Slug & Lettuce, Wolverhampton

This is a terraced chain pub and eatery, with a patio area at the front and back. The building is c1956, as this is when its predecessor, the Hippodrome Theatre, was burnt down. Before that (1921) it was the Empire Palace and before the the Gaiety Vaults pub and music hall. The pub occupies the base of the building, which is in a dark red i think. The interior is one long room, which is in patterned wallpaper and the odd brown, green, or red wall. One wall has an old borough map painted on, which is the highlight of this place. A DJ booth,copious TVs and charty music sum this place up really, along with the comfy seats, high stools, cocktail posters and the plethora of mirrors. They do food, but i didn't eat (well, not since about 1999). The service was functional and the clientele leans to the younger element. Beer; usual stuff with Peroni and Kozel lagers (Kozel was fine enough), as well as three handpulls with GK IPA, Spekky Hen and Hobgoblin. All-in-all, dull, but not the worst in Wolverhampton.

Large city centre trendy wine bar type place, interior is a single open plan room with several booths on the left and at the far end, along the right hand side of the room there is a long dark wood bar with a white marble top. I counted five large flat screen TVs dotted around the walls which were showing one of the many music channels but I know that they are occasionally used for major sporting events. At the back of the long room is an extension with a glass roof and double doors which lead out to an impressive partially covered patio area (see Andy Ven’s photo). Décor is modern with no paintings or photos but a load of big mirrors for the super vain which sums up the average crowd in here on weekend evenings. Surprisingly for this kind of place there are two regular ales on, Yates’s Best Bitter (by Wells & Young) and Bombardier with a single changing guest beer. Although I have been in a couple of times during the day and the hand pulls have all been empty! Beer quality varies wildly as the staff haven’t got a clue. The food is ok and not too pricey but it’s got no character and is basically a bar for chavs and posers. If you’re looking for a nice pint of real ale then there are much better pubs nearby. Happy to say it’s not my kind of place so I’m in no hurry to return any time soon.