'The kind of space Newcastle deserves' - Restaurant Pine team to launch Pyr

The team behind Michelin-starred Restaurant Pine are launching a new live-fire restaurant at Freight Island Newcastle.

Pyr, led by chef owner Cal Byerley and head chef Ian Waller, will open on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at the city’s new 60,000 sq ft rooftop hospitality destination.

The concept has been created by Cal and Siân Byerley, the team behind Restaurant Pine in Northumberland, which holds a Michelin star and was recognised with a Michelin green star for its approach to sustainability, foraging and local sourcing.

The launch also comes in a major year for Cal, who won the main course on Great British Menu 2026 and cooked at the banquet, further raising the profile of one of the North East’s most distinctive chefs.

• Read more: Who is chef Cal Byerley?

A live-fire restaurant from the Restaurant Pine team

Named for the meeting point between Pine and fire, Pyr will bring Cal and Ian’s sourcing-led approach into a faster, more open city-centre setting.

Built around a custom live-fire kitchen, the menu will focus on smoke, char and flame, with seasonal British cooking shaped by produce from the North East.

The restaurant will use day-boat seafood from the local coast, prime cuts from regional heritage farms and seasonal vegetables sourced from long-term small-scale growers.

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Unlike Pine, which is known for its intimate tasting menu format, Pyr has been designed as a more flexible and communal restaurant, with snacks from £5, small plates from £10, larger cuts cooked over fire from £30 and fire-influenced desserts from £8.

Cal and Siân said: “Our new concept, Pyr, will open on August 6, alongside the rest of the Freight Island space opening in June. Rooted in the same DNA as Pine but with a completely different energy, Pyr's stoves will be overseen by Cal and Pine's head chef, Ian Waller.

“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.”

‘Coal, smoke, char and incredible ingredients’

For Cal and Siân, the move into Newcastle represents a chance to take the values behind Pine and reinterpret them for a larger, more energetic hospitality setting.

They added: “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.

“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 Newcastle

PYR will be one of the headline food offers at Freight Island Newcastle, which is set within the transformed former Debenhams rooftop site in the city centre.

The wider venue will include 12 independent kitchens, four bars and a year-round programme of music and screenings. It is being billed as the UK’s largest hospitality space with a retractable roof.

Alongside Pyr, Freight Island Newcastle will aim to create a broader food ecosystem for the city, combining established restaurant talent, independent traders, local producers and emerging operators.

The development will also work with Newcastle College and training providers to create new routes into the hospitality industry for chefs, front-of-house teams and food businesses.

For the North East, the arrival of PYR adds another high-profile chef-led opening to a region already gaining wider recognition for ambitious, produce-led restaurants.

Reservations for Pyr are now open through the Freight Island Newcastle website.