Sapori Cafe

I thought I knew what equated to decent garlic bread, pizza and pasta until I ate at the Sapori Café on a recent trip to Newcastle.
Garlic bread is probably one of my least favourite foods but to be sociable every so often I will have a wee slice or two if someone else wants to have to have it with a meal. On this occasion a thumb wrestle was almost about to take place as the garlic bread on offer at the café is amazing. The bread was a crunchy thin layer of dough, topped with toasted garlic and a drizzle of oil.
The pasta was so fresh that you would think the tomato’s had just fallen from a vine leaf and been teleported from Italy just before the dish had been made.
The pizza was a beautiful thin stone baked creation oozing with delicious cheese.
I was pretty full and usually when I’m feeling that way dessert is the last thing on my mind. However the dessert cabinet had so many amazing looking items that I was compelled to have zuppa inglese.
When we left the café we spend the next half hour talking about how amazing it was and how we can transport the café to Glasgow so that it can be our new favourite place to eat.
Anyway if you are in Newcastle it’s worthwhile trying to find this place as the food is fab and really reasonable price wise. It was also probably the best pizza, garlic bread and pasta that I’ve had a long time.

We heard nothing but raves about Sapori Café, and stopped in for lunch a few days ago to see whether the praise was well-​deserved — and it was! Sapori is definitely tucked out of the way, but it is worth hunting down even if you need to drive to get there, plenty of parking nearby. There are but a few tables (maybe 8?) inside and a few outside, we opted to sit inside on this hot afternoon. A young woman took our order at the counter — we opted to share the calamari, the caprese salad, and the pasta bolognese. Many of the pasta dishes are sitting, cold, behind the glass counter. I was foolishly a bit put off by this (cold food just doesn’t *look* as appetizing, you know?) but of course, by the time our food came out to us steaming hot, I changed my tune!
The calamari came out first, and for me it was the highlight. Hot, deliciously chewy pieces of squid cooked in a luscious tomato sauce and served over toasted bread. We were expecting the deep-​fried sort and were pleasantly surprised! This dish is not to be missed. Next came our pasta and salad. The salad was the only thing that disappointed me, as there wasn’t much basil flavor. To me a caprese is just tomato, basil, and mozzarella with a bit of oil perhaps, but this had crisp lettuce underneath and lots of other things going on, and almost no basil taste. A good salad, just not really a caprese in my mind. Still, a large portion and good to share between two people with the meal. The pasta was served piping hot, with a topping of fresh melted cheese. The sauce was homemade, with a delicate savory flavor — no big chunks of meat, but a meaty taste in every bite nonetheless.
Somehow, we had room for dessert, and got the amaretto ice cream that had little bits of cookie mixed in. All their desserts are homemade. The ice cream had a wonderful, assertive flavor and was perfect in summer. All this, plus a water bottle for me and a Coke for my fiancé, was around £19. We thought that was a bargain! Had a little chat with the owner afterwards, who was very friendly. We definitely intend to come back often, although I think they’re going on holiday for most of the month of August 2014, but once they re-​open, they’ll see us again! This is a true café, so atmosphere very casual, people reading the paper at their tables, etc. But the food is that of a wonderful Italian restaurant. And they are cash only.

This is a fantastic little Italian café. I used to live in Sandyford and often visited Sapri, as it was just around the corner. They have a wide range of delicious pasta dishes, which are priced very fairly. The service is great, which contributes to a very friendly and comfortable atmosphere. It is certainly Sandyfords hidden secret