First on the list of pubs is Osbornes.
Located in the mainly student area of Jesmond, Osbornes (also known as Soho) is the perfect place for 2nd and 3rd year Uni students to come and have a pint.
My pint of choice was a Strongbow as it was the cheapest drink at £2.75, whilst the rest of the prices also seemed quite cheap for other drinks. Osbornes also hosts a special deal called ‘£2 Tuesdays’, which is very popular amongst students and for when Newcastle United plays on Tuesdays, as selected pints cost just £2 all night. Unfortunately, the match took place on a Wednesday so this deal wasn’t available.
The pub also has the locally founded burger company ‘Brack Burger’ in the building which is great for getting good quality burgers and fries before games. On this night I treated myself to the ‘Brack Fries’ which are fries mixed with burger patties, that are lathered in ‘Brack sauce’.
The match I covered for this day was Newcastle United vs Borussia Dortmund on the 25th October. As the build up to the match began, the pub slowly started filling up with mainly students who were there to watch the game and also with university sports societies who were initiating their newest members.
Seating was hard to come by even though I turned up quite early, as nearly all of the tables were reserved for university societies to sit at, which left the majority of the non-society fans standing up.
A DJ was located next to one of the projector screens that was showing the game and was playing well-known 2000s songs for around an hour, before finally playing Newcastle United’s trademark song ‘Local Hero’ as the game was about to begin.
When the game started the atmosphere was quieter than the Etihad on matchday.
The match in general was disappointing and dull throughout the whole game which could’ve been the reason for the lull in atmosphere. The pub also fell dead silent (as if it could be any quieter) as Felix Nmecha scored on the brink of half time for Dortmund which definitely didn’t help the mood of the fans.
One fan could be heard shouting ‘F**ks sake why are we so s**t!’ which pretty much reflected everyone else’s feelings towards the match.
As the game ended in a 0-1 win for Dortmund the DJ tried to revive the crowd with a last ditched effort of blaring ‘Sweet Caroline’ through his speakers, but this tactic didn’t work, much like Eddie Howe’s tactics against Dortmund.
The rain started pouring down after the game and marked a symbolic end to a pretty depressing night of football at the pub.
Overall, Osbornes had a friendly atmosphere with welcoming staff but it felt more like a pub you’d rather go to on a day without the football on. I think that’s definitely this pubs aim in the first place, as their target audience will be mainly students who would rather get cheap £2 pints on a Tuesday instead of watching the football there.
So if you’re a 2nd or 3rd year Uni student in Newcastle who’s not too bothered about football, then Osbornes is probably the place for you.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 2/10
Drinks Prices: 7/10
Seating: 1/10
Service: 8/10
Danger (Higher= More safe): 7/10
Safe to take an away fan (Higher= More Safe): 9/10
Overall: 5.7/10
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