The Drop Forge

I live opposite the Drop Forge so you may think it’s somewhere that I go regularly… I ve probably eaten there twice in the last 18mths. First meal was a fabulous Sunday roast, second one was a bit lack lustre which is probably why we haven’t returned. It has a great feel inside and works well for a large meal /​party. I love the outside space and sometimes we sit on the roof terrace for a quick drink. I d recommend you visit on a warm Sunday afternoon to see for yourself

In the heart of the jewellery quarter, this pub is quite unassuming from the outside. I have only visited at the weekend during the day, so I don’t know what the atmosphere would be like at night, but certainly I found it to be really chilled and relaxing.
I booked a table for 7 people in advance, but I think that we would probably have been ok to just walk in. There is an upstairs and roof terrace too afterall:)
I had a lovely glass of red wine (I think that they are supplied by Tanners wine merchants who I know to be good) and my friends had a mix of beers and soft drinks.
Most of us ordered the Sundays roast –beef for me. It was amazing, but it was pretty good. Sadly the vegetarian options are limited and I didn’t notice anything pointing out vegan or gluten free options, which most restaurants seem to do these days. So if you have friends with allergies or intolerances I would check in advance. Not the cheapest place either. My main, dessert and large glass of wine came to £25. Still, everyone in my party seemed pretty happy at the end of the day:)

I came here several times over the first few years of it opening and it’s a beautiful building that’s been well converted into a spacious, light and airy bar/​restaurant. However, I have to be honest and say the sometimes snooty staff, mediocre service and pricey drinks, meant it didn’t really impress and so I hadn’t been in properly for well over a year, maybe two.
However, with the JQ being classic for average food at over-​egged prices I fancied a change from my preferred Red Lion or Lord Clifden. The last time I had that thought tho’ I ended up very disappointed at The Church; but I’m always ready to bang my head against a wall one more time in the name of experimentation.
So, somewhat to my surprise, this visit was actually really good. The staff were smiley and pleasant and the food (a solid tho slightly bland and over seasoned Chicken Supreme) certainly on the very decent side of average, both on the plate and in the cake hole.
I also had a cup of breakfast tea served in one of those silly latte style glasses with a daft bendy spoon. It didn’t really fit on the saucer properly and the milk jug also had a chip out of it. These kinds of details irritate me — maybe I’m unreasonable, but it’s my review and I’ll cry if I want to! The tea was a decent brand, good sized leaves in a bag rather than ‘floor sweepings’ and strong.
So the food itself in a tad more detail … as I said, slightly over seasoned specifically on the salty side. I’d prefer to add my own if necessary. The chicken was cooked nicely: moist and fresh but a little bland. The Chorizo and sweet potato did a great job on back up. Just right on the portion size.
It was a warm lunchtime outside, but cosy, well ventilated and comfortable inside. Wasn’t very busy, but a decent turnover of lunch-​time visitors made it feel less like the dead-​zone I’ve encountered in the past.
All in, I’d say worth a visit but not the best value overall. Food is good but lacks a bit of flavour punch and ultimately the mains are probably at least a couple of quid over par compared to the best of the JQ competition. I’ll go back again tho’. Oh, another thing, check out the specials. They looked more interesting and a little better value than the main menu items.

I came here for a wedding reception which had booked out the whole venue. It’s an attractive space with some cosy cubby holes to sit in, there’s also room to dance. The sound system isn’t up to a proper disco though, you need to bring your own amps.
Food (buffet) was brought out surprisingly late, it must have been around 8.30pm. What I tried was pretty decent, especially nice to see mini arancini and good olives. Some of the other stuff was a bit weird/​unidentifiable e.g. something that looked just like prawn cocktail but did not actually appear to involve prawns.
I bought a bottle of NZ Sauvignon Blanc. Normally I would always enjoy that but for some reason I really didn’t like this one. I can’t understand why — maybe it was interacting with the cruel aftertaste of jaeger bomb or toothpaste or something.
What really let this place down was the bar staff. They were all completely sullen and looked like they really hated being there, which isn’t really what you want to see at somebody’s wedding.

Came here for a wedding recently and whilst we didn’t fully discover what the Drop Forge has to offer, it played a brilliant role as host and venue for my friends special day.
It has a lot of character and warmth which is what you want from a venue, and the actual forge inside the pub makes it even more charming.
Only downside was £3 odd for a Pink Lemonade!

Hmm, I really want to like the Drop Forge. I really do. It’s a fantastic looking bar/​restaurant and it’s really close to home.
I can’t comment on the food having never eaten here but it does look great and I will have to try it and update my review.
In bar terms though it is definitely lacking somewhat in both atmosphere and value for money. I’ve come to terms with the fact that for a decent pint in Birmingham these days you’re going have to pay between £3 and £4 but for that I would like to find that the ales are kept well. This doesn’t seem to be the case, I’ve had a number of pints here that weren’t bad but were definitely sub-​par (not the type of beer as I’ve sampled a number of the same brews in other locations and they’ve been much better. The atmosphere is almost non-​existent, this makes it a great place to come for a (very) quiet drink but if you’re looking for somewhere in between a morgue and some of the busy bars elsewhere in the jewellery quarter it’s definitely leaning more towards the morgue side of things.
The roof terrace is lovely, however, and the bar is well decorated throughout — there’s just something missing and I’m not 100% sure what it is.

I came here for a wedding reception about 2 years. My friends had hired the whole ground floor.
It was a really relaxed venue to have a wedding reception in with great service and a chilled atmosphere.
I wasn’t on Unilocal then so today when I went for coffee (When I say I’m having coffee I NEVER mean coffee.) I reminded myself to write a review.
There’s lots of hidden spaces around the ground floor great for small groups. Most people were having a relaxed drink for two.
I had earl grey tea which was brought over to our table.
Nice place to visit!

The Drop Forge is where Millie & I will come in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Actually we’d probably be here anyway. The steak night (Monday) is awesome value as is the fish night (Wednesday). Good but inexpensive wine list, guest ales and a great space. Music is eclectic but not intrusive. A plan with no drawbacks.

The Drop Forge is a bar located in the Jewellery Quarter, not far from the JQ Station. The inside has been fantastically restored, offering exposed brickwork and comfortable furnishings for people to sit on. Set across two floors, the downstairs is aimed at those stopping for a drink, and the upstairs offers a pleasant dining area.
The drop forge isn’t one of those places that has 101 things behind the bar. They have a small but sufficient selection of spirits, with beer and ale available bottled and on tap. Their main drink offering is wine, of which they have a good selection.
The food menu so good. The selection again is small but just right for the venue. All of it is really well cooked and very tasty.
It’s not the cheapest of venue’s. A couple of drinks starts to nudge towards £10 and the food isn’t cheap either, but the quality is very good.
My only problem is that the place just doesn’t quite grab me. It’s nice, chilled, and quiet, which is great, but I think it takes that feeling a little too far, so at times, it can feel a little flat. If I was on my own and wanted to read my book over a nice glass of wine, I’d probably head here. If I was going for a catch up with a friend, I would probably go elsewhere; most of us are too raucous to fit comfortably with what the Drop Forge is aiming for!
Don’t let this put you off; it’s just my feeling on the place. I’ve been there for meetings, parties and quiet drinks and they’ve all been fine. But other than for Sunday Afternoon sustenance (and quiet!), it’s unlikely to be my first choice.

I started going to the Forge as part of the neighbourhood forum. It’s got a great booth by the bar, which is really good for low key meetings. It’s got a gorgeous interior which is a modernised forge — meaning it retains loads of the lovely unique features whilst being bright and airy. They do play music, but not at an intrusive level, meaning you can still have a really good conversation.
Food isn’t cheap, but is tasty and filling. Most of the ingredients are locally sourced — so ethical too! *Top tip* go for steak night! 2 lovely steaks and a bottle of wine for £30. Ale selection is reasonable — but a little expensive and there is a good selection of other drinks on offer.

I have frequented here many times. Food has always been consistently nice, above average for pub food. The grazing selection is good for sharing, although a little pricy for the skewers: £4 for 1 small lamb kofte or 1 halloumi kebab with 2 pieces of halloumi and a couple of peices of pepper. They taste lovely, but I would expect 2 portions for the money this is B’ham not London. However, the other dishes at £3 are more reasonable and very tasty: falafel, chorizo, rare beef They also do Sunday lunch.
Menu:
Bar staff are nice and friendly, and service is efficient. They sell the standard range of beers, ciders, spirits and soft drinks. Don’t think they do cocktails.
The décor and furniture are nice, with exposed brick, high celings and comfy sofas. The original forge i has been retained and kept behind glass so you can still see it. Nice touch. The music is varied and eclectic, which I love, from Take That to James Brown and Fleetwood Mac.
It can sometimes be a little cold inside sometimes, but if you ask them to put the heating on they do! Good place to get away from the Bham city centre crowds on a Friday and Saturday night.
It also has a roof terrace for those few summer days! A rare find in Bham.

This is a very cosy comfortable pub to eat in with lots of original features kept from the original building. Food is excellent, service is too.

Amazing food, great for anti pasti and a wine List to die for. Alternatively a fine selection of real ales

When it had only just opened, I remember peering in through the windows of The Drop Forge, and thinking how delightfully cosy it looked inside. I was walking back to my car, and just passing at the time, and a couple of weeks later, I was enjoying an evening meal there with a friend.
When you walk it, it’s all open-​plan with cosy nooks and crannies around the edges, high ceilings, and plenty of light thanks to the conservatory style upstairs seating area. The layout is pleasing on the eye, offering a fresh and modern yet welcoming and homely feel as soon as you walk through the doors. There is also plenty of outdoor seating upstairs, gorgeous on a warm summers evening!
I’ve only eaten there once, and the food is delicious. They also have meeting rooms for hire, which I’ve not personally seen, but look fabulous from the photos. Having been to the venue a couple of times, I would imagine the meeting facilities to be top notch.
It’s certainly a venue that deserves to be visited at least once, whether for an informal lunchtime open sandwich, or a fabulous three course dining experience. A beautiful venue, serving excellent food in the heart of The Jewellery Quarter.

Delicious food — I’m addicted to the Risotto here (as well as in Opus, I know, just addicted)
Reliable service
Open space. There’s plenty of room to mingle when I viist for the monthly JQ social
Perfect for after work drinkies
Food!
Orderly — there’s a restaurant area and drinking area, take your pick!
Reasonable prices
Gorgeous interior — loop upwards when you go in
Enjoyable atmosphere

The Drop Forge is a well hidden bar /​music venue, situated in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
It looks rather swanky from the outside and might put off people looking for a more casual place to drink. On entering you can see that they have kept a lot of the original features, which is nice. I’m not sure if the building is listed.
The venue is basically a big, lofty room with a separate room and a snug to the far left of the bar. This would be a nice space for a date. The focal point of the room is the stage area with an iron stair case leading up to a conference room and terrace.
When we visited on a Sunday there was a band playing. The atmosphere was nice but the music was pretty dire and I think the place would be much improved if they put on some decent acts. If the music had been good that day we might have stayed a bit longer; in the end we walked out after the third song as it was just too awful.
I can’t speak for the food as we didn’t get any but having looked at the menu I can tell you that there’s no way I’d consider spending that much, there, without prior recommendation. Especially as The Lord Clifden is just around the corner.

I was super excited when this opened around the corner from my office.
«Hooray! A shiny new pub in walking distance! That’s kept original features and looks awesome!»
That said, since it’s opened I’ve been in only a handful of times. and this is for two reasons: 1) the menu initially had little vegetarian fare, and what they did have was cheese-​centric (gag!), and 2) the food is more expensive than the other pubs I would choose to use for lunch options (eg. Rose Villa, Lord Clifden etc.)
They do a surprisingly delicious latte, (I’m a minor coffee snob, so am always pleasantly surprised when somewhere other than a coffee shop that has trained baristas can produce something really tasty!) and the atmosphere inside is very open and airy and lovely. I’ve noticed they’ve changed the menu slightly recently (including better veggie options for me!), so will give them another try soon — but it’s more likely to be for a nice evening meal rather than an expensive lunch.

The Drop Forge has a great feel to it with a wide-​open space, cosier nooks and a great upstairs and roof terrace space. It’s a simple setting that has a very classy and understated feel to it and the amount of space means it never feels super busy. The service is really good but the menu is limited especially for any vegetarian friends you might have. A great space for a few drinks but the menu is a bit limited and it’s a bit pricey really.
Its usual clientele are visitors to the Jewellery Quarter and business people having a business lunch. It has quite a formal feel to the place with the silver wear and napkins laid out on the tables. It’s a shame really as the space is amazing.

Despite a really swanky interior set over several floors and a very nice outdoor terrace, I shan’t be heading here again. Seven of us arrived, starving, at 3pm, were presented with menus and ordered £40 of drinks. We then went to order food and were told there was only a scant sandwich menu until 5.30pm.
Since we were stuck with our drinks, we stayed on, eventually ordering at 5.30. Our food arrived within five minutes, and within five hours I was bathroom-​bound with a bad bout of food poisoning.
I can’t give 0 stars, or I would.