CARA

CARA is a neighbourhood café, wine bar and bistro in The Junction, Newcastle, built around the simple pleasure of sharing food and drink. By day, it offers breakfast, lunch and specialty coffee, with a seasonal approach that draws on fresh local produce and relaxed European café culture. It is the kind of place that can work for a morning coffee, a casual lunch or an afternoon bite without feeling tied to one particular occasion.

The daytime menu ranges from familiar café fare to dishes with more distinctive influences. Miso granola is paired with whipped yoghurt and seasonal fruit, while baked apple and rhubarb porridge comes with maple butter and hazelnut crumble. There are ricotta pancakes with mandarin preserve and candied almond, avocado toast with egg butter and soft herbs, and scrambled eggs finished with curry leaf chilli crunch and Two Bobs sourdough. Gunpowder potato hash, coconut sambal, garlic greens and a fried egg make for a more substantial option. A daily selection of sandwiches, salads and soups adds flexibility for lunch.

As the day progresses, CARA shifts into its wine bar and bistro setting. The evening menu is designed around shareable plates and thoughtful dishes, beginning with options such as olives, focaccia, Brussels sprouts with brown butter and sage, stracciatella with cucumber and chilli, and Olasagasti anchovies. Salads include fennel with citrus, olive and ricotta salata, while the pasta section features pappardelle with ragu genovese, paccheri with charred tomato and marjoram, and squid ink spaghetti with crab, nduja and lemon. Pavlova with date and brandy ice cream provides a sweet finish.

The drinks focus is a carefully selected range of low-intervention wines, described by CARA as expressions of place from passionate small-scale producers. That makes the venue a natural fit for an evening shared over wine and several plates, while its daytime offering also suits solo diners, coffee stops and relaxed lunches. CARA’s appeal is its change of pace: an easy-going café earlier in the day, then a more considered wine bar and bistro as the evening unfolds.