Slap bang in the central of the student haven, that is Selly Oak, the Indie Lounge somewhat…read moresurprised me on my first visit, with its friendly yet relaxed atmosphere and top quality service, it fast developed into one of my favourite drinking spots in the area. Serving drinks at relatively cheap prices in comparison to other places nearer to town, Indie Lounge is a perfect stop on a pub crawl or even as a quick refueling point if you were to be heading into town. Abiding by the student budget, this bar is extremely popular with students who attend University this side of the midlands, with a healthy buzz without being too overcrowded, Indie Lounge is definitely worth a visit by anyone who is in the Selly Oak area.

Out of all the bars along the Selly Oak student strip, I would say that Indie Lounge is the place…read moreto drink if you are low on money as I find it is satisfyingly cheap. I personally love Indie Lounge, as the bouncers are extremely friendly, funny and easy to get along with as well as the staff members that work there which gives off a pleasing and an adequate welcoming to the bar. I find that the only down point to Indie Lounge is that they don't have a dance floor to match the great music they play, however, you will find customers (mainly girls) dancing regardless of this aspect. A further fact that I find negative, especially when consuming many drinks, is that the girls' toilets always lack toilet roll. So I would recommend before going to Selly Oak's Indie Lounge as a girl, bring a small pocket size pack of tissues. Other than these critiques, I would say that Indie Lounge is my second choice of bars along the Selly Oak student strip.

Service was quick and friendly. Everyone's food looked beautiful, as well. I ordered the butter…read morechicken and it was so delicious!!

I am a bit disappointed with The Soak. There are two things that just, in a way, crashed my…read moreexperience: the food and, even more so, the service. The food was to its best, average. But it is understandable that the food isn't some sort of out-of-this-world-amazing food, as it is very cheap and you pretty much get what you pay for (and I am a poor student). The biggest problem was the service... a plate of pie took longer than 25 minutes to get to the table, and that was after we had to go up to the counter to ask what was going on. I am also assuming that the only thing the pie needed was to be heated in the oven, which made the whole waiting more frustrating. After the plate got to the table.... oh wait.... they forgot the gravy! Once again... a second trip to the counter to ask for the gravy. Getting utensils was another task since there weren't any left to grab.... hmmm... Anyways, if you want cheap average food that fills you with bad service (and a dirty table), then I recommend coming here.

This place is apparently new. I came here on a work trip and was not disappointed at all. This…read moreplace has the atmosphere and the food is AMAZING. I now know why it's so popular if I come back to the U.K. I would love to come here again. The vibe, food and service are great!!!

Poor service. Poor atmosphere. Best to visit the Bristol pear or the soak. Macdonald's is only up…read morethe road. Since current management place has home downhill.

First impressions of this place it seems like a bit of a dump...but the atmosphere in here really…read morelifts the place up. The beer garden is definaitly the highlight of this boozer. It could do with a major facelift inside. The beer is very cheap.. £3 for a pint of Guinness. Has plenty of seating indoor and outdoor. A good place for a student hangout. Not tried the food yet but overall a good place to drink cheap beers.

I have been wanting to check out this place for a while, as I commute via University Rail station…read moreeveryday. I wasn't sure if I needed a swipe pass for entry as the bar is situated in Birmingham University's 'Staff House', but I was assured by a member of staff that anyone is free to enter. That is excepting undergrads, who apparently they can spot 'a mile off'. The idea being that it's a quieter, more 'chillaxed' place, in contrast to the party atmosphere of the popular undergrad venues. A friend and colleague of mine attends an evening Spanish class at the university. I felt that this was enough justification to stop off for a post work pint at the Bratby. We arrived at 5pm, and found sure enough we didn't a pass to enter, but we couldn't get into the bar, as it didn't open until 5:15pm. We were happy enough to wait on the plush sofas that line the entrance and window of the building for 15 minutes. When it got to quarter past, although we were waiting practically outside, we found that we weren't the first ones in. The reason I wanted to try it out, is because they are the only bar on campus that serves real ale. I'm a bit of a pub geek as well as a beer geek. On the bar they had Greene King Abbot Ale and a guest from Everards, as well as Coors' Blue Moon on keg. I opted for the Everards, which was £3.30 - more of a standard price than a subsidised one, but I wasn't complaining. The beer was fine, clear well presented, nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't that exciting. The décor is erm... canteen with a bowling alley carpet; a bit like one of those large out of town, branded, eatery pubs - only much smaller. The views to outside are obscured by some bad paintings of sunflowers. I can't help but think, had they offered creative courses at the university, their choice of art might be more interesting. We sat on a chocolate covered sofa below a television playing 'vintage' music channel. There was around 20 people in the bar by the time we left. I could see it staying steady as the evening progressed and more people knock off shift. I will almost certainly return, mainly as I get off the train at uni station, so it's a close beer before heading home. I would recommend it, if you happen to find yourself on campus. Otherwise it's not really worth travelling across town to visit. If you do find yourself in the area with more time free, it's just a shot walk to Harborne High Street and the plethora of bars contained therewith.

I'm not sure Bratby Bar (most people call it Staff House though) is actually open to anyone other…read morethan university staff or students but then again given it is a little bit reminiscent of the kind of drinking establishments that might feature in Life on Mars, perhaps this is just indicative of the fact that a) not many people know it exists b) you'd only want to go there if you worked or studied on campus. Actually I don't mean to do it down at all - if you want a quick end-of-the-day pint and can't be bothered to walk into either Selly Oak or Harborne then this is a perfectly decent place to spend your time. The beer is cheap; food is also served during the day and also pretty reasonable. The decor is nothing to write home about but the staff are efficient and in the summer you can sip your pint on one of the outside tables - which offer fab views of the clock tower and main library.

It's a good nice place and I would go there any time very polit staff. Friendly and they go out the…read moreway to see to you

I was here for a blogger event but it was quite an intimate event so I got a good feel for the…read moreplace. This is one of the only Bitters & Twisted venues I haven't been to. I loved the cosiness of it, it was perfect for a miserable evening. I liked that it's a traditional 'local' but with the quirky touches you expect from the brand. Think wallpaper featuring geese! I tried a couple of their wonderful hot cider and apple based cocktails. The Hotini was made with vanilla vodka, ginger syrup and hot cider. This would be so lovely on a cold winter day when you're feeling a bit under the weather. These are only £5 too! Food is all very hearty and rich- winter pub classics. Tuesdays are pie night and they are very proud of their pies. I'm not a pie person but I enjoyed the ocean pie and game pie- both very well seasoned and served with lovely mash and green veg. As well as pies, they have some lovely sounding sharer boards, fish dishes and an excellent vegetarian curry. This is definitely added to my list of places to pop into when I'm in Harborne!

As our suburbs get increasingly more gentrified, most suburban high streets have taken to employing…read morethe services of a Goose or a Weatherspoons as places in which to corral the local drinking community and keep them out of the posh Gastropubs of the smart urban elite. Not so Harborne. The Harborne Stores was here long before The Buena Vista Social Club CD was hip and, I'm glad to say, will comfortably outlive the current fascination for Adele. In other words, this is a place where the people of Harborne - rather than those who have bought property in Harborne - come for a pint. And that's why it's good. It's a cosy bar right in the middle of the high street and it's one of those pubs that is naturally dark, despite having enough windows, which means it'll always be much more of a winter place than a summer place. It's one of those Saturday afternoon boltholes that are a haven when you discover that it's 4.30pm and you have no idea what the score is.

I popped in here with a friend from New York because I wanted to show him a traditional pub. I live…read morein the city centre so the one's I know are more bars or restaurants but this seemed traditional - having never been here before. It is a local traditional pub, in that everyone turned around as we walked in, quite obvious to the regulars that we were not locals. Anyway, we proceeded to order lunch (curry and a burger) which was acceptable pub food. The outside had always looked quirky and interesting so was not expecting this to be so full on a weekday afternoon. It's obviously popular with the locals but I could have done with less loud, drunk people having far too much of a good time on a workday afternoon!

The White Horse is more of a traditional boozer than most of the pretentious, hipster venues on…read moreHarborne's High Street. It's located on York Street, just on the side of the fairly recent 'School Yard' development/complex. Mostly traditional, in that the back room (where the bands play) has some rather odd attempts at modern art and some fabulous illustrations by barmaid Shelli Graham on the wall. Other than that it's pretty much a old fashioned spit and sawdust (not literally) boozer. No food is served, beer is king! The most popular drink in the White Horse appears to be Carling, which is a shame as they generally have 8 ales, 2 trad ciders and 2 macro 'craft' keg beers on tap. A highlight is Bathams Bitter, which goes on sale every Tuesday, and at £3.30 a pint, you can't go wrong! Bathams is heralded as one of, if not the best traditional ale in the country. The reason for this is largely due to the fact that it's never been taken over by a larger brewery that looks towards profit margins. Indeed the Black Country brewery is still in the Bathams family, five generations after it was first conceived. It is renowned nationally and possibly globally amongst beer geek circles. The White Horse is one of the few pubs in Birmingham that has Bathams on tap (Red Lion JQ being another). Staying on beer (not that I'm obsessed or anything), it's a little known fact that the White Horse, have their own brewhouse. Yes, this is a brewpub, and I've got no idea why they don't make more noise about the fact. The beers are brewed under the name Ostler's Brewery, at present the White Horse is the only place it's available, as they class themselves as a nanobrewery rather than microbrewery. I'm not a fan of ball sports, especially that kicky ball thing that many men seem to be obsessed with. The White Horse screens many matches, and is the place to go in Harborne if you want to watch 'the game' (unfortunately). They have the sound on for bigger games too, which just adds to my annoyance. However I find that one can sit around in the side room, where there's no view of the telly in relative peace. I never know whether there's going to be a game on or not (as I don't follow these things), so it's always a bit of a gamble going in. Away from screen-based entertainment, they host a topical quiz on Tuesday evenings and have live music most Friday & Saturday nights. The pub is 100% independent, the current owners have ran it for 6 years and heave recently brought the Waggon & Horses near Cradley in the Black Country to expand their empire. I do really like the White Horse. The clientele are less poncey and more down-to-earth than one might find at other Harborne bars. It feels like a real pub, rather than some interior designer's latest fad creation. It's warm, friendly and inviting. To top all of this, they have a PUB CAT! She's called Socks and she will often sit down next to customers for company.

The White Horse is one of my favourite Birmingham pubs. Of all the Harborne pubs (aside from,…read moreperhaps, the Bell), it's by far the most like a 'proper' pub. Small in stature but big in personality. For starters it's a real ale and cider pub, with a regularly updated board of guest ales and ciders. Factor in the pub cat, local (slightly mad) artwork for sale- including works by Shelli Graham, who woks at the bar, and I'm already sold. It's kept an authentic look, with lots of wood and little nooks and crannies in which to seat yourself. Friendly staff, regular band nights (how do they fit them in??) a teeny little garden, old fireplace (which may or may not work), and tv screens which I somehow don't find that invasive. Good place if you're a sports fan though - they usually seem to be showing some football match or other. No pretentiousness here.

This is a really beautiful pub in the centre of Harborne and well worth a visit if you're in the…read morearea (of even if you're not, given that Harborne in general is one of the fanciest areas of Birmingham). I wasn't 100% impressed with the brunch food (sausage sandwich was literally just sausage and bread but was brought without condiments, eggs benedict had nice ham but the sauce wasn't the best) but it came swiftly despite the fact we were a massive group all ordering at different times - the pub handled that extremely well.

I ve been going the the Junctions for a few years and the staff are extremely friendly. The Manager…read moreHelen, behaviours exactly the same as when she was not the manager and gives an excellent service when she is covering and wells say hello to me and how I am and will ask, if I want my usual and it will be served, immediately. The food is excellent and is always served, within a quick time. I can not recommend the service anymore, that it is excellent and all the staff are friendly as I would expect from the manager and the staff are in the same.

Great place for a night out!! It looks great now it is Luna!…read moreThe VIP booths look amazing I am definitely going to book one for my Birthday :) Great mix of music commercial and chart which I love and the staff were very friendly! Will be back again soon!