Humbug

15.5/20Critics' Pick

Updated October 26, 2026,first published November 11, 2024

15.5/20Critics' Pick

Humbug

Contemporary$$

Next-level new-wave pasta bar cheerily riffing on classics.

Ever had that thing happen where you have a favourite dish at your favourite restaurant until suddenly they decide to take it off the menu? Humbug hears you. As of the time of writing, this humble, humming pasta bar smack-bang on Hunter Street is rolling out all its headliners.

But where to turn when every dish is a hit? Sip a Montenegroni (a brilliant mash-up of your two favourite drinks), swipe heirloom crudites through salty, savoury miso bagna cauda and take stock. You’ll have to do the short-rib sando, served in a soft roll dripping with cheese and Japanese mustard. Ortiz anchovies on laminated Danish pastry with parmesan cream are another smash, while house-made pasta always has extra bends and twists to drag up the likes of cured egg yolk or duck sausage.

Service from one of the city’s slickest floor teams keeps calm and collected, but then this is a kitchen brimming with new ideas: expect things to change, and fast, with new favourites to uncover as the seasons unfold.

Good to know: Like this? Owners Steph Wells and Michael Portley have teamed up with Flotilla’s Eduardo Molina to open Papalote in West Newcastle, your new favourite Mexican.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Last visited: September 2026

Continue this series

Newcastle

Up next