Over the course of this year ChronicleLive has been asking you to crown your food champions in the region
12:00, 30 Dec 2025Updated 13:00, 30 Dec 2025
Food at Michelangelo’s in Gateshead(Image: Michelangelo’s)
As we come to the end of the year, we’ve been doing some looking back and we’re now going to remind you of the places that you voted for in your droves to be the best of the best in the North East in 2025. From fish and chips to Sunday dinners and Italians to Indians, thousands of you have had your say over the last 12 months, so here’s a reminder of the places you crowned the champions of their respective cuisines.
Now we all know that when it comes to top notch food and drink, the North East does it VERY well indeed and that’s what kickstarted our aim to get readers of ChronicleLive sharing their opinions and casting their votes on a number of different categories. It was the vote for the best fish and chips in the North East that started things off in the run up to Easter, with loads of you rushing to nominate your favourites to get them on the shortlist.
After huge interest in that vote we’ve launched ones for plenty of other foods in the last few months, including Italians, breakfasts, Indians and the one that got by the far the most nominations and votes – the best Sunday dinner in the North East – which ended up being a closely fought two horse race.
As 2025 comes to an end and we look forward to enjoying more great food in 2026, here is a reminder of the places you crowned top of the class this year.
Best Fish and Chips
Just before every chippy in the land had a queue outside on Good Friday, we asked you to tell us your best places for fish and chips in the North East. There are so many great ones that we realised asking readers to narrow it down would be a tough call.
The shortlist of 10 included some very well known and nationally acclaimed places like Colmans in South Shields, Longsands in Tynemouth Bells in Durham, but in the end it was family run Ashington chippy V.Gormans that took the crown. It got 31% of the final vote, well ahead of Seaton Sluice’s Harbour View in second and The Waterfront, North Shields in third.
Best Italian
As we headed towards the end of summer, we switched our focus to the best Italian in the North East and again plenty of you were quick to get involved in the nomination and voting process. After loads of nominations and then hundreds of votes in the final round, victory went the way of Michelangelo’s in Ryton.
A few years after it had not one, but two visits from The Hotel Inspector herself, Alex Polizzi, the restaurant, which also has accomodation for guests to stay overnight, emerged victorious, finishing way ahead of every other place in the top 10 on 50% of the final vote. A long way behind in second on 17% was Little Nino’s in Spital Tongues, with Lui’s on Newcastle Quayside in third on 15% and Newcastle city centre favourite Pani’s in fourth, having got 9% of the vote. The other restaurants in the top 10 were Zuccini Pasta Bar, Puccini, Portofino’s, Liozi’s, Mascalzone and Vito’s Osteria.
Best Breakfast
It’s often remarked that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so with that in mind, we decided to give it its own poll. After plenty of nominations, a shortlist of 10 was compiled, including places like Aiden’s Kitchen in Newcastle, Ellison’s of Low Fell, city centre spot Blakes and The Butterfly Cabinet in Heaton.
But it was Earl & Eve in Whitley Bay that was crowned as your Breakfast champion in October. Based in Claremont Crescent, Whitley Lodge, Earl & Eve describes itself as a ‘go-to spot for all-day breakfast’ as well as for sandwiches, cakes and pastries.
Customers can find a selection of wine, beer and cocktails there too, so it covers all bases if you prefer to eat out later in the day. It advertises Tuesday to Sunday brunch; Friday and Saturday tapas and flatbreads nights and Sunday lunch.
Best Sunday Dinner
Now we move onto the real battle royale of the ,lot. We received so many nominations for this one that we extended the top 10 into a top 12, with representatives from all over the region making the cut.
Once the final vote opened, it quickly became apparent that it was going to be a two horse race between two hotels – The Tempus in Northumberland and The Gibside Hotel in Gateshead, for the best Sunday dinner in the North East title.
A Sunday dinner at the Gibside Hotel(Image: Facebook)
The Gibside beat The Tempus to the crown by a margin of just 8%, and those two finished well ahead of the rest of the contenders, with third place shared jointly between The Fox and Tree in Seaham and The Courtyard in Pegswood near Morpeth.
Best Indian
While not quite as many votes as best Sunday dinner, this one too became a topic as hot as the curries served up in the restaurants that made the shortlist. Eight made the cut for the final poll and, at the start of November we revealed the winner was My Delhi, with the popular Newcastle restaurant claiming 1st place, thanks to getting over 2,000 votes. Second place goes to Jaipur in Denton Burn, with it not too far behind on 1,6000, with La Khazana in Shilbottle in third.
My Delhi’s Bottomless Curry Club(Image: @RobertStevenStudios)
As well as having its original home on Clayton Street in the heart of Newcastle city centre, which opened in 2019, My Delhi also has successful restaurants in Sunderland and Leicester and appeared on BBC2 show Britain’s Best Takeaway in 2022, winning by a margin of eight points, after serving up popular dishes from its menu – Butter Chicken 1950s, Railway Station Lamb Curry and Cauliflower Manchurian.
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