The pub itself

I'm Not A Beggar But I Love This Place!

Beggars Bush

Pubs
in/near Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire,
England Heart Of Inc Birmingham

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Review added: 05/10/2006 21:21
By: dewberry (£0.00 earned from reviews) Earn £££'s

"Legend has it that the name of this pub, Beggars Bush, originated in the early 19th century when a beggar died lying underneath a landmark Hawthorn bush situated on the site of what is now the pub. The bush is long gone, but the pub actually had a battle on its hands last year when John Barras (the new owners) wanted to change the historical name. The mega company eventually gave into local pressure however and the name remains.

Despite the fact that this pub now comes under the all-encompassing Barras brand, the Beggars Bush has retained its character and is very much a 'local boozer' as it has been for many years.

Inside the pub is a very trendy and modern layout, it's completely open plan with a large bar area and plenty of seating. There's a big space reserved for a dance floor which is brilliant when the Beggars Bush are holding a live entertainment night, which is quite a regular occurrence with upcoming gigs clearly advertised around the pub. You have a wide range of seating options with high stools, tables and chairs and sofas dotted around the pub which is great as you can either flake out on the plush sofa or sit and eat your meal in a more civilised manner.

There's plenty of room to move in the Beggars Bush because the majority of the tables and placed against the walls meaning there's a large space in the middle of the pub. This, along with ramped doorways and wide aisles between the tables, means this pub is ideal for disabled visitors or families with pushchairs.

While the live music, the odd comedy act, pool tables and huge TV screens showing all the pay-per-view sporting events are all well and good, the real reason I visit the Beggars Bush is for the fantastic food.

The menu is extensive and wonderful. My absolute favourite meal is the Chicken Curry & Rice which is served in a metal balti dish with a small Naan bread. The curry always tastes deliciously fresh and there are lots of big chunks of chicken along with fresh tomatoes. The sauce is rich and thick, with just the right spicy kick to get me reaching for a soothing glass of vodka and tonic. It's definitely home made because I can literally taste the freshness of the ingredients, and there's no hint of the blandness which is usually the giveaway when a pub is trying to pass off frozen curry as fresh.

My partner adores the steak in the Beggars Bush. Without fail he'll go for the 8oz steak which is served with chips, peas and grilled tomatoes. When ordering the staff will always ask how you'd like your steak cooked and it always arrives at your table cooked exactly to your requirements. Mark always orders bread and butter from the side orders menu to mop up the steak juices as these are, apparently, the best part of eating steak. The chips are gorgeous in this pub; thickly cut and not greasy in the slightest – surprisingly for pub grub I can actually taste the potato, not the oil it's cooked in.

I always take advantage of the Beggars Bush offer of two main meals for £7 which can literally cut the cost of our bill in half sometimes. An average main meal will cost around £6 with extras (bread, steak sauces etc…) ranging from 50p to £1 so it really does make sense to dine with a mate and split the £7 bill.

Another thing I tend to order when eating here is the Combo for Two from the starters menu. This is a wonderful plateful of food to eat either before my main meal or just as a 'pick' while I'm enjoying a drink. For £4.25 you'll get a huge plate filled with garlic bread, chicken wings, cheesy fries, chicken goujons, breaded mushrooms and other finger foods served with a rich spicy BBQ sauce and a small pot of garlic mayonnaise. The Combo is the scrummiest meal of this type that I've ever eaten, there's very little fat which is sometimes a minor miracle in itself and the flavours are all fresh and vibrant – no nasty frozen chicken nuggets on this plate! There's easily enough to satisfy our appetites and sometimes when I visit with the kids' I'll order them a Combo as a main meal as they enjoy eating such a fun meal.

For dessert I'll ALWAYS have their Chocolate Fudge Cake with Ice Cream. This is basically a huge slice of very chocolaty sponge cake with a thick, thick topping of rich and sweet chocolate fudge. The cake is served slightly warm with a rich vanilla ice cream which melts into such a gorgeous gooey mess by the time you've gotten to the bottom of the bowl. I've been known to use my finger to scrape as much of this mess as I can out of the bowl and into my mouth – and I don't care who sees me!

The bar in the Beggars Bush is fabulous. Not only do they serve your usual beers, cider, spirits and liqueurs but have a wine menu which is so good it's almost unheard of in a Barras pub. Whether you're eating meat, fish or one of the veggie options you'll find a bottle of wine to suit your meal. Prices range from a very reasonable £4.99 a bottle, right the way up to champagne costing upwards of £20. In fact all the prices in this pub are reasonable, made all the better by their constant offer of selection double spirits for just £1.95.

When we eat out at the Beggars Bush we'll usually spend a couple of hours in the pub and this will cost around £45 which includes a starter (the Combo), main meals and a dessert along with several drinks. This isn't a bad price considering this pub is located in one of the more upmarket areas of Birmingham, and if we're simply popping in for a quick bite to eat with one drink each we can easily do this on a tenner when using their £7 deal.

Service is great. Staff are young and friendly with a generally very helpful manner. I had cause to complain about my meal a couple of weeks ago (my jacket potato was hard in the middle) and the member of staff seemed genuinely upset about it. My meal was replaced and I was not only refunded the cost of both meals but also given a complimentary glass of wine – which was nice!

There is a dress code in the evening and some very burly doormen to enforce this, off the top of my head I think trainers and tracksuit bottoms aren't allowed after 8pm but do check before visiting just in case – I'd hate to see you turned away for the sake of not wearing a decent pair of shoes! Oh, baseball caps are not allowed under any circumstances, which can only be a good thing…

Finding the Beggars Bush is a bit of a nightmare as it's located in a not very obvious part of Sutton Coldfield. From Birmingham City Centre get onto the A38 Aston Expressway and continue forward following the signs to Erdington. When you reach Six Ways Island in Erdington, take the 2nd exit onto the A5127 which is clearly signposted Sutton Coldfield/Wylde Green and drive in a straight line until reaching another island, again take the second exit and this will bring you onto Chester Road A452. The Beggars Bush is roughly 300 yards down this road on your right hand side, although you need to turn right at the major set of traffic lights in front of the pub to get to the huge car park.

Beggars Bush
Chester Road
New Oscott
Sutton Coldfield
B73 5BA
Tel: 0121 3542008"

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