User name:

Password:

Login


Sign in with Facebook


Not already a member?
Join our community and - Rate & review pubs - Upload pictures - Add events JOIN for free NOW


Chat about:
Random news of the day with Tris39 on the Pub Forum

Victoria, Walsall

23 Lower Rushall Street
Walsall
WS1 2AA
Phone: 01922635866

Return to pub summary

Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Quinno _ left this review about Victoria

Slightly confusing place as the front door facing the main street is glued shut, you need to enter round the side. Traditional two roomer, with the smaller bar down some stairs on the left. Huge jumbo blackboard with a load of choice including a fair few craftykegs. Eight cask in total and my Church End Gravediggers was excellent (NBSS 4), served-up by a flowery shirted landlord who seemed a bit standoffish which put a slight dampener on things, we felt like outsiders here – I wonder if that’s the same one who served the reviewer below. A slight shame, as the place itself and the beer quality were excellent. GBG listed, as you’d expect. 7.5

On 13th March 2024 - rating: 8
[User has posted 5043 recommendations about 5026 pubs]


Old Boots left this review about The Victoria

A slightly tatty exterior belying an excellent old pub inside, two bar set up with separate but connected serverys. The front has an unused door, the entrance is at the side and the vestibule gives access to both bars, a small short thin one at the front and a much larger multi space one behind. Six pumps in the front bar and , I think, four in the back, the blackboard listed six cask beers on and two gone, 11 keg or craft keg, and a craft cider Lillies which doesn’t meet CAMRAs arcane definition of cider but hey ho it’s craft. I had a Butty Bach and something from local brewery AJ which was a passable home brew. Banquette seating at double Britannia tables with dodgy curry house chairs in the front bar, similar in the back. General unimproved Victorian basic with some original features. Looks to be a popular local with a good range of beers of various styles mostly from smaller breweries although the usual nationals are there, it also has comedy and music. Also known as “Katz”. I visited on an early July Tuesday evening which apparently is a monthly pie night, all tables were laid for pie eating and reserved from various times.

On 10th July 2023 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3209 recommendations about 2920 pubs]


Steve C left this review about The Victoria

Along the front windows of the Victoria is a small and thin bar that was full with locals during a recent Wednesday evening visit. The rear bar was also busy with people watching Man City v Arsenal via BT Sport on the lone television. Oddly this was muted while some background music played, even though everyone was watching the football. The short bar counter supports standard, premium and craft keg alongside four hand pumps that were drawing Church End Brewery’s Grave Digger’s Mild, Marston’s Wainwright, Green Duck Brewery’s Duck Blonde and Wye Valley’s Butty Bach. There are at least another three hand pumps on the front bar as a chalkboard listed Marston’s Lighter Nights and AJ’s Ales’ Stuck in the Doghouse and Grand Nationale as also being available. In the right rear corner are some tables and a small kitchen, but I didn’t see anyone eating. The ladies in the kitchen were certainly more friendly than the guy behind the bar who seemed like he didn’t want to be there. I’d pop back in if passing, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to revisit now that I’ve been.

On 19th May 2023 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Delboy 20 left this review about The Victoria

A great pub well worth the short stroll out of town. 7 cask ales on including Church End Gravediggers Mild, Green Duck Blonde, Wye Valley Butty Bach, AJ's Beertrice, Backyard Treason and 3D Good Ol' Boys IPA. We went for the latter and it was excellent.
Great service and great beer. I'll be back soon.

On 22nd December 2021 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 1651 recommendations about 1553 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Bucking Fastard left this review about The Victoria

A traditional boozer,nothing much has changed since the very thorough PSM review below from 2012.I settled in the small front bar,but the L shaped rear saloon was more lively.On the first floor there is now a pool room,which makes the upstairs lavotories seem less incongruous.There is now a much larger real ale offering with the chalk board advertising 7 ales (on my trip Backyard Centennial,Blonde and Aethelred Rye(very good nick and on £2 special offer) ,Titanic Plum Porter,Marstons Wainwright,Church End Gravedigger Mild and Wye Valley Butty Bach together with 2 real ciders.The handpumps are spread over the two sides of the counter,so it may be worth enquiring what is actually available.Cobs at £1 are available, there is a weekly quiz night and occasional live music.
It's rightly in the GBG 2019 ,and should not be missed on any trip to Walsall.I liked it a lot,a friendly spot with many points of interest,although the jug & bottle window isn't operational these days.

On 25th April 2019 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Victoria

This is a nice old-fashioned two room pub on a busy road in Walsall's town centre. The entrance is through a door on a small side street, leading into a hallway which gives access to both rooms. The compact front room is carpeted with one long banquette running the length of the front wall and serving a number of small tables with regular chairs. The brick fireplace at the far end of the room was lit on my early afternoon visit and I enjoyed settling down next to it with my pint and paper. The walls were decorated with a lot of old Coca Cola and Schweppes adverts and I also noticed a beer bottle collection on a shelf above the bar. I didn't get a good look at the rear room, as I was loathe to leave the fireside, but it looked a bit more basic, with additional banquette and low stool seating. A garden, which seemed to be partly sheltered, could be accessed from the back of the pub. Music was playing quietly from a 50's radio station during my stay, which was unobtrusive until the Rawhide theme tune caught my attention. A visit to the gents involved a trip upstairs that felt like I was venturing into someone’s house and gave the impression that the pub has been converted from a private residence, or that perhaps the toilets used to be outside and have now been incorporated in the living quarters.
The four hand pumps offered Greene King Abbot Ale, Morland Old Speckled Hen, Wye Valley Butty Bach (£2.60) and Backyard Gold. My well kept pint of Butty Bach was poured by a friendly barmaid who apologised for the pub being so quiet.
I liked the feel of this traditional style pub and thought that with the addition of a few other customers, it could have really won me over. The pub is close to the Lyndon House Hotel and Black Country Arms, so it would be inexcusable to leave it out of any crawl around Walsall.

On 26th January 2012 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Ale Monster left this review about The Victoria

This is a traditional two room town centre pub that is a free house, the entrance is down the right hand side of the pub and leads into a hall with a staircase, a door to the bar on the left (front of building) and a door to the lounge on the right (back of building), there is a central bar that serves both rooms. The public bar is small with a bar counter on the right and a brick fire place surrounded by horse brasses in the far wall on the left of the counter. The lounge is slightly bigger with a small bar counter on the left which backs onto the counter in the public bar, a small fire place on the wall to the right of the counter and a door opposite the counter at the back of the room, this leads out to a small patio with loads of flowers and a fully used green house in the corner! The décor is minimalist but leans more towards traditional than modern and the colour scheme is quite bright.

Regular ales are Green King Abbot Ale, Ruddles County and Old Speckled Hen with two changing guest beers which on my visit were Wye Valley HPA and Purity Mad Goose. I can’t comment on the consistency of quality as this was my first visit but on the day my drinking partners and I all thought the beers seemed well kept.

A really good traditional pub with a decent selection of beers, it feels like an old local’s type pub which in my opinion is a good thing with so many characterless chain pubs around these days. One of the better pubs in the town, I’m surprised it’s not in the GBG 2010. I would most definitely hope to return in the near future.

On 30th August 2010 - rating: 8
[User has posted 199 recommendations about 199 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Soup Dragon left this review about The Victoria

This is a terraced 19th century brick building, with a blue and white frontage seemingly stuck on.

The inside has two rooms; bar and lounge. Decor is white walls, with wood panel and a few pictures and mirrors dotted about.

Know locally as Katz, the place is very traditional. The TV in the bar only gives footy scores on Ceefax.

Beers; tap tosh, with Everard's Tiger and Abbot Ale as regulars. 2 Guests rotating, the last being Rev James and Goffs White Knight that i had. No regular MILD, but ale is always well kept.

A must do place

On 13th September 2009 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]