A sushi eatery currently rated as Newcastle’s third best restaurant on TripAdvisor is to open a second branch in North Tyneside.

Sushi Me Rollin’ opened its doors at Newcastle shipping container complex Stack in August 2018, and proved to be one of the development’s biggest success stories.

Now the business is set to open a second restaurant on Station Road in Whitley Bay.

Plans have been approved for the new branch, which is expected to launch as a takeaway in March.

Chef's Selection from Sushi Me Rollin

Chef's Selection from Sushi Me Rollin (Image: NCJ Media)

The Newcastle restaurant was forced to close amid successive Covid-19 lockdowns, but has been operating as a takeaway.

When the hospitality industry starts to reopen, the new Whitley Bay branch will seat eight to 10 people. It will also have a ‘secret garden’ for outdoor dining.

Confirming the news on social media, the business said: “We have a couple of meetings left to go to finalise the last few bits but subject to everything running smoothly (pandemic and all) we should be up and running in a couple of months!

“It’s been an absolute rollercoaster of a ride getting here and we cannot thank every single person that’s been involved with us from the bottom of our hearts.”

Sushi Me Rollin'

Sushi Me Rollin' (Image: Staff)

Sushi Me Rollin was one of the first restaurants to open in Stack, promising big flavours and the freshest ingredients, with the founders bringing in experience from Aveika and Peace and Loaf's kitchens.

The sushi is rolled right in front of you and the restaurant can cater platters to your tastes, as well as offering surprise selections.

The business has been going strong every since, attracting rave reviews and regular customers.

Sushi Me Rollin' is rated five stars by Tripadvisor reviewers and, at the time of writing, ChronicleLive also awarded it five-stars.

Last year Stack received planning permission to stay in Newcastle city centre until 2024.

During the planning committee meeting Neill Winch, CEO of Stack owners Danieli Holdings, said the venue was “so much more than a ‘glorified drinking facility’” and pointed out that Sushi Me Rollin was rated the third best restaurant in Newcastle on Trip Advisor.

Long-term redevelopment plans could see the Stack site and surrounding land redeveloped into a £200 million collection of shops, bars, restaurants, and flats.