Date Night at The Gate Newcastle

This is a sponsored collaboration with The Gate

I am the first to admit that if Simon and I are planning a date night in Newcastle, The Gate is probably the last place that we'd think to visit. I can probably count the amount of times I've been to Newcastle's most famous entertainment complex on one hand, I've just always considered it "not very us". Despite having barely ever been in I've always thought of it as somewhere that's full of teenagers and perhaps not the best place in the Toon to enjoy a date night as a 30 something year old couple.

So when The Gate got in touch and asked us if we wanted to plan a date night I was a little nervous, a bit intrigued and very keen to share our experience with you guys so we could all decide if Date Night at The Gate can really be a thing?

Dining at The Gate

We are big foodies and love dining out in Newcastle's many varied restaurants so it's not too often you'll find us in a chain, another reason that we've perhaps never really visited The Gate on an evening out. One thing I had forgotten though is that The Gate is home to Nando's and if there's one restaurant we absolutely love (no shame or food snobbery here) it's Nando's. We are so addicted we actually went through a phase of going multiple times a week and had to put ourselves on a Nando's ban.

If you're a regular to Nando's you'll probably have your very own order, those of us who go more times than we like to admit know the menu without ever having to open it and have managed to find the perfect combination of dishes and sides to make the perfect chicken feast. For me it's all about the Mushroom and Halloumi Wrap with some Pineapple thrown in, a portion of Perinaise and half and half with the spicy rice and peri peri chips! Lush!

Another reason why we go a little bit crazy for Nando's is that there are some slightly healthier options on the menu that allow you to really enjoy an evening out without having to compromise. I really don't enjoy eating out when I'm trying to be "good" and Nando's is one of the few restaurants where I enjoy making healthier decisions because everything is so delicious.

Perhaps date night dining shouldn't be about being sensible but for our visit to The Gate Simon and I decided to put our sensible heads and not go too crazy. Sunset Burger with Spicy Rice for me and a Double Chicken Wrap and Supergrain for him. I still can't believe we managed to resist the halloumi sticks and garlic bread!

I don't know how I'd never realised that there's a Nando's is in the Gate but now it's on my radar we have the perfect spot to dine if we are wanting to enjoy a date night at The Gate.

Superscreen at Cineworld

Simon and I are THE biggest movie fans. We go to the cinema every week without fail, we always check the new releases as soon as they come out, we've seen every film trailer and it's probably our biggest shared passion.

Most of our date nights take place at the movies, we just love the excitement of watching something on the big screen and wow do we love a good debate about the film on the way home. We get so annoyed when people chatter through movies, love sharing a bag of sweets and somehow Simon always knows when I'm getting emotional in a film and will grab for my hand just as the first tear has rolled down my face.

If you hadn't already guessed we take our movie going very seriously so seeing The Avengers Endgame on the Superscreen at Cineworld in the Gate was something new for us and, in all honesty, it was going to take a lot to impress us. We are the harshest critics when it comes to our cinema experience.

For those who haven't heard of Superscreen before, it's a wall to wall, ceiling high mega screen with laser 4k projection and Dolby Atmos sound, promising a more vivid, clearer screen and the chance to really appreciate the beauty of the big screen as you've never seen it before.

If I'm being brutally honest I feel that cinemas have been trying for years to enhance the experience and we've always felt that it's fell a little short, so I am very excited to tell you that we LOVED Superscreen. It didn't feel like a gimmick and the size of the screen really did make our movie so much better. Having already seen The Avengers on a standard sized screen the difference in the quality was outstanding - we felt like we were in the movie and the fantastic sound and picture quality made us notice things we'd missed first time round. We will definitely be back!

We were very impressed by the brand new Cineworld at The Gate, it's a huge improvement on what was there before and really is something that Newcastle can feel proud of - if you've not been yet I'd highly recommend you go and take a look.

Extending Date Night at The Gate

After a three hour very emotional journey through Avengers Endgame (don't worry, no spoilers here!) we were more than ready for bed by the time our film finished so date night was over for us. However if you did want to extend your date night at The Gate there are plenty of other things to enjoy.

The Gate is also home to Escape Newcastle which has two exclusive Predator themed escape rooms, Opera Piano Bar & Lounge for a cheeky tipple or two and, if you're after a slightly quieter end to your evening you'll now find Starbucks (which is open until 10:00 pm each night!) and some ping pong tables and oversized games dotted around The Gate to enjoy

The CTRL Pad will earn you some serious date points if your other half is a gamer! Newcastle's very own Video Game Lounge its packed with retro and modern games to enjoy on consoles including Snes, Sega Dreamcast and PS1.

What you need to know:

• The Gate is open from 9:00 am Monday to Saturday (from 10:00 am on Sundays) and is open until late. 

• The Gate is well served by public transport but if you are bringing your car they have their own underground carpark.  If you dine at a participating restaurant at The Gate the same day you visit Cineworld you qualify for free parking 

• There are plenty of special offers available at The Gate - check out the website for more details.

Find The Gate

Newgate Street
NE1 4XQ

thegatenewcastle.co.uk/

We were provided with complimentary food and cinema experience as well as a sponsored collaboration in exchange for this review.