The Vine, Audnam, Stourbridge

Pub is now sadly boarded up, with an uncertain future.

A nice, large detached brick build, with blue paintwork, patio and the familiar Mad O'Rouke's pig and Victorian painted wall signs. The interior is open plan, a 'U' shape around the bar and food odering area. The wood floor is sawdust strewn, the decor blue and white and red and white tiling, with the fake pig's heads and butcher shop ephemera the are unique to O'Roukes. There was also a nice fire going. The service was fine, the clientele mixed and it, like the Gornal one, gets busy later, so book if you want to eat at 7ish on a weekend. The food was fine. The music at a decent level and mixed. Beer; tap stuff with their stout (fine, but generally cold) and they also had Banks's MILD, which was OK. Their real ale handpulls consist of their own beers; Lumphammer, which was fine as a session drink, Ice Pick and Sledgehammer. These places are there to eat at, they are not pubs really in their own right - we use them as we get decent food and beer.

Recently changed from Banks's to Mad O'Rourke and renamed. Seems busy, usual style with sawdust etc.