The Red Lion

The Red Lion, my trusty local. Sister venue to The Lord Clifden, part of the UAB (Urban Art Bar) group. This is a proper pub minus the sticking to the carpets, serving anaemic food and the best pint on offer being a Carling.
The Red Lion does it right, with local ales, international bottles and some great guest drafts. They also have Goose Island as a regular draft, which at 5.6%, a few of those at lunch or after work certainly leaves you needing a bag of pork scratchings or two. Fear not however, they do serve fantastic food. Their portions are HUGE though the prices aren’t cheap, however well worth it, at around £11 for a main.
There is outside space to sit, drink and eat. In the summer it’s a great place to chill in the sun, though limited as a lot of it is covered, however it’s perfect for when the good old British weather inevitably trikes…
In the winter, there is a real log fire and cosy inside to warm you up and escape the elements. Sport will play sometimes, so do be aware of that. There’s also a great quiz upstairs in the big seating room.
Give this Brummie independent a try!

This is a great place to go out when you’re looking for a simple night of drinks and laughs. The bar staff is extremely friendly and the food tastes great. I’ve ordered the chili con carne which comes with tons of sour cream which was a huge bonus. There is also a pretty good selection of beer on tape Open until really late even during the week! Brianna wish you were here!

Yes indeed, the Red Lion continues to please. The staff is so helpful and friendly, the food is terrific, the beer garden is awesome!
I really like the laid back atmosphere framed with cool background music by the likes of Johnny Cash, Reggae, Dire Straights etc…“
I had a Guinness along with cajun chicken, salad, chips /​fries. They all were top notch. Clientele were pretty well groomed, that is a plus in my book…

Continues to please after multiple visits. Unlike some places around the Jewellery Quarter the consistency is there and that makes for a relaxed, satisfying experience. Pricing is firmly upper end of mid-​range but overall it still represents good value.
Yesterday I popped in for a late lunner (lunch/​dinner) at around 3.00pm. Food was still being served and the place was surprisingly busy (Friday bunk off!) Service was certainly slower than usual as a result, but the Chicken Supreme off the specials board was absolutely A1 and worth the wait. Looked and tasted great. The roasted tomatoes were a tad tart, but everything else wonderful. Nice presentation.
The main was so good in fact I went for a pudding too — the chef was clearly on a roll. Chose Baileys Cheesecake this time. Really creamy and lush with just a hint of Baileys aftertaste rather than full on. This was a very good option. Not cheap for a desert at £4.95 mind, so it needed to be very good indeed. Others in the snug eyed it up greedily but I felt only minor guilt at scoffin’ it all down!

Lovely quiet boozer, great beer and simple food done well. Perfect for a quiet one on a Sunday. Also plays the football but without the usual ‘footie croud’ to ruin the atmosphere (or the pub for that matter)

Breakfast Review:
This is just another pub — or so you would think? Go inside f this average looking pub and you are in an Urban Arts Bar, (hence the U.A.B.). What most people don’t know is that these guys and girls do great breakfasts.
When you go in, you are given a menu with a great selection of breakfasts, including a steak option!
Ingredients here are good. Superb sausage, bacon was spot on, a fried egg, (OK), perfect medium rare steak, some much appreciate sauted potatos, half a tomato and beans. There was some decent toast to round it off too.
Breakfast served quickly, breakfast was hot and really tasty. I loved the environment, I loved the staff and I loved the food. Happy days!

In the spirit of updating old reviews, it’s high time I had another look at the Red Lion. Now… After experiencing a very fine Sunday lunch in January, I decided I would have to go back and give this venue a second (and third) look.
I ended up visiting multiple times over 2014 for different reasons, so I’ll split these into different categories for the purpose of this review.
Pub Meeting: We have lost many a Unilocaler to other countries this year, so when Bobby N. informed me he was moving to Canada, I immediately suggested a goodbye lunch/​drinks meeting. We popped down at around 2pm to chat, chill and shoot the breeze before he was due to leave a couple of days later.
Luckily it was around summertime, so we got to experience the garden in it’s full, warm glory. We grabbed a table in the quirky garden and proceeded to catch up. The garden is a fantastic little space in the Jewellery Quarter. Plenty of seating, cool art on the walls and TV screens (where they do show football if you’re that way inclined)… It served our purpose well for a great place to grab a singular, quiet lunchtime pint.
Birthday Night Out: For a friends birthday this year we popped down to the excellent Viceroy Indian (just down the road from the venue). Once the meal was done, we needed a place to quench our Saturday night thirst and the Red Lion was chosen. It wasn’t packed, it was warm enough to (again) enjoy the garden and the decent selection of ales (amongst other things) kept everyone in our group happy. I would definitely use the venue for this ind of thing again…
Sunday Lunch (with small kids in tow): Back to the lunch! When a friend and her daughter (5) were visiting for the day, I really struggled to think of «child friendly» venues around the JQ. This place popped into my head, so we wandered down to the pub for a spot of lunch around 12pm. LUCKILY we went down at 12pm! All of the tables (except for ours) was reserved for families with the same idea. We had a cracking lunch, but pre-​booking is highly recommended!
So, In summary… The Lion. It’s a bit of a chameleon of a venue that will cater to multiple needs. If you haven’t been down yet, pop on by and grab a pint!

Can’t believe I didn’t know about this place until Saturday! It’s located very near to the Clock tower in the Jewellery Quarter, so easily accessible to most people:)
As with most traditional pubs in the area, it’s not much to look at from the outside and has the two bars inside. Once again I was pleasantly surprised by the large covered outdoor area as well-​good in hot weather and sheltering from the rain;)
Oh, I love the glittery pink toilets seats too!;)

I was in the area for a Unilocal event and as I arrived a little early decided to check out a few other venues, this being one.
It was late afternoon when I arrived, entry through a nice well looked after frontage into a corridor. Turn left and into a small bar area with an impressive bar and large selection of drinks. I tried a Thatchers Cider and was offered the choice of ‘standard’ or ‘frozen’, having opted for ‘standard’ it was indeed a nice pint.
There are large TVs throughout, some Soccer game was on when I was in there.
Beer garden looked nice too.
The pub is part of a chain called UAB (Urban Art Bars) and has a sister pub ‘The Lord Clilften’ nearby. The décor inside is modern but has been sympathetic to the period of the pub.
The staff were friendly and although I didn’t eat there the menu read well and sounded delicious.
Prices are about average for the area and style of venue I think.
Certainly worth a visit.

My Sundays afternoons are usually reserved for some countryside driving and exploring some of the more distant pubs but it was on this particular Sunday me and a friend decided on eating here at the Red Lion.
I had never been here before but another one of my friends was constantly raving about this place and always checking in so I thought time to see what the fuss is about.
We walked straight past the front bar and into the rear lounge. If at the time I knew there was an upstairs dining area I would have selected this but instead me and my buddy had to sit rather awkwardley on the tables in the rear lounge. I found it a bit annoying that some of the punters already there had spread themselves over more tables than were needed; the tables being small round ones. This made it even more difficult for customers who came in after us and had no seating.
Inside the pub is average enough, lots of wood and a minimal amount of screens. The football was actually showing when we arrived but the sound was not on, so that was good I thought.
Anyway I order the sausages and mash, it is like one of my favorite pub meals and wow this place did not disappoint. My friend was from Portugal so he opted to have the same as me, being unsure what would be good. We both thought that the dish was more than adequate, I struggled on the last two bites. The sausages were cooked to perfection and the mash was also spot on.
The menu was actually good and I would love to go back and try some of the other dishes now I know what the standard of food is like.

I’ve been here a few times in recent months, and last Sunday I went down for the Sunday lunch. I’m so happy I did! It was hugeee! And I’m not exaggerating, I didn’t eat again til Monday night! I ordered the Pork Belly and I got a fantastic portion with all the trimmings and more. My friend ordered the scampi, which was equally as large, but did have some slight food envy when he saw mine. Not only did it look good, but it tasted good too. Silence surrounded the table as we ate just because we couldn’t stop eating. Priced at £11.95 it may sound expensive but it is totally worth it.
After this, I was just way too full for desert but there was good selection on offer. We drank wine throughout and while it may be slightly expensive at £16 a bottle, it is in keeping with the other pubs in the area.
There’s a large selection of beers, ales and other drinks on offer. There is also a large outdoor area out back, which is perfect throughout the summer months. Much like its ‘brother-​pub’ the Lord Clifden, there are TV’s throughout, great to catch up on the football and relax with a drink. There seems to be a more mature crowd here along with families, which I find a nice distinction from the Clifden, which attracts a younger crowd.

I don’t frequent The Red Lion very much, despite it being so close to me but we did venture down the other Sunday for a spot of lunch and I was mightily impressed.
A good selection of different roasts (I went for the lamb and beef combo which was delicious) all served with proper roast spuds, braised red cabbage (yum) and root veggies. For just shy of £12 not too shabby!
What I didn’t realise about the lion was just how spacious it is. You enter with one area to your left and another just behind the bar and it appears quite small but further inspection reveals a large upstairs room and a nice beer garden which is rather reminiscent of The Lord Clifden but on a smaller scale. Not surprising I suppose as they are sister pubs.
A small, but perfectly formed, selection of real ales combined with the appearance of Budvar Dark on tap made this Sunday luncheon an unexpected treat. Well worth a butchers if you’re around the JQ.

A cosy pub on an atmospheric street in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, with several rooms and several local beers on. There is also a patio (on two levels) out the back which has artwork around the walls. Staff were very friendly and the beer was good, so was the food. Recommended.

Another awesome historically themed pub — Sister pub to the Lord Clifden.
Do not expect to find your common domestic beers in here — Mainly Imported beers on draught (Belgian and Czech) — my kind of pub!
The bar area is quite small and cosy with seating. DJ behind the bar playing a variety of tunes.
Through the lounge your greeted by another bar, a roaring fire and comfortable suroundings — perfect place to have a quiet pint and a chat on a cold, snowy night.
Friendly bar staff. TV Screen and small beer garden to the rear. Food menu looks fantastic. I have a feeling i will be returning to this cool pub in the Jewelery Quarter.

The best Sunday roast in Birmingham. I love this pub! Their food is really great and they have a great selection of drinks, and the staff are really nice! Yo have to try all the specials!

The Red Lion (sister pub to the Lord Clifden) is without a doubt, one of the best pubs in the Jewellery Quarter and ranks pretty high in the whole of Brum. The food is tip-​top, best on the menu without a shadow of a doubt is the ‘Sombrero Burger’, flame-​grilled chicken with sour cream & salsa, make sure you ask for the hand-​cut chips though as these are way nicer than the normal ones. Everyone raves about the roast dinners as well.
The pub quiz is a good laugh and they often have events. It’s a good place to watch sports as there are tvs in every room and a decent beer garden too.
The female bar staff could be a bit friendlier to female punters, but on the whole it’s a great place and service is generally quick. When it’s not quick, you’re given a heads up as to how long. Once we did have an extremely long wait on food and they refunded us without us complaining.
My friends tell me there’s a good selection of ales as well.
Definitely one of my favourite hangouts, particularly on a Sunday afternoon/​evening.

Awesome food, VERY healthy portions! And great choice of beers, some well known, some not so much Definitely recommend for the beer garden! Great vibes!

I like pubs, and I like good food, and I LOVE art — so therefore I’m a fan of The Red Lion. I feel like it’s easy to forget it’s there, as it’s not QUITE central to the Jewellery Quarter — but because of this, it means it’s often a little less packed than the Lord Clifden for lunch!
The menu is nigh on identical to it’s sister venue which can only be a good thing — and whilst I can be a tricky one to cater for (no meat, fish, cheese or eggs!) they manage to hit the spot with a number of choices and the occasional special. YUM!

The Red Lion like it’s sister pub The Lord Clifden is an Urban Art Bar. What does this mean? It means that it brilliantly brings the old and new together so that long time regulars still feel at home in the pub and the young hipsters love the place. Whilst the two pubs aren’t far away from each other you can expect different food at each so you are always torn over which one to go to. The Red Lion doesn’t have as big as garden as the Clifden but its a great pub to visit with your friends and a firm favourite for a Sunday roast. You get a lot of food on your plate for the money and they regularly try new ales, serve warm Pimms in winter in teapots as well as frozen cider. Yum!

If you like art, beer and food, you’ll like The Red Lion. It is an Urban Art Bar, just like its nearby big sister venue, The Lord Clifden.
This place is cosy and convivial, with a great juke box and some eye catching art work. The chalk outline on the way to the loos makes for some interesting photographs — normally involving a friend lying down on the floor and pretending to be a corpse, as you do.
You get a pleasant mix of locals and trendy young things popping in for a quick drink or settling down to a great pub meal. They also serve breakfast from 10am-​12noon daily, making it a great starting point for a day spent gazing at expensive shiny things in the Jewellery Quarter.