A mix of original STACK venders, alongside brand-new operators and well-known North East restauranteurs, have been announced on the teamsheet of traders that will be in place when the entertainment venue opens on Strawberry Place this summer.
Among those joining a STACK venue for the very first time will be Tiptop, bringing a range of Asian inspired noodle and rice dishes launched by Kevin Liu, who has owned numerous restaurants around the city and beyond for many years.
Other newcomers to STACK are Soju & Gogi who currently run a Korean BBQ restaurant at Dean Street and Soju & Gogi Express in Newcastle’s Grainger Market. They also have a sister restaurant - Insa Korean BBQ in Jesmond - and will be bringing classic and exciting Korean dishes to STACK, such as corn dogs and spicy Korean noodle dishes.
Also taking over one of the renowned shipping containers is Dabbawal, which after many years running two successful restaurants - one at High Bridge in the city centre and the other at Jesmond - recently ventured into street food at HWKR market and will now be bringing their much-loved Indian food to St. James’ STACK.
A trader making a welcome return is Acropolis, which has gone on to expand across the North East and beyond since their original residency at STACK Newcastle. The street food vendor now operates five venues in Newcastle, has a permanent base at STACK Seaburn, and recently opened at STACK Lincoln as well as expanding further north to Aberdeen.
Another trader making a STACK comeback is barbeque experts Texas Smoker – a regular on the festival circuit serving smoked meats and wings – which will now be able to offer their dishes all year round.
A number of STACK Seaburn traders will be taking a unit at the new site, including Brack Burger which also holds a number of outlets across Tyneside and has become a huge hit with its menu of classic smashed burgers and loaded fries. They will be joined by Davey’s Mexicano which sells everything from loaded nachos to Birria beef tacos, and Bao Down with their offer of Bao Buns, gyozas, loaded fries and vegan dishes.
Visitors to St. James’ STACK will also be able to enjoy freshly made pizzas from ZZA Pizzeria and crispy duck loaded fries or hand held wraps from Holy Duck, which has proved extremely successful at both STACK Seaburn and the recently opened STACK Lincoln.
St. James’ STACK will be serving up coffees and other hot drinks, toasties and breakfast butties from Yolo Coffee & Kitchen, with the aim of providing something for everyone on matchdays and throughout the week.
Neill Winch, CEO of STACK, believes the food offering will have something for everyone: “We have been inundated with applications from interested traders who wished to take a unit and therefore only a select few were shortlisted to take part. We pride ourselves on being loyal to existing and past traders so it’s great to see a number of them coming back to STACK.
“However, we are always looking for good quality street food offerings that will delight our customers and offer a really eclectic and exciting mix of food and that is certainly the case with these new STACK traders who are well-known on the restaurant scene.
“The food offering when coupled with the bars and the live entertainment programme STACK is renowned for will make St. James’ STACK an amazing place to visit at any time of the week.”
Darren Eales, CEO of Newcastle United, added: "We are thrilled to hear that STACK's reputation and expertise has attracted such a vibrant mix of traders that will collectively create a truly unique social hub here in the city.
“It is exciting to see the vision continue to come to life as we progress through each phase of development, with an incredible lineup of food venders unveiled this week. As many have roots across the North East, it is a real bonus that we can provide an opportunity for those businesses to expand and grow their operations locally.
“We are privileged to work alongside STACK in the development of a venue that will suit varying tastes of food and entertainment.”
