Blackfriars, the Newcastle restaurant housed in what is believed to be the UK's oldest dining room, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Andy Hook and his wife Sam opened the city centre venue in 2001, and it has since grown into an award-winning fine dining restaurant, adding a banqueting hall, cookery school and lecture room, and hosting hundreds of events each year.
A small café with 800 years of history
The couple marked the silver anniversary with an event in the banqueting hall. Andy recalled their initial expectations: “We thought we had taken on a small café. What we actually inherited was 800 years of history and, over the last quarter of a century, thousands of people have helped us add another chapter.”
The stone buildings in Friar Street, arranged around a medieval cloister garden, were originally a 13th-century Dominican friary. The site claims the oldest dining room because it includes the original purpose-built eating area for the monks.
Restoring and expanding the historic site
Over the years, Andy and Sam brought more of the ancient building into use. The friars' guest hall, which once hosted Henry III and Edward III, became a Banquet Hall for events such as Burns Night suppers and weddings. Empty upstairs rooms, including the friars' library, were transformed into a Tasting Room and a Cookery School. Later developments included renovating the cloister courtyard and opening a micro brewery that produces St Dominic's beers, echoing the monks' own brewing.
The couple run the Hooked-on Group, which also includes Dobson & Parnell restaurant on the Quayside and Hinnies in Whitley Bay. They have worked with Historic England and Newcastle City Council, as well as historians and archaeologists, to bring Blackfriars' history to life.
Award-winning venue and community hub
What began as a small café now hosts around 400-500 events a year, from a children's cookery club to heritage tours, talks and food history evenings. The restaurant has won the Taste of the North East award twice at the North East England Tourism Awards.
For the anniversary, Andy and Sam hosted a private dinner with guests including North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, members of Experience North East England, family, original suppliers and long-standing staff. Andy said: “No one builds something like this alone. Blackfriars has been shaped by our staff, customers, suppliers, contractors, historians, friends, family and everyone who has chosen to spend their time here. Buildings are just stone and restaurants are just tables: it is people who make somewhere special. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped Blackfriars not only survive but thrive.”
Preserving a heritage building
The friary was established in 1239, upon the arrival of St Dominic from Spain, and was one of around 50 friaries founded in the 12th century. It was considered the biggest and best. It remained a friary for about 300 years until its disbanding in 1539 during Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. Later used as meeting rooms by Newcastle's craft guilds, it also housed a pub called The Bakers and Brewers Arms, but fell into disrepair and was due to be demolished.
A campaign in the 1970s saved and restored the building, with retailers moving in and a café occupying the current restaurant site until Sam and Andy took over the lease. Reflecting on the milestone, Andy said: “Blackfriars has always been a place for the community and we are proud to be the latest custodians of that extraordinary story.”
