Secco Ristorante Salentino Reviews

I ate at Secco Ristorante Salentino last night and was amazed by the quality of the food on the special menu. The early evening menu of £8.50 for two courses is a definite winner. We had stuffed sardines and bruschetta of macerated Roma tomatoes, capers, anchovies and fresh herbs followed by rolled beef Southern Italian style and an amazing fish soup with saffron toasted breadcrumbs. If this is what they can do on the special menu, I will definitely return to sample the full a la carte menu, which looks reasonably priced for such a fantastic dining room and lovely approachable staff. Well done Secco!

My boyfriend and I loved our meal and experience at Secco. The whole dining room feels very intimate and we had a lovely big table to ourselves - this was a good and a necessary thing by the time all of our sides arrived. The dining room is also nice, dark and seductive, not so dark that you can't see what you’re eating - just very romantic. We had the beef for two and it was divine. The wine was great and the service was the kind that you'd expect from a restaurant of this kind - efficient and unobtrusive. There was no pressure to evacuate your table either, as you find in some restaurants that have sittings. We'd eat there again for sure but better for special occasions due to the cost.

Our evening out, turned out to be a big disappointment. We looked forward to our pizzas but when they arrived, there was no evidence of any black truffle pesto. I pointed this out to the waitress who said it's under the cheese and walked off - I called her back and pointed out that i had scraped away the little amount of cheese and mushroom but no pesto was revealed. Eventually she took the pizza and had a small amount added to the centre. There was no apology and we were made to feel uncomfortable about questioning the food. To top it off, its another restaurant that adds service charge. Needless to say, we demanded it be taken off.

Secco Bar and Restaurant will be a dining experience you will want to return to time and time again. Split into two different restaurants, upstairs-for more formal dining downstairs-for an affordable taste of Italy. Secco, upstairs offers locally sourced produce cooked with a southern Italian twist. Expertly cooked in the open kitchen, you will be unlucky if you do not enjoy your meal. The seafood is excellent and cooked with the Mediterranean in mind. There is also plenty of space allowing you to enjoy your meal in comfort.

The newly appointed Secco Cafe Bar and Balcony is much more lively and welcomes an eclectic mix of visitors. I'm biased, but given the choice there is only one place in Newcastle I would go for an authentic Pizza/Pasta type meal. I think authentic is the key, so many restaurants disappoint with their antipasti for example, Secco does not. The staff are always charming but do have that south European edge to them which again adds to the authenticity.

To top it off, Secco has it's own bar with an excellent range of cocktails. You must try the Mojito, it's good. I think you'll have guessed that I like the place for value, money and a taste of Italy in the North East, go no further.