Phil's World Pub Guides - West Midlands, UK

Pub Comments Location
BILSTON
Wetherspoon's Sir Henry Newbolt This one-roomed Wetherspoon's is fairly narrow but it goes on for miles!
Last visited May 2016.
BIRMINGHAM
Colmore A rather fine interior with, modern I think, stylish woodwork and electroliers. Being run by Thornbridge it of course serves excellent real ales, their own and guests, but who's going to try a guest when Jaipur is available? Highly recommended.
Last visited November 2021.
Colmore Row / Bennetts Hill
Head Of Steam About four real ales were on when I visited on a very busy Saturday afternoon in November.
I was about half way down my pint of a superb Breakfast Stout when the barmaid tracked me down to tell me my contactless payment had been declined. Goodness knows how long she spent searching, as I was hiding in a less noisy corner at the back of the crowded pub. Was it worth stopping service for a fiver? Perhaps it comes out of her wages.
Last visited November 2021.
Temple Street
Newt An enormous plastic pub in the basement of the shopping centre, but providing a good pint of Bank's Bitter.
Last visited December 2006.
Pallasades
Post Office Vaults A compact cellar bar offering a great selection of quality real ales.
Last visited December 2019.
Pinfold Street or New Street
Wellington A wonderful real ale pub, with no less than fourteen handpumps on the counter. Traditional decor in the partly knocked through interior, there's also another bar upstairs which I haven't visited.
Last visited November 2018.
Bennetts Hill / Colmore Row
Wetherspoon's Briar Rose This standard Wetherspoon's is always busy with drinkers and diners. The decor features some good wood panelling. Look out for the strong room doors as you make your way through the labyrinth to the toilets. There's a Wetherspoon's Hotel attached.
Last visited August 2018.
Bennetts Hill
Wetherspoon's London & North Western A large popular modern pub in New Street station. (High numbered B end - red zone, outside barriers of course.)
Last visited March 2023.
New Street Station
Victoria Quirky decor with some historic features in this great three-room vicrorian pub. Excellent real ales served. Unexpectedly deserted at one on a Thursday.
Last visited August 2019.
Station Street / John Bright Street
COVENTRY
Charterhouse A friendly one bar two sided pub, off the beaten track, attached to a rather good Indian restaurant. The restaurant has a separate entrance but they will let you sneak through behind the bar when it's raining.
Last visited April 2000.
Terry Road / Orwell Road
City Arms A typical Beefeater restaurant, with Boddington's beer.
Last visited 1996.
Earlsdon Avenue South, Earlsdon
Craven Arms A pub with a rather good Chinese restaurant attached. Banquet B recommended.
Last visited 1996.
Woodway Lane
Gatehouse Five real ales were available when I visited this pub with one high room with barn roof beams and bare brick walls. I had Reverend James and it was excellent.
Last visited September 2010.
Hill Street, just inside the ring road.
Litten Tree A fairly new large open bar/restaurant with nice decor, busy on a Saturday afternoon. The food is good but the real ale is not. Unusually, there's waitress service, and you don't pay for your meal until you've eaten it.
Last visited August 2002.
 
Mount Pleasant I wandered out of my plastic hotel, passed MacDonalds, Blockbuster, ASDA and KwikSave, and what a pleasant surprise - Decent beer in a rather nice large pub with only one small bar counter and a number of separate eating and drinking areas. My only complaint was that the Greene King Abbot was served through a totally inappropriate sparkler.
Last visited April 2000.
Hinkley Road / Brade Drive, Walsgrave
Millpool Real ales from Everard's and guests, and some very nice food in this always busy friendly suburban pub with a large lounge side and a 'proper' separate bar.
Last visited September 2010.
Hipswell Highway / Omar Road
Old Clarence Another pub with a Chinese restaurant attached.
Last visited 1996.
Earlsdon Avenue North
Old Windmill Inn "Ma Brown's" A splendid ancient multi-roomed pub. Nice wood panelling and an impressive collection of pump clips on display.
Last visited August 2002.
 
DUDLEY
Bottle and Glass Part of the Black Country Living Museum, the pub building was relocated from Stourbridge. The wooden seats and panelling date from the 1870s, the building is substantially older. They serve an excellent pint of no-name bitter.
Last visited May 2009.
 
ERDINGTON
Red Lion Quite a few original looking features inside, primarily the gorgeous curved ceramic counter front. Busy with regulars on a Saturday afternoon.
Last visited November 2021.
Station Road / Short Heath Road
NEC
Wetherspoon's A small busy Wetherspoon's in a food court. Only one cask ale on.
Last visited November 2021.
NEC Piazza
Wetherspoon's Atrium This one is not opened if there are no exhibitions in this part of the NEC.
Not visited.
NEC Atrium
NORTHFIELD
Wetherspoon's Black Horse This is a magnificent example of a Neo-Tudor pub, built in 1929 and well preserved inside and out. It truly is an architectural gem deserving of its listing. I particularly admired the stained glass window decorations and carved woodwork. Sadly, with building work under way, they wouldn't let me see the function room upstairs.
Last visited November 2021.
Bristol Road South / Frankley Beeches Road
OLDBURY
Wetherspoon's Court Of Requests A very pleasant spoons with wood paneling and bookshelves. Seems smaller than average until you find a second large room at the back.
Last visited November 2021.
Church Street / Market Street
STOURBRIDGE
Wetherspoon's Edward Rutland On entering I found what appeared to be the smallest Wetherspoon's ever, peaceful and comfortable and, of course, serving some decent ales. Then, walking down the mirrored corridor I came to a much larger noisier area with another bar counter, lots of TVs and a dance floor.
Last visited January 2010.
Church Street
SUTTON COLDFIELD
Butlers Arms It's rather hard to date this building, could it be early 1920's, but it's nicely looked after anyway. A small selection of real ales is on offer, I had Abbot. Most of the large knocked through interior is dedicated to diners, the menu seems to be towards the up-market end of pub grub. There are some nice leather sofas in the bar end. Very quiet on a Wednesday afternoon, but lunchtime drinkers' empties had not been cleared.
Last visited February 2011.
Lichfield Road / Butlers Lane
Crown Five hand pumps in use and my pint of Timothy Taylor's Golden Best was spot on in this large restaurant/pub in the Ember Inns chain. Very popular on a wet Wednesday lunchtime, mainly with diners.
Last visited February 2011.
Walsall Road / Four Oaks Common Road
WALSALL
Black Country Arms A confusing multi-level interior, but once you find your way to the main room you are presented with a row of sixteen hand pumps, none of which are serving common national brews. The ale I sampled was excellent. The food looks good, and I was pleased to see the long standing pub tradition of a meat raffle survives here. If you don't like the imposing, high-ceilinged bar room, you can move up or down to more cosy areas.
Last visited September 2014.
High Street
WEST BROMWICH
Crown and Cushion A pleasant corner house, well decorated inside. Quite quiet at half four on a Friday. Two handpumps were in operation, my pint of Castle Rock Harvest Pale was perfect.
Last visited November 2021.
Seagar Street / Lloyd Street
Wetherspoon's Billiard Hall A rather good old building, presumably a billiard hall? Pleasant inside but with no original features.
Last visited November 2021.
St Michael Street
WOLVERHAMPTON
Great Western This gem of a pub, hidden in the back streets behind Wolverhampton railway station, is well worth seeking out. There are usually about five real ales on, the ones I have tried have been spot on. The menu looks good and good value and the Grey Peas and Bacon are delicious.
Last visited January 2020.
Sun Street
Hog's Head This large pub has a rather splendid quirky interior with lots of modern ceramics mixing with "distressed" wooden wall covering. On a particularly chilly January day this was the first pub of three to be reasonably warm.
Plenty of peace and quiet with my excellent pint, but I bet it's a bit noisier in the disco at 2am on Saturday.
They seem to concentrate on the stranger real ales, I had a very odd Cherry Cheesecake IPA from Team Toxic in Liverpool. So strange I still didn't know if I liked it after sinking a pint!
Quite a lot of the signage calls this Hogshead but the big sign on the front is as I have shown.
Last visited January 2020.
Broad Street / Stafford Street
Lych Gate A rather splendid traditional boozer serving a wide selection of quality ales. Everyone knows everyone else (Except me). Fake antique beam ceiling and a rather fine carved counter front. The food offering is a good selection of cobs.
Last visited January 2020.
Lichfield Street
Posada A rather fine three room pub with a wonderful ceramic frontage and more ceramics inside. They serve excellent ales, although almost as many people came in to buy cheese and onion cobs when I was there. On one visit I was nearly caught out when I selected something I'd not seen before from Oakham Ales which turned out to be a cider, but luckily the friendly barman warned me, I expect I'm not the first. Deserted on a Saturday lunchtime in January 2020.
Last visited January 2020.
Lichfield Street
Wetherspoon's Moon Under Water An island bar in the middle of one large open room, with a row of booths with stained glass screens along one side.
Last visited October 2010.
Lichfield Street

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