Pubs in Walsall
Willenhall.
Top local pub chap and rightful mayor of Walsall Mikee Evans went here a few weeks ago. We wanted to visit a friend in Willenhall and had loose plans for The Robin Hood, too.
This didn’t work out, but we did make The County. Recently refurbed, it’s a lot tidier and pleasant, and as Mikee mentioned, it still has seperate bar and lounge.
No cask ale, but tolerable lager, pleasant vibe, even in the bar. Not a destination pub, but one you’d happily drink in, unlike last time we visited.
Earlier post here
Whatpub Link
The Swan has closed, and re-opened under the ownership of Black Country Ales. In that way, there’s few surprises: the pub has been extensively refurbished, opened out, and serves great real ale and snacks/cobs. This is quite familiar and something the chain does well- most recently seen at The Uxbridge.
The refurb is really good, and the decor fits with this Victorian pub. The staff are friendly, the beer is great, there’s outdoor space, and generally, it’s just a great pub.
Another Brownhills pub that had been refurbed. The refurb has tidied things up, but this is still The Mutt beloved of ‘hills people, a community pub just of the High St, still friendly, still with a big beer garden (with brewery outbuildings). Still no cask, but decent lager, still “vibrant”.
Walsall:
We’d gone into Walsall, and while we love Golden Moments, we always go there. The other Indian we loved, Blue Ginger, was closed, awaiting rebirth as a new restaurant.
Five Rivers is lovely, but too expensive for anything but a special occasion, so we thought we’d give Flying Tiger a go: Our very own Lord Nargis, heir apparent to the Mayorship of Walsall, had visited, but not eaten.
It’s very much a desi pub. it feels like one: TVs playing sport or Asian music (the lovely owners turned it down for us as no-one was sat near us), no ale, but Kingfisher lager, and a comprehensive Indian menu. The place was quiet when we arrived, but soon filled up a bit. We had a medium mixed grill and lager, and liked the place a great deal: friendly staff, great food, decent lager. Very reminiscent of The Sportsman.
Walsall:
We used to call in here regularly, if we were walking home from the town centre, but it has to be 20 years since we were last in. We used The Fountain, which was unexpectedly lovely (being free from arseholes and keeping its usual high standards for beer) as a rest stop this time, and walked up the back streets.
It’s still a big, multi-room community pub, but these days it has a good (and justified) reputation for ale. Friendly customers, nice landlord, a quiet corner for us to sit in, we need to make this a more frequent call: even if the walk is too much it’s near a bus stop if you cut through a couple of public rights-of-way.
Willenhall:
Somehow, I’ve not blogged this before, though it definitely has been visited in PubBlog’s timeframe.
Last time we visited, it was a busy, but pleasant and well-run pub with a few real ales.
Today? Well, we weren’t having a good day, but basically, it’s just yet another urban, tatty, run-down pub with football and lager. Only one room open, so we got all the joy of the football and the shouting from the people watching it. The lager was at least tolerable, so it claws back some respectability there.
Willenhall:
The name, and the grey paint job visible on the Whatpub link had me expecting trendy craft micropub, but this is not the case.
This was at one point Mad O’Rourke‘s Kipper House, and it was that incarnation I visited it as back in the early 90s. It’s also been known as The Worker’s Rest, which I felt suited it better.
Now? It’s a unremarkable but OK backstreet boozer. A little tatty in places, but friendly enough. No ale, but 2 drinkable lagers. No wine- “We’ve just sold the last one”.
Nothing to write home about but an honest enough everyday pub.
Bloxwich:
This one I’ve walked past many times, notably in 2015 in the process of #100pubs. It had just seemed a bit too “vibrant”.
This was the time to change that. We’d been back to The Bell, which was sadly a bit lacking, but not awful, and we’d even dropped by The Spotted Cow, which was similar to last time, and given neither of us had been in here we dropped in.
It was, as they say, vibrant. But it was *nicely* vibrant. Everyone was friendly and having a good time, the music was decent, we got a seat. No ale, but a choice of 2 drinkable lagers, as well as Coors or Carling, and decent enough wine.
It’s a small pub, one room really, though it goes back a fair way to the toilets. Wood panelling that looked like it could have been there since the fifties.
We liked it enough for a second drink.
Grand National Day again, and another visit to The Tap and Tanner. No Walsall Beer Festival this time, and the pub has been refurbed, so it’s a bit smarter inside. Also, the staff were really pleasant this time.
The worst problem remains though, and that’s the noise. Multiple TVs showing sport, but on different channels, and huge PA-style speakers playing the sound from one. We found the only vacant seats, and discovered why they were vacant- right under the speakers, where we couldn’t hear each other. We did try the beer garden, which was nice, but when the sun went in it was too cold.
Beer was fine, prices fine, staff pleasant, but fuck, the noise. We left with headaches.
Pelsall.
Previous post here
Original post here
Whatpub link
Revisit of a revisit. The pub’s changed a little, and there’s new people running it.
This visit was early doors on a Thursday, and once again followed by a trip the Co-op for beer and a curry in the nearby restaurant. It’s been opened out a bit more, I think, and there was a pleasant vibe of after-work drinkers. It’s a big old pub, this, and it wasn’t as dark as previous visits, which was nice.
Only cask ale was Hobgoblin, so Stella it was. pleasant, friendly staff and locals, decent wine too. Music on, but not intrusively loud.