Birmingham – The Shakespeare

This Nicholson’s pub is located next to the Ibis Styles hotel that I’m staying in, so it seemed polite to pop in to see what it was like.

There’s a selection of what I would consider to be quite generic beers, although the Mad Goose from Purity is something a little different. At least there’s a selection though, it’s be churlish not to acknowledge that.

It’s a comfortable enough environment and it feels strange to order at the bar again. I could have ordered at the table and saved 25p by using the app, but that would have been a bit awkward given I was welcomed on arrival into the bar and asked what I would like. The service here was personable and friendly, so it was an inviting location to visit and my first impressions were positive. The pub serves food throughout the day and judging from the reviews, this is well delivered.

I ordered the Mad Goose from Purity Brewing and it was, well, pretty tasteless. Slightly under-poured and lacking in any particular flavour, I couldn’t get the “zesty finish” that the brewery think this beer has.

Anyway, this was a perfectly good pub for those who like Nicholson’s and it is well reviewed because of its friendly atmosphere. I also thought that the environment was clean and comfortable, with many of the customers clearly being regulars. For me, the beer range isn’t innovative enough to really make me want to visit again, there’s something unfortunately quite bland about the Nicholson’s offering in that regard. Incidentally, there is another pub with a similar name in Birmingham, with some customers merrily leaving reviews on-line for the wrong location….