Are you a beer lover wanting to explore Newcastle’s craft beer, pubs and breweries? My complete guide to the best pubs in Newcastle will have you sipping a freshly poured pint in no time.
Newcastle is very well-known for its nightlife with a reputation of being a lively party city often being the first thing that many think about when Newcastle comes to mind. It’s fair to say that the people of Newcastle love a good drink but there is so much more to the city than partying – this is a city with a thriving craft beer and brewery scene as well as being home to just good honest, proper, pubs.
Whilst the unappealing Newcastle Brown Ale might be the most famous beer to originate from the North East, with its blue star logo now being synonymous with Newcastle (even making its way permanently onto the back of a good friend’s leg), there are actually many great tasting offerings from high quality, independent, local brewers such as Wylam Brewery (Jakehead IPA is award winning for a reason), Donzoko (the ‘Train Beer’ definitely kept me going on a long journey down to London with Lumo Trains) and Full Circle Co amongst many others. Local beers like this star in many pubs across the city though you can of course find big name brands everywhere – I just try to stay away from the Madris, Carlings and Fosters of this world for obvious reasons.
This guide is for those that appreciate not only a solid pint of beer but are looking for something special; whether it quite meets George Orwell’s criteria or not – easygoing atmosphere, a beer garden with a view, exposed brick walls and wood floors or unspoilt Victorian architecture. Whether you’re heading for a solo pint or catching up with a mate, these are the best pubs in Newcastle to do so – in my opinion of course!
Let’s do this.
A GUIDE TO THE BEST PUBS IN NEWCASTLE
MAP OF THE BEST PUBS IN NEWCASTLE
I’ve created the below map with all of the pubs listed below so that you can pick and choose where to visit based on location and, if you’re in the mood, it’ll help you plan a proper pub crawl.
HOW TO USE THE MAP | Click the icon in the top left to show the list of all locations. Click on the top right corner of the map to open a larger version in a new tab. The star allows you to save directly to your own Google Maps.
THE TOWN WALL
For a good couple of years now, The Town Wall has been the first port of call for a beer whether I’m having a few beers with my best mate, waiting for a train down to London or heading to a gig at the arena. The Town Wall is very conveniently located directly opposite the train station down Pink Lane in a beautiful Georgian building. This was once the home of the famous Thomas Bewick, an artist and wood engraver, well-known for his book ‘A History of British Birds’. The main bar area is situated in the middle of a large square room and offers a great selection of beers including a good range of real ales and craft beer from local breweries. I normally go for a Peroni or Estrella but Wylam Brewery’s offerings here are always popular!
On the weekend, this place can get pretty busy but there are plenty of little side rooms that can be a little quieter than the main bar. During the week, or early doors, you’re more likely to find a whole area to yourself to sit and chat, read a book or just sip your beer in peace!
THE FORTH
Across the little lane from The Town Wall is The Forth with its iconic sage green and buttery cream exterior. This is one pub that I’ve been visiting for years and have never yet managed to squeeze out onto the pint-sized roof terrace – it’s an extremely popular sun trap when the weather’s right! The Forth has some decent beers on, with a few IPA’s and pale ales as well as popular lagers such as Peroni. The food is really decent here too, I’ve had a burger before and, despite being slightly expensive, it was so good!
MOSAIC TAP
One of the best spots for craft beer in Newcastle is Mosaic Tap which, until very recently, was found under the railway arches to the west of the train station. Now they’ve made a beautiful home on Pink Lane and it remains a place where niche beer lovers will thrive; there’s such a wide range of national and international beers on 14 taps and 4 casks. The pub’s design is very different to that when Mosaic Tap was all white tiles and industrial under the arches. Think mid-century furniture and dark woods set against purple walls and pink accents with a really chilled vibe. In a place like this, where perhaps it’s a little harder to find the right beer for you, it helps that the staff are so knowledgeable and helpful.
If you love craft beer, this should be the first place on your list. That’s now three cracking pubs within around 10 steps of each other; what else do you really need?!
THE BODEGA
The Bodega is a new pub to me, having only discovered it when finalising my research for this post, yet it’s been around a while – this is a proper traditional Victorian pub right next to the Tyne Theatre & Opera House. Whilst it doesn’t necessarily look like much from the outside, its reputation as a Newcastle institution made complete sense as soon as I stepped inside; the Victorian glass ceiling is a masterpiece and brings light to the old Victorian design – a long bar and tiled floors. The Bodega was crowned Real Ale Pub of the Year in 2014 and 2015 so expect plenty of real ales and real ciders alongside more modern lagers. Unfortunately, you can’t quite get completely lost in the Victorian era as there are big screens on the walls and a projector in the corner. I guess it’s a good thing if you’re wanting to catch a game and it does therefore mean it attracts more customers – matchdays are absolutely packed as you can imagine!
BRIDGE HOTEL
I first visited the Bridge Hotel with my dad and his mate to watch the football and immediately fell in love; ever since I’ve made sure that it features in every drinking session in Newcastle. The location is fantastic, straight across from Newcastle Castle, next to High Bridge and far enough up to offer great views across the River Tyne from the beer garden.
Much like the Bodega, this is a Victorian pub all over – dark brown wood everywhere, from the ornate bar, the ‘privacy screens’ to the wooden tables with cast iron legs. There’s stained glass windows and funky carpet. It’s a proper pub alright. The beer offerings alright too with a nice selection of real ales plus Camden Hells, Beavertown, John Smiths and Guiness – even Coors if you’re into that…
CROWN POSADA
Now we’re talking. No list of the best pubs in Newcastle could even contemplate not including the legendary Crown Posada. The second oldest pub in Newcastle is essentially like travelling back in time; not much has changed since it was built in 1880 apart from perhaps the addition of new toilets in the early 1950’s. Sir John Fitzgerald have owned the pub since 1901 and have carefully refurbished and restored the pub over the years and thankfully kept it looking its best; leather seats, wood panelling ceilings, stained glass windows – completely unspoilt.
Not only is this narrow pub packed full of character, it also offers an excellent range of real ales from local breweries including Wylam Brewery, Two by Two Brewing and even Brew York from just down the road. To top it all off, as if the experience wasn’t good enough, the soundtrack is provided at 331/3 RPM with an extensive record collection played on a 1940’s record player. It’s even encouraged to bring your own record to play, presumably as long as it’s nothing too outrageous.
THE BRIDGE TAVERN
As we head down towards the Quayside, underneath the Tyne Bridge is the Bridge Tavern; a lovely craft beer pub which seemingly gets bigger the moment you step inside. Whilst there has been an ale house on this site for almost two hundred years, the building itself is nothing to shout home about, a simple redbrick square, rebuilt as the original had to be demolished to allow for the construction of the Tyne Bridge.
There’s an onsite microbrewery (I don’t think it’s currently producing anything) and the selection of beers generally, whether from cask or keg, is excellent. The thing I love most about this pub is that, once you’ve grabbed yourself a pint, you will almost certainly get lost in the expansive building that offers so many different areas to hang out in – my favourite being the rooftop beer garden with the landmark bridge towering over you. The Bridge Tavern is also highly recommended as a place to grab some food alongside your drinks; Sunday Lunch is excellent as is the standard menu; think small plates like crispy chilli chicken and lamb mince flatbreads and main meals like roasted pork tenderloin and flat iron steak.
Whilst some of the pubs I’ve mentioned earlier are proper ‘old man pubs’ if you know what I mean, I think The Bridge Tavern has more of an edge to it – not hipster per se, just a really cool place to hang out.
THE SANDHILL ARMS
Across the years that I’ve been visiting Newcastle, the pubs that have set up shop in this wonderful 17th century Grade II listed building have changed yet what has stayed the same is the fact that this building is always the star of the show. The Sandhill Arms, by Wylam Brewery, continues this legacy with exceptional local beers, pies from Pink Lane Bakery and design that keep things simple.
From the outside, it’s not hard to be amazed with this building which might just be the most unique in all of Newcastle; five wonky floors full of wooden framed windows and, once inside, you’re treated to exposed brick, aged wood ceilings and supports, wooden floors with a warm and homely atmosphere. Given the pub is quite large, it’s not hard to find a peaceful corner to sip away in silence by yourself or have a comfortable chat with a friend where you’re not shouting to be heard.
When we visited, on a Thursday afternoon, it was empty which was actually quite a good thing as my youngest child decided to be extremely noisy when she wasn’t being fed! I can vouch for the pies here, they’re really good – £14.95 gets you a pie, mash (or £1 extra for chips), peas and a sauce. We went for the steak and ale pie with cheesy mash, mushy peas and gravy and the cheese and potato pie with chips, mushy peas and cheesy sauce. All washed down with a pint of the Sandhill Pale. Incredible.
OUSEBURN
This next section is dedicated to Newcastle’s coolest suburb, Ouseburn, and it’s no surprise that four of the best pubs in Newcastle are situated out here.
FREE TRADE INN
First up, is the iconic Free Trade Inn with unrivalled views back along the River Tyne; there’s probably no better place to sit with a pint than in its beer garden with the Tyne Bridge and Quayside in full view. There’s an incredible selection of beers with so many different craft beers available; think blueberry sours, IPAs and more paler, more sessionable (if that’s a word) ales. I promise you can’t go wrong with a beer or two at the Free Trade Inn!
THE TYNE BAR
Almost next door to the Free Trade Inn, the Tyne Bar is right on the canalside offering a perfect spot for some chilled outdoor drinks. The beer’s good, the food even better and the place is dedicated to free live music so there’s always a unique soundtrack to your drinks.
THE CUMBERLAND ARMS
The Cumberland Arms is a historic pub in a little hidden wooded oasis in Ouseburn. The pub dates back to around 1889 with it, potentially even 1860’s, certainly being sold as a pub with the same name in 1897 though unfortunately the building collapsed! In 1932, the Council demolished all the of nearby buildings but left the rebuilt Cumberland Arms as the beautiful detached property we can enjoy today!
One of the best things about this pub is its sheltered beer garden overlooking the Ouseburn Valley though inside its pretty sparse, very traditional with a roaring fire in winter. It’s a really good pub with live music events; just a proper nice place to relax, chat to strangers and have a good pint.
THE SHIP
The Ship, or The Ship Inn, is possibly my favourite pub in Ouseburn. We’ve visited a few times over the years and we’ve always had a really good time – the beer garden is the place to be most days (inside is extremely traditional). One thing that makes this pub so popular too is its completely plant based kitchen. Now, ordinarily, that’s not something that would interest me but we ordered food after a few beers and I actually really enjoyed the vegan shawarma.
MICRO PUBS – THE TOWN MOUSE / MEAN-EYED CAT / THE WOBBLY DUCK
There are three great micro pubs in Newcastle that are all worth a visit for a social drink or two; The Town Mouse (5 time Newcastle CAMRA pub of the year winner), Mean-Eyed Cat (six casks and eight kegs) and The Wobbly Duck (just outside Eldon Square)- all great names too.
BREWERIES – WYLAM BREWERY / DONZOKO / BRINKBURN ST / FULL CIRCLE BREW CO
Newcastle is blessed with so many great independent breweries that it would be a shame not to visit some of their own taprooms rather than just tasting their brews in different pubs across the city. I’m not going to sit here and say that I’ve visited them all, maybe one day, but I have been to a few and can recommend Wylam Brewery and Brinkburn St Brewery as great places to enjoy a pint but I also really love beers from Donzoko and Full Circle Brew Co though I haven’t been to their sites. There are plenty of others too like Two By Two, Anarchy Brew Co and Almasty Brewing Company that are all highly recommended.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
I think it’s generally accepted that the The Old George is the oldest pub in Newcastle, dating back to the 16th century. It even has royal links with it being said that King Charles I spent a lot of time here whilst in an open prison nearby. Nowadays it’s part of the Social Pub & Kitchen brand (Stonegate Group) offering a typical chain experience with bottomless brunch, pub grub and alright beers. If you’re up for drinking somewhere relatively ordinary with an incredible history, then this might be the place for you!
ACROSS THE TYNE: PUBS IN GATESHEAD WORTH A VISIT
Controversial but we’re not going to let Newcastle take all the glory – there are some cracking pubs just across the Tyne. The Central, Microbus and By The River Brew are all proper good pubs and I love venturing across for a beer as you actually get some of the best views across Newcastle from By The River Brew Co (though it’s currently Summer On The Southside whilst the Tyne Bridge renovation works continue).
So, what do you think? Did you expect to find so many cool pubs in Newcastle? Having pulled together this list, it reminds me just how good Newcastle is for a drink whether you’re having a beer or not, whether it’s alcoholic or not – these are top quality pubs that rival those in some of the top cities across the country.
If you have any thoughts, recommendations or just want to chat, feel free to drop me a comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
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