If you want a decent pizza or pasta, you won’t go far wrong with Marco Polo’s.

The Venue
Situated on Dean Street, Marco Polo’s offers excellent access to the buzzing Quayside, any number of good bars, and it’s within easy walking distance of the Theatre Royal making it a great location for any occasion.

As you walk into the restaurant, a small waiting area and large bar greet you before you enter the restaurant. The restaurant is on a number of different levels which adds to the atmosphere, although it is easy to lose your bearings, especially after a couple of glasses of vino.

It has a glass front so it's good for people-watching, although bear in mind that this means your are visible from the street, so no pointing and laughing at the groups of squiffy students ambling past on their way to the Quayside. It looks modern but it has a warm welcoming feel to it with lots of exposed brickwork, wood and some comfy semicircular booth seating.

The People
During the week, the restaurant can be fairly quiet making the atmosphere slightly less upbeat than at weekends. The tables are filled with a mostly young crowd enjoying the good value food on offer and its popular with groups.

The Food
The food is excellent with some interesting variations on classic dishes. The starters for the evening include potato skins with garlic mayo and chilli tomato sauce and funghi selvaggi, which is a combination of wild mushrooms, grilled sourdough bread, garlic and olive oil. The potato skins are crisp but not too thin and the chilli tomato sauce is perfectly balanced. The funghi selvaggi is both unusual and very tasty. At £4.65 and £4.95 respectively, they offer good value and a fine start to the meal.

For main course, there's linguine polpette (linguine with meatballs) and the pollo pizza (chicken pizza). The portion of linguine is large but with an equally large number of meat balls, it is delicious and the pasta is cooked perfectly. The pizza is a little different to the norm. The toppings consist of lemon chicken, sliced potatoes and rosemary and, although the base is superb, the mix of flavours is a little too much. At £8.50 each, again the value is good.

The Drinks
A good wine list and the most excellent Peroni on draught means drinks are a pleasure. A large class of Chardonnay costs £3.95 and a pint of Peroni, even at £3.90, is not over the odds for this particular Italian import. The liqueur coffees at £3.95 are a great way to top off the meal.

The Last Word
Marco Polo’s has a classic Italian feel and taste, but offers the chance to try different things that add a bit of originality to some of the most loved dishes. This gives them the edge over some of the more mainstream Italian restaurants in Newcastle and certainly makes it worth a visit.

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