The Soak in Birmingham

Great food as always. This time starters arrived with mains which was not ideal but first time this has happened!

We went there at around 8:40 so it was crowded but we got a seat. The waiting time for our dishes was 50 mins as expected since it was Saturday night. However, the dishes arrived around 10 PM. It took longer than I expected. The food was good tho.

Passed this place loads of times. Looked at the prices in the window. Very reasonable. Some English food but mainly Indian food currys mixed grill etc. Curry rice and naan bread set me back £14ish. I went with the keema curry, peshawari naan and fried rice. I'm not joking that curry and naan was amazing. Both were my go together combo and it was just the way it should be. Well impressed. That good I went back the next day but went with a different curry and it was well tasty. Told some other work mates and they came too. We are in Selly oak alot I think this will be out new go to place. It's nice to find a all round place on venue food and price.

Plate was dirty, coffee was tiny, eggs were sickly and runny, toast was dry with no butter, hash browns weren’t cooked properly, tomato’s tasted rubbery, mushrooms were awful, beans were cold. The bacon was okay. I don’t mean to be rude or unkind but it was the worst all day breakfast I’ve eaten.

The food was lovely and the service was amazing. A big shout to Raj and Keiran that went above and beyond the customer service. They were very helpful with all our requests. I will definitely recommend this place

Very bad experience with chicken tikka biryani

The food was great but the service was really slow. We waited 45 minutes for our starters!

Horrible experience😡 Very Rude Waitress.

Food and atmosphere deserve more stars while the service needs to be improved. Experienced horrible service from one of the waitress with specs. Been there couple of times but the way she served the food and communicate to us and other customers was not acceptable.

The best place for food and drinks. Great atmosphere and the best mixy in the West Midlands. Lovely staff and management also. Service very good- really recommend

Music is brilliant, 80’s to 00’s. Food has incredible flavour, pleasantly surprised!

I ordered 5items for collection, while ordering itself two items it shows free but from restaurant side they called me and said that cannot give two items for free so can you cancel the order but in application it show your order ready for collection

Good Indian Food at competitive prices, decent ambience

Really good quality food for the price.

okay place. the sitting area looks nice but tables are often sticky. The ladies at the kitchen cash register always seem a bit annoyed. bar staff is nice and helpful.

Excellent food, reasonably priced and friendly service.

Great food, staff was polite and happy to help

Great atmosphere, great food, great beer! Value for money! Great Service by Komal, as always.

Excellent food, very reasonable price if you can get a table

Loved the food but the service is worst

Nice interior, expensive drinks and average food.

Worst customer service we don’t know her name she having a spects

Would recommend avoiding the chicken tikka masala and butter chicken dishes! It was so terribly sweet and I felt like I was having dessert! I’m the type of person who hates creating any sort of hassle as I know how stressful working in the kitchen can be, however the usual etiquette is that if the customer finds the food unpleasant, the kitchen offers some sympathy/ remakes it. Staff and management got involved to tell me that apparently I, as a person of Indian origin, do not know what ‘butter chicken’ or ‘chicken tikka masala’ should taste like? They said they cannot remake the food and this is how it is. My British friend also disliked it and found it too sweet for her taste, so I’m really not sure who they are catering to here… I understand that mild curries are less spicy however that doesn’t mean you add a ton of sugar or cream! I had a few bites and left due to the unbearably weird taste… It’s a shame as the rest of their dishes are alright… however after this experience I can’t say that I’ll be going back anytime soon.

Soooo good. I come here almost 1 a week, on average! The butter chicken is a must try, but I’ve never had anything bad there. The affordable prices don’t hurt, either.

I ordered online from just eat and the chicken tikka masala was sweet more than a dessert. I know how chicken tikka masala tastes like as I am a punjabi so for me it was not good at all good. Please make some changes to it.

We went there in afternoon and we had special mix grill food and that was really awesome and specially sangita service was fabulous…..definitely we will come bake soon …special thanks to sangita .

One of the best cuisine I have tested in the UK. Coming from France, let me tell you : The cuisine is very bad over here, but that place, its a 8 out of 10. I recomand. The old school rap musique is a big plus.

OK. Maybe my own fault being in a rush but I didn't check the contents of the bag, but I only ordered 4 items and I was a curry missing. At £12 odd it's not on... Though, I spoke to staff and I've been told I'd be re-embursed IF I go into store. Gutted

Dear Soak Team, I recently visited your restaurant on my birthday, May 19th, to satisfy my craving for Indian cuisine. I want to commend you on the food, especially the chicken tikka biryani, which was absolutely delicious. My compliments to the chef for their excellent work! However, I did encounter a few issues with the service that I hope you can address. When my food was served, there was no extra cutlery or napkins provided. This was a bit inconvenient, and I couldn't find any staff on the floor to assist me. I understand that the hospitality industry can be challenging, but a bit more attention to customer engagement and surroundings would greatly enhance the dining experience. I appreciate your efforts and look forward to visiting again. Thank you Best regards, Sourav♥️

You won't be offered a job in this place if you are white even if you have many years experience Sad case of racism at work

Excellent service from all members of staff. Very attentive, able to meet all our demands when ordering food etc ,with such a large group of 20 people. We booked for a party of 24 people to celebrate my sons 24th birthday & my daughters 22nd birthday (their bdays are just days apart). Excellent atmosphere,big TV screens,not too noisy, comfortable seating. Loved the fact that a member of staff came to introduce herself and advised, if we required anything she would be at hand to meet our needs,you wouldn't normally get that service in a busy pub !!! Clean,comfy seating, easy accessible toilets downstairs and upstairs, which I must say we're clean considering it's a pub. Really accommodating to our needs,even stored our large 14 x14 fresh cream birthday cake in their fridges until we needed it(supplied plates,spoons & napkins)I had brought my own as not every place supplies this, but it was very nice they had already sorted this out for me. Definitely recommend choosing the Soak & Bar Grill for small celebtions or for having a party. Easily accessible for all the students as they could walk back to their accommodation and not worry about having to drink and drive,ideal location. Excellent end to our childrens University life at Bham University. Excellent food, mainly ordered large meat mixed grills & large vegetarian mixed grills with naans and lots of drinks. Thank you :)

Food is banging, drinks are great, vibes are impeccable

Don’t waste your money this place is a ripoff spent £52 on a takeaway what a waste of time boneless mix grill one Shiah kebab cut in harf an four tiny peace’s of chicken £21.50 what a joke fish rap might as well just be a salad rap because there was know fish in it ill stick to the copper fox or the merrymaid way better value an way better flavours

Food was amazing we ordered lots of different dishes so we could try a range on items on the menu and each dish tasted lovely. Will 100% return. Very good prices and good value for money, lots of offers on food and drink. Restaurant looks amazing and decorated well looks modern and inviting. One of the best looking restaurants in a while. Chairs are very comfy which is a bonus. Toilets very clean and baby friendly. Good customer service although felt rushed to order. No parking so need to find parking nearby.

I was at The Soak for lunch time so it was not crowded and service was super friendly and helpful! I really enjoyed the atmosphere and they have good prices too!

The customer service on the food side were rude.

This is the worst restaurant I’ve ever seen. Mostly the food they serve was very very bad. They are serving the spoiled food … very very very arrogant behaviour especially lady in the cash counter

Rude and arrogant and worst staff behaviour.. They are serving spoiled food. Birmingham’s worst restaurant

izzy thought it was cute. not very expensive food and bar. First time having battered chips yayay.

The place is comfortable and the food is average but worth your money. Would recommend going with friends.

Can really recommend the curry here

Indisciplined and intolerant restaurant. On 18th Feb, I visited The Soak Bar and Grill with friends and family. We ordered Burger for my son and friend. Menu doesn't call out Beef as ingredient anywhere on the menu. The Soak Bar and Grill is not following gov norms to call out ingredients either below or just next to food being ordered. I been to Singapore multiple times. Restaurants does check if we are confirmable having beer and highlights articles made of Chicken/beef/pork. The Soak Bar and Grill is calling out chicken, lamb and anything but not beef. This restaurant is a shame. On registering reservations to beef and requesting chicken burger, they charged to pay for Chicken Burger additionally. While I went to pay, they were whispering and passing comments. I will never recommend THE SOAK BAR AND GRILL to anyone in my life.

Indisciplined and intolerant restaurant. Ob 18th Feb, I visited The Soak Bar and Grill with friends and family. We ordered Burger for my son and friend. Menu doesn't call out Beef as ingredient anywhere on the menu. The Soak Bar and Grill is not following gov norms to call out ingredients either below or just next to food being ordered. I been to Singapore multiple times. Restaurants does check if we are confirmable having beer and highlights articles made of Chicken/beef/pork. The Soak Bar and Grill is calling out chicken, lamb and anything but not beef. This restaurant is a shame. On registering reservations to beef and requesting chicken burger, they charged to pay for Chicken Burger additionally. While I went to pay, they were whispering and passing comments. I will never recommend THE SOAK BAR AND GRILL to anyone in my life.

The Soak is back. They boast a fantastic selection of beers, ciders, and spirits. Plus, their pub food game is strong, with classics like curries, burgers, and wraps. We dove into their chicken curry with naan and chips. While the overall portion size was good, I would have loved a bit more sauce to truly soak up with the naan bread. And the best part? The prices! Compared to other pubs in the area, The Soak offers incredible value for money. That makes it a perfect spot for a casual meal with friends.

The food wasn’t delivered to me…. Bad services. No response on the drivers end. Zero professionalism. Who will pay them with poor work ethics.

Extremely friendly staff and really good food, I reccomend the mix of grilled meat

The food was very spicy and salty despite ordered mild.

The Soak is a pub with a Indian/ Asian type restaurant combined. They have a selection of beers and ciders, as well as a number of wraps, and other Indian food. The service was alright. Although you have to go to a different place to order from the kitchen and differently at the bar. Nice ambiance, the decor is quite lovely. Amiable staff too. Although it will be nice to have serviettes and cutleries on the table and not have to look around for a staff to get them.

I would like to thank all the staff members for providing such an amazing service and experience. The food was amazing and delicious. Really enjoyed the evening. Thank you for the kind gesture and welcome. Will definitely visit again

We've eaten in-house a few times and always enjoyed it. Tonight was disappointing overall though. No poppadoms. No salad or dips with the bhajis. The paneer curry was really greasy and far too hot for me. Vegetable biriani was fine. Overall, it seemed over-priced for what we got, compared to other places we use.

Great place, the ambience is amazing and the food, especially Indian cuisine is delicious.

Terrible service at Soak today. I think the staff taking orders at the till needs to apply a bit of common sense and customer service. I queued and got to the front and was just taking a few seconds to decide my naan order - the lady then forced me to move to the back of queue - with a large group of 10 people being one of the groups who were waiting to order . Does this even make sense ? Like why can’t I be given just a few seconds instead of making me queue behind 15 + people when I already queued to get to the front. It’s just abysmal customer service without any logic. After all my frequent visit to The Soak , this treatment is just extremely unacceptable. Tried to contact them privately but like a lot of businesses in Selly they don’t really care about feedback so it’s compelled me to leave this review .

Excellent place to eat, great service and superb food, staff are amazing. We highly recommend this place

located in selly oak very accessible for uni students. prices for the drinks and food are good.

This place has changed and reopened under new owners after the old Selly S'oak closed down. The place has brightened up and is a Desi Pub, serving Indian and Indo Chinese food, with a wide selection of lagers and ciders on tap. Would recommend!

Due to a last minute cancellation of a trip away, we were at home for Christmas Day and wanted somewhere nice (and different) for Christmas dinner. I did a recce of many other places and they were either shut, fully booked and/or charging stupid prices (£90+) just because it was Christmas Day. I enquired at the Soak, who said that they were open and had the usual menu AND prices. We went at 1.00pm (booked a table), but it was fairly quiet. It filled up as time went on. The ambience and decor were all very nice and quality/tasteful. ALL staff were very welcoming, polite and kind. Menu had a great range of choice at various prices, which were all very reasonable. We had Lamb Biryani with curry sauce, Lamb Khadai, Garlic Naan and Chilli Naan. We had Madka Kulfi for dessert. Food was very fresh and tasty and portions were generous. We were even given 2 x Christmas Crackers to get in the festive spirit. We definitely intend going there again and will let friends know about it. NB - your order is not taken at the table and you order it at the hatch at the far end. Drinks are ordered at the bar.

Great food and atmosphere. There's a lot of reviews on here from before it was taken over by the current management, it's changed for the better now, with amazing Indian food and fast friendly service from the bar and restaurant staff. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. 👍🏻

Good value food, fantastic service, nice atmosphere. Definitely aimed at the student population, and very reasonably priced. Enjoyed an evening meal here with my daughter.

Foods normally beautiful past 3 times I have been now Iv had a really bad belly in the morning think I am goin to stop attending here from now on and it os slowly going downhill and the young women in there are very very rude and argumentative

Large mixed grill was great, good price and plenty food for two people with a side of chips 👍🏻 great selection of beers as well

Food is lovely, however way too spicy. I ordered a mild curry and it was so spicy that I couldn’t even eat it. Disappointing as the flavours were lovely.

Absolutely great food. Authentic flavours. Great service

Loved the vibe of the restaurant. The food options are quite varied and pocket friendly. Being a student this is the place I would recommend to everyone to go have a blast with your friends and eat delicious food.

The food was amazing. It's really tasty, to be honest. And also the ambiance was nice and aesthetic. Will definitely go again.

Excellent food at a great price, the curries in particular are delicious. Good selection of drinks too - highly recommended.

Great efficient service and a good variety of food on the menu.

The S'oak was formerly a Greene King Student Bar and was 'OK' if a little pricey for Students in comparison to it's neighbouring 'OVT' which is a Wetherspoons pub with particularly slow service. The S'oak is now a family-run Indian / Asian Fusion Grill (and Bar) with an open-view Kitchen. The quality and quantity of food is absolutely second to none; we generally go to an Indian Restaurant weekly but have found ourselves returning to The S'oak twice each week; really using any excuse! The Lamb and Chicken are both exquisite; beautifully tender with richly flavoured (Desi / Homestyle) sauces. The speed of service is astonishing; everything is clearly prepared from scratch but you can expect your main course to arrive within 10-15 minutes of ordering even when the venue is 95% full! And the price... well, I think it's safe to say it's probably cheaper to eat there than buy supermarket pre-prepared food or make it from scratch yourself; it really is EXCELLENT value! For us, the best Indian in Selly Oak, Harborne, Quinton and Stirchley! AWESOME!

Had a really good lunch here midweek and couldn’t fault the Soak for menu choice or food quality. Plenty of Indian food to choose from and the Chicken Bhuna, Chicken Saag and Pilau rice were very tasty and were spiced as ordered (choice of mild, medium and hot). The Chicken Tikka wrap was also well recommended by my daughter. The fact you can order at the food counter and get a drink from the bar as you go back to your seat were all pluses to save time waiting to be served,

Popped in this place with my student daughter for a bite to eat before a gig. She comes here with her friends. The food was lovely and very reasonably priced. We shared a curry with masala fries, poppadoms and naan. Good choice of drinks, we had flavoured gins. Delicious food well presented. The pub and facilities were excellent. Would definitely come back here with my husband for a meal.

Food was great, as well as the value you get. 5 star service.

Be careful. Medium is spicy! 🌶️ Have visited a few times now, tried a few of the Indian dishes which are tasty and decent portion for the price. Simple chips. Garlic naan thin but tasty (family complained I smelt of garlic for 48hrs). Fish pakora was a little bland but everything else we’ve tried was good. Friendly and efficient service. Clean establishment. Better than I expected. Music a bit loud for relaxed eating and conversation.

We visited the Soak and were really impressed! The new owners have really made some great improvements and the food and service were brilliant. We will 100% return soon

The wraps and masala fries were good (taste and price)! However, the service was disappointing. They mistook my order and were adamant I was wrong even though those around me heard me order the items accurately. Their mannerisms require improvement.

I have been so many times since this place has opened should tell you all need to know. The food arrives quickly, is cooked to perfection and tastes amazing. I don't have to travel far now for what is an amazing Bar and Grill

Really nice place! The prices are great, the food was so nice and there were loads of vegan options too.

It's just so friendly the staff are very friendly and helpful the beer and food so nice love the place

very friendly staff, loved the food, prices and the ambience

Really amazed how good the food is, service was quick, good choice of food on the menu, great selection of drinks, staff are polite and friendly, well done guys we will be back for sure.

A newly refurbished with Indian cuisines. Lavish seating available for small and big groups. Good deals on curries and beer combos. The staff is engaging and service is quick. Parking available on the side streets. Mainly a student hub being close to the university but a nice place for a perfect night out dinner for a celebration.

A firm favourite for myself & my wife. Food quality is excellent. Friendly people ( chatted with people up from London this time ). Service attentive & helpful. Good quality selection of whiskeys' & real ales' which for me is a sign of attention to detail of a well stocked bar

Great vibes, food is really tasty and have many veggie options for curries. Went in with low expectations but it knocked our socks off

Great food reasonable prices.Friendly staff service is quick will definitely visit again.

The food here was plentiful and tasty, great bar and value for money. My only complaint was I felt very rushed as if they couldn’t wait for me to go. No sooner did starter come out and then along came the main halway into eating my starter, 3 quarters of the way in the table started to cleared. Myself and my wife both thought the same and was in out with the hour.

Great food, good portions and decent prices! Will come again!

I had chicken methi on Friday afternoon and it was very poor in taste since the gravy was not properly cooked but the Indian manager was boasting when we tried to speak to them and sounded to big headed to understand what we wanted to tell so we did not complain, what we could understood was he was too big headed on the location of the bar & Grill and too many students around . So in short he didn’t bother about the crowd since he is on the main road prime location with small quantity and tasteless food.

Great food, service and prices. Highly recommended!

Having being there for dinner I had thr opportunity to try the Shish Kebab, however the taste was awful, the avocado has a orrible flavour. Further more the sauces were even worst than the avocado, making the wrap green.

Was skeptical at first but food was impeccable and service was great. Would definitely recommend.

The Soak closed permanently in April 2021 after a rationalisation by Greene King. Even then, despite it's location at the heart of UoB Studentville - it was not a bad place.... Well now, it has reopened as an Indian Bar and Grill, serving a great menu of Indian, Bangladeshi and Indo-Chinese food; and frankly after Selly Oaks Indian trade was decimated by demand for Chinese Mr Egg, Yum-Yum and Bubble-Tea bars; The Soak should re-kindle the appetite for fabulous, great value Indian / Bangladeshi food! So far, we've been back three times in 8 days... Main courses are extremely generous; the chicken and lamb are beautifully cooked; the sauces rich, spicy and flavourful. With a full bar including wine's, beer's, ciders, spirits and £5 Cocktails, there is a drink to accompany everyone's food-taste... The Nan-Wraps are exceptional value for money, packed with protein, flavour and texture; the 'curry' dishes are amongst the best I have tasted in Birmingham; I've lived here on and off for 26 years... Internally, the Soak has only changed minorly; which is fine; though the presence of a 50" TV within 6ft in every direction can be a distraction; I would recommend a dedicated dining area with TV's either removed or switched-off; the current slide show of island paradises on some of the TV's is just a bit of a frustration being stuck in Winter/Summer UK2023! Seriously - I shouldn't tell you to check this out, because when people realise just how good this venue is, it will be swamped. Get in there before the Students come back!!!

Chicken not cooked properly, service is bad and prices are ridiculous and it will leave you with a bad stomach

Lovely food, excellent service from really friendly, welcoming staff and fantastic value for money. Highly recommended!

Pretty nicely furnished, good vegan food, friendly staff. The toilets are terrible though - there was no soap, and even the dispensers had been taken off the walls.

The Soak was really good but it didn't manage to survive the pandemic. Other places to go nearby are The Goose and The Bristol Pear.

Nice place most of the staff good service Amy an Calvin 🥃🥃

Under current circumstances, had a great time.

Great bar nice staff Louise made me feel welcome and matt. Qud go again.

Wao! Wao!! Wao!!! This is the best meals that my family and I have ever enjoyed from Greene King Branch so far. Right from the entrance, the waitress (Caroline) welcome us with a lovely smile and seated us in a comfy corner. The starter was so appetising and the Main Dishes that followed after 10 minutes was well plated, nicely portioned and delicious. We had no option than to request the presence of the Chef (Chris) and acknowledge his excellent service. In short I can't fault the service in any way. However, I would recommend that the management upgrade most of the furnitures. On behalf of my family and I, we say a very BIG THANK YOU to both Caroline and Chris for making our day. 💯

Hiya, just wondering is there a girl by the name of Mia working/still working there?

Thank you to all staff for fantastic time. Food and drinks grate. Will back very soon. Matthew and team doing grate job 🥳

Very friendly place for food or just a drink