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.

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.

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.

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.

Tucked away at the end of Stirchley in a location you cannot see from the main road, neighboured by…read morea canal and a venue for children's parties, you cannot help but wonder how The Roadhouse has managed to exist for so long as a venue. I played here with one of my old bands about seven years ago and it seemed to have been around for ever then. My sporadic visits since have revealed The Roadhouse to be a friendly enough venue with the ambience set to old school/biker . A good sound system and a fairly standard but well priced bar make this a good place to see a band. The schedule seems to consist of a mix of up and coming indie/rock acts and tribute acts of classic rock bands with acoustic nights on a thursday. They also offer music tuition services but I can't comment on these as I haven't had need to use them. The venue side of the business I can recommend, providing the style of act playing that night is to your tastes.

This venue is part of the newly revived and thriving Birmingham (Brum) scene. Entrance is cheap,…read moreusually only a few quid, and the drinks are student prices, which is fortunate considering most of the clients. This venue is big on Folk, acoustic and rock. A place to check out the local talent in all it's various forms. The doormen are laid back and friendly. The staff rather new wave and hippy nice. A good laid back venue for a chilled out evening. Tune in and tune out.

This pub is a bit of a disappointment really - it's on the rather picturesque Kings Norton Green,…read moreit's obviously quite an old pub and has some lovely tile work and the potential to be a decent place but unfortunately it just isn't very welcoming or fun to be in. It does have its plus points - the food is incredibly cheap, they have a nice garden and they seem to like children - the last few times I've been in there have been 'babbies' running around all over the place, which I thought was quite sweet. However, the minus points are the slightly grumpy staff, the grumpier still regulars and the general ambiance - its the sort of place where everyone turns round to gawp at you (unless the footballs on and then I'd avoid it altogether).

The Bulls Head is not the greatest place to go with friends and family as it's more of an elderly…read moremans pub and bar. You will most likely find football hooligans and great supporters of football drinking and ranting in there amongst their other male companions. However, the bar and staff members are very friendly and helpful. The food that they cater are not of superb or quality value but I would say is reasonable for the prices they charge for their meals. The Bulls Head also supply a hired venue at the top of the pub which is very spacious and large enough to hold parties of at least one hundred guests. Their hired venue also provides a private bar for members of the party. I would most likely attend the Bulls Head if there were an event being held rather than going there for a drink with friends.

Booked table at 1245 on Sunday 16 February when arrived the staff said they had no confirmation of…read morebooking. Spoilt my birthday surprise for my wife. What a disgrace this Is the second time this has happened. Management should be sacked for not doing their job properly. Won't be going back there again and I would advise people to avoid this pub at all costs. What a shit hole! Asked me to award a star but wouldn't let me put no stars or I would.

The service was awful. we waited 25 minu in the queue to receive the carvery. There were flies…read morearound the food. Customers had to keep asking for refills of the vegetables, gravy and condiments. worst of all when we walked in staff were talking about customers freely. saying that they're all doing the staffs head in and then the reply from other staff members was..,,you're on a carvery in Kingsnorton what do you expect. So unprofessional

awfully rude management. this used to be a nice pub. the atmosphere is completely gone. Staff are…read morelovely #bringbackWendy 'tact is the art of recognising when to be big and when not to belittle' - Franklin P jones Fica a Dica

We booked the Crown for a school reunion, a party of about 20 on a Wednesday evening…read more First impressions were good: there's a wide choice of carvery options, pizzas and traditional pub fare (fish and chips, burgers etc.). Drinks are also not too expensive, which was nice. The food, however, was an unmitigated disaster. With 20 people ordering it's reasonable for the dishes not to arrive at exactly the same time, but some took almost two hours. This isn't to criticise the bar/wait staff, who were lovely, but no apology can excuse taking 1 hour 50 minutes to serve a pizza. We were told that the large number of pizza orders had caused a queue for the oven, but with a burger also taking over 90 minutes, there was clearly something else very wrong. When the food finally did arrive, the wait really hadn't been worth it. Some of the pizzas and calzones were burnt to a crisp, yet others were somehow undercooked. The chips (unlimited, which was a plus point), were also undercooked and a little greasy, and those of us who had burgers weren't impressed either. Some of my friends received free drinks by way of apology for the wait, but, somewhat ironically, mine was totally forgotten. I didn't chase it up because by that point we just wanted to leave. The manager apologised to us and assured us that "next time" things would be better, but I don't think there will ever be a "next time".

Visited the Camp Inn pub for the first time in years. The atmosphere was welcoming and the…read moreManagement lays on regular entertainment in the forms of Discos and Karaokes and even has occasional live bands. The pub is an old building but it is clean. The women's toilets need some work as the one of two cubicles door did not lock. We returned on the Sunday as we were recommended the lunch and we were not dissapointed. There was a choice of 3 meats and a vegetarian option. My hubby had the minted lamb shank and I chose the brie,mushroom & cranberry Wellington. Because we had to wait for the wellington we were informed we would have to wait for 20 minutes. I prefer fresh food and never mind a wait and wow it was worth it. The wellington was the tastiest I have ever had and alongside was fresh veg and roast potatoes and parsnips. And all this for a tenner for the 2 meals. Will definately be returning!!

This is my closest local at the moment, but I have to admit, I hardly ever go there. Not quite sure…read morewhy, if I'm being honest, as there's technically nothing wrong with it. I guess it's just that there's nothing particularly ... particular about it. It's a large pub and, certainly at the weekends and when there's sport on (they show a lot of sports) it can get a bit rowdy. Personally, I didn't find it a massively friendly pub - I got the impression that there were a lot of regulars who are a bit suspicious of other people flitting in and out. They do do some good meal deals though - all standard pub grub at standard pub grub prices, so it's worth ducking in for a generous portion of pub grub with your pint. Other than that., I'd say it was a pretty average kind of pub.

Located on the Pineapple Road this is a really good local public house which has a lot of character…read moreabout it. They have a very loyal customer base all of whom are friendly and extremely welcoming to any new faces that walk through the doors. The best thing about this place is its deals; Mondays in particular are a real cash saver with pints of lager priced at a ludicrously low one pound fifty. Throw in the mix the great food they do and you have a top notch pub experience. On the subject of food be sure to go for their smothered chicken which is delivered to your table on a sizzling hot plate covered in bacon, cheese and a fantastic BBQ sauce. They show live sport too and on the weekends you will encounter as lively a pub as there is in Birmingham. Bear in mind also their function room which is available for hire at a good price and is perfect for a special celebration.