The Stand, Newcastle Central, Newcastle Upon Tyne

The Stand is a bistro with rear terrace at street level that sits above a comedy club below. Whilst using the toilet, that is also located downstairs, I noted that there is an event in the comedy club almost every day of the week. The ‘bistro’ was empty during my recent Monday evening visit. I found it quite telling that when the entertainment had finished downstairs only two people out of the 50 strong crowd stayed for a beer at the bar, and they were a couple. There were also no visitors from St James Park after the football had finished, unlike the pubs of the area. Whether this was a good thing or not I am unsure. Premium keg products including Blue Moon and Belhaven Best were available from the bar that supports two hand pumps. These were drawing Allendale Brewery’s Black Grouse and Hadrian Border Brewery’s Platinum. The kitchen must have been closed during our visit because I did not see a menu. I found the staff to be friendly, but I do not plan to revisit here any time soon.