Birmingham’s “golden mile”, Broad St, is awash with the sort of chain bars (Australians, Vodka Revolutions etc) that I like to avoid, but it’s not a bad place if you wish to indulge. Here are a few other city centre establishments that offer something a little different:
Pub pubs
The Wellington
Bennetts Hill (two streets up from the Orange studio)
A fantastic Real Ale pub that always has 13 guest ales on. The selection is listed on plasma screens as it’s so often updated, you have to order by pump number. It’s also open til 12pm, slightly later than some of the surrounding pubs.
The Briar Rose
Bennetts Hill
It’s a Wetherspoons, but one of the nicer ones, it has a lovely painting of Jasper Carrot on the stairs leading down to the toilet.
The Trocadero
Temple Row (one street away from the Orange Studio)
It’s probably the best traditional pub left in Birmingham city centre, plenty of screens for sport if that’s what you like and a decent jukebox.
The Shakespere
Temple Street
Very quiet pub, which has the distinction of having a few seats outside “café society style” for smokers (cannot think of another city centre pub with that).
The Old Joint Stock
Temple Row West
Huge pub, and very good looking that used to be Brum’s stock exchange, fair selection of beers but in my experience service is slow and it’s a little pricey.
More bar-y drinking
The Mailbox
Royal Mail St (but it’s a massive bright red building, you can’t miss it)
The Mailbox is home to the BBC, a couple of hotels and an every changing roll call of designer shops what few can afford. There’s a Bang and Oulfsen shop that reportedly only sells one system a month, normally to a new footballer signed to Villa or Blues, a Harvey Nichols.
It does have a wide variety of food and drinks outlets, chain-wise it’s got a Cafe Rouge, a very posh Nandos, a Gourmet burger company and a cafe Gusto (good with free wifi btw). As for bars/eateries there’s Bar Epenay — a champagne bar —, Lazeez that does “modern” Asian cuisine, a sushi bar (with obligatory conveyor belt of food), and some more trendy establishments.
The Rep Bar
Centenary Square
The bar of Birmingham’s largest theatre is a nice spot for a drink, quiet (expect just before a performance) with a nice terrace outside. It’s currently sporting a Pimms area, with bright red deckchairs, just in case the sun shines.
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