Great Northern Hotel Newcastle

In Newcastle’s East End, the Great Northern Hotel combines the character of a long-standing local pub with a broad mix of food, sport and entertainment. The hotel traces its history on the site back to 1863, while the current building opened in 1938. Its Art Deco style and 2018 renovations give the venue a distinctive heritage setting with updated facilities, making it a useful meeting place for a casual meal, a drink or an evening out.

The restaurant serves lunch from 12pm daily and offers dining seven days a week. Its menu covers familiar pub fare as well as more individual dishes, with starters and shared plates, steaks, seafood, pasta, salads, burgers and Nepalese-inspired offerings. Standouts include the Northern Tasting Platter, which brings together several shareable items, and the Nepalese Warm Thukpa, a slow-cooked broth with vegetables and udon noodles. There are also vegetarian and vegan choices, children’s meals, desserts and weekday lunch specials, so groups with different appetites should have plenty to consider.

The drinks offering extends beyond beer, with wines, classic and signature cocktails, jugs and a Friday cocktail happy hour listed on the venue’s site. For live entertainment, the Great Northern is known for local music and promotes itself as a Newcastle live music venue where dinner can be paired with a show. Upcoming performances and other events are listed through its what's-on program, although the specific line-up changes.

For sports fans, the Sports Bar is set up around live sport and race days, with big screens, a TAB and a pool table. That makes it suited to watching major events with friends, while the restaurant and kids’ menu make it a more flexible option for families and mixed-age groups. Private function spaces, food and drink packages and additional activities are also available for celebrations or group events. Whether you are dropping in solo for a meal, meeting friends for sport or planning a larger gathering, the venue’s combination of dining, bars, music and heritage gives it several distinct ways to spend time in central Newcastle.