this place prided itself on selling cheap booze -- trouble is, they were selling it to people (some…read moreof them were known trouble makers) until they were so drunk they were wandering home absolutely wasted out of their heads, wreaking havoc in the local community causing violent outbreaks and misusing emergency services. Now they are permanently closed down as of this week, according to a sign taped outside on the door. This is the best news the local community has had in decades.

You've gotta feel sorry for the Waggon and 'Osses. This small, award-winning real-ale pub has…read morerecently suffered the ignomony of having a massive, million-pound costing Wetherspoons open next door to it. Not only that, the Wetherspoons is actually really good with the facilities, warmth and atmosphere completely lacking in other nearby pubs like The White Swan and The Junction. The Waggon though should be able to stand its ground a little as its typical of the old-school boozer that seasoned bar workers like myself and seasoned ale seekers like many I know are always happy to stumble across (or out of). It's indicative of the kind of pub it is that within 30 seconds of walking in and ordering a pint of Golden Glow, I found myself in a conversation with an old chap sat nearby about Salopian beers. As well as five real ales, they serve Carling, Fosters and Strongbow. There's no Guinness on tap but cans of it in the fridge. The toilets are located at the end of a dimly lit corridor and the place could maybe do with a spot of paint. Overall it's the kind of pub that has probably survived a long time on a good reputation. Now that the Wetherspoons have moved in next door, hopefully it won't try and rest on its laurels. It's the kind of place that's nice to go for a quiet pint with your mates or on your onesome but certainly not the kind of place to go on a date or in the hope of a wild night out.

Just to be absolutely clear, yes this is a Wetherspoons pub. BUT it both needs and deserves…read morepointing out and bigging up because it is by far the best pub in Oldbury. This place opened sometime towards the end of 2011 and uses what was once the local library and, before that, the local court. Apparently the holding cells are still extant upstairs. The walls and pillars are lined with real, hardback books (not just spines like I've seen done before) so if you're waiting for someone, you can pick one up and have a flick through. There's also an open fire for cold days. Wetherspoons apparently spent something like £1 million on this place, and it shows as it's the warmest and most well-decorated one of their chain in the area that I've ever been to. The staff are all extremely friendly and polite. In fact their the friendliest of any Wetherspoons staff I've ever met. The beer is well kept and there's always a good selection of guest ales. The only Wetherspoons I've been in that's as good is the one in Llandudno and that's because their food is delicious. I've eaten here a couple of times and I'd say avoid the cheap menu if you expect anything other than cheap food, but apart from that I cannot fault the place.

A Library converted to a pub and this has produced a small cosy Weatherspoons which is relatively…read morepopular , just a pity the competition closed down the adjoining grade 2 listed pub adjacent which was far superior in terms of cosy but which couldn't compete with price.

Heather is extremely welcoming as a manager the team are all…read morelovely and work extremely hard we come for food regularly and its nice hot and tatsy really love the new menu would recommend the jerk skewers

After winding my way through the front terrace, replete with benches (a kind of beer garden at the…read morefront) I strolled through the front doors of the George. A group of old drinkers glanced up from their pints and, presumably having judged me fit to enter (or not worth any fuss) went back to their conversation. A few other elderly couples and young mothers were sat round sorting out ordering food. I got myself half a Banks bitter and went and sat in the corner with a copy of the Black Country Mail. It's a pretty sizeable pub, very clean and looks ideal for families. There's also a room where no children are allowed which has a pool table in it, so everyone's catered for. The bar was cheap, the barman polite and the background music unobtrusive.

The One & Two Halves (so named as it used to be the site of a bus station, so think and adult and…read morechild fare) is a chain pub off Wolverhampton Road by the M5 traffic island. It's a family pub with a wacky warehouse play area and crayons and drawing paper for tiny diners. I went for lunch with a friend and we had to wait a while to be seated, even though the place was fairly empty. We then had to wait a while for our order to be taken, and wait a while longer for our 2nd drinks order to be delivered. Ouch. The staff were really very friendly, but it felt like they were a touch disorganised. The meal was passable. I had Chicken, which was nice, but my vegetables were dry and some burnt. Average, at the very best. The men's toilet was out of order and the place felt very worn, with a lot of damaged furniture and warning signs. The disabled toilet I had to use in lieu of the gents toilet was actually very dirty. Yuck. Overall, I give this place an extra star thanks to the staff being so friendly. It's not somewhere I'd recommend though.

Looks like any other chain pub! However this place is a lot bigger and way better. Great seating…read moreavailable. Parking is good! Outdoor seating area! Outdoor smoking area! A wacky warehouse attached to it for the kids also...

One sunny afternoon a few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I decided to be some of those people who…read moreonly ever go to a pub when it's sunny (as a barman of a decade's standing, I'm allowed the odd busman's holiday surely?) As I'd noticed this pub - which sits on the corner of Wolverhampton Road and Titford Road, backing onto a canal - had just been refurb'ed, we went down there. It looks like the refurbishment amounted to painting (most of) the outside because it still looks quite old in there. The toilets were clean but haven't been updated since sometime well back in the last century and there was a hole in one of the windows. There's nothing wrong with a traditional pub, but we found this one lacking charm and atmosphere and, whilst I'm in no way an advocate of inane and false customer service, the woman behind the bar definitely wasn't pleased to see us. So we necked our drinks and quickly left for the Crosswells. Overall? Okay if you want to sit by the canal for a bit. But you'd do just as well getting a fishing rod, buying your own booze and going it alone.

This is probably the best indian BBQ in the world! This place is a must,…read more the food is to die for. This place is basically 2 semi detached houses converted into a pub / indian bbq crib. Customer service is ok'ish but the food is tooo good. Friday and Sat nights are the days to go however one bad point is that this is mainly a men only joint, I say that as i've never seen a woman there before.

While writing this review I am still chuckling at the pictures which contain some of the regulars…read morewho I know very well from this small town pub that I spent a large part of my life near. Desi2 represents a popular type of pub which are abundant in this area and have gained popularity amongst the non-indians due to the food and no frills approach. It is a pub at heart so I am not reviewing the drinks or service as its pretty standard for any pub around here. What I am reviewing is the 'mixed grills' - they come in small to xtra large which if i remember is 5 pounds - 12 pounds the xtra large being enough for 4 people! YUP super value for money. However the food options go from fries to a curry but I always stick with the great tasting fish pakora as starters and a mixed grill. A mixed grill consists of lamb chops, kebabs, chicken wings and boneless chickens all on a sizzling hot plate and cooked in an indian bbq style. Great with a pint and great to enjoy in a group which is why pubs like these are the number one destinations for people just wanting a laid back evening with food and drink. It lost a star due to the washrooms never having paper towels or toilet roll even because the hand dryer is pretty lame. Sucks that no such place exists yet in the whole of Canada!

We took my mother who is in a wheelchair yesterday for her 79th birthday, together with my sister &…read morebrother in law for a meal. What can I say absolutely brilliant & amazing, staff were very attentive and helped get my mum comfortable, food was delicious and restaurant was lovely as its been refurbished (I had not been there for 20yrs) and finally the customers in the bar were also very friendly. I cannot believe that I live in Dudley and have not visited The fellows before, its definitely going to be one of my regular pubs Thank You The Fellows Senna Atwal

Now that Mick and Vicky have taken over they have given the Pub a much needed Refurb bringing a…read morenice clean and modern look to the inside.All the staff are friendly they have even managed to tempt back previous employees which is great to see, nice selection of quality Ales on board which are well kept, now that they have sorted the kitchen out I will look forward to sampling some of the food there. Mick and Vicky held their wedding there some years ago and now own the place so they have a vested interest in keeping the place as good as it gets and I wish them all the best for the future.Oh and if you're looking for a function room they have that as well.

"Smart dress only" advises the sign on the door as you walk into the White Swan. I'm guessing this…read moreonly applies to the nights as the handful of people in there (myself included) were hardly black tie. The barman who, in fairness, was actually wearing a black tie, served me an orange juice which cost £1.50 and was a quarter of a pint. I know this because he tipped it straight into a glass without asking and didn't ask me if I wanted any ice (two big no-no's of barman etiquette - that's me talking as a barman, not an arsey customer). Two gulps later, the juice was gone and I wandered back out safe in the knowledge there'll never be a bit of my heart devoted to it. I was in there just long enough to take in the soulless decor and massive tele on the wall showing 'Dickinson's Real Deal' with a dodgy picture. Absolutely awful.

Bit of a drab pub. They do meals but don't expect to pay on a credit card. And don't expect much…read moreeffort put into them.

You can't see what this pub looks like inside because of the frosted windows, but once you lift the…read morelatch (yep, there's a latch) on the door and walk in it's all change and back to 1975! The Royal Oak, whilst friendly and clean just has that musty smell of old furniture that comes with a pub which has long since been refurbished. It seems to be a common theme in pubs and shops around the Oldbury area - perhaps it's a sign of a lack of investment, perhaps it's something else, perhaps everyone's happy with it. I was one of only three customers in the Royal Oak when I went in on a Tuesday night, but the lack of customers was balanced out by the huge amount of pictures and football memorabilia on the wall which kept me interested for a bit. The pub also does Indian food to eat in and take out and has the usual selection of lager, cider and Guinness. There were three hand-pulls but only one was on (and that has Old Rosie on it). It gets three stars not two because I could sit at the bar and read a paper that had been left there. Verdict: A drinker's pub.

The Ivy Bush is an amazing place great brand new refurb and lovely staff, very welcoming and such a…read morehuge change, the food is amazing I couldn't think of anywhere better to go

A man walks into a bar and orders a diet coke. The barman pours the drink without asking if the…read moreman wants ice and them mumbles the price so that the man can't hear it. On working out from his change that it was only 85p, the man cheers a little and settles down on a barstool to watch the dreadful US afternoon film on Channel 5 along with the sole other customer in the pub. So is life at the Ivy Bush in Smethwick, a short distance from the dilapidated West Cross shopping centre (if it was ever lapidated in the first place). It's a small Holdens pub which serves no cask ale despite having six handpulls, but has a good selection of cheap keg stuff such as Coors Light, Guinness, Strongbow, smooth bitters and so on. Like other pubs in the area (The Cottage, The Royal Oak), it also serves Indian food. I've experienced better.