Settle Down Cafe

I usually go here for lunch a couple times a month (or more).
The small pizzas are delicious and supplied by the Sugar Down café just down the road. I usually go for one of the pizzas because they’re very tasty and prepared and cooked on the day (usually in time for lunch). The soup is also homemade each day and they have a good handful of different soup flavours. The coffee beans used are local and good quality and they also have an assortment of teas i’ve yet to try.
Settle Down has a quirky, close knit and family oriented atmosphere. A really pleasant place to be. The music is always fitting, chilled out and not distracting. Staff are down to earth, outgoing and energetic.
The décor itself is a mixed assortment of used furniture and bits and bobs to decorate which add a lot of character and really lends itself well to the personality and style of the staff. They’ve truly made the environment in their own image.
The prices are good and the lunch deal is a must, pizza/​sandwich and salad/​soup for less than a fiver.
Artisan Touch: Yes

We couldn’t help but smile upon entering Settle Down. This is the place you want to have lunch, it really is. It’s strikingly cosy, the food looked delicious and fresh, and the staff were bright and cheery. Not to mention, the swinging jazz music which welcomed us, which was a quirky addition.
We knew we were on to something good when we entered to the most pleasant of aromas. ‘What is that smell?!’ — We just had to ask. It could have been a mixture of numerous delicious tasty concoctions but the overwhelming warm scent of ‘the tangy Thai soup’ oozing from the kitchen teased our hungry lunchtime bellies.
With quite the selection of herbal tea, including some interesting loose leaf options, it’s the perfect spot for tea in the toon. There’s also fresh milkshakes too! I opted for a pot of apple and mint tea based on the waitress’s recommendation and I wasn’t disappointed. Mmm!
We took a seat and awaited lunch whilst admiring the homely and bright interior. It wasn’t long till I was in Thai soup heaven with a delicious bowl of thick, creamy, just-​the-​right-​amount-​of-​spice tasty tang! Accompanied by a delicious tuna, cheese, olives and caramelised onion sandwich, it made for a fine lunch. Seriously yummy stuff and a mega bargain at just £4.50!
This was a definite highlight of our time in Newcastle, for sure. And if Newcastle is on the cards again, I’ve no doubt that it’ll be Settle Down that calls me back for lunch.
Settle down and enjoy!

I can see why this café has a 5 star rating! I had an amazing falafel & salsa sandwich with a delicious selection of mixed salad. Plus a posh fentimans lemonade all for £6.30. The staff are wonderful. A little hidden gem! Tomorrow I’m going to try the soup!

Kleines Café mit einem alternativen Touch. Ausgezeichneter Cappucchino. Selbstgemachte Kuchen und viele kleine (vegetarische) Snacks. Im Retrostil eingerichtet, sehr gemütlich. Personal sehr freundlich. Wifi gratis.
Unbedingt hingehen.

Fantastic little café tucked behind the street next to Tilley’s bar/​Tyne Theatre.
One of Newcastle’s greatest hidden gems — all their cakes look delicious and made fresh (I recommend the brownies!). You get a very generous cup of cappuchino for the price you pay!
The staff are wonderful too, the friendliest in town!
Tables and seating look vintage, very like those you had at school which is a very sweet touch. Have a peek around the corner and there is an amazing room decked out like a 1970s living room, which retro wallpaper, smooshy sofas — even board games and a bookcase! Would be lovely to chill here with friends for a special occasion!
Forget Starbucks — give these guys a visit!

I love the Settle Down, it’s my favourite place in town. The coffee is amazing, as are the home-​made cakes (made by the owner, son of bakers, I hear) and the soups, salads and sandwiches are all delicious. It’s got such a lovely atmosphere — the staff are outstandingly friendly.
It’s also home to an art gallery, and lots of other interesting goings on like the Life Clubs personal development group every Tuesday night, a regular bohemian craft market on Sundays, and a knitting club. The record shop has sadly gone, but this has made way for lots more tables and chairs, and you can choose between the bright and bubbly main part of the café and the little room at the back with its low light, retro wallpaper and super-​squishy sofas.

The Settle Down is a café which shares space with a great independent record shop (alt vinyl) and a cutting edge contemporary gallery (satellite) in the centre of newcastle upon tyne.
the café serves toasted ciabatta sandwiches, great salads, homemade cakes, hearty soups, simple breakfasts and great coffee and tea. eat in or take out– great service from friendly staff.
this tiny place is a beautifully styled café– old school chairs, battered wooden floor, nice bits of original art on the walls, nick-​nacks spread about the place, a toy kitchen for kids to play with, cool lighting, a couple of stylish old macs providing free internet access. also great (and usually pretty obscure) music provided by the record shop.
the opening hours are 8am-​7pm, so it’s one of the few places in newcastle where you can actually get a decent coffee and a lovely bite after 5pm. breakfasts are simple and cheap. everything’s pretty cheap, in fact.
set on a pedestrianised square, it’s just a couple of minutes from central station, so the whole city is within easy reach and transport links are excellent.
also nearby: premier apartments hotel, dance city, carling academy /​o2 academy, journal tyne theatre, the centre for life /​the life centre, tilleys, the forth, newcastle arts centre, black swan yard, hair mechanics, discovery museum, the salsa club, china town /​stowell street, the gate, blackfriars, newcastle arena, st james park, westgate road, fenham.