Popular North Shields Fish Quay restaurant Lobo Rojo is spreading its wings and opening a smaller venue in trendy Tynemouth.
The new petite eatery, fittingly called Little Lobo, is set for an early May opening and will offer a paired down version of the Cal-Mex menu its bigger sibling has become renowned for since opening its doors in 2019.
Owners John Good and Robert Beveridge-Pearson are sinking £100,000 into the venture, which is expected to create 10 jobs.
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Work is already underway on converting a former Chinese takeaway on Percy Park Road, just a few minutes’ walk from Tynemouth’s bustling Front Street with its eclectic mix of independent restaurants, bars, and cafes.
The news of Little Lobo’s impending arrival comes just days after it was announced that one of the North East’s most popular leisure venues, Pleased to Meet You, is set to open its doors on March 16 in what was 29 Bar and Kitchen on Tynemouth Front Street.
This will be the second Little Lobo, following the launch in August last year of an outlet in Sandyford, Newcastle.
The Tynemouth venue will cater for 20 covers and offer both takeaway food and sit-in meals featuring tacos, burritos, Mexican sandwiches and fries, inspired by the lighter, fresher, Cal-Mex cuisine that originated in California.
Pavement side dining will also be offered in the warmer months.
The Little Lobo concept has been inspired by the boom in take-out food during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Like many hospitality ventures, Lobo Rojo was forced to reinvent itself when the Covid pandemic hit and restaurants had to close. Take-out food was the answer, with even Michelin star restaurants resorting to entering the delivery market as Brits stuck at home looked for ways of easing the dining boredom.
John said: “Lobo Rojo had only been open seven or eight months when the first lockdown hit. We were still a new business finding our way. We closed completely for two weeks, realised we had to do something, and started doing take-outs.
“Luckily, we had already been looking at doing takeaways before the pandemic hit, so we were sort of prepared. It turned out to be really popular. We were at capacity most nights and got great feedback from customers. It kept us afloat.”
Buoyed up by the success, the idea for Little Lobo was born, offering a condensed version of Lobo Rojo’s menu.
The Tynemouth Little Lobo will be just a mile from the North Shields restaurant, which offers 80 covers with pavement seating for 24 in the summer months.
Tynemouth has become a dining hotspot in the last decade – helped by the success of Riley’s Fish Shack on King Edward’s Bay, which has had the national spotlight turned on it after winning plaudits from food critics and celebrity chefs alike for its local, seasonal fish and seafood simply cooked over a charcoal fire.
Like many places, the village had suffered on the back of the pandemic and lost much of its seaside vibe.
But John said the buzz seems to be returning to Tynemouth. “I’ve lived around this area all my life and love it, and it’s nice to see people out and about again enjoying themselves.
“Our focus until recently has been on North Shields Fish Quay, but Tynemouth is a perfect fit for Little Lobo. Whilst Tynemouth has been a popular dining destination for a decade or so now, I think it’s getting a second injection of culinary energy.
“It’s nice to see that energy now being drawn into other areas and Tynemouth Front Street expanding into Percy Park Road.”
