Shieldfield

Eating Out

The Garage opened in November 2017 and has rapidly grown in popularity. Whether you are looking for a healthy alternative or a tasty treat, head to The Garage for breakfast, brunch, lunch and coffee. Serving up plates of colourful, hearty food and hot drinks, it’s a perfect place to eat in a relaxed environment. Menus change on a weekly basis, but staples include soup, stews, sandwiches, toasties and salads. Service starts bright and early from 7.30am so pop in for your morning coffee and much more.

It is also worth heading to The Biscuit Factory where you can find the gallery’s in-house café The Factory Kitchen on the first floor, which serves a range of freshly prepared salads, cakes and home-made ices. Alternatively, visit the adjoining restaurant, Artisan – listed in the prestigious Good Food Guide – for a stylish and unforgettable dining experience.

Nearby Sandyford offers a number of restaurants within walking distance. The family-run Little Green is a standout option. This vegan café offers many breakfast delights including avocado smash with lime, chilli, coriander, cherry tomatoes on sourdough bread; for lunch you might want to try maple and harissa aubergines and the evening menu has home-made stone-baked pizza as well as meals with Cuban, Thai and Indian influences. The drinks menu, meanwhile, ranges from coffee to cocktails.

Also worth visiting in Sandyford is Aidan’s Kitchen, the brainchild of Gateshead College graduate Aidan Jackson and is renowned for its fabulous brunches. We recommend you try the thyme-buttered hash brown, maple-cured bacon and fried eggs. It’s also fully licensed.

The Bars

Shieldfield is light on bars. However, it does have one of the most popular pubs in the East End of Newcastle, The Blue Bell Inn not far away. This friendly pub near the River Ouse, is the perfect place for outdoor drinking as there’s a great beer garden, with plenty of seating and with a raised decked area. The Sunday lunch is also excellent.

Other noteworthy venues which are on the Sandyford/Jesmond border are the recently refurbished Punch Bowl, along Sandyford Road, and it’s also dog-friendly. From there you can travel to Osborne Road in Jesmond where there are countless bars all offering great deals and happy hour offers.

Another great spot which is technically between Jesmond and Newcastle city centre is Wylam Brewery’s Palace of Arts in Exhibition Park which blends live music with a microbrewery and interesting small plates menu. We’d recommend their amazing table service Sunday lunch and they also have one of the best beer gardens in the city. You’ll find an eclectic fusion of music on offer from Gospel choirs to the Royal Northern Sinfonia, tribute acts, DJ nights, and star appearances from the likes of Trevor Nelson.

The Shops

As for shopping, there’s a very busy Tesco in the heart of Shieldfield for all your needs. Next door to Tesco is a Subway. There’s also a Sainsbury’s Local and a Family Shopper on Warwick Street, just over the Heaton/Shieldfield border. For the big shop shop there’s a Morrisons on the bottom of Shields Road in nearby Byker.

Out and About

There are a number of lovely parks on your doorstep. Your nearest park is Heaton Park, a Victorian park which stretches from Jesmond Vale to Heaton Road and to Armstrong Bridge. There’s the Heaton Festival which takes place every two years and is swelling in terms of attractions and visitors. The next festival is in 2021.

Jesmond Dene isn’t far away and is the perfect place for a peaceful stroll or a BBQ with mates in the summer. The Dene is the place to be during the warmer months and lighter nights with a number of events and festivals including outdoor theatre performances by Heartbreak Productions.

Shieldfield is also home to the The Biscuit Factory, the UK’s largest independent art, craft and design gallery. Housed in a former Victorian warehouse, the beautiful and dynamic gallery is set over two floors, displaying a range of exciting contemporary fine art, sculpture, original prints and jewellery, quality craftsmanship and design-led homewares. The Biscuit Factory hosts four major exhibitions a year, changing on a quarterly basis and representing the work of around 250 artists each season, so there is always something new to see every time you visit.

Hair and Beauty

In terms of beauty and hairdressing try Mo Hair Salon in nearby Sandyford which offers a number of treatment ranges from massages to luxury manicures and pedicures. There’s also Sandyford’s Jazz which offers hairdressing services.

Getting Around

Shieldfield is approximately a mile from the centre of Newcastle. Buses are plentiful and frequent and can be caught from various locations in the city centre to Sandyford and back again. The nearest Metro stops are Manors and Byker, each only a few minutes’ walk away.

Cycling is a great way to get around the city easily for free. There are bike sheds to park and lock your bike throughout the universities and city centre. Taxis are another way of getting around Newcastle. There are a number of ranks including some on Grey Street, Pilgrim Street and Collingwood Street near the bars and clubs, or of course you can simply order an Uber.

Trains run from Newcastle Central Station across the UK to cities including Edinburgh in the North, and York and London to the South.

OUR FAVOURITES IN SHIELDFIELD

If living in Shieldfield sounds right for you why not look at a couple of our highlights, The Globe and Union Studios.