Pinocchio - Newcastle upon Tyne

Arrived at 11.50am for our 12 noon booking with friends. We do this on a yearly basis for our Xmas get together. Me and my family were told to wait in a small area next to the toilet stairs as they didn't open until 12 noon. So we did, but other guests arrived and we were all cramped into a very small space like sardines. After we sat down at our table my starter arrived fairly quickly. It was OK. However, the wait for our mains was over an hour and my daughter along with our friends children became very hungry and irratable. The service was sadly terrible. I personally bought three drinks but each time I had to ask multiple times for my drink as it had been forgotten, as well as others at our table. After 75mins of opening they ran out of draught beer at 1.15pm which was appaling for a restaurant on a Saturday lunchtime. So myself and others had to buy bottled beer instead. My main meal of Spaghetti meatballs was very poor. I'm not sure if the meatballs were fresh or bought in but I could only manage two as it was poor quality. I didn't mention it to the staff as they all looked stressed out. I also witnessed a male and female member of staff arguing with each other at the bar area right next to where I was sat which was very off putting and unprofessional. Another member of staff twice left and came back with food supplies which wasnt very good for us to see. Everything was just manic. I felt no one was taking charge of the team and showing leadership. I must stress that the foul odour at the bottom of the stairs outside the toilets is disgusting. It was vile to be brutally honest. On a positive note, the pizzas looked nice, but the pasta dishes and my partners lasagne was very woeful at best. The previous year at Xmas we all went to the Italian restaurant directly next door called Insieme. We all wished we had gone there again. The friendly waitress and Manager recognised us outside so I popped in and told the waitress and manager that we should have visited there place again after our experience next door! Non of us will be visiting Pinocchio again.

Nice Italian restaurant with quick service and a nice range of plates available. Bruschetta good and cannelloni very tasty for main. Does the job!

I was recommended this restaurant as I was in a solo work visit. It was amazing, the food was amazing and the staff were so friendly and attentive. Would highly recommend this independent Italian.

It 's been a while since I 've been to Pinnochio 's but always remember it fondly. I 'll start with the positive: the restaurant is decorated in a traditional style and its warm and welcoming. However, the service was slow, so much that we only had 10.minutes to eat our main course, despite giving ourselves one and a half hours (we had show tickets). I told the staff several times to which the reply was: 'It 's on its way. Obviously, it wasn 't or we would have had it ten minutes later when I asked again. When the food did arrive, it was bland. I honestly think the pasta Alfredo was simply a jar of creamy tomato sauce from a supermarket. My friend had the lasagne, which looked nice but she said it was also bland. Overall, very disappointing.

Despite the shabby chic exterior the food and service is excellent. Came here twice on our visit to Newcastle and would definitely recommend.