The Coach Hotel, Birmingham

Official site of The Coach Hotel - www.thecoachhotel.co.uk

Official site of The Coach Hotel - www.thecoachhotel.co.uk

Might once have been a coaching inn but now a rather poor pub (although still offering accommodation). Retains quite a traditional public bar with two side areas (one with a pool table) and a more modern, refurbished lounge. Also has a few patio tables out in the rear yard. With a pair of disused handpumps on each counter, the keg M&B Mild (£2.80) was about the best bet.

The Coach had more of a locals pub feel to it and there were a few round the bar. Friendly service but no real ale so I had a quick Coors before moving on.

This is a detached hotel, with a public bar. The building looks like two, knocked into one, or has a large extension to the side. The main building looks Georgian, of three storeys, with a moulded cornice, rounded windows and a moulded entrance. The other building has a double-gabled frontage. It is in cream render, with black paintwork. The interior has a couple of public rooms. The one, the lounge side, i didnt really see. The bar room has a dart board and a pool table. The decor is one of white and coffee walls and ceiling, with fake beaming, wood floor and there are traditional red bench seats. There is a brick fireplace. There was a TV, but this wasn't on and the music was general and at a decent level. The service was very good, as they were very busy behind the bar with a really mixed clientele. Beer; two handpulls but no real ale - usual kegs, with a decent enough Banks's MILD. A run-of-the-mill experience, would have been better with a real ale on.

Must admit to being a bit warey about this one before visiting, as research advised of a record fine in 2009 for filthy kitchens and not sorting it out. But must stress I didn't try the food here and expect they must have had to improve. There are two public rooms here and I went for the lounge. There were a number of locals stooled up at the bar and one poor little chappy obviously told to go and sit away from the bar at the back whilst daddy had a drink. Part of the room was given over to a restaurant, but it looked awful to me, a few tables with cloths over and those velvety little chairs you see laid out in marquees sometimes. Although an old building, or perhaps because of this, it feels a little 'worn' and it was unfriendly and a little uncomfortable. Its not large and the little lad had taken up one area & didn't particulaly want to sit with him, whilst one of the locals had put his coat over one of the chairs in another area whilst not sitting there. Two real ales, and the M&B mild tasted fine and was kept ok too. Perhaps I had subconciously pre-judged it here, but the experience wasn't great at all.