The Queen’s Head Cullercoats – a dog friendly restaurant you NEED to visit this Summer

By Ania Askwith

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Front Street, Cullercoats, North Tyneside NE30

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Best for: pub food, Cullercoats dining, dog friendly, seaside dining, casual dining, family friendly dining, Cullercoats restaurants, relaxed dining, pub classics, coastal restaurant North East

A hidden gem in Cullercoats

We always look for cute, dog friendly spots that also serve good food, and most recently we decided to try the Queen’s Head in Cullercoats for a Monday treat.

And I am not exaggerating when I tell you it is genuinely one of the best hidden gems we’ve ever tried! Such a lush evening from start to finish, and the food – just WOW!

Our menu highlights

They have a great menu full of pub classics, as well as some finer, more elevated dishes. They also do some great deals.

We went for the 3 for £16 starters, which is genuinely such a good value for the amount you get and for the quality of food they serve here.

We went for:

Fish goujons with curry sauce. These were really crispy and golden, nice chunky strips of fish with a curry sauce that was way more addictive than expected. The serving was huge and the fish was super fresh and flaky inside the most delicious batter. I usually leave most of the batter when I get fish and chips because it can be quite heavy but this was sooo light and crispy at the same time. Just delicious.

Corn ribs with Cajun butter. Now these may be the best corn ribs I’ve ever had (and they’re everywhere now so I’ve been eating a lot of them!) They were smoky, creamy from the Cajun butter, super moreish, cooked perfectly and really easy to eat – I mean corn ribs that just melt in your mouth – it’s quite rare to find, right? A 10/10, no notes!

Halloumi fries with sweet chilli dip. Again – probably the best halloumi fries I’ve had in a long, long time, and I eat a lot of halloumi. The coating on them was something you don’t get anywhere else! Salty with crispy edges, I could have eaten them all night. You may think  ‘halloumi is just halloumi’ – but you need to try them to really understand what I am talking about. Once you’ve had these, there is no going back.

For mains we went slightly more coastal.

Craster kipper with poached eggs on toasted sourdough. Really rich and smoky from the kipper, balanced sooo nicely with the eggs. I mean watching the egg yolk ooze out, covering the fish and bread was a bit of theatre I needed on a Monday night.

Pan seared seabass with fresh tomato salsa. This dish was, exactly as described in the menu, really fresh and light. The fish was perfectly cooked, with crispy skin, and the salsa added a nice brightness and tanginess without being sour. It came with parsley mash and green beans which were not only delish, but also made the whole dish feel a bit more substantial even though it was light. Just gorgeous. A perfect Spring/Summer dish and one I’d definitely order again. Plus, have you seen the presentation?! Gorgeous.

Dessert was definitely not optional

Chocolate tart. Rich and chocolatey. Lovely with ice cream and chocolate drizzle.

Deep fried Mars bar with ice cream. Now this was a show stopper. Can you think of anything more indulgent than this? Hot and gooey with the cold ice cream melting into it. I actually knew I needed to have this as soon as I spotted it on the menu. 10/10 recommend. You know you’re by the coast when you can get this dessert.

A whole dog menu – no, I am not kidding.

And I can’t forget our little Loui. The Queen’s Head Cullercoats are dog friendly throughout both the restaurant, and the pub parts, and they even do doggy dinners. There is an actual menu – how sweet?! – which is such a cute touch and makes it really easy if you’re out walking the coast with your dog.

Loui loved his, including the giant Yorkshire pudding it comes with! It was also beautifully presented too.

The vibe and décor at the Queen’s Head Cullercoats

The place was recently decorated and it has a lovely vibe – coastal but not OTT.

The restaurant part looks out on the beer garden which is perfect for people watching, and when you’re on the pub side of the venue, you actually get a sea view. Perfect any time of the year, but particularly gorgeous on a nice, sunny evening we were lucky to have when we went.

So, is the Queen’s Head Cullercoats worth a visit?

It’s a bit of a rhetorical question – of course it is.

If you’re looking for a restaurant in Cullercoats with great food, a welcoming atmosphere and somewhere your dog is just as welcome as you are, the Queen’s Head needs to be on your radar this summer.

It is exactly the kind of place I love finding.

Location

Front Street, Cullercoats, North Tyneside NE30

Tips for Visiting:

• It’s a great spot to visit after a coastal walk in Cullercoats or along the Whitley Bay stretch
• The 3 for £16 starters offer is ideal if you want to try a few different dishes without over-ordering. We shared 3, but you could share it among 3 people to have a light nibble with your drink, or even get all 3 to yourself as a main, if you have bigger appetite

• It is dog friendly throughout, with doggy dinners available if you’re visiting with your pup. They have several options to choose from, including chicken, beef, and sausage
• Perfect for casual dining – relaxed, unfussy and welcoming

• Seafood dishes feel especially fitting given the coastal location, and they are levelled up from your usual pub food; the chefs have done an incredible job curating this menu
• There is a free customer car park behind the building, which is great as Cullercoats/Whitley Bay parking can be an issue.

• They are all set up for the World Cup, so a great spot to watch football this Summer
• They also do all kinds of events (book club, live music, wine tasting, etc) so check out their schedule if that’s something you may be interested in

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