Hidden gem. Beautiful family run pub in the heart of digbeth with live music and events. Lovely…read morescotch eggs and cobs on offer with friendly bar staff

Do you suffer from the chain pub blues? Well, The Spotted Dog is here as a perfect cure for what…read moreales you! This pub is located in Deritend/Digbeth and has the look and feel perfect for Brum's Irish Quarter. It has a real sense of place and history, as should any pub with its own theme song (seriously, check it out on youtube). The landlord John has built a reputation as a friendly face of the pub and representative of the neighbourhood. In a sea of bars and gastropubs serving £12 'craft' cocktails, the Spotted Dog serves as a landmark of sanity. The pub has a charmingly worn interior that is ridiculously clean for a boozer in Digbeth. Table tops adorned with candles sit inside, while a side door through the lounge exits onto what is probably the best covered garden in the whole of Brum. The drinks menu is simple yet satisfying. You'll find some of the usual suspects like Guiness on draft in addition to several rotating real ales. Liquor covers a breadth of options, with regular specials. On jazz night (Tuesday), Bushmills Irish Whiskey can be had for a pound and certain ales for £2.50. Even on a normal night, The Spotted Dog is one of the best values in Birmingham. The pub opens at 5PM most nights (sometimes later in the winter). Crisps are offered as the only snack, so you'll want to plan for food accordingly. The customer service is above expectations. A friend and I stopped in one evening right as the pub opened to sip some whiskey. As the first and only customers for over an hour, John shared with us some special Polish vodka a personal friend had brought to him. One of his bartenders asked what music to put on over the sound system and his reply was 'anything you want, as long as it's Bo Diddley'. These types of charmingly quaint memories are what makes The Spotted Dog so special for me. If you are in search of a proper Irish pub experience, look no further than The Spotted Dog.

The New Inn is to my knowledge the only 'real' traditional Irish pub in the area.It is a small,…read morevillage pub with an extremely relaxed atmosphere. If you are looking for a wide selection of drinks and promotions and a wide food menu, this won't be the place for you. If you like a warm and hospitable atmosphere to get away from it all, this is the ideal place to enjoy a pint. The interior is goregous and homely, with lots of sports and Irish-related memorabilia on display. There is a car park on the opposite side of the road to the pub, next to the football pitch, there should never be any problems parking here. Food is available at the weekends, including a traditional roast and sandwiches, the food isn't exceptional but it is decent enough and isn't to bad price wise.

If you want to go to a real Irish pub, this is it. Very friendly with a local feel, the best…read moreGuiness you will drink. Some very strange memorabilia. I love the men's bogs too, the whole place has an ozzy bar feel about it. Very country pub feel, I like it.

Kicked out for no reason. Me and my friends visited today…read more(Wed 20th Nov). The bar was nearly empty. Half of us ordered a snack and a drink and were talking when one of the guys from the bar (who we were told by his co-worker was called Levi) came up to us and said "so are each one of you gonna get a drink or are you gonna have to leave?" When asked "why", he began making up some excuses such as "we have to heat it up it costs to heat this place"? Reminder: the bar was nearly empty and our table had ordered drinks and snacks. As we were leaving I still had my drink and I asked "can we have 5 minutes while I finish my drink", to which he started being rude and said "you can stay, they can leave" and just kept refusing to let my friends wait 5 minutes. When asked to deliver further explanation as to why we are being kicked out, he walked away and did not provide any details. We believe it was unfair for following reasons: 1. The bar was nearly empty, therefore we did not take up anybody's space and nobody was waiting to take a seat. 2. We were PAYING COSTUMERS. 3. We were not loud and did not behave inappropriately. There was no legitimate reason to kick us out of this bar. This was extremely rude and we will not be coming back.

Well this is an unusual place in a fairly deserted Digbeth location. I needed a 30 minute stop over…read moreen-route to a meeting and was directed this way from another 'pub' that didn't do any food. Was starved and needed something, so I popped in. Inside it's pretty large and quite nicely laid out. There are plenty of 'groups of friends' type seating and single and multiple occupy tables, plus some bar stools. There's lots of disco lights and a DJ desk. Sky Sports was on, which I see as a bonus, but with the sound off and text on screen instead. That's OK. Something to watch. So they have decent offers for lunch and a comprehensive, pretty much as you'd expect, pub style menu. I was after something quick and filling, so went for the 'classic' Gammon, egg, chips combo for £5. Service was very pleasant and smiley. The food arrived after ,maybe 15-20 minutes so timing was just about OK. Usual mash potato style chips you get everywhere, so zero taste or texture. Good juicy Gammon and nice fried egg. All was fine, even the side salad. Checked out the drinks selection at the very long, well sorted bar and looked impressive. So, despite being in a bit of an industrial wasteland, I had a good stop-over. There were maybe a dozen people there at 1.30pm on a Wednesday, which to me indicates the place probably has a good batch of regulars. Mix of oldies, lunchies, and business meeting types. It's a modern warehouse of a bar space, but in the right mood and at the right time I can imagine you'd have a good time, a good time, oh yeah!

Located a shorter walking distance from the Bullring than Digbeth's Irish Centre and its choice of…read morebars, the Dubliner is a good old-fashioned boozer with a shot of Irish character that gives it a really earthy appeal. Like most of Digbeth, it's not the easiest on the eye but you can easily spend a comfortable, satisfying couple of hours sipping on a Guinness or your preferred ale/beer, accompanied by a hearty meal if you're a bit peckish. Needless to say, it gets a bit rowdy around St Patrick's Day (as do the Irish quarter's other bars the Connaught, Leinster, etc.) but in a merry way. Although the pub's a bit rough around the edges, I've never witnessed any trouble in there nor any ill feeling towards us mere English folk who are happy to spend our money in there. The food is perfectly good pub grub, incorporating bargain carvery and all-day brekkie options, and you may catch some live music in there if you're lucky. Great for weekend footie thanks to the big screens and, if you're looking for a place with character for an overnight stay, there are rooms available upstairs for the traditional B&B experience.

There are few more iconic public houses in the Digbeth area than the Dubliner. Its long business…read morefront makes it easily noticeable and its atmosphere and quality make it all the more memorable. It can be a little pricey here but nonetheless a drinking visit to Digbeth just wouldn't be complete without a stop off. As well as beers and spirits you can line your stomach with something more substantial in the form of a carvery, available from Tuesday through to Sunday and priced at only four pounds fifty. That's a price which any business in Birmingham would find hard to match and for this alone the Dubliner deserves a pat on the back. It's a good solid Irish pub, with plenty of character.

The Ceol Castle is popular with late night revellers but also is a nice place to have a quiet…read moremidweek pint. With a function room in the back which hosts live music at the weekends and a more sedate bar out front, it's a bar or two sides. A Jukebox in thr front bar keeps things boppin' along and of course TV screens give you something to distract upon. It's quite a cosy place in the front bar, with a real pub interior and soft lighting. Smokers can pop out into the front terrace for a cigarette which is pretty conveniently located throough a side door front the front bar. Weekends see the venue open the rear of the pub which holds a stage and dancefloor and sees the pub manned by a couple of bouncers. The Ceol Castle is a nice enough place for a midweek drink and offers a lively venue a the weekend, if you're passing sometime in the week and the lights are on, pop in for a pint and i'm sure you'll appreciate the subtle charm of the front bar.

First up, a gripe about listings. On many places on the web, the Ceol Castle is listed as being in…read moreMoseley, whereas I would class it as being in Balsall Heath......anyway, unless you use the number fifty bus route on a regular basis, you may well not even know about the existence of this pub as it's hidden away from the beaten track and you'd be unlikely to pass it when driving in a car. Anyhow, it's a nice pub, relaxing during the day, lively at night (especially on weekends). I like the way the pub keeps true to it's Irish roots without becoming some sort of ghastly theme pub, keeping the Irish bric a brac to a minimum whilst still serving a great pint of Guiness and putting on a cracking Irish band every now and then. The Ceol Castle's prime selling point is as a venue for live music and DJs, with events most weekends.It serves pretty late on weekends - it's not uncommon to see people leaving there at four or even five in the morning. All in all, a good pub, and one you should definitely check out if you live in the area.

I'm very fond of the Irish Centre and have had a number of memorable evenings there - actually in…read morehindsight maybe 'blurry' is a better way of describing them. When you first enter you'll see a music shop to the right which sells albums, musical instruments and the like - carry on through and you will be presented with the Connaught Bar which has been given a bit of a face-lift in recent years and now resembles a slightly posh hotel reception. You can buy cheap beer and decent food here and they tend to have entertainment at weekends including a late night disco. Go through the bar and on the left you will come to their amazing smoking area - ever wondered what it feels like to be in captivity - then this is your chance as the smoking area is set behind bars. However the heaters are ferocious and you can console yourself with nice views of the Custard Factory opposite. The Irish Centre also houses a number of function rooms, holds regular boxing and sporting nights and is well worth a visit.

Salsa in the Irish centre, what a great night it is. Good company, salsa tunes and lots of dancing…read more Drinks on the go as you dance away. The function room dance floor is big enough for loads of dancers, as you need space. Tonight we have the local audience in, better go and dance.

grate for a night out they have a mixture of rooms for all kinds of people. karaoke down stairs and…read morea dance music up stairs on the ground floor mostly up to date but will play cheese

I've fond memories of the Big Bulls Head; back when the Barfly was open and a stream of indie acts…read morewould be playing around the corner, it was the pre-gig destination for lazy people like me who didn't want to walk too far. It also offered the chance to spot a few of the performers loading up on a breakfast or sinking a bevvy before their show, too. Since the fall of the Sanctuary, the pub (situated on the corner where Panic's queue often stretches) is less of a fixture in my Brummy-based social life now, but often when heading to Digbeth and the new-look Institute I do often pop in for one still. Not a lot's changed really, it's still pretty small and shall we say 'lived-in'? However, it offers a pleasant atmosphere and a few colourful characters, so you'd do worse to head here before your Digbeth final destination.

A classic public house really, it is lively at the weekends and quiet enough during weekdays to pop…read morein for a peaceful pint without feeling as though the place is dead. A special mention here should go to the food served up, its homemade fare at decent prices which certainly left myself and friends feeling more than satisfied. Washing it down with a nice pint of Guinness made the experience all the more enjoyable and I enjoyed the unassuming nature of this pub. One of my pet peeves is pretentious pubs, after all a pub should be a place of relaxation and fun, not somewhere you are made to feel inadequate or uncomfortable. There's certainly no danger of that at the Big Bulls Head which embraces its customers with open arms and embodies the welcoming character which I believe defines the city of Birmingham as a whole.

This is a good local pub, located right in the middle of town centre. You cannot miss it. This was…read moreone of the many pubs I visited during my uni days in Derby. I always remember starting the night here as it was cheap, cheerful and extremely friendly. It is an Irish pub, so it always had a good lively atmosphere which is always a good way to start the night. The drinks were quite varied and quite cheap.