Date Night in Corbridge

Corbridge is small, but it makes a good place for a date. Within a few minutes' walk you'll find an Italian restaurant run by a Sicilian chef, a curry house that has been on the Market Place since 1989, a bar inside a 700-year-old tower, and an Indian restaurant in the old station house that you can reach by train. This guide suggests where to eat, where to drink and what to do in the daytime, with a sample evening at the end.

Opening hours in a village change with the seasons, and some places do not publish theirs. Book ahead and check times before you go, especially from Sunday to Tuesday.

Dinner

Il Piccolo

Il Piccolo on St Helen's Street is a family-run Italian restaurant, wine bar and deli. The owners are Sicilian-born chef Emanuele Orto and his wife Pam. The seasonal menus draw on Sicilian cooking, with ingredients such as citrus, almonds, pistachios and seafood, and there are separate pizza and pasta menus if you'd like something simpler.

It is also a wine bar, and the restaurant runs occasional wine tastings, which make a different kind of night out. Il Piccolo does not publish its opening hours online, so phone to book.

Best for: The most obvious choice for a sit-down dinner for two in the village.

The Valley and the Curry Train

The Valley is an Indian restaurant in the Old Station House at Corbridge station, and it was listed in Harden's Best UK Restaurants guide for 2024. It also runs the Curry Train, a package that combines a journey on the Tyne Valley line with dinner at the station. The restaurant has advertised it as running from Newcastle and Carlisle from Monday to Saturday, but book directly with the Valley and confirm the details first, as packages change.

The Curry Train turns a meal into a night out. Neither of you has to drive, and the restaurant is just steps from the platform. If you live locally, you can simply book a table.

Best for: Dinner by train, with the station on the doorstep.

Corbridge Tandoori

Corbridge Tandoori at 8 Market Place has been serving the village since 1989. It opens in the evenings from Tuesday to Sunday, from 5pm to 11pm, and is closed on Mondays. It's a relaxed choice in the middle of the village, and its late finish leaves time for a drink first.

Best for: A long-standing village curry house, open until 11pm.

The Angel of Corbridge

The Angel of Corbridge on Main Street is a coaching inn that says it dates back to at least 1569, and it has a separate dining room as well as the bar. Food is served until 8pm from Monday to Saturday, and the inn has bedrooms. That makes it the obvious pick if you want to turn a date into a night away.

Best for: Dinner and a room in one historic building.

Drinks

The Pele is a micro bar inside the Vicar's Pele, a fortified tower beside St Andrew's Church built around 1300. It serves local cask ale, real cider and wine, and it is open from Thursday to Sunday. It takes cards only. It is small and unusual, which makes it a memorable place for a first drink.

For a pub instead, our guide to the best pubs in Corbridge covers all six in the village. On a warm evening, see our beer gardens guide for somewhere to sit outside.

Best for: A glass of wine inside a medieval tower.

Something sweet

On Middle Street, Coffuffle is a small coffee shop and chocolate truffle room, opened in 2021 by chocolatier Philip Weddle. He makes Belgian chocolate truffles by hand from a changing menu, with a vegan option. A box of truffles makes an easy gift for a date. Coffuffle is a daytime shop, so call in before your evening plans.

Daytime dates

• Dilston Physic Garden, just south-west of the village, is a charity-run garden of more than 700 plants used in health and medicine. It is a quiet place for a slow walk together. In winter, it opens from Friday to Sunday, 12pm to 3pm, until 20 December, then closes until 5 February.
• Corbridge Roman Town lets you walk down a real Roman street and see the Corbridge Hoard in the museum. In winter, English Heritage opens it at weekends only, from 10am to 4pm. See our Roman Town visitor guide.
• A riverside walk. Cross the 1674 bridge and follow the river path along the floodbank. Our walks around Corbridge guide has routes.

A sample evening

1. Arrive on the Tyne Valley line, or meet at the bridge as the light goes.
2. Have a drink at the Pele, beside St Andrew's Church (Thursday to Sunday).
3. Have dinner at Il Piccolo on St Helen's Street or Corbridge Tandoori on the Market Place, both a short walk away. Or stay by the river and eat at the Valley in the station house.
4. If you're staying over, finish at the Angel and leave Sunday for the Roman Town. Our weekend in Corbridge itinerary plans the rest.

Know a Corbridge spot that's perfect for a date? Get in touch and we'll consider it for the guide.