Just when we think Newcastle cannot welcome another bar, club or eatery, several conjoined shipping containers crop up in the middle of the toon.
Within these tin walls are a whole host of multicultural munches, desirable drinks and talented traders. With its August arrival, the vendors came at the perfect time as students flocked into halls and inhabited the city once more.
If you’ve been in the city centre recently, or if you’ve been scrolling through your insta feed, it’s been pretty hard to miss the hype over the new build in Newcastle. What was essentially just a plot of land off Pilgrim Street for the last year has been majestically transformed into the toon’s socialising hotspot.
Whether you fancy grabbing some rolls (the sushi kind), or feasting on a big ol’ hunk of steak at Cluck Cluck Moo, the space caters for just about everyone. My favourite bites are the halloumi fries with a yoghurt mint dressing – a niche replication of Camden Market’s best seller. For gin lovers, there’s extensive rhubarb, ginger – or even your classic tonic – combinations with every type of gin imaginable. Their goblet glasses just about suffice…
For the fitness fanatics amongst you, it’s also possible to join yoga classes here in ‘The Den’. With a 30-day trial membership, you can attend as many of the weekly yoga and meditation sessions as you fancy – with the first class free! How millennial. If you’re wanting to try a new skill, Sushi Me Rolling also offers a Japanese cuisine masterclass.
With all the joy the Christmas tipis brought – which had previously stood by Central Station before Stack’s spot – I always felt a little deflated when they parted in January. Surely the best way to counteract the January blues would be with a spirited boost like that in the tipis? Although I can’t say how long the tipis will stay, Stack’s other vendors seem a creative compromise. The theme is set to change every few months – with a rumour that an ice bar may make an entrance for the New Year.
Until you see it yourself, the concept sounds, well, kind of ugly. However, this urban space has that hipster-edge with a sprinkling of Christmas class. Yes, it’s kind of strung together and when the weekend comes around the tables are sticky from clinked glasses and drunken pizza motives. But the fire pit, placed strategically in the centre, offers a cosiness to contrast the corrugated tin – just as the fairy lights embellish the sky’s canvas.
With the heaters booming, the disco tunes blaring and the mulled wine in full force, I for one can’t wait to see what’s in store for those spontaneous for those student summer days, sipping Aperol Spritzs in the sun. Stack adds a complex assortment of layers to the already vibrant city. It really does what it says on the tin.