Jana Restaurant & Bar

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A pinch of Positano in the Steel City

Jana Restaurant & Bar brings a warmly Italian sensibility to Newcastle's Hunter Street, operating out of QT Newcastle with the ease of a neighbourhood local rather than a hotel dining room. The kitchen's philosophy is straightforward: break bread, twirl housemade pasta, and swirl Hunter Valley wine in a setting that asks nothing of you except to relax.

The restaurant describes its approach as nose to tail and cheek to cheek — down-to-earth Italian dining where simplicity and sustainability guide what comes out of the open kitchen. Scents and flavours move freely from the pass through to the dining room, keeping the atmosphere honest and unfussy.

From morning to late evening

Jana earns its keep across the full day. Breakfast runs seven days a week — walk-ins only — with signature dishes the kitchen describes as worth getting out of bed for. Come midweek, the bar offers a curated lunch menu paired with a house wine or beer, a deliberate nod to the office crowd looking for something better than a desk sandwich. Dinner runs Monday through Saturday, with a selection of set menus — including the Il Convivio and Il Banchetto formats — alongside the main à la carte offering, dessert menu, and a bar menu that keeps things going well into the evening.

A wine list worth noting

The Italian-leaning food finds a natural companion in the wine program, which earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2024 — recognition that reflects genuine depth and curation rather than a token list. The Hunter Valley is well represented, and the restaurant has also hosted winemaker dinner events, including a Torbreck Barossa evening, that speak to a serious engagement with what's in the glass.

The room and the feeling

Jana sits within QT Newcastle but operates with its own identity — a neighbourhood favourite, as the restaurant puts it, gathering old friends and new around shared plates and traded stories. The open kitchen keeps things transparent and convivial, and the invitation is genuine: invite yourself over anytime.