General information: As one of the most famous pubs in Newcastle – and the second oldest in the city - the Crown Posada has a big reputation to live up to. The pub is a grade two listed building with a Victorian exterior, an elaborately panelled entrance, original stained glass windows and a warm, lively, and laughter-filled atmosphere that's as rare as the pub itself. Just two minutes walk from Grey Street, and in the heart of the Quayside, the Crown Posada is a must to visit and experience. This highly traditional pub regularly receives CAMRA awards, and was recently named as the Daily Telegraph & Abbot Ale Tyne and Wear perfect pub. Inside, you can relax during the day listening to the house gramophone and enjoying a variety of excellently kept cask ales, before letting the buzz of the evening wash over you as a huge variety of customers mingle and mix. Finally, legend has it that the pub was bought by a Spanish Sea Captain for his mistress - but whatever time of day or night you visit, you'll soon realise that The Crown Posada is a legend in its own right.
After a visit to Colonel Porter's Emporium just up the street, I made a return visit to the Crown Posada. The pub has not changed at all. It still has the same historic interior and it still has a good ale selection - Allendale Pennine Pale, Hadrian Border Black Gate & Tyneside Blonde are the regular beers. Guests were McColl's Black Forest Stout, Two By Two Simcoe Citra Loralee & Citra Ekuanot Mosaic IPA. A vinyl record player is still used. Good Newcastle hostelry.
I should add, that the Bridge nearby is pretty good too, so good for a tour.
What's to dislike? History, beers, atmosphere. It's got the lot.
Drops down a bit in estimation on this visit - the ale is still good but visiting at the start of a crawl you see it for what it is - a reasonable city pub but not somewhere that rates along with the Philharmonic in Liverpool or the Crown in Belfast. Add to that a tendency to get change of a fiver for a tenner (the third time that happened on this visit to Newcastle) and it has dropped a bit in my estimation.