The once sleepy suburb of Tighes Hill does it again with the arrival of Bar Solè, an Italian-inspired café and Aperitivo bar on the corner of Maitland Rd and Bryant St.

Brought to us by long-time friends, Amber, originally from Newcastle, and Olmo, originally from Florence, Bar Solè promises to be a step back in time offering a truly unique dining experience.

“I met Olmo through my partner, they are both from Florence, Italy originally which is how they know one another. They worked over Napoli Centrale together and became super close friends. From there, Olmo and I become good friends. I think we’ve all been good friends for going on five years now,” Amber shared.

The pair brought together their expansive hospitality experience to collaborate on their own unique space, with Bar Solè being the perfect combination of both their skills and eclectic tastes.

“Olmo had been wanting to do his own independent thing for quite a while. So, he approached me and said he had this opportunity, but he wanted to do it with me. All the behind-the-scenes work is Olmo, and I’m generally the face! It’s been a great partnership!”

The Italian-esque interiors are filled with touches of British colonial details alongside bohemian and gypsy vibes. Walking through the front doors, you’re welcomed with the quirkily finished front bar sitting opposite bar seating before walking through to the immaculately decorated antique-styled booth and lounge seating space.  

“It’s very warm and inviting in here. We had a vision for a bit of an old-world feel to it. Originally, we were hoping for it to be a bit heavier than what it is currently because we were thinking of a bar. But then, because it’s also going to be a café, which will be our primary offering, it needed to be inviting enough during the day.

“We didn’t want people feeling like they were walking into the Moulin Rouge every time they picked up their takeaway coffee. We found some middle ground I think!”

Being quite the family affair, with Amber calling on her dad to work on the fit-out and pulling on Olmo and his Italian friends to bring in those authentic Italian bar vibes, Bar Solè is a true labour of love.   

“My dad did the fit-out for us, and he’s a massive antique-lover. A few people that know him as well say my goodness it looks exactly like your dad’s house! I had to leave him to do a lot of the work because I was still working, so he did have to make some executive decisions when it came to the design, so there definitely is a bit of my dad in it too.”

Officially opening on the 25^th of January, the newest addition to the Tighes Hill hospitality scene is brimming with delicious food, coffee, and vibes inviting you in for a visit.

Currently, the team are still awaiting their liquor license so for the time being you can expect to get your hands on some divinely crafted Italian sandwiches alongside coffee with beans by Josie Coffee, and home-baked goods by Amber’s mum herself.

With all the crew being big fans of the European lifestyle, Bar Solè now offers the French-inspired breakfast combo which features a morning coffee, orange juice, and pastry!

“In France, my favourite thing is waking up and going to any café and I’d get a little coffee, a little orange juice, and any pastry or baguette they had available. That was the best part of my day! So, we’ll be offering too. It will be the Bar Solè breakfast combo.”

Hoping to launch their Aperitivo bar side of things in the coming months, it’s something all foodies and lovers of cocktails can look forward to. Working on launching an outdoor space over the coming weeks, we can see ourselves sitting outside underneath fairy lights, sipping on Aperol Spritz’ and grazing on antipasto.

So, if you’re looking for an out-of-this-world experience and are looking for a little overseas getaway without leaving Newcastle, drop into Bar Solè and treat yourself to an Italian feast.