Alum Ale House in South Tyneside

Stopped off here for a pint on the way home and was pleasantly surprised by very cozy pub with friendly staff and a good selection of beers.

One of the pioneers of real ale in South Shields. Fifty years ago the town had about 5 pubs selling cask beer, in the North East beer desert. Totally changed now. Paulicarus is making his first visit here. The pub is next to the ferry across the river Tyne to North Shields. A river that used to build the best ships in the world. Up to eight real ales. Had a Hadrian border Tyneside Blond, 3.9%. Then a Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold 4.2%. Both excellent. Good size beer patio for when it is not freezing outside. ( A rare event!)

2025 - couldn't believe it, I've visited this pub many times, but an unusually sunny Thursday afternoon I took my grandson on a trip on the ferry, as we had just missed one I thought a quick half would be in order, Wrong ! Just arrived in the external sitting area a member of staff came out and informed me in no uncertain terms that we were not welcome - TBH I've never experienced this since visiting Scotland in the 1970's , I even suggested we just sit on the wall outside but he said we were still on the premises (questionable) - needless to say I won't be back - noticed that dogs are invited, humans not though

I did not have any food so I cannot comment on the food it is an old fashioned pub next to the shields ferry I am going back again,it has steps inside it is very friendly, the people are very friendly

Very friendly staff good atmosphere

If you ever find yourself thinking, "Why are there no pubs like there used to be?", then head down to the Alum and have your faith restored -- the quaintest, friendliest and cosiest pub in the north-east. A roaring fire in the winter, lots of nooks and crannies in which to hide yourself, good service, good beer -- it is a delight.

Friendly pub. We went in for a quick drink but ended up spending the afternoon chatting to other customers! First visit but we'll be back. Visiting from Scotland

Great Little place on the river Tyne, next to the ferry landing, good choice of ales and lagers. Friendly staff.

Nice beer and a little sun trap on the outside area. Not busy, but well worth the visit.

A lovely traditional pub with a great warm friendly atmosphere and great bar staff as well. They serve a great selection of beers and a mean pint of Guinness ( my Fave).

great location , great staff , lovely ales

Went back again on Sunday evening. Watched football on the big screen. Good beer, good atmosphere and a good time. Liking this Pub more and more.

Popped in for a drink Lovely pub. Cracking location. Fabulous selection of ales ciders and lagers etc

Fantastic real ale pub beer spot on everytime lots of staff so no bother getting served lovely atmosphere

It's a beautiful place with beautiful views

Ale was very good , lovely tables out the back now , more room for you to enjoy the sunshine ,too many staff on when quiet

The best Great North Run venue. Right by the ferry terminal. Toasties and pints. Quick service. Great!

Real ale pub with a nice decking area.

Sat out side on decking for drinks,friendly helpful staff,dogs welcome, lovely views, right next to ferry.

Located beside the ferry with fantastic outdoor seating area with a very thoughtful completely separate smoking area Great selection of drinks, perfect for sundownersbon balmy summer evenings 👌

Not a bad thing to say. Excellent 👍

Dogs welcome but children aren’t…mental for 2024. Spend your money somewhere else

Nice pub, great selection of beers. Bit of overkill with the no smoking signs. The smoking area is not very nice either. Why can't a small seating area outside be allowed. Also the smoking area is not very well chair friendly as they cannot get bwar it without blocking access. Now I remember what we didn't stop long last time.

Visited just prior to sailing on the Shields ferry ⛴... Professional service.. Good selection of Ales and spirits.. ®Recommend DJMcG.

Brilliant friendly pub great drinks selection

A great traditional pub. Nice atmosphere and a wide range of beers Out door seating area is lovely when the sun shines

Decent pub, handy for a quick pint before the ferry. Real ales from Marstons.

As a lover or real ale, me and my wife went in to the Alum for a drink, big mistake. Eleven real ale pumps with seven of them off and the four that were on were very ordinary. Also while the pub was pretty quiet, there was a table where four loud mouthed, middle aged men were sitting having a competition who could shout and swear the most. Needless to say they had no respect for anyone else in the pub, staff included. Will not be hurrying back.

Not many real ales and a table of men who shouted and swore. Won't be back.

Absolutely great place!! All the staff are so friendly - especially Jamie and Heidi!! Everyone should try this place - the best pub in the north east!!

Only stayed for one drink on our way into town. Great atmosphere, nice cosy pub. Would definitely go again.

A proper old time pub with great atmosphere and staff. We visited by chance while looking for something to do in the wet weather and stumbled across this gem. Great choice of drinks and bar snacks, will definitely be back.

Nice little pub and nice staff 👍👌good real ale

Nice oldie ale house with large outside space (part of outside closed due to renovations). Staff nice and helpful.

Stunning pub right by the ferry port with an amazing beer garden and decked area.

Lovely atmosphere, only there for a drink but would go again

Great atmosphere, I didn't want to leave the place. However, one of my friends was bursting to get to Colemans fish palace...which is overrated and a massive disappointment for me. Ian Watson

Best pub in Shields, great selection and great staff

Not a bad pub. Decent selection of ales and in a nice location too.

Having not long moved back to the NE... what a find this has been for me. A gem of a real ale pub in a great location. It's right on the banks of The River Tyne, adjacent to the South Shields Ferry Landing and is a great vantage point for viewing river activity inc. those impressive Cruise liners that creep into the river to reach their berthing points. The quality of the beer is outstanding and the variety is one of the best ranges you will come across. A lovely warm welcome was had from the staff and an even warmer welcome from the log burner creating a great pub atmosphere especially on weekends. Prices are a little on the expensive side, but then you get what you pay for..!!!

Very cosy pub with a log fire fantastic on a cold day, 8-10 cask ales on and they do a taster board 3 or 4 1/3rd of a pint glasses if you cant make your mind up. Barstaff are warm and welcoming. Waiting for the summer so can sit on the decking which surrounds the pub.

Absolutely mint pub. Great service and atmosphere- always a smile and a welcome! Best Guinness in town too. Love the 00 option too

Lovely cosy little pub by the river, friendly staff and a good range of Ales and Lagers. Nice toasties on offer too 👍🏼

A lovely little welcoming pub with a good selection of drinks. It's also lovely to sit outside in the summer, right on the river.

Great atmosphere and good choice of real ales

Proper Pub, fantastic atmosphere, and great staff.

Best ale pub in the area by far!

Lovely roaring fire 🔥 and a cracking Guinness x

Excellent pub 👌 nice pint comfortable seating will definitely be back

Cozy little pub, great atmosphere. The log burner is an excellent touch at this time of year

Great traditional pub. Every cider, larger and ale is looked after correctly resulting in an amazing pint. This pub has also won the Guinness award on more than one occasion

The curry toastie is unbelievable !! You have to try it , staff very friendly , great outside seating area new decking views to the river , back room cosy with log fire ❤️great selection of ales 12 hand pulls and 1 cider 5 lagers Guinness with a 5 star award off Guinness one of the best pubs I’ve been to in years ❤️👍🏻👍🏻

This is a great place to stop in, on your way home. Real ale House with good staff. I like the ambience of this bar. It's not a food pub.

Nice cosy olde pub. Nice selection of ales. Reasonable price with friendly staff. Price of Stella. £4.95 (Aug 2023) Thought Rishi was knocking the price down? LOL

Bar + side room + outside seating/ front/ side and rear. Some tables have gas fire pits . 9 h/ pulls beer in very good condition. Staff and service excellent.

Great pub next to ferry landing. Disabled ramp was needed and barman had a baptism of fire - THANK YOU x Great atmosphere outside and in. Loads of cyclists outside and a great folk band inside - first Sunday of every month. Loved it! X

The Alum Ale House is such a hidden gem, a beautiful cosy pub with an incredible outdoor area too! Always has offers on drinks too. Bar staff are great and more than welcoming and friendly. The pub also offers some homemade toasties and your pub snacks crisps, nuts etc.. but often puts on small buffets free for their customers!if you haven't been, I'd definitely recommend 👌

A very nice pub with a large selection of very nice beers

A huge range of beers on draft, and and very good selection of bottled ales and ciders, a warm friendly atmosphere with good clientèle 10/10

Just called in for a quick pint while on my bike ride. Lovely pub, staff and atmosphere.

Great bar and outside seating area but staff looked miserable.

Great people, ale and atmosphere. Good decking area.

Only went in for a drink ,don't know if they do food. Nice pub though with a good range of drinks

Good selection, friendly service. Great outdoor area. Would definitely visit again when in area.

Nice ourdoor area , very exspensive

The Alum House serves the best pint of Aspall cider.

Nice pub got of ferry went for a quiet drink 2 year old child a sleep in pram barman comes over saying kids not allowed outside .wanted a other drink could not get 1 .as children not allowed. Need to re think there policy as must be loss in sales same with a parent opposite told same thing.its 2023 cost of living high .should cater for kids .

Always a nice place to have a pint with a good selection of drinks. The outside area has been extended so its ideal on a sunny day. A pub is nothing without decent staff though, but I'm happy to say the staff at the alum are friendly and efficient. Great pub, lovely staff.

Great Real Ale pub with live Irish music once a month

Really nice place for a drink. Choices of ales and gins for everyone. Lovely out door area if the sun's out. Once a month is an Irish afternoon. Well, worth a visit

The brothers and I love this place and right on the sea front with beautiful veiws

Small pub, reasonably priced beer. Landlord is like a bull in a China shop though. Mad as a kite

Very clicky if your not a local

I save it for when i want a couple on way home

Love this pub,great vibe,good selection of beers and a cracking view of the River Tyne. What's not to like.?

Excellent real ale bar with a large selection of ales available, well kept & reasonably priced

Lovely cozy pub. Perfect for sitting next to the fire on a cold and windy day. Very good selection of ales too

Proper ale House with a great selection of beers. You can buy multi beer taster sets, of about a quarter of a pint to get a real taste of what's on offer. Nice staff, Good location and characterful building all enhance the experience. Top pub.

Had a great night well worth a visit.

One of the best water houses in shields. Great ales friendly staff and the people who drink in here are fab and super friendly ..everyone welcome apart from kids......which is a good thing!

Always have a good selection of beers. Especially good when Snecklifter is on. Had Directors. No Snecklifter. Do you think they will bring it back.

Staff on the ball and very helpful

What a smashing little place this is! Great pub friendly staff in a lovely setting right on the Tyne, good selection of beers and a superb beer garden for the summer evening or Sunday afternoon sessions. They have brilliant events and live music advertised in and around the location on various nights and weekends which we have enjoyed. The staff and landlord… well what can I say… unreal, I was blown away with how helpful and the kindness in helping me locate a picture/ art work for my dad that he’d seen in the pub when visiting. So a big thank you and keep up the good work. I’ll pop in next time I’m up that way. Really worth a visit to this well run clean pub in a fab location.

Good atmosphere and friendly efficient staff+good beer

Warm welcome, pleasant surroundings, good selection and quite reasonably priced. Ticks all the boxes really.

Great atmosphere and session 1sr Sunday of the month. Good selection of beers.

Simpathetically renovated old river side pub with a great atmosphere and selection of cask ales and with a live ceilidh band every first Sunday of the month with great outside seating overlooking the Tyne.

Very noisy customers spoiled our visit.

over ten hand pulled ales.never had a bad beer here ever!!.right on the RIVER TYNE,watch tyhe AMSTERDAM FERRY leave about 4,45 every night,lovely sight

Ale, Ale, Ale. Fantastic selection of ale in a proper pub. Great staff and atmosphere.

A brilliant social pub. A very good selection of drinks across the board, very friendly staff and a cosy interior. The Sun deck is awesome in the late afternoon/evening.

Lovely proper old pub with ales and a warm calm atmosphere- very relaxing and friendly. Prices a bit steep though, pay less in Newcastle City centre

Great beers, wonderful! I spent a magical couple of ours there on Sunday, accompanied by a folk music jamming session, a feature on the first Sunday of the month. Loved it, I'll be back soon. Cheers to Geoff and his team.

Fantastic friendly Pub selling a wide selection of Real Ales. Located next to South Shields ferry landing. A perfect water hole.

What a fabulous place to relax and let the world go by supping real ale kept the way it should be by Jeff and supplied by his friendly staff. There is no better place in South Shields to drink the amber nectar that is Real Ale.

Love The Alum House,great staff amazing well kept real ale Jeff does a great job to keep everthing spot on .Love the place, you will not be dissapointed peeps

Nice place. Helpful Nice staff .

This is one of the best pubs in the North East. Very comfortable, great beer selection and great location by the ferry. I'll be visiting again soon.

A brilliant pub and a great new outside area! What a place to sit and enjoy a beer or two as the sun goes down!!

Great place, friendly staff and a good selection of drinks highly recommend