The Beggars Bush has the honour of being one of the more historically significant places left in New Oscott. The pub, the only in the neighbourhood, sits at an intersection that has been the boundary for parishes of old. It's named for a bush that occupied the intersection until Chester Road was widened in the twentieth century. The pub itself has been through many iterations both in name and building, starting in the mid 1800's with the current building dating to the early 1930's. History aside, this is your best bet at grabbing a cold one in the immediate area.
The pub is part of the Flaming Grill brand, managed under Spirit Pubs (Chef & Brewer etc) by way of their corporate parent Greene King. This sub brand of the GK corporate empire focuses primarily on steaks and burgers. At its heart, Beggars Bush is both a family friendly pub and a sports bar. Football games are featured regularly, and on some weekend nights they host live music acts. Patrons can drop in for a quick pint, or sit down in one of the spacious booths for an affordable bite to eat. There are also several tables available for a game of pool. Some of the menu items are standard pub fare, while their food challenges are pretty outrageous. The trash can challenge for example, dares you to consume a platter of food resting on rubbish bin lid. If you can eat it all, you'll get your name and photo on the wall of the pub.
The drinks here are standard corporate pub selections, so you'll probably know exactly what to expect (which means no experimental saisons). With cider for instance, your only tap choice is Strongbow. Overall the Beggars Bush is a chain pub that doesn't do much to differentiate itself from the competition. While the pub itself is nice looking and clean, the food and drinks are nothing that I would purposefully seek out. I recommend it if you need a quick bite or drink while shopping at the nearby Princess Alice retail park, otherwise there are much better spots to try down the road in Boldmere. read more