The Church Inn

Myself and a colleague recently decided we would try out The Church Inn for lunch as we have been meaning to for a while. After the experience we had this week, I don’t think it will be too long until we are back again.
We both decided we would order the Rocksteady burger, consisting of a jerk spiced chicken breast, alioli and a beautiful bun from local bakery Peel & Stone. This was accompanied by Cajun fries and a beautiful coleslaw. I decided to change my fries for extra salad which was not made into an issue for our friendly waiter. All of the food was fresh, served quickly and presented well.
We sat and relaxed in the bar area, ate our food and enjoyed the funk and soul lightly playing the whole time we were there. We both commented on how good the food was and also how relaxed we felt leaving the bar and heading back to the office.
At around £14 each for a burger, fries and a drink, this is not a lunchtime treat I will be doing to often… but saying that I do feel that the quality you get is worth paying for. Maybe more of a pay-​day treat than an everyday thing.

Awesome ! The best find while traveling, i had the fried chicken /​mac-​n-​cheese/​greens w/​ham, all hit the spot and had the soul ! Soul food at its best at the Church ! Great coffee and keylime pie too!

I’ve been meaning to go for a long time but I only just got around to it this weekend. We spent Sunday afternoon on the roof terrace before heading downstairs for some food. The bartender was really witty and spoke to me as if I was a regular. I ordered the veggie roast lunch and it was very tasty. Took a bit longer than usual but the food was worth it when it finally arrived. Prices are bit high but I guess it’s the ‘trendy’ area of brum.

So the Church is probably my favourite place to go in Birmingham & fortunately it’s literally over the road from where I live.
Since it opened a couple of years ago, I ve visited at least once a month whether it be for Peel & Stone brunch in the back room, dinner with friends, Sunday recovery in the Saloon or a night of dancing & misbehaving with some of my favourites!
Rib night is a particular favourite of ours (3 times in the last 6 months). The ribs are delicious & come accompanied with Cajun fries & barbecued corn on the cob.
My other favourite thing about the church are the staff — they always make my favourite cocktail for me which I invented one afternoon we spent there. Home made ginger syrup mixed with lime over ice & topped up with Weiss bier! A yummy ginger beer!
Long live the church!

Always have a great time at the church. Brilliant, friendly staff and good drinks. The food has been up and down on my visits however has recently stayed up. They have fantastic events so keep your eyes peeled for those!

This is a ‘breakfast’ review. (see addendum at the bottom of the review)
It’s Peel and Stone, it’s The Church? It’s at the Church, but the sign says Peel and Stone?
It’s very pretty in the back room, I’ve enjoyed being there many times for Ribnights (great fun).
The problem I have is this: is it breakfast?
The menu items were:
Smoked Pork and Potato hash, Mozzarella, pickled cabbage and soured cream. This doesn’t sound like a breakfast item to me?
Avocado and eggs on Rye — not my choice, but fair enough.
Roast Red Pepper, Kale and Feta strata. Uh? (Turns out its a frittata type thing). Ok, but not what I’d consider breakfast?
French toast, Fried Chicken, Rosemary Maple syrup and crispy onions — what the … This is meant to be a breakfast menu?
Nothing appealed to me, it was all a bit to ‘trendy/​hipster’, so I asked for the pork hash and eggs and some toast. The server went to ask the chef. He came back with a NO!
A friend asked for the strata without Kale — again the chef said no! It’s what’s on the menu. No variation. Mmmmm.
Our server turned up held out a plate and asked who ordered the pork hash — he hadn’t noticed that it was actually the fried chicken?
I ended up ordering eggs and toast. Some wonderful toast turned up with one badly cooked egg on top. It was seriously ‘Snotty’. I was seriously unimpressed. A friend and the hash — it was big pieces of slow cooked pulled pork with bits of potato — and gristle. It was tasty — it reminded me of a pizza topping.
I could go on.
In summary, it’s not what I would consider a breakfast. That said, it obviously appeals to others, so I should accept that my opinion isn’t de facto.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a miserable old git, so I assume I’m not the target demographic, but for me, it wasn’t good.
— — — — — — — — —
Addendum.
After a lot of thought on this review, I stand by it, however, I haven’t been as accurate as perhaps I could. I generally review breakfasts and I have reviewed this as a breakfast, but the menu quite clearly states that its a BRUNCH menu. As a brunch menu, I still think its more like a lunch time menu, but I have to be honest and say that they are not claiming it to be strictly breakfast — so perhaps I was a bit harsh?

I used to live opposite the Church back in the day. It was very much a ‘local’ with great chunky ham sandwiches, Ok beer and a bit of rough but friendly edge. I knew its days were over tho’, so I wasn’t surprised to hear it had closed.
Then the new Church arrived in its place; a great idea and approach to pub takeover and so I sampled it a few times, just a drink or two, always thinking it was Ok … a decent alternative.
I also sampled Sunday lunch a couple of times, once I was tempted to think probably the best Sunday lunch in the #JQ (well, close enough to the JQ!). Really enjoyed it. Then I went in again and the Duck was pretty uncooked and chewy (way beyond rare, more like still alive!) and the desert portion was genuinely megre and over-​priced. I left much of the Duck on the plate, but then was actually sick when I got home — I know, sounds unlikely, but hey ho!
Today I tried again, as I was walking past anyway and didn’t fancy cooking after a long day of meetings. I thought I’d give it another chance.
However, the starter of Peel and Stone sourdough with chilli butter and olive oil/​balsamic was very poor. The bread was chilled and firm, not quite fresh enough for me (yes, I know what sourdough is and its qualities!) But what put me off was a perfect fingernail imprint in the butter, or at least it looked a lot like that, and the fact the butter wasn’t freshly presented: it had clearly been in the pot in the fridge at least a day, possibly longer. It also has some dark dust like specs of some kind around one side and the dish just didn’t seem quite clean. I didn’t touch it.
Not the best start or starter! My heart sunk a little if I’m honest and was regretting ordering everything at once — I actually wanted to just leave. The main was better at least, moist, well cooked chicken breast on a nice creamy mash with gravy and (rather firm, but tasty!) broccoli. The popcorn style coating was bit too close to Kentucky Fried Chicken tasting to be honest, but I was hungry so scoffed the lot.
The beer was light but pretty nice and super clear, so decent score on that. Service was fine, nothing special but friendly enough and by the time I’d finished there were quite a few people sitting in with drinks or food, so clearly The Church has its regulars.
So a mixed bag. At £10 or so for the main I’d judge it acceptable … borderline. The starter was unacceptable and really put me off (tho I took the bread home to toast it for breakfast and enjoyed it much more!) With finger marks on all the plates tho’ as well for me it’s just isn’t good enough. Training staff to carry a plate without leaving a fingerprint of evidence is not difficult; it’s one of the basics so you do wonder about overall standards if a place can’t even get that right. The Church could aim higher, but it may be busy enough to feel it doesn’t need to.

On a bit of a mini beer tour have popped in to check out this Unilocal friend recommendation and not disappointed. A pub with a traditional but modern feel which I found very welcoming .A small range of real ales kept very well.

I have been to The Church a handful of times now and overall I can only report good things. It’s refurbishment about 18 months ago left it almost recognisable from from the sleepy corner boozer I shamed myself in after a stint on the Friday night karaōke many moons ago.
The New Orleans inspired food provided by Soul Food Project is divine. Our latest visit we were lucky enough to be there on a Tuesday night when it’s 2−4−1 ribs. I don’t think my words can do justice to the plate of food that was put in front of me but I have never heard a group of people go so quiet so quickly. These were not your standard ribs, way more meat than the usual serving coated in a deliciously sweet hot sauce and accompanied by a huge serving of paprika fries and mini corn on the cob. Finger lickin scrumptious.
I have also had the roast dinner and can attest that this is easily as good as any of the neighboring hostelries, great big portions alongside the great standard make this a great value place for a meal out. If a drink in the sun is your thing, make sure you head upstairs onto their roof terrace, it’s proper sun trap. Just get there early if you want to get a seat as it fills up pretty darn quickly.
The staff are generally very welcoming and waiting time for food extremely reasonable. Be aware it does get very busy at the weekend so bare this in mind if you are coming as a larger group and maybe phone ahead to ensure you won’t be disappointed.

So The Church Inn is another great dining spot in the Jewellery Quarter not brand new but refurbished within the past couple of years. I had ventured into the pub before the refurbishment and it was nothing really to shout about but the transformation now is astounding.
Its has some great areas for you and your friends to hang out and all in different locations around the pub. There is the main bar, a small snug area round the back, a function room and also a roof terrace as well. To look at the place from he outside you would not have thought it would contain the space and facilities that it does.
I have eaten here twice once for lunch and once on 2 for 1 ribs night. The lunch I had was a Gumbo (which i had previously never had before) which was excellent. The ribs I had were brilliant, I rarely think again about the food I had the night before but on this occasion i found myself thinking back again.
The only reason The Church doesn’t get those fill four stars is that I don’t believe the atmosphere is as vibrant as other places that operate at the same level and to the same crowd. Yes is comfortable and it certainly doesn’t attract anything unwelcome but it just doesn’t have the same edge, the staff can be sometimes a bit colourless and i don’t see many events or features happening at the pub. Perhaps that can be looked at in the next few months.
I would definitely go back to The Church but there is a slightly better pub in my opinion literally a minute away.

I have been to The Church Inn twice now, once for a lazy Saturday afternoon catch up with a friend and the second a night time boogie on a Friday night after CAMRAs beer festival.
A great pub atmosphere on the Saturday and the food looked great, although I am still yet to try. It transforms into a bustling bar by night and following the music into the back I found another bar and enough room for me to have a dance, would highly recommend it for both occasions.

If I lived near here, the Church Inn would alsmost certainly be a regular haunt. It has a friendly neighbourhood feel, a cosy bar and an excellent roof terrace.
The soul food bar menu offers something a little different from the norm and has some brilliant options for vegetarians and vegans too. I can’t wait to go back to try something else from that menu. My curry was absolutely stunning! Highly recommended and very convenient location for anyone visiting the vibrant Jewellery Quarter.

Went here this evening for a spot of dinner with a friend, and considering the last time I went here was the annual Crayfish Boil, I was a little bit excited to see what the menu had in store. Now I believe the menu is different each day, but when the waiter said they didn’t have four of the mains available (to be fair, they had run out and we went in one hour before the kitchen closes), I was slightly underwhelmed as the menu wasn’t extensive, but it still had some good choices.
We opted for the pork belly and sweetcorn fritters to start with, followed by a King Burger and I polished off the Church’s signature chicken and prawn Jumbalaya which was simply divine.
For the first time, we actually managed to get in one of three booths that are opposite the main bar and the whole experience was very pleasant and very relaxed — just what’s needed on a Sunday evening :)

Fantastic local, friendly staff & great service. Early Saturday eve and my brother and I were with my 10 year old nephew, he was more than welcome in the pub until 9pm and he LOVED his chunky chips! A very patient waitress too whilst he took his time to decide between ‘chunky’ or ‘skinny’ fries. Uncle Simon pinched the odd chip and I have to say they were dee-​lish!
In the past I’ve used the Inn for business meetings (one of the booths is perfect for this) as well as introduced family and friends to the roof terrace and great atmosphere any time of the day/​any day of the week– highly recommend! Another perfect addition to the JQ!

Great roof terrace! Lots of space up there!
Can’t believe I haven’t review this place before!
I went on Friday to the Bourbon and Burger night, with fellow Unilocaler Caroline B. organised by ‘whisky Amy’. We were on a long bench table with lots of other friendly people who had gone for the same night. Soul Food Project do the food there. We were given yummy pulled Pork burgers, which everyone polished off quickly. Then we were taken through the ‘snug’ for the bourbon tasting which was obviously a bit rowdy but a good laugh. After this we went back into the main room at the back of the pub where we had our food and a DJ turned up. Sadly no requests were accepted, but a good mix of music nevertheless. I moved from whisky to The Veltins pilsner which was delicious-​I think it was £3.80a pint, but I’d been drinking, so not sure;)
Great atmosphere and vibe-​worth the walk up Constitution Hill:)

Visited here while on an spontaneous pub tour of the JQ.
I was a little uncertain as to what this place was trying to be as from the outside it looked like a quaint English pub but had a sign advertising Jambalaya and Cray boil and ‘good olé southern food’ as my mom would say.
I ventured inside to be greeted by the bar man behind a nice old bar with an impressive selection of drinks.
I foolishly had a pint of Heinekin, never ever again will I drink this… this…thing!
At first I thought maybe they hadn’t flushed the lines through properly but it wasn’t really a detergent taste. I’m not sure what flavour it was but it was disgusting. Given the overall impression of the bar I’m inclined to think it was the product rather than anything the venue had done.
Inside it was bizarre (in a good way) mix of traditional pub and American bar, it certainly wouldn’t look out of place in New Orleans. I can really picture being sat in their enjoying an long Bourbon drink whilst listen to some soul and blues!
Didn’t sample the food but it sounded nice! Will definatly be going back!

A new (ish) contender to the Jewellery Quarter’s range of gastro/​urban pubs. It’s main feature is it’s hidden gem of a roof garden which is perfect for Pimm’s O’clock on a summer’s day.
Also some fantastic soul food can be found here as it is now the HQ for the Soul Food Project, started in The Hare and Hounds, Kings Heath it aims to take «Simple ingredients cooked with care and passion, turned into something beautiful and served with some Southern hospitality».
Be sure to look out for special events too. I went to their «Crayfish Boil» last summer, great opportunity to try a real southern delicacy.

The church is one of the newer offerings in the Jewellery Quarter. Situated the opposite side of Great Hampton Street to Tesco and the Blue Orange Theatre (which technically put’s it just Outside of the JQ, but I’m pretty sure no one is that picky) it’s about a 5 minute walk from the centre of the Quarter.
From the classily decorated dark blue exterior, the interior is part «traditional pub» and part «quirky Americana». Think dark wood floors, bar and fittings but comfy «booths» rather than wooden tables. The real selling point of this bar is the roof garden (up a set of wrought iron stairs). Over summer this was a staple favorite with locals and visitors alike, with a mishmash of seating and the sun hitting it until late into the evening.
All of the staff are attentive and welcoming, ready to dish out recommendations on ales and cocktails suited to your own tastes. The specialist drinks at this bar seem to be Whisky and Rum, which complements the Cajun and Creole menu on offer from the «Soul Food Project». I am a bit of a sucker for the fried chicken burger, but the salt cod dumplings and hush puppies are fab for starter plates too! As a hint, a full meal is around 3 starter plates.
As well as great food and drink, The Church is becoming a hot spot for live music and events too. Between rib nights and whisky tastings, there is an event pretty regularly. The reason it’s a 4* venue rather than a 5* for me is the price. Soft drinks and coffee are really reasonable at £2.25 for a pint of coke or an Americano (and it has great WiFi and powerpoints), a single and mixer is £3.50 — but the cocktails and food aren’t cheap. Don’t get me wrong… reasonable… but not cheap.
It’s a spot that will hot up during the winter months with it’s warm welcome and home cooked food, so I recommend you hit it up now!

This place gets five stars from me! Why I hear you ask well the atmosphere, service and music are all brilliant I was genuinely impressed.
I wanted to book a table for 20 ladies and Carl (the bar manager) didn’t have a table available but the next best thing — and offered me our own private room with a cocktail bar attender at no cost!
Unfortunately the room couldn’t be available on the night, due to shortage of staff but they had reserved an area for us in the main room where the DJ would be setting up later that evening and the tables would disappear and become the dance floor.
The bar attender was awesome and greeted us with menus and took our order from the table. He was able to recommend cocktails to us and you could tell that he genuinely enjoyed his job also telling us about the history of one of the cocktails he was making. The staff really looked after us.
The venue is quirky, young and fresh with an interesting mix of people enjoying the atmosphere. They also have a roof top terrace complete with heaters for those chilly nights. I can imagine that would be a superb sun trap.
I ordered some chunky chips and was delighted that a big bowl of steaming hot chips arrived — delicious!
In short I will be returning!

Hallelujah! It’s Bank Holiday Sunday, so I’m off to church. Well, not church per se, but The Church, the Hockley boozer recently acquired by Carl Finn of Soul Food Project fame.
The first room you walk into is in the style of a snug, with high-​backed powder-​blue chairs forming booths down one side. Everard’s is the choice of brewery for ales, and as you’d expect when you see Matt Marriott behind the bar, there is a good stock of cocktail ingredients too. It’s a sunny day, so we go upstairs to take a pew on the roof terrace.
Lots of people up here have ordered food, so dishes of SFP trademark jambalaya, and plates of burgers are being presented to the hungry hipsters. Interestingly, everyone eats their burger with a knife and fork! Small bites to share are also on the menu with chicken wings being popular. Apart from al fresco rooftop dining, the pub boasts another unique selling point in that they plan to use the roof terrace as a cinema.
Back downstairs there’s a larger bar room for eating when the weather is not so fair, and I can see it being a big hit with lunchtime diners from businesses nearby.
The Church adds a nice link in the North inner-​city Birmingham pub stroll between The Rose Villa Tavern and The Lord Clifden, though for many it’ll be the focus of drinking and eating in this area rather than a stop off point. Amen.