Big Bulls Head, Birmingham

From the exterior - netted curtains pulled to and a front door open - this could have contained anything. I was surprised to find a really neat, classic interior with a smart front bar and a real impressive "snug" with leather bound benches and a big Atkinsons Aston Ale mirror. No real ales but the Staropramen was good and really very cheap. Can't judge a book by its cover!

Called in here many times over the years. Its a decent pub but no real ale. Happy to call in for a lager now and then!

Quite a surprise here, in a place I have always previously avoided, which turns out to be quite an attractive traditional two-bar pub. The main bar has been given a refurbishment in a unexpectedly light style which works quite well, but the substantial dark-wood bar-back remains. There is also a separate bar and dining room to the side, served through an oversized hatch. Furthermore, real ale - in the former of Sharp's Atlantic (£3.10) - turned out to be available too... Hardly great, but it's always good to have one's expectations confounded and exceeded in a positive way.