The Craven Arms, Birmingham

Well impressed with this pub, Black Country Inns have done great job refurbishing The Craven Arms. Had a good pint of Pig On The Wall.

A former Marstons house, now refurbished and part of the Black Country Inns chain, who also own the Wellington in the City Centre. The pub is 30 seconds walk from the 'Hugo Boss' entrance to the Mailbox complex of upmarket bars, restaurants, shops and also apartments and a great contrast. There are other new apartments that have spring up around it. Its not on any main circulation area lying just outside the city centre which means it suffers from no passing trade but is also probably still standing because of it. And its a fine corner local from the outside and the Holders tiling is great. Martons had let it run down towards the end of 2012 after a copule of years where it seemed to be searching for an identity. When BCA took it on I really had high hopes for it, but so far, as when you build something up in your mind, it hasn't quite reached that standard of perfect pub I had in my head. Bad points - for me I actually liked the old red 'leather' seating and the way it was laid out. Now its opened out further into one space mainly seating around large tables, making it fine for groups but a little uncomfortable for one/two people on their own. The landlord & staff tend to take up one of those areas. The seating and carpet are all very old pub type as well (well, it is an old pub I suppose!) making it a little boring. Its extremely well lit as well, not to my personal preference. Also, on the times I have visited, the beer has been too warm, again not to my personal taste & I'm yet to have a brilliant pint, just ok. Ok, the good points - real fires, 2 of them, very homely especially as we don't have summer any more. There are also 9 hand pumps of real ale, with a good variety of ales. There are card descriptions of the beers as well, helping especially with those you havn't even heard of. They have also started selling foreigners. And, as said, its a lovely building and unpretentious as advised in earlier reviews, and near enough to the City Centre whilst being out of the way to be handy and have a nice relaxed atmosphere. Its early days and I think I am a little critical as I think this had the potential to be the best pub in Birmingham, so I hope I warm to it and things like the beer condition improve. Or maybe I should make more friends and drink beer too cold these days. But even with my slight negativity its a fine pub and well worth trying for a beer. Cheese Club on a Monday night. Its actually the nearest pub to my place of work so I have a vested interest as my local (I'm one of those who thinks the local is the nearest pub to home/work).

Occupying a street corner position close to The Mailbox and The Cube – an area of Birmingham’s city centre that has seen much redevelopment in recent years – is The Craven Arms An attractive looking exterior features tiling, etched windows bearing the pub name and an entrance on the street corner. Note the fine decorative ceramic moulded tiling high up advertising Holders Ales and Stout – a long gone local brewery that was acquired by Mitchells and Butlers in 1919 and closed in 1923. From the outside it’s the archetypal street corner local – the type of unpretentious pub that is sadly disappearing from our city centres in the so called name of progress. We see that the pub was established in 1838. Inside, we find a single L shaped bar with much brass fittings, some small Art Nouveau coloured windows and a traditional wooden bar counter and decorative bar back. Banquettes around the edges contribute to the comfortable, traditional feel, which, I have to say, was rather marred by the loud music ( there’s a DVD juke box ) and several games machines. On my recent early November evening visit, despite it being a Monday, the pub was perhaps busier than might have been expected, with a younger customer base clearly attracted to the video juke box. Several groups of customers had clearly been in the pub for some considerable time. I found the atmosphere slightly edgy, although in fairness I ought to mention that a lone drinker in the corner openly wearing a red striped Southampton F C shirt ( obviously going to the game at West Brom later that evening ) did not attract any hostility or unwelcome attention. Although it’s not badged externally as such, it would appear to be a Marstons / Banks pub. There’s 3 pumps – two had pump clips reversed and the third pump, advertising Marstons EPA, gave up the ghost well short of a half pint. A certain air of disinterest from the staff might perhaps be explained by the existence of a Fleurets Estate Agents board high up on an outside wall. The pub is presumably either an “underperforming retail unit” or an “exciting investment opportunity” depending on which department of the PubCo you speak to. Based on my visit, this is certainly not a pub worth seeking out

A Victorian gem of a pub. A 'real' pub, compared to the overpriced bars in the Mailbox. Lovely Victorian tiling inside and out. Only saw one smallish room at the front. Affordable bar food on offer, although I didn't try it. Two real ales on when I went in, Hobgoblin and Cocker Hoop. I had the Cocker Hoop which was very welcome on a hot day. I liked this place and recommended it to my friends who also liked it.