White Lion

This is literally a pub of two halves.
The entrance is located by a small outdoor seating area. As you open the front door you need to ask yourself if you’re here to eat or here to drink. If it’s pub grub you’re after then take a left and settle down in a comfy armchair, or sit upright at one of the laid tables. In the week it’s a popular place with pensioners looking for a reasonably priced pub lunch. But, on Sundays it is advisable to book a table
as things get even busier when the carvery is laid on.
Not hungry? Then turn right and head into the bar section of the pub. This part of the White Lion is a pub’s pub, pure and simple, very popular with locals some of whom seem to spend all weekend in here propping up the bar — it’s friendly enough though. The pub does sport pretty well, with the Aston Villa stronghold unfurling the big screen for the big games. Otherwise, there are a couple of other smaller screens located around the bar section. Come into the pub on a Sunday, and the carvery leftovers are likely to be laid out on the bar for the drinkers to help themselves to. Lager actually goes down quite nicely with a roast potato and Yorkshire pudding. Sunday roast tapas anyone?

As a rule, I’m always a bit suspicious of residentially-​set pubs plonked in the middle of their own carpark. I always imagine a kind of blandness, even though I’m sure it’s a boon at delivery time.
While there is a vaguely pre-​fab feel here, the entrance corridor splits the venue in two and that’s where things get interesting as the bar and lounge become clearly marked.
The lounge, renovated within the last few years (it was in need), tends to draw on couples visiting from surrounding homes; among them a significant proportion who are there for meals. It’s not the chicest set-​up you’ll have seen, but it somehow combines a certain genteel charm with thriving trade. An outdoor terrace lurks behind.
Perhaps where the venue comes into its own is through its bar, which bustles with an after-​work crowd and regulars. It’s a good bet for those who just can’t be bothered to make the effort to get to The Crown nearby, which keeps things just a bit more formal. There’s plenty of outdoor seating to the front of the venue.
Those making a special trip may be a smidge disappointed, but parking will not be a problem, although Butlers Lane railway station is very close — a stop on the busy cross-​city line connecting Lichfield to Birmingham. It’s probably best then to combine a trip with a crawl taking in The Crown and the impressive Butlers Arms (reviewed on Unilocal).