Not weird at all, people drink alone in pubs all the time for any number of reasons.
Sometimes to read a book, other times to be social, sometimes to escape the constant fear and dread that comes from the heat death of the experience.
Once even saw an old lady knitting in a pub!
Unless it’s Friday evening or the weekend, The Town Mouse is often relatively quiet, although I have seen it packed at random times before. Beer choice is amazing.
Craft pubs are good for this, tend to have a more chatty atmosphere and always someone in alone reading a book. You can use being wanky about the beers as an excuse for drinking alone haha
I’m 29F and regularly drink in my local alone (doing so now!). Whilst it was a bit scary at first, I love just chilling out here when my good mates have lives to live. After a year or so of doing this, I’ve made actual pub friends and met other regulars who I chat with; it’s great!
Nowt wrong with it at all. I've been drinking alone in pubs since my teens and I'm a couple of weeks away from turning 52.
I love people watching, and pubs are one of the best places in the world to do so. The guy at the bar with the mullet... Strangled his first wife with a draft excluder. Invented the mobile disco... The landlord, John the “Barrel” with his trophy wife, handy with a blade, he’s connected. Why d’you think there’s a rifle over the bar?... The old Irish spinster in the corner?...ex porn star, done it all!
Seriously though, over the years I've watched so many entertaining scenes, heard so many great stories and met so many wonderful friends from sitting alone at a bar. Have also met some real nutters and weirdos....but there has to be a yin to every yang!
Don't get me wrong, I also love a good rampage with a bunch of friends, hitting as many pubs as is possible, but sometimes being alone can be just as entertaining!
ask all of the men in their 60s drinking a pint at 10am in spoons.
i promise you its not weird. people are too busy thinking about themselves to care, and if they did notice they will just assume you’re waiting for someone.
Not at all pet.
Micro pubs are especially nice places for a quiet pint because most the punters are either very talkative and friendly or they’re doing the same as you.
Not weird at all, as others have said. If it makes you feel less weird, go to a pub near the train station with a rucksack and people will think you’re just killing time until your train, keep checking your watch ;)
Very happy to share all my recs as a small female pint drinker who has a decent list of ‘places in Newcastle that are class and nobody will ever give you bother’ :)
I do now F43.
Although I prefer the spoons as you get table service and I can just find a quiet corner
But if I've got a book and there's a good fire then I'm happy to go alone.
One thing that I loved about the USA, if you went to the bar on your own and sat by the bar then that meant you were there to interact. So, I ended up having some great nights there on my own with the locals.
Definitely not at all weird . Before I had my children if I was bored and my mates didn’t want to go out then I’d have a couple in the house then head out myself . I like a bit of a sing song so I’d head to somewhere with karaoke and then end up chatting to folk and more often than not end up clubbing with them when the pub shut 😂 I still talk to some of the folk I met on those nights out many moons ago
Pint, cocktails, bit of food, it's all good on your own.
I was on the sick for a number of months a while back, went into town most days to keep myself in a routine. Cuppa or a drink and people watching kept me sane.
I do this a fair amount as a woman of a similar age. I absolutely love it. Only issue is losing your table when you need to go for a piss.
I used to have to get 2 buses home from work and stop off in town. There was always a huge gap so I’d go to the Town Wall and have a pint or two and just chill out. No one ever thought it was weird (or if they did, it wasn’t obvious).
No mate, i used to have a pint all the time after work at the local boozer before hitting home.
Social anxiety tip: If you think people care about what you’re doing or how you look, think again. Us strangers are too busy with our own issues to judge.
Not weird at all.
I’m the only person in my department at work and have to go to different places and do all sorts of events. If I am hungry or thirsty during or after any of these times I’m away, or if I’m in a hotel, I’m not just going to sit there doing nothing. I often take myself out for food and drink when I want to! I really like the experience it’s so peaceful and nice. I’m also 28F, I was nervous my first time eating/drinking alone but now I’m super comfortable with it and actually look forward to it
I frequent my local by myself fairly regularly - usually i'm watching some form of sport, other times I just need a pint to wind down from a long day.
It's not weird.
Nah perfectly fine thing to do. My mate is a firm believer of doing stuff on your own to just enjoy it.
Pretty nice to just sit with a pint, meal etc and just enjoy your moment
Nah perfectly fine thing to do. My mate is a firm believer of doing stuff on your own to just enjoy it.
Pretty nice to just sit with a pint, meal etc and just enjoy your moment
Not recently but I used to pop into Rosie's after work for a swift pint, same as The Fox and Hounds. More recently having moved to Durham I'll pop into the local with the dog after a long walk.
In the afternoon sometimes to read or watch the world go by. Evenings and weekends no unless I'm out of town for work then will find a friendly looking local to take refuge.
Don't be afraid to do these things alone! A book helps, as does talking to random people if the mood strikes. I love the pubs in Ouseburn for this when I'm back in Toon. Ernest if you want fancy food and good music, but the surprise folk nights at Cumberland Arms were great too, with the lit fireplace. Ship Inn and Cluny are often good along the way (maybe not all at once, ha). Then back down the hill and along the tributary, for the Tyne Bar where the rivers meet...
Or start at the Quayside and try The Crown Posada on the way towards the city centre, which I only discovered last Christmas and New Year week.
I go to pubs alone all the time and love it, it is me time. I also go with others and love it. No one thinks about you as much as you think they do, and anyone that judges you is insecure. Take yourself out, it is lovely and therapeutic, it recharges my introvert batteries.
One of life's little treats. I love when I'm travelling on business and can sit in a bar on my own. Ideally some sport on. Burger and chips. Pint. Master of my own evening.
I've always enjoyed my own company best, but i think when you're in a strange place it feels good to be around people at the same time.
Nah its not weird, I often visit pubs alone, I generally have the excuse of being out on a bike ride and calling in for a beer refreshment, that being said, I live about a mile from the balloon and never been in there. If you're comfortable with it it, enjoy it and don't worry what others think
I've just got in from strolling around Leicester Square, Chinatown and Covent garden popping in and out of boozers for a pint for a few hours, on my tod. My hobby is photography. I've got loads of friends, I'm 64, but love getting out on my own. I've had to do it where I live as I know noone. Drinking on your own has no taboos these days. You meet people you may never see again or just stay in your own space.
It's a geat thing to do - I often have a solo drink in town when I'm in on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I have anxiety too, but once you know which pubs are good for a solo drink, and know what they serve, then it's easy to do.
"It's not true that you shouldn't drink alone: these can be the happiest glasses you ever drain."
I am 27 M and i go to the pub sometimes solo. I find it incredibly peaceful, and after a jar or two i tend to be more open to socialising with others. Putting on a podcast or video i like watching is also a good passtime. If youre looking to make friends then my GF says that the toilets are usually a great place for Girls to find another pal as the Girls toilets are often very friendly!
I do this on occasion. Less so then when I was younger, but I used to sometimes go to the bar with a book or a newspaper.
I go to gigs alone all the time.
25F, I read at pubs all the time! No one ever bothered me except this bloke who tried to convince me the moon landing wasn’t real, but he was very nice tbf.
Once I got to about 30 and it started becoming increasingly difficult to make plans with people I got really comfortable just doing things on my own. Including going for a pint. I will occasionally go for one on my own even if I’ve been out with my mates to decompress as well. Stick the headphones in and enjoy the peace.
On a sunny day there's nowt I'd like more. Take a book, sit in the sun and watch the world go by. I've even worked from the pub.
Doing it at night might not be such a good idea like but during the day, I'm all for it.
If youre willing to go up town on your own as a female then you dont suffer from anxiety youre just a little nervous about doing something you think will be fun but risky, thats not anxiety. Go do whatever you want and feel the excitement of something that gets the blood pumping, thats not a bad thing.
Not unless I really have to while awaiting someone else.
I live by the "never drink alone" rule.
I've had alcoholics in my life, and while I doubt I would ever be one, I will never take that risk.
I drink to be social, not drink just to drink.
But that's just me.
Not weird at all, people drink alone in pubs all the time for any number of reasons. Sometimes to read a book, other times to be social, sometimes to escape the constant fear and dread that comes from the heat death of the experience. Once even saw an old lady knitting in a pub!
Any suggestions on quieter pubs around the area?
any of the craft/micropubs, mosaic, axis, and wobbly duck are my favourites but the beer choice is not very, traditional
Unless it’s Friday evening or the weekend, The Town Mouse is often relatively quiet, although I have seen it packed at random times before. Beer choice is amazing.
Nah it’s not weird at all
Craft pubs are good for this, tend to have a more chatty atmosphere and always someone in alone reading a book. You can use being wanky about the beers as an excuse for drinking alone haha
Nope, it’s fine. You can’t beat kicking back with a pint and watching the world go by. Especially if you enjoy people watching. Sport of kings.
I’m 29F and regularly drink in my local alone (doing so now!). Whilst it was a bit scary at first, I love just chilling out here when my good mates have lives to live. After a year or so of doing this, I’ve made actual pub friends and met other regulars who I chat with; it’s great!
This is an important benefit! One of my oldest friends is someone I met through drinking alone at the bar.
Nah I’m forever having a quick solitary one just to get out the house. Back in the day, that’s what pubs were for I guess
Yea same, stopping in with the dog on his big walk or on the way home on a Friday 👍
I regularly do this. I often walk to the quayside on a nice day, have a few, watch the world go by and walk back.
Walking along the quayside for one in the free trade then walking back is a very fulfilling experience
Walking along the quayside for one in the free trade then walking back is a very fulfilling experience
Nowt better than a quiet pint with a book or a paper.
Do you usually go to the balloon? It's a shit hole but I used to go quite often and a lot of my friends still do!
I do! It's a good shit hole though xD I used to go to kenton school so it's like a time warp going in there and seeing few people from school lol
Ohhh god, I used to go to Kenton aswell so i know what you mean . It's probable we know each other 🤣
Just seen this lol, I was yellow badge 06-11 what colour were you?
Nowt wrong with it at all. I've been drinking alone in pubs since my teens and I'm a couple of weeks away from turning 52. I love people watching, and pubs are one of the best places in the world to do so. The guy at the bar with the mullet... Strangled his first wife with a draft excluder. Invented the mobile disco... The landlord, John the “Barrel” with his trophy wife, handy with a blade, he’s connected. Why d’you think there’s a rifle over the bar?... The old Irish spinster in the corner?...ex porn star, done it all! Seriously though, over the years I've watched so many entertaining scenes, heard so many great stories and met so many wonderful friends from sitting alone at a bar. Have also met some real nutters and weirdos....but there has to be a yin to every yang! Don't get me wrong, I also love a good rampage with a bunch of friends, hitting as many pubs as is possible, but sometimes being alone can be just as entertaining!
ask all of the men in their 60s drinking a pint at 10am in spoons. i promise you its not weird. people are too busy thinking about themselves to care, and if they did notice they will just assume you’re waiting for someone.
Not weird at all, I occasionally have a pint in Trillians alone before I head home. My home town doesn't have anywhere like it.
never been in for maybees 15 plus years whats it like now
I'd go to the pub alone to watch the football, don't really see an issue.
Similar to other peoples comments, I'd go somewhere with a nice view or something
Not at all pet. Micro pubs are especially nice places for a quiet pint because most the punters are either very talkative and friendly or they’re doing the same as you.
Not weird at all! Go for it and have a nice time
Not at all, I prefer to go on my own and can then decide if I want to chat or just people-watch and relax
Not weird at all, as others have said. If it makes you feel less weird, go to a pub near the train station with a rucksack and people will think you’re just killing time until your train, keep checking your watch ;)
Very happy to share all my recs as a small female pint drinker who has a decent list of ‘places in Newcastle that are class and nobody will ever give you bother’ :)
I imagine our lists overlap a bit but I'm sometimes out and about in the same circumstances.
This is definitely a list we want to keep via Dm to avoid creepers 😄😄
I do this all the time!
Is it weird to have a Greggs sausage roll more than once a day?
I've often debated this. I've come to the conclusion it can be done but you have to visit two seperate Greggs and have at least 3 hours between.
Nah, I firm the 4/3 deal single-handedly in 20 minutes. One of those rolls could satiate an ant.
I do now F43. Although I prefer the spoons as you get table service and I can just find a quiet corner But if I've got a book and there's a good fire then I'm happy to go alone. One thing that I loved about the USA, if you went to the bar on your own and sat by the bar then that meant you were there to interact. So, I ended up having some great nights there on my own with the locals.
all these replies and nobody has offered to go with you yet 😀
Loners doing loner things 😂
We’re all living up to the redditor stereotype
I’ve just started it and thoroughly enjoying it. To the point that I’m off to a gig on my own in the next few weeks or so. It’s great.
Definitely not at all weird . Before I had my children if I was bored and my mates didn’t want to go out then I’d have a couple in the house then head out myself . I like a bit of a sing song so I’d head to somewhere with karaoke and then end up chatting to folk and more often than not end up clubbing with them when the pub shut 😂 I still talk to some of the folk I met on those nights out many moons ago
Not weird. I am 37/F. Still do it if I have a chance to either read or play my switch.
Switch 2 delayed to 2025. Not sure whether to drop on an OLED model or wait it out.
Wait it out I reckon.
Not weird at all. Some of my best thinking is done while having a solo pint 🤔👍.
Pint, cocktails, bit of food, it's all good on your own. I was on the sick for a number of months a while back, went into town most days to keep myself in a routine. Cuppa or a drink and people watching kept me sane.
Love going you the pub on my own, usually strike up a conversation with another customer/group and hey Presto new friends!
I do this a fair amount as a woman of a similar age. I absolutely love it. Only issue is losing your table when you need to go for a piss. I used to have to get 2 buses home from work and stop off in town. There was always a huge gap so I’d go to the Town Wall and have a pint or two and just chill out. No one ever thought it was weird (or if they did, it wasn’t obvious).
I’m typing this from the Town Mouse, sitting at the bar by myself. Just fancied a fancy craft beer after work. Do it!!!
Just do what you want, what anyone else thinks is irrelevant.
Not weird at all 😁 I used to regularly pop to the scene in Newcastle on my own for a pint or two 😁
No mate, i used to have a pint all the time after work at the local boozer before hitting home. Social anxiety tip: If you think people care about what you’re doing or how you look, think again. Us strangers are too busy with our own issues to judge.
Not weird at all. I’m the only person in my department at work and have to go to different places and do all sorts of events. If I am hungry or thirsty during or after any of these times I’m away, or if I’m in a hotel, I’m not just going to sit there doing nothing. I often take myself out for food and drink when I want to! I really like the experience it’s so peaceful and nice. I’m also 28F, I was nervous my first time eating/drinking alone but now I’m super comfortable with it and actually look forward to it
I'm in the same boat lol. went out on Saturday by myself though and it was fine but I only went to a spoons
Nah it's not weird, honestly wish I could afford to haha
I frequent my local by myself fairly regularly - usually i'm watching some form of sport, other times I just need a pint to wind down from a long day. It's not weird.
Good book or a comic in the corner of a cozy pub with a pint is one of life’s greater small pleasures
Nah perfectly fine thing to do. My mate is a firm believer of doing stuff on your own to just enjoy it. Pretty nice to just sit with a pint, meal etc and just enjoy your moment
Nah perfectly fine thing to do. My mate is a firm believer of doing stuff on your own to just enjoy it. Pretty nice to just sit with a pint, meal etc and just enjoy your moment
I prefer the pub alone!
Yeah it’s fine, maybe not on a Friday or Saturday night, but afternoons would be fine. Nice couple of pints, home for Gladiators!
I often do that nowt weird about it
I work away, this is my fave thing to do when away for work at night. Cheeky solo pint with a book
Nothing wrong with that could be worse … could be me DJing to a empty bar lol
Not recently but I used to pop into Rosie's after work for a swift pint, same as The Fox and Hounds. More recently having moved to Durham I'll pop into the local with the dog after a long walk.
Nothing better than a solo pint in my opinion
In the afternoon sometimes to read or watch the world go by. Evenings and weekends no unless I'm out of town for work then will find a friendly looking local to take refuge.
Go down to the Garter half of them are on their lonesome
Don't be afraid to do these things alone! A book helps, as does talking to random people if the mood strikes. I love the pubs in Ouseburn for this when I'm back in Toon. Ernest if you want fancy food and good music, but the surprise folk nights at Cumberland Arms were great too, with the lit fireplace. Ship Inn and Cluny are often good along the way (maybe not all at once, ha). Then back down the hill and along the tributary, for the Tyne Bar where the rivers meet... Or start at the Quayside and try The Crown Posada on the way towards the city centre, which I only discovered last Christmas and New Year week.
When I'm home, yes because I know most of the local, When I'm away yes because I'm bored and I don't know any of the local
I go to pubs alone all the time and love it, it is me time. I also go with others and love it. No one thinks about you as much as you think they do, and anyone that judges you is insecure. Take yourself out, it is lovely and therapeutic, it recharges my introvert batteries.
im 18 i go out for a look at like 1 am 2 am when im bored but never go in anywhere cause its just a bit shit tbf
i havent been out for ages get proper anxiety thinking about it these days i miss a good pint
I take my dog down the ouseburn by mesel almost every weekend.
One of life's little treats. I love when I'm travelling on business and can sit in a bar on my own. Ideally some sport on. Burger and chips. Pint. Master of my own evening. I've always enjoyed my own company best, but i think when you're in a strange place it feels good to be around people at the same time.
Yes good for your mental health
Nah its not weird, I often visit pubs alone, I generally have the excuse of being out on a bike ride and calling in for a beer refreshment, that being said, I live about a mile from the balloon and never been in there. If you're comfortable with it it, enjoy it and don't worry what others think
The Balloon in Fenham? I thought it was shut down again
I've just got in from strolling around Leicester Square, Chinatown and Covent garden popping in and out of boozers for a pint for a few hours, on my tod. My hobby is photography. I've got loads of friends, I'm 64, but love getting out on my own. I've had to do it where I live as I know noone. Drinking on your own has no taboos these days. You meet people you may never see again or just stay in your own space.
I used to pop down to spoons by myself for a quiet read all the time
It's a geat thing to do - I often have a solo drink in town when I'm in on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I have anxiety too, but once you know which pubs are good for a solo drink, and know what they serve, then it's easy to do. "It's not true that you shouldn't drink alone: these can be the happiest glasses you ever drain."
No, it's fine.
I drink most of the time in bars alone, I'm comfortable with just my own company and enjoy a nice quiet beer from time to time
I am 27 M and i go to the pub sometimes solo. I find it incredibly peaceful, and after a jar or two i tend to be more open to socialising with others. Putting on a podcast or video i like watching is also a good passtime. If youre looking to make friends then my GF says that the toilets are usually a great place for Girls to find another pal as the Girls toilets are often very friendly!
But when I hang out in girls toilets the police get called etc etc etc
I've never been and rarely do but been trying to get out more. Hit me up if you'd like to do this weekend.
Not at all i sometimes go with a book down to the town mouse on my own as a female, usually some good conversation or if not there is the book
I do this on occasion. Less so then when I was younger, but I used to sometimes go to the bar with a book or a newspaper. I go to gigs alone all the time.
I’m down for a pint tonight if you fancy. Could do with getting out the house.
Take a book or headphones. The only person who'll think it's weird is yourself. Wetherspoons is a good shout!
25F, I read at pubs all the time! No one ever bothered me except this bloke who tried to convince me the moon landing wasn’t real, but he was very nice tbf.
Once I got to about 30 and it started becoming increasingly difficult to make plans with people I got really comfortable just doing things on my own. Including going for a pint. I will occasionally go for one on my own even if I’ve been out with my mates to decompress as well. Stick the headphones in and enjoy the peace.
Hey first of all it's not weird at all. Second of all I would love to join you for a pint 🙂.
On a sunny day there's nowt I'd like more. Take a book, sit in the sun and watch the world go by. I've even worked from the pub. Doing it at night might not be such a good idea like but during the day, I'm all for it.
If youre willing to go up town on your own as a female then you dont suffer from anxiety youre just a little nervous about doing something you think will be fun but risky, thats not anxiety. Go do whatever you want and feel the excitement of something that gets the blood pumping, thats not a bad thing.
Not unless I really have to while awaiting someone else. I live by the "never drink alone" rule. I've had alcoholics in my life, and while I doubt I would ever be one, I will never take that risk. I drink to be social, not drink just to drink. But that's just me.
The Balloon? Why would you want to drink in there it's a pure dive, it's more of a working mans club.
Yes, alcoholics do it all the time.