The Tennis Court

Game, Set and Match!

The Tennis Court

Pubs
in/near Birmingham, Shropshire (Inc Birmingham),
England Heart Of Inc Birmingham

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Review added: 21/09/2006 16:40
By: dewberry (£0.00 earned from reviews) Earn £££'s

"While by no stretch of the imagination is The Tennis Court pub an upmarket place, it's still a pub I love and visit regularly for a variety of reasons. This is the kind of place you can visit and feel equally at home whether you're simply popping in for a few drinks or out for a bite to eat.

The Tennis Court is cheap. This is attraction number one. A pint of Carling Extra Cold is a measly £1.95 which includes the charge for a dash of lime, an absolute bargain considering its nearest neighbour pub charges 35p for lime or blackcurrant added to your beer! I visited with my fella and the first time I went to the bar for a pint and a half of lager, both with lime, I was gobsmacked to get over £2 change from a fiver! These aren't promotional prices either; The Tennis Court is a good honest cheap pub.

Everything is well priced, not just the beers. I had a J20 (notoriously expensive in pubs) which cost just £1.49 and was nicely presented in a tall glass with lots of ice and garnished with slices of orange, served with two straws this made a lovely change from just being handed a bottle of J20! The spirits are priced similarly to other pubs, although The Tennis Court again proves itself to be the cheapest by offering to 'double it up' for an extra £1.

Food in The Tennis Court is fantastic. The menu is extensive enough to cater for everyone, but not so much that it takes you an hour to decide what to have. The emphasis really is on steaks, they offer a variety of sizes and varieties which are generally served with chips, peas and tomatoes. You can also choose from the staple 'pub grub' with lasagne, scampi, fish and gammon all being offered along with many more options including starters and vegetarian options.

I always have steak when I eat here because it's so wonderfully cooked. An 8oz steak costs just £3.49 and it will be cooked to your requirements – I like mine medium rare and this is awkward to get just right, but The Tennis Court manages to get it perfect. The steak is always a lean cut with just enough visible fat to keep the meat moist while cooking and is obviously fresh and of good quality. The chips are chunky and cooked without using too much fat, and this is made obvious by the lack of grease on your plate when you've finished eating. The peas and fresh grilled tomatoes are always full of flavour and a lovely accompaniment to your meal. A range of special steak sauces are available, I'd heartily recommend the Creamy Pepper Sauce which is (as the name suggests) very creamy and deliciously peppery – just the thing to add a bit of a kick to your steak.

Because the meal I usually choose is absolutely huge, I don't tend to order a starter and rarely manage a dessert. I will, however, sometimes share a Combo for Two with Mark as a snack when we're just drinking in the pub. This fantastic plateful of munchies is very reasonably priced at £2.95 and consists of breaded mushrooms, garlic bread, fries, chicken goujons, coleslaw and loads of other 'bits' which I can't think of at the moment. It's a bargain though, and perfect for a munch between drinks.

The dessert menu is pretty good. If you decide to eat here then do try the Apple Pie & Cookie Dough – apple pie filling topped with crumbled cookie dough similar to that used in Ben & Jerry's ice cream. This dessert is delicious; the tartness of the apples is complimented perfectly with the sweet and sugary cookie dough mixture – I could have licked the bowl it was so perfect!

The Tennis Court is one large room which is used for both drinking and eating, you simply pick a table anywhere in the pub and place your food order at the bar telling them where you're sitting. Easy. The layout of the pub makes it an ideal location for disabled visitors; the doorways are ultra wide and ramped and there's plenty of room for a wheelchair or mobility scooter to get around inside. The small beer garden at the back of the pub is accessible to both disabled and able-bodied visitors, as is the large car park with designated disabled parking directly in front of the entrance.

When we visit for a meal we spend around £25 in a couple of hours, this is brilliant compared to many other pubs in the area and includes two meals, a dessert and several drinks each. If we're not planning to eat we can literally spend as little as £10 - £12 on around four drinks each.

To find The Tennis Court you need to drive into Birmingham City Centre and follow the signs towards North Birmingham and Great Barr. It's a straight run into Perry Barr and you need to drive as far as the huge Perry Barr One Stop Shopping Centre, at the main junction do a U-Turn (you're allowed!) along Walsall Road (A34) and The Tennis Court is located roughly 200 yards down the road on your left.

The Tennis Court
Walsall Road
Perry Barr
Birmingham
B42 1TY
Tel: 0121 3312961"

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