The Bacchus

This place is somewhere between an old fashioned boozer and a classy bar. I couldn’t quite figure it out but I liked it nonetheless.
I took a leaf from my dad’s book and ordered two halves at the same time. There’s a great range of beers on. I also spotted a very exciting gin and tonic menu.
Our (rather large) party ordered a selection of bar snacks — pork pies and black pudding scotch eggs — which were bloody amazing. The scotch egg in particular, and the real ale chutney, were incredible.
I’ll definitely be back next time I’m in Newcastle.

I was recently in Newcastle for a guided beer tour (read: ale pub crawl) and our first stop after arriving in the city was Bacchus.
As soon as you cross the threshold into this place, you’re hit with the juxtaposition of the clean, modern styling from behind the bar and on the walls against the dark, old-​school wood and upholstery of the seating and the cool brass of the hand pumps.
Whilst in here, I decided to sample what I presume to be a local brew — «Toon Broon». Being someone who enjoys a bottle or two of the ol’ dog*, I figured this would go down well and I certainly wasn’t wrong. I received a good, easy drinking brown ale which I’d quite happily have knocked back in larger quantities had we been there for longer.
The stand-​out aspect of my visit here, though, has to be the bar snacks. My girlfriend and I ordered a hand-​raised pork pie and a black pudding scotch egg to share, but to be honest we both agreed afterwards that we’d rather have ordered two of the scotch eggs.
There wasn’t anything wrong with the pork pie, not by a long shot. It was a good pie, filled with quality pork which was excellently seasoned without too much jelly inside the pastry which I liked, and it came with a seemingly home-​made piccalilli which was also pretty good. It just didn’t stand up to the black pudding egg, though. The egg itself was wrapped in a good layer of black pudding, maybe 1 – 1.5cm thick all round, and coated in what looked to me to be panko breadcrumbs to add some crunch. The egg inside was cooked, but not overdone with no discolouration around the yolk. Not content with simply serving up a cracking scotch egg, it came accompanied by a dark ale chutney.
Oh. My. God. That chutney. It was stunning; it was delicious in it’s own right but it added an astounding sweet-​savoury note to everything which was amazing.
Overall, I’d quite happily return to Bacchus if I ever found myself in Newcastle again on the beers. Not just because they have a cracking range of beers and spirits, but in no small part also so I can order about 10 of those scotch eggs.
(I accept no responsibility for any addictions to black pudding scotch eggs which may arise from visiting after reading this review. Consume at your own utterly delicious peril.)

Bacchus is one of our favorite pubs, as they have a great beer/​ale selection with rotating guest taps. Some unique cider options as well, which you don’t see very often. There’s a very relaxed vibe, usually quiet inside and with a slightly older crowd. We wouldn’t spend all night here, but it’s perfect for a relaxing drink before dinner. Or to just enjoy some conversation over a few pints. Bartenders are knowledgeable and give tastes. Oh, and the quiz machine sometimes favors us, and nobody is ever on it, so if you fancy a Pub Quiz, stop in here!

Slightly more expensive for a pint of ale than I’ve become used to in Newcastle but still around 10% (at least) cheaper than Edinburgh bars of a similar quality. Couple of tellys for the sport, decent amount of seating and reasonably cosy feel due to the dark wood paneling. Half a dozen or so ale taps plus decent foreign lagers on tap (2 types of Vedett for example) as well as a good selection of bottle conditioned stuff. You could do a lot worse.

Central pub with a rather subdued atmosphere. Often has a 30s+ crowd. Welcoming and fine for a more quiet drink.
Not one I go to frequently which I guess says something