Newcastle - The Gate - Ryan Review

Stopped into The Gate for lunch at about 1:30pm on a Friday. The Gate is one of a few shopping centres around Newcastle City Centre - so plenty of stuff to see and do if you're in the area. There are plenty of car parks dotted around the centre too (The Gate also has its own car park at about £6 all day) - but on this occasion I caught the Metro in. Monument station leaves you a couple minutes walk away which is great.

Upstairs in The Gate brings you straight to Nando's at the top of the escalator. Generally all bench/table/chair style seating. 12-16 tables on the ground with a further 10 tables or so on a raised section to the back/right of the restaurant. Only one or two small canvas paintings above the waiting seating area and a handful of pots around the tables etc. The lighting makes up for it though - lots of theatre style light fixtures and a few chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. One unusual piece of decor is upstairs to the toilets. There's a small landing (as it were) that lets you gave out into the restaurant through an arched window. There's a big chair to sit in and a few very large pots/plants up here along with a bookcase and other sculptures. Just a shame it wasn't downstairs in the restaurant somewhere! Toilets were spick and span as well.

Staff were friendly enough, but nothing more than the bear minimum. There was a bit of language barrier with me and the Geordies - I had to spell Ryan even when I said it's spelled like the one of the Newcastke Taylor brothers - I still had blank looks. Heh heh - all fun.

There was a 10 minute wait or so for a table at this lunchtime with a further 6-7 minute wait to order the food, followed by a 14 minute wait for the food to come.

Chicken breast fillet burger and chips were worth the wait though! Very crispy bun with a huge piece of chicken on it. Absolutely smothered in sauce, tons of lettuce and a succulent tomato - with hot, crispy chips. Great meal.