Merry Go Round, Oakwood Park, West Bromwich

Official site of Merry Go Round - appless.app

Official site of Merry Go Round - appless.app

The Merry Go Round has two bars, the front bare board public bar was hosting a group of four locals who had settled in to watch the early evening news on a large television that hangs on the left-hand wall. The jukebox was either off or needed some coinage to jump into action. Premium keg and Madri were available from the bar counter that runs across the rear wall to the right. Banquette seating runs under the front window and the right-hand wall is covered with plastic flowers, a feature that is also found on a front exterior wall. I didn’t venture into the rear bar found up the right-hand side of the building, but I did have a nose through the window to see that it was busier in there with a younger crowd. I thought £2.50 for half a Carling was expensive and this isn’t really my sort of place so I don’t plan on revisiting.

1950s estate-type pub (mostly now branded as The Merry), although unusually set behind a walled enclosure with the car park at the front. Retains two separate bars; a basic public bar with bright lighting and dominant sports TV at the front and a larger lounge / dining area going back at 90° to one side (with a semi-open kitchen and South Asian background music). Unsurprisingly, no real ale, and the Franciscan Well Chieftain IPA proved to be off too, so I tried the Blue Moon (with a slice of orange, £4.50) for the first time in years.

This is a modern (1950's?) estate pub, built later to service what is mainly a 1930s housing estate. The pub is a Swiss chalet type - as in it has a steep pitched roof, with a dormer range. It is in cream render, with side extensions. There is a patio area. The interior has a couple of rooms. The lounge is to the right, but i didn't see this as it was 'Bingo Night', something a misery like me avoids at all costs. The bar is to the left. It is in white and a bit of brown, with 80's fake beams and a few brasses - i quite liked it. There is a wood floor and tidy brown perimeter seating. A few Jack Daniels items are on the walls. There is a dart board and a pool table. There was no music and the TV had the cricket on. They do Indian food, at a reasonable price (£4-5), but i didn't try it. The service was friendly enough and the bar was populated by locals. Beer; no real ale, usual tap stuff with a decent enough Ansell's MILD. Happy i popped in, but nothing for the real ale fan.