The Vine, Kenrick Park, West Bromwich

Called into this Good Beer Guide pub today and found a pub with lots of small well kept rooms, and two large rooms with loads of tables and chairs, one with a grill for food as well as the pub's curries. We enjoyed our Ossett Yorkshire Blonde which was the only cask ale available. We were first ones in today so didn't get much atmosphere, but the staff were friendly.

Tucked away down some unassuming backstreets a stone's throw from the roar of the M5, the Vine is a remarkable traditional pub with an enormous curry house venture built in an extension to the rear. This vast operation is primarily geared towards football supporters visiting The Hawthorns, which is a relatively short walk away following a path alongside the tram tracks. West Brom fans mix quite happily here with visiting supporters and I was staggered to arrive 25 minutes after opening (11:00 on match days) and find that there was not a single seat free in this enormous venue - book in advance or arrive very early if you're planning a match day curry. You enter into what looks for all the world like it's going to be a simple traditional pub, finding yourself in a corridor with a series of small rooms to either side and a decent sized servery further along on the right side of the corridor. Each of these small rooms has some good seating and traditional decor, with some of the tables sporting reserved signs, but they are so small you can't really take advantage of them unless you've bagged a seat. Things get a little more surreal when you pass through the end of the corridor into a large open plan rectangular room with a continuation of the bar turning ninety degrees to the right. The room has a bit of a conservatory feel to it and there are comfy benches down the right hand wall and a couple of rows of tables through the centre, with limited standing room to the left. Lots of promotional material lines the bare brick walls advertising food options and mid-week deals. This looks like it's the end of the pub, but pushing on you move past a small second bar tucked away to the rear right and on into a huge barn-like restaurant with a large barbecue area to the right dishing up grilled chicken tikka, naan bread and a few other bits for those who were unable to get a table to enjoy a proper meal from. There is a great deal of seating in here - a mix of benches, chairs and high stools - with a few pictures decorating the walls and more promotional bits everywhere plus the unexpected addition of a TV screen showing Free Willy. Doors to the rear lead out to a part covered patio garden that was pretty windswept and bleak on a February morning, but the rickety benches out here were the only places you could still sit at, so I persevered whilst I chomped through a rather lovely chicken tikka. There was no music playing in the pub, but unusually it was playing in the garden. Just two beers on the handpulls, but a pretty good choice of Holden's Bitter and Batham's Best, although annoyingly the Batham's went off just as I was about to get served and I didn't fancy losing my place at the bar waiting for it to get changed, so I tried the Holden's which was very well kept. I was really looking forward to a curry here and the ones that went past me to other more foresighted punters, looked and smelt fantastic. The staff were clearly under the cosh a bit on such a busy afternoon, so pleasantries were kept to a minimum, but they were a well drilled team and waiting times at the bar were pretty good considering how packed it was. I'm going to stick my neck out and suggest that this is possibly the best 'football' pub in the country, offering friendly banter between fans, good beer and great food in a lively but convivial atmosphere. I left a little disappointed at not getting the full experience and will be there at opening time next season. Quite what it's like on a non match day, I have no idea, but the distinction between traditional pub space and well provisioned restaurant area means you should be well catered for whatever your cause to visit might be.

Rather nice old pub with new extension to the rear, the front rooms are small and ooze character. Good choice of beers. Get past the grumpy barmaid & the heating being on on the hottest day of the year and its a great find. Close to Kenrick Park Metro station

Superb experience. Looks like a small backstreet pub from the outside and it certainly is with a couple of parlour type rooms. It then opens out into a maze of covered court yards and a huge function type room at the back. Popular on match days for obvious reason, but also for the food. We went in at 12pm on a Sunday (outside the football season) and the place was filling up with punters. They don't start food until 1pm. And what food - one of the best curries I have ever had! Two unusual real ales on draft (I forget the names) but they also do bottled Bathams - which it had to be. Will definitely be back.

This is a quirky little detached Victorian corner pub and Indian restaurant. The pub, for many years, was the last building on the road and was either built as, or converted to, a beerhouse. The extension next door is modern. The building is a cottage-styled one, as in a central entrance flanked by bay windows, but it actually turns the corner (as if something was going to be built on the side, but never was) It is in brick, with some cream render. There are several steps to negtiate before getting in!. The interior is a fusion of old English pub and a modern restaurant. As you enter, you pass an small enlosed snug to the right, an open snug to the left (has a TV) - then there is another snug to the left as you pass by the serving bar for the pub part. All these rooms are in yellow artex, with brown, or wood panel and have the odd print on the walls. The pub then opens out into the first part of the restauraunt - which is in brick with a glass roof. The menu is on chalk boards. This is then followed by a modern BBQ area, in brick, with some patterned wallpaper, before the patio area. There are a few TVs down here. The food is very good, i have eaten here a few times. The service is OK to friendly depending on how busy they are - and boy, they can get busy with a good cosmopolitan clientele. Beer; usual tap stuff with Cobra and Banks's MILD, with a couple of rotating guest handpulls - this time Enville Ale and Holden's Bitter - booth being decent. This was a fitting place to finish my tour of all the West Brom pubs. It is successful as not only does it do good Indian food, but also real ale. Also, it hasn't gutted out the interior to create a sport bar. Excellent place.