Newcastle/Mulubinba has shifted from its industrial roots to make way for a vibrant hospitality scene, with areas like Hamilton, New Lambton and Wickham joining waterside restaurants around Honeysuckle and institutions of Newcastle East on the must-visit list.
If you're planning a weekend trip to Newcastle (or maybe you're a local looking for inspiration) you'll want to know where to head for stellar seafood spreads, Mexico City-level tacos in a warehouse, and fine dining feasts in funky suburbs—and this coastal city has them all.
These are Urban List's picks for the best Newcastle restaurants right now.
Flotilla
9 Albert Street, Wickham
Image credit: Flotilla | Instagram
Flotilla spotlights local produce on its uncomplicated but delicious menu, which changes (about) every six weeks to ensure ingredients are at their seasonal peak. Lunch and dinner are delivered as set menus, with standard and "baller" options priced accordingly.
The cuisine at this Newcastle restaurant is mostly Mediterranean, with Italian, Spanish and French influences blended with plenty of Aussie flavour and loads of vegetarian options. Old-world, new-world, classic and funky wines are on the drinks list plus food-friendly cocktails. We recommend you nab a spot at the chef's table for the best seat in the house, and plan to kick on at sister bar Vecina next door.
Alfie's
2/52 Regent Street, New Lambton
Image credit: Aflie's Italian | Website
Alfie's is a funky modern Italian restaurant in Newcastle's charming area of New Lambton, and while it's a newer addition it's fast become a local fave—we strongly suggest making a booking.
Start with flame-kissed pizza bread (did someone say Totti's?) and add on antipasti like bocconcini with charred grapes and rosemary, smoked mussels in escabeche and whipped cod roe before moving on to house-made pastas with familiar but creative flavours like scallop with prosciutto XO, beef cheek ragu with speck, and caramelised local zucchini. Pair it all with a few spritzes or Italian wines, and you could be a long, long way from Newy.
Scottie's
36 Scott Street, Newcastle East
Image credit: Scottie's | Instagram
No trip to Newcastle is complete without a leisurely meal at Scottie's—which has had a bit of a funky refresh in recent years. This institution is a short stroll from the beach, making it the perfect spot for a casual post-swim feast with a laidback atmosphere. You'll want to kick back at an al fresco table (or even on the lawn) on a sunny afternoon, but its pared-back and modern interior makes for a great dinner spot too.
The menu here is all about sustainable seafood, with elegant but super tasty snacks and nibbles, main dishes with global influences, and your classic fish and chips.
Nagisa Japanese Restaurant
2/1 Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle
Image credit: Nagisa | Instagram
A Newcastle institution, Nagisa is a Japanese restaurant with water views that opened back in 2004 and is still fighting fit. Fish and pork are dry-aged in house, with the menu spanning top-quality local sashimi, sushi platters, izakaya-style snacks, and larger plates like Wagyu steaks served with punchy Japanese condiments.
To pair with your feast, there's a considered selection of Japanese craft beers and sake, Japanese whisky, cocktails, and wine. Newer sister venue Apé is a few doors down and a great option for snacking on yakitori skewers with your cocktail.
Harrison's Food & Wine
108 Tudor Street, Hamilton
Image credit: Harrison's | David Griffen
Hamilton is a super funky area of Newcastle, so it suits that it's home to one of Urban List's fave restaurants in town, Harrison's. It's a cosy spot with a big retro feel thanks to mismatched crockery and furniture, but that doesn't mean things aren't considered—chef Tony Harrison puts a lot of thought behind the offering, including the wine program with ample Hunter Valley bottles thanks to his great relationship with local makers.
You could just as easily swing in fora glass of wine with snacks and nibbles like gildas or half-shell scallops and small plates of charcoal-grilled octopus or Moroccan lamb skewers as you might settle in for a multi-course spread with steak frites, market fish and Basque cheesecake with Pedro Ximenez.
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Humbug
87–89 Hunter Street, Newcastle
Image credit: Humbug | Instagram
It's only a few years old, but Humbug is one of the most recognised restaurants in Newcastle, known for breezy, globally inspired eats and its epic wine list. The cuisine absolutely can't be pinned down, but it's delicious and changes regularly (though there's always pasta); think school prawn fritti ssam, Wagyu short rib sandos with karashi mustard, barbecued Fremantle octopus with Calabrian chilli and garum, and pappardelle with lamb ragu, purple peppers, black olive and pecorino. They also take their vegan offering seriously.
Wine enthusiasts will love perusing the list, which focuses on small production bottles with a special focus on family-run vineyards, blending recognisable names and exciting emerging producers.
Antojitos
11 Steel Street, Newcastle West
Image credit: Antojitos | Instagram
Newcastle Mexican restaurant Antojitos claims to serve up 45,000 burritos and 35,000 tacos every single year—so you should book for this one. The much-loved restaurant dishes up Cali-Mex street food classics in a massive industrial warehouse with no-frills space, red plastic trays, and paper plates amplifying the low-key taqueria vibes.
The house-made, stone-ground corn tortillas are the real deal, and used in the burritos, tacos, nachos and mulitas, which come filled with juicy carnitas or braised beef, beer-battered fish, grilled chicken, or marinated tofu. There are seven refreshing agua frescas (with the option to add booze), plus your classic margaritas, Micheladas, Mexican and local beers and wine.
Ginger Meg's
212 King Street, Newcastle
Image credit: Ginger Meg's | Instagram
Ginger Meg's is a buzzy two-level Asian restaurant in the heart of Newcastle doing bold pan-Asian flavours that are made to be devoured by a group. Think coconut-crumbed prawn bao buns, Bangkok-style red duck curry, Sichuan salt and pepper squid, chilli caramel pork belly, and noodle dishes hot from the wok.
Upstairs there's a dedicated bar space with its own $10 snacks menu, but perhaps the crown jewel of Ginger Meg's is its Sunday lunchtime yum cha sessions—and you can even add on bottomless booze (including tap cocktails) to take things up a notch.
Jana
185 Hunter Street, Newcastle
Image credit: QT Newcastle | Website
Built into the 113-year-old, heritage-listed Scotts Limited and David Jones building, QT Newcastle is a flash hotel decked out with jewel tones and plush designer furniture, a rooftop bar and izakaya, and ground-floor restaurant Jana. Expect a fresh take on modern Australian dining taking inspiration from pasture to vineyard, with an open kitchen, dry-aged meat cabinet housing top cuts of local steak, and heritage details throughout.
Chef Shayne Mansfield's menu can't be tied down to a single cuisine, with global elements like white soy, sobrassada and yuzu sitting alongside native ingredients like lemon aspen and kelp. Naturally, you'll find a lot of Hunter Valley vinos on the drinks list as well as creative cocktails and a concise selection of beer.
Lock's Paddock
16 Watt Street, Newcastle
Image credit: Lock's Paddock | Website
Cheese wheel pasta is never a bad idea—and you can get your fix at cosy and atmospheric Newcastle restaurant Lock's Paddock. If you're familiar with Sydney diner Chester White in Potts Point, some of the menu (like the cacio e pepe and carbonara) might look familiar—because husband-and-wife duo Nick and Rebecca are the brains behind this Newcastle spot too.
Expect swingin' country tunes, lots of cured meats, and mostly Euro wines on the drinks list.
Thermidor
Shop 1/7 Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle
Image credit: Thermidor | Instagram
Thermidor is a must-visit for seafood lovers in Newcastle. This oyster bar and brasserie has water views and a casual, greenhouse-esque setting that's perfect for long lunches or sunset sessions.
The menu ticks off oysters with white pepper and finger lime mignonette or old-school treatments like Kilpatrick and Rockefeller, a daily ceviche selection, snacks like prawn toast and crab waffles with brown butter maple and French onion dip. On the larger front there are plates of spaghetti vongole, yellowfin tuna ‘steak and chips’ with pepper sauce grilled over ironbark wood and, of course, impressive plates of half- or whole-lobster Thermidor served on pasta Amatriciana. There are plenty of dishes for those who don't love seafood, but the coastal offerings really shine.
Light Years
5-7 Darby Street, Newcastle
Image credit: Light Years | Website
Popular Byron Bay and Gold Coast joint Light Years has another restaurant in Newcastle with a retro Palm Springs-inspired fit-out; think dusty pink tones, curved booths, blonde timber, marble benchtops, mosaic tiling, and palm trees.
As with its other beloved locations, the menu at the Newcastle restaurants is pan-Asian but mostly Chinese-inspired, with a raw offering, dumplings and bao buns, saucy main dishes and flavour-packed curries, and vibrant cocktails to lock in a good time.
For more escapes from Sydney check out
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Main image credit: Alfie's Italian | Website
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