The Bartons Arms, Birmingham

There is little to add to the great reviews below.The detailing in the restaurant area is magnificent with velvet covered ornate benches,push button call bells and snob screen in what must have been considered as the respectable end of the large island bar.An upright piano sits underneath the sweeping staircase which leads the the function rooms. Oakham showcase their outstanding ale range here,together with a guest mild from ABC ,a style which Oakham do not attempt.The Thai food is also wonderful ,and I am hard pressed to think of a better thai meal; the combination with Oakham ales work perfectly. Any trip to the Second City should include a lengthy stay at this gem,one of the best pubs in the country.I will be back .

An absolutely stunning late Victorian town pub with the majority of original features intact having undergone a sympathetic, and surely costly, restoration. The tiling, especially in the restaurant area at the back, is typically Victorian in its colouring and fussy detail and has to be seen to be believed. The bar at the front has comfortable, re-upholstered but original benches around the walls with a sloping wooden floor which is black and white tiled around the bar. It feels cavernous but comfortable. The restaurant at the back is cosier and very original boasting a stunning staircase on the way. As an Oakham house the beer is top quality. Attila, JHB, Bishops Farewell, Black Hole Porter, Inferno and Citra were all offered. We tried all except the JHB and all were exceptional. ABC Aston Dark Mild was on as a guest. At the rear is a Thai restaurant with an interesting and good value menu. The food we had was excellent, clearly fresh, well cooked and very tasty. The Barton Arms is well worth a visit to see the interior alone but with the added bonus of top quality beer and exceptional food it must be among the best pubs in the country.

A pub with the ‘wow’ factor, despite the inauspicious location. Takes a starring role in CAMRA's National Inventory of historic interiors and it’s easy to see why. This is a late Victorian (1901) multi-roomed battleship with ornate wall tiling, snob screens, archways, mosaics, and a four-sided clock tower. Watch out for the sloping floor of the main bar after a few beers! After a long period of closure (apparently this was due to be demolished in the 70’s to allow for road widening) this is now owned by Peterborough-based Oakham Ales. Four Oakham beers are always on plus two guests alongside a great selection of Trappist beers. All ales are priced between £2.40-£3 – the quality of the three I sampled were all very good. Two large rooms out the back host a Thai restaurant. It was pretty quiet when we went in on a Friday afternoon and I imagine that it doesn’t get a huge amount of trade during the daytime, given its location. However the pub is near to Villa Park, so gets busy when the footy’s on. The pub can be accessed by frequent buses leaving from right outside the Square Peg in the city centre which take around 10 minutes to get here. It’s a real must-visit when you plan a trip to Brum.