Night outs in Newcastle (Bars & Entertainment)

Member Name: scottish20

Product:	Bars & Entertainment
Date:	25/07/01 (1043 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Variety

Disadvantages: Busy student nights

Tuxedo Princess, Sea, Baja's, are my favourites and that's not to mention Chase, the best bar in the whole world!

I am a student in Durham which isn't exactly renowned for it's nightlife and so the 20minute train ride to Newcastle becomes quite a way of life for the Durham clubber. And there is a very well timed train home at 02.10 - for once GNER have got it sorted!

From the station, usually it's a 20 second dash to Yates and then bar by bar we head down to the Quay side. There are some good pubs/clubs further in town but in my opinion, the Quay Side is better. In this area there is a varied variety of bars - from Kareoki and cheese to very classy cocktail bars and the odd traditional-style pub. Chase is my favourite - a cocktail bar right on the water front, with a huge selection of drinks at very reasonable prices. Only one thing that is slightly concerning, the toilet doors are rather see-through!

On student nights (weekdays), there are always hundreds of fliers so it often can be a tough choice deciding where to finish up. My last night out in Newcastle at the end of term we went to the newly opened Sea - and it was 70s night. This club is rather small but is on two levels with a sort of balcony overlooking the main dance floor. There is also a stage and on this particular night, a group of rather odd looking but very good guys took to the floor and even me and a friend got dragged up to dance with them to "I Will Survive"! Drinks are very cheap, even without the promos. All round a good night out.

Across the river there is Baja's which is basically your standard club. There are a range of music styles on different nights of the week and some nights are for over 21?s only (yes, we were caught out once!) and on other nights there are bikini glad podium dancers!

But by far my favourite club is the Tuxedo Princess, lovingly referred to as "The Boat" because it is w
ell...a boat in the Tyne. It's quite exciting really because you can usually get out onto the decks in true Titanic style. This club is on many levels with lots of different rooms. There's a big dance section with a revolving dance floor - this really shocked me on my first visit as I had no idea that it was actually the floor that was moving and not my head!! There is 70's and Kareoki and rooms can be hired out for private functions.

For my 21st birthday, some mates and me decided to head into town for a bit of a change - all the bars/clubs I have mentioned are on the Quayside. First we went for a bite to eat in Wetherspoons (a very posh one!) where we all had huge yummy meals (2 for £5.50!) and then we headed for Revolution, the vodka bar. I think mine was chocolate vodka! The best thing to do is hand your £1 to your mate (that you trust!) and get them to choose for you - or just buy a rack of different flavours and hope for the best...they do chillis vodka though so be warned....

Next we went to Yel - a Kareoki bar. It was quite quiet when we were there so we only had to wait 20minutes before our turn on the microphone. Cocktail jugs are only a few quid. Next was Flare - a 70's very cheesey bar, but great fun (but it is very confusing trying to find the loo as the walls are al swirly coloured!!). And finally we danced the night away in Legend...music was mostly cheese but the DJ was very good with requests. Shots again were very cheap and only £3 entry. Excellant night out and very good value - I think, it was my birthday so everyong else was paying! But if it is your birthday, it's worth mentioning it - I got free club entry (without having to prove it was my birthday) and we got a free round of aftershock in Legend.

Newcastle has a huge variety of bars, pubs and clubs and can quite happily suit all tastes. Entry to clubs can be as little as £2 (with a student card and a flier) and drinks just £1 dur
ing certain times. Even on a Friday night, when it isn't student night and the locals are out in force, Newcastle nights out are most enjoyable - The atmosphere is usually very friendly although there is usually the odd scuffle. Great night out and I would recommend Newcastle to anyone - it has a lot to offer.

Summary: