The Old George, Newcastle Upon Tyne

A hidden gem right in the centre of Newcastle. Described at length by PSM below, so I don't need to. :-)) Only the left hand side bar was open on our Sunday afternoon visit although the whole pub was available for seating, food etc. I didn't ask if I could have a beer from the other bar as there was a good selection available anyway where we were. It would be a bit strange from a beer quality point of view if several of the beers couldn't be served on some days though. My pint was in very good condition anyway as was MS CAMRA's, so no problem there then. It's a very good pub and one we'll be visiting regularly.

Situated down an easily missed alleyway, this is a pub you're unlikely to stumble across, but it's certainly worth seeking out as the premises dates back to the 1580's making it one of the city's oldest public houses. The building fronts a very compact courtyard which has a few sturdy benches dotted around and a few upturned barrels all underneath rows of fairy lights. The pub has a very wide but shallow layout, reminiscent of some of the alley pubs in Leeds city centre. Entering through the left hand entrance, you find yourself in a small bar with the servery along the front wall. The room has new floorboards, a dark wood bar counter with mirrored bar back and an enormous inglenook fireplace on the rear wall with a stove inside. Banquette, pouffe and high stool seating fills most of the room, whilst to the far left there is a compact lounge-style space with bird wallpaper and an elaborate etched pub mirror. Boar and deer heads have been mounted above the fireplace and look like they've seen better days. Moving to the right, you pass through a small anteroom before reaching the main bar area. This is essentially a larger version of the left hand bar, with a bigger servery supporting more handpulls and some limited seating options. The room extends much further to the right, but there was a band setting up here, so I was unable to properly explore whilst they lugged their equipment through, but it appeared to comprise a further series of seating areas with somewhat more modern furniture. The pub is operated by Stonegate and their menu offered main meals for around the £8.00 mark - slightly more for burgers, pies or grills. The beers are split between the two bars, so I was glad I checked them both before ordering. The full range of options were Mordue Workie Ticket, Draught Bass, Anarchy Blonde Star and Citrastar, Cullercoats Jack the Devil, Sonnet 43 Aurora and Firebrick Stella Spark (£2.90). I had a pint of the latter which was in good shape but served to me by a miserable barmaid who whinged and whined to other members of staff throughout our stay and looked like I'd deprived her of her sole source of enjoyment when I returned my glass to the bar. I quite liked this historic pub and thought it had avoided falling into the usual Stonegate corporate makeover trap. The beer was fine and good value but the service let things down somewhat and the place seemed to lack the atmosphere of the city's top pubs. It's certainly worth a look but for me it just falls short of being a 'must-visit'.

Thanks to an A board placed on Cloth Market at the entrance of Old George Yard I was alerted to the presence of the Old George public house. The A board also made me aware that this pub started life as old coaching inn back in 1582. The entrance to the lower bar is found midway along the yard opposite a few picnic tables. In here a small bar with a standard keg range and three hand pumps faces a large inglenook with burner in the rear wall. Steps up to the right lead to a long thin drinking area with a bar that faces seating along the rear wall. Here another six hand pumps are found amongst a larger selection of keg products. Beyond this bar further to the right are upper and lower seating areas that are reached via flights of stairs. Plasma screens are found throughout and there is projector screen in the upper seating area. This is where I plotted with a pint whilst Newcastle v Man City was airing at an ear splitting volume via Sky Sports. Food and drink deals are available throughout the week and all of the mains were priced under £10. It took a while to be served, but my visit wasn’t long after the pre match rush so I cut the staff some slack. I was surprised to find such a large pub hidden from the main drag and even though the TV sound could have been turned down a couple of notches I enjoyed my visit.

This is an old coaching inn set in a small courtyard just off the busy Bigg Market. The tucked away location means that the pub is rather more civilised than some of the nearby circuit bars. Divided into a number of areas, there are four rooms on the ground floor plus one upstairs. The main area with the bar is the King Charles Room. This has a lowish ceiling with large dark wooden beams, wood panelling and a large fireplace. The side rooms are less impressive but are good for a quiet space to sit and chat. There is a mezzanine level to the far end. Not desperately exciting on the beer front with regulars Draught Bass and Marston's Bitter plus on this occasion Big Lamp Prince Bishop Ale which was a decent drop. There is a loyalty card scheme, buy 8 and get the 9th pint free. TVs were muted, music in the main bar with the side rooms quiet. Some outdoor seating is available in the courtyard which is unusual for this part of town where outdoor drinking is generally not permitted.