Onto my second pub review is The Hancock.
Situated at a 5-minute walk away from Newcastle University and a 10-minute walk from St James’ Park. The Hancock can be considered to be a neutral pub for students and Newcastle United fans.
This particular pub was also the place where I had my favourite matchday experience, when Newcastle beat PSG at St James park.
The pub had a welcoming and sleek looking layout with benches outside/inside as well as table football and pool upstairs, which is where I was sat for the game.
The game covered on this day was Newcastle vs Manchester United in the EFL cup on Wednesday 1st November. Manchester United and their fans are universally hated by Newcastle, presumably due to their past success and also being the cause of the infamous Kevin Keegan ‘I would love it if we beat them! Love it’ moment. Which was not a well-received reference by the Newcastle fans I was sat with.
I arrived at the pub during happy hour (between 5pm and 8pm) so I bought a bottle of Rekordelig cider for £2.70, which was then £4.40 once the happy hour had finished.
Obviously, the game wasn’t as important as some of the games the Magpies have had this season but there was still a decent turnout, with plenty of Newcastle Brown Ale shirts on display. The pub seemed to have a younger audience of around 18–21-year-olds and was a mix between local fans and students.
As the game began there were a few tense looking Newcastle fans, but this tension disappeared in the 29th minute when Miguel Almiron slotted away Newcastle’s first goal. Which was then quickly followed by Lewis Hall’s in the 36th minute.
Its safe to say that The Hancock was buzzing with ecstatic Newcastle fans who couldn’t believe what they were seeing. One fan said ‘we’ve got nee strikers, nee centre backs and we’re still better than this lot’.
The atmosphere only got better when Joe Willock rifled in Newcastle’s 3rd in the 61st minute, which put the game to bed.
Smiles could be seen all around, with chants for players being heard as well as pints being sunk by The Toon faithful. Which capped off a successful night for the city of Newcastle. Of course, not everyone was happy, like this Man United fan I was sat with…
Overall, I enjoyed my time at the Hancock as it had a good atmosphere with lots of seating available, and I’ll definitely be getting a quadruple pint pitcher the next time I visit.
This place is perfect for a younger audience but also did have older people there as well so its inclusive for everyone.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 7.5/10
Drinks prices: 6.5/10
Seating: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Danger (Higher= More safe): 8/10
Safe to take an away fan (Higher= More safe): 8/10
Overall: 7.8/10
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