Unlike the majority of other Birmingham bars, Utopia remains fairly quiet during the weekend, being…read moreat it's busiest throughout the week. The modern interior attracts a mixture of both young and old(er), with its location, near Colmore Row, encouraging business men and women to head down to Utopia after a hard's day work. The drinks are fairly priced, alongside some interesting meal deals, including a 2 4 1 deal on all main courses, which allows you to get the cheapest meal for free. The lively yet contemporary setting makes Utopia definitely worth a visit, whether it be with friends, family, clients or work colleagues, I would definitely recommend.

I was a little surprised at how rude the waitress was upon entering the bar…read more Our table was dirty so we kindly asked if she would mind getting a cloth as all the other tables were taken. She pretty much growled at us! My friend and I were looking to order dinner during the week but before we had even sat down we felt like we wanted to leave. After going up to the bar to get a few napkins ourselves, we ordered a couple of glasses of vino. The atmosphere was pretty frosty after that point so we decided to go else where to dine and buy a full bottle of wine. Overall, the venue looked nice but it was just a shame the particular member of staff was not pleasant as it ruined our evening and we won't be going back again.

This place is now known as The Robin 2 (I'm guessing due to a change of management or something?)…read more Prepare for some innuendo in this review! To enter the main music venue you have to go around the back (oh-er missus!) and apparently there's a bar next door, that you enter around the front! We didn't visit this part of the bar so I can't comment on it. There's a good size car park at the back, and it's free! It's one of those places where EVERYTHING is sticky (make your own joke there!!) Not just the dance floor but the walls, tables, seats etc. So try not to stay in one place for too long. I guess it's a good excuse to get dancing! They didn't have lots of seats so some people braved sitting on the floor. They may still be there now, stuck forever... They have a great line up of music acts, from tribute bands to proper bands, across lots of different music genres! I went to the Dames of Darkness festival, which was a two day event consisting of 15 female-fronted metal/rock/goth bands from all over the world. Well worth the money. On the Saturday the mike was a bit squeaky (did it need greasing up?!) but the sound was absolutely fine on the Sunday. They serve food all day and was I assured their vegetarian burger was suitable for vegans, but I had my doubts after trying one on the Saturday. The chips were very nice though. On the Sunday I confused the woman behind the bar by asking for chips and a plain bun. I had to explain that I wanted to make myself a chip butty! My friends said the pizza was good, and people seemed to constantly have their lips around pizza and wraps so they must've been tasty! The bar staff were friendly, despite it being very busy. In my tip, I mentioned napkins. People seemed to be constantly walking passed with these stuck to the bottom of their boots, I found it rather amusing! The toilets are upstairs. The stairs are also sticky, making it seem like a mountain hike to get to the top! (there is a disabled toilet downstairs). The ladies toilets stayed fairly clean the whole day/evening and for some reason they reminded me of secondary school toilets. There's plenty of them and I never needed to queue. I'd definitely go back here. It's not an outstanding venue but if a band you like are playing then GO!

I remember going to the old Robin back in the early 90's and not much has changed since then…read more The Robin always seems to have decent acts, both domestic and imported. Some of the names that have played here are amazing. Then... they let me on the stage. What were they thinking? So, the sound was very good - tending to lean toward a "Rockier" sound due to the dimensions of the room. It is a little bit of a "sticky-floor" type venue, but without a doubt has plenty of guts and integrity in it's credentials. One point that I will speak of was the food that we were served. I am not sure if the band food is from a menu that is on offer at The Robin, but it was first-class and home cooked. I went for the lamb shank and it was fantastic. All in all a great venue with some brilliant acts on the roster. I will look forward to returning whether it be onstage or off. A little Robin video footage of my night there below... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPUu1glhGRw

We went in to this new hotel, bar and restaurant mainly to have a look at the new opening in town…read morebut were so impressed with the place that we stayed for lunch. The building is beautifully fitted out, stylish but with a few nods to the history of building (it was a rope factory). There is a restaurant as well as an impressive bar area, each with their own food menus. There is also a large private dining room and a big outdoor terrace which I'm sure will be lovely in warmer weather. We chose from a menu with two courses for a very reasonable £16 or three for £20. All of our food was really tasty, the sticky toffee pudding with pecan ice cream being the highlight for me. Service throughout was attentive and helpful. Considering this place only opened on Friday, we were extremely impressed and I am looking forward to my next visit already.

St. Paul's house is located in St. Paul's square. This building has a rather grand entrance and…read morereally nice interior furnishing. On this occasion we walked straight through to the garden. The garden has a retractable roof with its own bar on hand. The seats are really comfortable and you can easily watch a afternoon or evening pass in the sun. On this occasion I ordered a bean burger with sweet potato fries. What's a little unusual is all meals come with sweet potato fries as default. Bread used for sandwiches are also locally brought in from peel and stone. This burger came in a brioche bun with a tangy tomato based sauce and lettuce. It tasted good but not the best bean burger Iv ever had. It lacked something extra, a smear of mustard or gherkin would have made a huge difference. The sweet potato fries were also a little oily for my taste. Although these are slightly negative points it was a good tasting burger just short of being a little more special! The burger and fries cost about £13. If your looking for a lovely place to dine in the sun with food to match check out St. Paul's house!

I remember the first time I ventured to the Arcadian's Indi Bar, back in I think 2008. I remember…read morebeing so excited - 'Ah,' I thought, 'here comes an alternative to Snobs where I can swing my hips to a bit of the Smiths without being cramped on to a tiny dancefloor.' It turns out that 'e' that follows 'indi' can make a whole lot of difference, as Indi turned out not to be a Converse and guitars kind of place. Still, it offers a fun night out if you're easily pleased. The tunes run the gamut from 90s R'n'B, the latest chart dance anthems and poppier stuff (not exactly Morrissey, eh?) so it's good for a dance, although the dancefloor isn't that much bigger than Snobs' main room to be honest. It has the added advantage of a nice little space outside for smokers and, during the early evening, beers outside. However, why anyone would choose Indi over superior Arcadian bars like Poppy Red is beyond me. Actually, maybe it isn't. The drinks prices are rather more accessible and, coupled with what might be termed 'generic' populist music, it's an ideal choice for students.

Great bar and plenty of space to dance. Sometimes you can be charged to get in but ony 2-3 pounds…read moreand drinks are not expensive at all. Great music. The only problem is I wish it were bigger! Best place to go to in the arcadian.

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.

Good vibez good music and really friendly and helpful stuff just around the corner from town…read moreeverything is near by

Food is cheap and the service is quick and polite. The place is open late for a good night out with…read morea good price for drinks and there is a place outside that does great food for when you're drunk. I would recommend you come here with friends for a casual drink, don't bring your mother in law.

This has to still be biggest and most respected music venue in Birmingham bringing the world's…read morebiggest DJs to the city on a weekly basis. Over the years the venue has grown from a small pub with a courtyard space to a complex of venues including the warehouse, terrace, textile factory, garden, beach and most recently the black box. The versatility of the spaces means that the venue has managed to remain interesting and keep thousands of party people making the trip to the top of Digbeth high street on a regular basis. You only have to look at the venues website to see the many things that are going on here week after week. If house music is your thing this place is well worth a look!

This is deffinately becoming one of my favourite places for a night out…read more The roof terrace has been renovated and is hosting some sick nights throughout the summer with some incredible dj's creating such a good vibe on a Saturday night. It's a little escape in the centre of Birmingham with like minded people just there for a good time! If you haven't been yet you have to go! I'm finding it very difficult not to go every week!

The Actress & Bishop is a real institution in Birmingham. It has that traditional pub feeling with…read morea real connection to Brums live music community. I have been coming here for literally years now. In my early student days a very young me would be down the front of the gig room getting sweaty to a mates band, when I visit now however it is much more if a civilised affair usually with food on the terrace or a pint downstairs. Its great to see so much still going on here, the venue still has strong following and keeps providing young Birmingham acts and bands with a stage to play on. Well done Actress & Bishop!

Quiz nights are here every Monday night from 8:30 pm until about 11 pm. It is 2 quid per person,…read moreand the winning team gets 50 pounds! This place gets packed so I try to get there by 8 to have a table for my team. The staff here are very friendly and fast! Even with a full pub, I've never waited more than a minute or two to order a drink. The location is clean and dimly lit - but in a good way. The atmosphere is always nice and welcoming even when in competition! The bathrooms are also clean. There's a reason we're there almost every Monday