Power tip: quaint pub with an adjoining burger and fries stand. Good bacon burger, and both the…read morespiced and Alabama fries were tasty. Staff were friendly

Built in the 1920s by the Mitchells & Butlers brewery this large, Grade II listed pub in the middle…read moreof the Birmingham suburb of Stirchley is something of a hidden treasure, despite being situated in plain sight along the busy Pershore Road. You step across a small car park and into the public bar, which is a large open space that can often get busy when there are sporting events on the big screen, but venture past this and The British Oak slowly starts to reveal its many charms over a series of side and back rooms, and an extensive garden. You may think that the place looks big when viewed from the front, but this really only tells half the story. When the pub was originally built, and for many years that followed, the side rooms were variously 'The Gents' Only Lounge', or 'The Smoke Room', but in 21st Century, smoke-free Britain these are now simply extra rooms within the same pub that offer quiet places for customers to drink, eat and talk, away from the bustle of the main bar. Move towards the back of the building and you could almost be in another pub entirely as you enter the small and cosy back bar, more than likely stepping over a sleeping dog or two in process. With an open fire and the genuine feel of a small, country boozer, this snug space is particularly welcoming on dark and damp Winter afternoons. To the side of the back bar there is yet another room, the last of the 5, which is variously used as a venue for family parties (particularly at weekends) or for any number of events promoted by Stirchley's burgeoning creative community, including film screenings and a comedy night. Whilst the 5 interconnecting rooms of the main building offer an impressive array of different pub experiences under the same roof, it is only once you move outside at the back of the pub that you really get a sense of the size of the place. The back door opens onto a large, covered area containing leather sofas and long tables that offer a rare chance to drink and smoke in comfort, before leading you down the steps into a seriously huge garden that is also the perfect afternoon sun trap. The garden has a slide and various other play equipment for the kids (and big kids) and even when busy, as it often is during the summer months, it never feels too crowded. Further still, and at the very back of the garden, there is the quintessentially English site of a manicured bowling green and wooden clubhouse, for this is the home of The British Oak Bowling Club. Listen to sound of polite applause and muted cheers drifting across the garden on summer afternoons and you will be a million miles away from the slow drudge of the Pershore Road. The British Oak is child and dog-friendly and offers a decent selection of wines, spirits and lagers, as well as a range of cask ales sufficiently varied to make it one of CAMRA's 'Real Heritage Pubs'. The food an offer ranges from good, honest pub grub - the gammon, egg and chips is particularly fine - as well as bar snacks, such as bowls of chips, sandwiches, pizzas and hot pies. In an age of homogenised chain pubs and regenerated urban boozers that often try too hard to impress, The British Oak is a welcome change to the norm. It's a traditional pub that is moving with the times but doing so at its own pace, thank you very much, and therein lies its charm. If you are looking for a place to sit and read a newspaper over a pint, or for somewhere to take family or friends, in summer or winter, I recommend a visit.

Despite being gifted with a great frontage, a lovely garden and smoking area, as well as a…read morespacious open plan interior, the Three Horseshoes miserably fails to be anything more than average. It's rare for me to be so negative in a review, especially in the opening sentence but I really do struggle to find much positive to say about the place - the drink selection and the food are nothing unusual, the music that is played is soul crushingly bland as well as seeming to repeat every hour. The staff try their level best which I always appreciate but there's very little that can be done in this situation to elevate the experience to anything special or unusual. When I go out, the aim is to enjoy myself and usually I succeed. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite manage that in The Three Horseshoes.

I'm not a huge fan of this place, to be honest. Even though there are only a handful of pubs in the…read morearea - and that one of them is The Hibernian, which also isn't great - this pub would be the last one I would chose. As is often the case with a less-than-great boozer, it could be so much better. The building itself is a great, traditional pub and the location is superb - right in the middle of the gateway to Stirchley - but unfortunately the pub lacks any kind of soul. This might be to do with the fact that it is quite large inside, but there are plenty of big pubs that manage to retain a welcoming feel. In fact, it's hard to put your finger on what exactly is wrong with the place, but it just doesn't feel right to me. A shame, and perhaps it will change in time, but at the moment this place is just not for me.

Only visit for drinks as it is an ok setting but the food and management are a joke. I visit…read morerecently for a Sunday beef dinner with my mum who is recovering from a heart attack. I have never been so disappointed. I could genuinely cook a better dinner with my eyes shut and they are supposed to be professionals. The beef was terrible, roast potatoes were not fresh but frozen ones and broccoli was over cooked by about 10 minutes (mush). They had ran out of basic condiments I requested and told me they were on order. Nobody clearly does a stock check to keep on top of things. I spoke to Sharon the manager who huffed and puffed in my face and stormed off mumbling under her breath, never to return. Unacceptable behaviour from a manager offering a service that is far from satisfactory.

This is an Ember Inn pub, so pretty much follows the format of all other Ember Inns, but that's not…read moreto say that the Country Girl isn't worth a visit., not least because it is situated on the very border of Bourenville village, which is entirely without public houses to this day due to the Quaker beliefs of the founding Cadbury family, and as such is the only watering hole for some considerable distance! The food is always good and well prep rared and the service is friendly. The pub can get quite busy in the evenings with the local students and also in the after work hours as the nearby hospital staff drop in for a pint or two, and the Quiz Night on Tuesdays makes it nearly impossible to get a seat, with the food service obviously slowing down as a consequence. During the day, however, the Country Girl is genuinely nice spot for a few beers and a meal. There is a small and quiet beer garden to the rear, which is a great spot in the summer

This is pretty much the only pub in Cotteridge and it's not a great one, I'm afraid. This is a…read moreshame as the building itself is a great looking, traditional urban pub that could be so much better if a bit of time, love and cash went into the place. That said, these are tough times for pubs so it is perhaps understandable that The Grant Arms is a little run down I've only been in the main bar and it's fairly poorly furnished and not all that welcoming. There are a handful of locals propping up the bar and the rest of the place is fairly cavernous. I'm also always wary of pubs that only seem to sell Carling or Stella, both of which are awful beers. I'm not expecting every pub to become gentrified, far from it in fact, but a wider selection of ales would not go amiss. If you're in the area and in desperate need of a pint then you could drop in for a swift half (any port in a storm, and all that), but I wouldn't recommend it.

I'm a fan of traditional 'old man' boozers but Grant Arms falls a bit short. Maybe it's because…read moreit's so huge and it's such a good looking pub that it just seems like a wasted opportunity. Since The Breedon Bar burned down years ago it's pretty much the only pub in the immediate area (you need to go for a walk towards Stirchley before you come across the next one) so it kind of has the local market covered. Also, as I mentioned, it's a huge old boozer, it really looks great from the outside too. It has a really big car park (a real bonus in this day and age) so to me all of these things should add up to a good traditional pub. But it doesn't. It's not very well kept (that part doesn't bother me too much) but just a little bit of love and it could be great. Whenever I've been in it's not too busy, another good thing in my opinion, but with the size of the place it gives it a real derelict kind of vibe. It doesn't have a very good selection of drinks and the locals who drink in there (at least the few times that I have been) haven't been the most welcoming bunch. The Grant Arms is an ok old pub when it should be a really great one.

Smoking food and music…read more The Dark Horse is a quintessential Moseley pub, full of the friendly bustle that you can expect from the area. The venue itself is a welcoming space with plenty of seats both inside and out, there's a full bar on offer with a variety of spirits that I'd imagine will have something for all tastes. Food is tasty BBQ style smoked meat and pizzas made in the pizza oven sitting roaring away in the back. I had the smoked meat platter and everything on offer had a deep smoky flavour with plenty of "narl". The Dark Horse lives up to it's name however by having a large space upstairs that they use when the night gets later and everyone gets their dancing shoes out, we had a great night listening to the house band and the DJ after that.

You guys rock, Atmosphere 10/10, Service 10/10, Food 10/10, We can find no fault here at all. Ok,…read moreif you really want fast food, then go to McDonalds. The Dark Horse they take pride in their food, service and presentation. We came here for Sunday lunch recently and we got tons of food. We were both extremely surprised and very happy with the amount and quality for the price we paid. Nothing is too much trouble, the staff are always lovely and friendly. Food allergies? no problem here at all as any questions can be asked and answered quickly and helpfully. The aroma when the smoker door opens is amazing and the stone pizza oven produces fantastic pizza too. What more can I say except, you guys really do rock.

What a little treat! I lived in Harborne with a group of friends for 6 months and I think we must…read morehave ended up in here nearly every Sunday afternoon during that time. I love nothing more than going to a classic pub to relax after a hard weeks work (and even harder partying on a Saturday night!). If you love venues that have lots of character then you should go and check out The Bell Inn. It used to be a coach house and it still has a number of its original characteristics. It's been closed for a while but it reopened last week on the 30th May so just in time for Jubilee weekend. It offers a great selection of beers for the boys and wine for the girls and the food in delicious. You can't beat their house burger and a nice cold shandy whilst sat outside in their garden area. My best recommendation, get down there on a Friday evening for 241 cocktails from 5pm!

Resembling a country pub with its bowling green and views of nearby St Peters Church, The Bell is…read moreprobably my favourite pub in Harborne. Popular at weekends and especially on sunny days it consists of two rooms - a medium sized lounge, where people tend to eat and a much smaller snug, that houses photos of the bowling team through the ages. The bar is tiny so during busier times expect to queue but service is generally pretty quick. As well as real ale The Bell offers regular guest bitters and lagers and they serve food - which is pretty decent and reasonably priced. They hold regular quiz nights and have started to offer acoustic and open mic nights. They are also one of the nicer pubs in Harborne open on Christmas Day and after a few pints you may be tempted to join in with an impromptu carol service! Well worth a visit.

The Tower of Song is an independent live music venue, run as a true labour of love. Tom Martin is a…read moreveteran touring player who saw that musicians wanted somewhere to play where the music was the focus of the night, not just a side-show to an evening of drinking. I went down to The Tower of Song on the quaintly titled River Rea Roots night. There is an open mic session, then a featured band play an hour slot. After, the open mic runs until closing. It's a simultaneously usual and unusual bunch of people who play that night. A 18 year old plays and sings some slightly out of tune Blues covers, but he sings them with such soul that he has the crowd in the palm of his hand. Organiser Bill O'Brien plays a couple of Birmingham-centric songs. A blokey duo of guitarist and harmonica player in their early fifties play some uptempo folky tunes, and to end a woman sings some proper, proper old folk songs acapella. Sandwiched inbetween a signed Scottish touring band called Panda Su export some gentle acousti-tronica to the audience. There are no egos here and no pretense here. Instead there is a supportive atmosphere that's a million miles away from scenester-ism, taking music back to it's roots as a tool of expression and affirmation.

The Tower of Song isn't one of Birmingham's most well known music venues, but that's exactly what…read moregives the space a slightly different edge, and a different atmosphere from people who you don't usually see at the more well known establishments. The audience are generally of the older generation, but that's not to say that young'uns aren't welcomed at all. In fact, as long as you are a fan of music (paticularly acoustic and roots music), you're sure not to go wrong upon entering. More so, the venue isn't even that hard to find, especially if you live in South Birmingham, it's just down the road from Cotteridge. From the outside, the venue has an 80s/90s look about it, probably because the décor hasn't been altered since then, but again, that adds to the unintentional quirk of the place. And on the inside, the walls are covered in stencils of iconic musicians, from Bob Marley to John Lennon to Jim Morrison, making it clear that The Tower of Song is serious about its music. The room itself is very small, with tables and chairs intimately facing the stage. This makes sure that your focus is on the live music, rather than on socialising. And of course, in my opinion, you go to a gig to see the performance, and not to constantly socialise while a band is playing. All in all, Tower of Song is a great little place to discover some amazing local talent. I personally came across some very talented young creatives, who were performing live during a South Birmingham Community Radio event.

A cosy little indie bar on Stirchley's main thoroughfare, The Wildcat Tap is a beer lovers must…read morevisit. It's a single room for the bar and the cellar, which means you pick your beers as if you're at a festival (unless you read the blackboard, but where's the fun in that). A good (rotating) selection of cask ales is balanced with some excellent craft keg and bottled beers from around the globe, but the selection of non beer drinks is only adequate. But with such limited real estate to play with, they've gone with what they know and do it damnably well. The small nature of the bar means that seating is limited and it's often impossible to get a table for group; so thank goodness that it's located in one of Birmingham's friendliest suburbs and you're pretty much able to get in on the conversation wherever you end up. All in all a wonderful place for a quiet couple and a great place to meet ale lovers.

Not a great place this - firstly you'll have to fight your way through the smokers who hang around…read morethe porch to get in - they're not exactly a welcoming bunch either. Secondly when you get into the pub you'll see that it's seen better days. Every time I've popped in it looks like they're just recovering from some kind of bar room brawl (which if the other review is anything to go by, is a distinct possibility) - seats are ripped and tables are wonky. Staff are nice enough and the food looks okay and I'll always rather like the place because I used to skive off College and pop here with my mates for a cheeky half, but really there are nicer places to go.

We often pop into The Navigation Inn on Kings Norton Green for a meal because they are one of those…read more2-for-1 pubs and this makes it cheaper to eat a proper meal here rather than heading up the road to McDonalds. The food is really nice, it's typical pub grub and the menu is fairly extensive for a pub of this type. When me and my fella eat here we usually go for one of the steak meals, although I love their chicken breast with bacon smothered in a cheesey bbq sauce! You can choose to have chips, potatoes or a jacket with your meal which is ideal for those weeks when I am on a healthy eating kick! The chips are worth having though, they have a beautiful home made quality and are not greasy in the slightest. When you order tell them how you want your steak cooked at they will endevour to get it perfect, occasionally it's not as rare as I'd like but it's still so well cooked that I never bother to tell them. The meals cost between £5.79 and £10, it will be the cheapest meal you get for free so try and make the prices as even as possible to make the most of the special offer. They have a good kids menu which is more or less smaller portions of the full size meals, I think this is great because my kids would rather eat the same kind of food as me so it was nice to see that the menu didn't consist of just chicken nuggets and sausages! The portion sizes for all meals are very good, but the childrens meals are excellent in size and would fill me up let alone eating a large size meal! The Navigation Inn is fine for disabled visitors, my mum lives nearby and regularly visits with her friend who uses a wheelchair. All areas in the pub are on one level so no-one should have a problem getting around, although if you want to use the beer garden you will need to go out the front door and through the car park in order to avoid a steep flight of stairs. Likewise if you are very drunk. There are a good range of drinks behind the bar, everything you would expect to find in a pub like this. You can also choose from a good selection of soft drinks including tea and coffee plus the most delicious mixed fruit juice which is served in a tall glass with loads of ice. Surprisingly the drinks are not overpriced and are actually among the cheapest in pubs around here. I usually find these 2-for-1 pubs will inflate the prices of the drinks to make up for all the free food they are giving away, but the Navigation has cheap prices across the board with some great promotional prices as well. I like the atmosphere in this pub because there are plenty of children playing around which always makes a place seem fun, also there are lots of elderly gentlemen who drink here who are obvious regulars. Sometimes it gets very busy, especially at the weekend, but usually there are just the right amount of customers to give it a lively feel but not so many that you are having to elbow your way to the bar. Outside you have a large car park, beer garden and an excellent wooden play area for the kids. My daughters' love the freedom they have in the Navigation because although it's located on a fairly main road they can go into the play area and have some fun while I watch them from the comfort of the wooden bench.

I eat here often, the steaks are tasty and the prices are good.read more