Bar 38’s recent fall from grace reminds us all how quickly stardom can come and go in the life of a Newcastle trebles bar.

No one bar can please everybody, and I very much doubt that this list will, but nonetheless here is The Tab’s top five.

5. Victoria 22

To leave Vic 22 off the list would be to run the risk of a lynching by the Castle Leazes faithful. For me, whilst it smells for all the world like Sinners, it just isn’t Sinners. Still, cheap trebles and a lively atmosphere have it ranked at number 5 on our list.

4. Players

Grim

You have to love a gimmick, and Players has that in the form of a rotational troupe of break-dancers astride an elevated podium. Combine that with the risk of VK showers from the second floor, a cheeky dance area and a DJ who’ll give a shout-out to any group who asks and you have the number 4 ranked trebles bar in Newcastle.

3. Label

Label’s inclusion may prove to be a point of controversy. Admittedly, the unheralded bar in Bigg Market didn’t leap to mind when writing this list. Label checks in at number 3 due to a number of unique features that will keep people on their toes. From cocktails in teapots, to enormously large, novelty margarita glasses; Label adds a new dimension to the standard trebles bar experience.

2. Chase

Iconic

Cheap, well-placed, lively and spacious (both indoors and out). Chase has robbed Bar 38 of the crown of the quayside. The crown of Newcastle, however, belongs to another.

1. Sinners

The archetypal trebles bar experience. The moment you enter you are confronted with a wave of one of the most distinctive and horrible smells that Newcastle has to offer. You may stick to the floor, lose a good portion of drink whilst jostling with fellow dancers, wade through near ankle-deep urine in the downstairs toilets and perhaps even pay a visit to the infamous cage.

 In spite of all this, Sinners remains surely the best-known, most popular of the bunch. It has a certain ‘character’ that keeps people coming back. To call it an ambience would be a serious stretch.

Honourable mentions: Sam Jacks, Gotham, Empress, Idols.   

Vote for your favourite here!