Where to get your alternative uni lunch fix in Newcastle

We all do a weekly shop in Tesco or Aldi knowing full well all the fresh food will go off and we'll eat out for lunch everyday. Your overdraft is telling you not to, but if you want to ignore it, then ditch Greggs and the library and try out the options below.

Eat4Less – 'What you pay for is what you get'

Price – Clue is in the name. It's very cheap. Perfect solution for when you got the rounds in the night before at Feral and are regretting that you can’t afford to eat between your lectures the day after.

Food – The choice is yours: known for their £1.99 baguette meal deal you can’t really go far wrong. They offer pretty much anything you would expect to eat for lunch; chips, pizza, sarnies, pasta, paninis, the list goes on. You can pretty much guarantee never to spend more than £3 for some hangover curing scran.

Atmosphere – Be prepared to queue for longer than ever before, unless you want your lunch at 10:30am. People line up outside the door every single day to wait for their lunch, what a fresher thing to do eh?

In terms of food presentation; my food came in a second hand premier carrier bag – but I didn't have to pay 5p so that’s a bonus.

Rating – 4/5

Olive and Bean – ‘Take your mum for a visit’

Price – £7 is a little bit on the pricey side for an average toastie. Nice, but average. There is a take-out option available which will save you a couple of quid.

Food – Big choice of toasties, sandwiches, paninis etc or meat and cheese platters for the week after your student loan comes in. The real temptation though is the amazing cake display which boasts everything from a popcorn caramel slice to oreo tiffin. Definitely a well needed sugar fix between lectures.

Atmosphere – Olive and Bean caters for a mix of people from students with MacBooks to elderly couples with newspapers. A nice place to have a catch up with your gals or to sit and do some reading when you get bored of the Robbo.

Rating – 3/5

Shijo – ‘the best katsu curry in Newcastle’

Price– £5 for a huge bowl of noodles, chicken and katsu is a price you can’t argue with, and if you’re reaching the end of your loan you could always share with a mate and still leave full.

Food – Noodles, rice and spring rolls – the best kind around. Really good place to start if you’ve never ventured into a Japanese noodle bar before as I can guarantee there will be no chance of disappointment.

Atmosphere – Located in Haymarket station so the ideal place to roll out of a lecture for your lunchtime katsu fix. 

Although its small, it’s the best place in town for people spotting as you can watch hundreds of people passing through on their way to or from work or uni. Go around Chinese new year and the friendly staff might even treat you to some celebratory biscuits.

Rating 5/5

Frankie & Tony’s – ‘BTEC Subway’

Price – Not cheap, not expensive. You're looking at about £4 for a big sarnie. Treat yourself once a week, but it's maybe not an everyday alternative.

Food – Loads of choice, including both white and brown bread for those of you trying to persuade yourself it’s healthy. Portion size has never been more huge.

Atmosphere – It’s ironic because Subway is right next door. There is always a queue right out of the door, so they must be doing something right. There's no seating but this isn't an issue if you’re after a grab and go.

Rating – 3/5

Bait – ‘convenient for the wannabe businessmen and women out there’

Price – Very reasonable. Toasties and sandwiches with some crisps for about three quid. You can go all out and get soup and a sandwich for £4 which they self-declare is #bargainbait.

Food – A huge and slightly daunting menu which will have you spending half of your lunch break deciding what to get, but once you’ve made your decision you almost certainly won’t be disappointed. The Malteser tiffin is also to die for, a must try.

Atmosphere – The décor made me feel like I was in a beach café, perfect for the Snapchat story. There were only a few tables so you may have to fight for a seat or just get it to take out, especially at peak time. Again there was a mix of people but students wouldn’t feel out of place, a conveniently placed cafe to stop by if you’re walking between the business school and main campus. Perfect for those who live in Leazes, a perfect stop of place before lectures.

Rating – 4/5

We've given you our opinion, now what's yours? Vote now for your favourite alternative lunch fix in the Toon…

If you’re still not taken by any of the above then off you go back to Greggs for the tenth time this week, we don't care. We'll leave you to eat your steak bake in peace.