A Great Family Pub and Restaurant
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Recommendation added: 12/04/2006 21:07
By: dewberry (YSUK rating +702)dewberry has been thanked 4 times for this contribution
"My favourite pub/restaurant at the moment has to be The Church Tavern in Perry Barr, North Birmingham. The big bonus for me is the fact that there is a Wacky Warehouse which will keep the kids amused for a couple of hours while I have a much needed (and enjoyed!) drink.
The Church Tavern itself is laid out in one big room and is very restaurant style, with no seating reserved for customers who are just drinking. This is fine as far as I'm concerned as I like to sit at a table whether I'm eating or not, but my fella prefers to sit at the bar or at a smaller table when he's not having a meal. The tables are well spaced, with most seating parties of six although it's advisable to ring if you're taking a larger group as tables will have to be pushed together.
Thanks to the large non-smoking area inside the Church Tavern, the restaurant smells pretty fresh and the fact that the smoking area is on one side of the large entrance door while the non-smoking area is on the other helps to keep the whiff of cigarette smoke in one place. Also, children are under no circumstances allowed in the smoking area which is an excellent decision from the management.
You order your meals at the Food Order Point which is located to the side of the main bar. Staff are knowledgeable about the various meals available, and also aren't shy to offer recommendations with regard to side orders and desserts to compliment your meal. If there's anything to member of staff taking your order doesn't know, they'll simply pop into the kitchen next door to ask the chef.
The Church Tavern operates a '2 for 1 All Day, Everyday' offer on all their adult main meals. Basically, you order two meals at the same time and you'll receive the cheapest one free. This makes eating here dirt cheap, the price of meals averages at about £6 so in theory you can have an evening out including drinks and a good meal for under twenty quid! Bargain. We usually go to the Church Tavern as a family, but on the odd occasion that I take the kids on my own I'll order two adult meals (thus claiming one for free!) and let the kids share one while I tuck into mine. It works out much cheaper than ordering an adult dinner and two meals from the children's menu; although you'll obviously not be able to do that if you have kids with bigger appetites than my two.
The food, incidentally, is fantastic. I'd call it 'Pub Food with a Twist'. You've got your traditional menu items; Scampi, Steak, Steak & Ale Pie, all served veg and a choice of chips, jacket potato or boiled spuds. Alternatively you can choose Chilli & Rice, Chinese Chicken Curry, Tuscan Tart and a whole range of interesting International dishes. In the few years I've been visiting the Church Tavern, I've sampled pretty much everything on their (extensive) menu. All food is cooked to perfection and attractively presented.
On my most recent visit I had a Chicken Fillet Burger with Cheese & Bacon, this was served on a wonderfully soft sesame bun and came with chips and a large salad. The salad was crisp and fresh, while the chips were cooked perfectly without dripping with grease. My partner had a large Gammon Steak with chips and peas. The thing he commented on about his meal was the fact that the gammon was cooked well and was not at all rubbery, which is something which happens easily when eating this meat in pubs. When you consider both of these meals cost a grand total of £6.95, you can't really go wrong can you?!
To help your meal go down, the Church Tavern sells a range of draught beers including Stella, Kronenberg and all the top names. Also, a good selection of reasonably priced wines which you can buy by the glass or the bottle. Staff behind the bar are more than happy to recommend a wine, and if you ask nicely they'll let you sample a mouthful before making your decision. Coffee, cappuccino and a small variety of soft drinks are also available.
As I mentioned before there is a good sized Wacky Warehouse at the Church Tavern. It costs £2 per hour for each child, and it's worth its weight in gold. Although one of the rules states that children must be supervised at all times, if you let the staff know you want to pop into the main pub for a few minutes they'll usually accommodate you. During the busy times I tend to tell my kids where I'll be and quietly leave without being noticed – my children are seven and nine and are quite capable of finding me if need be! My kids love this place; they'll run in without a backwards glance and emerge an hour later with bright red faces, gulping down a Fruit Shoot within seconds of coming out because they're so dehydrated.
During the summer months there's a good sized children's play area around the back of the Church Tavern. This caters more for the older kids; it's too boisterous and down right high for toddlers and younger children. A total opposite to the Wacky area, supervising your kids is essential in the play area as if any members of staff notice you've left your children alone (however old they are) they'll chase you into the pub and admonish you for your lack of parental responsibility. Embarrassing. The area is totally enclosed and perfectly safe, although smaller children would not safely be able to use the equipment. Perfect, I'd say, for the 9 – 15 age range.
The car park is huge, with a good supply of disabled parking spaces next to the entrance of the pub. Disabled access throughout the Church Tavern is fantastic; wide aisles between tables, an area of the bar which has no high top and is therefore perfect for customers in wheelchairs and well equipped toilets. I doubt any wheelchair user could fault this pub in terms of access, there are a couple of sections which have steps but obviously wheelchairs and pushchairs will be catered for outside of these areas.
Next to the car park there's a small beer garden consisting of around eight tables, this area gets very busy during the summer so don't be disappointed if there's no room for you or you have to sit at someone else's table. It's nicely fenced off, with a small planted area and it's a lovely place to sit and enjoy your last couple of drinks before heading home.
Overall, this is a fantastic pub and restaurant. You'll be fed with the kids taken care of for an hour or two, and all for bargain prices. So what are you waiting for? Head towards Perry Barr along the main College Road from Birmingham City Centre, the Church Tavern is located behind the Alexander Stadium which is signposted from a distance of around three miles in all directions. If you're on the bus, get the 107 from the City Centre or Sutton Coldfield and this will drop you more or less outside. Easy.
Church Tavern
Church Road
Perry Barr
Birmingham
B42 2LA
Tel: 01213564389"
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