A well known and much loved Italian restaurant in Newcastle will soon have a new name as new owners take over
15:20, 05 Jan 2026Updated 16:33, 05 Jan 2026
Inside Novello in Gosforth(Image: Instagram)
It’s one of the best loved Italian restaurants in the Newcastle area but Novellos in Gosforth will soon have a different name, as its owners step down and it is taken over by a team from another well known Tyneside haunt.
Last summer we asked you to give us your nominations for the top Italian in the North East and, while it didn’t take the title, with victory going to Michelangelo’s in Ryton, Gosforth High Street favourite Novello got a lot of love from readers for ChronicleLive, which is little surprise, given that it’s been part of the local community for years.
A neighbour to chic play cafe Hopscotch and recently opened wine bar and Say When, a place already a big hit with Newcastle United players, Novellos has been packed over the festive period, but big changes are afoot. Revealing all in an Instagram post and confirming that a new team were actually already in charge, Novellos wrote: ‘From 1 December 2025, Novellos Gosforth officially passed into new hands and is now owned by the team at Florence Jesmond.
Inside Novello in Gosforth(Image: Instagram)
‘To keep things simple (and avoid any confusion – especially for anyone with bookings), we all agreed to continue as Novellos Gosforth throughout December and the Christmas period. The menu stayed exactly the same, and everything ran as normal. Over the next few days, you’ll start to see the venue change its name to reflect the new ownership.’
Opening up on their reasons for walking away, the current Novellos team explained: ‘This was a really difficult decision for us, but ultimately a necessary one. It’s allowed us to fully focus on opening our new venue, @frallorestaurant, without spreading ourselves too thin, while still delivering the food and service standards we’re proud of.
“We just want to say a huge thank you to the Gosforth community, our regulars, and all the friends who’ve supported us on the High Street. We’ve shared some amazing memories here – ones we’ll honestly treasure forever.”
The post ended with an assurance that it’s still very much business at Novellos in Washington and the new Frallo in Copt Hill, as regulars were quick to comment, including one who replied: ‘You’ll be such a miss on the High Street!’
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