Geisha Bar and Restaurant ‘forced’ to close after dispute with Newcastle City Council

Geisha, the popular pan-Asian restaurant on Sandyford Road in Jesmond, has closed after being allegedly “victimised, persecuted and bullied” by council bosses.

The announcement was made on social media just under two weeks ago with Geisha saying trading had become “impossible” due to disagreements with Newcastle City Council.

The restaurant has claims to have had many rows with the local authority since its launch in 2020, some of which led to its front porch being pulled down and its painted mural being removed, Chronicle Live reports.

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There are now two venues in Benton, Geisha Italia Grill and Geisha Asia, which opened on Wednesday 19^th April.

The popular pan-Asian restaurant posted on Facebook: “It is with a heavy heart and deep regret that we are forced to announce the closure of our original venue, Geisha Bar and Restaurant based in Jesmond, Newcastle. This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but one that we had no choice in due to a number of reasons which were making it impossible for us to maintain trading.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers who have travelled from both near and far to support our fantastic restaurant over the past two years, your loyalty and fantastic following on social media have been phenomenal and we truly appreciate it.”

Following the statement, a spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: “We are disappointed to read of the allegations that have been made, many of which are made without any evidence to support them. We have endeavoured to work proactively with the business owners to ensure they can operate successfully in accordance with the planning permission that they obtained”.

“We always aim to work constructively with all businesses in the city, but we also have a duty to ensure all premises operate within the confines of the planning system.”

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