With so many top city centre restaurants and bars competing for business, it's no surprise that customers have increasingly high expectations when it comes to the local social scene.
And in Newcastle new venues which have opened during the past pandemic year are out to meet those expectations by offering - quite literally - high-end wining and dining.
3Sixty at Hadrian's Tower; Roof Thirty Nine at Fenwick and ABOVE at Vermont Hotel have joined a number of city venues which can add spectacular views to their list of attractions and it's these views that are tempting customers just as much as the food and drink on offer.
Read more: Michelin star chef Kenny Atkinson to open second Newcastle restaurant
Here we have singled out places in Newcastle where you can enjoy drinks, lunch or an evening meal against a backdrop of city views that are dramatic both by day and by night and alongside the venues you might not yet have tried we are reminding you of old favourites where you may be overdue a visit.
3Sixty at Hadrian's Tower
The finishing touch to the new luxury apartment block in Newcastle 's St James' Boulevard is its 'sky lounge' bar on the 26th level which opened in May and was immediately booked out for weeks.
It has a Laurent Perrier Sky Lounge and besides the heady mix of Champagne, cocktails and fine dining on offer, those 36-degree views are billed as the best in the region.
With landmarks such as St James' Park and Sage Gateshead, as well as Sunderland and even the sea, viewable from those floor to ceiling windows, it's certainly hard to argue with that.
Roof Thirty Nine at Fenwick
Newcastle's flagship department store also opened its rooftop in May, for an outdoor dining experience which boasts "an unrivalled view over the city skyline".
Ahead of welcoming its first customers, Fenwick store director Kieran McBride said: “This is the first time we have ever opened up this part of the roof and, with its east-facing location and views across Northumberland Street, visitors can enjoy a truly unique view and an alfresco dining experience like no other in the city."
Named after the store's street number, the new bar-restaurant then added music to the mix in June with the launch of its Rooftop Summer Sessions combining food and cocktails with live performances.
Roof Garden at The Botanist
The bar-restaurant at the Monument has a tucked-away
roof garden terracewhich comes as quite a surprise to those customers who tend not to venture beyond its main bars.
The Botanist is known for its great views down Grey Street and diners always want to bag the restaurant window tables to enjoy the best views but climb up to the roof level bar and you'll be rewarded with an open vista over the Monument - and you'll find that you're nearly on a level with the head of Earl Grey.
Chaophraya in Grey's Quarter
Just steps away from The Botanist is this Thai restaurant in the dining quarter of Eldon Square.
If you've only ever spotted its viewing window when you've glanced up while shopping in the hustle and bustle around the Monument then you will be surprised to find out just how great the views from its rooftop terrace are when you're inside.
This is a unique vantage point and there's something especially appealing about people-watching from a height while you go unnoticed by everybody passing below.
ABOVE at Vermont Hotel
Following delays due to the pandemic, the hotel at the end of the High Level Bridge opened its eagerly-awaited new rooftop bar and lounge in August.
The revamped space - which can also double as a rooftop cinema, restaurant and wedding venue - offers panoramic views which can be enjoyed in all weathers as half of it is shielded by a glass box cover and the other is open to a canopy of stars.
Those who have admired the views from the roof of the adjacent Newcastle Keep will have an idea of what to expect here - except that the bar's 360-degree views take in the historic Keep itself.
Six at Baltic
The rooftop restaurant saw a switch during the pandemic to the Gateshead art gallery's ground floor mezzanine but diners are now welcomed on both levels.
While the Riverside area, with its outdoor terrace, has its own attractions, it's the rooftop Six that really packs a punch with its spectacular elevated quayside views up and down river, including what has to the best ever outlook from any ladies' toilets.
Six is open Wednesday to Sunday, with the Riverside serving brunch, lunch and drinks while the top floor restaurant serves dinner and afternoon tea.
Before taking a seat, you can enjoy pre-meal drinks in the adjacent viewing area with its panoramas over Gateshead and Newcastle.
The Crescendo
One to look out for is this newcomer announced earlier in the year by Vermont Hotel owner Gainford Group, with Eyelevel Creative Limited - a local design visualisation studio - capturing plans for a three-tier outdoor rooftop venue tucked in the space between the hotel, Moot Hall and Livello bar and offering views taking in Dean Street and its surrounding historic architecture.
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