The Best Bars and Cocktails in North Shields
Food & Drink

The Best Bars and Cocktails in North Shields

From a stylish cocktail bar to a wine bar and live-music haunts, a guide to the best bars and cocktails in North Shields.

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North Shields has quietly built one of the most interesting drinking scenes on the Tyne, with the Fish Quay and the town centre now home to proper cocktail bars, a good wine bar and lively music venues. Whether you are after a carefully mixed drink or a glass of something interesting, here is our guide to the best bars and cocktails in North Shields.

Twelve Twenty Five

For cocktails done properly, Twelve Twenty Five is North Shields' dedicated cocktail bar and restaurant, mixing classics and creations in a stylish setting. It is the natural choice for a special drink or the start of a night out.

Best for: Best for a proper cocktail in a stylish setting.

How Do You Do

How Do You Do is a characterful bar and restaurant that has become a firm local favourite, with a relaxed, welcoming feel and a good drinks list. It is the kind of place that works equally well for an early evening drink or a longer session.

Best for: Best for a relaxed, characterful bar with a loyal local following.

The Uncommon

For wine lovers, The Uncommon is a wine bar and restaurant with a thoughtfully chosen list, ideal for a glass and a plate of something to go with it. A more grown-up, unhurried option among the town's bars.

Best for: Best for wine by the glass in a grown-up setting.

Three Tanners Bank

Down on the Quay, Three Tanners Bank combines a bar with live music, and is one of the town's most enjoyable spots for a drink with something on. With a strong local reputation, it captures the creative, independent spirit of the Fish Quay.

Best for: Best for a drink with live music and Fish Quay atmosphere.

Making a night of it

The beauty of North Shields is how close everything is: you can start with a cocktail in town, wander down to the Quay for live music, and finish with a nightcap in a historic pub, all within a short walk. For food to go with the drinks, see our guides to the best restaurants and the Fish Quay.


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