Assembly Rooms, Solihullback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
My mate prefers this `spoons to the White Swan around the corner. Popped in one midweek afternoon, pretty quiet, no bruisers on the door, no stag/hen parties, no dress restrictions, no banging tunes....I was most disappointed! Apart from the weekend madness it`s a pretty bog standard JWD, the ales was up to scratch, old blokes saving a few quid on the grog and passing shoppers having a cheap nosh.
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According to the local Solihull Drinker, this pub will not appear in the next Good Beer Guide due to there being very little real ale choice. Sadly I was not even allowed the chance to try the pub, being promptly refused entry to the pub as I was wearing trainers! Since when have Wetherspoons pubs have restricted entry on the basis of footwear. I was offered no explanation as to this policy by the jobsworth on the door. Is this a permanent discriminatory policy or just for a Saturday evening? The noise emanating from inside suggests that this is more of a nightclub than a pub. With no real ale, loud music, surly bouncers and outrageous dress codes, are Wetherspoons succumbing to the binge drinking trade found in most English town centres. The clientele hanging around certainly seemed to indicate they are. 0/10 from me, as a pub that doesn't allow you to have a beerintheevening on the basis of your footwear is not worthy of any credit. Shame on you Wetherspoons.
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Second visit in recent times, first visit was okay. This visit very poor and reflects the previous comment. Large bar area but was told to queue around the corner like being in Greggs!!! Two bar tarts on duty who were not at all interested in leaving the sanctuary behind their tills. As said by the previous poster pubs are not for queuing why have such a large expanse of bar if no bar stools or service are provided? Multiple pump clips on display however very few beers were on. Once it was discovered that a beer was not on no attempt was made to turn the pump clip around presumably so that the next poor sap could try and order it. Note to the manager real ale drinkers are not daft we are not amazed by your extensive range of ales IF only one or two of them are on. I'd rather visit a pub with half its clips showing than plan my session only to be scuppered by availability. Pub was filthy not one table didn't have glasses, plates or coffee mugs left by previous customers. Even at quiet periods the two bar maids didn't stray from their tills to help clear the place. Eventually a helpfull chap had the sense to return dirties to the kitchen after dropping off food, no attempt was made to wipe tables down. Woefully understaffed did nobody think it might get busy during the sales? Needs to improve drastically and start using the whole bar area!!
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I moved back to this part of the world in September 2009. On the run up to Christmas 2009 and for a few months beyond the beer was excellent here but from late spring and summer it had gone right down hill. I rarely get a pint that is not vinegar on the first attempt and when I return it there is no attempt made to check the beer, take it off until it has been checked, nothing; the beer remains for sale with pump clip on display. The service is also poor. Staff seem to congregate at one end of the bar and are too lazy to move away from the till by the coffee machine where food orders are taken. When people waiting for beer ask for service, usually after seeing several people served before them, they are rudely informed that the "queue is here mate". This is actually a problem at few Wetherspoons establishments I have visited so let me reiterate this well known quirk of British culture. In Britain we queue in shops and at bus stops but not at the bar. The pub bar is designed so that the bar staff move to the customer and not the other way round but then you know this, you're just being lazy and rude.
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Hi i am the manager of the assembly rooms, i have read your comments and like to thank you for your comments, we did have issues when we first took over the site, as the building is very old and we are limited what we could change regards space & layout downstairs.
All pubs take time to find there feet, and we were no exception, but we have truely sorted this out now, we have been awarded Solihull Most improved real ale pub for 2009 & have been voted into the Good Beer Guide 2010 - so our Ales are the best around, if you pop in you will currently see we have the best range in the town.
All feed back is good feed back.
Thanks hope to see you all down at the assembly rooms and enjoying yourself.
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I recently visited The Assembly Rooms again and I had much better experience than last time. It was pretty quiet amazingly compared to a very busy White Swan. This place should be alot busier than it was considering it was a lovely easter holiday afternoon. First thing I noticed was the rather huge price drop that has occured here, the once �3ish pints are now between �1-�2 which is alot more reasonable in my opinion. Prices do go up thursday to saturday but its not as wallet destroying as it once was. I had a pint of Purity Gold which was really nice considering this isnt really an ale focused place. The decor hasnt changed but the place looked good inside and out in the sunshine and it didnt feel cramped this time round. We sat up stairs on some very comfy sofas with the sunlight streaming through the windows and it felt very spacious really thanks to the very tall ceilling. A much better experience was had this time round, I will visit again.
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There always seems to be something no working here, or off. Have one or two choices of pints or menu items in mind when ordering as they'll certainly be out of something. This is really another cheap food place as opposed to a pub.
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I have to agree with the comment below this place should be a runaway success and example of the good stuff wetherspoons can produce. But something isn't quite right, I would firstly point out that this one of the most expensive lloyds bars that I've visited. Most pints where nearing �3 which is pretty steep. Even though its big when you in there it actully feels small and cramped and I can't explain why. Service was slow on both bars when I visited but the bar down stairs should never have any less than 2 people serving becuase even when its only 1 deep that equates to about 20-30 customers, basically its a big bar. Its a nice place no doubt about but theres something I cant put my finger on.
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I wish I could like this pub more than I do. It's a handsome building (once the borough's council house and then Bar Censsa), comfortable, roomy, generously equipped with TV screens for live footie matches. However for my visits the guest beers are often off, or depleted so for real ales the choices are often Abbotts or Pedigree - not bad ales in themselves but tediously disappointing in a specialist pub. The s-shaped bar causes confusion as to just where you stand for service, a beam obscures the top half which becomes a blind spot for staff and punters alike. I also find the Sunday roasts somewhat uninspiring and below par. Being a Lloyds outlet this should be a flagship pub for the company but I still prefer the more basic White Swan around the corner. A missed opportunity, but I'll give it another chance.
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