Team behind Michelin-starred Pine to launch live-fire restaurant in Newcastle

The team behind Michelin-starred restaurant Pine are to launch a live-fire cooking restaurant in Newcastle’s Freight Island.

Pyr, named for the meeting point between Pine and fire, will share the Michelin-starred restaurant’s sustainable ethos while celebrating the produce of the north east, including day-boat seafood, prime cuts from heritage farms and vegetables from small-scale growers.

Chef-owner Cal Byerley and head chef Ian Waller have created a menu ranging from snacks and small plates to substantial cuts cooked over fire and fire-influenced desserts.

Cal and Siân Byerley, owners of restaurant Pine which holds both a Michelin star and a Michelin green star, said: “Our new concept, Pyr, will open on August 6.

“Everything we do there will revolve around fire. It’s fast-moving, open, and built around the very best produce the Northeast has to offer. This isn’t a scaled-down version of Pine; it’s something entirely new, and something we’ve wanted to create for a long time.

“Expect fire at the heart of everything, whole animals, day-boat fish, vegetables off the grill, and big cuts cooked over coals. Dishes with real clarity, in a room that feels alive. The team is going to do something really special here, and we can’t wait to open the doors.”

Freight Island, set within the transformed former Debenhams rooftop site, is set to become the UK’s largest hospitality space with a retractable roof.

Pyr will sit alongside 12 independent kitchens, four bars and a year-round programme of music and screenings.

Cal and Siân said: “Freight Island is a serious development, the kind of space Newcastle deserves. When the opportunity came to be part of it from the start, it felt right. PYR belongs in the centre of the city: coal, smoke, char, incredible ingredients, and a room built on energy and atmosphere.”

Through partnerships with Newcastle College and training providers, Freight Island will also create new routes into the industry, giving the next generation of chefs, front-of-house teams, and food businesses a platform.

Pine is one of 37 restaurants across the UK & Ireland that will lose its green star after Michelin unveiled long-speculated plans to retire the accolade.