Newcastle Nightlife - Newcastle Lifestyle Blog

Ever since I started writing my Newcastle Bar reviews I have had an amazing response from local people who go out every weekend, and those who live outside the city, some even the country, on what bars are the best, which they should go to, and which bars in Newcastle would I recommend. But what makes a good bar? If you ask 10 people in Newcastle, you’re likely to get different answers. That’s because Newcastle has a hugely diverse drinking scene; The more popular of recent years has been the Diamond Strip, but there’s also The Gate, The Quayside, The Bigg Market, Grey Street area, The Central Station and more. There’s also different styles of bars too, from pubs to cocktail bars and late night music bars, traditional party bars and modern gastro late night establishments.

This is my take on the top 10 bars in Newcastle, and they all have to meet a certain criteria. First of all the drinks; It’s why we’re there in the first place. Do they have a good range, and do they do them well? Then there’s the price, is it worth the money? The style of the venue is next, and of course customer service and staff is paramount, nobody wants to go out for a good time and be met with horrible staff. So here they are, the best bars in Newcastle, in no particular order.

Top 10 Bars In Newcastle

Alvino

Why? – Alvino is a cool, chilled out place in Newcastle, on Pilgrim Street which is not overrun by people, and although it can get really busy at peak times, you’re unlikely to have to queue. They play a mix of cool background style music, there’s a good selection of drinks including cocktails and beers. I really like the layout of the place, over 2 floors there’s plenty of seating, then there’s the terrace. This is super cool and a great place to go and chill on a Summer night.

Location – 88 Pilgrim St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6SG | Twitter | Website

Revolution

Why? Revolution sell alcohol, and when I mean alcohol, I mean they don’t skimp on it. Their specialities are cocktails, pitchers of cocktails and racks of shots, and when you buy one, you get exactly what you want. If you’ve ever had a cocktail in here you’ll know it, because you can taste the alcohol, unlike some places in the town which you have to wonder where the alcohol actually is. They do sharing pitchers, you can get a rack of vodka shots which they do a huge range including plenty you’ll not find anywhere else. The building, a former bank, is amazing, there’s simply nothing like it in Newcastle. The music is good, and there’s a nice mix of people too.

Location – Collingwood St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1JF | Twitter | Website

Jalou

Why? Jalou specialise in cocktails, but they are cocktails with a difference, and they’re so good too. They do the Cookie Monster and Poppin Candy, both really nice and you’ll not find these anywhere else in Newcastle. The music is good, there’s a bit of a dance floor if you like to dance, booths and seating areas inside, a seating area outside, and there’s also a nice selection of the usual alcohol you’d expect to see in any bar. Free entry, it’s a late bar open until 2AM at the weekends, with last entry at 1AM.

Location – Neville St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5DH | Twitter | Website

Tokyo

Why? Tokyo is another cool cocktail bar in the town, with quite a small bar on the ground floor which is usually good to just chill, with a bit of random house music usually being played by the DJ. Upstairs is where the place really opens out, literally. The small bar area is met with quite a grand terrace, perfect in the summer, and also not bad in the Winter with the heaters on too. They seem to be selling a bigger range of the usual bar drinks you’d expect to find in a bar along with their cocktails. It can take a little bit of time to get served here on occasions, which is a slight let down.

Location – 17 Westgate Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1SE | Twitter | Website

Bonbar

Why? Bonbar is a newer bar, located in the Old Assembly Rooms. It’s geared up towards more of a late night crowd, with good music and plenty of drinks. When you go in you’re greeted with the bar right down the middle of the room, with plenty of seating and cool booths all around. It looks and feels quite grand, with an outdoor area to relax and chill, and a VIP room called the 467 Club if you want to spend a fortune in peace. You won’t want to, the main room is cool and you can spend a few hours here with friends, and it’s open until 4AM.

Location – The Assembly Rooms, Fenkle St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5XU | Twitter | Website

The Quayside Bar

Why? As the name suggests, The Quayside Bar is right on the Quay which is a really nice location in Newcastle. There’s a huge courtyard at the front with seating, great for the summer and there’s plenty of tables and seating around the back with views overlooking the River Tyne. Inside there’s a couple of small nooks to chill out with your friends in, so you’re covered in terms of space. It’s a Wetherspoons pub, so it’s not expensive, and a great bar to start in down the Quayside.

Location – 35-37 The Close. Quayside | Twitter | Website

Tiger Tiger

Why? When Tiger Tiger is fully open, it’s huge. There’s the whole downstairs which is big in itself, with brand new VIP style seating. You’ll find 7 different rooms over three floors, the place has everything you could want and more; With an 80’s themed room complete with disco ball, VIP karaoke, pop, and beyond the curtain is what we used to call the club, now called the white room. If you want a taste of every kind of club under one roof, this is the place. You can be here for hours and you won’t get bored.

Location – The Gate, Newgate St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5RE | Twitter | Website

Union Rooms

Why? The Union Rooms is a Wetherspoons pub, which means it’s cheap, but it’s far from nasty. In fact it’s nice, it’s usually always busy, and they do a large selection of drinks. It’s close to the Central Station and close to so many bars, which makes it a perfect meeting bar.

Location – 48 Westgate Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE1 1TT

The Town Wall

Why? The Town Wall, aka The Toon Waal is a bar for friends. It’s like your traditional local pub, but it’s a large city centre bar, with large seating areas and a smaller snug style room. There’s an extensive list of beers including their own Toon Waal Ale, as well as all the drinks you’d expect to find in a pub.

Location – Pink Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5HX | Twitter | Website

Tiger Hornsby

Why? Tiger Hornsby has a bit of history to it; I remember when this was Julies 2, Newcastle Quayside was the cool place to drink, and this establishment was the place to go. I never actually went when the bar was Julies 2, since I was only 17 😉 It became Blue and I loved the place, we went all the time, probably not enough, and then it closed. It is now back, with a cool, more chilled out vibe, while keeping that Saturday night feeling.

Location – 8-10 Close, Quayside. NE1 3RE| Twitter | Website

BONUS BAR! For The Beer And Real Ale Enthusiasts

Bacchus

Why? The Bacchus is a favourite among beer drinkers and has been voted the best bar in Newcastle on numerous occasions, primarily because of the sheer number of beers they have available, from all over the world including the best name for a beer, Hadouken! (Yes, it lends it’s name from Street Fighter). If beer isn’t your thing they do a large selection of spirits, so there’s plenty on offer for everyone. It’s another bar to go to with your friends, sit down with some good alcohol and chill in a grown up setting.

Location – 42-48 High Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1EW

That concludes the Top 10 bars in Newcastle. I have included the best of all worlds; From the best cocktail bars Newcastle has to offer, to the establishments which take beer to a new level. There’s places to party and let your hair down, and neighbourhood style bars in the middle of the city to relax in with your friends. Remember if you’re looking for a bar crawl, you can try my Newcastle Diamond Strip Bar Crawl, which will definitely give you a great night out 🙂 If you’re a guy, remember to check out my what to wear on a night out guide, which will give you some tips on how to dress when out in Newcastle. Newcastle has well over 100 bars just in the city centre, so condensing them down to a top 10 is obviously no easy task, and there’s plenty of other brilliant establishments which aren’t featured here.

We went out in Newcastle on Saturday night, and it was good. The rugby World Cup is on, and even though I don’t like rugby there’s a good atmosphere in Newcastle when there’s a game on. Newcastle is hosting a few games in the rugby World Cup, the first was on Saturday afternoon with South Africa and Scotland, not only that, England were playing in the evening too. So I decided to pick a bar to meet which I knew didn’t have a TV, so we went to Browns. Then discovered that they do have a TV, but the place was not too busy It was a good atmosphere in the town, with plenty of South African fans, probably more than Scottish actually, but there were a few in kilts.

We have a fan park near St. James’ Park, but I noticed signs up that said ‘at capacity’ so I imagine there were a lot of people there. We have big screen at the Monument to watch the games too, it was quite busy, the security were not letting people access Grey Street so I had to walk around.

We went to a few places, a mix from Fitzgeralds, Grey Street No.1, Alvino, The Monkey Bar, The Old George and then tried Filthy McNasty’s for the first time. It’s a late style bar which has been open a few months and took over the space which was previously Blu Bambu. It’s a fairly decent bar which has 2 guys playing guitars singing random pop rock songs live which is something different from the pop/house music which gets played at most late bars. If you’ve ever been to Blu Bambu when it was open you’ll know that all the action was downstairs, they don’t have that open and there’s only the upstairs, but maybe they will in the future.

A good night out all in all 🙂

Hey!

So last night we went out and had some drinks and played pool. It was fun, more fun because I won and played well We went down the Quayside and went to a couple of bars including the Red House which seems to think it’s OK to charge £4 for a bottle of Budweizer! Probably the most I’ve ever paid for a bottle, pretty disgraceful. We went to the new Popolo which is down the Quayside now, taking over the building which used to be Jimmyz. It’s a similar bar to what it was in terms of drinks and cocktails, but it’s got more of a “Saturday night” vibe rather than the Friday night style the old bar used to have if you know what I mean; More space, dancing & more poppy music, the music was quite varied but was good 🙂

Then on to Brewdog. It’s a cool space, chilled out, friendly and is actually a nice spot, I am being won over. I only had a Diet Coke…Or at least that’s what I asked for and got Fritz-Kola Zucker Free 😀 It was quite nice actually.

I wore my new suede jacket, I will be featuring that in a blog post on it’s own soon, I love this jacket 😉 That along with my He By Mango cardigan, Armani Jeans and Hawes & Curtis Shirt.

One of the most well known and prominent drinking places in Newcastle in recent times is something known as the Diamond Strip. But what exactly is it? Well it’s basically the name which has been given to the bars in and around Collingwood Street in Newcastle. These bars are typically portray a better quality, more expensive style of bar, and are now targeted more on the student and under 30 crowd, but were previously more focussed on the 25-35 year olds. Most of these are late bars, open until at least 2AM on a weekend, with some opening until 3AM.

The Diamond Strip: Brief History

The Diamond Strip has been the place to drink for around 8 years, since around 2006. It all started a couple of years before that, where a bar which was then named The Apartment opened it’s doors as one of the first VIP style bars. It promised sophistication for the older crowd, a smart dress code and even waitresses which brought round your expensive drinks. It offered VIP membership too, along with a velvet rope and red carpet. This exclusive style of place was popular at first, but the VIP non-accessible ethos drove many people away.

The owners then changed the bar, and in fact the whole space, and you could find 3 different establishments which occupied the old Apartment bar and next door buildings; These are Madame Koo, Floritas and Baby Lynch. Baby Lynch then was re-branded and extended which is now called House Of Smith. Around the same time Perdu which is located further along Collingwood Street started getting popular after opening in late 2005. These bars can probably take the credit for starting the Diamond Strip era.

In late 2007 Tup Tup Palace opened which is off Collingwood Street, and marketed itself as “The only nightclub on the Diamond Strip”, it took the space which was previously occupied by Bar M. Bijoux joined the fray in April 2008 which was formerly The Navy Bar and @Home to name a few. This has spawned similar types of bar in and around the Diamond Strip and beyond, such as Jalou, Livello and Label.

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Bonbar is a fairly new drinking establishment and restaurant in Newcastle, and has taken over The Old Assembly Rooms. It’s located on Fenkle Street, just off Westgate Road, up from The Milecastle. It’s a classic style of place, offering the best in cocktails, wine and champagne, as well as the traditional drinks you’d expect to see at a bar.

I do love the layout and the décor and building is really nice. The bar is in the middle as you walk in, with plenty of room to get served which I think is important. Down each side there are booths if you fancy chilling in one of those, or get on the dance floor at the top of the room. Everything is open and easy to get to, it’s a large space without feeling too big. There’s an exclusive VIP room called the 467 Club, and an outside terrace for the warmer months or if you need some air.

The £8-£10 entrance fee on a Saturday night is just above average for an upmarket type of place such as this, and it’s open from 11pm until 4am which is pretty good.

Dress Code

The dress code is smart casual.

Club Nights – Beau Monde on Thursday nights, open till 3AM; Makeway Fridays and Be Somebody Saturdays At Bonbar

Essential Info

Opening Hours: 7 Nights A Week, ‘Till 4AM (Weekends)
Weekend Entry Cost: £8 – £10
Music: House, Chart, Hip Hop, RnB
Recommended Age: 21-35
Guestlist/VIP: YES
Bottle Service:YES
Stag & Hens: Dress Smart

Address / Directions

Bonbar, The Assembly Rooms, Fenkle St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5XU
Closest Metro Station: Central Station
Other Nearby Bars: The Milecastle, Union Rooms, Revolution
Official Website:

Hey!

So last night we went out in Newcastle, nothing planned and I did not expect to go out, but did, and it was a really good night 😉 We went out late, but went to places like Jalou, Mimo, Union Rooms and a new-ish place called Metropolis, which is above Mimo…I actually heard of it a few months ago, but never really noticed it. It’s a pretty cool place, nice space but since it’s so new and a bit out the way it was not too full, but it’s big enough to be great, I think they need a better selection of drinks though, I was on Amstel beer, it could be the first time I ever had an Amstel! 😛

Yesterday it was freezing! August? Where did that go!?!? I wore an Armani black T-shirt with my All Saints Denim Jacket and some PRPS jeans.

Going to Jalou means one thing…I get to have my favourite cocktail… A Cookie Monster 😀 If you read my blog regularly you’ll know what they look like already, but here you go 😀

I remember being a 17 year old on a student night out, and trying to go to Julies 2 nightclub; When the bouncer asked for ID which I clearly did not have, he told me it was a 21+ and we went on to another place, probably Sea across the road. We went down the quayside a lot, back in 2002 it was the cool place to drink. Not that I’d have first hand experience of, but Julies nightclub was quite the place to be, as was most of the quayside, frequented by footballers like Keith Gillespie. Years later it became know as Blue, and since I was a lot older (around 21-22) I used to go. I loved the place, the layout was good, cool people, lots of drinks, friendly, great music and an all round good time. There were many great nights spent here, but then the place closed. It became Stein Beer Keller, which was a completely different kind of bar, I went once, it was not terrible but I only went the once so not great either.

Now it’s coming back, with a new name which in inspired by an old regular of the infamous Julies. Tiger Hornsby will be opening this month, with the promise of bringing back the good times with cocktails, new décor and first class service.

The quayside is having somewhat of a rejuvenation, with a brand new hotel replacing Chase, The Hop and Cleaver opening, the new Popolo is coming soon and now Tiger Hornsby.

Indigo…Indi-gone. Indigo Bar in The Gate is the latest in the long line of bars to close in Newcastle, as they’re told to make way for a more “Family Friendly” place. Owners of The Gate complex (Crown Estates) have called time on the bar, citing it is to “Rebalance the occupier mix to cater for a wider cross section of consumers, including families“. The popular and much missed Mood Bar and nightclub closed down quite a while back, and turned into a restaurant. The Gate still houses bars such as Keel Row, Opera, Beyond, and Players, with the latter not being very family friendly. It leaves you wondering if Indigo will be the first of many of the bars to go.

We used to go to The Gate a fair bit, especially in the early days. It was pretty fun, but we always referred to it as the shopping centre, because it does have that sort of feel. In fact, whenever we were planning on going, the line was always, “Are we going shopping?!”

The owners want a more “Family friendly” place, However I am not so sure what kind of families are out at 11pm and later; Not to mention that other bars such as Tiger Tiger, Sinners and Sam Jacks are within spitting distance.

Indigo was always the loudest bar in The Gate when it opened, you did not have to go in or in fact near the door to hear the music blasting out the doors, but was a decent place in the gate if you happened to be in that area.

What’s the best bar in Newcastle? Check out the Best Bars In Newcastle

Lovers of cocktails should clear their schedule for next week, as Newcastle Cocktail week returns to the cities hottest establishments. Lovers of cocktails will be able to experience cocktail master classes, as well as getting a taste of some of the best cocktails and non-alcoholic mocktails at unbelievable prices, starting at only £3. This year over 50 venues across the city are taking part, and I have the best deals for you below.

Alvinos Bar – £5 on all Cocktails

Alvinos are offering any cocktail from their menu for only £5.

Barluga – 3-5-7

Barluga are offering a selection of cocktails for £3, £5 and £7.

£3 cocktails include: Gin & Basil Smash, Caipirinha and Raspberry Caipiroska
£5 cocktails include: Tom Collins, Planters Punch and Kiwi mojito
£7 cocktails include: Poinsettia, The Classic and Watermelon Bellini

Bar Beyond – £3 Cocktails

Bar Beyond are offering Dib Dab or Skittles cocktail for only £3 each!

Bonbar 3-5-7

Bonbar are offering a selection of cocktails for £3, £5 and £7 each.

£3 cocktails include: Bonbar Gin & Tonic, Sugar Snap Daisy, Amaretto Sours, Raspberry Collins
£5 cocktails include: Disco Pisco, Amelia, Barrel Aged Negroni, Why Aye-land Ice Tea, Honey Margarita, Cosmopolitan
£7 cocktails include: Locomotive, Big Fat Sazerac

Browns Bar – £5 cocktails

Browns have a selection of cocktails available for £5 including Frog on the Tyne, Grey Street Collins, Ladies Day and Great North Rum

The Cocktail Project @ Fat Buddha

The Cocktail Project have their special Rum Three Way promotion with three cocktails priced at £3, £5 and £7 which include:

£3 – Lychee or Strawberry Frozen Daiquiri
£5 – The New Fashioned
£7 – Give me S”more

Floritas 3-5-7 Cocktail Week

Floritas  House Of Smith & Madame Koo are doing a range of cocktails starting at £3 each.

£3 cocktails include: Morello Cherry Sour, Double Cush Wor Kid and Whay aye!
£5 cocktails include: Mango and Lychee Collins and Seven Seas Mai Tai
£7 cocktails include: Zombie Nation, Gorgeous Geisha

Harry’s Bar – £5 cocktails

Harry’s Bar have a few cocktails for a fiver, including Lemon Merangue Pie, Raspberry and Apple Collins and Rock n Rolla.

Jalou – Cocktails for £5

Jalou have a range of cocktails for £5 including Raspberry Collins, Salted Caramel Colada, Tropical Caipirinha, Toothpaste Mojito, and Rhubarb & Custard.

Mimo – £3 cocktails

Mimo are offering any cocktail for £3 between 4pm – 8pm

Nectar – 20 cocktails for £5

Nectar have a selection of 20 cocktails for £5, ranging from classics to their own creations, which include:

Cherry Drop Amaretto, Cosmopolitan, Tom Collins, Black Forest Martini, Long Island Iced Tea, Gummi Berry Juice, and Black Russian.

Opera – £3 cocktails

Go to Opera in The Gate and you can get either a Stag Old Fashioned or Strawberry Cosmopolitan for only £3 each!

Revolution

Revolution cocktails are £5 and mocktails are £3 (excludes after 7pm on Saturday).

Mushroom – £3, £5, and £7 cocktail offers

A wide selection of cocktails for all price ranges are available at Mushroom, including:

£3 cocktails: Pink Lemonade, Tequila Sunrise, Cherry Bakewell
£5 cocktails: Singapore Sling, Long Island Iced Tea, Mojito
£7 cocktails: Derby Daiquiri, Mojitarita, Blackberry Caipirinha

The Town Wall

The Town Wall are doing £5 all day and all night, including the following cocktails:

French Martini, Bloody Mary, Margarita, Daiquiri

Tiger Tiger

Tiger Tiger have a selection of £3 cocktails , and £5 Mojitos on offer, which include:

£3 cocktails: Cosmopolitan, Woo Woo, Long Island Iced Tea, Miami Beach Breeze, Margarita, Jack Your Body, Mai Blue Tai, Pom Pom, Caipirinha and Club Colada
£5 Mojitos: Classic, The Royale, Pineapple, Strawberry, Raspberry and Watermelon.

Tokyo

Tokyo Cocktail Week offer includes cocktails for £3, £5 and £7.

£3 cocktails: Banana Heaven, Mojito, Grapefruit Twist, Lemon Sherbet, Fruit Fusion
£5 cocktails: Singapore Sling, Bramble, Margarita, Peter Piper, Rum Punch
£7 cocktails: Martini, Manhattan, Mint Julep, Carnival Caipirinha, Hemmingway Daiquiri

Terms and conditions apply to all offers, which may include time restrictions.

Music, Cocktails and great deals, Label offers a great selection of drinks on Newgate Street in Newcastle.

The Venue

Formerly Babylon and Boom which were 90s bars and firm favourites of it’s crowd, it’s now gone upscale and goes by the name Label. With the new name came new décor and style, A swanky looking refurbishment came and the 90s music has been replaced with more current chart vibes. The layout of the bar has not changed, with a main room and separate room to the left of the place which can be used as a private area, plenty of tables and seating, and the dance floor to the back of the bar.

The Drinks

Label offers a large selection of drinks, bottles, alcopops and cocktails. There are usually plenty offers going on weekends, with 2 for 1 on cocktails every night. The 2-4-1 offer is however expensive, with the cocktails being £7.95, around £2 more than most places. One of the most original things in Newcastle have came from Label which are the teapot cocktails. Yes, cocktails in served in teapots.

The Crowd & Music

The crowd is usually a fun loving crowd of the younger generation, age 18-25 in the main however there is a mix of people of all ages. The music is a great mix of pop classics, house and modern RnB. An all round friendly bar, if you’re with a group of friends it’s a good place to have some fun.

Essential Info

Opening Hours: 7 Nights A Week, ‘Till 2AM (Weekends)
Weekend Entry Cost: £FREE!
Music: House, Chart, Hip Hop, RnB
Recommended Age: 18-25
Guestlist/VIP: YES
Bottle Service:YES
Stag & Hens: YES

Address / Directions

Label, 14-16 Newgate Street, Newcastle, NE1
Closest Metro Station: Central Station
Other Nearby Bars: Sinners, Tiger Tiger, Mushroom
Official Website: Label Newcastle