BITE user comments - Martay
Comments by Martay
The Duke Inn is a pub you would miss if you didn�t know it was there, which I am sure its locals prefer it that way, it�s a funny little place which is friendly and worth a look for a drink in the centre of Sutton Coldfield which feels like it�s off the beaten track.
The bar area and the pub is small and intimate, they sometimes put the football on and it�s a good place to watch it as you can always see the screen. The choice of beers is good and the cask ales are great. With a beer garden as well it�s a little gem but probably not one for a Friday or Saturday if you are under 30 years old, but a great place for a quick pint during the week. Plus its chav free from what I saw.
9 Apr 2008 16:53
The Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield
I must have visited a different pub to these reviews!!
I went into this place on a pub crawl with a mate of mine after I had just moved back to the area. The pub interior is tired and in need of a refurbishment, there is decent space, but the majority of the tables were dirty. The staff were quick to serve locals but slow and rude to us non locals. The beer was alright but then again I only had lager and the prices were ok. The food looked like the standard stuff you get in those sort of pubs but I wouldn�t eat there when there are two really good curry houses near by! It was half full and 75% of them were chav�s of various ages and people who are old enough to know better.
Alright for a drink on the way through but not somewhere I would want to spend too long in.
9 Apr 2008 16:37
The new American Dinner lay out is lovely and the bar area is great to have a quiet drink.
Service is good there however Sutton is crying out for a great steak house but this isnt it.
The food is over priced for what you get, I had very greasy ribs, with a small portion of chips and some coleslaw.
Deserts are all around �5 for next to nothing. Like the look shame about the food.
9 Apr 2008 16:26
The Bottle of Sack, Sutton Coldfield
General
Stock standard Weatherspoons pub split over two levels with a small outside area for smokers, d�cor is tired and hasn�t really changed since the pub was launched. The cheap prices do bring in a younger more boisterous crowd which isn�t for everyone.
Space
The table arrangements are ok but it does feel a bit like a dining room in the centre. The seats to the far left hand side of the pub offer slightly more privacy, the conservatory area makes the place feel spacious, there is also a the small upstairs area incorporates a small seating area and the toilets, however there is no bar which means it isn�t an attractive option to sit on busy nights. There is also a small outside patio area which is a good use of a small space although smoking outside breathing in loads of petrol fumes at rush hour maybe a little too much even for the most staunch smoker.
Variety of drinks
As with all Weatherspoons pubs the choice of lager and ale is excellent, the bottled foreign beers such as Leach provide a bit of comedy! The real ale is (nine times out of ten) very good and there is a good variety of ales to choose from. The pub serves alcopops such as WKD if you wish to drink such rubbish. The wine is dispensed from a beer pump, but it is Stowells so like the place itself, not amazing but not offensive.
Price
Like all Weatherspoons pubs they are cheaper and with a lot of Sutton bars being expensive they stand out as a market leader on pricing however this does have its pit falls.
Staff
I have only been in on a Friday or Saturday nights and the bar after 7.30ish is always at least 3 deep. However the bar staff worked really hard and we got served quite quickly. Classes can be left lying around a bit which makes the place look untidy and can easily be sorted out.
Food
Stock stand fare for these kinds of places but with the meal deals and general pricing you don�t mind too much that the quality might not be up to Michelin standards, it is what it is.
Events
The pub doesn�t really cater for that sort of thing.
Conclusions
Pros
1. The beer/lager is cheaper than the rest of Sutton and there is a good selection.
2. Bar staff work really hard to keep the numbers at the bar under control.
3. Has an outside area for smokers
Cons
1. There can be high percentages of Chavs using the place as a pre bar before somewhere else, so be warned.
2. Slightly soulless.
3. Needs a bar upstairs (there isn�t room but it would help)
4. Can get very busy.
The pub is Ronseal and there is nothing wrong with that, I think if they had a refurb and were slightly more selective about their customers I would go more often.
The real ale is well kept and the prices mean that you can go out get drunk and not worry too much about your bank balance. The chav element of the pub isn�t as bad as some and as long as you keep yourself to yourself no one really bothers you. The food is ok to fill a hole too.
If you don�t mind the chavs give it a go, it gets a bad rap but apart from having to wait to get served (the bar staff do work v hard) I thought it was ok!
9 Apr 2008 12:48
General
This pub has been my local now for the best part of ten years and seen it go through a number of changes some which I like and some which I don�t. The d�cor whether to your taste or not is very quirky and makes the place seem to have more personality than some of the generic chain pubs. The bar sizes when busy only just cope and the pub can get incredibly busy. If you start visiting regularly some of the staff will remember you and it makes the place feel more like home! One thing that sets this pub way above everything else in Sutton is the no chav's rule, ok some of the Snobby Sutton types (people who go to Type 3 and LOOOOVE themselves) might not be your cup of tea but they generally keep themselves to themselves.
Space
The table arrangements are pretty good for a drink during the week, however after 7.30pm don�t expect a table Friday or Saturday unless you want to go outside. The extensive beer garden is the only place to be in the summer, with loads of table and places to stand the new outside bar should ensure that pressure is taken off the inside bars and make service better. The addition of the cocktail bar upstairs means if you are over 25 and smartly dressed you can get served quickly (however entrance is at the decision of the landlord) this is great because the pub can get really busy so its good to chill out (even though it looks a little like a bordello) without loads of noise or any annoying Sutton types.
Variety of drinks
They stock a lot of drinks, so I will try to summarise it for you guys,
- Lager wise there is Carling (not Cold), Amstell and Stella, lager is lager it will give you a headache! There are also a wide range of bottled lagers from around the world, please try Quinns its about 8.5% and will put you on your backside, but it is very nice.
- Wheat beers they have, Frulli (strawberry beer - good summer drink), Leffe and Erderinger which is fairly unique to Sutton so if you fancy something different then try one but be warned they are not cheap�.
- The real ales can be a bit hit and miss depending on what they are and who has been keeping them, ask for either Jason or Simon to find out which is any good no one else is likely to have an idea, Tim Taylors is the house beer plus up to three guests.
- They have Guinness, but no red Guinness which is a shame avoid at all costs from the upstairs bar (be warned the variety of beers is limited in the cocktail bar and I would strongly advise bottled beers and cocktails rather than the draught.)
- The wines I personally would avoid, the white and rose are never chilled sufficiently and the reds are open too long and taste old. To be fair I like good wine, if you are on a bit of a session you probably wouldn�t notice. The house white is only �8.95 which is reasonable for a pub but it isn't brilliant.
- Spirits are priced no dearer than anywhere else with a choice of gins and vodkas, and the cocktails can make a welcome change.
Price
Cocktails are expensive for what you get, the house wines by the bottle are reasonable but avoid buying by the glass unless you know when the wine has been opened, Carling and Stella are priced reasonable compared to the rest of Sutton but for me Amstell (4% same as Carling) is over priced and not worth the extra money. The wheat beers seem pricey but it�s the same anywhere else for them, the casts are very well priced and good value when they have been kept properly.
Staff
Up until a year ago the staff used to be excellent, as they could manage large volumes of customers on busy nights they looked like they were having a good time and the majority of the time served people in turn and in a friendly manner, a number however have left making service on a Friday and Saturday nights slow to very slow. A number of the new staff are slow, surly and rude which seems to be the complete opposite to the personality/atmosphere the landlord has tried to create at the pub. The assistant manager is friendly, attentive and willing to please, the land lord is fair with punts if a little quirky and could maybe do with having more control over the bar. To conclude it�s a bit of a mixed bag some staff are really good others are woeful and I hope some of the old staff return by the summer!
Food
The food is ok, I believe its overpriced for what you get and has gradually declined over the last 5 years. With your cutlery they used to bring bread and oils which was lovely and set the place apart from any other pub food in Sutton, this has now disappeared to be replaced by your sauces and cutlery arriving in buckets. Without wanting to put down the place the prices suggest something amazing when in fact its pretty ordinary. The Chip butties are nice though and a bit of a feature, the Moroccan chicken sandwiches are no longer spicy and I would like to see more specials showcase their chefs talents and his roots.
Events
What makes this pub stand out from the others is its events it is unrivalled for comedy and puts on some decent music as well. The all day blues and jazz festival in the summer with BBQ is a laugh if you are looking to have a bit of a summer time session. The quiz night isnt for your average quiz goer it is aimed at a younger crowd and resembles more shooting stars than mastermind, it is very funny though if you like that sort of thing. They have acoustic nights which anyone can join in on and are usually good, but it can depends who turns up. If you have gone on a date or a quiet drink I would maybe suggest avoiding.
Conclusions
Pros
1. The only place to drink during the summer,
2. No chavs
3. The comedy is always good,
4. try the guest ales,
5. Try the quiz,
6. Good choice of beer
Cons
1. Avoid the wine,
2. Toilets are awful
3. Try the food, but I warn you not to get too excited.
4. Staff can be a bit hit and miss
The pub isn't quiet sure what it is, areas are quite quirky others a bit homely and the toilets are straight out of a spit and saw dust pub, but it means it caters for a wide range of people making for a good atmosphere.
8 Apr 2008 13:58
O'Neills, Sutton Coldfield
O�Neil�s hasn�t changed much in the last eight or so years apart from a slight revamp. I have drank in this place on and off since the dying days of the conservatory through the Pat O�Connell�s days (the first mock Irish incarnation), before the new and not really improved O�Neill�s. There are severally alarmingly wrong things about the place, which I didn�t mind as much when I was 18 or 19 at 28 I won�t really tolerate it as much.
1. The service is terrible and it takes an eternity to get a drink and the bar staff on the whole are rude.
2. The toilets are worse than ones at a festival.
3. The place stinks worse now than it did before the smoking ban.
4. People you haven�t seen from school (for a good reason) always seem to be in there.
5. It�s got a strange combination of Chav�s and people of an age who should really know better ( I would suggest beyond the age of 35 screaming the words out to Chesney Hawkes is a mite sad).
6. The smoking ban means having to go outside which makes things a nightmare for the bouncers.
7. The same songs I heard when I was an 18 year old drinking Caffery�s still ring out now and I am 28.
8. I have and know of people who have had their drinks spiked in there.
9. Bouncers are incredibly slow sorting out trouble sometimes and other times very over zealous.
10. They always seem to shut the top bar even though the place is rammed.
On getting a drink, if you have never been to this place on the weekend, well it should be an Olympic event. When you do finally get served getting away from the bar is an even bigger trauma as people position themselves to claim your spot at the bar, you then have to negotiate the dance floor area full of drunk sawing jumping and generally have no control of their bodies. Therefore it is an art and a skill to getting to where you are standing or sitting with full drinks.
But even with all these fundamental issues bizarrely for a bit of reminiscing its actually good fun in there, it�s a pub which hasn�t really moved on from the late 90s and the days of Blur, Oasis and TGI Fridays, which is nice in a way as you can kinda remember how you felt when you were that age as it really hasn�t changed, but not somewhere I would go more than once every 6 months, mainly due to the fact I don�t want to now fall into the category of someone who should know better around all the kids in there!
9 Apr 2008 17:35