WYLD set to turn up the heat at Freight Island

A new live-fire restaurant and late-night cocktail bar is set to turn up the heat on Newcastle’s dining scene when it opens later this month.

WYLD will open at Freight Island Newcastle on September 25, combining a produce-led restaurant with a cocktail bar, live entertainment and panoramic city centre views.

The kitchen will be led by executive chef Nick Grieves, founder of Michelin-recognised restaurants The Patricia and Ophelia, alongside senior sous chef Lawrence Norman, co-founder of Newcastle-based SOKU and 2024 North East Chef of the Year.

Nick’s 14-year career has included roles at The River Café and Fera at Claridge’s, while Lawrence has worked at The Patricia and Michelin-starred Hjem.

Together, the pair will create a menu centred around seasonal North East produce and live-fire cooking, with meat, seafood and vegetables cooked over flame and embers in an open kitchen.

Nick said: “It’s great to be cooking in the North East again and to be part of this exciting new project, surrounded by a brilliant team and some great people.

“Freight Island offers something different in the city centre, and our restaurant will be a colourful, buzzing space with plenty going on around the food.

“Music has always been important to how I work.

“It’s always on in the kitchen and sets the pace for the team, so I’m excited to bring food, music and entertainment together at WYLD.”

The restaurant will champion regional producers, with dishes designed to be generous and shared, while keeping ingredients and seasonality at the heart of the menu.

Alongside the food, WYLD will feature a late-night cocktail bar and wine offering curated by award-winning sommelier Vanessa Stoltz, who has been named among the UK’s Top 100 Sommeliers.

The venue is designed around four elements – food, drink, music and space – with a weekly entertainment programme encouraging diners to stay into the evening.

Thursday nights will feature DJs and selectors spanning soul, jazz, Brazilian, Latin and Balearic sounds, while Fridays will become ‘R E V E L’, combining DJs with vocalists, saxophone and percussion.

Saturday’s ‘NOCTURNE’ programme will take a more theatrical approach, bringing together live musicians, DJs and performances from House of Trixie Blue.

Dan Morris, chief executive of Freight Island, added: “WYLD is a hugely exciting step for us. The room is built for the whole night, not just dinner.

“It starts around the fire, with brilliant North East produce and cocktails, then evolves as the lights go down and the stage comes alive with DJs, live music, cabaret and performance.

“Nick is a chef with real character and instinct, and he has created a menu that feels completely at home in the space.

“With exceptional cocktails and wine alongside a constantly changing programme on stage, WYLD will offer Newcastle a night out unlike anything else in the city.”

WYLD will operate as a destination within Freight Island in its own right, offering a more considered restaurant experience alongside its late-night programme.

The venue will open from Thursday to Sunday, with Friday and Saturday nights continuing until 1am.

Bookings are now open at www.wyldnewcastle.com.

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