Rudy's Pizza Napoletana could be coming to Newcastle as Grey Street plans emerge

Popular pizzeria Rudy’s could be about to move into the heart of Newcastle city centre.

After opening its first North East restaurant in Durham last year, it has now emerged that the celebrated chain is eyeing a potential venture on Tyneside. Rudy's Pizza Napoletana, which launched in Manchester in 2015 and has won acclaim for its traditional Neapolitan-style food, has lodged an application to open on Newcastle’s Grey Street.

The award-winning eatery has asked Newcastle City Council for a licence to move into the vacant former Royal Bank of Scotland on the picturesque Georgian street. While the application is yet to be approved, Rudy’s said it was keen to expand to new locations in the North East following its success in Durham city centre’s Silver Street since December 2023.

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A spokesperson said: “Rudy's is continuously exploring new locations to bring its authentic Neapolitan pizzas to new audiences. After successfully opening their first North East pizzeria in Durham last December, Rudy's remains on the lookout for amazing locations that align with their brand and offerings.

“No new North East pizzerias have been confirmed by Rudy's yet, but the brand is committed to expanding its restaurant portfolio in the future.”

The former bank has been vacant since RBS closed down the branch in October 2022 and the grade II listed building, which dates from approximately 1830, has since been on the market to let.

If it does open, Rudy’s would be located in between the Sushi Me Rollin’ sushi restaurant and Barluga. It has requested a licence to sell alcohol for consumption both on and off the premises from 10am until 11pm every day.

Last week, Newcastle City Council approved plans for a major crackdown on takeaways in order to combat obesity levels. Under new restrictions, no new hot food takeaways will be allowed to open in wards where more than 10% of Year 6 pupils are obese – currently every single part of the city, aside from the wealthy suburbs of Gosforth and South Jesmond.

They will also be banned from opening within 400m or a 10-minute walk of schools, parks, and community centres, as well as in wards where the volume of takeaways exceeds the UK average. However, the retail core of Newcastle city centre has been made exempt from the strict regulations.