• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Restaurants

Birmingham B5 4QL
0121 633 3033

minyaannon said
Reasonable.
In a prime location, right next to the Bullring, it is a great place to stop for lunch.
It's always relatively busy due to the price of its food, and its relatively fast service. You can expect to pay no more than £10 for a good meal.
The portions are decent sized, and tasty, but the menu is hard to understand, especially for a newbie!
You sit on long benches in the restaurant, often next to people that you don't know. Instead of this being awkward, it creates a very relaxed, calm atmosphere to the place, despite the waiters frantically rushing around!

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Nightlife

Birmingham B4 7LS

minyaannon said
Best venue in Birmingham, with great club nights!
As a music venue, you can't get much better than the Carling Academy.
It's near the larger end of the spectrum for small venues, but still has an intimate atmosphere.
The sound system and lights are excellent.
I've seen a few gigs here and they've both been fantastic. You can get really close to the bands, and the atmosphere is BRILLIANT. There is also the option to watch from a balcony above, if you don't want to be crushed in the crowd.

As a clubbing venue, i love it.
There are two weekly clubs at the Academy, Ramshackle (a popular indie student night) and Subculture (a rock and metal night).
Ramshackle is a pretty run of the mill indie club, with all the pretentiousness that you expect from the 'indie' crowd, but if you rise above that, you can have a fantastic time. Drinks are also very cheap, with offers such as double JD & coke for £3.

Subculture is one of the best nights in Birmingham. On a saturday night at the Academy, it plays everything from Classic rock (Guns n Roses, Metallica), to Ska, to Indie, to Drum and Bass, to Metal. You can expect to hear anything from Pendulum, to My Chemical Romance, to Disturbed, to Korn, to Fall Out Boy.
A more diverse night than most rock venues, it offers something for everyone.
With a stunningly relaxed atmosphere and cheap drinks (£1.60 for carling pints, £3 for double vodka coke), everyone i've ever taken there has loved it.

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Sightseeing and Attractions

Birmingham B1 2JB
0121 643 6777

minyaannon said
Fantastic day out
The Sea Life Centre is a truly fantastic day out. It has a huge, impressive range of animals and fish, and is great fun.
It is presented in a fun and attractive way, and is quite large- although it does not take too long to walk through. It has everything from Rays to seahorses, otters and gigantic crabs!
The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable and more than happy to talk to you about the fish.
It is a great day out for a group of friends, or a family. It isn't cheap, however, so the student discount came in handy!
There's a great shop at the end of the tour, which has a great range of mementos and gifts which are pricey,without being extortionate.

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Sightseeing and Attractions

Birmingham B30 2LU
0845 450 3599

minyaannon said
Great fun!
If you fancy a fun day out, it's the ideal place to go with friends, or as a family with children.
The tour is interesting and at points, even hands on- they encourage you to try writing with liquid chocolate and more in the demonstration area. If you do the 'Essence' tour, you even create your own chocolate!
It's especially great for kids, as there's loads to do.. a highlight being the 'magical bean tour', which is a slightly warped version of Disney's 'It's a Small World'.. with dancing cocoa beans! Hilarious!
At the end of the tour, there's the fantastic Cadbury shop with prices lower than you'll find anywhere. The 'factory' shop has even lower prices with its special 'factory' offers! Brilliant!

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Birmingham B5 7SW

minyaannon said
Brilliant location, excellent pub
The Gunnies is one of the most adored pubs in Selly Oak. Less than 5 minutes from most lecture halls, it is full of students, all day, everyday.
Monday evenings offer '£1 a pint' and by 10pm, the queue for entry turns into 'one in, one out'.
A large pub, with a long bar, so it doesn't take too long to get served. Food is also pretty good and reasonable, but you can be left waiting quite a while, when the pub is busy.
It has a large beer garden, great for the summer, and has great drinks prices.
You can also pay £1 for a 'Yellow Card' which gives you money off drinks for the whole year, and is DEFINITELY worth a purchase!

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Take Aways

Birmingham B5 4BP
0870 837 7377

minyaannon said
Fantastic, but pricey doughnuts!
Located on the ground floor of Selfridges in the Bullring, is the Krispy Kreme shop. It's easily identifiable by the large sign, and the ever extending queue!
They sell am impressive range of stunningly sweet doughnuts with regular jam fillings, chocolate filling, and toppings such as 'maple syrup flavoured icing' which is a personal favourite! They also do special limited edition ones for holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Delicious.
They're constantly being made, on site, and if you see the red Krispy Kreme light on, head over for a free doughnut!
You may have to queue, but it's well worth the wait!

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Nightlife

Birmingham B1 2HF
0121 632 4936

minyaannon said
Great fun!
If you're looking for something different for your evening's entertainment, look no further.
With fantastic comedians, and a reasonably priced menu, you're set for a fantastic night of laughs.
Drinks prices are equally reasonable, and you can either have waiter service, or go to the bar.
The comedians range from amateur to professional, and the first act is often relatively rubbish, but it's worth it for the 2nd and 3rd act. I have never laughed so much at a comedy night, as i did here. Excellent.

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Birmingham B5 4TD
0121 622 4858

minyaannon said
Lively, but pretentious.
Whilst this is a relatively lively place, the music was not much to my taste, and the people seemed somewhat pretentious. The bouncers on the door did not let people wearing clothes that they deemed 'too casual' into the bar, and drinks were quite expensive, with double spirits with mixers being (on average) over £5.
In the bar area, the music was too loud, so that you couldn't chat.
There didn't seem to be anything particularly special about this place, infact, it bored me and i won't be going again. not a good place for fun loving students.

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Birmingham B4 7LS
0121 262 3001

minyaannon said
Tiny, intimate venue, but with a restricted view.
This is a tiny, tiny venue to see a band play, and i was really excited when i first arrived. However, the stage is set back, and the view from most of the bar is restricted.
Seeing a band play in such an intimate venue is always thrilling, and the sound quality is very good, it is just let down by the fact that unless you're right in the middle, or to the right of the stage, you just won't have a great view.
Drinks prices are relatively cheap, especially for pints of Carling, as the Academy is part of the Carling chain of venues.

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Birmingham B1 2HG
0121 633 4000

minyaannon said
Huge bar, but not cheap!
This is a huge venue, with numerous bars and a huge room of pool tables downstairs.
It is frequented by sports fans, and is full of sporting memorabilia. It is a great place to see a game, or go for a game of pool.
Unfortunately, it is let down by its extortionate drinks prices, which are sky high compared to is other Broad Street neighbours. You will expect to pay Around £6 for a double spirit and mixer combination, and around £3 for a pint.
Unless you are an avid sports fan, it is simply not worth your time, as it is expensive.. and, in my experience, has little atmosphere.