please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Glad to come in out of the cold into the cosy small middle bar. Had a very good pint of Davenports Original (also had Sadlers Peaky Blinders on but didn't try that)
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Charming location and good value, basic food but, maybe I'm unlucky but have been here many times over recent years and have yet to have a good pint. Mediocre at best, not enlivened by sometimes surly service. Shame.
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First stop on a small tour of Birmingham and probably the best of the 5 I tried. It looks like a small tea room when you approach and it does indeed serve cream teas. It even looks like a tea room inside, with a couple of small rooms nicely decorated with plants and the like. However, this place does 4 real ales and a couple of ciders. Yesterday, it was Sadlers Red Hoose Mild & Mellow Yellow, Pardoes Old Swan Entire & Kelham Island Pale Rider. Ciders were Westons Vintage Organic & Moles Black Rat. Sitting outside in the sunshine watching the barges go through Gas Street Basin is very pleasant. Service was fine. The pub is worthy of an 8/10 in my opinion.
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Pleasant, but pricey, characterful place when not crowded by those taking a diversion from the Broad Street trail. 4 ales are usually on, occasionally at least one may rarely seen in Birmingham. The service is perfunctory and efficient at best so along with previous posters I agree the welcoming smiles are in short supply, but I'll take this pub - which is also a functioning cafe for meals and farmhouse teas - over the Tap and Spile anytime. I'd suggest dropping in for one on a warm, sunny afternoon (they do occur from time to time.) Formely the exterior used for Wilf Harvey's cottage in the TV soap Crossroads, but that lone fact shouldn't put you off too much.
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Small canalside place which is a pub despite the name, in a good situation especially as the Tap and Spile seems to be shut. Narrow interior which is actually more caf�-like and not a lot of a view of the canal. Several beers on including Black Cat and a dark Wells and Youngs one.
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I used to frequent this establishment regularly. It was a nice cosy place with decent beer and food at a reasonable price. Having said that the attitude of the staff left a lot to be desired. When the level of rude, unwelcoming behaviour from the staff became unbearable I moved on. Such a shame a place like this is ruined by the staff.
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Haven't been for ages. Probably because the staff were rude
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Called on Monday afternoon (12th Dec) and was very disappointed! Beer OK but sourpuss of a barmaid did not smile or make us at all welcome - in fact she was rude. Seemed to have had no training and should not be working in a service industry!
One other point was that there were small flies or midges in there and when I had finished my pint I noticed that there were 4 of them on my glass. Doesn't say much for the cleanliness of the place!
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Always a good selection of ales in good condition, and as often as not one from Skinner's of Truro. Not often that Betty Stoggs, the Cornish Knocker and Ginger Tosser venture this far north - I've never seen them in any other Brummie pub. Well worth a visit at any time.
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Small cafe/pub in an old Victorian canal side building. About 3 or 4 local ales on...from small breweries which was nice to see. Ale quality was good, but served at room temperature (a-la beer festivals) rather than slightly cooled from a cellar. Served in a Carling glass....not a particularly classy touch.
Staff was efficient but not particularly welcoming.
Quite cosy/cramped inside but tables outside on the towpath. A fair few drunken lads wandering around on stag parties in the evening, so not to everyone's taste.
Quite a good venue, especially given the fact that there didn't seem anywhere else nearby for ales (I have deliberately excluded the massive 'Spoons nearby on Broad Street). But not worth going out of your way.
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On the basis of first and only visit to here I am quietly impressed. Mid afternoon and they were still serving food, had the � 5 "special" and was more than adequate. Beer (think was Holdens Bitter) was one of the best ones i had on the pub crawl as well. Yes as ace1973 says the toilets are indeed basic but we I've been in much worse oh and they were clean enough on my visit.
Definetly recommended in my book.
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I was luckier with the service here than several of the other reviewers - the young lady who served me was both friendly and efficient, serving me straight away and taking care to collect empty glasses and plates promptly. The beer wasn't bad either. My only minor complaint would be that the toilets were pretty primitive and could do with a good clean and a lick of paint!
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Nice location by the canal and really nice inside too. A fine selection of ales and bottled beers, although we weren't convinced the cask ales were kept very well. The food is cheap and awful and I certainly wouldn't recomment it. I had sausage and mash; the sausages appeared to be cheap and deep fried, the mash hadn't been seasoned and was stone cold! - all in all not very pleasent. The mind boggles when I try to understand how such a simple, tasty dish can be done SO badly - clearly they don't care very much. The girl behind the bar wasn't very friendly either....
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Maybe I was lucky, but nothing wrong with the ales when I was in. And nice cosy ambience as well.
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A very nice spot to sit outside and watch the narrow boats chug by on a sunny afternoon. Inside, it really is like buying a pint inside an 'olde worlde tea shoppe' - a slightly disconcerting experience. Others have reported variable beer quality but my pint of RCH Old Slug porter certainly hit the spot.
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After the warm beer on a previous visit on a very hot day, I thought I'd give it a go on a cooler day. Again I was disappointed to find the beer was warmer than it should be for a real ale and it also had a few bits in the bottom of the glass. I was served by a chap who didn't want to be there and I felt about as welcome as a fart in a space suit. This pub has recently been given an entry in the 2010 CAMRA Good Beer Guide and I for one, truely, can believe how. There were four ale's available which was good but they really need to sort the cellar temp' out.
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This pub is in a tiny lock keepers cottage right on the canal towpath. It�s at the junction of the Birmingham Mainline and the Birmingham � Worcester canal where there used to be a bar stopping boats going from one canal to the other which means that all the cargo had to be unloaded from one boat and then reloaded on to another boat on the far side of the bar. Then they came to some arrangement (in 1815) and built a lock between the two canals and therefore, probably this cottage. It looks like a caf� once inside with cakes etc on display on the bar. It was red hot in here yesterday late afternoon so I wouldn�t have been up for buying a cream cake that wasn�t stored in a fridge. It�s got a good looking black & white exterior and several tables and chairs on the towpath. Inside there�s loads of mismatched seating and a covered courtyard area (also tiny) with plants and brass bits and pieces on the ledges. Four handpumps on the bar, three with Enville Ale on the pumpclip. I went for the Outlaw Buckeye which was OK and went to sit outside. The guy served after me went for the Enville and was served a pint of cloudy sludge that he took back. I�m not convinced about the beer quality here, but it is a nice place to sit and contemplate.
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Visited this great place again and still rate it as one of my favourite places for a pint in Brum- rare for me as I generally prefer my pubs traditional. It does have elements of that in that it's very poky and intimate, which helps make it unique. Fine to sit by the canal in summer and watch the world (i.e. boats, ducks and geese) go by. The beer has certianly improved sicne my last visit. but as noted is still a tad too warm, apart from that fine. Also a good selection from local microbreweries, enjoyed the Pride of Aston and purity. Food is cheap and cheerful and worth the �5 for the average meal, with a lot of vegetarian options. More atmosphere than Pennyblacks round the corner, would recommend to anybody.
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Hours seem to be more regular of late, beer selection was very interesting last time I visited - Aston's pride from ABC, True Grit from Millstone and Stumbling Badger from Sadlers. I particularly like Sadlers & Millstone beers and they're both pretty rare in brum from my experience....
Lovely place / location also.
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Charming little pub this. Three real ale's were available on my visit. The beer was fine and clear but was a little warmer than it should have been. It was a hot day mind but the celler should not be affected really! Well worth a visit.
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Quirky little place, which i have visited a few times. Looks like the old lock-keepers cottage - yes, situated next to the canal! great view!
a couple of beers, we had the Rut, which was fine enough. Worth a visit for a one-off if nothing else - a spot of lunch maybe?
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Was totally closed up last night. I hope it's simply because it was a dead, autumn Monday night and that it hasn't gone for good.
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This is a great, quirky little place in a fantastic location. A pub, cafe and restaurant all at the same time As noted, the vegetable soup is brilliant- and huge-, and there are also a couple of ales to try, although my one gripe would be that they were both in poor condition on my last visit. Still, I will consider that a one off. Newspapers, and nice fire that is pleasant in the winter. Lovely!
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Funny - but pleasant - place, in a cross-between a tea room, pub and scruffy boho bistro kind of way. Only real ale on tap was Eager Owl from Leed (a new one on me, but very nice); with plenty of Shep Neame and a few others in bottles.
Odd, but I quite like it.
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The vegetable soup was fantastic, The ale from the pump was alright , but the bottled ales were too warm to be enjoyable. Nice little place for an afternoon couple of pints and maybe some cake, then some soup and garlic bread.
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Nearly walked past this cafe as I went along the canal path to Pennyblacks, but noticed a sign by the door with real ale on it. Called in to see what was on, and at a small bar counter there was indeed a handpump for real ale. Another suprise was that the choice was a micro brewery rather than the big breweries. Sampled it in pleasant surroudings and it was in good condition. Problem was that when visiting it on two occasions last week there was no-one available to serve at the bar despite my visits being around the same time. The opening hours may therefore be variable.
Gill Smith - 4 Dec 2006 17:54 |
