Area Guide: Jesmond

Life in Jesmond means sunny days on the Dene, lattes in Starbs, and hangovers spent – and earned – on Ossy Road.

This is a place where gilets are ubiquitous: where every foot is shod with the ovine carcass of an Ugg boot: where Jack Wills make 80% of their global sales. But when it comes to amazing rooms, Newcastle has few places to rival Jesmond.

Background

Jesmond is a busy and desirable suburb to the north of Newcastle’s centre. Perennial popular with scholars, Jesmond provides most of the university student accommodation Newcastle has to offer.

Packed full of public schools as well, Jesmond is where posh young Geordies pick up the skills they need to study economics at Leeds University. On a match day, the whole town relocates to Osbourne Road’s endless bars and restaurants to celebrate or (more likely commiserate) the result with several thousand pints.

Shopping

As a suburb, Jesmond is no shopping destination. Leave that the area around Monument. That said, there are a few shops around St George’s Terrace/Acorn Road area.

The Joules is probably just there to reinforce the idea that Jesmond is full of Rahs, but there are some canny little shops too. Gourmet Gifts is always full of sparkly tat to burden relatives with. The Oxfam Books is great for students looking for cheap texts.

Food & Drink

Now the area really comes into its own. Jesmond is full of great places to chow down.

If you’re after a fancy night of wining and dining, head to As You Like It. The interior has a beautiful rural taverna/florist vibe and their private Frangipani room is one of the nicest dining rooms Newcastle can boast of.

They have a fantastic restaurant menu that covers everything from Mediterranean and French to Gourmet British. They also have a delicious bar menu if you just fancy a nibble with your cocktail.

The Fat Hippo has a big restaurant in town, but the Jesmond opening is a burger bonanza.

Try the £5 lunch menu for a top burger and chip combo. There’s a great drinks menu here too. We recommend their alcoholic shakes: delicious and nutritious – if you need alcoholic nourishment that is.

Nightlife

When the evening descends and the undergrads roll out of their student accommodation, Newcastle’s most popular destination is Osbourne Road. But with so many bars on the long and winding (and boozy) street, how do you choose which bar to go to?

The normal practice is to go to a few in one night. So allow us to guide you through. If there’s any sport on anywhere on the planet, it will be being shown at Spy.

So if you want to catch the game, here’s the place to be. Or if you hate sport in bars, avoid!

Jam Jar is Jesmond’s little slice of stupid Shoreditch chic.

Drinks are served in the eponymous glass vessels. Cocktails here are decent though a bit more expensive than the Toon’s average. They do great weekly offers: like 2 burgers, 2 fries for £14 on Wednesdays.

Right at the bottom of Jesmond’s central thoroughfare is Mr. Lynch.

This is a good one if you are getting sick of Os Road’s madness. A bit quieter, a bit more chilled and with decent music and bands playing all the time, My Lynch is always a safe bet.

Where to Live in Jesmond

If you are looking for cheap student Accommodation, the top of Jesmond, towards Ilford Road, is cheaper than the south, nearer to Newcastle. Obviously, anywhere near Osbourne Road will be louder than somewhere further back.

Around West Jesmond and the Lonsdale pub are dozens of samey terraced streets in the classic Tyneside Flat design. They will vary in upkeep so be careful to check for crappy landlords who don’t bother doing their flat up due to the constant, reliable procession of student tenants.