The Best Cocktail Bars in Newcastle, Street by Street
Where to drink cocktails in Newcastle, grouped by street, with every bar's address, hours and best offer checked against its own website.
The best cocktail bars in Newcastle are packed into a few streets you can walk in ten minutes: Mother Mercy in a basement yard off the Cloth Market, Pleased To Meet You on High Bridge, Cafe Mercy on Grey Street, The Mad House on Pink Lane and Dean Street, and Tiger Hornsby on the Quayside. Below they are grouped street by street, with addresses, opening hours and offers checked against each bar's own website in October 2026. For more ideas see our bars and nightlife pages.
Cloth Market and Bigg Market: Mother Mercy
Mother Mercy is the one most locals name first. It sits in The Old George Yard at 44 Cloth Market (NE1 1EE), and the group describes itself as ranked among the UK's top 50 cocktail bars. It is the flagship of a small North East group that also runs a bar at 216 Chillingham Road in Heaton and one on Silver Street in Durham. The website does not publish standard opening hours, only events such as its bingo nights, so check before you set off. Sign up to the newsletter and it sends a two for one cocktail voucher, which can take up to 24 hours to arrive, so do it the day before.
High Bridge: Pleased To Meet You
Pleased To Meet You is at 41 to 45 High Bridge (NE1 1EW), on the lane that links Grey Street with the Bigg Market. The bar opens 11am to 2am, Monday to Sunday, which makes it one of the few places that works for a lunchtime spritz and a last drink at the end of the night. The restaurant side serves seasonal British dishes and sharing plates from noon to 9.30pm Monday to Saturday and noon to 7pm on Sunday, so you can eat without moving on.
Grey Street: Cafe Mercy
Mother Mercy's sister bar, Cafe Mercy, is at 30 to 32 Grey Street (NE1 6AE), a two minute walk from Monument Metro. It is an aperitivo bar first: low ABV spritzes in the daytime, stronger cocktails later, plus coffee and small plates. Hours are 2pm to 11pm Monday to Thursday, 2pm to 12.30am on Friday, noon to 12.30am on Saturday and noon to 10pm on Sunday. The two things to know are the Negroni on tap at £7, all day every day, with a rotating seasonal guest version, and three small plates for £21. It is the easiest pre-theatre stop on the street.
Market Street: Lola Jeans
Lola Jeans is at 1 to 3 Market Street (NE1 6JE), round the corner from Grey Street. The room is the draw: big chandeliers and murals painted by local artists, in a building the owners restored from dereliction. It opens from noon until late every day and serves food from noon to 9pm, Monday to Sunday, so it suits a group that wants signature cocktails and a proper meal in one place.
Nelson Street: No.28
No.28 is upstairs at 27 to 29 Nelson Street (NE1 5AN), next to the Grainger Market. It is a late one: 4pm to 3am Monday to Thursday and noon to 3am Friday to Sunday. The bar says it was the first in Newcastle to launch a bottomless Prosecco brunch, and it still runs them from £35 for 90 or 120 minutes, from noon to 7pm daily (4pm to 7pm on Thursdays). From 10pm it switches into what it calls clubbing mode, with extra sound, mirrorballs and club lighting.
Pink Lane and Dean Street: The Mad House
The Mad House has two bars. The original is at 37 Pink Lane (NE1 5DW), a short walk from Central Station, and the bigger, more lavish one opened in 2024 at 10 Dean Street (NE1 1PG). Pink Lane takes private groups of up to 50 and Dean Street up to 150. Both are closed on Monday and Tuesday and open from noon Wednesday to Sunday, until midnight on Friday and Saturday and 10pm on Sunday. Craft cocktails are the point, with walk-ins taken when there is space. Two for £16 runs on selected cocktails every open day except Saturday, and the bottomless brunch is £41.95 a head on Friday to Sunday, with a £19.95 alcohol free version.
Quayside: Tiger Hornsby and Colonel Porter's
Tiger Hornsby is at 8 to 10 Close (NE1 3RE), under the bridges. It pairs cocktails with live music: acoustic sessions and open mic nights through the week, and DJs with live saxophone or bongos from 8pm on Friday and Saturday. It is closed Monday to Wednesday, open 4pm to midnight on Thursday, 2pm to 2am on Friday and Saturday and 2pm to 11pm on Sunday. The Friday Feels offer gets you two selected cocktails for £15 until 8pm.
A short walk up the hill, Colonel Porter's fills the ground floor of Milburn House on Dean Street (NE1 1LF) with a rum bar, tavern and indoor botanical garden. It opens from 5pm Monday to Wednesday and from noon Thursday to Sunday, until late. There is an open mic every Tuesday from 7pm, and for Halloween it has a Cirque des Horreurs night on 26 October with a magician, live music and a DJ, then a £1 entry quiz on 31 October for teams of up to six.
Good to know
Monday and Tuesday are the thin nights: The Mad House is shut both days and Tiger Hornsby is shut until Thursday. Cafe Mercy, Pleased To Meet You, Lola Jeans, No.28 and Colonel Porter's all trade on a Monday. For the latest finish, No.28 runs to 3am every night and Pleased To Meet You to 2am. Grey Street, High Bridge and the Cloth Market are all closest to Monument Metro; Pink Lane is closest to Central Station; the Quayside bars are a ten minute walk downhill from either. Hours change around events and bank holidays, so check a bar's own site on the day. For one-off nights, see What's On.
FAQs
What is the best cocktail bar in Newcastle?
Mother Mercy in The Old George Yard off the Cloth Market is the usual answer; the group says it is ranked among the UK's top 50 cocktail bars. For a daytime drink, Cafe Mercy on Grey Street is its more relaxed sister.
Are there speakeasy style bars in Newcastle?
Mother Mercy sits in a yard off the Cloth Market rather than on the main street, No.28 is upstairs on Nelson Street, and Colonel Porter's on Dean Street mixes a rum bar with an indoor botanical garden. All three feel tucked away without needing a password.
Which cocktail bars in Newcastle are open late?
No.28 on Nelson Street is open until 3am every night, Pleased To Meet You on High Bridge until 2am daily, and Tiger Hornsby on the Quayside until 2am on Friday and Saturday.
Are there cocktail bars on the Quayside?
Yes. Tiger Hornsby is at 8 to 10 Close with live music and DJs from Thursday to Sunday, and Colonel Porter's is a short walk up Dean Street in Milburn House.
