Newhall Street Tavern, Birmingham

This self-styled lounge, bar and eatry occupies the ground floor of what is a fantastic Victorian building on the corner of Edmund St and Newhall St, where if i remember correctly, the first set of traffic lights in Birmingham were sited around 1928. The place was formerly the Cornerhouse, but i had not been in since it was the Hogshead, the previous incarnation. The building is in red brick with some moulded stone and has a slight mock-Tudor look. There are a few tables acting as a patio area on the street. The interior in general is an L-shaped room. The decor is mainly white and brown walls and ceiling, though with some coffee colour, some wood panel and red patterned wallpaper, with a mix of wood and stone floor. The place is generally foody based, with dining tables and chairs. I didn't eat so can't comment on the food, but the menu wasn't cheap, although they do do food offers, so check before you go! The place seemed a little bare, with just the odd old photo, mirror and potted olive tree dotted about for decoration. There was a TV which had something on, but it was silent and subtitled. The background music was general and at a decent level. The service was good and the clientele a good mixed crowd, though it wasn't rammed Beer; the usual tap stuff with UBU Purity Gold, UBU and Sharpe's Doombar. The Ubu was decent and served in it's own glass, which is a nice touch and certainly beats a Carl*ng glass! I found Edmunds a generic foody drinks place for this area of town, but saying that it is perfectly fine to pop into for one.

I too last visited here when it was the Cornerhouse, and yes it has been smartened up a lot since I was last there. Beers were Millstone Square Peg, Shep Neame Spitfire and Black Country Pig on the Wall. Millstone 4.3% was £1.55 a half. Comfortable pub to relax in with a drink.

This bar used to be the Cornerhouse, prior to that it was a Hogshead. It’s now part of a small chain of three bars, the others being The Queens Arms and The Rectory. All three of these are smart wine bar styles bars and two of them including this one sell real ale. It’s got leather chairs and sofa style seating along with some high stools and tables, it’s much smarter than it used to be. It has 3 handpumps selling Old Speckled Hen, Sharps Doom Bar and Purity Gold. I had a pint of the Purity which was served in a glass with the brewery logo on it. It was a very good pint, although it was £3 which is pretty pricey even for the city centre. The staff were very friendly and chatty and there was a background track of 70’s/80’s music. It’s a good, smart bar if you can afford it!