Hare & Hounds

For the first time on Friday evening i visited the hare and hounds, the experience that followed was very disconcerting. The door staff were very unfriendly when searching my fiancées coat and when attempting to get a drink was waiting for 10 minutes when the bar was not busy and overpriced (over £4 for a standard ale). Once i had eventually received our drink I was told that I had to stay inside with my drinks even though the apparent local «friends» of the pub were drinking on kings heath high street. Would recommend to visit the pear tree or the goose instead as they were much friendlier.

Been coming here for years now and I love it!
Great place for bands, club nights and buzzing atmosphere.
I saw The Black Byrds and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble there last year… trust me they where awesome!
I also go to the club nights Bruk Up which is a selection of soul, bass and bruk beat DJ’s from all over the country plus Birmingham based djs.
Such a good vibe so check it out x

Once again I’m surprised I haven’ reviewed this place before! I have been upstairs several times to see bands and when my friends have hired out the function room for party’s. I’ve also been here on NYE and loved the atmosphere!
It’s quite a large pub situational ion a busy high street. The front bar is fairly traditional in décor and what you might expect from a local pub. Nevertheless the is a young vibe about the place and the quirky refurb in the back bar shows they aren’t just catering for one particular clientele. I have never been during the day, but there is always a fun crowd in the evening.

It’s probably the only decent bar in kings heath that is not full of idiots, I always make an effort to pop in here when I’m in brum and everytime I go the crowd in there are chilled out and friendly. The drinks prices are quite steep mind but I guess this helps keep up the clientele.

There are many great venues in Kings Heath, but one that often comes up in conversation is the Hare and Hounds. This is not just a great little pub, but a bustling music venue that covers a huge range of genres (it can be forgiven for the blue plaque stating «UB40 played here»).
Easy to get to on the number 50 bus and with plenty of on-​street parking (if you’re not drinking, of course) available, it’s well located on Kings Heath High Street. Like so many of the great venues in Birmingham, the exterior is smart and well kept (giving off a «traditional village pub» vibe). The interior isn’t hipster, but rather twee and portraying a feel of antiquity. There are comfy booths and plentiful tables and chairs, but this venue can get very busy due to it’s reputation and collection of fiercely loyal regulars.
It has a smoking area just off the street (at the side of the pub on York Road), which is a great place to start chatting with the other frequenters. Last Friday we ended up having great conversations with total strangers about the cost of the Bloody Mary in London and Don Letts (who is due to be appearing at the venue soon).
As with so many of the bars in this «up and coming» area, a drink aint cheap. It certainly isn’t as bad as some Central bars — but you are looking over £3 a pint .It was £1.90 a half of guinness (rather than £1.80 as previously stated), making a full pint of the black stuff £3.90. A double vodka and tonic was north of £5. That being said, I still believe the venue is worthy of 4* (for it’s fantastic atmosphere and well kept décor).
If you are a keen Muso, I would recommend regularly checking the listings. There are some really great events being put on right through the year with big and small names rocking the H&H. If you’re in Kings Heath, I recommend this as a bar to check out — but being based on the High Street and York Road; you are spoiled for choice in this area.

Fantastic venue for bands– it’s a constant hit for predominantly indie music and has two gig rooms, plus a mini stage downstairs.
The pub is pretty large, which is good because it is also pretty popular! It’s a great old wood-​panelled and chesterfield sofa-​filled independent pub and venue, which is always something to be cherished. Add to that fairly reasonable prices, and you have yourself a great pub.

Seen some good gigs here. They put on some good bands, and it’s nice to go somewhere other than the o2 academy or hmv institute. But it’s a bit out of the way and a little bit pricey.

The Hare & Hounds is a fantastic pub, venue, club and much more, situated on the corner of Kings Heath High Street and the cool independent shopping mecca that is York Road.
Downstairs there is a large main front bar and a smaller rear bar.
Front Bar
A nice social area where you can bump into literally anyone and everyone. Good selection of beers, wines, spirits and ciders at the bar. Prices are a little higher than I’d like but pretty standard for a quality pub.
Back Bar.
This is sometimes closed on weekdays but opens on evenings, and often plays host to DJ and band events as well as gaming nights, knitting nights and much more. This is a great area for big groups of friends to hang out and have a drink. They serve a Sunday carvery in here now which I’m yet to try but looks yummy.
Upstairs there are two live music venues (approximately 250 + 200 capacity).
Room 1
The larger of the two rooms is probably the best live music venue in Birmingham. Mainly due to the large stage, impressive PA and technical set up. I’m always keen to put a band I’m working with on here as there are not that many live music venues in Birmingham where you can really be sure that the sound will be exceptionally good (one of the few others being The Flapper).
Room 2
The sound in here is also of a high standard but the main benefit is the positioning of the seating around the room which adds to the atmosphere and character of the room. This room is my favourite to DJ in or to see DJs play. You can base camp on the tables round the edge and dance your pants off on the dance floor. The only drawback is the bar in this room is a little small but you can always pop downstairs if there’s a queue.
Another point that’s worth mentioning is all the sound technicians involved here (both rooms) are some of the best I’ve ever worked with. There’s nothing worse than paying to see a band and the sound being terrible. Never a problem here.
Programming
Director Adam Regan is a DJ and promoter who’s been in the industry for some time and knows how to put on a good event and recognises that there needs to be variety. In-​house promoter Matt Beck runs the über cool ‘This Is Tomorrow’ club and band nights, showcasing the best in up & coming electronic bands and DJs. Basically the place is in good hands!
H&H hosts a plethora of quality band and club nights, including rock, funk, house, indie, electronica, reggae and much more. Pretty much all bases are covered!
If you haven’t been get yourself down there now! 50 bus from town is regular and drops you pretty much outside…

The Hare and Hounds is clear across town from me but I’m always happy to take the trek! Their bar is amazing, with really fast, cheerful service and servers that pour with a glad hand.
As great as the bar is, the real star is whoever is responsible for booking their musical acts. I’ve seen some amazing new bands here and the great acoustics are wonderful, especially for a pub venue. If you’re into live gigs in Birmingham and you haven’t already, take a look at their schedule.

The Hare is a place that’s always been close to my heart: Before even moving to Birmingham, playing alongside touring bands would often mean stopping off in the Heath. Since the demise of the Jug of Ale, the Hare has become perhaps one of Birmingham’s most respected venues (and without a doubt the best outside of the city centre).
The Hare’s role in the local community is so important that it even played a semi-​fictional role as a failing pub in the independent film ‘Turbulence’ (the only fictional part being its supposed financial difficulty — the real Hare could not be further from the truth!) Yours truly even had a fairly large role in said film, but that’s a story for another day.
Food is a little more than the average and although it’s been a while since I have eaten there, I have always found the food to be of a very good quality in the past, especially for a pub. The bar is well stocked and staff are more than friendly (the sort of bar staff that go on to become good friends!), and both venues are kitted out with decent sound systems. Chances are you’ll be seeing your favourite touring acts there in the near future. All in all, the Hare is more than just a pub — it’s a lifestyle.

There’s not alot to be said about the Hare and Hounds that hasn’t already been said. In a decade or so, it’s gone from being a fairly non descript, murky low end boozer to one of Birmingham’s best known venues and even has a low budget film based around it’s fortunes, the little known Turbulence. Genre wise Hare and Hounds has a fairly wide reach of the cooler end of the musical spectrum. Think the cooler end of dance music with dj sets from the likes of Norman Jay, Dj Marky and Massive Attack’s Daddy G as well as many live music events featuring reggae, hip hop and soul, with even the odd leftfield folk night getting a look in. The daytime food menu isn’t cheap but it’s tasty and as filling as anything else on offer in King’s Heath. The interior could be described as a classic example of the great British pub with it’s tiling and oak panelling. The benches out the front are a great place to sit and watch the many characters of Kings Heath go about their business. Criticisms? Only one — the beer is too expensive for what it is. In an ideal world it would either be better quality or cheaper. It’s definitely worth tolerating for all the other delights the Hare and Hounds has to offer. Overall, definitely recommended.

The Hare and Hounds pub on Kings Heath Street used to be what you might refer to as an old man’s pub, a straightforward boozer with a loyal band of older customers. However in the last few years a quite remarkable transformation has taken place and the establishment can now be considered as the classiest public house in the Kings Heath area. The inside now resembles something similar to a wine bar with plush seats and low level lighting which creates a relaxed upmarket ambience. As well as an aesthetic overhaul the ideology of the business seems to have undergone a facelift also. There are now numerous events which take place at the Hare and Hounds in one of their two upstairs function rooms. From top quality comedians to unmissable DJ’s such as Radio One’s legendary Mary Anne Hobbs, in terms of the Kings Heath area, events such as this are something of a rarity so top marks to the Hare and Hounds for going all out to impress. This is one of the priciest pubs on the high street with premium lagers on tap which start at around the three pounds fifty mark, but this is an expected development given the new direction in which the Hare and Hounds is heading. One final note, if you’re a crisp lover like me then be sure to check out the crisp menu. That’s right a menu devoted entirely to innovative flavours of crisps! What more could you possibly ask for!

This place has changed a lot since I first moved to South Brum. Just a few years ago it was a pretty rough-​and-​ready High Street pub and nothing to write home about. Over the last 8 or 9 years it’s changed out of all recognition and is now a smart, cool pub that attracts both locals and creative types. Since the closure of The Jug of Ale in Moseley it has also become the most important music venue in the south of the city and regularly attracts named, touring artists.
There are two rooms downstairs — the main public bar and a side room which is opened during the evening at at busy times. There is a small, enclosed courtyard at the back for smokers, and at the front of the pub there are a few tables which are popular during sunny afternoons.
There are two rooms upstairs that get used for gigs. The main room (which has played once played host to Nirvana) is a good-​sized space with a decent PA and a bar that can cope with a sell-​out crowd. The smaller room is nicer — more of a function room than a gig venue — and often a smaller touring act will be placed in there if the promoter concerned is after a more intimate vibe. This room also has a bar but it is smaller and usually only staffed by one person.
This is a popular pub so can often get very busy in the evenings, particularly at weekends, but the drinks selection is good and the bar staff are friendly. Well worth a visit.

I got to the pub for the Daytime Menu, and I was starving, luckily the Hare and Hounds has a large menu of tasty sandwiches, omelets, pancakes and burgers on hand to stimulate my culinary desires. I tried the recommended Organic Burger £6.50 with chunky chips and side salad. It was a clean plate of food with a healthy sized burger that tasted fresh and wholesome, the way a good burger should be.
It was only until after I had devoured my meal that I noticed the large selections of Ales they have on offer from breweries across the country. My friend indulged in a reasonably priced IPA whilst I had a Coke as I had to drive home.
Well, the car got left outside overnight, I couldn’t drive home in the end. Crowds of chain smoking revelers outside were anticipating the arrival of a band at one of the Hares’ two live music rooms. I noticed that UB40’s first ever gig took place here in 1979 — commemorated recently with a PRS Music Heritage award and plaque — to establishing itself as one of the top small music venues in Birmingham. We were in for a good night!
We had a few more ales and the band came on in the Main Room. The acoustics and smaller intimate feel of the venue put a big smile on my face, so did the band, so did the night. The Hare and Hounds is definitely the place to visit.

I went to the Hare and Hounds to see Esben and the Witch and two other bands last week and I can tell you this is a great music venue.
The pub is divided in two floors and several rooms, with the upstairs reserved for gigs. The space upstairs is great, with good service and fairly cheap drinks.
The actual pub downstairs is lovely, with big leather chairs and comfy sofas. There is a great choice of drinks and I heard the American southern food is great (it looked great!) I shall return very soon to try it.
Overall the Hare and Hounds is a great place with a great atmosphere and an interesting crowd — very different from your typical Birmingham pub.

This is a very nice pub. There is often love music for a fee in one of the 2 halls. the clientele is trendy, makes a good night out.

Since it was refurbished a couple of years ago, The Hare & Hounds has been transformed into arguably the best small-​to-​medium live music and comedy venue in the whole of Birmingham. Located right on the High Street of Kings Heath and accordingly very easy to access, once you get inside the pub it can be a little disorientating if you’re a newcomer.
Although the live music room is upstairs, if you try to get there by simply walking up the stairs when you enter, you’ll be told that you can’t walk down a certain corridor, and have to take a long and convoluted path that leads outside, through the smoker’s courtyard, up a narrow set of external stairs and then back inside the pub.
Minor gripes aside, the pub is huge and has a great atmosphere. The crowd is very laid back and the staff are very friendly. The drinks selection is decent enough and the prices aren’t too bad, but worth paying due to the simple fact that this is one of the best pubs in Brum by a long shot. Well worth the journey.

Nice, large traditional pub away from the «chain pubs» of kings Heath and Moseley. Good selection of beers and spirits, if a little pricey in comparison to other pubs in the area. Bar staff not the quickest, or most observant to who is next, but I would still recommend visitng.

This place was done up a few years ago and it’s doing pretty well still considering how busy it gets at the weekend. Nice atmosphere in the bit of Kings Heath (York Road) which is becoming a bit chi chi!
Regular live gigs upstairs (2 function rooms) and different nights (Stitches and Hos — a knitting gp for example) host various groups.
not eaten there but supposed to be good. nice and friendly staff
if you like interesting buildings it’s a victorian. seating outside the pub so you can watch kings heath go by, as well as in the courtyard for smokers.
recommend as it does interesting things and has breathed life into what was previously not a very interesting pub.
factoid — i heard that the beatles had played here! might just one of those urban myths

The Hare and Hounds is not just the best pub in Kings Heath but arguably one of the best pubs in the whole of greater Birmimgham! It has a fantastic selection of ales and spirits and often has some excellent promotions on popular drinks. A lot of money has been invested in the pub and the interior is sleek and modern without a blemish in site.
The pub consists of the ground floor which contains the main bar and a wide spacious seating area, there are also a number of large screens installed for those wanting to watch the football. Upstairs is a large room which is used for live music and performances. It has a capacity to fit around 200 people. There is also a smaller bar upstairs, so you can get drinks withotu having to go downstairs during a performance. There isn’t another pub in the area that is both an excellent pub and puts on good live music and entertainment.