The Old Joint Stock Pub & Theatre, Birmingham Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "The South African guy was really friendly, sorry I forgot your name."
• "We were served quickly, efficiently and politely."
• "Staff were friendly and efficient."
• "The gaffer is a really welcoming jovial and nice chap to talk to and makes you want to return."
• "The staff were friendly and attentive and our food and drink not only arrived in good time but were both delicious."
• "Staff are always really nice and friendly too."
• "Jackie behind the bar instantly made us feel welcome and looked after us fantastically."

Cons:

• "While explaining what they were doing the male bouncer said to the girls 'well let me be involved next time' and was insensitive of the female toilets being a safe space for women."
• "Unfortunately the bar staff, or the one lady that served us was quite rude and ignorant which took from the whole experience."
• "Could do so much better. The building is full of character, unlike the bar staff who wander around avoiding eye contact with customers so as to not serve them."
• "Staff are very offhand and unfriendly, fairly expensive."
• "The guy behind the bar shouted at us and shooed us away with his arms. Get the dog out he said."
• "The majority of the bar staff were ignoring customers to either chat or clean up."
• "One off hand waitress who made you feel like it was your fault."

Food and Drinks

Pros:

• "The food and service was excellent."
• "Food is excellent and good value. Beer and spirit selection is also varied."
• "The food is fantastic also so I will.. Pulled lamb shoulder Shepard's pie.."
• "The food was delicious (we all had pie) and the guy serving us was superb."
• "Food was at a decent price, this place has a history in making pies so I took one too, a slowly baked lamb stew with red pepper and basil, aside the pie I had green cabbage and broccoli and chips. It was really good, we all enjoyed our pies at the table."
• "Had the starter Beef pie with mash and a pot of tasty gravy excellent."
• "The food is tasty and the menu has a variety of pub food classics ie pie and mash which was absolutely lush."

Cons:

• "Nice staff and surroundings, however I wouldn't recommend the sharing crumble."
• "For £20 I was expecting much more than barely lukewarm, underwhelming food."
• "The children's burgers were very dry and were mostly not eaten."
• "Our pies were not quite hot enough and lacking in flavour."
• "Food not great at all. The club Sandwich was basically 3 slices of cold dry toast with small amount of chicken bacon & tomato."
• "The pie was soggy and didn't really taste of anything nice."
• "I booked a Sunday lunch for two of us. Very, very disappointing. The beef was like leather and the pork consisted almost entirely of fat."

Atmosphere and Venue

Pros:

• "A historic venue originally built as a library for the cathedral, followed by the Joint Stock Bank and so on."
• "Wonderful venue with a lot of heritage."
• "Absolutely amazing place! The ceiling is unreal and decor is nice..."
• "Beautiful building.. Such friendly welcoming atmosphere with a great menu and a lovely theatre at the top with its own little bar showing many diverse pieces of theatre.."
• "The Old Joint Stock is an old stock exchange I believe and the architecture is stunning."
• "This beautiful venue was once Lloyd Banks stock exchange."
• "A truly stunning venue, which was a bank in years gone by."

Cons:

• "The pub is usually packed around five o'clock and there is never enough staff on to meet the demand."
• "The bar is very busy and not enough staff to serve."
• "Long wait for starters, then half of them didn't arrive for a further 20 minutes."
• "2023 has become rather pretentious you now have to queue to get into an only half full pub."
• "The music is absolutely too loud. Cannot hear yourself think."
• "Little concerned that the venue admitted such a drunk group of older women with flashing headbands who talked through the whole of the first half."
• "Downside is it does tend to have a fishy smell when you first walk in hence 4and not 5stars."

Accessibility and Pricing

Pros:

• "It's situated in the middle of Birmingham close to the cathedral so is ideal for a post work drink if you are in the area."
• "Situated in the centre of Birmingham with easy access to public transport and car parks."
• "On the backside there's a small garden with an entrance access for reduced mobility individuals."
• "This is a pub we always come to when visiting Birmingham my hubby is a big fan of their beers I think the building is amazing it's always so busy toilets are good 👍 menu looks OK great for a chill out drink."
• "A characterful upmarket historic pub in central Birmingham in a grand former bank building on a picturesque square."
• "Our first visit in this amazing gem, wow I was blown away with how stunningly beautiful this pub/theatre is."
• "Great pub in the heart of Birmingham. A fantastic building with a great atmosphere."

Cons:

• "Okay, it's not the cheapest pub in Birmingham, but with architecture like this, both inside and out, who cares."
• "It's value for money."
• "Was a little surprised to pay £16.80 for a double vodka and redbull, seems a lot more expensive than other bars."
• "To cap it all they wont accept cash, not convenient when drinking with friends who have a kitty. So that's 6 people who wont ever return."
• "Drinks far to expensive as a Peroni shandy and an apple juice cost over £8! Insane!"
• "Very expensive for drinks - usually £5 or more a pint."
• "There is no justifiable reason for £7 for a pint of peroni."