Best Beer Gardens in South Shields
From a seafront terrace overlooking Sandhaven Beach to a craft beer micro bar in Harton Village, here are the best beer gardens and outdoor drinking spots in South Shields.
When the sun comes out in South Shields — and it does more often than people think — there are few better places to sit outside with a pint. The town has seafront terraces, clifftop beer gardens, and a handful of spots where you can watch the world go by with a cold drink. Here are the best beer gardens in South Shields.
The Sand Dancer
The Sand Dancer at 2 Sea Road has one of the best pub locations in the North East, let alone South Shields. The beer garden overlooks Sandhaven Beach, and on a warm evening there is genuinely nowhere better to sit. The pub serves a wide food menu alongside a full drinks list, and it is dog-friendly — they even have a dog treats menu.
The beer garden fills up fast on sunny days, so arrive early or be prepared to wait.
Best for: Beer garden right on Sandhaven Beach — arguably the best outdoor drinking spot in South Shields, with sea views, food, and a dog treats menu.
Marsden Grotto
Marsden Grotto at Marsden Bay is not a beer garden in the traditional sense, but the beach terrace at the foot of the cliffs — with Marsden Rock looming in front of you — is one of the most dramatic outdoor drinking spots in the country. The Grotto itself is built into the cliff face and serves seafood alongside a good drinks list.
Access is by lift or cliff steps from the car park above. Check opening hours before you go.
Best for: Beach terrace beneath the cliffs at Marsden Bay — one of Europe's only cave bars with dramatic views of Marsden Rock.
The Bamburgh
The Bamburgh at 175 Bamburgh Avenue is a Greene King pub with a spacious beer garden that catches the sun. It is dog-friendly, serves pub grub, and has sport on big screens inside. The garden is popular after walks along The Leas coastal path and especially busy around Great North Run weekend.
Best for: Spacious beer garden at a dog-friendly Greene King pub near the coast — a natural post-walk stop with pub grub and sport.
Harton Hop House
Harton Hop House at 181b Sunderland Road is a micro bar in Harton Village that opened in 2020 in a former ice cream parlour. It stocks a carefully curated range of craft beers, cask ales, gins, and whiskeys, with outdoor seating at the front for warmer weather. The atmosphere is relaxed and the beer selection is excellent — look out for local options from Two by Two Brewing and Wylam Brewery.
Best for: Craft beer micro bar in Harton Village with outdoor seating, cask ales, and a carefully curated selection of gins and whiskeys.
The Wouldhave
The Wouldhave at 16 Mile End Road is the local Wetherspoon and, after a major refit, has a sizeable beer garden at the rear. It is not the most glamorous option on this list, but it is spacious, well-priced, and reliably open. Named after William Wouldhave, co-inventor of the self-righting lifeboat, it serves the usual Wetherspoon range of cask ales and affordable food.
Best for: Wetherspoon with a sizeable beer garden after a major refit — well-priced ales and food in the town centre.
The pub crawl with a view
If you want to do an outdoor pub crawl in South Shields, start at The Sand Dancer on Sea Road for the beach views, walk along the coast to Marsden Grotto for the cliffs, then head inland to Harton Hop House for craft beer. That covers three very different outdoor drinking experiences in a single afternoon.
For more on the indoor pub scene, see our guide to the best pubs in South Shields.
Looking for more? See our guides to cocktail bars and Sunday roasts in South Shields.