all day as the weather was great and the atmosphere was just fantastic. Next time I will definitely book in advance to try the food. read more

See all

Absolutely gorgeous setting, I've never been to a place like it, it's actually like a tree house, with a large tree in the middle, spiral staircase case, fabulous lighting and generally great atmosphere. The menu is huge, so many cocktails to choose from, all freshly made, and great servings. Music was excellent too. I would have happily stayed here all day and night to sample the menu and soak up the surrounds! read more

See all

The place is beautiful! I'd go back there in a heartbeat just for the amazing atmosphere and the botanical haven they have going on inside the restaurant, every little detail is just beautiful, and the food was great as well, and the drinks delicious. The only thing stopping me from going everyday is that it's a bit on the expensive side, however it's still an amazing place and deserves to be seen at least once! read more

The Botanist - Bars Near Me - Newcastle, XTW

See all

One of the best bars that I went!!! Definitely is a must in Newcastle! Great atmosphere, great cocktails and beers, and not really expensive!!! read more

The Botanist - Bars Near Me - Newcastle, XTW

Excellent atmosphere and food. I got the fish and chips and my partner ordered the pork kabob. Both were very well made and flavourful. The restaurant is very well decorated and the staff was very friendly. Would definitely come back. read more

See all

Ever since I had heard that The Botanist was opening in Newcastle I've been really excited to check it out for myself. It seems to be exactly what the centre of town has needed. Walking through what almost felt like a secret doorway in a side street, up several slights of stairs and into one of the most beautiful rooms I have ever seen. The big square bar has a tree in the middle of it reaching up to the stunning dome ceiling. There a few rooms of tables off the main bar as well a staircase up to a beautiful roof garden. December proved a bit cold for the roof garden, even with the heat lamps but it did have a spectacular view all the way down Grey Street. They were completely fully booked for food so we just decided to stay for a couple of drinks instead. Their menu was full of local ales and amazing sounding cocktails that all have a slightly herbal twist with the addition of herbs like basil or rosemary. We first went for a Blackberry and Rosemary Fizz, which was a lovely long drink with Brokers gin and Hayman's Sloe gin. It was so delicious that I think we drank them a lot faster than we possibly should have. We then had a Cherry Blossom each, which was served in a martini glass and was also almost too drinkable. I loved my visit to Botanist and am already planning to go again, next time to sample their food and their watering cans of cocktails. Can't wait! read more

See all

Exquisite views over Newcastle and in a perfect central location! The Botanist very kindly offered to be the venue for the first Yelp Newcastle event recently so we were lucky to have a table reserved for us in the bar area. The decor is beautiful and very unique and having been to the Leeds chain, you can tell a lot of planning has gone into this to make it a fantastic sight! The huge tree in the centre of the bar only draws your eyes upwards to the incredible domed roof lit up with fairy lights. Quite the spectacle! They have live music on in the evening which is a treat and again adds to the ambience of the bar being glamorous yet also relaxed. The cocktails are delicious and wonderfully presented but it can be relatively tricky to get served as obviously cocktails take time and the bar is also square shaped. I am not alone in that several times I had to move somewhere else after waiting a while in sight of bar staff but not getting served. I have still to sample the amazing hanging kebab that you can see from the bar being made in the kitchen. If the chips are anything to go by though then I have high hopes - yummy! The outdoor terrace is due to open ready for this bank holiday weekend and I am so excited!! I have a feeling people will have their elbows out in competition for seats, especially as it comes to summer time! read more

One positive: stunning interior. The tree behind the circular bar is really beautiful. The rest, though... not so great. When you overhear another couple say "wow, how pretentious" when you walk in, it's not a good sign. As a cocktail bar... Big disappointment. All the drinks are very sweet and syrupy. Took us half an hour to be served at.the bar. And expensive! Lots of hen dos and hen do friendly drinks, like watering cans of syrupy peach and rosemary flavoured swill. You can't get normal cocktails, really. It's all pretentious, syrupy, overpriced nonsense. Shame, as it has a lot of potential. read more

I really like the laid back atmosphere in here, during the week they have a love singer which adds to the laid back cool environment. The surroundings are stunning especially the large tree in the middle of the bar. They make amazing cocktails and I am always very happy with any choice I make. The outdoor terrace is yet to open after refurb but looks good from all the hype that is surrounding it. I Defo recommend this bar for something slightly different and relaxed for a drink. I feel the only thing that lets it down is lack of choice on the menu and the food is really just over priced pub grub not even gastro pub grub. It is tasty but feel little over hyped. If your a bit of a foodie like me you will be let down as the hype outways the reality of the food. read more

The location and interior of this place is out of this world. It's gorgeous. There's a huge focus on artisanal cocktails, which are really tasty. They encourage you to mix things up and try something you wouldn't usually go for. I enjoyed the cocktails but I have to say I feel like they weren't very strong. And for that price I would have liked it stronger. Moving on to the food, it was fine. I was looking for more complex flavours. But I think our expectations were too high. We have lived in both LA and London, two of the foodiest cities around and maybe our standards now are too high. What I will say is that as someone from Newcastle originally, I absolutely welcome this artisanal and gastro style of food to the North East. It's such a delight to see diverse menus, but there is room for improvement. The presentation of the food, was amazing. We really enjoyed the "botanist" touch...pâté served in a little plant pot, garlic mushrooms served in a trowel. Pretty cool. The service was very attentive and efficient. Definitely not complaints there. Make sure to check out the rooftop bar before you leave! read more

Wow. I didn't know that Newcastle had something like this. It's an amazing hipster bar with a beautiful tree growing up from the Central bar area. I felt like an elf in Lothlórien as I drank my mock-tail (I was driving). it's a busy place, but very friendly, and wouldn't be out of place in Dalston or Shoreditch, however the moustaches on the bar staff were neither waxed nor styled and were altogether too short for the true hipster experience. The mock-tails were AMAZING and reasonably priced, though not for the area unless Newcastle prices have gone seriously high since I lived there. The cocktails I was assured were of a similar quality and the menu looked great. I have been told by local friends that the food is divine too, but as we were unable to get a seat there I have to take that on faith. I would recommend, and will be going back there next time I venture to the cold north. read more

The Botanist - Bars Near Me - Newcastle, XTW

I'm now in the best bat in Newcastle. This place is hipster cool. Amazing place for visit with big selection of Ale, beers and cocktails. Inside bar is bit tree you can feel like come to secret indoor garden. Wen you are in Newcastle you can't miss this place please look for some pic and video 5 * read more

See all

I loved this place...the food is to die for and if you add the gorgeous view and ambience is a perfect 10 read more

See all

I was recommended by two different group of people that it is a must have cocktail in new castle. It was okay in terms of drinks. I was more fasnated by the inside, the bar, the tree and the art works. It was super busy, we couldn't get the seats inside of the restaurant or the bar.. However not the the roof was opened even it was rained the night before. It was cozy and very refresh! read more

See all

Right then, so I'd heard a lot about The Botanist from friends and colleagues prior to my first visit. There was also a lot of hype around Newcastle's new £1m place-to-be in the local press, so it was perhaps with some pre-empted anticipation that I went along to The Botanist (for Yelp Newcastle's first official social in fact!) to see what this place was all about. So, it's in a prime location right next to Grey's Monument, very handy for the Metro, buses, taxis and getting down to Central Station at the end of the night (please drink responsibly, of course!) You cannot fault the style, decor and general feel of the overall setting, it is quite spectacular. Warn you now, you will probably spend the first five minutes just looking up and gawping at the dome with its tree and lights - gotta hand it to them, that is a stroke of genius. Anyone who can recall what this place was previously like as Monument Mall will be astounded that this really is the same setting. So, onto the main event - drinkies. Have to say, for me personally, this is where this place falls down a bit as there is a lot of style over substance here. The bar is in a square shape around the centre of the main area, but as there were people sitting at the bar to drink (a personal annoyance of mine!) it really wasn't obvious where to stand to get served. After quite a while of trying to catch one server's attention, another popped up from around the corner and took my order; the first beer I requested from their extensive menu wasn't available, so I had to pick something else but to be fair, the server was helpful in pointing out what was on offer. Later on, it was pointed out that they had four good local ales on tap, not that was immediately obvious from one side of the bar. The other thing that someone in our party pointed out was the amount of time it took to prepare a cocktail. Lots of fresh ingredients went into each drink which is great to see, but they arrived after a lot of faffing about with fresh herbs as a garnish, which were promptly removed from the drink! They'll be keeping the herb growers around the world in business for a long time, that's for sure. The other, other thing that was slightly disconcerting was when the bar servers randomly shouted out (to whom?) what must've been numbers relating to spent bar items as they were finishing pouring your drink - wasn't sure if I was missing an impromtu game of bar bingo. Bar service aside, my other gripe (warning: another old grump alert) was that whilst it is nice to have music, and indeed live music was on the night we were there (performer was very good too), for some ambience does it always have to be turned up that little bit louder than is necessary? On top of the chatter and banter of all the punters, you could've easily turned this down a notch to make conversations that little bit easier. Overall this place is clearly proving popular, and I can genuinely see why. I'd give this place 3.5/5 if I could. For me, if they could just get the bar arrangements sorted out and turn the tunes down a touch, I think The Botanist would quickly become one of the best places to go out in Newcastle for a long time to come. read more

definitely one of my favorite restaurant&pub in Newcastle, staffs are kind here and the foods, drinks are lovely:) read more

See all

Love love this restaurant. Beautiful inside. Great interesting drinks. Wonderful food dishes. Great customer service. Can't say enough. Oh and a fabulous view! read more

Beautiful space with a great view and terrace, but drinks are too expensive for what they are.

Really awesome place! Like you're having a magnificent dinner in a giant domed treehouse. With great drinks and live music. Hard to beat.

Came here for the first time as it has very good reviews, and I was not disappointed. The bar is located at the top of monument mall, it has a lift or it is up a few flights of stairs. The decor is amazing, it is like being inside a very smart treehouse, there is a tree in the middle of the room above the bar. Extensive drinks menu, reasonable priced cocktails and even non alcoholic cocktails. There is a dining area to one side of the room and food is also served at tables within the bar area as well. Kitchen is open plan so you can watch people cooking. Food menu is normal pub grub. Prices seemed fairly reasonable. read more

A very classy joint offering very classy cocktails. The botanist has a very friendly environment and good atmosphere, occasionally playing live music. However I would say that both the food and drinks in this place are overpriced. read more