Ruby Rae’s, Bigg Market
££ | Country bar, live music, late licence
Ruby Rae’s brings a bit of Nashville to Bigg Market: country music, live singers, smoking cocktails and a room that seems to be mid-chorus before you have even ordered. It is loud, friendly, and fully committed to the bit: less polished club, more boots-on-the-floor singalong, with drinks that are better than they need to be. If the group wants something fun, easy, and not remotely self-serious, start here.
Good to know: It gets busy on Saturdays, and once you have found a spot, keep it. This is not the place to leave and assume the room will politely make space for you again.
Filthy’s Newcastle, City Centre
££ | Live music, DJs
Truly, confusing. Upstairs, you’ve got a cocktail lounge if you can call it that. Downstairs leans fully into the name; an Irish bar with sticky floors, loud music, and a not a soul remotely interested in keeping things chic. The music jumps around — throwbacks, indie, pop — whatever gets the biggest reaction, and people respond accordingly. A time will be had.
Good to know: Don’t overthink it, no one else is.
Tup Tup Palace, Diamond Strip
£££ | DJs, VIP club
Tup Tup Palace is probably the only Newcastle club the out-of-towners can name (previously myself included) thanks to Geordie Shore. Hidden on the Diamond Strip, it is low lit, with booths, bottle service and a dressed-up chaos the city does better than almost anywhere. It is the place for the group that has committed to the outfit, the photos, the late one and possibly making a decision they will have to explain over brunch.
Good to know: Book a booth if you want the full Tup Tup version. It is a dress-up venue, so do not treat the door like it is forgiving.
Livello, Dean Street
£££ | Cocktails, DJs, late bar
Livello is the polished cocktails-into-club option. Set on Dean Street, it has the shiny, dressed-up, Newcastle-at-night look: chandeliers, booths, backlit bottles and a courtyard. It gives you the best of both worlds: drinks that feel a bit more grown-up at the start, then DJs and a later finish once everyone has stopped pretending they only came out for cocktails.
Good to know: Dress code matters here, so keep it smart. Book a table if you want somewhere to base the group before it gets busy.
Katie O’Brien’s, City Centre
££ | Irish bar, live music
Warm, loud, and already halfway through a chorus by the time you walk in. Baby guinesses over cocktails, live music front and centre, people packed in shoulder-to-shoulder with no interest in personal space. Less about dancing properly, more arms round each other, shouting the words, and staying longer than planned because leaving mid-song feels wrong.
Good to know: Conversations won’t last long — accept it.
The Social Club, Diamond Strip
££ | DJs, late bar
The Social Club is the newer name on the Diamond Strip, taking over the old House of Smith space and giving Newcastle another late-night room with actual club intentions. It starts off feeling slightly more relaxed than the bigger, shinier options — drinks, cocktails, a bit of space to regroup — but give it half an hour and the point becomes clear. Not one for deep conversation once it fills up, but very useful if the group wants music, drinks and somewhere that feels current without going full VIP.
Good to know: It gets busy on weekends, so go earlier if you want a bit of breathing room.
