Life’s a beach at Jesmond’s new outdoor food and drink spot. No bucket or spade required.
Beach Box is a new pop up beer garden and eatery in Jesmond, situated behind The Holy Hobo (Mr Lynch, once upon a time) and As You Like It.
A sandy beach awaits, with clusters of wooden deck chairs, benches, fire pits and palm trees. There’s also a tented seating area because, you know, we’re in the UK and it rains. A lot.
It’s not just about food and drink – the venue also hosts open mic sessions and wellbeing activities like yoga, making it a versatile go-to destination this summer.
A safe space at Beach Box
Socialising is a whole new experience now. You have to be prepared to book where possible, share your contact details, and generally show greater self-awareness within your surroundings.
Thankfully, Beach Box has got this covered. All the seats are really well spaced out and meet current social distancing guidelines. Plus, plenty of loos and sinks for washing your hands can be found on-site.
Drinks at Beach Box
Good news, it’s table service (who actually misses queuing at the bar?). And I have to say, I’ve never had my drink delivered so swiftly before! You pay for your drinks upfront via contactless, too, so the process is very smooth and efficient. And all the staff wear face coverings.
Alongside a mish mash of cocktail favourites, you’ll find a decent selection of pints, bottled beers, and fizz on the drinks menu. My Twister cocktail (pictured below) was, as the name suggests, flavoured like a twister ice lolly – super sweet and refreshing.
On the Beach Box food menu
If you’re after a bite to eat, you can order from a shorter version of The Holy Hobo’s food menu – think burgers, hot dogs and loaded fries – or treat yourself to street food from a variety of local vendors, which included Dosa Kitchen, Acropolis, and The Pizza Van on my visit.
I picked the chicken tikka kebab box from the main menu, comprising a chicken skewer, large tortilla, and chopped salad. I found it a bit underwhelming and lacking in any real flavour. The seasoned chips, however, were deserving of the thumbs up emoji – so moreish.
My Beach Box date for the evening chose one of The Holy Hobo’s burgers, which was nothing to write home about either.
Admittedly, we both had proper food envy as we watched other visitors tuck into delights such as pork gyros and crispy duck from the street vans. Theirs looked far more appetising, so I’d probably go for one of those next time.
Beach perfect?
Beach Box is a novel idea that meets our new social distanced norm head-on.
The food and cocktails weren’t the best I’ve ever tasted, but the venue provides us locals with an alternative place to safely meet up with friends, and this is what really sells this space.
I’d say, overall, everything is well executed in terms of the setting, service, and safety measures. All we need now is some sunshine!
The venue is open 11am-11pm every day. Entry is free and you can pre-book a table via its website. Family pooches are welcome, too!
For more information about Jesmond Beach Box, visit www.jesmondbeachbox.co.uk.
