North Shields Is Having a Moment: New Bars and Restaurants by the Fish Quay

For 800 years the North Shields Fish Quay has been a working harbour at the mouth of the Tyne. Now, alongside the boats and the smokehouses, it is quietly becoming the North Tyneside coast's most interesting place to eat and drink. A cluster of new independents has opened around the quayside and up in the town centre over the past year, and together they mark a genuine shift in where people are choosing to spend an evening.

What's new around the Fish Quay

Leading the wave is The Exchange 1856, the restored Victorian exchange building on Howard Street, a short walk up the hill from the water, where a natural wine offer sits alongside the venue's cafe, bar and events spaces. Down by the river, Fred's has opened as a relaxed bar and restaurant with a comfort-led menu and views over the Tyne, while The Uncommon has brought globally minded small plates to the quayside -- dishes such as charred miso cabbage and brown butter crab on focaccia.

The openings keep coming. Shapes NCL, just off the Fish Quay, is a new pasta and brunch spot built around seasonal, freshly made dishes. Up at the Metro station, King Eddie's Coffee has become a handy stop for a proper coffee on the way through town. And a little further along the coast, Crust Social continues to fly the flag in Tynemouth with its Neapolitan-style pizzas, having grown from a lockdown pop-up into a permanent restaurant on Percy Park Road.

A new outdoor space at Low Quay Brew Co

The most eye-catching recent addition is at Low Quay Brew Co, the independent brewery and taproom on Northumberland Street. It has just opened a new outdoor space built around a converted 40ft shipping container, fitted out as a bar and kitchen with covered and open-air seating for around 65 people. A food menu is due to launch in August, running from midweek through the weekend.

The timing is no accident: the brewery, founded by Kamie Sword and Scott Taylor, turns two in August, and is marking the milestone with a street party on Northumberland Street over the late summer bank holiday. The team told High Life North the new space is "big, relaxed, and refined -- built for long summer afternoons."

Best for: Low Quay Brew Co's container bar and kitchen seats around 65, with the food menu launching in August.

Why the Fish Quay, and why now

None of this is happening in isolation. The Fish Quay's regeneration has been building for years, and momentum is set to continue: Nexus plans a new Shields Ferry landing to bring passengers directly onto the quayside, and the next phase of Smith's Dock will add hundreds of riverside homes nearby. A working harbour with 800 years of heritage, room to grow, and a new generation of independents willing to take a punt on it: it is a combination the rest of the coast will struggle to match.

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The details above were correct at the time of writing; opening days and menus at newer venues are still settling in, so check ahead before you travel. Reporting drawn in part from High Life North's coverage of the North Shields food and drink scene. Know a new opening we've missed? Get in touch.