Meli cafe

You'll smell the coffee before you see the place – that proper, strong Greek brew that cuts through the Northumberland Street bustle. The kind of spot where the owner remembers your order after two visits and the baklava is flaky enough to make you forget you're in the Toon, not Thessaloniki. The menu reads like a love letter to the Mediterranean, with spanakopita that actually tastes homemade and Greek salads that don't apologise for themselves. Everything feels authentically relaxed here – none of that forced industrial chic you get elsewhere. Just good coffee, proper food, and the sort of genuine hospitality that makes you want to linger over your freddo espresso even when the Newcastle drizzle starts up outside.