After close to 34,000 votes, the winners of this year's Newcastle Loves awards have been revealed at a red carpet ceremony at The Lofts super club in the city centre.
ChronicleLive first launched Newcastle Loves in 2019 as a way to celebrate the vibrant nightlife, food and drink and entertainment scene the city can be vastly proud of. An audience of close to 200 people flocked to the first ceremony to enjoy performances from the likes of Jennison, Jamie-Lee Harrison, Abi Garrido and Ami Vaziri as the accolades were handed out.
After the huge success of the first Newcastle Loves, the Chronicle wanted to make it an annual event but, as it did with so many other things, Covid threw a huge spanner in the works of plans to bring it back in 2020 and 2021.
Newcastle Loves was finally able to relaunch earlier this year, when readers were asked to nominate their favourite places across 12 categories, some newly introduced for 2022, including Best Sunday Dinner, Best LGBTQ+ Venue and Covid Success Story, to reflect a business or individual who managed to thrive during the pandemic.
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The red carpet was rolled out at The Lofts for a night of celebrations on Wednesday, August 10, with guests enjoying fizz and canapes before former Capital Breakfast presenter Hannah Gray kicked off proceedings as the evening's host.
Competition was fierce in all the categories, with there being just 10 votes separating first and second in Best Live Entertainment Venue. There was also a surprise accolade kept secret from everyone - Special Recognition, which went to Mike Hesketh, a man who has been at the heart of Newcastle nightlife for years. He was the mastermind behind zany Academy club night Dirty Pop and has since gone onto bring the city Paddy Fest, Central Park and his own acclaimed restaurant Horticulture.
Newcastle Loves 2022 winners
Best Bar
Winner: Mother Mercy, runner up: No.28
Best Pub
Winner: Tyne Bar, runner up: The Bridge Tavern
Best Late Night Venue
Winner: Rusty's, runner up: No.28
Best Restaurant
Winner: The Muddler, runner up: Aveika
Best Club Night
Winner: Rise, runner up: Platform 47
Best LGBTQ+ Venue
Winner: Rusty's, runner up: Powerhouse
Best Casual Dining
Winner: Fat Hippo, runner up: Meat Stack
Best Sunday Dinner
Winner: The Tanners Arms, runner up: Babucho
Best Cocktail Haunt
Winner: The Alchemist, runner up: Mother Mercy
Best Outdoor Space
Winner: Stack, runner up: By The River Brew
Best Live Entertainment Venue
Winner: The Cluny, runner up: O2 City Hall Newcastle
Best Covid Success Story
Winner: Stack, runner up: Brack Burger
Special Recognition
Mike Hesketh
As well as the awards, there was top notch entertainment on the night from singers Geoff Mull and Ashleigh Bell and guest presenters including former X Factor star turned Capital drivetime host Sam Lavery, chair of Northern Pride, Ste Dunn and the voice of weekend breakfast on BBC Newcastle, Kelly Scott.
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