Burlington Arcade is situated right off New Street (one of the busiest shopping streets in…read moreBirmingham). It's a very grand looking arcade inside, which houses one of the posher hotels in Central Birmingham (The Burlington - clue is in the name). It's home to my favorite tea place (BoBoQ) and one of my top Birmingham bars (Bacchus), as well as hair dressers, shops and a Steak House. As it can be used as a cut through from Birmingham New Street, it can get quite busy (especially at the weekends and commuting time). If you need some time to decompress after hitting the shops, you could do worse than hitting up the Arcade, grabbing a drink and watching the world go by. The tiled floors and glass windows bring a real touch of class to the architecturally mixed Central Birmingham area. As a top tip, Bacchus bar can be a bit quieter than other bars (being hidden down in the basement of the hotel), so is a great place to escape New Street during Christmas market time!

Loved this place! It's like a more genteel Brewdog, and apparently the local Warwickshire brews are…read morefantastic. They also have fancy coke in a bottle so I'm basically sold. The food menu is also very appealing, I had a very nice scotch egg and mac n cheese (with bacon, as I like to add bacon to everything) and my friend had a chilli sausage roll and pork scratchings which he also really enjoyed. Definitely my favourite place in Birmingham so far and highly recommended!

Pure Bar and Kitchen is the hugely anticipated venture between Michelin starred restaurant Simpsons…read moreand Warwickshire based brewers, Purity. Located on Waterloo Street (next to Victoria Square), this venue couldn't get much more central. It was with quite a bit of excitement I popped in yesterday for a late lunch and to see if it was worthy of the hype. It's got a well designed but very minimalist feel. Think clean, fresh, open and basic. With a few different areas including a small lounge area (which can be reserved for meals), an open kitchen (so you can see your food being prepared), a large bar area with a huge beer board and a well stocked fridge of import ales and a few different areas with wooden tables, your experience will be quite different if you are eating or just grabbing a pint. I popped in just after 2pm on a Thursday afternoon. Despite the slightly later time of day (after the lunch rush), it was still pretty busy; although this could be due to the fact it's opening week. It's a little daunting at first, but I spotted some free space on a bench like communal table and dropped my stuff down before heading to the bar for a proper peruse of the selection of drinks and food. My barman (Martin) was serving a group as I approached the bar. He was talking them through the vast and interesting selection of soft drinks available which included Fritz Cola, interesting fruit juices and some of your more regular options too. As soon as it was my turn to be served, I was talked through the options avaliable to aid me in making the right choice. Martin was helpful, funny and made me feel right at home (despite not feeling quite as dressed up as the other clientele having meetings). I settled into the lounge area in the end and awaited my Pea and Pear soup. It wasn't a long wait and was well worth it. Served in a metal mug (with a spoon), my only criticism was that it didn't come with any bread. However, for £4 for the mug, I felt this was great value. The brownie I was treated too was most definitely excellent to boot. Unfortunately, I was in a bit of a rush so I couldn't stay for too long in the venue. Needless to say, I will be back soon (as I told the barman when he waved me goodbye and wished me a good day). I can't wait to try some more of the menu next time and who knows... it might get the missing star on the next visit?

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the oldest business in Mere Green. It's been here for years and,…read moreas such, has a firm and loyal fan base. The place is bright and clean and the service is friendly and efficient. I've seen better menus at other chippies but I knew what I wanted. A bit of everything! My hubby agreed to go along with my choices so I ordered us a large bag of chips and then a piece of Roe, a mini fish, a scallop, a saveloy and a battered sausage. Trust me if you break it down there really isn't that much there. Yes we're naughty! Remember that if you're ordering certain things from the menu you might need to let the staff know straight away so they can start cooking it. One more thing to be aware of - Sutton chippy prices can seem quite high to the uninitiated. The quality of food on offer though does reflect the prices you'll pay. Parking here is a bloody nightmare! It's always been a problem, so the best way around it is it to park a few minutes away in Sainsbury's car park and just walk up. The car park across the road is very small and is often congested, I wouldn't suggest parking here as you may not be able to get out!

A mainstay of commercial Four Oaks for decades, this chippy simply IS Mere Green. As businesses…read morecome and go, particularly, in the wake of a doomed regeneration bid for the leafy area, this enterprise remains a constant. It is tried and trusted, a fixture of hundreds of local people's weekly routines, stretching back well into the 80s. Queues are not uncommon at this clean, bright, no-nonsense venue. Parking may be an issue, as double yellow lines on the residential street on which it's based can make nipping in and out tricky. A recently added pedestrian crossing, a bus route, and off-street parking for bank customers on a small patch of land opposite compound the difficulty, but the truth is, people have been coping for years. I know a few first-time customers who have remarked on the price being slightly more than they're used to. But, if their complaint isn't empty, two things must be considered: The business is located in Birmingham's most economically-buoyant ward and also, fresh fish simply isn't comparable as a takeaway product with pizza or fast-food burgers. Forget little parcels, or wrapping being undone only to give way to a measly tray, this is your classic, sizeable, how-it-used-to-be serving. The smell is enough to drive you crackers.

I was in town, and it was sunday, so the only thing to do was a Sunday Supper. I spent some time…read morelooking up restaurants and looking at menus. I wanted to find something that looked authentic at a decent price. After taking a bit of a walk I found The Sun On The Hill. it was quiet inside, not too many people, but the young lady at the bar was welcoming with a smile and helpful. I grabbed the table and after looking at the menu, I went to the bar and placed my order. Being new to Birmingham, i've quickly figured out that many of these places our pretty much self serve, and pay as you go. I'm okay with that once I figured it out. The choices were Beef, Chicken, Pork, or Vegan, and I chose the pork. The serving came with vegetables a pudding, and covered in a proper gravey. it was cooked well and there was more than enough. I did enjoy my first english sunday supper and would recommend this place for someone looking for a good meal at a reasonable price.

I only have fond memories about previous visits to "The Sun On The Hill", but it's just not one of…read morethose places I visit very regularly. During a catch up over cocktails with Elite Adam S last night, he mentioned that this venue had received a bit of a makeover recently. As it was just over the road from Bodega (the chosen Cocktail venue for the evening), we decided to pay the cheque and wander on over to check it out. First thing to note, it's not that different. You're not going to wander in and be astonished in a "changing rooms" stylee, but it does look smarter. I love the renewed signage on the door and the little design touches in this smart City pub. It's been a while since I had visited, but I did notice that they seemed to have more cask ale on offer than I remembered them having. I went for a pint of "New World" whilst Adam had a glass of the ole faithful "Mad Goose" (with Purity being a fairly local brewery an' all). I do love the mixed seating here. We sat on a table with high stools, but there were comfy booths in the main bar, a sofa area near the door, bar stools and further tables up a level on the mezzanine. It would make a great venue as a "pre-club" stop, a drink with friends, a casual date or even just a swift afterwork pint! Now, I didn't try the food here but I noticed the menu has been updated (as per The Sun At The Station - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/the-station-birmingham). They are also offering a "Half Price Food On Mondays" offer until the end of October, so I will try and pop in and catch that to give a more round review of the venue. This is a smart city pub, with a bit of a "younger" and "funkier" feel to it than many of it's nearest neighbours. It plays a good selection of music and has a welcoming and friendly vibe. If you haven't popped in before, make a date to grab a pint with a friend and check out this cool venue.

Prince of Wales.... How I love thee... Let me list the ways... So, Prince of Wales is a gem of pub…read morein Moseley. It's pretty hard to miss, with it's name festooned on the exterior and with it's location being a gateway to the area. It's large looking from the outside, but you might be mistaken for thinking it was a bit of an "old man pub" venue... Oooooh... how wrong you would be. When you first enter the pub, you end up in a traditional pub area (with little stools, wooden tables and lots of people nursing pints of ale). The ale selection is plentiful and the staff are more than happy to give you a recommendation and a taster (if you aren't sure). So far, traditional pub, right? Well... let us continue. The pub bar opens into a hallway with several different directional choices. We WERE headed for the indoor cocktail bar, but this had been reserved for a Christmas gathering (so unfortunately, I cannot give you any idea of what this is like). If you head straight down the corridor, that's where the magic happens... So, the garden immediately hit me as a) Massive and B) Rammed. On our left was a cigar vendor and a smaller (heated and covered) seated area with comfy armchairs and lots of people enjoying a cigar. Just to the left is the "Wine bar", a wooden shack with everything from a very fine red, Champagne to mulled wine offerings. Further on from that is the huge decking area. Lots of warm heaters, tables, chairs and a "Beer festival" feeling, even though there were hundreds of people out there (no joke), there were still seats to be had. Attached to the decking area was a hot dog bar (I know, A HOT DOG BAR!) and a TIki cocktail bar. This HAD to be our destination. We opted to go for Zombies (£7 each - about average for a cocktail bar in Birmingham) and were suitably impressed when the server had finished pouring, tore open a packet of Angel Delight (with gusto), sprinkled over the cocktails and set them alight to a mighty "POOF"! With drinks firmly in hand, we went to find somewhere reasonably quiet we could have a chat and a contemplate on the venue's we had been that evening. This was when we found my favorite spot in the whole pub. The sanded, covered beach area. Who would have thought there would be a beach in Moseley? With Bamboo walls, lit up tiki masks adorning the interior and plenty of chairs and tables, it nailed it's place as my favorite pub of the night. This is the kind of venue you will go for 1 and end up having at least 3.

I didn't know at first if I was going to like the Prince of Wales, I went in on a cold winters…read morenight and when we entered the front bar it was not what I was expecting. It's very traditional and spaced out with seats running around the edge of the room. It was just locals in there when we arrived and I couldn't tell if they were happy to see us, or thinking to themselves not more hooligans (we just wanted a few drinks, we aren't really hooligans!) But we went up to the bar and ordered. They have such a large selection of beer/rum and whiskey. The first night we went they were doing a special rum shot for only like £1/2. So we were straight on that, along with a glass of wine and a beer. I eventually ventured to the toilet and along the tiled corridor they have two elegant/house in the country gentlemens card type rooms. Big fires, leather seats and sofas, wood panels and old pictures hanging around the room.. I was a bit more excited as the rooms looks so cosy and inviting. I then went a little further and ended up in the beer garden, from the outside you would never expect there to be what there is outside. It's massive and pretty impressive. Since that night, I've ordered my own bottle of rum which I fell in love with after sampling from behind the bar (diplomatico reserva exclusiva rum 10/10) The staff were great and let me have a little try of probably half the whiskey and rums. And been back to enjoy the different rooms out the back and the outside beer garden which serves cocktails too. It really is a good pub, and not what I was expecting at all after hearing such great reviews, walking in the front door and not expecting a traditional pub then experiencing the outside and back rooms. It does get extremely busy though at the weekends. I would give this place 4.5 stars.. But I can't so 4 will have to do.

Went there on Easter. Buffet was fresh, hot and gosh dang tasty…read more The restaurant and restrooms were spotless. Only negative was the beer choice on draught. So I'll never go there if I felt like a good beer. But when I'm hungry...

A lovely pub and a pub I would visit again. Staff are friendly and the service they offer is…read moreexcellent. I have not had any food at the Malt Shovel but from what my friends have told me, the carvery is very nice. The beer garden is pretty spacious. It is a lovely place to be when it is a warm day and you have got a pint. Toilets are not too bad in terms on cleanliness. I found that a lot of old people do visit the Malt Shovel particularly during the afternoon. The Malt Shovel is a great place to be when it comes to live sports being shown at the pub and there are plenty of screens around the pub. I will be going back to the Malt Shovel and next time out I am going to try the food on offer at the pub. Should be interesting.

Its a McDonald's and does what it says on the tin. Small…read morerestaurant on a major route into Birmingham from Solihull. Parking spaces on either side of the restaurant and a drive throu which is convenient when you want to grab and go. The interior is small and bright. The seating faces out to the car park and the main road. Toilets inside to the left as you walk in. Small serving area but the staff try their best to get you served as soon as possible. I cannot remember if its 24 hours but will find this out as it may come in handy if you are coming bac from the airport in the early hours of the morning and need that caffiene fix!

I decided to treat my kids to a McDonald's for there dinner and went to my most local. Normally I…read moresay a McDonald's will be the same where ever you go. But I can say in all honestly that this one of the worse McDonald's I've ever used. First thing first after giving my order I had to wait over twenty minutes for my food, now don't get me wrong my order was big, but most of my order was cooked pretty quickly, but found myself waiting for over ten minutes for fries and milkshakes to be made. No that time the four customers that followed me order and collected there food. There was plenty of staff but I failed to see what they where doing. While I was waiting I was able to spend more time looking around the restaurant and I was shocked how unclean it was. As I waiting for the final parts of my order I noticed that the floor in the kitchen area wasn't the cleanest. Neither was the unit that they used to put the cooked fries in. My advice, don't use this McDonald's, travel a little further a field to the next nearest ones as they are a lot cleaner and staff seem to know what there doing.