I’ve made no secret of the fact that there are sections of the metro network that are not my usual stomping ground and the South Shields section is no exception. It’s an area that doesn’t get a lot of particularly great press (and that’s just from the people I know who live there!) However we’re yet to find a pub where we have genuinely felt unsafe or uncomfortable.
The Chichester Arms which is located a mere stone’s throw away from the metro station on the left as you leave the station may well be contender for ‘nicest surprise’ on the whole tour. I’ll admit that I wasn’t holding out much hope for this visit (which I’d been mispronouncing with a soft ‘I’ the whole time – like the town of Chichester) but we were greeted with a very festive, very warm welcome when you visited one very cold early evening in late November.
As you walk in the side entrance from the metro station you walk straight into the lounge area with a bar area ahead of you which has darts and a pool table. Judging by the notice board by the bar it seems like a pub with lots going on as it advertised various different quiz nights, live music and food specials .
From the outside it looks like your average north earner corner boozer but inside is a lot more inviting – perhaps it was the early instalment of some Christmas decorations but it certainly struck me a pub you can have a good session in – the 80s tunes on the jukebox certainly gained it some extra points in my eyes. Beer wise there isn’t much on offer, just your standard Carling, Fosters, John Smiths etc but price wise it came in at just over £12 for 2 pints, a class of wine and a gin and tonic.
Don’t get me wrong it’s unlikely that the Chi Arms will blow your socks off but it’s absolutely not the worse establishment we’ve seen so far and definitely somewhere to stay for more than one drink. And afterall, who only ever goes out and has one drink?!
Contact:
335 Laygate, South Shields NE33
Tel: 07741 471606
Web: https://en-gb.facebook.com/The-Chichester-Arms-701487026654367/
Find out where else we’ve been on our metro adventure here
