If you’re not in the mood for Italian, Indian or Chinese, El Torero makes a nice change and won’t cost the earth.

The Venue
Another restaurant that’s situated on The Side, just off the Quayside area, El Torero offers you a little bit of Spain in the heart of Newcastle. The location is great for a drink before or after your meal and is a short walk from Central Station. The restaurant is simply set out with a classic Spanish feel. A large bar, which is screened off from diners, runs across the back of the restaurant offering ample space for pre-dinner Sangria.

The People
The restaurant is very busy and the atmosphere is lively. A wide cross-section of diners makes for a quite noisy but welcoming feel. The staff are efficient and service is good, despite it being so busy. The informal nature of El Torero makes you feel relaxed, despite the hustle and bustle around you.

The Food
The food is of a very high standard and once it starts it just keeps coming. For a party of six the Classico menu is the one, and at £12.95 a head it seems good value. At El Torero individual tapas dishes are available but, depending on the number in your party, the various set menus offer far superior value.

The dishes arrive, and arrive, and arrive. They are too numerous to mention all of them but some of the highlights are the cured Spanish ham, the spicy chorizo sausage cooked in garlic and white wine, meatballs, potatoes in a hot spicy tomato sauce and chicken in olive oil, garlic and white wine. The food is excellent and there's plenty to go around.

The Drinks
A good wine list, draught Spanish lager and homemade Sangria cover most people’s requirements with room to spare. The draught San Miguel is perfectly chilled and at £3 a pint is good value. The jug of Sangria, at around £10, transports you all the way to Spanish shores and back again in the blink of an eye. Liqueur coffees are great value at £3.95.

The Last Word
El Torero offers a real alternative in Newcastle by doing simple Spanish dishes very well. The atmosphere is good, the food is good and the place feels authentic enough to give Geordies a little piece of Spain on their doorsteps.

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