The Best Beer Gardens in Newcastle City Centre

Newcastle is not a city blessed with sprawling pub gardens, but the ones it does have make the most of their setting. The best of them are perched above the river, tucked into medieval walls or lifted onto a rooftop, which means an outdoor pint here usually comes with a view of a bridge rather than a car park. Here is where to find a proper terrace or beer garden within walking distance of the centre and the Quayside, and which one suits which sort of afternoon.

Under the Tyne Bridge

No outdoor spot in the city has a better address than The Bridge Tavern on Akenside Hill, which sits directly between the stone stanchions of the Tyne Bridge. This is a brewpub and eatery serving locally sourced British food, and it has outdoor space on two levels: a ground-floor beer garden and, upstairs, a second bar opening onto a roof terrace. Sitting out here with the green ironwork of the bridge arching overhead, and the Quayside a minute's walk down the bank, is about as Newcastle as a drink gets. The terrace is compact and fills quickly on a warm evening, so arrive early or expect to hover for a table.

Best for: On the first genuinely sunny afternoon of the year the riverside terraces fill within the hour. If you want a seat rather than a standing pint, aim to be there before the after-work crowd.

Built into the old town walls

A short climb up towards the castle brings you to The Bridge Hotel on Castle Garth, a handsome late-Victorian pub beside Stephenson's High Level Bridge. Its rear patio and beer garden are the draw: the garden incorporates a surviving stretch of Newcastle's medieval town wall, and looks out over the River Tyne and the Gateshead bank across the water. It is an unusually historic place to stand with a pint, hemmed in by stone that has been there for centuries and framed by two of the city's great bridges. Inside, the pub keeps a rotating range of cask beers and has appeared in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide for many years, so the ale is as much a reason to come as the view.

A brewery in the park

If you want space to spread out rather than a squeeze onto a terrace, head north to Wylam Brewery at the Palace of Arts in Exhibition Park. The taproom occupies the last surviving building of the 1929 North East Coast Exhibition, and it is set in parkland at the edge of the Town Moor, so there is proper room to sit outside on the grass with a beer brewed a few feet away. The taproom keeps limited hours, generally later in the week and across the weekend, so it pays to check before making the twenty-minute walk or short Metro-and-stroll from the centre. It doubles as a gig and events venue, which means the atmosphere shifts depending on what is on.

Rooftops and hidden gardens

Not every outdoor drink in Newcastle is at ground level. The Botanist, on Monument Mall right at the heart of the shopping streets, spreads over two floors and finishes with a roof terrace garden looking down onto Grey Street. It is dressed with festoon lighting, rattan furniture and greenery, and leans towards cocktails and a livelier crowd rather than a quiet pint. Access is by stairs only, which is worth knowing if that matters to your party.

For something more tucked away, Colonel Porter's Emporium on Dean Street hides a botanical terrace behind its tavern and rum bar. It sits just off the Side, a couple of minutes from the Quayside, and the planted outdoor space is a pleasant retreat from the street once you have found it. Like the Botanist it is more of an evening cocktail venue than a traditional boozer, but the garden is a genuine one and the drinks list rewards a slow afternoon.

Best for: Most of these outdoor spaces are first come, first served rather than bookable. For a group at the weekend it is worth ringing ahead to ask whether any of the terrace can be reserved, as policies vary from pub to pub.

Making an afternoon of it

The geography works nicely if you fancy a short crawl. The Bridge Tavern, The Bridge Hotel and Colonel Porter's all sit within a few minutes of one another around the Quayside and the castle, so you can move between river, walls and hidden garden on foot without troubling a taxi. The Botanist adds a rooftop finish up at Monument, and Wylam is the one to build a separate trip around, pairing a parkland pint with a walk on the Town Moor. Weather permitting, it is a reminder that Newcastle drinks outdoors rather well when it gets the chance, even without the acres of lawn that other cities take for granted.

Know a city-centre beer garden or terrace we have missed, or spotted a detail that needs updating? Get in touch and let us know.