Opposite the newly built bus station on Eldon Square shopping centre, Goose (At The Gardens) sits on a street full of pubs, but still manages to stand out from the crowd.

Part of a chain of Goose pubs, it’s about a one-minute walk from not only Eldon Square, but Northumberland Street, and in the other direction, it’s a very short distance from The Gate, China Town and St James’ Park.

The Venue
By the entrance, next to the large windows, are leather sofas which get the best natural light. Beyond that, there are all kinds of tables of different sizes with either chairs or stools to accompany them.

The main bar is entirely down the right hand side, with toilets at the far end. Next to these are games machines (which are also scattered around elsewhere) and there’s a cash machine. There is a second bar to the left, around the more comfortable lounge area, which has booths against the back wall as well as pool tables. It’s quite a large bar, with plenty of room for standing and sitting.

The People
As with all the bars close to St James’ Park, the Goose at the Gardens is popular with football fans, and shows regular football and other sports on its big screen and TVs. But it’s not just a gathering point for before and after the match, the Goose is very popular with students and women so expect to see plenty of both pretty much anytime of the week. The staff are friendly enough, but are not the most experienced, so be prepared to wait for your drinks.

The Food
As part of a chain, the menu feels a little standardised, but in some respects that’s probably a good thing. Certainly from a quality control point of view it makes for good tasty food. It also helps to drive down the price, with starters all less than £1.50 and hot drinks under £1.

On the menu are the usual contenders: jackets, sandwiches (or subs as they call them here), wraps, burgers, chilli, fish and chips, all day breakfast, steaks, curries and on it goes. Needless to say, there’s enough choice for you and a friend to pick as part of their two for £5.95 offers. The burgers are filling, with plenty of side salad and a drink included for less than a fiver, which is a bargain really.

The Drink
A wide range of beer is on display here. Three kinds of Guinness are available: regular, extra cold and (presumably on trial) Guinness Red, their UK-only twist on the classic tipple. As a mix of Irish Stout and cask ale, it takes a little getting used to, but isn’t that bad. There are more regular cask ales on tap, including Deuchars IPA, Bombardier and the occasional guest ale.

Another rare feature is Becks on draught, along with the more usual Tetleys, Kronenbourg, Stella Artois, Fosters, Carling, Carsberg regular and Export. The wine selection is also bigger than most, Jacobs Creek being a popular choice among many of those having lunch. Equally plentiful are the spirits and soft drink range, as well a good number of bottled beer. Definitely enough choice to keep you deciding while you wait to be served.

The Last Word
Goose has a lot going for it. There’s variety in its clientele, cheap, good food and a range of drink that surpasses many others, all this and it’s conveniently located between Newcastle’s shopping and sporting hearts. A must for a lunchtime excursion and the beginning of a night on the town.

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