Old Joint Stock

I’ve been here a few times with the meetup group before. It’s pricy but the beer is good i’ve been told and normally I just stick to a soft drink. There’s lots of variety to choose from and most of the time it’s always busy atmosphere especially after work hours and over the weekends, but fairly quick bar service. and it’s known for it’s great pie (pork and cider), simple food done well.

I absolutely adore this place and need to make more of an effort to visit often! Located near Colmore Row, it has an opulent exterior which invites you in to this character filled bar and restaurant (plus a theatre at the back which I am yet to visit). To say the Old Joint Stock is charming is an understatement. It is certainly something different to your usual modern, safely stylish city centre eaterie.
We visited on a Sunday for lunch and it was great! The liver parfait starter was delicious, as was the Roast Beef main. I would struggle to find fault with anything. I worked my way through the selction of draught ales and left suitably merry! Writing this is making me want to round up some of my nearest and dearest and come here for Sunday lunch this weekend. It was an absolute treat.

A little cracker!
The pub is in a really good location, only a few minutes walk from the trains, shops and many offices.
The range of beer and quality of the ale is very good.
The best bit is the building. The architecture with its high glass dome, large central bar an spacious seating/​standing areas make it a welcoming place.
It ha a lovely buzz to the atmosphere when I was there.
The service was also very friendly and efficient

The Old Joint Stock (officially the ‘Old Joint Stock Pub & Theatre Venue’) is a pub that I’ve walked by many, many times but until now never bothered to see what was behind the magnificent Roman Tuscan columns. The OJS is a pub with history. The building was built in the mid 1800’s as a library for St. Philip’s Cathedral. It went through several changes as a bank, and finally opened in its current form in 1997. The pub is part of the Fuller’s Brewery chain and is the only one of their pubs in the greater Birmingham area. The interior not only hosts a massive bar and dining area, but a theatre that seats 100 in the back of the building. I could write about the architecture all day, but to summarize it features detail that you don’t see in many buildings, especially pubs, and is capped by a beauty of a dome. The oblong bar in the middle of the downstairs area is large enough to host many of the Fuller’s lineup of real ales as well as standards like Guinness. Surprisingly, they also offer a reasonable wine list.
Brittany A. and I stopped in for a very early 4PM dinner on a Friday recently. Like most pubs, the OJS is self-​serve with ordering at the bar. Given its interior volume, there are many tables of all sizes for patrons. Unfortunately, there are no dividers between floor areas, which means at a busy time, it can be difficult for those seated near the wall to get to the bar. Although it was only the late afternoon, the pub was already crowded and became even more so as 5PM approached. Fuller’s pubs are well-​known for their pies, and the centerpiece of this reputation is their Ale & Pie Tasting Board, which includes three of their ales and three mini pies for £16.95. However on this particular day there were no pies in stock that suited our tastes. Wanting a lighter dish, I ordered the sweet potato, feta, and spinach salad over quinoa entrée while Brittany chose their tomato cream sauce gnocchi.
Even with a large crowd looming, the bar was staffed well and we were able to order quickly. The food was prepared fast as well, with both dishes arriving to our table within 15 minutes. With my entrée, the sweetness of the potatoes was balanced by the salad dressing that had a hint of horseradish, not too much to be overwhelming to the palate. Although the salad may not look like much in the photos, it was surprisingly rich, making it difficult for me to finish entirely. The gnocchi won’t make you swear off a trip to Italy, but it was good enough that I would order it again. Both of the dishes exhibited a certain finesse in the ingredients and preparation that is almost unheard of from chain pubs. This upmarket feel extends to their excellent beers as well.
I must confess that I am not fully versed in the Fuller’s ale lineup, having only previously tried London Pride and their ESB. On this occasion I branched out and gave their Oliver’s Island Pale Ale a shot. It’s the latest ale added to their beer list and the first permanent addition since 2007. As a cask beer clocks in at 3.8% ABV (4.55% bottled). The beer is well balanced with a hoppy bite at the forefront, followed by a malty biscuit and orange zest note. The beer definitely makes me want to try others in their lineup. Fuller’s encourages repeat visits, since you can join their mailing list and receive a coupon for a free beer the next day. Although the Old Joint Stock has not been on my regular list, based on this very positive experience I will plan to return to try their pies and explore the full range of ales.

I’ve walked past old Joint Stock time and again since moving to Birmingham and finally decided to try it out with Seth S. Friday evening. Old Joint Stock is well known for their pie and ale combos, including a cute 3 and 3 tray sampler of each. The pie flavors available Friday just didn’t stand out for me, so I tried their gnocchi and a glass of tempranillo (full-​bodied red from Spain) instead. The food was a solid 4 stars. The ambiance and drink were 5 stars.
The gnocchi had good subtle potato flavor and the texture was a standard slightly chewy pasta that I’ve come to expect outside of Italy and the Italian enclaves of New York. I’m always searching for more melt in your mouth pillowy gnocchi, but this was a solid representation of standard gnocchi. The gnocchi was served in a creamy tomato vodka sauce and topped with fresh local mozzarella and a garnish of greens. The portion was very filling and well worth the price.
The tempranillo was wonderfully full-​bodied with a lovely balance of fruitiness and spice. I like that Old Joint Stock offers wine in small and large glasses or by the bottle. I chose the large glass, which is plenty to accompany dinner and dessert, if you somehow have room for dessert. The dessert menu looked amazing — I’m definitely going back to try something.
Old Joint Stock offers a luxurious old-​world charm that just beckons you to come spend an evening enjoying good food and drink. The church library, turned bank, turned pub has kept it’s original splendor in tact, with heavy brocaded draperies, faux marble walls, high painted ceilings, and antique seating arrangements. The management have chosen gorgeous lighting to accent the walls and glass dome over the bar, which is central to the restaurant. I entered feeling like a glitzy party guest and left warm and full.

Booked theatre tickets and a table. Had planned to have a nice meal and then relax by watching a show but ended up walking out before I had even ordered a meal as the service I received was below poor and awful. actually I cannot describe how terrible the experience was. First I had to go to a very crowded and loud bar and ask about my reservation, second I was told to go to the balcony where my table was reserved, third when I went to the balcony there was no table ready and no one there to assist or serve me and fourth after waiting 25 minutes there was still no one there helping me or serving me. I had no table and no one to actually assist me in finding a table. I eventually left after I realised that there was no staff around and decided to walk out as if it was going to take over 25 minutes to get a supposedly reserved table then how long would it take to actually get food ??? I went to another place for the meal. there I had no reservation but was seen and assisted to immediately — a stark contrast to my earlier experience. In the end I decided no to make the trip back to see the show I had purchased tickets for as I was so disgusted and disappointed by the lack of customer service experienced earlier. I will never b e going back again. total poor service

I have visited as a tourist and on business, and I’m always impressed by this pub. It has a beautiful interior with a huge domed ceiling in the bar.
At breakfast time they have freshly squeezed orange juice in a Zuma machine, gloriously flavoursome.
I’ve eaten the bar food (although not at this particular visit) and found it to be well presented, tasty and generous in portion size. The beer selection is interesting (some real ales available and also tasty dark Fullers ales).
In attending a meeting in the upper rooms of the bar, we had a huge tiered fruit platter and sandwiches which were freshly made. My vegan avocado and sundried tomato sandwich on seeded granary bread was delicious and large. The coffee was beautiful– I often find that ‘meeting coffee’ in flasks can be not very nice, but the coffee was strong and tasty. Potato wedges can be made for meetings as a buffet, and other flavours of sandwiches included non standard meaty options and cheese with cinnamon fruit chutney.
I enjoy visiting the Old Joint Stock, and hope to see a production in its theatre someday.

Old Joint Stock remains one of my favourite spaces in which to while away the hours; it certainly doesn’t hurt that they’ve got a great selection of beers and sell a mean pie!
Built in a repurposed former bank, it retains the grandeur of its former occupiers with its vaulted and domed ceiling and neoclassical décor. The dark wood central bar is impressive and welcoming, especially since the introduction of the customised hand pills for the ale. More intimate areas can be found around the mezzanine and in the club room, when it’s open to the public, so there’s a little bit everyone will enjoy.
The London Pride I’m drinking this evening is one of the better kept examples of this ale, surpassing many of Fullers own pubs in its traditional heartland in the capital, and was sold to me by friendly and knowledgeable staff that, unlike in other chain establishments, will spare you time for conversation, other customers queuing permitting, of course.
All in all a great place to have an after work beer, especially earlier in the week as it can get quite busy towards the weekend.

Very, very cute. I do like that the bar is an island in the middle of the room and the tables and seats that surround lend to a warm and cosy feel. It is one of my favourite places because it is a pub with a theatre on the top floor! I have been to a few shows there and they are really, very good. I would definitely recommend both the pub and the theatre. Both are reasonably priced and good fun: D

Opposite St. Phillips cathedral The Old Joint Stock pub takes prime position in an imposing Grade II listed building built in 1862. Originally designed as a library, it was used as a bank until converted to a pub and hundred seat theatre (yes, theatre, bet you didn’t know that) in 1997. The interior is grand: a balcony overlooks the triple height drinking space with beautiful bar floodlit by an impressive glass dome above, that lights crimson and gold wall coverings, carpets, artwork, dark wooden furniture, and period features.
The bars around the Colmore Business District seem to go one way or the other: there are a few boozers such as Edmunds Lounge and The Old Contemptibles, and there are upmarket dining and drinking establishments like Bureau, Pure, Metro, and Opus. I can personally vouch for all of those listed. The Old Joint Stock may be grand, but it isn’t fancy, this one is definitely on the «boozer» end of the scale. You won’t be coming here after Fumo or Gingers for another cocktail served in a hipster jam jar — it’s pint and pie territory, in fact they sell more London Pride than any other venue in the UK. We went to check out their Sunday lunch a couple of weeks’ ago.
We tried the Roast Chicken which was served with all of the normal accoutrements: roast spuds, green beans, Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower, broccoli, gravy. I thought the chicken was a touch on the dry side, and the spuds were a little over done. Nevertheless it was tasty. The roast Sunday lunches start at about £11 for one course or £14 for two courses. We had the Eton Mess as dessert which was plentiful and well prepared, although it would’ve been better served in a glass rather than slopped on a plate.
I had the chicken and chorizo pie (£13), and think it was much more successful than the Sunday lunch. It was served with peas, cabbage, a jug of gravy, and lovely mashed potato that was well seasoned with white pepper. The pastry was a little overworked so perhaps harder than it might’ve been, but I suspect it needs to be as they’re served as attractive slender pies, and it was very full of lovely chicken in a chorizo gravy. There wasn’t much Chorizo in evidence but the flavour was good. The food isn’t outstanding but it’s good enough for a feed while you’re out drinking or pottering around town. Sometimes I want a good pie and a pint, and that’s when I’d come back here.
I mentioned earlier that there is a small theatre upstairs. It shows some random acts from comedy stand-​up (including fabulously funny Brummy Aaron Twitchen) to straight plays. Tickets are rarely more than about £12. We’ve seen the fantastic Barbara Nice there (she got us all Bollywood dancing), and in October there’s a show called «Einstein: Relatively Speaking» which sounds hilarious, and apparently it «features the wurst sausage joke ever». Tickets for that are just £10.
A lacklustre performance on the food front but overall a nice venue

Very decent place with a tasty food, wide selection of ales and impressive interior. Live jazz music on Sunday but not very disturbing. Little bit more expensive that others pub around but worth every penny.

Very decent city centre mega-​pub well placed for meetings, lunch/​dinner and a nice drink. I generally pop in here every couple of months or so for one reason or another. I like it and you can usually find a seat no problem. It’s huge with a quieter room at the back. Food is good enough and fairly well priced given the location. The London Pride is probably the best I’ve had anywhere and always, at least in my experience over several years, consistent.

One of my favourite pubs in Birmingham, All you have to do is go in and look up at the beautiful ceiling. The style of the pub is brilliant. Reminds me of Mary Poppins when the children go to the bank. Me and my collegues tend to go here for lunch. The sandwiches are very popular, especially the chicken, bree and cranberry! The food selection is good and they champion their pies which I have yet to try.
My only criticism is the choice of ales and ciders are a bit limited. I would expect from such a traditional looking pub an equal drink menu.

I visited this place with my family today. A good selection of drinks and a great menu complemented by live jazz music on a Sunday afternoon. Recommended

This is possibly my favourite pub in Birmingham. The building is beautiful, the bar has a great variety and isn’t over-​priced, and the staff are always really pleasant. I’ve eaten there a couple of times too, and while the menu is a bit limited, the food is always good. It’s worth noting though, that if you want to eat there on a Friday or Saturday night, it’s best to prepare for quite a wait, as they get really busy. Consider booking a table, too.

An absolutely beautiful pub next to Pigeon Park (also known as Birmingham Cathedral). Previously a bank, so you can imagine how grand it is. As well as being a nice pub selling good pub grub and drinks there is a theatre. I’ve not attended a show but I hear good things.
It often gets busy so I’ve struggled to get a table for food in the past. I’ve now eaten there twice and enjoyed both times. The first time I had fish and chips which was fantastic. The second time I visited for Sunday lunch. I had lamb and it came with a LOT of sides– Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, pigs in blankets, roasties, veg… I’d rather have the gravy on the side but they had poured it on, I suppose most people like a lot of gravy and you could easily ask for it without! It was £12.50 which was a little expensive but you do get a lot of good quality meat.
There is a good range of drinks. I even spotted a Peaky Blinders ale! The Christmas drinks are super too, I will definitely be along to try the mulled sloe gin.

Despite this being a place I pass in the week when I’m popping into town, it’s normally a weekend afternoon that I find myself here.
I always head to the back tables on the ground floor.
Friendly and swift service from staff who always look a tiny bit guilty for some reason.
I’ve eaten here before. I don’t recall when.
Have a look at the venue on Google maps and it will show you the theatre upstairs! That’s a factoid thing right?

A large airy pub on St Philips Square with a square bar in the middle, this is a nice place to go with friends away from the hustle and bustle of many city centre pubs and bars. It’s not cheap, and there’s a certain suit vibe in the week which stops it feeling casual.

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place before! How remiss of me! As a semi regular hangout of mine when meeting friends and old work colleagues, I normally pop in here at least a couple of times a month for a drink and a natter. The main reason I would end up at this pub is an invitation from someone else, but the location and interior are gorgeous (so it sounds like I’m massively underselling it).
Situated off St Phillips Cathedral this pub is about as Central as you can get. It’s unmissable too — being a Grade 2 listed building and having been looked after throughout it’s long life in Birmingham. It used to be a bank and the interior design flourishes and the external detailing tell a story of a more opulent time for the City.
As you walk in, the first thing that will hit you will be the size of the place. It’s truly cavernous, with high ceilings and several floors (including the Old Joint Theatre). The ground floor has a large, central bar and lots of different seating options as well as a function room and a reasonably sized outdoor terrace area.
This is an ale pub and the selection here is normally pretty good. Obviously you can get wine and spirits too, but the main selling point is the selection of different beers on tap which are changed quite regularly. A pint here isn’t cheap, mind. I think you’re looking between £3.50 — £4 for most of their ales, but as the beer is kept quite well (and it’s not the place for a session), it’s never really bothered me.
The food here is pretty good too. They have a great selection of pies on offer and the prices seem to be fairly standard for decent pub grub. The one thing I will warn you of is how busy it can get of an eve. Even with a round bar, you can wait quite a while to be served on busy evenings (which are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays). Thursdays and Fridays will always tend to be busier as it attracts the afterwork crowd, although Saturdays can be rammed if there is a special event on in Birmingham.
If you’re looking for a place for a quiet drink, you could try here Sunday — Wednesday evening (although even then it can be busy), but I would recommend seeing something at the Theatre if you get a chance. All in all, an impressive bar, nice food, a tad on the pricey side and can get very busy. Give it a go if you haven’t been before.

Theatre AND Pub?
My lord is there anything more perfect?
It is actually a Fullers pub, which while a chain is one of the better ones out there for maintaining a pubs soul, not to mention stocking the best non-​alcoholic beer, bitburger.
There’s high ceilings inside, ample seating and a nice big bar. Random stone busts decorate the tall arched windows, bringing the old into the new.
There was nothing on in the theatre when I went — on a bank holiday they’re missing a trick there — but we did have a sneaky peek into the auditorium which is a cosy 80 odd seater studio space. Reading the various paraphernalia I can see it has its own Musical Theatre company — exciting.
The pub side is very popular and buzzing with life and people. It tries to push its pies — not a pie person myself, so spending £10 on a pie is a bit to mad.
Just a stones throw away from New Street and opposite the beautiful St Phillips it’s in a great location.

Ils font les pâtés en croûte fantastiques — je né suis pas vraiment un amoureux de pâté en croûte, mais ceux-​ci ceux m’ont transformé en ventilateur défini. Totalement en valeur une visite.