Mascalzone in Newcastle upon Tyne

Okay, so Mascalzone will not win you over with authentic music (instead 80's power ballads & greatest hits of the 70's predominate); its decor (particularly the pictures on the wall which have no apparent connection to the cuisine or even each other); or even its service (which favours the brisk & efficient over the warm & personal). But despite this, I have no hesitation in making this a five star review. Why? Because the food, lovingly & attentively prepared in the ground floor open kitchen adjacent to our table, was absolutely superb. Flavours that leapt out of the lovely plates generously conveying the pizza, risotto & pasta dishes that we demolished. Drinks (including a reasonably priced wine list) & desserts were on point too but it's those starters & mains that I'll be thinking of most right up until I next have the pleasure of visiting which will be very soon. I have highly-rated Italian restaurants on my doorstep but will happily make the journey from Tynemouth to Sandyford to experience the hardworking delights of Mascalzone. Three VERY happy diners who truly appreciated the team's efforts to give us a wonderful night to celebrate my daughter's first professional contract. Thank you & see you soon.

As good as ever. Used to go a few weekends a month and it’s still up there. Reasonably priced great value, good portions and decent, with lovely service

Brilliant little corner shop bistro no airs or graces just great food and a welcome the staff were very professional. We were treated properly with respect and were given the menus the watchful staff very courteous and unobtrusive. The food was very Italian but not pretentious just proper good food. We were sat next to kitchen as the food was prepared, I found that to be a bonus I like to see chefs at work and they occasionally smiled to see if we were enjoying our meals. This has been a breath of fresh air compared to recent food outings! Well done to the manager and staff.

Called in on spur of the moment for early evening dinner. Very friendly staff, seated straight away near kitchen area. Great to see the chefs at work! Food was really tasty - I had penne con pollo. Dessert was even better - homemade Tiramisu absolutely delicious. Great service and great value! Will definitely be back!

Fabulous meal. Really tasty, everything freshly cooked. Our favourite Italian meal in Newcastle. Really lovely service too.

I had my 60th birthday celebrations with 14 friends and we all had the most wonderful evening.The food was delicious as always and the atmosphere was very celebratory.Extremely helpful staff and very good value.Many thanks to the whole team!!!

Popped in for an afternoon of lunch with some good friends, and we enjoyed some splendid food, particularly the steak and chips and the monk fish Housewives very good and the puddings are excellent, particularly when accompanied by a glass of desert wine I very much look forward to my next visit. Am I particular thanks to Henry and Sabrina.

My spicy pizza was lovely, and all the better for a decent Primitivo to wash it down with, though I did have some FOMO when my wife's spicy prawns arrived, as they looked delicious.

This is the best Italian cuisine I had in Newcastle, authentic and delicious. Ordered seafood linguine and really enjoyed. The flavour was spot on, the only downside for me was one or two clams tasted a bit sand, it was really difficult to fully clean the sand though. Compared the ones I had in the past, it was really good. The garlic bread was top notch too with great size. Family had lasagnas and they said it was lovely as well.

Been here many times. The quality never changes just brilliant. Excellent service, excellent value, excellent food - what more can you ask for. Been tonight with my wife. Both of us had the special of trio of fish. Absolutely superb.

Excellent food and service at very good value. All five of us were very happy with our food - exceptionally good.

Really delicious Italian restaurant. Service was very efficient and friendly and the food was amazing. Classic Italian dishes and so well priced - 2 starters, 2 mains 2 drinks for £43!

Visited in person a week before to reserve a table for two in the front area. Whilst this was not guaranteed we did not expect on arrival to be shown to two high chairs on a window ledge. We explained this was not acceptable and eventually the manager offered us a table next to the kitchen area. We have been to Mascalzone many times in the past but this was the first time since they extended their premises. Compared to previous occasions, overall we were disappointed.

Lovely food , such friendly and accommodating staff . Love it !! We left my sons story book there that he’d working on for months and they went above and beyond to find it and let me know ….. saved a lot of tears . Def recommend

Brilliant restaurant and delicious meals. Service was amazing and staff extremely friendly. Would definitely visit again.

Went for a meal with neighbours several weeks ago, had a fantastic meal & was seated towards the back of the restaurant beyond the kitchen area. Went tonight with family & had excellent food but our table could not have been in a worse location. We were seated next to the kitchen area which was busy & noisy with a constant stream of staff coming to place & collect orders. Although it is August it was a cool evening. There was an open door beyond the kitchen area & I asked if the door could be closed because it was quite drafty. Staff did close the door which led out to the rear yard. However staff were going out into the rear yard to fetch supplies & keeping the door closed was clearly impractical.

Mascalzone is a neighbourhood restaurant tucked away in Sandyford. It is well worth a visit. The service is very attentive and warm. The cooking is excellent and has a Sardinian twist. A bit different from a standard Italian. We had a very pleasdant and relaxing evening.

What a find! Hidden among terraced streets Mascalzone was found by accident - a very happy accident. It’s vibe and decor are amazing as is the food. We shared a garlic bread which was crisp, thin and oozing cheese. Both had fish based dishes off...

Visited mid week to celebrate our daughter's graduation. The food was absolutely outstanding, authentic and delicious, could not be faulted. However we were sat right next to the open kitchen, sort of under the stairs and with a speaker - the combination of which made...

Fantastic food every time we visit it just seems to get better and better Absolutely superb 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Love the choices and the service is brilliant

The food and staff here always top, we can never fault the quality or experience I highly recommend for a lovely meal out

Ciao bella. It's how you get there ... strolling with your lover after work, or up the steep bank from the Bluebell. Tonight we were in a party of 10. Excellent service. I tasted 3 meals from chums, all of them, with mine, totally distinctive...

Our first visit and it will not be our last. Fantastic food served by lovely staff in a cosy atmosphere. A genuine gem.

I had been to Mascalzone a few times before each time was excellent. I am visiting my nephew and have been for the last two nights. Everything was so good- staff, the food, value for money, drinks. It is probably my favourite restaurant ever. Fried...

Hadn’t been here for awhile, but my goodness it is well worth a visit. The black pudding starters were fantastic. For the main course we both had the lamb polpettine spaghetti. Fantastic ! Excellent value for money and lovely standard of service. We sat outside...

Lovely service and tasty seafood. The experience would have been perfect if my partner’s food choice (pasta with pesto) was a little bit less greasy. We will come back

Just had tagliatelle with smoked trout and asparagus, I don’t often bother with fish but I saw someone order this. It was absolutely delicious. We both had it, and couldn’t believe how much we enjoyed it. Ian the chef has created something lovely.

Excellent service and food,staff , friendly,polite,professional will definitely visit when in Newcastle again Gem of a place

This is our favourite restaurant! The owners are welcoming, and greet us at the door. A wide selection of food, including a specials menu, which varies often. The funghi risotto is fabulous, as well as the lobster and scallop ravioli! It's so difficult to chose,...

Go regularly here with my mum The food is excellent. The staff friendly and efficient. Good value .Its hard to decide what to choose as anything we've had is so good 👍

Been a couple of times and all our courses every time have been wonderful. An open kitchen with a constant flurry of activity producing a steady flow of plated masterpieces. And all reasonably priced. Thanks!

First time back since the alterations. Fabulous food and service as usual and the new extension is amazing 👍👍👍👍 They can certainly take larger parties now👍

We hadn’t visited for about 4 months and th restaurant has been extended, however, despite doubling their capacity the food and service have not been compromised. We had a lovely meal and the new member of staff looking after us was friendly and efficient. If...

We visited Mascalzone last week for an early evening meal with family. I had the antipasto sharing platter, followed by the pan fried pork fillets with spring onion mash, black pudding etc all the food was excellent. There is an extensive menu always. The service...

They have 4 setting times They decide when you can dine They state 2 hours maximum They decide how long you can stay Accept all of the above yet.., They still want to flip a table, good food but act like a drive through. Starter...

Great restaurant never fails to please..

First time in this very small very cosy little restaurant.. it was recommended by a good friend who had been saying for ages “ you must go to be Mascalzone “ well 7 of us went today and we all delighted the food was fresh...

We booked on recommendation from a couple of people but the experience did not live up to expectation. There have been, and still are, some family run Italian restaraunts in the NE however in the 40 years I've lived here this is either the poorest...

Nice small atmosphere with very friendly staff. Lovely quality of fresh food and nice vegetarian options. Would return!

Arrived here for an early dinner reservation as this is a busy place Location - quiet location with parking spots for 1 hour Max stay around. Inside - it was ok nothing stand out, was told we sat in the old bit and and newest...

Stopped for lunch on a recent visit to our son in Newcastle not sure we could have found a better place. The food was fabulous. We were lucky to get a table and can understand why

Went for lunch after friends recommended it. Service was great and the food was really nice. We were with two friends and between us for our main courses we had the pancakes, chicken and prawns. So a good variation and everything was very tasty. Service...

We have passed this little corner restaurant on many occasions and thought it was quaint little cafe. How wrong we were. This is a fabulous restaurant and certainly not a little cafe with a few tables. It is a maze of characterful rooms. We visited...

Really enjoyed our visit me and my 2 colleague's. Amazing food. We had lamb dish and a couple of pastas a really nice starter to share. The wine was good too. Staff very friendly and helpful. Alex looked after our table, very helpful and he...

Probably one of the most authentic Italian restaurants in the North ! Food is absolutely delicious and cooked with love, staff are most pleasant and obliging, can not rate this place highly enough !

Fantastic meal and great value.

Visited Mascalzone due to the review’s it had received, However it was a major dissapointment to the wife and I. Was given an option of two tables which one was jammed into a corner with very little space between tables and the other stuck next...

Visited during a trip to Newcastle based on other reviews we found here. The restaurant looks small from the outside but has more seating the to the rear. There was a nice relaxed vibe about the place and it seemed busy for a Thursday night....

We've visited this little gem before and always had a fantastic experience. Visited again tonight with friends who haven't been before - one who is very fussy with her food, and again had 100% service, wonderful food ( thanks Iain), and a lovely relaxed atmosphere....

Brilliant bistro style restaurant, excellent menu and great service. This was our first visit and would recommend the minted meatballs the sauce is amazing , does GF pasta which is a real plus. House red was really good and reasonably priced. Great find for us

Wow!!!! What a find. This has to be the best Italian restaurant I have ever been to. We had sea bass and the cod special, absolutely succulent dishes, full of flavour. It my go to place when visiting Newcastle.

We have been tasting the delights of Mascalzone for a lot of years now, we visited again on Saturday evening and the food was once again outstanding. The staff are amazing, the food is off the scale, the Restuarant is going through a bit of...

Another superb meal from the team at Mascalzone. Each dish ordered was enjoyed and tasted delicious. Varied specials menu and attentive service. They even had the presence of mind to keep our car keys safe when they noticed them on the floor. Bravo.

Walked in when there was two tables filled, all other tables including outside was empty, upon asking for a table, the cashier quite rudely just said "No" and looked at us, we asked why she said, "were full" and just stared at us, went down the road to the mini lobo rojo and immediately recieved much better service.

Had a Fantastic lunch yesterday. Two great pizzas and and equally great risotto. Really friendly staff, quick service. We will definitely be back.

Great food, great service and great atmosphere

A really lovely little restaurant. Terrific Italian food - really terrific Waiter/waitress very friendly and helpful Couldn't ask for more...

Went for lunch with friends for the first time. I’ve heard many good things about Mascalzone and they were all true, the recommendation were well deserved. We all chose from the specials which all agreed were delicious and well presented. I have every intention to...

Second visit this week, food just amazing, staff attentive and friendly, get yourself there not much more to say!

The food was excellent with six of us out for a meal All the starters and mains were quite superb and well priced.money thing that let the restaurant down was that I asked twice for the desert menu and it failed to turn up,however, food...

Visited for lunch on Saturday with my mam we eat put every Saturday and have tired lots of places this one is by far outstanding. Good menu selection and food served piping hot, excellent presentation and the guy waiter had excellent customer service skills. We...

We have been tavelling from Scottland back to Amsterdam and had a rest a this fantastic restaurant. The hosts ( she Italian’ he Scottish) very friendly’ charming and professional. If you are a friend of Italian scottish Food it is a must in Newcastle. Thanks...

Ate here with my family and the food was just outstanding. Fish cakes on special and the sea bass were exceptional, the wine was very good value and the service friendly and efficient. I would recommend this highly to anyone who enjoys Italian cuisine and...

very pleasant & reasonably priced will go back

After a very positive experience during a first visit we returned to celebrate my wife's birthday with family. We were a little disappointed to be seated at the back which has very little natural light and is quite dark, but the high quality of the...

Visited today with two friends, we were made welcome from the minute we arrived. Filled up quickly but despite being very busy, we were served promptly, probably the best Italian food we have ever tasted. Can't wait to go back again, despite having travelled 12...

Very friendly staff, great service and amazing food it was delicious we will definitely return. We had olives and garlic bread to start very big portions then the most amazing seafood linguine and spaghetti bolognaise, highly recommend both, then the choc orange cake was to...

A family meal with ages from 26 to 77 years was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The friendly, professional service was only matched by the excellence of each dish.

I have now lived in Newcastle for 5 years and this has got to be my favourite find. It is authentic as it is atmospheric. The food is delicious and reminds me of my holidays in Italy. The staff are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. My...

Had an amazing family meal here yesterday. It’s a lovely little place, great atmosphere and the waiters are really helpful and accommodating. The food is amazing, the seafood was delicious and I’d definitely recommend it but you need to book in advance

Second visit here, first as a couple and second time as a family. Great, friendly place with amazing food. Pasta cooked perfectly and the flavours were great. Pizza amazing too. Looking forward to returning to try the rest of the menu!

If my grandmother had wheels she would have been a bike... And she would have rode straight to here! Good food, friendly staff, cozy atmosphere. Bellissima!

It was a really lovely meal. The food was excellent we had the specials, the seafood linguini was excellent and the belly pork was really fab. Aubergine starter was also really great. Nice wine and attentive service. I would thoroughly recommend.

We ate outside last summer. The food was delicious and the atmosphere great. We were able to watch the world go by. There were less tables inside because of corona virus so was hard to get a table. We needed to book in advance.

Great food, Great price, great service. What more can you ask for. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Newcastle area.

Service and food are great. So... you pay a little more than Francesca's or Santana's, but you reap what you sow because this is like eating in an Italian neighbourhood restuarant not a tacky place on the tourist strip. My favourite Italian after Panis, which...

Meal were amazing. Really good portions and delicious food. Service was good too. We had a walking (20/30 m) from city center but definitely worth It.

Brilliant service and lovely lunch - really authentic and good choices Enjoyed our gamberoni and pizzas and loved the Italian pastries ammerretto coffee - delicious 😋

lovely little neighbourhood restaurant. the pizzas are such great value, excellent quality & generous size. nice toppings. the tiramisu is also awesome

Everytime I visit I just love this restaurant more and more! The food is 10/10, so many options but all curated perfectly. Staff are friendly and go out of their way to make sure you have a good experience. I wish more people knew about...

Another fantastic meal at Mascalzone! There was a group of 8 of us and the staff really did cater for all our needs and made it such a great night for us. The food was amazing as always, gets better and better every time we...

Delicious food, lovely friendly atmosphere, and happy/attentive staff who seemed genuinely pleased to welcome us to the restaurant. Great value for money. My best restaurant experience in a long time!

Six of us met for dinner at this small restaurant, but we weren’t disappointed by the big choice of food on the menu. My wife certainly enjoyed her mushroom pasta dish, calling it the best she’s ever had… and I was happy with the price...

Loved it here . Great menu with a very good choice of fresh dishes plus quite a few specials too. Informal dining with loads of character , the kitchen being at the heart of the restaurant . One very , very slight criticism - the...

Very enjoyable meal with friends. Food very good and good atmosphere. Staff friendly and efficient. Good choice on menu and specials board

Lovely restaurant! Sabine and family make this a fabulous place to come. Great food and a warm welcome! Feels like eating at a friends! 2nd visit last week, brought all the family this time too.

Fabulous meal once again👍👍👍👍 Always a pleasure to visit this venue. The waitress today was exceptionally attentive but not intrusive 👍👍👍👍 The food was great as per usual. This is a must visit venue.

Really good food and wine. We had a special meal here this lunchtime. Great seafood dishes and starters were good also. Spoilt for choice and I still wonder what the lamb cutlets special would have been like. This is our third visit recently. This time we had dessert and they were delicious (tiramisu and chocolate cake). I should have photographed the food but I don’t like spoiling the ambience of special meals.

Absolutely top notch - best food I’ve had in Newcastle for a long time. Lovely aroma as you walk through the door, lovely atmosphere and lovely staff. The most important thing for me is that the food is cooked, not heated up. I really couldn’t...

Lovely place to eat. We go for leisurely late lunches when we are in Newcastle. Fresh food deliciously cooked. The last twice we visited I had lamb dishes from the special menu. They were fabulous. My husband loves the Gamberoni main course and has it...

Another amazing meal at my favourite restaurant in newcastle! the best italian food ive ever eaten!!

We visited for the first time last night. The restaurant was packed but we couldn't have been made to feel more welcome. The service was just so lovely and the atmosphere was great. The staff were so helpful and friendly and made us feel really...

What a superb place. great atmosphere; wonderful staff and really excellent food (that was also very reasonably priced). Really worth heading out of town a little for

Went to Mascalzone to celebrate my friend’s birthday- honestly one of the best Italian meals I’ve ever had! The atmosphere of the restaurant was lovely and the staff were amazing! Thanks for a wonderful time!

Amazing food, lovely staff and great atmosphere as always! Mascalzone never fails to please, every meal we have ever been served here has been outstanding and full of flavour, but it’s not just the food that’s great, the staff and chefs are extremely attentive ensuring...

Great little Sardinian restaurant with a good range of dishes including seafood a

We went to this restaurant on the recommendation of our daughter and son in-law First Impressions Yes its small but they have used the space very well and turned it into a very cosy atmosphere .My wife and i shared a garlic bread with cheese...

Booked Mascalzone back in May 2021 as private hire for a special occasion in September 2021. The communication with the Chef and Sabina has been excellent. We agreed a special menu everyone loved and children eating from main menu was no issue same with adding...

Another stellar lunch at Mascalzone. Sabi and Ian never fail to exceed expectations. Tuesday afternoon lunch in a lovely local restaurant, doesn't get much better than that.

We went to this restaurant on the recommendation of our daughter. The food and atmosphere was wonderful, and our conclusion was that the people who are responsible for the restaurant, from the chefs to the waiters, really care about their customers food. Sabina gave us...