The Exchange in North Tyneside

In the wake of my 5* review of January this year, I'm dropping that to a 3. Service is excellent as ever, the venue is clean, smart as usual, but to have no lemon (or lime) on the premises for a G&T is lowly. It is a town centre. There is a supermarket at 1 minute's walk away. My G&T, basically 8 quid for a double, but it looks like I am having an Alka Seltzer. Not a chic moment

I compliment the barman(ager) -- beard, bball cap: his attentiveness reminds me of when I am in Italy -- which is the very home of hospitality. BravISSIMO!

Terrific bar,with a great selection of both local and international beers. Courtyard, stage in the bar for music, comedy etc. Small and very large tables for bigger groups. Extremely pleasant bar staff. Very clean toilets Date of visit:

They always serve a good pint - in a tankard too if that's your thing - with a good selection of real ales, reasonably priced. Nice ambience, and the Saturday evening music mix can be inspirational! Well worth a visit.

The Exchange is hidden away in an old town hall complex just outside of North Shields town centre. It is a stylish venue with lots of cask ales in great condition, food and an art gallery. Nice ambience with an enclosed courtyard for outdoors if the weather is right. A large auditorium and stage is used for live music, plays and cinema. Suffers from poor signposting - you almost have to be in it to find it. If the bar was in the estate agent's on the corner in the main street it would quadruple its trade and guide people in to a lovely venue that has been sadly underused under previous management.

The large cycling club called North Tyneside Riders has adopted the exchange as their unofficial base. The are club members in the Exchange most nights, and the ability to park bikes in the courtyard is very welcome. The beer choice is good, the food always looks tasty and they look after us very very well. Totally worth a visit especially on a sunny day when the courtyard is flooded with sunlight. Great place.

We visited the Exchange for a play and enjoyed the experience .A well stocked bar with a courtyard to drink in. On the agenda for another visit!

This is a little cafe bar with a big heart! they host a variety of events, each one well run and interesting. Gerry Beldon and his family make the place welcoming, and the lunches are great, reasonably priced, and generous portions.

Have visited a few times now, this is a hidden gem underneath an archway opening into a secluded sunny courtyard and a lovely bar and arts centre space serving a good range of real ales and a selection of freshly prepared sandwiches and food at reasonable prices. There are changing art exhibitions and a full programme of a variety of live music on offer Staff are friendly and efficient Hope to visit again and catch more of what is on offer at this cultural hub in the future.

Been to this bar a few times now normally in the evening and once for lunch. It's a lovely airy place with a great atmosphere. Large selection of real ales, wines and very tasty food. Would recommend the chilli! Has a musical vibe with a grand piano and guitars available for customers to play. They also have little art gallery with some nice pictures. Thoroughly recommended it if you're looking for a night out with friends somewhere a little classier than your average North Shields bar!

We recently visited the exchange to see Tony Washington, as the Bobby Thompson Tribute. We had booked the tickets direct with the Exchange, and arranged to collect the tickets from the bar prior to the show. All the staff at the exchange are really friendly and helpful. We had drinks in the bar area, which were reasonably priced. Lovely bar, very nicely decorated, plenty of seating inside and outside on a little courtyard. The auditorium where we saw the show, was well set out with tables and chairs so everyone had a good view of the stage. The show itself was excellent. Plenty of parking at the back of the exchange, it's free after 6pm. The building is a lovely impressive old style building. You can even just pop in during the day for coffee or tea and scones. We would definitely return.

This is a comfortable and quiet space to stop for a light lunch and a coffee. Sandwiches are made to order and can take 20 minutes to arrive. If you have the time to enjoy the free WiFi and the light, space and comfortable surroundings then it is worth a visit. It looks to be a good evening venue with real ales on tap, vegan beer (?) and regular entertainment and comedy nights. Not great wheelchair access - though that may be worth checking as there may be alternative entrances to the one that I used.

We spent a week with the folks from The Exchange using their facilities to offer training. The event staff were really helpful with set up for the events and the cafe staff were really friendly and welcoming to all those who attended. Extremely happy with the service and the accessibility of the venue. I am a disabled lecturer and it was nice to be in a venue that was easily accessible both in the physical structure of the place and in the welcoming attitude of the staff.

This place is amazing! A great venue for Amateur Dramatics, Concerts, Dances and the Beldons bar is fabulous for food and drink. Phone ahead to find our what's on. Sundays are my favourite for live music . . . I am always surprised that the Advance marketing and advertising seems to be minimal, nevertheless the reputation is slowly spreading by 'word of mouth'.

I cannot review the food because I could not wait to taste it. After approximately 40 mins waiting for 2 tuna melts. We asked for our money and left. We watched two couples who arrived after us get served. One with what I. believe was out order. There was 4 couple in cafe. And about 4 members of.staff. this must be the worst managed cafe I have ever been to. On a positive note the coffee was nice, but had been long finished before we left. Staff were polite.