From the outside, The Northumberland Arms looks a little dodgy but once you negotiate the steep stairs down to the bar, you'll be made to feel most welcome. The place is busy all day as it is on Newcastle's busy Northumberland Street (full of shops) but you shouldn't have to wait too long to get served. Food is on sale all day and although I haven't tried it, the portions look pretty generous. Drinks are on the cheaper side of average. What else can I say... All in all its worth popping in although mind the stairs if you've had a few!

As you enter Offshore 44, on the Quayside, it's as if you're going into a little antique shop as the frontage is not very pub like! Once inside though, there's a spacious and friendly pub, where the music is not so loud as you cannot hear yourself speak and drinks are cheap in the frequent happy hours. There's a nautical theme to the pub with bits of boats and ropes all over the walls, but it's nicely done and they sometimes have a barbecue going in the courtyard outside with reasonable prices which keeps you going when on a massive pub crawl. Generally a top place, and gets very busy at weekends.

Another chain pub, I daresay this Old Orleans is just like every other Old Orleans around the country! The place gets very busy when Newcastle United are playing at home nearby and also at the evening although has a family atmosphere through the day with food being served. Students at the nearby Universities also frequent this place, possibly due to the beer being on the cheap side. Quite a mixed crowd here and not quite as in-your-face as the pubs further down into town.

Naturally part of the nationwide O'Neills chain, this one is no different from the rest with the usual Irish memoribilia scattered around and a wide selection of drinks (including Guiness!) on sale. Sometimes it can take a while to get served in here especially if your not a regular but overall its an okay starting off point for a night out, or just for a quiet drink after work. Food is served most of the day and is both generous and reasonably priced and you can have a go on the giant Connect 4 in the corner while you wait (this probably came from one of the closed Firkin pubs!). Usually pretty quiet, even on a Friday or Saturday night.

Newcastle's very own super pub, The Pacific is a purpose built complex which cost many millions, but certainly looks impressive from both the outside and inside. Unfortunately, this cost is reflected in the prices once inside but for the experience, you can just about forgive this. There is a bar on the ground floor with a space-age style restaurant upstairs serving all manner of stuff from pizzas to steaks, and they also do an extensive range of cocktails. The interior has loads of cool fancy lighting displays and there are TV screens everywhere either showing the latest match, or the bar's own commercials. Definately worth a visit!

It looks sweet and innocent from the outside but the Pig And Whistle is another of the best "mad" Bigg Market pubs. Always packed out at weekends, there's loud music and plenty of circulation space, and of course cheap drinks in Happy Hour. Another pub which really has to be seen to be believed, but you'll have to take my word for it as I'm not staying sober one night to bring my camera down for pictures! There's always at least one fight here every time I go.

Pravda sounds Russian, and is actually themed all Russian inside as well! (Shock Horror!). There are loads of Russian themed drinks available such as cocktails, and of course the obligatory vodka, and where better than to sip them than in the big comfy settees by the windows while watching the world go by! There are 3 floors to Pravda and a few bars but only the downstairs bit was open when we went in. Well worth a visit, although it is quite far along the Quayside "the other way" from everywhere else.

Possibly the smallest pub in the world (well on a Friday or Saturday night when its packed anyway!), The Red House at least has bags of character! It can take ages to get served here at the small bar but there are usually plenty of staff on hand which can speed things up a little. Drinks seemed cheap (trebles of half decent vodka for only £2.70 can't be bad can it?). Past the bar, there is a labyrinth of passages and small rooms which seem to burrow under the ground, culminating in a weird little room with glass cabinets right at the back, a small table and a telly complementing these!! Strange! Anyway, if you can squeeze in, The Red House is well worth a visit!

Revolution is Newcastle's newest superpub (May 2001), taking over a building that used to be a bank, but more recently has just stood empty. Vodka is Revolution's main theme, and they have bottles and bottles of the stuff behind the bar and on the windowledges! You can have just about any cocktail you like hand-made while you wait, but be warned, prices definately reflect this (dont expect much change from a fiver). Looking around, the place is massive, and has really ornate furnishings like chandiliers contrasting sharply with deep red sofas at the back. It's well worth a visit once, but I wouldn't make it my local.

A recent Wetherspoons convert, The Quayside Bar has unrivalled views over the River Tyne as well as all the usual Wetherspoon perks of cheap beer, friendly staff and pleasant surroundings. There are seats at the front facing the River as well as in the courtyard area to the rear (the pub is a U shape). Food is served as always with this chain and tables are laid out in loads of little alcoves and rooms dotted about the place on a number of levels, making it easy to get lost especially when drunk. One to visit whether on a leisurely Sunday afternoon or immediately prior to going clubbing.

For some reason, we always seemed to bypass this pub on the Quayside, maybe due to it looking like a dingy strip-club from the outside (entrance up a narrow staircase!) but on popping in just before last orders two weeks ago, we were back the following week! Seemingly one of the most popular pubs in the area as you can't move on a weekend, I couldn't find any camels inside as hard as I looked (there were however quite a few mooses!). Drinks are average Quayside prices, and the music is loud, but you just feel you've moved somewhere a little bit better once you are here. Look out for the big fireplace, and if you find it (or a camel), let me know...

The Star is just off the main Central Station area pub circuit on Westgate Road, and possibly as a result of this seems to attract an older crowd than some of the other nearby pubs. We visited on a Saturday night and most punters were in their 40s or 50s, but it was still quite a lively atmosphere since there was a karaoke on (OK, there was a guy singing on the stage all night trying to whip the crowd into a frenzy, but it wasn't really happening!!). The bar here is pretty big so getting served quickly isn't a problem but if your looking for somewhere with a bit of get up and go about it, I'd find somewhere else. I understand there are live bands here on a Friday night, but haven't been down yet to check them out.

I've only been in here once, about 18 months ago, and it struck me as being quite a nice quiet little pub. The Stout Fiddler is directly opposite the Warner Village Cinema Complex in Newcastle and as such is an ideal stopping off point going to or from a film. Food is served until quite late on in the evening and prices are on the reasonable side. There are tables outside where you can relax if the weather's nice, and watch the traffic going past. The pub is also adjacent to Manors Metro Station.

If you're a Newcastle United fan, no visit to the city would be complete without a visit to this pub, a veritable shrine to the Football Club. Although pretty quiet when we visited on a Saturday afternoon when no matches were being played, I am assured that when Newcastle are at home, you literally can't move in here. Which isn't surprising as St James' Park is only 10 feet across the road. Marvel at the Black and White memoribilia on the walls from past decades as you drink your pint (which should of course be Brown Ale, sold here on tap) and savour the atmosphere. Like Berties Bar, a true North-East pub.