Crust Social started life around COVID-era 2020 as a pop up in Tynemouth’s mythical-but-real-church-conversion, the Land of Green Ginger. It got my attention, because North Tyneside has been shy of good pizza restaurants for forever. The space has been dominated by cheap & cheerful Italian restaurants. Which are fine but… meh. Stick to the pasta.
I visited a good few times, usually on Tynemouth bar crawls. A reliable plate of carbs in between pints at Platform 2 and Barca. To be honest, it really impressed me from the off.
Crust Social just came along and given NE30 the pies they’ve always deserved. Considering it’s just a guy with some deck ovens, it was really good. But very much a pop up. Short menu, paper plates, takeaway-only.
But the pizza, it was always of a high standard. Crust Social 1.0 had a genuine hidden gem feel, out-boxing those restaurants paying their massive Front Street rents. It was a COVID takeaway favourite (you can even see some of the NHS app bumf from that era below).
Fast forward to 2024 and Crust Social seemingly sailed through the uncertainty of a global pandemic. Thriving, it took the brave move to open a dedicated space just up the road, in a proper restaurant. The dedicated space just means a little more of everything. More tables, more dishes, better drinks, and lots of dogs. It’s the full shebang now. Two floors, outside seating, a full menu. But, is the pizza any good?
Of course it is. It’s way better. Here’s two of the same pie, one from 2020 when I had a 3M face mask on, and one from the first sunny day in 2026.
It’s tons better, even if you didn’t have the reference point. The dough has gone from still passable and smashable to an accurate, leopard-spotted bake.
Weathered the storm through COVID, understood what the customer wants, what good looks like, and Crust Social gets the just reward. Testament to its place in coastal society, Crust Social was almost fully booked this Saturday afternoon. So pizza is still great, kinda expected. How does it fare as a proper restaurant, where the rules are a bit different?
Starters-wise, it’s not that adventurous, with olives, hummus and a couple of specials. Which this this week was homemade and pretty good focaccia, with pork and ‘nduja meatballs. For £8.95 these were nicely spicy, and a pleasant home-made-feeling distraction ahead of pizzas.
Pizzas are proudly Neapolitan. Very soft dough, with a light chew, but a good bake overall. I’d like a little more bite on the crust, but unless you’re looking really hard, this’ll be as good as you want it to be. Toppings won’t surprise you. You’ll find marg, pep, olives, and ‘nduja. But also pleasingly, friarelli, rosemary potatoes, and mortadella, too. They’re about £12–£13 which seems to be the going rate.
Played it safe today, but they’ve done some interesting crossovers, like this one with Lobo Rojo. Charred corn and spring onion, and chipotle crema. There was a birria one with consommé. Takes on a Reuben. Even the pizza purist in me loves to see it.
A young service team keeps the ship afloat, and the drinks menu now stretches to Almasty on tap, Gran Cerdo, and frozen margs. All good. Desserts-wise, dough sticks, and I’m not sure if the tiramisu (£7.95) is as world-famous as they say, but it’s a light as air take on the classic that you can squeeze in even after a big pizza. I’d like more of a coffee hit, but it’ll tickle your sweet tooth. There’s also an on-trend pistachio version.
Crust Social survived as a COVID popup, outstaying a lot of similar Tynemouth businesses, and being more than ‘just good enough for the coast;. Surprisingly, it has come out the other side of the pandemic fighting, and doing even better than before. For pizza fanatics, Newcastle will still give you more pizza styles and quality. But short of NE1, this is the best pizza you’ll find in North Tyneside. Good enough for Sam Fender — slice up ya life.
Contact (and online bookings): crustsocial.co.uk
Address: 14 Percy Park Road, Tynemouth, NE30 4LP
Opening: Wed–Thu: 5–9, Fri–Sun 12–9
