The Old Contemptibles in Birmingham

Another great experience at the OC. Service was really good, staff look after you bringing over food and drinks as required. They leave you in peace to enjoy your time but are always on hand to help. Menu is full and varied. Food was cooked well and we all enjoyed what we had. The sandwich menu is particularly good as the sandwiches are very filling. Thank you for looking after us

Nice atmosphere, some beers not available

Quick lunch, fish finger sandwich n chunky chips, hot fresh and great service

Lovely old pub with great history.

Nice food, excellent selection, and great place to watch rugby

Olivia served us tonight. Two old pals from primary school catching up over some drinks and food. The food is amazing. The staff eat it and rate it. Live music on a Friday night. Good beer, great ambience. Thank you!!

Olivia served us too a treat of wild boar and chorizo pie and beef brisket and prime rib pie. So delicious the staff eat it themselves. Great food, beer and atmosphere. Thanks guys!

The staff know how to keep and serve their beers

Staff are second to none. Most notably George but a mention must also go to Rob, the manager & also Natasha. We've been there a few times now for work celebrations; the service (as above) is excellent but so too has the food been. The suppliers & kitchen staff/chef(s) have not let us down. I'm personally working my way through the menu, it's so good. Although I have had the same dish more than once, the beef brisket pie for example with the so tender meat & fab seasoning had to be ordered again! So who ate all the pies! I have & much of the rest of the menu too 😉 Thanks team.

The food had its ups and downs. Portions were large. I had the fish and chips. I enjoyed it. Few things missing though to make it better. Lemon piece was small, very small even for 3 pieces of fish. Fries came without sauce. Can't imagine adding mayonnaise would inflict a terrible loss of profit so not sure why this wasn't added. This would not be acceptable in Belgium 😅 The mashed peas weren't brining much. Bit of a letdown to be fair. Just add salad then. Service was a bit lacking. By the time the last people on our table got their food, the first people had already finished (polite waiting wasn't an option as it took so long). Apparently only one cook was present so they explained a lot. We were also offered some portions of fries to compensate. Meat was cold in the end so that was really a letdown. We could understand an understaffed problem but meat arriving cold is unacceptable. The steaks were really bad. Again, we'd assume this was due to the missing cook but in the end this review is only for tonight and tonight simple was lacking. Now to the good points. Portions were sizable. I had fish and chips and enjoyed it (apart from the peas). Home made tartar was good but again barely enough for three pieces of fish. I did enjoy my meal though. Waiters were nice and quick to respond. Just annoying food didn't arrive at the table together. The mandatory tipping of 10% after service received wasn't really acceptable either. We felt cheated afterwards. I wouldn't recommend this place. The prices were too high for quality served.

Good ale, but expensive, even for city centre.

Over £6 a pint. This pub takes the piss. They're not in the centre of London. Really are taking advantage of customers. £6.05 for a pint of timmy Taylor landlord 😡

Delicious dinner, marvelous atmosphere

Delicious food in an even better setting! The pub is stunning and full of history! They have a large dining area at the back of the pub which is quieter and more suitable for eating. We all ordered different things from the menu and every dish was fantastic! There were no leftovers from anyone! The service was quick and friendly and the atmosphere was great. About a 10 minute walk from New Street station and really close to the West Midlands Police Museum.

Edit review: came back here after a while and had to go back to 5 stars. Service excellent. Beer excellent and the pie was outstanding. So much great flavour. Edit review: had to go back to 4 stars as the food wasn't great. Ordered boneless chicken and it was basically all batter and no chicken. Pints are always great and the Guinness is still top notch. Nice place with decent beer, not that pricey would recommend a visit. Updated to 5 stars on recent visit. Excellent beer, great service and good food. The guinness is brilliant one of the best poured in Birmingham from here.

From booking table to leaving, everything was perfect. Made to feel very welcome, such friendly staff. A party of 7 celebrating a 80th birthday. Food was delicious, great varied menu, good portions & piping hot. An exemplary experience, all credit to the lovely team Thank you

Lovely pub, great beers and great range of drinks, good service but average food. Still love it in here though.

Pie, mash, and a pint for just under twenty quid in an absolutely gorgeous setting.

Beautiful old building, no loud music, friendly staff, wonderful food, the cleanest glasses I've ever seen! Nothing to improve....10/10

Pleasant efficient friendly staff

Overall a fantastic, atmospheric and cozy pub. The thing that stands out is the amazing decor - everything is in a WWI style with hints of WWII - which contributes to an unique and incredible experience. Great food too; the steak and ale pie was fantastic and warming, and the desserts were all indulgent and provided a great finish. Fine selection of alcohol to choose from too.

Food was out of this world and loved the dessert

Beer well kept too many coming soon and not on

Visited whilst completing the Birmingham mystery guides. We'd had a great walk and stopped for lunch. Had the fish finger sandwich. Fish goujons on sandwich were fantastic. Had with chips and pint of Nicholsons pale ale.

rlly nice curtains. pints edging towards pricey but Nice.

I arrived at the pub at around lunch time. It was packed, there were floods of people it took around 10 mins to get a drink. But the alcohol selection is exemplary and the staff are very kind. I however did not bother to have food but I saw the food coming out of the kitchen and it looked scrumptious. The pub itself is very old fashioned and look like a good old British pub. Will I come back again? Probably.

One of the best pubs in Birmingham city centre. Good range of real ales, craft beers and spirits. Friendly service. Beautiful interior.

Fantastic pub with excellent staff, a well run pub (like a well oiled machine!). Great selection of real ales alongside top level draught lagers, and the gin selection OMG! Met a friend for a drink, stayed for a meal and had a fantastic Mac & Cheese and a Nicholsons Burger (eyes bigger than my stomach with that one). Highly recommend whenever in Birmingham.

Very efficient service, excellent food,great selection of real ales, cask bear wines and spirits.

Packed with people and beer not bad!!

Wonderful, great food, great service

Excellent Burns Night meal. Very helpful and friendly service from George. Good choice on the menu. Everyone very nice.

Excellent old gem of a pub, good prices and extremely helpful and efficient staff. Great place to enjoy a drink with friends and family.

Busy city pub ...but not my kinder place

Go to this pub around 6 times a year. Went with friends on this occasion to have a relaxed and informal birthday meal. Attended to by George, who was absolutely fantastic. Professional, chatty and very witty with some good banter between us. As always, beer and food was excellent. They have a great knack of producing good, old fashioned pub food to a very high standard, together with a few extras. By the way, I have previously signed up to the Nicholson pub newsletters and offers and received an email with an extremely generous value birthday drinks voucher. Great !

Today was my first visit . Fantastic pub, great atmosphere, very interesting building, friendly staff and delicious food.

Out of the way of the city and the building really is spectacular inside. Place does have a strange smell when entering and is really off putting if you ask me. Beer was spot on and a little over priced compared to some places around.

Met family ( arrived from London, Sheffield and Nottingham) for a pre Christmas get together. I've been twice before, the room at the back it was the perfect choice of venue. Nine of us altogether, aged 5 - 71. Our waiter was George,who welcomed us and was helpful,attentive and friendly . The food was excellent and even the fussy children ate everything. We all loved the whole experience and said we would return and make it a family tradition. A warm , cosy traditional pub , with a great atmosphere food/drinks and service. I highly recommend.

Came here on Boxing Day with my partner. Fun festive atmosphere. The server behind the bar recommended me a great red and there were plenty of ales on draught for my partner. A great hidden gem just outside of the busyness of colmore row. It was the perfect way to end the festivities, will definitely be back!

Still one of Birminghams finest pubs

Stunning traditional Birmingham pub. Always a great atmosphere and a good selection of beers.

Such a lovely traditional pub. Great atmosphere, excellent service from George. Nine of my family came from all over the country for a Christmas get together. They all enjoyed the experience and said we will make it a family tradition and re -book next year.

Late Friday afternoon just before Christmas… the pub is very busy with a fantastic atmosphere. We’ve just enjoyed their festive burger (beef burger with a Camembert and cranberry sauce topping). The food here is always great - the fish and chips and selections of pies are highly recommended. Shout out to George for great service too!

Christmas lunch, booked table in cosy snug, food lovely, staff friendly.

Robert is amazing and will always make people feel welcome. Love this place. The food is superb and always a good selection of beers

Rob is sick… go here. I love the OCs! Great service and atmosphere. A diamond of a pub truth be told… Birmingham’s best truth be told

We found this place quite by accident last year and it was so good we decided to book a meal with friends for Christmas. This place does not disappoint. Absolutely fantastic food, great atmosphere and George who waited on our table is an absolute credit to the place. He was so helpful, very welcoming and nothing was too much trouble for him. We will go back, there were six of us and everyone agreed it was fantastic! Thanks to you all.

Menu availability ie, several of the pies were not available and we ate quite early on a Saturday - table booked for 4.15 pm. Otherwise our waiter George, was amazing - thanks George :)

Quick bar staff. Really friendly. No matter how busy it was we got fast service. Great place 😊 perfect place to be your regular!

The food and drink were good and the service excellent . The surroundings are extremely comfortable with a great atmosphere

What a brilliant night. All the staff were extremely helpful and made our night a truly memorable evening. We have been going to the pub at Christmas for the last eight years and will certainly be back next year.

My niece’s no-hen party - this was an ideal place to celebrate. The food was fabulous, the service great, and our ‘host in charge’ George was amazing. His attention to detail and constant checks ensured that we all had the best fun. Wonderful evening.

Great pint. So refreshing to see the manager working out front with his team! Best bar in Birmingham

I booked lunch for 12 of us from your Christmas Menu. We were all very pleased with the food, good quality and served on time. The service we received at the table was excellent. You were very busy, but our waiter was very helpful, friendly and polite. This added to our enjoyable meal - thank-you

Mega busy when we went but the probably the best quality pint of lager I've ever had. You can tell this pub cares about the quality of their drinks.

Did not eat, but great place for a drink. Always a good atmosphere and choice of beers.

Very friendly welcome, great atmosphere - table looked lovely (group of 8 for an office Christmas Lunch) Staff were helpful and knowledgeable.

Great selection of proper beers and ales. It does get busy but has a great vibe. No music or tvs a very refreshing change. Definitely worth checking out.

A great old fashioned pub. A wide selection of beers.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere, great customer service, food and decor of pub

Excellent place ,good place to eat and socialise,

Lovely afternoon in the OC. Service was brilliant with staff really looking after us. Food was excellent too. Pub is looking very festive too.

Food was good but would probably be better when the pub is not so busy. Service was good

A choice pub in the centre of Birmingham. Great atmosphere, great beer, great company. Heaven!!

The fish-and-chips were perfect.

Was used as venue to meet up with some friends I used to work with over 30 years ago 🙃 Did not eat here just enjoyed each other's company over several pints of ale

The reason it’s only a 2 star review is the astronomical price of beers, it’s a nice place but it’s just too expensive, I’d say it’s one of the most expensive bars in brum, and for what, over £7 a pint, and one pint was an ale at 3.8% I asked how come this place is so expensive, and they replied it’s for the general upkeep😳 if you have an afternoon in there you’d probably be able to pay for a rear extension to the pub. Nice.. but not that nice.

Great food and service in a very busy pub 👍

Great hidden gem , reasonable pub food and great atmosphere

We had booked while we were in Birmingham for the Motorcycle live event. We had been to The Old Contemptibles before so decided to try it again and we were not disappointed. The service was brilliant from arrival to departure, being attentive and considerate without...

Popped in for a drink after meal at Indian Brewery. Still one of the better/proper pubs in centre. Unfortunately wasn't drinking but real ale choices looked plentiful. Good,friendly atmosphere. Been for food in past and was impressed.

Very homely feel. George was amazing. Had an amazing time, music was amazing too. Definitely gonna be visiting again :) and highly recommend the raspberry gin spritz.

We had a great server, George, who looked after us for our stay. He was very helpful and made sure we had a pleasant experience. I tried to order a bottle of White Zinfandel on the app but the option wasn’t there to so I had to go to the bar. As soon as George saw me, he can over and served me which was nice as the bar was busy.

Fantastic service from the bar staff, special mention to George for his amazing and friendly customer service. Buffet menu was very nice too. A new band was on performing and they were very good.

Came in yesterday for the live music and received excellent service from the staff on the bar. Didn't catch names of staff but very knowledgeable and friendly for a big order. Will definitely be coming again!

Charming pub, can not fault the staff, all attentive to customers requests and went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. Rob and George were fantastic , I always find it so lovely when management get stuck in too. My daughter has asked that...

Staff were flat and disinterested today. We engaged with 5 staff and they didn’t want to be there. Has there been a change of management? If this was my first visit, I’d be very disappointed. Just hope it was temporary

Great food . Staff friendly and helpful. Good atmosphere

My meal was very good and the people I was with, enjoyed theirs too. I enjoyed the music - my era. The staff were very helpful and quick with service.

This place is warm and welcoming. The food is plentiful and tasty. A good night out to relax with friends. An added bonus is the live music which is always of a high standard. Great pub, run by Rob and his fantastic team.

Good menu choices Lovely atmosphere Service was a cut above - very friendly and attentive Quick and professional

Brilliant old style public house with excellent staff and well priced drinks. Highly recommended.

Second visit to the Old Contemptibles today for lunch amazing staff and outstanding food. Cannot thank staff enough for making a get together a memory for 2023. Rest assured we will be coming back soon.

Wonderful old pub. Had a great lunch here yesterday, well cooked cheese burger and a fish pie for my wife. Helpful friendly staff and a great atmosphere.

Hell of a bar. Vintage style Pub with amazi g food along with great selection of beers. Oh and the ambiance is mind blowing. Do drop by for catch up with your mates hers. Cheers!

I like this pub. It is close to Snow Hill Station, good beer and friendly staff. There is a good variety of beers to choose from. My only gripe would be that the tvs are showing BBC news channel. Please turn them off as it...

We held a reunion of work colleagues at this pub and received first class service that really added to the enjoyment of the day Well done!

Having seen some negative reviews, me and my wife called in for here for a drink on a recent trip whilst in nearby Warks. Friendly staff yes, beer quality? Average but well over £6 a pint! I have looked at the repies to any negative...

Disappointed to be served a pint of larger tonight which was half already poured! Will not be coming back, as very disappointed.

Arranged a meeting with a long standing friend who due to various circumstances had not seen for a few years and based on experience opted for this location as a good halfway meeting place. To say I was disappointed is an understatement - the food...

A good pub for atmosphere but beer now over £6 a pint. More worryingly, I had to ask the bar staff to top up the ordered pints every time. Are short measures a mangement instruction? The pub was noticeably quieter on my last visit and...

Can't believe you were charging above £6.00 per pint today, 14 10.23 , you lost 7 people. You really are taking the P. More expensive than London, bad news travels fast. Please be aware we will never be back

Lovely atmosphere , excellent service and good pub food. Robb was extremely pleasant and helpful.Great pub.

Sinead was absolutely superb and went above and beyond to make our company meal one to be remembered. Above excellent service - thanks a million Sinead

lovely old style pub, great atmosphere and a very interesting history, Food was excellent, staff very friendly as were the customers.

One of our favourites in Brum, The Old Contemptibles never fails to disappoint. The staff are superb and the selection of beers and drinks fantastic. We went last there to watch Spain vs England footy final and we had a great time. Patrick was particularly...

Booked online on a Saturday and got a nice table in a separate room with six tables a bit away from the noise. Had a tasty selection of tapas for starters and a lovely wild boar pie as a main course. Good selection of beers,...

Forgot about all your plastic pubs,this is a proper pub with loads of history and great decor. Plenty of drinks available and food. Reasonable sized interior and seating outside. Really good prices and a 3 minute walk from the over priced bars in Temple Street....

A fantastic afternoon listening to the brilliant Professor Carl Chinn giving a talk on the Old Contemptibles of the Great War. Cracking pub with great atmosphere. Enjoyed several beers and the service and beer choice and quality was excellent. A greta pub with buckets of...

We have eaten here a few times when we have stayed overnight in Birmingham. The beer, food and atmosphere are always really good. This time the excellent fish we were going to order was unfortunately not available so we opted for the burgers which were...