Blackfriars Restaurant

What Blackfriars Restaurant does

Blackfriars Restaurant is a multi-revenue hospitality venue operating from a 13th-century former Dominican friary in Newcastle upon Tyne, designated a Grade I Scheduled Ancient Monument dating to 1239 and claimed as the oldest dining room in the UK. The legal entity, Blackfriars Cafe Bar Limited (company number 04317584), was established in 2001 and is managed by the Hooked-on Group, which also operates sister venues Dobson & Parnell and Hinnies in the region. The core business is seasonal British dining across lunch and dinner service, with set menus, à la carte, Sunday lunches, afternoon tea, and Christmas/New Year's Eve tasting menus.

Beyond the restaurant, the venue operates a diversified experience portfolio including an on-site Cookery School offering weekday and weekend classes, boozy socials, children's classes, and chef's table experiences priced between £35 and £195 per person; St Dominic's micro-brewery producing craft beers with tours and a retail gift pack; multiple event spaces (Banquet Hall, King's Suite, Tasting Room, Cloister Garden, Parlour Bar, Dormitory Meeting Rooms) used for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations; and curated tastings of wine, beer, gin, whisky, rum, tequila, mezcal, and sake. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company website, OpenTable, and a branded Toggle gift voucher platform, with all operations based in a single Newcastle location targeting primarily the North East UK market.

The technology footprint is light: OpenTable for reservations, Toggle (giftpro) for gift vouchers, and standard card payment processing. No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or app-based product is referenced. Revenue is generated per-cover, per-ticket, and per-event through full prepayment at booking, with no enterprise contracts, subscription revenue, or external funding disclosed. Customer acquisition runs through organic social media across six platforms, an email newsletter (The Whole HOG Food Club), TripAdvisor and Google review management, and regional tourism initiatives including NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week.

Name

Blackfriars Restaurant

Legal name

Blackfriars Cafe Bar Limited

Website

https://blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blackfriars Restaurant operates a full-service British restaurant, cookery school, in-house micro-brewery, and private event venue from a 13th-century Dominican friary in Newcastle upon Tyne, serving individual diners, corporate clients, wedding parties, and experience-seeking consumers across the North East UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Hospitality Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Dining Restaurants (THAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG), Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK), Restaurant Progressive Dining Tours (THAJAGAB)

Keywords

• Restaurant dining
• Cookery school
• Private events
• Craft brewery
• Historic wedding venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Blackfriars operates a full-service restaurant offering seasonal set menus, à la carte dining, Sunday lunches, afternoon tea, and Christmas/New Year's Eve tasting menus. Revenue is generated per-covers through food and beverage sales. The restaurant serves lunch (Mon-Sat 12pm-2:30pm, Sun 12pm-5pm) and dinner (Mon-Sat 5pm-late).
2. Events and Private Hire: The venue generates revenue from hosting private events including weddings, corporate experiences, celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, christenings, wakes), and stag/hen experiences across multiple event spaces including the Banquet Hall, King's Suite, Tasting Room, and Cloister Garden.
3. Cookery School: A dedicated cookery school offers weekday and weekend classes, street food express sessions, boozy socials, children's cookery classes, and chef's table experiences. Classes range from single-session evening classes (£90) to full-day workshops (£175).
4. Tastings and Experiences: Curated tasting events including wine, beer, spirit, whisky, gin, rum, tequila, and sake tastings. Also includes heritage tours, brewery tours, and cocktail & canapés experiences. Ticket prices range from £35 to £110.
5. In-house Brewery (St Dominic's): St Dominic's micro-brewery produces craft beers on-site within the historic Chapter House. The brewery generates revenue through direct sales (draught and bottled beer served in the restaurant), brewery tour packages with lunch, and one-day brewing courses (£195). Beer gift packs are also sold through the online shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Blackfriars Restaurant operates a full-service British restaurant in a 13th-century former Dominican friary in Newcastle upon Tyne, offering seasonal set menus, à la carte dining, Sunday lunches, afternoon tea, and Christmas/New Year's Eve tasting menus. The venue also houses a Cookery School, St Dominic's micro-brewery, multiple event spaces for weddings and corporate hire, and a programme of wine, beer, and spirit tastings plus heritage tours.

Product overview

Blackfriars Restaurant operates as a multi-faceted hospitality venue built around its core restaurant dining offering in a historic 13th-century former Dominican friary (dating to 1239). The venue comprises the main restaurant as its core product, supplemented by a Cookery School offering cooking classes, St Dominic's Brewery for craft beer experiences, and various event spaces (Banquet Hall, Cloister Garden, King's Suite, Tasting Room) that host private dining, corporate events, and weddings. Additional revenue streams include heritage tours, wine and spirit tasting events, and gift vouchers. The venue is managed by the Hooked-on Group alongside sister restaurants Dobson & Parnell and Hinnies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restaurant Dining Full-service British restaurant offering seasonal set menus, à la carte dining, Sunday lunches, afternoon tea, and Christmas/New Year's Eve tasting menus in a 13th-century historic dining room. Serves lunch (Mon-Sat 12pm-2:30pm, Sun 12pm-5pm) and dinner (Mon-Sat 5pm-late). Targets individual diners, couples, and small groups seeking an elevated heritage dining experience.
• Cookery School On-site cooking school offering weekday and weekend classes covering cuisines including Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, Thai, Greek, Italian, Malaysian, Portuguese, Mexican, and Middle Eastern. Includes Street Food Express (£35), Morning/Evening Cookery Club (£90), boozy socials with paired drinks like Sushi & Sake, Bao & Beer, Tacos & Tequila (£90), Chef's Table (£125), and full-day workshops (£175). Also offers Little Monks children's cookery classes (£50). Targets home cooks of all skill levels.
• St Dominic's Brewery Tours and Brewing Courses One-day brewing course (£195) at St Dominic's Brewery with Head Brewer Ben, including practical brewing session, lunch, beer flight, t-shirt, commemorative schooner, and 6 bottles of beer to take home. Also offers Brewery Tour & Lunch (£45). Targets craft beer enthusiasts and gift buyers.
• Private Event Hire and Weddings Private hire of Banquet Hall, King's Suite, Tasting Room, Parlour Bar, Cloister Garden, and Dormitory Meeting Rooms for weddings, civil partnerships, corporate events, birthdays, anniversaries, christenings, stag/hen events, and wakes. Flexible spaces accommodating intimate dinners to 100+ guest banquets with comprehensive catering and event management.
• Corporate Experiences Corporate event hosting including wine tastings, private dining, team-building cookery classes, and meetings in flexible rooms including the Dormitory Meeting Rooms, King's Suite, and Cookery School. Targets businesses seeking character-rich corporate hospitality venues.
• Wine, Beer, and Spirit Tastings Curated 2-hour tasting events including wine tastings (Intro to Wine, Italy, Spain & Portugal, France, Cheese & Wine matching), beer & cheese tastings, whisky, gin, rum, tequila, mezcal, and sake tastings. Prices range from £35 to £110 per person. Includes Cocktails & Canapés masterclass (£49.50) and special events like Magnum Rhône Wine Dinner (£110). Targets beverage enthusiasts and social groups.
• Heritage Tours and Blackfriars Trail 45-minute guided history tour (£45) of the Grade I Scheduled Ancient Monument plus 3-course set lunch with wine, beer or soft drink, and coffee. Available Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:30am. Includes the interactive Blackfriars Heritage Trail App. Targets tourists, history enthusiasts, and cultural visitors.
• Cloister Garden Events Outdoor dining events in the cloister courtyard including Friday BBQs (£37.50), Sunday Hog Roasts (£37.50, children £19), and 25th Anniversary BBQ (£25, children £12.50). Includes arrival fizz, beer or soft drink and 3 courses. Targets individuals, families, and groups seeking al fresco dining in a historic setting.
• Gift Vouchers Branded gift vouchers available for purchase via the MyToggle platform for meals, events, and experiences at Blackfriars Restaurant. Targets gift buyers seeking dining and experience presents.
• St Dominic's Beer Gift Packs Bottled craft beer gift packs from St Dominic's micro-brewery, sold through the online shop. Targets craft beer enthusiasts and gift buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• One of only two Newcastle restaurants listed in OpenTable's UK Top 50 Fit For Foodies Restaurants
• +3 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Daylesford Cookery School: Premium destination cookery school at the Daylesford estate offering seasonal, farm-to-table classes. Comparable to Blackfriars' positioning of the cookery school as a premium experiential add-on to a flagship hospitality brand.
• Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons: Two Michelin-starred destination restaurant in a heritage Oxfordshire manor with cookery school, gardens, and event/wedding spaces. Closest UK analog to Blackfriars' heritage-building + restaurant + cookery school + event destination model.
• Restaurant Sat Bains: Two Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant in Nottingham with a chef's table and L'Orangerie event space. Comparable as a destination fine dining venue combining tasting menus, private events, and a Lodges accommodation offering.
• Rick Stein's Cookery School: UK cookery school embedded within a multi-restaurant hospitality brand, offering a tiered class programme from short sessions to full-day workshops. Comparable to Blackfriars' £35-£175 cookery school product range and brand-led model.
• Hinnies: Third Hooked-on Group restaurant in Newcastle focused on North Eastern casual dining and Sunday lunch. Same operating group and customer base as Blackfriars but positioned at a more accessible price point, competing for the same occasion-driven diner.
• House of Tides: Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant in Newcastle serving modern British tasting menus. Direct local peer competing for the same high-end diner and occasion segment in the Newcastle market.
• The Raymond Blanc Cookery School: Professional cookery school attached to a heritage destination restaurant, offering hands-on classes, chef's table, and tasting experiences. Comparable on the cookery school / chef's table revenue stream that Blackfriars operates from the Chapter House.
• Dobson & Parnell: Sister restaurant under the Hooked-on Group in Newcastle offering modern British fine dining on the Quayside. Closest direct comparable in concept, ownership, and target customer, sharing back-office and management.

Broad incumbents

• The Alchemist: UK multi-site cocktail bar and casual dining brand with theatrical drinks-led experiences and event bookings. Broad incumbent competing for experiential dining and celebration occasions across the UK, including Newcastle.

Regional players

• The Olde Bell Inn: Historic (16th-century) UK inn and dining venue offering heritage rooms, restaurant, and wedding/event hire. Comparable as a Grade-listed destination combining food, heritage setting, and private events in a similar vein to Blackfriars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@blackfriarsrestaurant7428
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlackfriarsRestaurant
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackfriars-restaurant
• Instagraminstagram.com/BlackfriarsRestaurant
• TikToktiktok.com/@blackfriarsrestaurant

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blackfriars Restaurant