You probably walk past it on a nearly daily basis if you live or work in Newcastle, but there is a ‘secret’ underground bar just off one of the city’s busiest streets that is still causing quite a stir and has a very different way of getting in.
For decades, the building on Prudhoe Chare, which adjoins the famous shopping stretch, was home to The Northumberland Arms pub, before it was taken over steak house The Purple Bear, after plans for that to open inside the old Fleet Street building on Pudding Chare, amounted to nothing.
It was in October 2021 that speak easy themed haunt The Exchange first opened its doors, with both its concept and appearances sparking a lot of curiosity and that’s before we mention the fact that you need to enter via a door painted as a telephone box, which requires you to hit a button to gain entry.
Looking very different from its days as both The Northumberland Arms and Purple Bear, the aesthetic of The Exchange blends 1920s vibes with modern chic, although one thing many customers aren’t expecting when they sit down to decide what to order from the menu is the fact that you can actually call other tables in the venue, by way of phones attached to some of the tables.
The ability to do such a thing throws things back to the glory days of legendary Newcastle nightspot Tuxedo Junction, where ringing people on a table next to you was all part and parcel of a night out there.
Like many other venues in town, The E’xchange has big plans for a certain football match on Sunday, March 16, with them showing live coverage of Newcastle v Liverpool from Wembley and boasting fresh burgers, ice-cold pints & an unbeatable atmosphere!’ for £5 per person. The bar will also be going all out for the upcoming Newcastle Cocktail Week on March 21, with serves including its signature signature Flaming Palm.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/the-exchange-newcastle-northumberland-street-31150956
