Exhibition Park cafe reopens as Bandstand! by Deep North

One of the most missed cafes on Gosforth's doorstep is back. The old cafe building beside the bandstand in Exhibition Park — shut and shuttered for years — has reopened as Bandstand! by Deep North, run by the team behind the Ouseburn artisan doughnut and speciality coffee business.

A much-loved corner of the park, back in use

Exhibition Park sits just south of the Town Moor, a short walk or a few minutes on the Metro from Gosforth, and it's one of the closest large green spaces for anyone at the southern end of the neighbourhood. For a long time the cafe by the bandstand stood empty, so seeing it in use again — with coffee going out of the hatch and tables filling up on a sunny afternoon — is a genuine lift for a park that draws plenty of Gosforth families, dog walkers and runners.

Deep North opened the doors on Monday 27 July. For now they're serving from the building's hatch while renovation work on the interior continues, with the full fit-out expected to follow in the coming weeks.

What's on the menu

Even from the hatch there's plenty on offer: wood-fired pizza, breakfast sandwiches, granola and oat bowls, gelato, soft serve and, of course, Deep North's doughnuts and speciality coffee. Once the building is fully open the plan is to widen things out to a proper brunch menu, small plates, ceremonial-grade matcha, and — in the evenings — natural wines, cocktails and craft beers, with live music and DJs bringing the space to life after dark.

"We want to bring something different to the park," said director Phil King, "serving those people who regularly frequent the park but also to attract new people to the area."

It's the second Newcastle park cafe to come back under a new operator this summer, alongside Ciccarelli Italian Gelato at Paddy Freeman's Park. You can read the full announcement on Newcastle City Council's website.

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