‘Michelin star’ remains one of the most searched-for terms on this site, so the appetite for more is clearly there among the people/visitors of Newcastle. And since the heady days of Café 21 Queen Street in the early 2000s, right up to Sonnet in the 2025 edition, it’s clear the quality and quantity of consistently excellent cooking is on the rise in the region. 2026 has seen a reduction in the quantity of north east restaurants in the guide, marking a tough time for hospitality businesses. But generally over the past couple of decades, a shift towards Newcastle becoming a real destination when it comes to food and drink.
Here are the current entries in the hallowed guide, as of February 2026, including some restaurants removed from previous years. I’ve covered loosely the Newcastle, Northumberland, and Durham areas to represent the North East, though of course there’s some flex here.
Last updated 10 February 2026.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars: 0
⭐️⭐️ 2 Stars: 0
⭐️ 1 Stars: 3
🍀 Green Stars: 0
😋 Bib Gourmands: 1
Selected Restaurants: 8
3 Michelin Star Restaurants in the North East
Nope, nowhere near 😢.
2 Michelin Star Restaurants in the North East
None since The Raby Hunt closed in January 2024. The team has moved over wholesale and is revamping Rockcliffe Hall into a dining destination of sorts, so it is one to watch. I thought Solstice had a good chance, but no dice.
1 Michelin Star Restaurants in the North East
Hjem closed at the end of 2025 and was one of the deletions this year — though expect the team to be back sharpish for 2027 with Freyja.
Kenny Atkinson’s flagship was the first to reach Michelin star status for a number of years, when it made the guide in 2015, now in an eleven year run. In a beautiful old Grade I listed building, it’s as unfussy and informal as you could expect for Michelin star dining, but that doesn’t stop the dishes from being mega-refined, and with playful nods to classics.
Current tasting menu only £65–£120
In a similar vein, and not a million miles away from the above Hjem, Pine is a multi-course tasting menu of low-food-miles ingredients, many of them grown on the beautiful Pine farm just off the Military Road. A small and eager team, they also achieved success very quickly after opening, and were also one of the recipients of the new Michelin Green Star for sustainability efforts in 2022 (Michelin seems to have given up on this notion somewhat, so not referenced in 2026). We finally got there in 2024, and it was everything I expected, and more.
Tasting menu £95–£165
As obvious as inclusion as there was ever going to be, really. Solstice has probably been designed for a star from its inception, with minimal plates engineered to perfection, expensive ingredients, and the price tag to match it. It’s as special occasion as you’ll find on this list, but brining a higher standard of restaurant to the city will have a halo effect that’s wider reaching. For me, 2-star standard, but Michelin doesn’t care about outside of London.
Tasting menu £120–£165
North East Bib Gourmands
The Broad Chare, Newcastle
Still one of my very favourite restaurants in town. Using restaurant loosely, it is a gastropub, without any airs or graces, just quality cooking every time. Whether you’re just in the market for a pint and a scotch egg, or three courses of finely honed comfort food, you’re in good hands every step of the way. Best Sunday lunch in town, too.
Dishes £7 – £22.
More about The Broad Chare on Newcastle Eats
Michelin Guide
Not ‘award-winning’ but still deemed worthy of inclusion in the guide. 2026 saw this number reduce from 12 to 8.
21, Newcastle
Coarse, Durham
Cook House, Ouseburn
Osters, Gosforth
Rebel, Heaton
Sonnet, Alnwick
Former entries
Were in the guide, but are now either removed or have since closed:
Eleven/Bawn (the former closed in April 2023, reopened in April 2023, and closed late 2024)
Bistro 21, Durham (Bib, 2014, closed)
Bistro Forty Six (closed in 2021)
The Curious Mr Fox, Durham (2022 guide only)
Dobson & Parnell (removed from guide in 2026)
The Feathers Inn (removed from 2026 guide)
Nest (removed from 2026 guide)
Fern, Jesmond (removed in 2025)
Finbarrs, Durham (removed 2023)
Haveli (Bib removed 2025)
* Hjem (closed in 2025)
Khai Khai, Newcastle (2022 guide only)
Ophelia, Gosforth (closed in 2024)
The Patricia, Jesmond (removed/closed 2023)
The Raby Hunt (formerly 2 stars, closed 2024)
The Rat Inn, Anick (frequent inclusion, removed 2025)
River Cafe on the Tyne, North Shields (in 2017 guide)
Route (Bib, closed in April 2023)
Six, Gateshead (closed early 2026)
The Staith House (Bib, closed in 2021)
Träkol, Gateshead (closed end December 2023)
Violets Cafe, Newcastle (Bib Gourmand, 2020, closed – now Solstice)