What a little treat! When I lived in the city centre I think I must have ended up in here nearly…read moreonce a week during that time. I love nothing more than going to a classic, and most importantly, quiet pub to relax after a hard weeks work (and even harder partying on a Saturday night!). If you love venues that have lots of character then you should go and check out The Craven Arms. It offers a great selection of beers for the boys and wine for the girls and the food in delicious. You can't beat their house burger and a nice cold shandy.

I've heard rave reviews about The Craven Arms since moving to Birmingham. Brittany A. and I finally…read morehad a chance to try it out recently on a fairly quiet afternoon, and I can easily say that it deserves all of the praise it garners. The Craven Arms was built for Holder's Brewery at the dawn of the twentieth century. Departing from the Victorian red brick and terra cotta style that is so prevalent in Brum, the exterior of The Craven Arms is adorned with lovely blue and gold tiles, making it one of the more colourful pubs in city centre. Inside, the tile and brick switches over to a traditional 'old man' pub style with wood, carpeting, and dark wood chairs and stools. From the outside, the pub belies the tight quarters inside. The pub makes great use of the space though, and the intimacy and cosiness creates a true neighbourhood feel. Once you grab a stool, be prepared for one of the best craft brew and real ale selections in the entirety of greater Birmingham. Black Country Ales is tied to the Craven Arms, and aside from their traditional golden, bitter, and brown, you'll find more real ales, some IPAs hopped to the max, and fun beers like a red hot chili beer. Hard to find bottled beers and cider in the fridge complete the impressive selections. The pub has no kitchen, but they serve up cheese baps (for £1) and allow you to bring in any outside food and will even provide a fork and knife for you. For the serious beer drinker, you can join their beer club and earn your way up toward the '100 club', tasting all kinds of brews along the way. If you are up for an old pub experience with the latest and greatest in new craft beers, the Crave Arms will suit you well.

The Briar Rose is one of the new Wetherspoon 'Lodges' which feature accommodation above a…read moreWetherspoon's bar or pub. The aim is to provide simple, modern, good-value accommodation in central locations in major UK towns and cities. The accommodation itself is on the well-established Ibis model: a simple en-suite room, with simple decor, and basic but adequate facilities. There's no room service, but food and drink can be bought in the Wetherspoon's below. The Briar Rose is situated in a refurbished "bankers' classical meets art-deco" style office building, with a large bar on the ground floor. We booked a triple room for a week-end. In terms of our stay, we found: Pros: - incredibly central - between New St and Colmore Row - unbeatable value - £20 per night each (£60 between three) - clean (not spotless, but fine) - surprisingly comfy beds and pillows - spacious, bright room with high ceilings - in-room tea and coffee making facilities, hairdryer - easily booked on-line Cons: - no double-glazing, so some street noise (little traffic, but the odd drunken reveller until 2am. So probably less of a problem on week-days than at week-ends) - no air-conditioning - not much privacy from the the flats opposite (I loathe net curtains, but it needs something) - reception was a bit too casual for my liking, but efficient enough - a mix-up meant the room wasn't ready at 2pm as stated, but this was sorted out quickly by the friendly and helpful cleaner - breakfast not included, but good-value breakfasts available from the Wetherspoons below. I'd happily stay there again (so long as the weather wasn't too sultry), but would try for a rear-facing room. Once I'd fallen asleep I slept like a log, as th bed was very comfy. I might look elsewhere for breakfast, though, which was the only real downer. Although the meal itself was absolutely fine (veggie cooked breakfast for £2.10) and the service friendly, they serve beer at 9am on a Sunday morning, so attracting very late night revellers in various states of inebriation. (Two blokes were actually snorting 'poppers' as they were drinking...) They were all harmless enough and friendly in a drunken sort of way, but the management ought to think seriously about the wisdom of serving alcohol so early on a Saturday and Sunday. It's hard to decide how many stars. I think: - five stars for sheer value - a safe three stars for the accommodation (four had the room been ready) - breakfast experience was definitely two stars. So three stars overall, this time.

Out of all the Wetherspoons in Birmingham, this one is the jewel in the discount chain's crown…read more Obviously, it is still a Spoon pub (so you know what you're getting), but it has several things going for it that make it a more pleasant experience than it's competitors. Firstly, let's talk location. Being slap bang in the middle of Bennetts Hill (just up from New Street), it offers a convenient place to meet or grab a pre-meal drink that won't cost the earth. I popped in for a quick one before meeting Jon B. at Bodega yesterday and was reminded why I used to love it so much when I was a student. A decent pint of Cider was £2.35. Now, with Birmingham's reputation getting better and better - drinks prices are rising. It's amazing to get a pint in certain places for under £3.40; so I was suitably impressed. So location and prices, A OK! Let's talk design. Rather than the bland and lifeless design of some of the pubs in this chain, this one has a focus on animal print (which makes it a little more interesting). Yes, you still have your "cut and paste" bar (looking like every other Spoons in the world), but with a selection of tables, booths and high seats near the bar - it's got a nice layout to maximise seating space. I also have had call to grab a quick lunch or a life saving breakfast (you know what I'm talking about - the morning after the night before) and the food here just seems to be... better. Fresher and tastier than some of the other branches. The staff here are mixed. 9 times out of 10 you'll get a friendly member of staff, but they do get rushed off their feet here and sometimes might be a little curt on occasion. So yeah. If you're in town and meeting someone for a cheeky pint or just want a cheap spot to grab some lunch, I can recommend this Wetherspoons venue over the others on offer in the city.

I've fond memories of the Big Bulls Head; back when the Barfly was open and a stream of indie acts…read morewould be playing around the corner, it was the pre-gig destination for lazy people like me who didn't want to walk too far. It also offered the chance to spot a few of the performers loading up on a breakfast or sinking a bevvy before their show, too. Since the fall of the Sanctuary, the pub (situated on the corner where Panic's queue often stretches) is less of a fixture in my Brummy-based social life now, but often when heading to Digbeth and the new-look Institute I do often pop in for one still. Not a lot's changed really, it's still pretty small and shall we say 'lived-in'? However, it offers a pleasant atmosphere and a few colourful characters, so you'd do worse to head here before your Digbeth final destination.

A classic public house really, it is lively at the weekends and quiet enough during weekdays to pop…read morein for a peaceful pint without feeling as though the place is dead. A special mention here should go to the food served up, its homemade fare at decent prices which certainly left myself and friends feeling more than satisfied. Washing it down with a nice pint of Guinness made the experience all the more enjoyable and I enjoyed the unassuming nature of this pub. One of my pet peeves is pretentious pubs, after all a pub should be a place of relaxation and fun, not somewhere you are made to feel inadequate or uncomfortable. There's certainly no danger of that at the Big Bulls Head which embraces its customers with open arms and embodies the welcoming character which I believe defines the city of Birmingham as a whole.

Nice venue, drinks and dessert made up for the spicy salad.read more

The Gosta green is a pub pretty much in the heart of Aston university, a very short walk from the…read moremain building and the students union it is everything a student pub should be. There is a jukebox so music changed quite regularly depending on the people, the pool tables are well used with people but in surprisingly good condition. The bar offers a decent range of food with some fantastic offers! 2-4-1 pizza on a Wednesday is a great offer or add a pint too any burger for £1.50 during lunch time is also great. The food is ok, not amazing but ok, very good value for money and the portions are a great size. They have regular drinks promotions and a loyalty card scheme which If you visit often is worth looking at. As a bar for a quick drink or a meeting/starting point it's a great pub in a decent location.

A proper pub at the front with a bit of random space towards the back. There is something…read morefundamentally wrong with placing a fruit machine next to a piano! The beer was good . Enjoyed the wonderfully named Tipsy Fisherman by Steaming Billie (the brewers/owners). The Dukeries Lime Tree Porter was also very good. There were five other beers I could have tried if i'd had time! (I always have the inclination!) No food but some good crisps. The shape felt vaguely familiar so I guess I happened by whatever type of venue it was when I was a student.

The Western pub is one of those gems hidden away from most people pub eye range! It is located on a…read morelittle road just off of Narborough Road, and is a brillaint little typical British pub. The Western has many weekly events, live music occurs occasionally, there is a pub quiz and on a thursday there is a free pizza night. The pub serves typical pub food from six pm daily and it is to a decent standard. The drinks are always served to a high standard and the customer service is second to none! If you get the chance to visit then you certainly should do!!!

I have never been in a prison communal area, though I imagine one to look very similar to the…read moredining room at The Merry Maid. The false ceiling is low and holds in the monotone coverage of the Sky Sports from the mounted plasma screen. A heavily chipped wall shows the quality of darts played here in yesteryear, whilst locals compete at pool from the other end. It's not the place I would feel comfortable about my girlfriend coming without me. And that has nothing to do with the pub, its dubious location in Highgate, or its subsequent locals. I just don't want her getting better than me at pool. But, occasionally, it makes no difference whether the dining room looks like a prison communal or a Venetian palace. Sometimes the food is so good that word-of-mouth takes over and you find yourself in the vast corners of society to get a fill, like in Highgate, where even the stray dogs walk around in pairs. And here, on a damp Tuesday evening, the dining room is packed with those in the know, willing to make the pilgrimage. The short menu has a few curries, from which we tried two: A butter chicken was an artery thickening joy, which made me wonder why anyone looking towards the milder side would choose a tikki masala over this, and a chicken kahari, a pungent thing of beauty, punctured with plenty of fresh green chillies. Both were keenly spiced, offering levels of flavouring above your standard curry fare. The accompanying peshwari naans were supple and avoided cloying sweetness. It's not the curries that are the main attraction here, as testified by 90% of the dining/pool room. They come here for the meat; marinated, impaled, and plunged into a seriously hot tandoor. The result is a charred meat, full of meaty flavour and as tender as a newly singleton. All of it; the tikka chicken breast and wings, the shish kebab, the lamb chops, are simply impeccable. Eight pound for the small mixed grill is enough to feed three. Eleven quid will get you the large portion sufficient for a table to feast on. Little wonder they are always full. It's hard to take in that the best tandoor cooking I have tried is a few miles from my door, and harder to accept that I have taken so long to find it. I don't care that my beer choice is limited to the piss poor Carlsberg or Stella, or that the food is served on kitchen tissue. For once I don't care for which farm my chicken comes from, or what grass my lamb is eating. The food here makes everything irrelevant when it arrives at the table. Others have been eating here for a while knowing this. I cant wait to join them again.

I have a soft spot for The Merry Maid. It's not the kind of place I would normally go to, but…read morethere is something alluring about this old fashioned boozer in Highgate. The food is the main reason for going, Indian tandoor cooking, with mixed grills piled high upon the plate. Go with an open mind, not expecting a fancy pint of pilsner or a good glass of wine, but a handsome feed of good food for a modest price point

Poppy Red deserves four stars for being a mainstream bar/restaurant in the middle of corporate…read moreBirmingham, yet still offering an eclectic, interesting range of DJs and music. Their website puts it succinctly: "Music is a strange beast. It's too loud when you want a civilised chat...and too chilled out when you feel the need to embarass yourself on the dance floor." Poppy Red seems to get the mix just right. I've been there for a friend's birthday party, and we all had a blast. We went for dinner elsewhere, and just had a few nibbles at Poppy Red after, so I can't comment informedly on the main meals. The bar bites were typical pub grub, with no twists or flair -- definitely nothing to write home about. The drinks are on the expensive side for a bar, but the bar servers all seemed to know how to mix a great cocktail, even when asked to kick the vermouth with a pair of steel-toed boots ("I love you, Ron Burgundy!"). The music was GREAT. I mean great. I've been there three times, and never been upset with the offerings. The first time we went, the female DJ, who seemed to have a gaggle of similarly-gorgeous girls as an entourage, mixed Gladys Knight with Dizzy Rascal. Happiness is. The dance floor is spacious enough, but doesn't take over the whole bar. However, it is not a dance floor to be trifled with. Situated just to the left of the front door, all guests have to walk near it to get to the bar. So if you're funkying your chicken with aplomb, you'd better be confident in your waggle. The lighting is very low -- nearly too low, but if you're single, it makes David Walliams look like David Hasselhoff -- surely no bad thing. The seating arrangement is good, with plenty of low benches and armchairs arranged in artsy, tasteful patterns. The crowd (presumably because of the drink prices) tends to consist of clientele wearing slightly more clothes than the typical Broad Street backcombed tweens. Lots of Robert Pattinson types and their sailor-striped mooning girlfriends. The bouncers aren't too overwhelming -- nothing worse than feeling like Wrestlemania has started early when you just want to get drunk on buckets of gin and get your dance on. True to its name, the decor inside is poppy red, with a nice mural on the bar and some music videos projected onto a screen behind the DJ. All very couth, dahhling.

Whenever I've been to Poppy Red, it's been a stopover or place for meeting up with friends for a…read moredrink before moving on to somewhere else. All the same, it's a tidy little venue in the Arcadian, with a pleasant decor and great selection of drinks. The seating is very comfortable, and the prices are pretty good for the centre of town. Every time I visit, I'm always very impressed by how friendly the bar staff are. I can highly recommend the place for lunchtime refreshment, or as somewhere to enjoy a few drinks before a night out, for example at the nearby Glee Club.

I met my sarcastic twin! Love love love!…read more Bob, Madame is here for it! I was kind of discouraged when he told me that I was not allowed to take a seat where someone else was sitting... that doesn't make the game fun! We chatted a bit and I settled on the berry, um yes please!!!! I walked in hoping for some supper and a drink, as I passed it on my way from the train station, and it looked so cool! Unfortunately they do not serve food, however, if you want to bring in hot food, you are welcome (as long as you give them the rubbish so they can keep things tidy). The ambiance is a super pub! Cool vibe and I adore this place! I'm sad I'm only here for one night, as that would definitely be a regular spot! To find a person to soar with you, JACKPOT! HIGHLY recommend!

I went here after a networking event - for more networking. The decor is amazing, and it's a very…read morecomfortable atmosphere. The combination between dark Victorian and late 90s goth decor was awesome. I was served my mocktail by a male-presenting bartender who I could have easily clubbed with in the early 2000s (in style; he was much too young for us to have actually clubbed together!) The temperature was comfortable and there were multiple areas to sit. We sat in the back by a fireplace, and it was cozy. It was a nice place to get some alone-time together. It was also very clean. The rating loses 1 mark for the length of time that it took to make the mocktail. The process was so lengthy that it became the joke of the group. (Although it was delicious.) And, also, the music turned on while we were in the back-room and was so loud that it was difficult to hear each other. That was a shame.