Pani's Italian Cafe

my favorite place to eat in newcastle. amazing warm family run place with the best sea bass and pasta and well everything the menu is amazing! could not recommend more!!!

Excellent cafe with good menu reasonably priced with a great atmosphere.

Qypers have rarely let me down so I thought a place with 13 reviews and a 5 star average would be fantastic.

I feel like I've been betrayed.

I was going to say this place is awful but I don't think that's fair. MY EXPERIENCE here was awful.

I was seated promptly by a reasonably disinterested waitress and given the menus. The place was about half full but felt lively and people seemed to be enjoying themselves. The decor felt a bit cheap and Disneylandish but whatever, I wasn't expecting anything lavish.

The menu was extensive and varied and the prices were reasonable, including a "four" course set meal, if you include coffee as a course. There were some notable omissions from the menu including some traditional Italian pasta dishes but they get around this by saying they're a Sardinian restaurant. Ok, whatever.

So I ordered my glass of (mediocre) red and nothing really jumped out at the menu so I pulled my usual trick of asking the waiter what his favorite item on the menu was. This has NEVER failed me and I always end up discovering fantastic dishes and trying things I probably wouldn't have ordered myself. The waiter asked if i wanted meat or pasta and I said pasta so he immediately recommended the lamb ragu. Perfect, I love lamb ragu. So I ordered it, along with some garlic bread.

I was really looking forward to it.

The garlic bread came very quickly and was so close to being Hovis with flora and garlic that....well, yeah. The garlic hadn't been roasted or anything so was overbearing and bitter. Bleh. The plate and cutlery was straight out of a school dining hall. I'm not one for bone china or anything but Ikea make better stuff than this for Pete's sake.

But the kicker was when my main arrived. I did a double take. It looked absolutely disgusting. I have never been compelled to include a picture of my food in a Qype review before but this is extraordinary. I'm not trying to be funny or disgusting but the pasta looked like large insect larvae and the meat was gray and lumpy. Once I'd gotten over the initial shock of the look, I remembered that it's not necessarily about how it looks but how it tastes. That's fine if the food actually tastes like something...which this didn't. Despite being covered in grated cheese, it really didn't taste like anything. I dispensed with it quickly, despite being very hungry.

Not one to be with stingy second chances, I thought I would give them one last chance to redeem themselves by ordering dessert. Profiteroles. Almost always awesome and, apparently, one of their signature desserts. PRO TIP: never prepare food where a guest can see you if you're going to use pre-made items and canned whipped cream. No amount of fancy chocolate sauce squiggles can make up for the sucrose abomination that I was presented with.

I quickly demanded the bill and left.

The next day, I relayed my story to some Newcastle natives who were all shocked. None of them have had a bad experience here and all sing its praises. So it's clear that my experience might be a one off. But do me a favor, if you've been here, try Pinnochios near the station and let me know what you think of the two.

So disappointing.

Great Italian Cafe where service is quick and the food is simple but tasty.

Always busy at lunchtime but you are never hanging around for a seat as tables are turned quickly.

The staff are friendly and the place definatley has an authentic Italian feel.

Highly recommended.

this place is just everything you want from an italian cafe. bustling atmosphere, tasty food that doesn’t cost the earth, and tiramisu that i can’t resist!the staff always greet you with a smile which speaks volumes for me.

Lovely little restaurant if you like Italian food.Yes it is a bit  hard to find at first but it’s worth searching it out.It’s food equals anything you’ll find anywhere in Italy it does’nt matter when you go the waiters are always friendly and happy.Good size portions and very tasty.Good value too.Lunch or dinner it’s worth a visit.

Just off Grey street so slightly out of the mains shopping area/ Newcastle city Centre. The food is delicious and well priced. Great atmosphere in the restaurant which is most important).Ofte busy refelctig its well loved food. Tuesday nights offer free Italian lessons! The staff are so friendly and genuine you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in Italy. #

NO PIZZA! Way the best low cost Italian in town.
Util Piccolinos probably the best Italian period

Drinks are reasonably priced (£10-12 for a bottle of house wine)

Great traditional italian, great choice on menu and competively priced. Clean and friendly staff and quick service too, highly recommended

Pani’s has some of the best Italian food i have ever tasted.

Pani’s has some of the best Italian food i have ever tasted. It is also very reasonably priced and is right next to the Theatre Royal so its great if you’re going to see a show after dinner

• highly recommended

A wonderful place, I was there the day it opened and I still go. At lunch time I either have the tuna salad or the soup, both wonderful. Their bread is always so fresh, I used to have a Dolcelatta and parma ham poppyknot, no salad, no butter and it was perfect (until my trousers got to tight!) The guys and girls who run it are always friendly and try and get you a table as soon as possible, the atmosphere is lively and never quite. Enjoy!

Perfect place to enjoy authetic italian fare at luchtimes especially. Run by proper Italians and it shows not only in the quality of the food but in the laid back ambience.

A little treasure! You know an Italian restaurant is good, if Italians choose to eat there. It’s honest, reasonably priced and authentic. If you have been to Italy, you will see how true to it’s roots Pani’s really is! If you order anything with seafood, be prepared for whole pickled baby Octopussys :-)

Equally good during the day or for an early evening supper.

I love it here, the food is really good, and as has been mentioned previously, really authentic and hearty. I've been for both lunch and dinner, and it's a good venue for couples and groups of friends. The waiters are really friendly too. The location is great to use it as a starting point for a great night out! Enjoy!

Pani’s is TRULY authentic- all the waiters are from Italy and the food is so good it must be cooked by an Italian chef. It’s more of a lunch place than somewhere I’d go for dinner with quick reliable service and good value for money. They often change the menu so if you go often you can’t get bored of the food. The pasta portions are a good size and extremely tasty. It’s off buzzing Gray Street up a little cobbled lane so you need to know where you are going if you head to Pani’s. It attracts all sorts; students but also people who work in the area and who know where to get a good bite to eat