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Beer of the Week (w/e 2nd August 2026) with ROBCamra
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon), Birmingham
Birmingham
B5 4TD
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
Found in China Town, the aptly named Dragon Inn sits behind lots of café seating that is demarked from the passing street by some planters. The serving counter in the front bar of this dimly lit Wetherspoons faces wooden flooring with square tiled inserts. To the right is a carpeted area with a mix of high and standard tables that are overlooked by a small projector screen that was playing muted BBC News, I assume that this screen will disappear now that the World Cup has finished. The carpeted left-hand side of the pub has lots more open plan seating and a second serving counter that was unmanned. In the front left is some raised seating and the pub opens up with more seating in the left rear. The hand pumps across the two bars were badged with Mad Squirrel Brewery’s Legally Blonde, Indian Brewery’s Exceptional IPA, GK Abbot and IPA, Salopian’s Darwin’s Original, Doom Bar and Burning Sky’s Aurora. The service was polite, but for a few pennies more there are better options nearby.
On 22nd July 2026
- rating: 5
[User has posted 6782 recommendations about 6744 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
Just for a change, not a typical Spoons. Being located in Chinatown, they have tried to create an Oriental effect. This sort of works outside, with Chinese lanterns and decorations, but less so inside, where the dark woodwork and lack of windows gets a bit cavernous. Personally I think they have got the lighting wrong and there are too many rows of tables squeezed in. Decor apart, it has the usual Spoons facilities but only two guest ales and service seems a bit hit and miss. Adequate but only just.
On 6th May 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 4003 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
I'm knocking off all the city centre ones doing a Geocaching Adventure Lab Cache. Dont ask me why. This is the worst by a county mile.
Dark and dingy inside. Two bars but one unmanned. I ordered a Black Pheasant, one of the guest ales, but after paying was told it was off. So were all the other guest ales. Upsold myself a Leffe - I am sure a more tolerant bar member would have let me off the difference. Oh no - much to the chargrin of my fellow spoonsters, she caculated the difference and made me pay twice.
Avoid.
On 27th February 2023
- rating: 1
[User has posted 1882 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
Distinctly unremarkable 'spoons comprising a large, irregular 'L'-shaped space with various different seating areas and a few patio tables out front. Dimly lit, with two separate bar counters. Ten handpumps in total, but always has lots of duplicates and mostly the usual Ruddles / Doom Bar / Abbot suspects, with Stonehenge Great Bustard being the most interesting thing on offer on my latest visit. Always a disappointment, but I get drawn back occasionally as somewhere to eat if arriving on a late train before stopping overnight in one of the nearby hotels.
On 6th July 2019
- rating: 5
[User has posted 9210 recommendations about 9210 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
Not the best Spoons in the world, it has to be said. There is a bit of a bizarre layout with two separate bars despite the fact that the place is pretty much open plan. There was a set of hand pulls at each bar but these were duplicates, including Doom Bar, Ruddles, Oakham JHB and another guest that I can't remember.
It was particularly busy on Sunday evening and there was a group of 9 of us but we managed to pounce on a table when one cleared so we could all sit together. We ordered food and some of the options weren't available due to a problem with the grill (so basically beefburgers were out) and we got a rather funny look of the barman when we tried to order pizza off the kids' menu and he said rather sarcastically "this is Wetherspoons mate, we don't do pizza" - I pointed it out to him on the menu and he explained they use the same menus nationally and some pubs may have a pizza oven but they don't. I didn't much care for his attitude though.
Nobody seemed to be in any kind of rush to clear dirty plates or glasses off the tables and they were stacked up all over the place.
Overall a dark gloomy Spoons with service to match. Its one saving grace is that there is no upstairs area so the toilets are on the ground floor.
On 14th November 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 914 recommendations about 707 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Delboy 20 left this review about The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
Not the greatest spoons. My pint of Golden Newt tasted like there was one living in it and had to be returned. The Double Maxim was also off so only IPA and Abbotts to choose from - I chose neither. Thank god for the range of craft beers - the Devils Backbone saved the day! The food was decent though - perhaps I just called at a bad time for beer.
On 11th April 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1984 recommendations about 1832 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
Set in Brum's Chinatown this is a fairly untypical JDW. It's rather dark and gloomy inside with a low ceiling, lots of wood and a mix of tiles and wooden floors around the bar areas. There are two bars and only the smaller one as you enter was in use. On a rainy Tuesday afternoon it wasn't all that busy.
The beer choice was poor with GK IPA & Abbot, Doom Bore, Backyard Spring and Green Jack Trawlerboy's Best (I think!). I had a go at the Steak Club mixed grill here (£7.99) which included a drink so I went for the Banks's Devils Backbone on keg. The mixed grill was up to scratch. The standard guest ale price here is £2.49.
I didn't think too much of this one but I've found in general that JDWs in the centre of large cities are inferior to their suburban counterparts.
On 15th May 2016
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
Have to agree with most other reviews. A really poor Wethers with only 5 beers to choose from. Its a large enough place and was pretty full on this Wednesday afternoon visit. Not one to be rushing back to.
On 30th September 2015
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Oggwyn Great left this review about The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
Pretty poor JDW , very quiet on my early Saturday evening visit with only a dozen or so customers in .
Not a great selection of ales and my Backyard Hoard was pretty ropey .
On 26th April 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 797 recommendations about 683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about The Dragon Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
A modern Spoons' pub/eatery with patio area, formerly O'Neills, and a part of the Arcadian Centre. There are two entrances, in brown, in an unispiring building of brick and white. There is an open plan L-shaped room that is in green, blue, patterned wallpaper, wood panel and having a stone area and fireplace that seems as random as the customers. The usual Spoons food was served, which does the job if it isn't too complicated. The service was fine. There was no music and the TV was silent news. Mirrors and info boards are on the walls, along with a few pictures. Beer; usual stuff, with four ales from arong the world - I had something called 'O' from Norway - but to be honest, I can't be too sure. It turned out flatish. Spoons have been getting a little better in my personal opinion (beer-wise) however, this wasn't great. Flip-a-coin, heads try it, tails don't.
On 9th April 2014
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3167 recommendations about 3162 pubs]