Where Amy Ate – The Botanist, Newcastle

A few weeks back when we went adventuring to Newcastle, we had lunch in The Botanist on our second day. Prior to setting out I had googled “Places to Eat in Newcastle with Kids” and I came across a post by Samantha of North East Family Fun that helped me decide on The Botanist. I’d already heard some great stories about it from my non parent friends but I wasn’t sure it would be child friendly, how wrong was I?

The Botanist is situated in Monument Mall and you can find the entrance opposide Waterstones. I 100% recommend you take the lift, Little Miss and I underestimated the amount of stairs you’d have to go up and were exhausted by the time we reached the top. But it was totally worth it when we walked into the main bar area.

The centre piece of The Botanist is this fantastic tree which really makes this place incredibly unique. Not only is the tree fantastic but the whole themeing of the restaurant is fantastical, it’s like being in a wonderland garden and Little Miss & I were completely in awe. We waited by the front of house station and we were informed we could sit in one of three areas, the bar area, a seated area off the bar or up the stairs. We chose to go upstairs and sit outside as it was a beautiful day. Little Miss loved the spiral staircase. Upstairs was like a secret garden and we sat at a table surrounded by ivy. It was gorgeous. We hadn’t even had any food or drink yet and I was already completely in love with The Botanist. I was hoping I wasn’t setting myself up for a fall.

Our server brought over a small watering can with a colouring sheet, some crayons and a menu for Little Miss, along with a clipboard with a menu on for me. For Little Miss it would be £5.95 for two courses and a drink would be extra. Little Miss decided to go for a burger, chips and peas although there was a few things she would have happily eaten out of the 6 items available but a burger is what she wanted. There were loads of possible options on the menu for me but I decided to go for The Botanist Deli Board which was 4 items plus fougasse bread for £10.50. I went for the humous, caesar salad, proscuitto & the camembert although the hanging kebab looked amazing. I also went for a cocktail, just as a treat but unfortunately I can’t seem to find the drinks menu online to let you know which one it was. It was amazing though and for such a specialist cocktail I was impressed with the £6 (ish) price tag.

We waited about 15/20 minutes for our food which I wasn’t unhappy with. The place was packed and Little Miss was very interested in colouring in.

Thankfully the food did not let down in anyway. Little Miss loved her box that came especially the tomato ketchup in the wheelbarrow which was a great touch for the kid. Her burger was well cooked as were her chips. Her peas came in a little flower pot and she used her fingers to eat them, something she can’t normally do as they’re not kept separate. It was a good size portion for a child and although it was a little much for Little Miss it would be perfect for a slightly older child.

My deli board came on a board which was quite big and took up a lot of space on our rather small table, thank goodness there were only two of us, but as the whole thing was full with goodies I can’t complain too much. Everything was delicious and there was a good amount of each meaning I felt full afterwards. I really enjoyed the cesar salad, everything was so fresh. I loved how the fougasse bread really brought everything together. I’d definitely order it again and it was well worth the £10.50 as I couldn’t even manage the lot.

Our bill came to just under £30 after tip and we had our two meals, a coke, LM’s apply juice and my cocktail which I think is a great price for such a specialist and unique bar. Overall our experience at The Botanist was brilliant, I’ll definitely be back (hopefully for more drinks next time!)